Tianliangyuan

Chapter 98 The Battle of Wits Between the Wife and the Mistress

Xu Zhaozhao had previously sent people to exchange grain outside the pass, using several precious medicinal herbs that she had cultivated herself.

Medicinal herbs were expensive, while grain was cheap; a few bags of medicinal herbs could be exchanged for dozens of cartloads of grain.

This deal looks like a great deal no matter how you look at it.

Most importantly, apart from some labor and transportation costs, Xu Zhaozhao's entire operation was essentially free!

Xu Zhaozhao was truly fortunate to have transmigrated here; these kinds of accounts were incredibly difficult to investigate thoroughly.

Moreover, Xu Zhaozhao is known for being rich, so people would believe that she bought several boxes of medicinal herbs with her own pocket money.

Some of the grain they received was sold at a fair price or even a low price to help the disaster victims, while the rest was kept for brewing wine.

When Xu Zhaozhao learned that Sun Huaizhi would be joining the Dongshi Bureau, she felt that this person was really not smart enough.

If he were to serve as the county magistrate in Wannian County, with the Xu family backing him up, he could be promoted to the county's chief official within three to five years. At that point, any further promotion would make him a key official in the imperial court.

But he chose to be the assistant director of the East Market Office just to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy. He was incredibly stupid!

Xu Zhaozhao focused on her money-making endeavors, but of course, she didn't forget to occasionally keep an eye on Jiang Ning and the Prince of Zhong.

According to the original text, these two were supposed to join forces to destroy the Anxin Marquis's family.

Although he had escaped a calamity, it didn't mean that the two of them had given up.

There were people watching Prince Zhong and Jiang Ning all along. When Xu Zhaozhao learned that the two were going to meet in secret again, she wondered if she should add some fuel to the fire so that Jiang Ning could marry into Prince Zhong's mansion as soon as possible, which would also fulfill their feelings for each other.

Unexpectedly, she only had this thought in mind, but the Princess Consort of Zhong took action directly.

There were only a few places where the Prince of Zhong and Jiang Ning could meet in secret, which was something they had agreed upon beforehand. They couldn't meet in the same place too often, as it would attract unwanted attention.

This time, the two of them arranged to meet at a teahouse in Qinglan Garden.

Qinglan Garden was originally a private garden of the royal family. When Emperor Yong'an was still the crown prince, it was bestowed upon him by the late emperor. After Emperor Yong'an ascended the throne, he simply ordered people to renovate the garden and bestow it upon his maternal uncle, the Duke of Cheng'en at the time.

More than a decade has passed since then. The emperor's brother-in-law has passed away, and now his eldest son, Cui Xuanzheng, the current Marquis of Xinning and Emperor Yong'an's cousin, has taken over the place.

Cui Xuan was thinking about the garden bestowed by the emperor, which was mainly famous for its scenery. He thought it might be better to start managing it.

Over time, Qinglan Garden became a popular place for scholars, celebrities, and sons and daughters of powerful families to visit.

Qinglan Garden has everything you could want: teahouses, studies, restaurants, chess pavilions, and more. It is an elegant residence.

Although King Zhong and Jiang Ning met frequently, they did not overstep their bounds.

At least, Jiang Ning is still a pure virgin, and the Prince of Zhong only occasionally touches her hand or makes a few flirtatious remarks.

Doesn't the Loyal King want to marry Jiang Ning?

Of course not!

Since meeting Jiang Ning last year, Prince Zhong has reaped many benefits.

However, Jiang Ning is the eldest granddaughter of Grand Tutor Jiang. If she were to become his concubine, Grand Tutor Jiang would probably refuse.

Therefore, the two had no choice but to meet secretly. As for what would happen in the future, Prince Zhong was not afraid. After all, he was a man, and he would not suffer if he was discovered.

Jiang Ning, however, had never mentioned marriage, which surprised the Prince of Zhong.

King Zhong was certain that Jiang Ning loved him; otherwise, why would she scheme for him in every way?

It was only after the poisoning of Princess Consort Zhong that Prince Zhong began to seriously examine this Miss Jiang.

The Prince of Zhong was certain that Jiang Ning was behind it, and her goal was naturally to obtain the position of Princess Consort of Zhong.

However, the Prince of Zhong dared not entertain such thoughts easily now.

Putting aside the Zhao family's power, the fact that the emperor values ​​several of the princess's uncles means he cannot afford to have any conflict with the Zhao family.

After all, compared to the Jiang family, the Zhao family's support for him is currently the most important.

Upon learning the news, a ruthless glint flashed in Princess Zhao Yue's eyes.

"Proceed according to the original plan, and remember, don't give anyone any leverage against you."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zhao Yue had been keeping an eye on Jiang Ning for quite some time. The fact that she could become the Princess Consort of Zhong and maintain control over the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion meant that she was naturally very shrewd.

Although she lacked Jiang Ning's 'foresight,' she was no less capable of the skills a matriarch should possess.

Zhao Yue has been quite patient. She started investigating Jiang Ning last year, and now it's March. She's been holding back for a long time.

Prince Zhong and Jiang Ning were talking together. Since it wasn't something that could be done openly, the two of them made sure to keep their distance. The guards around Prince Zhong were not wearing the uniforms of the Prince's guards, but were dressed in civilian clothes.

To avoid drawing too much attention, only one guard was left outside the door.

As for Jiang Ning, the people she brought were naturally even less qualified to serve her inside the house.

The waiter from the teahouse brought over tea and snacks, and the guard merely glanced at them without stopping him.

The private room where the two of them were talking was quite luxurious, after all, it had to be worthy of a prince's status.

After serving the tea and snacks, the servant glanced at the incense burner and, when no one was looking, secretly tossed something inside before silently leaving.

Neither the Prince of Zhong nor Jiang Ning noticed anything amiss until they had drunk two cups of tea.

The Prince of Zhong drank less and was still able to control himself, while Jiang Ning's vision was already blurred. She still had some sense of reason and would shake her head from time to time, but it was of little use. What she saw in front of her was the Prince of Zhong, who was showing her great attention, and the heat that came from her body from time to time.

Princess Zhong estimated the time, then raised her hand and ordered someone to distract the guards at the door and talk to them.

By the time the guards realized something was wrong, the princess had already arrived.

boom!

The door was opened, but inside, besides Princess Zhong, were several noble ladies who had come with her.

The Prince of Zhong's clothes were still relatively neat, but the Second Miss Jiang was already half-undressed, her eyes were alluring, and she was making a complete fool of herself.

When the Prince of Zhong heard the commotion outside, he realized something was wrong. He quickly stepped back and saw several women entering.

"Yue'er!"

Zhao Yue looked over in surprise, then quickly went to Prince Zhong's side: "Your Highness, are you alright? What, what happened?"

At this moment, the Prince of Zhong could not care about anything else. He simply pointed at Jiang Ning and said, "I don't know why this person suddenly acted like this. I, I was almost defiled by him!"

The last sentence was delivered with a sense of frustration.

Zhao Yue immediately ordered her men to knock Jiang Ning unconscious and subdue him. Afterward, she personally helped the prince to a private room next door to rest.

"Come here, please ask the imperial physician."

Prince Zhong realized something was amiss and was about to stop her when the princess whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, no matter what happens, we cannot allow you to be stigmatized."