The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

The guards outside the manor came in and whispered a few words in Xie Chengli's ear.

Xie Chengli was taken aback. "Since we have guests, we should naturally invite them in. It's more lively with more people."

"Who is it?" Miaoyin asked.

"Hmm..." He glanced at Xie Chengyan and whispered, "Your cousin, the Crown Prince, can't be stopped."

Before long, laughter and chatter could be heard from outside.

"I heard there's a lotus pond on this estate, and the lotus flowers are in full bloom. I brought some homemade wine for you to try."

Someone behind them echoed, "Miss Jiang's wine is naturally of good quality; we are truly fortunate to have such a taste today."

Several men escorted Jiang Wantang as she walked in, and she immediately spotted the people in the waterside pavilion.

Following behind Jiang Wantang were young masters from prominent families in the capital. They recognized several princes and hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

Only Jiang Wantang, proud and confident, stood upright with her arms crossed.

She felt disdain; she was truly fed up with this wicked ancient society, where people had to kneel and bow at the drop of a hat. Did they have no human rights at all?

She refused to kneel and kowtow. Everyone is equal, so why should she have to bow? They were just born into a better family.

Xie Chengyan did not reprimand her, which made everyone feel that this Miss Jiang held a special place in the Crown Prince's heart.

"So it's Miss Jiang. I've long heard of your great name, and I'm so glad to finally meet you today." Xie Chengli closed his folding fan and stepped forward to bow.

"Have you heard of me?"

"I've naturally heard of Miss Jiang, who is a distinguished guest of the Crown Prince's Palace. She is not only proficient in mathematics and physics, but also has novel insights into agriculture and water conservancy. Even the officials of the Ministry of Works have praised her highly."

Jiang Wantang had a slightly better impression of the Third Prince, who was so enthusiastic, and returned the smile in a casual tone: "Your Highness flatters me. It's just the wisdom of our predecessors, which I've simply adapted and applied."

Although she spoke modestly, the gleam in her eyes and the subtle sense of superiority emanating from her body suggested, "I know you don't understand."

"Miss Jiang, there's no need to be modest. We've all witnessed your abilities; even the food you cook is something we don't even see in the capital," someone behind you laughed.

Jiang Wantang stood up straight, like a peacock, and proudly raised her head to look at Xie Chengyan.

Look at her, she's really talented. If we don't hurry, someone else will snatch her away.

Xie Chengyan remained calm and unmoved.

Jiang Wantang pouted. What kind of person does this damned prince actually like?

She can be gentle and considerate, a strong and independent woman, or even someone with fierce strength. Just give me a specific requirement.

If I give her a little treat every month, at this rate, when will she be able to go home?

He instantly lost his desire to show off, handed the wine he had brought to Xie Chengli, and headed towards Miaoyin.

Ever since Jiang Wantang spoke ill of Ruan Xianrong last time, Miaoyin disliked her a little, but then she remembered her promise and greeted her with a smile, "Sister Jiang."

"Little Miaoyin, it's been a long time."

"I heard Sister Jiang has been very busy lately, how come you have time to come and admire the lotus flowers?"

"No matter how busy I am, I need to take a break. I can't stand being treated like a beast of burden all day long."

Upon hearing the familiar modern vocabulary, Ruan Xianrong paused in her action of throwing fish food.

Miaoyin, however, did not understand. "Does Sister Jiang need oxen and horses to serve the Crown Prince?"

Jiang Wantang waved her hand with a smile, "It's nothing, just pretend I'm talking nonsense."

Miaoyin poured her tea, her eyes full of admiration. "Sister Jiang not only knows how to make food that you can't even find in Kyoto, but she also brews wine and knows so many other things that I've never even heard of. She's truly a heroine."

Jiang Wantang never hid his abilities from Miaoyin. He lowered his voice and said, "That's nothing. I also have pills that can cure all poisons and bring the dead back to life, as well as well-made crossbows. The weapons of the Great Zhou are really too backward now."

"Sister Jiang is really amazing, unlike me. I can't play any of the traditional arts, I'm just a useless person," Miaoyin said dejectedly.

Jiang Wantang, however, took it to heart. "Who says a woman has to be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"

"Women can hold up half the sky too. What's so great about learning music, chess, calligraphy and painting? They're just things to please men. We women should have our own careers."

Miaoyin muttered to herself, "But I don't know anything else..." Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "Sister Jiang knows so much, can I learn from you and broaden my horizons?"

"Why are you being so polite with me? If you want to learn, I'll teach you."

Miao Yin's eyes lit up. "Really? Sister Jiang is willing to teach me?"

"Of course, I know a lot more than that. I'll teach you everything, and then your older sister won't bully you anymore."

Miaoyin's enthusiasm cooled slightly, and she patiently explained, "Sister Jiang misunderstood. She didn't bully me; she's very kind to me."

"Come on, she even provoked me last time. You'd better stay away from her from now on."

Ruan Xianrong threw all the fish food into the water, clapped her hands, and acted as if she hadn't heard him.

She only had two words in her mind: boredom.

What was originally a movie for three people has now turned into a party for a whole group.

I want to go home.

*

After that day, Miaoyin often went outside the mansion and rarely clung to her anymore. In fact, she stayed at the East Palace for most of the time.

The Empress and the Ruan family were very happy; the marriage of the two should be imminent.

I heard that the Empress summoned Jiang Wantang, but when he left, the Empress threw a huge tantrum.

"Miss, do you think His Highness the Crown Prince will really marry both of them at the same time?" Yinque asked in a low voice.

Ruan Xianrong tossed a grape into her mouth and humphed, "You were right."

Given that person's nature, it's his style to gather everything that can be used around him.

Jiang Wantang wanted to win over the Crown Prince to return home, but Xie Chengyan was a man who knew from the beginning that Jiang Wantang had ulterior motives in approaching him, so he had been using her all along.

Once her value is completely drained, she will be utterly useless.

Oh, she's the best.

She is now free of worries. Cheng Qing has entered the Imperial Academy, and the marriage is going more smoothly than expected. Once Cheng Qing finishes the provincial examination, she will be able to leave the capital and completely escape the emotional entanglement between the male and female protagonists.

All those years of keeping a low profile have finally paid off.

Time flies, the wedding date has been set, and the day is fast approaching, but Prime Minister Ruan falls ill.

The imperial physicians came several times, but they couldn't diagnose the cause of the illness, only saying it was due to overwork.

But the person has been lying in bed for several days, and there is no sign of improvement.

Ruan Xianrong stayed in the house every day, and even the Empress came out of the palace to visit her.

They brought all the medicinal herbs they could from the palace, but they could only keep the illness going with the medicine. The whole family was on tenterhooks.

Since Ruan Boheng entered the court, he has never missed a court session due to illness. Madam Sun stayed by his bedside, her eyes almost blind from crying.

In the middle of the night, Cheng Qing rushed back and, seeing the faint dark circles under her eyes, felt a pang of heartache. "Are you alright?"

Ruan Xianrong went up to her, "Why are you back?"

"My uncle is ill, how could I not come back?"

"Does my older brother know about this too?"

"Don't worry, I came back quietly; he doesn't know."

She felt relieved and said, "The provincial examination will be held soon in autumn, which is a crucial time. You can't be distracted. You don't need to come back. Also, it's not good to make a big deal out of my father's illness."

"I know, I... I just couldn't bear to leave you, so I came back to check on you. I'll leave tomorrow."

Ruan Xianrong knew he had suffered a lot because of her these past few days, but after thinking about it for a long time, she finally spoke up today when he returned, "Now that my father is seriously ill, our wedding date..."

Cheng Qing knew what she was going to say, and smiled as he patted her hair. "I know, I came back today to discuss this matter with you."

"Don't worry, I can wait. Uncle Ruan's health is the most important thing. We can get married after the provincial examination."

There's no other way now.

At this time, the Eastern Palace.

Xie Chengyan looked at the message that had been delivered from outside and finally smiled.

Niannian, you shouldn't be thinking about marrying someone else.

Even if his crown princess dies, she can only be his.