After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Shen Jingque paused for a moment while holding the bird's nest soup.

The Empress Dowager's own son was sent to an enemy country as a hostage?

This script was beyond her comprehension.

According to the plot of the novels she read, shouldn't the Empress Dowager's son be the most favored one?

Before she could ask any further questions, Helan Qing spoke first:

"Three years ago, the Emperor of Great Yan died. Empress Dowager Yan executed Consort Yao's entire family on charges of treason, implicating nine generations of her relatives, and then installed her eldest son, Rong Hui, on the throne."

He paused, his gaze falling on Rong Jing's face with a hint of scrutiny.

"At that time, it was widely rumored in the court and among the people of the Great Yan that Empress Dowager Yan had two sons, the eldest of whom succeeded to the throne, while the younger son... was left as a hostage in the Great Yong."

Upon hearing this, Rong Jing merely curled the corners of his lips: "I didn't expect that Young Master Helan would be so knowledgeable about the past of the Great Yan Dynasty. No wonder he is the son of the Imperial Censor."

Xu Wanying chewed on a rib and mumbled as she interjected, "That's not right. Don't most families favor the younger ones? My stepmother and my father especially doted on my younger brother and sister, always giving them the best of everything."

Shen Jingque also found it strange and asked in confusion:

"Since your mother is now the most honored woman in Great Yan, and the two countries have long since made peace, why not summon you back?"

"He probably doesn't want to see me."

Rong Jing said lazily:

"When my mother was pregnant with me, my father fell in love with Yao, a fisherwoman. After I was born, my father no longer favored my mother."

"So she felt that it was because of my pregnancy that Yao had the opportunity to take advantage of her and cause her to become estranged from her father."

Shen Jingque frowned, her expression indescribable.

The same old soap opera stories have remained unchanged throughout history.

However, Rong Jing added, "Later, a sorcerer entered the palace and said that my fate was to harm my relatives, that I was a cursed lone star, and that I was born to kill all my close relatives."

She had already guessed what would happen next.

Feudal superstitions can kill people.

A combination of being obsessed with love and being bound by feudal superstition is an even more disastrous one.

They're at the point where they don't even know which bin to put their trash in.

Rong Jing withdrew his gaze and gave Shen Jingque a slight smile.

"However, the Great Yong treated the hostages kindly, and their lives became much better after they arrived. At least they didn't have to suffer from cold and hunger."

In other words, when he was a prince in the Great Yan Dynasty, he actually suffered from cold and hunger.

Shen Jingque felt a little uneasy.

How could she possibly abuse her own son for a scumbag?

Rong Jing tilted his head and looked Shen Jingque up and down. Suddenly, he leaned over, propped his chin up with one hand, and smiled charmingly.

"Little Sparrow, what's with that expression? Could it be... you're worried about me?"

The next instant, a boy with a slightly chubby face stepped between him and Shen Jingque, blocking his view: "She...she just pities you, you...you shouldn't..."

Don't flatter yourself, hmph!

Helan Qing's noodles were taut, and he stared at Rong Jing as if facing a formidable enemy.

Since yesterday, this man has been looking at Xiao Que'er strangely and even putting his arm around her waist, showing no regard for the difference between men and women.

He's a good friend, but he's never even held Little Sparrow's hand!

Seeing Helan Qing's angry expression, Rong Jing raised an eyebrow and asked provocatively, "How do you know? Are you a mind reader?"

He Lanqing's face flushed red, but her lips were pressed into a thin line, showing no intention of backing down.

The two stared at each other across the stone table, and the atmosphere inexplicably became tense.

Shen Jingque looked left and right, her mind full of questions.

What are these two doing, like elementary school kids pecking at each other?

"Why don't you two go outside and have a fight?"

Xu Wanying raised her hand enthusiastically and said, "I can be the referee."

He Lanqing's face flushed red, and he said urgently, "Who wants to fight him!"

Rong Jing slowly fanned himself: "I don't bully children."

As soon as he said that, Helan Qing was furious.

"I'm a year older than Little Sparrow, I'm not a child!"

Shen Jingque nearly spilled her tea from his yelling.

"Alright, alright, you're not a child anymore, you're a mature and steady future imperial censor."

Looking at her expression, which sounded like she was coaxing a child, He Lanqing felt even more suffocated.

He picked up his book box, flicked his sleeves, and walked towards the bamboo forest without looking back.

Shen Jingque was stunned: "Huh, Qingqing?"

Then he turned to look at Xu Wanying: "What's wrong with him?"

Xu Wanying, with fish still stuffed in her mouth, looked up and thought for a moment before saying, "Maybe she's jealous?"

Shen Jingque: "What are you jealous of? He didn't eat any of the food on the table, did he?"

Xu Wanying slowed down her chewing, feeling that she and Shen Jingque were having a bit of a misunderstanding.

So she wiped her hands and stood up. "I'll go check on him, lest he hide and cry."

Shen Jingque nodded, "Go ahead, don't let him keep it to himself."

Xu Wanying wiped her mouth and jogged after him.

Only Shen Jingque and Rong Jing remained in the pavilion.

Wenren Du stood a little further away, tactfully disguising himself as a tree with a long beard.

Shen Jingque remained silent for a while before suddenly speaking.

"Do you hate her?"

She asked this question because it reminded her of something from a long time ago.

To be precise, it was before I transmigrated into the book.

When she was six years old, the aunt at the orphanage told her that a couple wanted to visit her and that she should behave well.

She was overjoyed, thinking she was going to have a father and mother.

But the couple only stayed for ten minutes before leaving.

She later learned that the couple were her biological parents.

They would rather pretend to be adoptive parents to take a look than ever consider taking her back as their own.

Shen Jingque had hated them for a long time.

It took her a long time to understand that just because some people have children doesn't mean they're ready to be parents.

What about Rong Jing?

A child born with the love of their parents is forced to endure hatred as their beauty fades and their love diminishes.

Does he hate it?

The sunlight was blocked by clouds.

The bamboo shadow fell on half of Rong Jing's face, making his always smiling eyes appear dark and somewhat indistinct.

He did not answer.

"Afternoon classes are about to start, Little Sparrow, hurry up and go."

Shen Jingque looked up at him and saw that he had returned to his carefree state, so she did not ask any further questions.

Perhaps he himself didn't understand it either.

Some answers need to be given to time.

So she stood up nimbly and patted her skirt.

"Thank you for your hospitality today, Young Master Rong."

She smiled at him, her tone sincere.

"See you tomorrow."

……

The afternoon class was Master Wang lecturing on the Book of Rites.

Shen Jingque sat by the window, pen in hand, but didn't write a single word.

Her mind was filled with the few words Rong Jing uttered after returning to China in the original book.

The ruthless methods employed, including massacring the capital, killing his half-brother, and forcing Empress Dowager Yan to abdicate, were described in the original book as "utterly inhuman."

When she saw that part, she thought the person was a complete madman.

Thinking about it now, it would be strange if he hadn't gone mad after being thrown into an enemy country by his own mother at the age of eight and living on the edge of a knife for so many years.

It's not that he was born cruel.

It was the hatred that had been building up day by day after being abandoned by her closest relatives that finally found an outlet.

Thinking of this, she sighed softly.

He Lanqing sat next to Shen Jingque, his eyes lingering on her absent-minded profile, his hand lifting and then putting down his pen.

He wanted to apologize for his inexplicable outburst of temper at noon.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but when he saw Rong Jing looking at him with that kind of gaze, his chest felt incredibly tight.

But the words stuck in his throat.

In the end, he just sighed silently, lowered his head, and continued copying.

After class, Shen Jingque absentmindedly packed her things, said goodbye to He Lanqing and Xu Wanying, and boarded the carriage waiting at the academy gate.

The carriage swayed and rattled along the long street, stopping in front of the main gate of the Princess's residence.

As soon as she reached the central courtyard, she saw Xuan Qi waiting for her.

"Young Miss, the young master requests your presence."