The bed curtains hung low, the mosquito net swayed, the man's heavy breathing and the woman's gentle moans intertwined together, the ripples on the mosquito net finally subsided, leaving only the sound of their gasping breaths.

  After a while, the bed curtain was lifted from inside, and the naked man handed over a warm towel from the water prepared on the small cabinet to the person in the bed, and then wrung out another one for himself to wipe his body.

  It was almost every night like this, Hua Ruochu naturally took over the handkerchief and cleaned her lower body, throwing the dirty handkerchief to the outside of the bed.

  The man got up and poured himself a cup of water, "Want some?"

  "Trouble you, sir."

  "Really?"

  Hua Ru smiled and said, "Yes, yes, thank you, Mr. Qi You."

  The more she was with him, the more she felt that this man was different from other men she knew. After they were intimate, he wouldn't wait for her to serve him, but instead would take care of her as much as possible. He also wouldn't constantly call out for a maid to come and attend to them, which made her feel very comfortable.

  It's still early, and the two of them, who had just exercised, didn't feel sleepy at all. The atmosphere was a bit awkward in the silence, so Hua Ru thought for a moment before bringing up a topic.

  "Is this what they mean by doting on someone?"

  Qī Yòu glanced at her and didn't respond.

  She picked up a strand of hair and twirled it around her fingers, thinking about her life from the moment she entered the mansion to now. Time seemed both long and short, maybe just over ten days. Except for half a night spent sleeping in the study, most of her time was spent in her room, which was quite considerate of her.

  Maybe she was just overthinking, perhaps all newlyweds in Hebei are like this.

  Compared to Yangzhou's extravagance, Hebei men are not masculine enough.

  Knowing when to drop the subject, Hua Ruoyan's eyes sparkled as she said: "Qi You, tell me about the famous women in Taiyuan City."

  The man remained silent, just as Hua Ru was about to give up and turn over to sleep when Qi You spoke up, "Which aspect do you want to know?"

  Hua Ru suddenly came back to life from her dazed state, "It's just that it leaves a deep impression, making people feel extremely impressed."

  Qī Yòu looked at her, striking the nail on the head, "You're interested in the Second Prince's consort?"

  "Who is the second prince's consort?" Hua Ruochu blinked innocently, "I've just arrived in Jizhou for a short while, and even people in the mansion haven't recognized me fully, let alone the high-and-mighty prince's consort?"

  Qī Yòu believed in his intuition, as the person he asked initially was pointing to the Second Prince's consort, that woman named Táo Jiā. She is currently the most capable woman he knows of, with endless ways of making money, and also serves as the Second Prince's strategist. Moreover, she looks decent enough. If not for the powerful influence of the Crown Prince's consort's family and Táo Jiā's relatively ordinary family background, which lacks anyone who can offer support, in comparison, the Second Prince couldn't bear to lose the support of the Crown Prince's consort's side. This position of Crown Prince's consort would have been replaced long ago.

  Thinking of the play sung at the Second Prince's mansion these past few days, Qi You narrowed his eyes and spoke out.

  Hua's mouth slightly opened as soon as she heard it, and if she hadn't reacted quickly to cover her mouth with her hand, she would have probably lost her composure.

  That woman, indeed worthy of being tempered by all sorts of palace and household struggles on earth, actually managed to turn a situation that was extremely bad for her into this state, not even the empress rebuked her, it seems she is also very popular in the palace.

  She was a bit curious about what that face looked like now. If it's another stunning beauty, the prince's consort is in danger.

  "Do you think it was Princess Wang who framed Concubine Tao, or did Concubine Tao have an affair with someone other than that child?"

  "Of course..." Hua Ru Chu secretly regretted her quick mouth. She wasn't watching a palace drama, so why did she get impulsive?

  "Really?"

  After some deliberation, Hua Ru thought that it was actually nothing that couldn't be said. It's just about stating her opinions, and her opinions were hers alone, they wouldn't become someone else's. What's the point of thinking so much?

  "Does the Crown Prince have children?"

  "There is a two-year-old son."

  "There is a two-year-old son, with a stable position and family support behind him. What the imperial concubine lacks now is the favor of the second prince. As for children, not having one won't affect the overall situation, and she can still get pregnant again in the future."

  "Do you think it's the Crown Prince's consort who is framing her?"

  "Why can't it be thought that way? Just because she is the legitimate crown princess, does she have to be immune from calamity? Or just because Tao Jia is a secondary consort, must she use such means to show her jealousy? If Tao Jia was really so incompetent, how could she have been favored for so long?"

  As expected, he knew Tao Jia. Qi You lowered his eyes and lightly tapped his middle finger against his index finger, "The prince's consort has suffered a loss."

  "Compensating with a child, the second prince is still not pleased, and the empress's heart is lost. It seems that she has suffered enough, but don't you think that this matter is most likely the doing of Concubine Tao? Even if it were the empress herself, I'm afraid there would be suspicions in her mind too. This imperial concubine is a ruthless character, using a child as a sacrifice to plant a thorn in everyone's heart. From now on, whenever there's even a slight disturbance, people will think of this matter. So, do you still think the imperial concubine has suffered enough?"

  "Do you think Tausi Fei was taken advantage of?"

  Hua Ru's initial smile was like a fox, "In the eyes of the Crown Prince's mansion or others, this time she won, and the invisible gains were not small. If used properly, her control over the Crown Prince's mansion could be further enhanced. Moreover, her timely display of weakness in front of the Second Prince resulted in more gains than losses, so it wasn't a bad deal."

  "Did both of them win?"

  "It's a win-win situation, after all. The princess can withstand the schemes of Concubine Tao, which is quite impressive."

  "Do you know Táo Cì Fēi well?"

  Just satisfied with listening to the good play, even drew a picture in my heart, suddenly heard this sentence and my brain was stunned for a moment. This man dug a pit here!

  "I know a little bit about her, and her reputation in Hebei Province is too loud. The manager of the other courtyard sent me news about her, and I'm very curious about her."

  As for her answer, Qi You didn't give a definite yes or no. "If you were to compete with her, would you win or would she?"

  "This question was asked by my brother before, what was her answer at that time? Yes, she said they were not on the same level then, and now she still thinks so, but she wouldn't say this to Qi You, in front of his strong power, all means are just paper tigers. 'How can I compare with her, there's no comparability.'"

  After a long time, just when Hua Ru thought the man had fallen asleep, and her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, Qi You said: "I don't want you to become like that either."

  One sentence knocked out everything in her mind, she turned around to look at the man who had already closed his eyes as if he was asleep, did he mean that he had such a mind or had those means? Or did he have her kind of money-making skills?

  This is troublesome, she has all the tricks and means, and her ability to make money is no weaker than Tao Jia's! With such a big reputation as Linlang Pavilion spreading out of Yangzhou, can she be asked to restrain herself now?

  She wouldn't reject money that's being handed to her on a silver platter, anyway he won't know about it, forget it, don't think about it anymore.

  It's impossible to get her out even if he investigates thoroughly, and even if he finds something, she has countless ways to shift the blame, and her brother is the best shield.

  Her brother is no good, but what about her sister? In Yangzhou, her sister's reputation is not weaker than her elder brother. Apart from being beautiful, the second sister's brain is also very useful.

  She is not as lonely as Tao Jia.

  PS: Thank you for your rewards, I see many familiar faces, you guys are back to watch Guigui again! Love you all!