Chapter 102 Duke of Jing Ci
As night fell, the summer heat had not yet faded, and below the two-zhang-wide eaves of the Qishun Building a solitary-plank encircling bed was placed, simple and rustic. The wood emitted a refreshing scent of agarwood, and aligned on the tea table beside the Arhat bed were plates of various fruits; bright red lychees swirled within a glass jar filled with ice water, and the sweet aroma of pears mixed with the scent of the wood, as if soaked in honey.
Due to the heat, the pastries brought from the small kitchen were very delicate and tiny, the lifelike flowers, and the vivid little animal sculptures all temptingly crafted to catch the eye and prompt one to take a bite.
Zheng Nianru had no appetite, idly fiddling with her fragrance pouch with an inexplicable touch of displeasure.
Xing Yu also carefully placed a rabbit just within the Commandery Princess’s line of sight under the eaves, not daring to let go and play, hoping the Princess would glance over yet also afraid of aggravating her.
Fu Dong, holding a fan, was lightly fanning and originally thought the Princess’s temper would not subside so quickly; she must go to the Crown Prince’s Mansion and make a scene, expecting a carriage full of flattery, or perhaps only when the Crown Prince had given Ju Nanyi a stern reprimand would she let it go.
Yet, when the carriage arrived at its destination, the Princess directly returned to the Harem, leaving Fu Dong puzzled about certain matters. Nanny Yun’s advice seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Even she felt that now was the time to continue winning over the Crown Prince as the best course of action.
Of the four maids around Zheng Nianru, Fu Dong was the eldest. Nian Xia was cheerful but not very thoughtful, Xue Liu was pragmatic without overthinking, and Xing Yu only had the advantage of being hands-on, so Fu Dong was the one who pondered the most.
Although the Princess was Prince Duan’s sole offspring, in Fu Dong’s eyes, this status was not as good as that of an ordinary noble’s daughter. Fu Dong, who had experienced hardship, had accompanied Zheng Nianru every step of the way to this day, knowing the Empress Dowager’s abhorrence of them—abhorrence was putting it mildly—as the Empress Dowager would have been content only if the Commandery Princess had been drowned as soon as she was born.
Therefore, under such circumstances, clinging to the Crown Prince was their only choice. The Empress Dowager’s loathing intensified with each of the Princess’s stubborn rebellions, to the point where she even contemplated killing Zheng Nianru and even Prince Duan. Every time Zheng Nianru shared with Prince Duan the hardships imposed on her by the Empress Dowager, it led to an argument between them, gradually wearing down the Empress Dowager’s patience.