Abandoned Woman Busy Farming-Chapter 2476 - 2477: The Empress’s Lover

Bai Ruozhu was merely finding an excuse to prevent Xinye from guessing what she was inquiring about, little did she know that Xinye was so concerned. She had no choice but to accept, thanking him with a smile.

"Then thank you, Lord Xinye."

"Hmph!" A cold snort sounded, Jiang Yichun’s face had already turned cold, "No need to trouble the General with such matters, we’ll investigate ourselves. Xinye, are you very idle lately? How is your martial arts practice coming along? When can you defeat me with your current skills?"

Jiang Yichun spoke with a raised eyebrow, looking extremely arrogant. Xinye was so angry that his face turned dark, and he said in a deep voice, "Don’t be too cocky, Lord Jiang. It’s just that I haven’t had a chance to use full force; our Fusang ninjutsu focuses on directly taking lives."

"Heh, I’ve seen plenty of Shadow Ninjas who kill directly, afraid of you? Too much talk is pointless, feel free to use your skills fully. There’s no stopping short in a true fight."

"That’s what you said!" Excited, Xinye stood up with a sword, "Let’s take this outside."

Sa Tian, fearing trouble, hurriedly stood up to advise, "You two, don’t be rash, we’re all on the same side, let’s talk it out calmly."

Xinye was unappreciative, glaring at him, "We’re samurai dueling, what does a scholar know? Step aside!"

Sa Tian was pushed aside by Xinye, Bai Ruozhu made a gesture to Sa Tian, signaling him to not meddle, as her Achun was about to handle things, not even she could stop him.

Yet...

She propped her chin, pondering why she felt Achun looked so unfavorably upon Xinye.

Ultimately, Xinye was beaten by Jiang Yichun to the point where he could hardly get up, with multiple bruises. Bai Ruozhu feared trouble, so when leaving, she tossed a bottle of Golden Wound Medicine to him.

This made Jiang Yichun look even less favorably on Xinye. He had just reconciled with his wife, so naturally, he wouldn’t blame her for a bottle of medicine; it wasn’t this Xinye trying to act pitiful in front of a woman to gain sympathy?

Sa Tian hurriedly caught up with Xinye, wanting to lend a hand, but Xinye pushed him away, almost falling over himself. Jiang Yichun chuckled indifferently.

Sa Tian was anxious, not for Xinye’s wellbeing, but out of fear that Xinye might hold a grudge and complain to General Chisong, which would make things more difficult for Bai and company.

"What’s going on between you and Lord Jiang, looking at each other unfavorably? Don’t let it affect your duty and upset the General." Sa Tian tentatively said as they left the yard.

"None of your business." Xinye’s voice was cold and hard, he paused then added, "I won’t speak to the General."

Sa Tian felt embarrassed as if his intentions were seen through by Xinye and awkwardly touched his nose, not daring to say more.

"It’s a pity we can’t find the Empress’s lover, nor whether that bracelet was made by him or acquired from someone else, this lead seems broken again." Bai Ruozhu propped her chin, troubled.

Jiang Yichun soothed her furrowed brow, showing affection in his eyes, "Don’t frown, it’s easy to get wrinkles."

"Oh." Bai Ruozhu responded lazily.

"Didn’t you previously say the poison used by the Shadow Ninja came from the ’Poison Classic’? If you treasure it so, it shouldn’t be widely known, right? Could the same person or group be behind both giving the Empress the bracelet and the Shadow Ninja?" Jiang Yichun suddenly proposed.

Bai Ruozhu’s eyes lit up, "That’s right, how did I not think of that? Sa Tian also mentioned that traders can’t be officials!"

"Do you suspect She Zongyi?" Jiang Yichun raised an eyebrow.

"We just arrived in Fusang, hardly provoking anyone before the incident at Zhaoti Temple, I can’t think of anyone who would dare use a Shadow Ninja against us." Bai Ruozhu bit her lip, "But if all of it is his scheme, does he truly support the second prince ascending?"

"Perhaps he outwardly supports the second prince, but secretly aids the Crown Prince? Such things aren’t unheard of in Danliang Country." Jiang Yichun remarked.

Bai Ruozhu tapped her head, "If that’s the case, then I understand. But how can we expose him now?"

Jiang Yichun squinted his eyes, "Find an opportunity to meet him first, to probe his intentions."

In the following days, the condition of the second prince improved daily, gradually able to utter some words, but speaking was laborious, almost squeezing out each word slowly, expending great effort for each.

Additionally, he could move his fingers slightly, not nimbly, just slight motions, but it appeared he was gradually recovering.

The Emperor was even more grateful to Bai Ruozhu and company for this, wishing to reward them with some fine items, but feared they’d be tampered with, drawing trouble when delivered to the yard. Yet, not rewarding also seemed insincere, troubling the Emperor until he had more white hairs from fretting.

"It’s not difficult, His Majesty can proceed as usual, then bring the items to the yard entrance for Bai and company to inspect, and later retrieve them to move out of the palace, directly to the posthouse. Don’t they still have people staying at the posthouse? Let them safeguard the items. This way, outsiders perceive that His Majesty values them, without fearing tampering with the gifts." Empress Shangzi knew the Emperor’s worry and immediately offered her idea.

The Emperor’s eyes brightened upon hearing this, "Great, let’s do that. Shangzi, you’re truly smart, having you here saves me much worry."

Empress Shangzi smiled bashfully, "It’s not that I’m smart, it’s because His Majesty’s overly concerned for the second prince, not thinking clearly."

"Good, good, I’ll arrange it right away." The Emperor laughed heartily and left.

Only when he had walked far away did Empress Shangzi sigh quietly, a maid beside her gazed at her worriedly and spoke softly, "Empress, why do you always support the second prince? The Crown Prince was the one you raised beside you, if only he could be Emperor."

Shangzi didn’t rebuke the maid, just sighed again, "They’re all family to me. We’re all descendants of the Great God, even supposing another identity, I’m their aunt, wishing for the Crown Prince to be Emperor doesn’t mean I want the second prince to come to harm."

The maid had hair slightly graying at the temples, appearing older than Empress Shangzi, evidently accompanying her for many years.

"Do you still recall the past events? Bearing resentment toward the Empress?" the maid asked.

Empress Shangzi smiled bitterly, shaking her head, "It’s impossible not to blame, but it’s unrelated to the children."

Back then, her sister claimed to be in love with someone outside the Imperial family, disregarding consequences to be with him, always talking of love and making her promise not to tell anyone.

Later, their father wanted her sister to marry their brother, now the Emperor, and become the future Empress. But her sister pleaded with her to ask to marry her brother, claiming she suited the Empress role more.

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That’s it, promises broken again, argh, another Chapter later, will strive for more tomorrow~