Abandoned Woman Busy Farming-Chapter 2482 - 2483: Eavesdropping on the System’s Conversation
Bai Ruozhu’s face changed dramatically, "Don’t say anything, step back quickly!"
She quickly rushed over and directly tapped the sleeping acupoint of the second prince, causing him to slump and fall unconscious. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
"What’s wrong with my brother?" Princess Ya’an was so anxious that she nearly rushed into the main hall, but fortunately, she remained rational enough to restrain herself.
"Your words agitated him. Although there’s no external influence affecting his detoxification, his emotions got too intense, and his body can’t take it right now," Bai Ruozhu replied, swiftly administering needles with a somber expression.
Princess Ya’an’s face turned pale, "It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have come..."
Bai Ruozhu had no time to listen to her explanation and hurriedly called Yizi and Fo Lanying over, saying, "Escort Princess Ya’an back to rest for now; she has to attend the engagement ceremony tomorrow."
Yet Princess Ya’an couldn’t stop worrying about the second prince, her eyes constantly fixed on the main hall, reluctant to leave.
"He’ll be fine," Bai Ruozhu said coldly. She disliked trouble—was Princess Ya’an there just to create trouble? She shouldn’t have sympathized with her just now.
Initially, she thought it understandable for Princess Ya’an to come and see her brother, given that he couldn’t attend her engagement, yet somehow she managed to agitate the second prince.
Maybe she previously told the second prince she was unwilling to marry a close relative, but now she’s changed her mind, and the second prince would surely associate it with himself.
Although Bai Ruozhu didn’t particularly like the second prince, seeing how worked up he was over his sister’s situation, he seemed like a good brother.
Unfortunately, Princess Ya’an was still going to marry Prince Wen De after all.
Bai Ruozhu toiled for half an hour before the second prince’s condition stabilized, and soon the Emperor arrived.
"I heard that child Ya’an said that Cilang is okay?" the Emperor asked.
"Just overly emotional; his body is weak, so he couldn’t handle it well, but otherwise he’s alright," Bai Ruozhu replied.
"What if he gets agitated again when he wakes up?" the Emperor sighed, "This child is just too straightforward."
Bai Ruozhu refrained from commenting, thinking, why did you agree to your daughter’s close-relative marriage then?
The Emperor seemed to sense Bai Ruozhu’s inner thoughts, speaking somewhat hesitantly, "I know Ya’an dislikes the royal customs of intermarriage, but she wants to marry into the imperial family, and I won’t oppose it, because it’s far better than marrying off. Our royal family lacks substantial power, and most marrying-off princesses have a hard time."
Bai Ruozhu said nothing; she thought even hardship is better than *** but chose not to comment on their customs.
Seeing the second prince was fine, the Emperor left. The following day, a banquet was held in the palace for Princess Ya’an’s engagement; Bai Ruozhu guessed She Zongyi would be invited and took Fo Lanying to attend, attempting to have Fo Lanying eavesdrop on the system and She Zongyi’s conversation.
To prevent She Zongyi from being too vigilant, she had Gao Deng make a human skin mask for Fo Lanying, modeled after Yizi’s appearance. Creating an entirely new persona might have aroused suspicion since She Zongyi may have already investigated their group thoroughly.
"Take this, your voice will change a bit, resembling Yizi more, yet everyone’s speaking pace, accent, and choice of words differ; while he may not know our individual details, you should speak less. If there’s an urgent matter, secretly write in my hand," Bai Ruozhu instructed Fo Lanying.
"Alright." Fo Lanying swallowed the pill without further inquiry, prompting Bai Ruozhu to smile, "You just ate it like that? Aren’t you afraid it’s poison? I carry mostly poison, nothing much else."
Fo Lanying chuckled, "There’s no benefit in poisoning me, and it would waste a pill anyway. Who said you have the most poison? Obviously, you have the most silver banknotes, right?"
"Haha, you money freak, Zhongyuan’s silver banknotes are useless here." Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh.
The two discussed a few more codes before heading to the banquet, with others staying in the yard to ensure the second prince’s safety.
Unexpectedly, Empress Shangzi personally greeted them at the banquet, surprising many noblewomen attending the ceremony, but spotting Bai Ruozhu’s Zhongyuan official uniform, they roughly guessed her identity.
"Why didn’t Lord Jiang come along?" Empress Shangzi asked.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, "We came to help a relative find someone; he has been out searching and hasn’t returned to the palace yet."
"I hope you find the person soon. Let’s take our seats; you can sit beside me today, it’ll be more convenient if you need anything," Empress Shangzi said warmly, holding Bai Ruozhu’s hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Then Bai Ruozhu sat beside Empress Shangzi, seeing Empress Yazi occupying two seats at the head, herself, and the Emperor.
Originally, the Emperor’s side should be occupied by the Empress, but since she passed away, and today’s engagement ceremony is for Empress Yazi’s daughter, her being in that seat seemed fitting.
Soon, many people took their seats, with several secretly evaluating Bai Ruozhu, curious about her.
Shortly after, She Zongyi also appeared, arriving with the Emperor, drawing envy from many attendees. It was quite rare for a merchant to earn the Emperor’s respect.
This was partly due to the She family being ancient aristocrats, otherwise, concerning Fusang Country’s rigid hierarchical customs, if She Zongyi wasn’t an aristocrat, regardless of his wealth, the aristocrats wouldn’t view him favorably.
She Zongyi stole a glance towards Bai Ruozhu’s direction, his smile softening slightly; however, Bai Ruozhu caught the twitch at the corner of his mouth, indicating suppressed resentment.
Fo Lanying stood behind Bai Ruozhu at her post, her eyes slightly cast down, maintaining a composed bystander demeanor, yet her mind was focused, blocking surrounding noise to eavesdrop on She Zongyi in case the system spoke.
Soon, Fo Lanying’s palm tightened as she finally heard!
"Can you determine how many people she’s brought?" She Zongyi inquired.
"Just one maid; there shouldn’t be any others around."
She Zongyi glanced again in this direction, comforted by seeing Yizi’s face.
"Host, ignore those people, focus on your mission; failing again will cost points," the system’s voice echoed.
Fo Lanying felt a surge of excitement, isn’t this what Ruozhu meant about depriving him of points?
She quickly calmed herself, preventing any flaws.
By then, the Emperor had taken his seat and began speaking, "Thank you for attending Ya’an’s engagement ceremony, I’ll convey your blessings."
Everyone stood and bowed before the ceremonial announcer called for everyone to be seated, officially starting the ceremony.
At that moment, Princess Ya’an and Prince Wen De entered separately, the man dressed in black while the woman donned a pure white wedding dress, with a large hood draped over her head, entirely distinct from Zhongyuan’s style.
