无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

“To be honest, I don’t care whether the Prince of Yu becomes the Crown Prince or not.”

“You may not care, but who can deny that the Fifth Prince is my most outstanding son? Look at the Prince of Huai, not only is he ruthless, he even dared to covet his own sister-in-law. And the Prince of Wei, he’s even more absurd. As a prince, he does not know how to keep himself clean and indulges in debauchery, even contracting such a disease, causing shame to the royal family! How can I not be heartbroken and saddened?”

“Yes, Concubine Shu has already fainted from crying several times. Won’t Your Majesty go see her?”

“She raised Prince of Huai to be like that, yet she still has the nerve to cry.” The Emperor snorted and his face turned cold.

Concubine Jin grabbed a small handful of melon seeds and slowly cracked them open, without speaking.

The Emperor glanced at her and smiled, “I’ve been missing the Fifth Prince too, Zhuzhu. Shall the two of us go to see him together?”

“What’s there to see? To see how he kneels and copies scriptures, or to see how he endures hunger and thirst?”

“Would someone as unruly as the Fifth Prince really let himself go hungry?”

“Even if he’s unruly, at least he knows his limits. At times like this, he probably won’t cause trouble.”

“Even so, he won’t go hungry.”

“Maybe.”

Concubine Jin was noncommittal.

She had never said a word to Jiang Ning, but Jiang Ning was just so clever that she took the Phoenix Order from her on her own initiative.

Since Jiang had gone, she would naturally find a way to bring some food.

On this, Concubine Jin was very confident.

Of course, she wouldn’t let the Emperor go make a mess of things.

The Emperor smiled, “I don’t doubt the Fifth Prince at all. I’m just worried that you are thinking about him.”

“I haven’t been feeling well these past few days.”

“Oh? Zhuzhu, where are you not feeling well?” The Emperor immediately became nervous, looking her over carefully. “Your complexion does seem a bit off. Someone, call the Imperial Physician quickly!”

The Imperial Physician arrived promptly.

When asked where Concubine Jin was feeling discomfort, she only mentioned feeling heavy and having a headache.

After the Imperial Physician took her pulse carefully, of course, no major issues would be found. But since Concubine Jin said she wasn’t feeling well, the physician couldn’t call her out on it. He could only ramble on about a bunch of nonsense before prescribing a remedy and advising her to take it on time and rest well.

After the physician left, the Emperor looked at her with concern. “I knew you’ve lost weight, Zhuzhu. You really are sick. Tell me the truth, is it because you’re worried about the Fifth Prince?”

Concubine Jin leaned against the head of the bed, pressing her temples. “Maybe, I’m not sure. Perhaps, a little rest will cure me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let the Fifth Prince out in a few days and have him come visit you.”

“Are you busy today, Your Majesty?” Concubine Jin asked.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then stay with me.”

“…Alright.”

Rarely did she take the initiative to ask him to stay, so the Emperor was naturally delighted.

He wasn’t even thinking about whether the Fifth Prince was starving or not.

On the third evening of the punishment, Jiang Ning went to the Ancestral Temple again with the Phoenix Pendant.

She initially thought she would see Li Hongyuan diligently copying scriptures, but instead, he was sitting relaxed on a cushion, chin propped in his left hand, holding a brush in his right hand and drawing on paper.

Jiang Ning walked over, looked over his shoulder, and saw the paper.

He was painting her.

“Do you like me that much?” Jiang Ning asked.

“Yes.” Li Hongyuan heard her voice and didn’t move at all, but in a place where Jiang Ning couldn’t see, the tip of his brush left a blob of ink on the paper.

Jiang Ning sat down opposite him. “His Majesty is punishing you to copy scriptures on filial piety, and yet you’re painting a woman here. This is the ancestral temple of your Li family. Aren’t you afraid your ancestors might see your disrespect?”