无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

Unlike other women in the Harem, she didn’t bother with delicate dressing and most of the time, she would wear a wrinkled white skirt and her long hair casually tied up.

Though it was overly simple, it suited her lazy temperament.

Today she also dressed plainly, but she seemed to have applied some rouge, and her powder-white cheeks were adorned with a delicate hair bun with colorful gems sparkling in the light.

She already had dreamy, charming eyes, and this bright and elegant look further emphasized her beauty and nobility.

After a glance, Li Hongyuan moved his gaze away from her face.

Jiang Ning stood up and slightly perfunctorily performed a courtesy: “Your Highness came so early?”

Li Hongyuan said to Huang Ying: “I’ll have breakfast here.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Huang Ying quickly fetched the bowls, chopsticks, porridge, and side dishes.

Li Hongyuan lifted the hem of his robe, sat down opposite Jiang Ning, picked up the bowl and took a sip of porridge: “The porridge in the Princess Consort’s place always tastes better than anywhere else.”

Jiang Ning smiled, pointing to her face: “Perhaps, this is what they call ‘food for the eyes’ in the stories.”

Li Hongyuan glanced at her.

“What does Your Highness think of my attire today?”

“It’s passable, not enough to disgrace the East Palace.”

“That’s good.”

Jiang Ning smiled brightly, not feeling unhappy with his words, gently passed over a plate of pastries: “I know Your Highness doesn’t like sweets, these pastries are not sweet.”

Li Hongyuan picked up a piece, took a bite, indeed, it didn’t have the usual sweetness of pastries.

Refreshing, not greasy.

He had a bowl of meat porridge, ate three or four pieces of pastries, an egg, and a bowl of sheep’s milk before putting down his chopsticks.

Jiang Ning’s dietary habits were always different from others.

After a few days without it, Li Hongyuan began to miss it.

Having eaten and drank to his heart’s content, Jiang Ning went to rinse her mouth and came back to say: “Your Highness, I will go to Jiang Family for a couple of days, please take care of the children.”

“Weren’t you planning to send them to the Queen Mother?”

“The Empress is getting old, she can’t stand the children’s noise, so I decided against it.”

It was clear that she didn’t trust the Empress.

There was no one else in the palace who could be trusted completely.

After all, this Harem was the Emperor’s, not the Crown Prince’s.

Li Hongyuan said: “Then let Concubine Li take care of them.”

Jiang Ning smiled: “That’s good, Concubine Li loves the two children very much.”

She turned to Huang Ying and said: “Huang Ying, let Xiachu accompany me back. You, Chunlai, and Xiaoman stay in the East Palace, attend to Concubine Li’s commands. Understand?”

Huang Ying knelt: “This servant understands.”

“If there is any issue, have Xiaoman come to find me.”

Li Hongyuan listened to her arrangements and reminders, asked: “So you don’t trust me? Instead of having someone find me, you’d rather they come all the way out of the palace to find you.”

Jiang Ning said with a smile and a hint of seriousness: “I believe that if there is any issue, Concubine Li will inform Your Highness in time.”

“That’s true.”

“Your Highness, I should be going now.”

“Do you want me to accompany you?”

“It would be an honor.”

Li Hongyuan was only making a polite gesture, but he didn’t expect her not to be courteous with him.

Although he had other matters to attend to, he had to escort Jiang Ning to Immortal-view Gate first.

Outside the Immortal-view Gate, the Jiang Family’s carriage was already waiting.

Jiang Ning only brought Gucheng and Xiachu, so one carriage was enough.

On the way back, Xiachu was worried: “Master, are you really confident in Concubine Li?”