Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2525 - 2526: Investigating the Fushan Family

Bai Ruozhu pondered secretly, should she find a way to approach this woman to understand the situation with the Crown Prince?

However, she was a cautious person and wouldn’t act rashly. Besides, that woman may not know much. With the Crown Prince’s cautious planning, it’s impossible for him to let a concubine know too much.

But she was curious about one thing: did the Crown Prince know he would die at thirty? If he knew, he certainly wouldn’t focus his energy on competing for the Emperor’s position; he would spend all his time finding a way to break the curse and extend his life.

Of course, perhaps he had a way to extend his life, which is to break the curse. Then why would he burn the Scripture Pavilion at Zhaoti Temple?

No matter what, she had decided to keep a close eye on the Crown Prince, perhaps finding a breakthrough with him.

When the funeral procession was far away, Bai Ruozhu finally felt her nose was comfortable and, with two others, sneaked in carefully through the back wall of the Fushan Residence.

"The three of us together are too large a target, we should act separately. We don’t aim to discover anything, just to avoid exposure. If you sense danger, leave at once, circle back to the Inn for a meeting." Bai Ruozhu instructed in a low voice.

Qiu Zhi and Zhitian nodded, and the three quickly dispersed.

Bai Ruozhu had the Space, which made eavesdropping more convenient. Before long, she found the yard where the Crown Prince lived and quietly hid in the Space.

Soon the Crown Prince returned to the yard, and his servant said, "Your Highness, should we return tomorrow?"

The Crown Prince said calmly, "No rush."

The servant felt a bit worried, "I fear the Emperor will be displeased if we stay long, the matter of the second prince has just settled, but I’m afraid that if She Zongyi acts again, it might make the Emperor suspect you."

"No need to worry, I’ve set everything up in Kyoto, not returning makes things more convenient." The Crown Prince said, waving his hand to dismiss the servant, then sat alone in the yard drinking tea and playing chess.

He played chess against himself cautiously with every move, sometimes pondering for a long time. Bai Ruozhu watched so intently her eyes were sore, increasingly feeling this person was cautious and scheming.

"Could it be fate dictates nothing is easy? Otherwise, why would someone suddenly come from Zhongyuan coincidentally helping him?" The Crown Prince thought deeply, murmuring to himself.

Bai Ruozhu was now completely certain that the poisoning of the second prince and other events were the work of the Crown Prince, but did he really have no one behind him?

She didn’t believe it!

After a while, the second prince called someone to put away the chess set and went inside the house.

At this time, a servant outside announced: "Your Highness, Kou Ji has returned."

"Let her in." The Crown Prince said flatly.

The previously tearful woman walked in, her eyes still somewhat red, but her makeup had been retouched, making her look both pitiful yet not disheveled, showing she indeed cared about her image in the Crown Prince’s eyes.

"Thank you, Your Highness, without you, I wouldn’t dare return to the Fushan Residence. It’s just a pity about my father..." The daughter of the Fushan Family began to cry again.

The Crown Prince didn’t step forward to wipe her tears but instead said calmly, "Do you know why I named you Kou Ji?"

Kou Ji was taken aback, then replied softly, "Your Highness wishes me to retain the beauty of my youthful years."

The Crown Prince smiled, touching Kou Ji’s face, his gentle smile carrying a hint of cruelty.

"I like your beauty in the bloom of youth, so stop crying, it will spoil your looks."

Kou Ji clutched her chest, "But my father..."

The Crown Prince chuckled coldly, "Didn’t you hate how he ignored you after remarrying, allowing your stepmother to mistreat you? Crying a little is enough, too much will become annoying."

Kou Ji’s expression changed, quickly saying, "I know I was wrong." She forced a smile, but there was more fear in her eyes, which the Crown Prince noticed, his lips curling up.

Bai Ruozhu was certain that the Crown Prince preferred seeing Kou Ji’s fear and dread; calling her a favored concubine was nothing more than keeping a pet—obedient and fearful toward him, which made him fond of her.

Though it’s said a woman in mourning should refrain from intimacy, soon embarrassing sounds came from the room. The Crown Prince wasn’t bothered, and Kou Ji was eager for his affection, with both showing no regard for the freshly mourned Patriarch of the Fushan family.

Bai Ruozhu took advantage of nobody noticing, quietly slipping out of the Space and wandered around the Residence, unexpectedly encountering Qiu Zhi. Worried he might ruin things, she signaled for him to leave together.

Back at the Inn, Bai Ruozhu directly asked, "Did you find anything?"

"No, I almost got caught," Qiu Zhi said, frustrated.

Bai Ruozhu thought, how come she didn’t hear any commotion, could it be the Residence didn’t dare disturb the Crown Prince?

"Luckily, I was quick-witted and used a talisman to transform into a cat; they thought it was a demon cat, all panicked and shouting to summon a Yin Yang Master, giving me the chance to slip away," Qiu Zhi said, his expression shifting to pride.

Bai Ruozhu smacked him on the back of his head, "Are you stupid? Why leave when they are summoning a Yin Yang Master? You could have hidden and watched to see who they called."

"I..." Qiu Zhi rubbed his sore head, "I was afraid of exposure, didn’t you say not to get exposed, leave if there’s potential danger?"

Bai Ruozhu was at a loss for words; isn’t it important to consider the situation at hand?

Forget it, there’s no point in explaining further with a blockhead like Qiu Zhi.

"You stay at the Inn and wait for Zhitian, I’ll go back to investigate." Bai Ruozhu sighed.

"Isn’t it too dangerous for you to go alone?" Qiu Zhi seemed worried.

Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes at him, "Stop the nonsense, do you have any more talisman papers that turn into a cat? Give me some."

Qiu Zhi looked hesitant, "Those require the Dragon Tiger Gate’s incantation."

"At a time like this, what are you worrying about sect incantations for? Do you think I enjoy learning your Dragon Tiger Gate techniques? Since we signed a Master-servant Contract, you have no choice in this!" Bai Ruozhu was so mad she wanted to hit him.

Qiu Zhi gritted his teeth and shared the incantation with Bai Ruozhu.

When Bai Ruozhu sneaked back into the Fushan Residence, the place was in chaos, even alarming the Crown Prince.

"They caught a demon at home, let’s go take a look," a maid excitedly said to her companion.

"Really? What’s there to see about a demon, so scary! By the way, is it the female demon that escaped earlier?"

"I heard it’s a man in appearance, surely a different demon, they’ve been saying male demons are extremely handsome, it’s good to take a look."

"Even if it’s handsome, it’s still not human." The maid complained, yet her pace quickened.

Bai Ruozhu thought following them like this would get her discovered, so she simply found another place with a solitary maid, quickly striking her unconscious and dragging her into a nearby room.