Jin Zijin sighed, "Lin Qianqing is different from other won; after all, she is the wife whom King Jin married formally, with whom he has shared wedding vows before heaven and earth. This is his last shred of dignity."
Yet, so people would not even leave him that last shred of dignity. Jin Zijin speculated that King Jin was unlikely to remain compliant, and he was sowhat looking forward to King Jin’s reaction.
No one can cover their tracks completely, not even the formidable Yu Jizi, let alone the Ducal Residence.
But the centuries-old foundation of the Ducal Residence, and the intricate and intertwined relationships beneath it, seed even harder to deal with than Yu Jizi, who worked alone.
...
As Madam’s belly grew day by day, she beca increasingly despondent.
Her maid, Long Liu, kept sighing, saying, "The Prince really is sothing. How co he stopped visiting after Madam got pregnant? It would be nice even if he just ca to sit for a while, or at least sent over so nourishing gifts.
"Alas! Madam, you don’t know the kind of rumors that are circulating out there. They say the Prince was good to you before only because you were the only one in this residence who could have a child. Now that everyone’s poison has been cured, and they all can give birth, why would the Prince rember there’s a Madam living in a small courtyard here?"
Madam remained silent, gently caressing her belly.
She didn’t expect King Jin to co because she had discovered a terrifying truth: the man who had shared her bed at night might not be King Jin at all.
She had gone to ask, and since the day he learned of her pregnancy, King Jin had started drinking.
The servants said King Jin was overjoyed, drinking all the fine wine he had saved over the years until it was gone.
But she distinctly rembered that he bore no scent of alcohol when he visited her, and although he didn’t speak upon hearing the news of her pregnancy, he seed very surprised.
Yet, the servants insisted that King Jin had long known about her pregnancy and had drunk a lot because of it.
When she saw him in the morning, he did indeed seem to have drunk heavily, his body reeking of alcohol.
So... the man at night must have been soone else, a different person.
This was a shocking revelation, and she could imagine what would happen if this secret was exposed—she would be executed imdiately.
So, she kept this secret to herself, hoping the man from that night would reappear.
"Madam, why aren’t you talking?"
Long Liu had been talking to herself for quite a while, yet Madam had not reacted at all, instead staring off into space.
She felt exasperated, wishing she could take Madam’s place.
Long Liu thought that Madam had only herself to bla for her suffering; she never fought for herself, so how could she just rely on luck to keep favoring her?
Now that all the won in Prince Jin Residence could bear children, who would rember there was a Madam living in a remote courtyard?
"Ah! Long Liu, go check the kitchen and see what’s edible." After speaking to herself for a while, and with Madam steeped in her own silence, not making a sound, Long Liu had no choice but to sigh and head towards the kitchen.
...
Xiao Jinyan climbed over the wall of Prince Jin Residence for several consecutive nights, almost certain of what they were doing. Beyond shock, he found these people incredibly audacious for ddling with the Imperial Family’s lineage. Although they all bore the surna Jin, how could the Ducal Residence compare to the Imperial Family?
Today, as he wandered through a tea house, he happened to run into Jin Wei, who had been sneaking into Prince Jin Residence night after night.
Ever since Jin Zijin’s identity had been revealed, they hadn’t seen much of each other, and it had been a long ti since they had drank together. Jin Wei looked sowhat estranged when he saw him.
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