Jian Ruonan suddenly sprang away, giving Shi-shi quite a fright.
Shi-shi's hand hung in midair, grasping a handful of nothing.
Shi-shi: "..."
Was there something wrong with this child?
Jian Ruonan smiled sheepishly. "Grandmother, your granddaughter is an ill-omened person. I'm afraid I might bring you misfortune, so I'd better not hold your hand."
[Best if we never hold hands for the rest of our lives.]
[Oh my, the skin on the Old Madam's hands is peeling too. It really is a fungal infection!]
Min: "..."
What was a fungal infection? Did Nannan actually know medicine?
Shi-shi had always favored the second and third branches of the family. She would always say that Xilu was the eldest sister and ought to give way to the younger girls, then hand the second and third branches' daughters every tasty treat and interesting toy right in front of Xilu.
Although Jian Xilu never dared complain, after being treated this way for so long, she could hardly avoid feeling hurt by her grandmother's favoritism.
As a child, she would even hide away and cry in secret.
Now, all at once, she felt at peace.
Being fed pastries by a fungus-infected hand that had picked at someone's feet really wasn't a good thing.
Thank goodness Grandmother played favorites.
Jian Xilu was a little fastidious about cleanliness. After learning the truth, she secretly counted herself lucky.
Min felt just as fortunate. She, too, had almost never received anything directly from Shi-shi's hands.
"What a filial child." Shi-shi withdrew her hand awkwardly. Just as well-she didn't want to touch Jian Ruonan either. Who knew whether that fate of hers, which brought calamity to her relatives, had changed? What if too much contact made Shi-shi fall ill again?
Shi-shi took out a jade pendant and offered it to Jian Ruonan. "Take this little trinket to play with."
Jian Ruonan glanced at it but didn't dare step forward to take it.
She didn't particularly want anything the Old Madam had touched with her own hands, either.
Seeing Jian Ruonan's timid manner, Shi-shi sneered inwardly. A country bumpkin through and through, petty and unpresentable-not even half as clever as Jian Chuxue.
Although she didn't particularly like anyone from the eldest branch, the Old Madam treated Jian Chuxue differently. Mainly, the girl had a sweet tongue and a pretty face, and knew exactly how to win Shi-shi's favor.
Shi-shi had once regretted that such a lovable granddaughter as Jian Chuxue had been born to Min. Now things were perfect: this timid, cowardly, unpresentable little girl was Min's true legitimate daughter.
Shi-shi felt rather pleased. Instead of being angry that Jian Ruonan hadn't stepped forward to accept her elder's gift, she smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? It's a gift from your grandmother. Go ahead and take it."
Jian Ruonan's eyes darted, and she played dumb rather than accept it.
In the end, Min had a maid receive the jade pendant wrapped in a handkerchief.
Jian Ruonan: [How does an Old Madam from a marquis's household get athlete's foot? How strange. Let me see who passed it on to her.]
[An infection like this definitely didn't come from a maid.]
Min and Jian Xilu pricked up their ears.
It wasn't that they wanted to hear gossip. They mainly wanted to know how the Old Madam had been infected so they could take precautions.
[Good heavens! The Old Madam actually has a hobby like this?!]
[There's no end to the wonders of this world. This really is an eye-opener!]
Jian Ruonan stole a glance at the Old Madam.
The Old Madam looked kindly, and her clothes and appearance were neat and tidy. She didn't look like a slovenly person, so how could she have such a fetish?
Min: !!
Jian Xilu: ??
Originally, Min had planned to take her two daughters to the Duke of Pingguo Residence after paying their respects. To hear the gossip, she risked fungal infection and lingered in the Old Madam's room.
In Great Xia, filial piety came first among all virtues. Sons did not speak of their fathers' faults, and daughters did not expose their mothers' wickedness. Even if Shi-shi treated the eldest branch badly, Min and Jian Zhang couldn't freely criticize her.
Hearing gossip about Shi-shi for the first time was quite a novelty for both Min and Jian Xilu.
Seeing that Min hadn't left after paying her respects, Shi-shi told the three of them to sit together. Afraid of catching the fungus, Jian Ruonan sat very primly.
After sitting down, Min said nothing. She simply waited for the gossip.
Shi-shi wondered to herself what on earth these three had come for.
[Well, well, well. Shi-shi actually likes collecting performers' shoes!!]
[The Old Madam especially loves sniffing other people's stinky feet, too.]
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. She doesn't just pick at feet-she likes interlocking all ten fingers and toes!]
[Best to visit this Joy and Longevity Court less often from now on.]
Min: "..." This gossip certainly had a strong aroma.
Jian Xilu: her rosy image of her grandmother shattered into pieces all over the floor.
[What? The Old Madam is this old and still has a lover! What a disgrace to decency. No wonder Second Uncle cheats—it runs in the family! That lover has a pair of incomparably beautiful feet that have the Old Madam hopelessly bewitched. That lover is...]
Jian Ruonan finished the first part but didn't utter a word of the next, leaving Min and Jian Xilu beside themselves with frustration.
Nan Nan, why were you spacing out? Go on!
Who was that lover?
She only ever told half the story, leaving them itching for more.
Min hadn't slept well yesterday. With this juicy tidbit dangling just out of reach, she probably wouldn't sleep well for some time.
Jian Ruonan asked the system to dig up gossip about Shi-shi, but the system reminded her: [Nan Nan, could you try doing your mission?]
Jian Ruonan: [?? What mission? Where did a mission come from?]
The system: [...]
The system roared: [Win over the Fourth Prince!!! Stop him from turning evil and raising a rebellion, plunging all living beings into misery and leaving the people unable to survive!!]
Jian Ruonan rubbed her ears. [Oh. Let's talk about it later.]
The system: [...]
Jian Xilu and Min couldn't hear the system's voice or her conversation with it. They could only hear her inner thoughts. Completely unaware of Jian Ruonan's dispute with the system, they were still waiting desperately for gossip.
Jian Ruonan: [This system is so annoying. Interrupting someone while they're feasting on gossip-how rude.]
The system: ...
Meanwhile, at the Fourth Prince's home, Prince Rui's Residence.
The prince's residence was lavishly built, with carved beams and painted rafters. The golden glazed roof tiles gleamed in the fading sunlight.
The inner courtyard was heavily guarded. Ancient, towering pines and cypresses spread dense branches and foliage that blocked the light from the bedchamber. Walking from the front courtyard into the main rooms felt like stepping from day into night. Beneath the sky, the sunlight was sharply divided, leaving deep shadows beneath the veranda.
The Fourth Prince, Dantai Mo, was Consort Yan's eldest son. Throughout her twenty years in the palace, Consort Yan had enjoyed the emperor's unwavering favor. Dantai Mo had been cherished by the emperor since childhood, and the moment he turned three, His Majesty had personally begun teaching him.
Dantai Mo was extraordinarily intelligent. He could read at three and compose essays at five. He learned riding and archery at seven, and could hunt wild beasts alone before he was ten.
At thirteen, Dantai Mo entered the army, drove back the Xiongnu, and earned illustrious military honors.
Until he was sixteen, Dantai Mo had always been a leading candidate for crown prince. Then, while practicing riding and archery outside the city that year, he suddenly encountered a herd of maddened wild horses. Dantai Mo accidentally fell from his horse, losing all sensation in the lower half of his body.
From that day on, Dantai Mo lost his eligibility to compete for the throne.
After all, a crown prince could not be without an heir.
A thick medicinal smell hung in the bedchamber. The imperial physician put away his silver needles and withdrew helplessly.
In the silent room, Dantai Mo suddenly opened his eyes.
After losing sensation in his legs, he had bonded with a system. The system told him it could restore his legs to their former condition.
"It's been half a year, and still there's no improvement?" Dantai Mo's expression darkened.
Black Tortoise System: [Insufficient energy.]
Dantai Mo: "What is energy?"
Black Tortoise System: [It's something like lamp oil. Only with enough oil will a lamp burn. Once my energy is full, I can get you up and running ten li without even getting out of breath.]
Dantai Mo: "..."
Aside from dangling empty promises before him, the useless system did nothing but yap every day. Sometimes it even disconnected in the middle of its yapping. It was utterly, unmistakably useless.
Now, whenever he asked, it said it had no lamp oil. Who knew when that oil would ever be replenished?
Suddenly, the Black Tortoise System's voice shot up an octave: [Your Highness!! I've found a way!!]
Dantai Mo: "Speak!"
Black Tortoise System: [I just checked the backend. The Fifth Miss of the Jinyang Marquis's Residence has also bonded with a system. That system has plenty of energy... lamp oil. As long as you make contact with the Fifth Miss, my lamp oil can be filled up.]
Dantai Mo leaned against the headboard, his gaze as piercing as a hawk's.
With his keen intelligence, he could always grasp the other party's intentions in an instant.
"You mean you want me, a prince of the realm, to go steal lamp oil?!"
Before you continue