A Juicy Piece of Gossip

Zhao Ruxi's eyes lit up immediately. She ran over and fawned over Wu Huaisi, pouring him a cup of tea and respectfully presenting it to him. Once he had the teacup in his hand, she said with a grin, "Senior Brother, I want to go to Jiangnan."

Because it was premeditated, Zhao Ruxi had been telling her master and senior brothers from time to time over the past two years how prosperous Jiangnan was and how much she wanted to see it. So Wu Huaisi was not surprised to hear her say this.

"Then you must work hard. Get good results in the imperial examination, and let those envious people see that our Layperson Zhiwei is not only good at painting, but also better at studying than them. Otherwise they will say that you got the top score by luck," he said.

"Okay, I'll try my best." Zhao Ruxi appeared very obedient, but inwardly she was constantly complaining.

Although Wu Huaisi is about the same age as Zhao Yuanxun Zhao Yuanxun, or even a bit older, he is the senior disciple. Why is he speaking to Zhao Yuanxun in such a lecturing and encouraging tone?

Perhaps he lost face after being reprimanded by his master, so he's putting on airs to regain some dignity?

It definitely is!

After leaving the Kang Residence, Zhao Ruxi hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to go home instead of going to the Prince of Zhennan's Residence to find Xiao Ruotong.

If it were good news, she would have gone to the Prince of Zhennan's Residence to report it immediately; but now it's bad news, and it's really not a good idea for her to rush over there.

Xiao Ruotong had a bad feeling that she couldn't wait for her to come, so when she finally received the definite news, her sense of disappointment wouldn't be so strong.

The next day, Xiao Ruotong couldn't resist and went to the Earl of Suiping's Residence to inquire about the results.

"He said he had no plans to remarry, otherwise he would have done so years ago." Zhao Ruxi relayed Wu Zong's words truthfully, omitting the words "inappropriate."

Since the refusal had already been clearly expressed, there was no need to say those three words and make Xiao Ruotong overthink it.

Xiao Ruotong probably had a premonition, and didn't react much to Zhao Ruxi's words.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Tell me exactly what he said."

"It's just that sentence," Zhao Ruxi said. "Nothing else."

Xiao Ruotong lowered her eyelids and stared at the teacup on the table. "I know Sister Lin, and we're quite close, because she and my cousin are very good friends."

She looked up at Zhao Ruxi: "Before her marriage, she had a man she admired, but she was forced by her family to marry Lord Wu. Their relationship was not good after marriage. Later, her sister Lin died in depression, which was also related to this. Even after she got married, she couldn't let go of the man she admired."

Holy crap!

Zhao Ruxi was shocked.

Suddenly, she felt extremely sorry for her third senior brother.

That's terrible.

Wu Zong has talent, family background, good looks, a good personality, and a kind heart. He is truly a rare and excellent man. How blind must that woman surnamed Lin be to still be hung up on her old lover after getting married, discarding such a good man and ultimately losing her own life?

"Who is the person she admires?" Zhao Ruxi asked curiously.

She wanted to see who was better than her third senior brother.

"Crown Prince," Xiao Ruotong said.

"Damn it!" Zhao Ruxi couldn't help but swear.

Seeing Xiao Ruotong raise her eyes and silently look at her, she quickly pointed to the snow-covered area outside the door and said, "I was talking about a plant, don't get the wrong idea."

Xiao Ruotong: "..." I never believed your nonsense!

Zhao Ruxi didn't care whether her ladylike image was ruined; she was busy digesting the juicy gossip she had just learned.

After thinking for a moment, she realized something was amiss. "How old is the Crown Prince this year?"

She didn't know much about the Crown Prince; the original novel didn't mention his age, he was practically invisible. But because of Xiao Lingyan, she knew how old Xiao Lingpu was. Xiao Lingpu was nineteen this year.

Because the Cen Family's daughter was young, she would not be able to get married until she turned sixteen, so the Second Prince's marriage was later than that of ordinary people.

If the Crown Prince is to become that Miss Lin's beloved, he should be around her age, right? Even if Miss Lin married young, she should be thirty years old now. The Crown Prince can't be more than ten years older than the Second Prince, can he?

Xiao Ruotong looked at Zhao Ruxi in surprise. "You didn't know? The Crown Prince is thirty-one this year."

"How come he's so much older than the Second Prince?" Zhao Ruxi asked curiously.

Xiao Ruotong glanced outside the door.

She had already sent all the servants away while they were talking. Only she and Zhao Ruxi were in the room, while Qingfeng, Nanny Yun, and others were waiting outside. But Xiao Ruotong was still a little uneasy about this topic.

Zhao Ruxi quickly replied, "Don't worry, there's no one around."

Ever since she took the Agility Pill, she has become extremely sensitive to her surroundings. She can sense if anyone is hiding around the house spying or eavesdropping.

Xiao Ruotong lowered her voice and said, "The late Empress was not at ease after giving birth to a son, and wanted to have another son to consolidate her position. Therefore, for three or four years after giving birth to the eldest prince, no one in the palace became pregnant. Occasionally, someone would become pregnant, but they would eventually miscarry. Later, Noble Consort Cen entered the palace and also miscarried. It wasn't until after her death that she became pregnant with the Second Prince."

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

The palace is definitely not a place for humans.

"Does the Crown Prince like Miss Lin? Will he target my third senior brother because of this?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

Xiao Ruotong shook her head. "He probably didn't like him. Otherwise, Sister Lin would have risked her life to marry him back then."

Having thoroughly enjoyed this large melon, Zhao Ruxi was completely satisfied.

She asked curiously, "How do you know so much?"

Xiao Ruotong used to be a carefree fairy who didn't care about worldly affairs, only descending to the mortal world after her divorce. Zhao Ruxi really didn't expect her to gossip with Xiao Ruotong, Xiao Ruotong even seemed to know everything.

"I just ignored it before, but that doesn't mean I didn't know. My mother often talked about these things with my grandmother, and she always made me listen in. Sometimes she would tell me these things specifically so that I wouldn't say or do the wrong thing when I went to the palace for a banquet and make a big mistake without realizing it."

Zhao Ruxi nodded.

Therefore, this is the foundation of a noblewoman's upbringing.

Seeing that Zhao Ruxi had asked a lot of questions but hadn't gotten to the point, Xiao Ruotong had no choice but to steer the conversation back on track herself. "So, I think Lord Wu's claim that he doesn't want to get married again because of his wife is just an excuse."

Zhao Ruxi thought for a moment, then remained silent.

It's possible that Wu Zong was heartbroken, disliked women, and was unwilling to get married. However, she couldn't say this to Xiao Ruotong.

In any case, she neither encouraged nor hindered Wu Zong and Xiao Ruotong's relationship. Since Wu Zong was unwilling, who knew whether Xiao Ruotong would be happy after it happened?

She's been hurt once; she can't afford to be hurt a second time.

The third senior brother was the same.

She hopes they can both be happy. Whether they can be together is up to fate.