The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 207 Snow Fragrance

The road in front of Chunshanyuan has never been covered with snow, but the road in front of Qingfengyuan not far away is always covered with snow except during meal delivery time.

It's interesting to say.

Because Concubine Lu and Xie Run were good friends, there was almost no snow on the path from Qingfeng Courtyard to Chunshan Courtyard.

But the avenue leading to the garden by Concubine Lu was rarely seen clean throughout the winter.

Xie Run dismissed the maidservant beside him and took out a purse from his sleeve. "From what you say, Miss He, does the princess have something to say?"

Ting He bowed politely, put away the purse, and took out a small blue enamel box inlaid with gems from his sleeve.

"The princess asked me to secretly give this to Concubine Xie."

Xie Run glanced at the purple lake next to him.

Zihu Ziran stepped forward, took the box, opened it, and sniffed it, his expression a little stunned. "Is this the scent of Tianshan Snow Lotus?"

Tianshan Snow Lotus has a light taste and almost no aroma.

Nowadays, it is rare to find incense powder using Tianshan Snow Lotus as the main ingredient.

Ting He smiled and said, "This incense powder is called Qianxuexiang. It was specially supplied to the royal family of the Xia Dynasty. The main ingredient is Tianshan Snow Lotus. When the princess came to the Dayu Dynasty from the Xia Dynasty, she only brought three boxes with her."

Xie Run was slightly surprised. "How can I accept such a valuable incense?"

Ting He didn't stop, but said softly, "Thank you, Concubine, please accept it."

She lowered her head slightly, "We found Qianxuexiang in the room of Xia Ju who fell into the lake. This incense powder is rare and precious, and has never been seen before in the palace."

Xie Run couldn't help but look serious, "Does the princess have any instructions?"

"Thank you, Master, for accompanying the prince to the palace banquet the day after tomorrow. Please observe carefully to see if anyone smells of this powder."

"Inside and outside the palace, everyone prospers and suffers together. Concubine Xie is not only doing things for the princess, but also for the prince and the palace."

Xie Run then realized what the princess had found out. She suspected that Xia Ju's drowning was caused by someone outside the palace?

Xie Run: "Does Your Majesty know about this?"

After asking, Xie Run realized that he had been stupid.

Prince Jing would discuss all matters of the palace, big or small, with the princess.

The princess usually stays out of things, and this time she specifically asked Tinghe to deliver something to her, fearing that she had already obtained King Jing's consent.

She said to Zihu, "Put the perfume powder away first."

Then he turned to Tinghe and said, "Young lady, go back and tell the princess that I will bring Zihu to the banquet tomorrow."

"At the banquet, I will be careful and attentive, and do my best to help the princess solve this case."

Ting He bowed slowly, "The princess has always praised Concubine Xie for her intelligence and carefulness. By entrusting this matter to Concubine Xie, she shows her complete trust."

"I dare not betray the princess's trust."

After sending Tinghe away, Xie Run still felt uneasy.

She planned to wait for King Jing to come back and then confirm with him.

After all, it's better to be safe than sorry.

After King Jing came back in the evening, he did not go into the backyard but stayed in the study.

The little maid who was inquiring about the news came to report: "After the prince returned, several adults came to visit. Now the lamp in the study is still lit, which means dinner has not yet been served."

When Xie Run heard this, he knew that King Jing had something important to discuss.

"Then there's no need to bother you anymore, let's set up the meal."

"Yes."

The little girl responded and stood there hesitating for a moment.

Dan Tao asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there anything else you want to report to the master?"

The little girl said nervously, "Master, there is something I don't know whether I should tell you..."

It was also because Xie Run was usually kind to his servants, and the older maids were also quite easy to talk to, so the little girl dared to speak this way.

Xiao Shu said briskly, "Since you've already spoken, you must have some concerns in your heart. Just speak up."

"Even if you are wrong, you are still loyal to your master. Who can find fault with you?"

The little girl whispered, "When I went to the front yard to inquire about the news, I vaguely saw someone coming with a lantern."

"It seems the other party noticed my presence and stayed at a distance, not approaching me. Perhaps they wanted to avoid me."

"Looking at the direction, it seems to be coming from Qiufengyuan."

"I dare not say anything, for fear of seeing it wrongly... The man was standing far away, and I could only vaguely see the lantern passing by, which was not very clear."

The little girl had not been to Qiufeng Courtyard, so naturally she didn't know what happened there. She was just curious about the sneaky look of the people holding lanterns in the distance, so she kept it in mind and came to tell Xie Run.

Dan Tao and Xiao Shu couldn't help but chuckle.

Xie Run waved his hand: "I think it must be Concubine Hua's people. It's not surprising that she went to the front yard to seek favor."

Seeing that her master looked calm, the little girl retreated.

Xiao Shu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Concubine Hua's people are hiding from us, could it be because of what happened during the day?"

It is normal to invite favors from the backyard.

It is not shameful to seek favor, but it is shameful if you cannot get it.

Dan Tao whispered, "If Concubine Hua had only sent a maid, she wouldn't have been so timid..."

Xiao Shu paused, "Could it be Concubine Hua herself?"

"Yes, that makes sense!"

Dan Tao analyzed carefully: "Firstly, he was afraid of running into our master and failing to invite the prince, so he deliberately did not go forward to avoid embarrassment. Secondly, he probably felt that he had lost face in front of our master during the day, so he didn't want to run into him now."

Xie Run listened and shook his head: "Lucky luck, there's nothing I can do about it."

Xiao Shu and Dan Tao both thought that Xie Run was praising their good fortune, and subconsciously praised their master.

Little did he know that Xie Run was praising Hua Yu for being lucky enough to have a brother with such a bright future.

Just for her brother, as long as Hua Yu doesn't get her hands dirty, King Jing will definitely let her live a life of wealth and luxury.

But the two girls praised her so much that her face almost flushed.

Xie Run quickly stopped him, "Don't say such things!"

"I just remembered something... The prince is currently discussing official business with the ministers in the court. He's so busy that he didn't even have time for dinner. Would Concubine Hua just walk right into them?"

Xiao Shu and Dan Tao were also stunned, "That shouldn't be possible, right?"

"Anyone with a bit of common sense wouldn't dare to disturb the prince when he's busy with official business, right?"

Xie Run was silent for a moment before he said, "When did Concubine Hua show any signs of interest?"

For a moment, Xiao Shu and Dan Tao fell silent.

The next day, when Xie Run was dressing up, Xiao Shu handed him the latest news.

"Last night, Concubine Hua went to the front courtyard in person to seek favor, but she angered the prince and was driven back by him."

Dan Tao was gesturing with a hairpin on Xie Run's head. Upon hearing this, she said helplessly, "This concubine Hua...really just bumped into him headfirst."

Although it was expected, it was still really laughable when I heard the news.

After a while, there was further news about Concubine Hua.

"Didn't the prince ask Concubine Hua to listen to the princess's teachings yesterday?"

Xie Run reacted instantly, "Did she really go to see the princess?"

Xiao Shu nodded, raised her hand to replace the winter plum blossoms in the porcelain vase with fresh ones, and said with a smile: "He went there early in the morning. I heard that he cried in Qingsong Courtyard and was persuaded to go back by the princess."

Xie Run felt sorry for the princess again.