Jiang Lai was unconcerned.
"My husband is quite uninteresting; since you don’t like this, I won’t do it next time."
Under Luoyang’s scrutiny, Murong Dun couldn’t enjoy his meal.
Although he secretly delighted in this marital banter, he could never show it in front of Luoyang.
After all, his true love was Luoyang, and everything he was doing now was just an act.
Halfway through the meal, Murong Dun left, citing busy official duties as the reason.
Xiao Lian assisted Jiang Lai in washing her hands and instructed the servants to tidy up the table.
"Xiao Lian, go to the kitchen and prepare some cooling porridge to send to the Prince."
After Xiao Lian left, only Jiang Lai and Luoyang remained in the courtyard.
Luoyang, never having served as a maid, moved cautiously, seeing Jiang Lai sigh, she handed over a cup of tea.
"Princess, what troubles you?"
"The Prince seems to be distant with me; why did he arrange for you to serve me?"
Luoyang replied without changing her expression.
"The Prince felt pity for me and cherished the Princess, fearing a single maid from your dowry would not adequately care for you, hence arranging for me to serve you closely."
"I think he might not like me that much."
"How could that be? The Princess is beautiful, with a distinguished background, and solely devoted to the Prince. Why would the Prince not be fond of you?"
Yet Jiang Lai sighed with melancholy and turned to ask.
"How long have you known the Prince?"
"Before, in the Imperial Palace, I had the fortune to serve Lady Yi; it was then I met the Prince, and it’s been about seven years now."
"The Prince is kind-hearted, skillful in playing the qin, and exceptionally handsome. You’ve known him for so long; do you also feel this way?"
Luoyang detected the probing in Jiang Lai’s words and replied at a steady pace.
"The Prince is indeed the finest man under the heavens. Only a lady as noble as Princess could match him."
Jiang Lai nodded in satisfaction and directly rewarded her with a golden peanut.
"Since you are sent by the Prince, I naturally won’t treat you poorly. If I can quickly get on the same page with the Prince, you’ll certainly receive rewards."
"Please rest assured, Princess; this servant will remain loyal and steadfast, with no ulterior motives."
Thus, Jiang Lai followed the original plot, just as Luoyang had done previously in the storyline, offering Jiang Lai advice that the Prince loved horse riding and hunting.
Jiang Lai pondered and nodded, showing she understood.
——
Late at night, under the pavilion in the Prince Mansion’s backyard, Murong Dun drank a cup of wine and helplessly said.
"Do we really have to do this, Aluo? I truly don’t want to pretend with that woman."
Luoyang looked at him firmly yet tenderly.
"Everything we do now is for the future. Jiang Xiong’s power is formidable, and he’s highly vigilant. If there’s truly a breakthrough, it will be through Jiang Lai. Only by us enduring humiliation for now and gaining Jiang Lai’s trust can we hope to bring Jiang Xiong, this treacherous minister, to justice!"
Murong Dun thought for a while and finally nodded reluctantly.
"Yes, I understand. But, Aluo, aren’t you worried about me spending day and night with other women? Aren’t you afraid..."
"Afraid of what? Afraid you’ll fall in love with someone else? Murong, if you were truly that kind of person, you wouldn’t have risked a capital crime to rescue me back then. I trust you, just as you trust me."
Under the moonlight, the two shared their heartfelt feelings.
Not long after, the Royal Hunting Ground opened, exclusively for members of the Imperial City to hunt and play, with tens of thousands of wild beasts raised naturally inside, including wolves, tigers, leopards, deer, sheep, rabbits, and chickens.
Every late summer is when the beasts are most active; many noble descendants take this time to gather for hunting.
In the past, Jiang Lai and her father visited once. Being a pampered girl, she worried about getting tanned in even a bit of sunlight and shortly demanded to leave soon after arriving, never returning since.
Years later, Jiang Lai once again stepped onto the hunting ground as Princess Pingyin, accompanied by the Prince, setting off early in the morning and arriving by midday.
According to the original plot, Jiang Lai also followed Luoyang’s advice and went to the hunting ground with Murong Dun, but the road uphill was extremely bumpy, and the carriage couldn’t go up, so halfway they had to walk on foot.
The original character, adorned with gold and silver jewelry and a complicated silk skirt, struggled awkwardly and attractively in the mountains, provoking Murong Dun’s dislike and disdain. Eventually, he had a dedicated sedan carrier bring the original up, leaving Luoyang and Murong Dun to climb the hill together. On the way, they encountered a wild boar with newborn piglets charging at them. Luoyang shielded Murong Dun with her body, and although the guards ultimately protected them, Murong Dun became increasingly enamored with her afterward, refusing any other woman.
This time departing, Luoyang attended Jiang Lai’s dressing, selecting a delicate and splendid long dress from the closet.
"When the time comes, there’ll be many noble people on the mountain, dressing properly is always a good thing."
These were Luoyang’s words.
Jiang Lai raised her eyebrow, donned the outfit she selected, but stopped Luoyang from putting on accessories on her.
"The jewelry can be simple."
Luoyang’s hand paused slightly from picking up the pure gold hairpin, then nodded and replaced it with a jade hairpin, simply folding Jiang Lai’s hair.
As they boarded the carriage, Murong Dun saw her wearing a multi-patterned skirt, and couldn’t help but furrow his brow, unable to hide his impatience and annoyance but restrained himself nonetheless.
The Princess and the Prince shared one carriage, with the accompanying maids and servants in another, and due to Jiang Lai’s dowry, the entire Prince Pingyin Mansion’s traveling entourage became notably lavish. The host’s eight-capacity carriage with golden and silver tassels was comparable to those most favored by high-ranking royal family members and princesses.
Four horses pulled the carriage steadily.
Jiang Lai barely got on the carriage before feeling hot, at first lounging, then becoming drowsy, directly lying on the soft couch, yawning, and casually lifting her skirt to reveal a pair of delicate, white jade-like feet.
On those jade feet were adorned with golden rings, each carrying three emerald bells that jingled with each carriage tremor, echoing in the quiet cabin, and echoing in Murong Dun’s ears.
He was reading a book, but his mind wandered irrevocably after accidentally glancing at Jiang Lai’s snow-white feet.
Those feet were as white as snow; the toes were round and delicate like budding lotus tips, further accentuating the slenderness and jade-like quality of the ankles with the golden ring bells.
Meanwhile, because of the constant bumping of the carriage, Jiang Lai’s sleep was disturbed, and the hairpin fastening her hair was also dislodged, casually spilling onto her shoulders, smooth like satin, soft and glossy. Beneath the black hair, the woman was lazily drowsy like a cat, groggily nestled beside Murong Dun, muttering.
"It’s too hard, can’t sleep comfortably."