He was staring straight ahead, so he couldn’t witness Ah Luo’s tears dry out in an instant. She blinked, revealing a victorious smile, replacing the earlier aggrieved appearance.
*
After Zhu Geng returned her to the Duke’s residence, he watched Wei Luo enter inside, then rode away.
He had thought that Wei Luo was at most a rich family’s daughter, but she was actually the Duke Ying’s granddaughter. The Duke’s house held considerable prestige in Chaozhong (should be the empire’s name), his conduct was strict and upright, the older generation was among the most noble and charismatic. He managed his official duties with thorough analysis, but looking at today’s events, he didn’t appear to be capable of managing his family’s affairs… The granddaughter was schemed against by the stepmother and almost got sold to slave traders, all right under his nose.
Zhu Geng returned to the Jing palace, heard from Yang Hao that the prince was looking for him, then headed directly for the rear court study.
Zhao Jie, having changed into a white robe with dark persimmon stems pattern, was sitting behind the table with his head lowered, but wasn’t reading. He was fiddling instead with a pot of golden-thread orchid, that the imperial physician Cheng Yong had delivered earlier today. That orchid was precious, from a very rare variety. Cheng Yong had spent a large sum to acquire it from the South. Taking care of this type of orchid was quite demanding, but he had the interest, so he didn’t find it troublesome.