Jade Without Fragrance - Chapter 5 : The Heir of the Prince

Qi Shuo, the Young Prince of Jing, wasn't particularly well-known in the capital.

Prince Jing and Princess Jing had three kids: their eldest son, Qi Shuo; the second son, Qi Huan; and their daughter, Qi Qiong.

Eight years back, Emperor Tai'an called all his brothers to the capital, and ever since, they've all been living there.

On the way to the capital, the Young Prince Jing got sick, and after arriving, he spent most of his time at their palace, unlike his younger brother Qi Huan, who enjoyed throwing parties and socializing with the nobles.

Now that Qi Shuo is nineteen, his years of staying low-key have made him more humble and calmer.

When Princess Jing saw her son walk in, she couldn't help but smile: "Shuo'er, is there something wrong?"

Qi Shuo greeted her and got to the point: "Have Mother heard the rumors floating around?"

It was more than just typical gossip about some young lady from a big family spying on the little prince, especially since it happened right in her yard. Naturally, Princess Jing had heard about it.

She took a sip of her tea and asked casually, "What did you hear, Shuo'er?"

"They're saying the Second Miss Wen... was spying on me, your son..."

Princess Jing raised an eyebrow: "Isn't that true?"

Even though her kids hadn't told her exactly what happened, she didn't believe that Shuo'er was calling for help. Didn't she know her son well enough?

Princess Jing looked at her oldest son intently, eager to hear more.

"Definitely not. Your son said yesterday that the Second Miss Wen climbed over the wall because she heard me shouting for help."

Princess Jing stared at her tall, slender son, feeling confused.

Why was Shuo'er defending the Second Miss of the Wen family so much?

Regardless of her thoughts, she couldn't just dismiss her son's words as a mother.

With a smile, Princess Jing remarked, "People love to gossip. It's no surprise such rumors have come up."

Qi Shuo's demeanor turned serious: "But these rumors can ruin a woman's reputation."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"Mother, maybe we should send some gifts to the Wen Mansion to show our appreciation?"

By having the Prince Jing's Mansion be the one to send gifts, it would signal that they recognized the Second Miss Wen's efforts to rescue Qi Shuo, and that might help quiet the rumors.

Princess Jing looked at Qi Shuo, amused: "You're quite considerate, Shuo'er."

Qi Shuo lowered his gaze, embarrassed: "Well, Second Miss Wen did try to help me."

Princess Jing couldn't help but smile at that.

"Ahem..." She picked up her teacup and said lightly, "Still, this whole thing might impact the Second Miss Wen's chances at marriage. You know how people can be; they only believe what they want."

Qi Shuo seemed stunned and raised his eyebrows: "If that's how it is... Well, I'm not married yet; maybe you could propose to the Wen family..."

Cough... cough... cough...!

Princess Jing choked on her tea and started coughing hard.

One of the maids rushed over to pat her back.

Waving the maid away, Princess Jing looked at her son as if she'd seen a ghost: "Your mother just had breakfast; this isn't the time for jokes that get me all emotional!"

"I'm not joking; the Second Miss Wen did save your son, after all."

Princess Jing almost forgot her royal composure and rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath before saying, "My dear son, Mother knows that you are kind and generous, so there is no need to sacrifice so much..."

Qi Shuo laughed, saying, "It's not really a sacrifice. Second Miss Wen is beautiful and comes from a good family. If she can't find a marriage partner because of that, it would be better for both our families if I married her."

Princess Jing couldn't help but slam the table: "Shuo'er, are you attracted by her beauty?"

Her eldest son, the Young Prince of Jing's mansion, was actually a womanizer!

Qi Shuo raised an eyebrow in confusion: "So, what kind of daughter-in-law does Mother prefer? Must her appearance be mediocre?"

"Of course not," Princess Jing replied firmly. Her daughter-in-law absolutely needed to be beautiful; otherwise, wouldn't it hinder the appearance of her future grandchildren?

Well, if she looked at it that way, Second Miss Wen seemed pretty fitting after all.

Realizing this, Princess Jing took a sip of tea calmly: "Shuo'er is nineteen this year; it's time for you to get married. Since you think it's a good idea, I will discuss it with your father later. If your father has no objection, I will ask someone to inquire with the Wen family for their opinion..."

Qi Shuo didn't expect Princess Jing to change her mind so quickly and was taken aback for a moment.

"Shuo'er?"

He snapped back to reality: "Did you call me, Mother?"

With a sigh, Princess Jing remarked, "Why do you always absent-minded when we're talking about marriage?"

Qi Shuo's face turned a bit red: "Marriage is about parent decisions and matchmaker's words. I'll follow your lead; I don't have any objections."

Princess Jing was visibly annoyed and said with a twitch of her mouth, "If you have nothing else to do, you can leave now. It's time for your mother to take charge of this."

"Alright, I'll head out then."

As soon as Qi Shuo left, Princess Jing quickly called out, "Zhen Zhu, give me a shoulder massage."

Her two sons were sure to drive her crazy one day!

...

In the bright spring sunlight of Luoying Courtyard, Bao Zhu was off shopping, leaving Wen Hao to enjoy a leisurely sunbath in a rattan chair.

"Mu Dan, go fetch Lin Xiao Hua for me," Wen Hao casually instructed a little maid.

The maid responded with a quick "Yes" and dashed through the moon gate to the back. Moments later, she returned, leading a donkey.

The donkey was all gray except for a little tuft of white on its head.

Seeing Wen Hao, it eagerly nuzzled her hand.

This donkey had been a birthday gift from her grandfather when she turned thirteen. Smaller and gentler than a horse, it was perfect for a young girl to ride.

Wen Hao affectionately petted the donkey's head, remembering how Lin Xiao Hua had helped her escape when she discovered her father and stepmother's scheme in her past life-only for Lin Xiao Hua to tragically be killed by bandits later on.

"What's my Second Cousin doing in the yard?" A young man strolled in through the gate.

Wen Hao rested her hand on the donkey's back and looked up at the newcomer.

It was her maternal cousin Cheng Shu, who, technically, wasn't really related by blood.

Cheng Shu's father was General Lin's adopted son, and after getting married and having him, he had journeyed far away.

Cheng Shu grew up in the General's house, referring to Madam Lin as his aunt and calling Wen Hao and her sister 'cousin'.

As he approached, Wen Hao called out, "Cousin Brother!"

Her voice was sweet and bright, surprising Cheng Shu with a burst of joy: "Second Cousin, you can really talk!"

His sincere excitement made Wen Hao feel a bit complicated.

A few months before her grandfather passed away, he had arranged for Cheng Shu to join the Jinwu Guard.

However, things changed, and she ended up fleeing the capital. Three years later, when she came back and discreetly checked up on him, she discovered Cheng Shu had become quite the infamous Jinlin Guard.

She was hesitant to reach out to Cheng Shu because she wasn't sure why he ended up being the Jinlin Guard that her grandfather disliked.

"What's Cousin Brother doing here? Isn't you supposed to be on duty today?" Wen Hao tilted her head in the sunlight, grinning as she tried to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

"I heard my Second Cousin Sister can talk now, so I took a day off to come visit you," the good-looking young man replied, flashing a bright smile.

Wen Hao appeared intrigued and asked playfully, "Did Cousin Brother only hear about this?"