"What a load of nonsense, do you think I'm that kind of person?"
Ji Mo flicked Ying Tianbao on the forehead, his expression full of righteous indignation.
Then, a spark of curiosity flickered in his eyes, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that big? Impossible, right?"
Ying Tianbao bared his teeth and suddenly became serious, saying, "I'm just repeating what I heard. I definitely didn't see it with my own eyes, nor did I personally grab… Anyway, I definitely haven't touched it."
Upon hearing this, Ji Mo's face was filled with disdain. What was this lecher pretending to be so proper for? He'd already slipped up.
He said, "Xiao Bao, don't worry, I definitely believe you're not that kind of person. By the way, can you grab it with both hands?"
"Not only can I not grab it, Mo Ge, you have no idea, I can't even hug it…"
Ying Tianbao blurted out, his face excited, then he realized something was wrong and immediately shut his mouth, a sheepish grin on his face, incredibly awkward.
To ease the awkwardness, he instructed Uncle Fu to entertain Ji Mo, using the excuse of reuniting with his beloved consorts, and slipped away.
As he left, Ying Tianbao specifically cautioned Uncle Fu that the person he brought back this time was a peerless master, and he must be received with the highest protocol.
However, because Ying Tianbao refused to heed his advice and was unwilling to fight for the太子妃 and seize the throne, Uncle Fu was in a very gloomy mood. Seeing that Ji Mo was young and showed no fluctuation of spiritual power, he didn't take Ying Tianbao's words to heart.
"An ordinary person who hasn't even fully grown his hair, and they call him a peerless master. His Highness is really becoming more and more useless."
Uncle Fu sized up Ji Mo, shaking his head in secret.
He was a shrewd old man, having seen countless people, but he couldn't see any trace of a master's demeanor in Ji Mo.
Moreover, Ji Mo's appearance was too outstanding; he looked like a pretty boy.
This made Uncle Fu start to worry, fearing that his Highness had developed peculiar tastes and wanted to keep male companions.
After all, such things often happened in aristocratic circles and were commonplace.
His Highness didn't have any heirs yet; he absolutely couldn't be swayed.
At this thought, Uncle Fu immediately became wary of Ji Mo, thinking he must keep Ji Mo away from Ying Tianbao.
Thus, he arranged for Ji Mo to stay in the most remote and desolate courtyard in the prince's mansion, not even assigning a single servant to attend him.
Ji Mo didn't feel anything was amiss. He had always preferred peace and quiet and settled down contentedly.
…
Li Mansion.
Li Qiufeng, the only beloved daughter of Li Xiu, the Grand Tutor of the Great Qin Dynasty, sat alone before her vanity, gazing at her peerless beauty in the bronze mirror, her face etched with worry.
These days, the rumor that Ying Tianbao wanted to seize the太子妃 had spread throughout the entire Forgetful Capital.
She had become the focus of discussion in the entire Forgetful Capital.
Therefore, Li Qiufeng had not stepped out of her door these past few days, staying obediently in her boudoir.
Because if she went out, she would inevitably be pointed at and gossiped about.
She truly couldn't stand it, so she could only confine herself.
"Alas, if Father wasn't the current Grand Tutor, would anyone still want to snatch me?"
Li Qiufeng rested her chin on her hands, her gaze dim.
She understood clearly that the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince wanted to marry her merely to win over her father, not out of genuine affection.
To become the太子妃, and then the Empress, ruling the world.
This should be the ultimate dream of countless women, but this was not what Li Qiufeng wanted. She would rather be an ordinary girl, marrying someone she liked and who liked her.
Alas, her fate was not in her own hands.
"Miss, what are you saying? With your celestial beauty, any man would want to snatch you as his wife,"
The maid Hongxing teased from the side.
Then her expression changed, and she snorted, "It's all that Ying Tianbao's fault. A toad wanting to eat swan meat. He already has over thirty consorts and still covets Miss. Shameless. Crown Prince is much better, pure and devoted, with unwavering affection. He doesn't even have a side consort yet and is solely waiting to marry Miss. So devoted."
In Hongxing's eyes, Ying Tianci and Ying Tianbao were worlds apart, like heaven and earth.
"Hongxing, you can't just judge people by their appearance, nor should you believe hearsay."
Li Qiufeng's autumn-water-like eyes flashed with wisdom, and she said faintly, "You only know that the Ninth Prince has married dozens of consorts, but you don't know that those consorts live in luxury and are all well cared for. You only know that the Crown Prince outwardly has no women, but you don't know that his mansion has as many as a thousand beautiful young maids, and often maids are found with severe injuries, beaten half to death and thrown out."
Although she was a woman, Li Qiufeng was not just a pretty face. As the daughter of Grand Tutor Li Xiu, she was definitely surpassing her father.
Even Li Xiu had said more than once that if his daughter were a boy, she would undoubtedly be a great minister.
"A woman's lack of talent is her virtue."
This was originally a derogatory saying towards women, but Li Qiufeng believed it held much truth.
Why did she have to be so intelligent, able to see through everything so easily? Why couldn't she be like other girls, foolishly seeing everything in the world as beautiful?
The smarter she was, the more clearly she saw, and the more disappointed she became with the world.
If she had a choice, she would rather marry Ying Tianbao than Ying Tianci; one was merely amorous, the other was disgusting.
"A thousand beautiful young maids?"
Hongxing's face turned pale with shock. She wasn't foolish and naturally understood what that implied.
If the Crown Prince had female consorts, then having many maids would make sense.
But without a single female consort, yet having over a thousand young maids, all of them beautiful, the reason was self-evident.
These were the Crown Prince's playthings.
What was even more hateful was that the fate of these playthings was miserable; with the slightest mistake, they would be beaten and expelled from the Crown Prince's mansion.
"Ying Tianci is so wicked, he's not even human."
Once Hongxing understood the implication, she was furious, no longer calling him Crown Prince, but his name directly.
To think she had been praising Ying Tianci all day, only to find out he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Miss, we absolutely cannot marry someone like that. It's better not to be the太子妃. If you marry him, you'll definitely have a bad life, and might even be domestically abused."
Hongxing immediately began to consider Li Qiufeng's happiness.
Li Qiufeng sighed helplessly, "You're wrong again. Ying Tianci will definitely treat me very well, be completely obedient, and will even try his best to please me. Of course, that's assuming Father's position remains stable."
Compared to Hongxing's worries, Li Qiufeng saw things very clearly. Moreover, matters of marriage were simply not something a young girl could control.
She had long accepted the helplessness of being a girl.
Hongxing felt sorry for her young lady and finally understood why she had been so worried since learning she was to become the太子妃.
It turned out she had seen through everything long ago.
"Miss, don't worry all day, you'll get wrinkles. Why don't we go out and have some fun to relax?"
Hongxing suggested, wanting to take Li Qiufeng out to play and relax.
Li Qiufeng shook her head. She didn't want to be stared at like a monkey when she went out.
"Don't worry, I have a way to ensure no one recognizes you, Miss." Hongxing revealed a mischievous smile and reached out her hands towards her young lady.
"Hongxing, what are you doing? Stop it… Don't take off my clothes!"
Suddenly, Li Qiufeng's panicked voice echoed from the room.