Chapter 39.2

Jin Wang's mansion was different from other households because its owner was a prince. There was a clear division of labour which was divided into two departments. The departments were for internal affairs and external affairs.

The external affairs department consisted of Changshi Mansion, Fengcheng Mansion and Zhaohui Hall. There was also an office for the internal affairs department. The internal affairs department was responsible for everything within the manor. This includes the hiring of the staff members like guards, chefs, and housekeepers. Other things such as salary, clothes and food distribution were also managed by the internal affairs department. The internal affairs department was also in charge of Jin Wang's rear courtyard, which was where his women lived.

The internal affairs consisted of two parts, the rear courtyard and the office. Fucheng was responsible for the internal affairs office. Consort Jin was the head of the rear courtyard. Due to suppression from the internal affairs office, Consort Jin had very little power. She was only responsible for some regulations and the arrangement of servants within each courtyard.

Even though this amount of power was very meagre, Side Consort Hu had still set her sights on it.

Although it was very limited, this power held the lifeblood of everyone in the rear courtyard. Side Consort Hu doesn't wish to be constrained or restricted by others. The only way out was to fight.

She had taken great pains while Consort Jin was ill, to win over, bribe, and place people in strategic places. Yet as soon as her plans were beginning, Consort Jin recovered. Yet, this wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. It was something else. Otherwise, Side Consort Hu wouldn't be cursing her like that. What was worse was that Consort Jin had arranged for more young girls to enter the manor. Then, she made it clear that she was grooming them to become a second or third Concubine Feng.

The more Side Consort Hu thought of Consort Jin, the more annoyed she became. In her hand was a circular fan that she used to cool herself.

"Taohong, go get this concubine some frozen cheese with cherries. It's too hot."

When Taohong, who stood to the side, heard these words, she showed an awkward expression on her face 

The cheese itself wasn't anything rare and the method to make it wasn't difficult. Jin Wang's manor was rich and didn't lack gold or jade. What kind of delicacy have they not seen? But the cherries…

Jin Zhou is a large region of land located by the frontiers. It wasn't a rich region and no cherries were grown there. A while ago, a basket of cherries was sent as rewards from the capital. But the internal affairs office sent the cherries straight to Siyi Courtyard. All Consort Jin had to do was simply open her mouth and say that she liked to eat cherries. With this simple move, Side Consider Hu couldn't get even a single cherry.

After this incident, the wind in the manor changed directions again. Those people who were previously brought over to Side Consort Hu's side had become fence-sitters again. They adopted a wait-and-see attitude. 

Now Side Consort Hu clamoured about wanting to eat frozen cheese with cherries. Isn't this sending Taohong to Consort Jin to ask for trouble?

"Your highness…"    

Side Consort Hu could obviously notice the hesitance from her trusted maid. Her beautiful eyes gazed around and landed on Cuizhu, who stood beside her holding a fan. "Cuizhu, you can go and tell them that the little princess wants to eat cherries."

How old was the little princess? Are cherries something that she could eat?

This was simply using the princess as an excuse to anger others!

Cuizhu had an ugly look on her face, but she didn't dare to refuse. She put down the fan in her hand and silently went out.

Taohong watched as Cuizhu left and said, "She's really even-tempered. Even though your highness messes with her like so, she still follows your orders."  

"Since she is willing, let her be. This concubine has more than enough ways to deal with someone like her." Side Consort Hu smirked and waved her circular fan. She no longer feels annoyed but is waiting to see tumult and chaos arise from Siyi Courtyard.

If Consort Jin did give the cherries, she would be causing herself disgust. Especially, since she knew that this was a scheme deployed by Side Consort Hu. But, if she didn't give any cherries, that would be looking down on the little princess.

The little princess was Jin Wang's only heir. If she didn't value the princess, that would be equal to disdaining Jin Wang! 

This was Side Consort Hu's trump card. So far, this method hasn't failed her yet. Whenever she was in a conflict with Consort Jin, as long as she played this card, there would be no fear of losing.

Side Consort Hu would not allow the current situation to worsen. Even if she loses an opportunity, she refuses to allow Consort Jin to gain any advantage.  The worst-case scenario would be the current situation remaining unchanged. Then both sides would stay evenly matched.  

Unaware of what's happening at Siyi Courtyard, Jin Wang dropped a visit to the small courtyard where Yaoniang lived. The small courtyard, where she lived, was separated from Siyi Courtyard by merely a wall. It was a rare occurrence for Jin Wang to have enough leisure time to visit during the daytime.

On the second floor of the small building, the windows were wide open. The purple curtains hanging from the window danced in the wind.

In this type of hot weather, naturally, there would be ice in the room. In the corner of the room, a large iceberg surrounded by mist stood in the ice kettle. A refreshing breeze blew through the bright room. 

Behind the bookshelf, Jin Wang read the document held in his hand.

Meanwhile, Yaoniang sat on an armchair not far away. From a fine white porcelain plate on the flower table, she held up a bright red and juicy cherry.

The bright red-coloured fruit was held in thin white fingers. It was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Jin Wang squinted his eyes in Yaoniang's direction. He thought that the cherries indeed suited her.

There was a thin layer of ice placed on the bottom of the porcelain plate. Due to the cold, the cherries were covered in condensation. Sweet, tangy, cool, and delicious, Yaoniang ate more than 20 in a row before she stopped.

She felt sullen. Normally, she wasn't a glutton. Yet, today, she had eaten so many in front of Jin Wang. She was unsure whether he would laugh at her.

But they were so delicious. She hasn't even eaten enough yet.    

She swept her gaze from the few remaining cherries on the plate to Jin Wang by the side. She was very embarrassed. It was his highness who had brought the cherries, but he didn't even eat any. She was the one who ate them all.

"Your highness, would you like to eat any?"    

Jin Wang's first reaction was that he wasn't a woman. How could he be interested in these little things? Yet, as he looked from her thin long fingers to her alluring brows, he couldn't help but feel moved.

He raised his eyebrows. Yaoniang, who immediately understood his meaning, walked over with the porcelain plate in her hand.   

As soon as she reached him, she was pulled onto his lap. Then the great lord raised his eyebrows again. Yaoniang slightly hesitated. Then she picked up a cherry with her dainty fingers and delivered it to his mouth.

"It tastes pretty good," said Jin Wang.

Yaoniang reached out her hand, and a small cherry pit rolled onto her palm.   

Like this, one person would feed and the other would eat. She also took the opportunity to glance at the document in Jin Wang's hand. It was quite fun.

But as Jin Wang continued to eat, he started to make some movements. Either he would gently bite her finger or he would lick her fingertip with his tongue. Under the desk, one of his hands pressed and rubbed against Yaoniang's waist. He had a serious expression on his face, but underneath the desk, his hand acted improperly.

"You know what books say? It's that wine is sweetest when fed by a beauty."  Jin Wang reached out his hand and patted her on the head.   

After she heard his words, Yaoniang blushed. She intuitively lowered her head and inadvertently glanced at the document in his hand.

Only then did she realize. It wasn't a document. It was clearly a picture book.

The book was filled with exquisite illustrations, all depicting the most beautiful thing. The people in the painting were positioned the same way they currently were. There was a person sitting in the other's lap, but the difference was that the beauty's clothes were only partially on. It was barely noticeable, but she appeared to be feeding the man by mouth.