Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved

Chapter 92: Chapter 92 Siblings Meet Again
 

Bai Aoshuang always sought ways to appear before Murong Jiu, behaving with heartfelt subtlety. To avoid suspicion, she would never show herself when the Prince was around.

And Zhen Zhu tirelessly spoke well of Bai Aoshuang, so that she could be promoted to a Second-Class Maid and have the opportunity to leave the Prince Mansion.

On this day, Murong Jiu was preparing to go out for a lake outing, and naturally, she needed many attendants. Chun Tao and Zhen Zhu were both brought along.

Just before they were about to leave, Zhen Zhu thought it a golden opportunity and quickly said to Murong Jiu,

“Miss, the Prince has prepared so many snacks for you, Chun Tao and I can’t carry them all. Why not let Cui Hua follow as a Maid-of-all-work?”

Bai Aoshuang’s face was filled with anticipation, as she had heard that Young Master Fu would also be there today.

Ever since the Princess Consort returned from the villa, she had had no chance to leave the mansion, and she wanted to firmly seize this opportunity.

If she could manage to fall into the water with Young Master Fu during the lake outing, she could be taken in as a concubine at the very least.

Moreover, she heard that the General’s Mansion was committed to monogamy; the General’s wife had been dead for many years, and General Fu had neither remarried nor taken any concubines, apparently indifferent to social status. Perhaps she could become his principal wife.

After all, before she was sold, she was deemed a maiden of a modest family. Why wouldn’t she be suitable for the son of the General’s Mansion?

Originally, she aimed to be a woman of the Prince Mansion, but since Prince Ling was not interested in her, she had to settle for the next best option.

Of course, she knew that even if she married Young Master Fu, she wouldn’t sincerely live well with him. She was fixated on the Second Prince behind Zhen Zhu.

If the Second Prince became the Emperor, and if she could be brought into the palace, couldn’t she become a Consort?

That would truly be a splendid and radiant achievement. All those young ladies who had laughed at her for being orphaned yet high-spirited would probably be green with envy.

Bai Aoshuang looked at Murong Jiu, her face brimming with expectation.

After a long wait, Murong Jiu finally gave a reluctant nod.

Bai Aoshuang quickly showed her loyalty, but in her heart, she scorned Murong Jiu, thinking she must be so ugly that she feared Bai Aoshuang’s beauty, making people mistake her for the Princess Consort.

What use was it to wear a thick veil every day? Everyone knows that Princess Consort Ling is ugly.

She was unaware that the birthmark on Murong Jiu’s face had faded considerably and that she wore a veil due to the medicinal paste applied.

Moon Lake was located within the capital, not far from the Prince Mansion. This area was inhabited by nobles and high officials, guarded by soldiers outside, beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. Those who came to the lake were all young lords and ladies.

Murong Jiu and Jun Yuyan had already arrived at the lakeside pavilion, sipping on fruit drinks.

“Miss Fu and the Third Young Master have arrived!”

Zhen Zhu kept an eye on the direction of the newcomers and soon saw Young Master Fu and Fu Baozhu arriving on horseback.

It was then that several people noticed that there was another person behind the two, Young Master Fu.

Young Master Fu was as gentle as jade, but unlike the scholarly Young Master Fu, he gave off a more profound feeling, with inscrutable eyes.

This was also the reason why Bai Aoshuang had chosen Young Master Fu; both the eldest and the second brothers appeared to be men not so easily deceived.

The moment Murong Jiu saw her two elder brothers, her heart involuntarily quickened.

In the past, she had denied any blood relation with them, feeling only admiration, an admiration stemming from General Fu.

And then there was pity for the tragic end of their entire family, and for their own untimely deaths.

But now, whether it was “the closer to home, the greater the apprehension” or something else, despite her mental preparation, she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.

In her previous life, she had not experienced familial love, so she was somewhat anxious and often wondered, what did big brother and third brother think of her?

Would third brother dislike her and misunderstand her because of the things Bai Aoshuang said?

“Ah Jiu.”

The low and soothing voice of Jun Yuyan pulled her out of her nervous state in an instant.

Murong Jiu immediately looked at him with gratitude.

There was no need for her to think too much; even if Fu Baozhu had been raised by them for sixteen years, she was the one with the true blood relation, wasn’t she?

Of course, Murong Jiu wasn’t foolish enough to reveal this matter to them immediately.

They feared they wouldn’t be able to accept it.

It was best to let them gradually become suspicious and investigate on their own, thereby slowly laying out the truth before their eyes.

“Prince! Princess Consort Sister!”

Fu Baozhu dismounted and ran a few steps toward them with a heroic and lively demeanor, smiling all the while.

Young Master Fu laughed, “Baozhu, slow down. Be careful not to bump into the Princess Consort.”

He meant to avoid bumping into the pregnant Murong Jiu.

In fact, Fu Heng viewed the close relationship between Baozhu and the Princess Consort with pleasure.

All three brothers, including their father, held a good impression of the Princess Consort, and moreover, she bore some resemblance to their mother.

If Baozhu hadn’t been right before their eyes, they might almost believe Murong Jiu was their sister.

Third Young Master Fu Han also chimed in, “Baozhu, be careful, don’t be clumsy!”

The tones of the two young masters clearly held indulgence for their sister but still made Fu Baozhu uncomfortable.

It’s just a pregnancy, isn’t it?

And they don’t even know if it’s the Prince’s child, is it worth such caution?

But she didn’t show her discomfort, her goal today was Jun Yuyan, Murong Jiu was of no importance.

Murong Jiu’s face showed a faint smile, “Sister Baozhu is here. Have you had breakfast? We have prepared a lot of food for today. You can have some snacks before we go out on the lake.”

“Wow, so many delicious things, they look so exquisite.”

Indeed, the stone table was laden with plates of snacks and fruits, each looking delicious and enticing. Although Fu Baozhu had eaten, she picked up a pastry to show her genuine reaction and took a bite, then expressed a surprised delight.

“It tastes so good, the chefs at the Prince Mansion are too skilled! Brother, Third Brother, you should try it too!”

Fu Baozhu spoke with exaggerated enthusiasm, while Fu Heng and Fu Han both smiled.

“You’ve made the Prince and Princess Consort laugh, my sister just likes to make a fuss over nothing.”

“Not at all.”

Fu Baozhu hummed, took two pastries, and handed one to each of her brothers, deliberately showing off their sibling affection in front of Murong Jiu.

She wanted to make Murong Jiu envious of her, and it would be even better if jealousy provoked Murong Jiu into acting irrationally.

But Murong Jiu merely smiled subtly, showing no signs of envy.

“Princess Consort, your handkerchief is dirty, let me get you a new one.”

At this moment, Bai Aoshuang, who had been standing by the servants, purposefully stepped forward to change Murong Jiu’s handkerchief.

Indeed, her presence drew Fu Han’s attention.

Fu Han, like a love-struck youth, had his gaze glued to her face, with a tinge of joy in his eyes.

Seeing this, Bai Aoshuang’s face flushed with added shyness.

Murong Jiu saw this as well and seemed as if she had not noticed.

However, Fu Heng frowned slightly, his look towards Bai Aoshuang somewhat cold.

But in the presence of the Prince and Princess Consort, Fu Heng said nothing.

After sitting and chatting over tea for a while, they took advantage of the mild sun and started moving toward the center of the lake.

The ship was arranged by Jun Yuyan today, a two-tiered sightseeing vessel, much stabler than the common lake boats, primarily for the safety of the pregnant Murong Jiu. Hidden Guards were also placed all around the ship.

As soon as Fu Baozhu boarded the boat, she praised everything about it, full of vitality.

Bai Aoshuang and Zhen Zhu exchanged glances quietly, apparently having devised some plan, and they nodded to each other subtly.