The prince longs for me every night after mastering thought-reading
Chapter 281 - 280: Sneering that She’s Out of Her Mind, Xuetuan Divine Assistance

Chapter 281: Chapter 280: Sneering that She’s Out of Her Mind, Xuetuan Divine Assistance

Hearing the thoughts of Xueyan, Xiao Jinyan’s movement of picking up food paused. She had only just entered the East Palace and was already eying Hehuan Hall?

Just how insatiable can people be? Over the years, he had seen too much.

Especially the women within the East Palace, each and every one of them aiming to become the Crown Princess, stopping at nothing in their scramble for favor.

Even the dignified Princess couldn’t help but covet what belonged to others.

Xueyan withdrew her gaze, watching Xiao Jinyan and Shen Chuwei incessantly picking up dishes and failing to understand what was so delicious about this average fare.

Then, turning her gaze, she looked at Xiao Jinyan with full expectancy, "Your Highness, would you mind picking up a piece of braised pork for me to try? It looks quite good."

Xiao Jinyan’s chewing paused as he listened to that deliberately coquettish voice, suddenly feeling a bit nauseated.

It certainly affected his appetite.

Shen Chuwei looked at Xueyan, her face full of curiosity, "How old are you this year, Concubine Xue?"

Upon hearing this, Xueyan turned to Shen Chuwei, "Fifteen, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I had thought that Concubine Xue was only three years old, needing an adult to pick up her food. So you are fifteen now?" said Shen Chuwei, and without waiting, she turned her gaze towards the plate, which still had two pieces of braised pork left, and unabashedly picked them both up with her chopsticks into her own bowl.

A fleeting smile passed unnoticed in Xiao Jinyan’s eyes.

Xueyan felt that Shen Chuwei was deliberately insulting her, and her face instantly took on a very unpleasant look.

"Is there something wrong with Lady Shen’s eyes? I am standing right here; can you not tell how old I am?" she retorted unpleasantly.

Shen Chuwei blinked her bright, sparkling eyes twice and said, "My eyesight is quite good. I even noticed the pimple on Concubine Xue’s face."

Xueyan touched her right cheek, where indeed there was a pimple the size of a sesame seed that had suddenly appeared these past few days.

Mentioning her pimple in front of Xiao Jinyan? Was she out of her mind?

Her tone was unfriendly, "Your eyesight is good? Then how do you confuse someone who is fifteen with someone who is three years old?"

"Concubine Xue may not know, but back where I come from, there is a twenty-eight-year-old girl," Shen Chuwei explained, gesturing to her forehead with the hand holding the chopsticks. "She’s beautiful, but unfortunately, her brain was damaged by a high fever when she was little. Her intelligence remained at a three-year-old level, and she needs an adult to help her pick up her food."

Xiao Jinyan couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this, then quickly suppressed it while privately praising her, "Well played."

Xueyan’s complexion turned particularly ugly now. Was Shen Chuwei implying that she was mentally deficient?

Pampered from a young age, Xueyan had never been subjected to such aggravation.

Suppressing her dissatisfaction, she managed to squeeze out a smile, "Lady Shen, how about we go pick eggs together after breakfast, shall we?"

As Shen Chuwei picked up the last piece of braised pork, her hand paused and she looked curiously at Xueyan, "Didn’t Concubine Xue dislike picking up eggs? Do you like it now?"

Xueyan replied, "I now find picking eggs quite interesting and want to give it a try. I grew up in the Imperial Palace and have never seen chickens lay eggs."

Shen Chuwei murmured vaguely, "There is no need to pick eggs today."

In her heart, Xueyan scoffed. It wasn’t that there was no need to pick them, rather, all the chickens and ducks had died, leaving no eggs, right?

Thinking about the disappearance of the unpleasant smell of chicken droppings, she felt quite relieved.

Little did Xueyan know, her smug words had been heard by Xiao Jinyan without missing a single one.

Xiao Jinyan frowned. It turned out that Xueyan was the one who had poisoned the chickens and ducks. No wonder a whole day’s investigation had yielded no truth.

Last time, it caused Xiao Jiu so much sorrow and distress.

Had Xiao Jiu not been prepared, the death of the remaining birds would have brought her to tears, wouldn’t it?

Xiao Jinyan did not react at that moment; Xueyan was a Princess from Xueyue Country, and any careless handling could provoke dissatisfaction from Xueyue.

In the past few days, the two nations had been at war, expending vast amounts of manpower and wealth. One must not lose sight of the bigger picture over trivial matters.

Xiao Jinyan silently took note of this in his heart, intending to settle accounts in the future.

"Lady Shen, why aren’t you gathering chicken eggs anymore?" Xueyan was looking forward to Shen Chuwei’s next words, expecting her to say that all the chickens and ducks had died and to see her show a sorrowful and heartbroken expression.

After finishing the braised pork in her mouth, Shen Chuwei replied, "Concubine Xue, since you are so interested, let’s go replace the thatch for the chickens and ducks together later. Little Guizi was too busy this morning and didn’t get around to it."

The thatch in the chicken coop is changed daily, which keeps the environment pleasant and the smell tolerable.

However, those who are delicate, spoiled, and particular about cleanliness still find the odor of chicken feed unbearable–

Like Xiao Jinyan, who, despite the freshly changed thatch, still found the smell intolerable.

Xueyan noticed that Shen Chuwei did not display the anticipated sorrow and distress. She remembered that when a few chickens and ducks had died previously, Shen Chuwei seemed very upset.

Curious, she asked, "What’s the purpose of changing the thatch?"

"Concubine Xue will find out soon enough," Shen Chuwei said as she diverted her gaze and continued to eat.

Doubt filled Xueyan’s eyes.

In the end, Xueyan dined on meals prepared by the Imperial Kitchen.

After dinner, Xiao Jinyan went back to work; a pile of memorials awaited his review.

Chun Xi led the way with a lantern, while Shen Chuwei took Xueyan to Xiyun Pavilion.

Xiyun Pavilion was secluded. Xueyan had been there once before and had also heard from people in the East Palace that Lady Shen used to reside at Xiyun Pavilion.

Not only that, but Lady Shen, when she was still known as Shen Fengyi, was not favored at all. Later, however, she slowly gained favor.

These alone were enough to demonstrate Lady Shen’s clever tactics; otherwise, how could she have ensnared Xiao Jinyan and gained his favor?

Upon arriving at Xiyun Pavilion, Shen Chuwei instructed Little Guizi to light several more lanterns.

What was once a pitch-dark chicken coop lit up in an instant.

After dusk, the chickens and ducks would crawl into bamboo cages to rest. Apart from drinking water and feed pans, the fences also had some chicken feed mixed with the thatch.

By the end of the day, the smell became somewhat unpleasant.

As soon as Xueyan walked in, she couldn’t bear the stench and covered her mouth and nose. She glanced inside the fence but didn’t see any chickens or ducks, her heart filled with satisfaction.

It would be best if they were all dead.

Shen Chuwei opened the gate to the pen and looked at Xueyan with a couple of blinks of her beautiful starry eyes. "Concubine Xue, please go in."

Xueyan, disdainful, glanced at the chicken coop. "There are no chickens inside, so what’s the point of changing it? Let’s go back, wash up, and sleep instead. His Highness is coming to Qimeng Hall tonight anyway.

She emphasized the last sentence on purpose, wanting to make it clear to Shen Chuwei that Xiao Jinyan was hers.

Just as Xueyan finished speaking, a snow-white figure dashed from the darkness not far away and leaped onto Xueyan with force.

The impact was substantial. Caught off guard and losing her balance, Xueyan toppled into the chicken coop.

"Ah!!" A piercing scream tore through the night as Xueyan watched herself fall into the coop, powerless to stop it.

In the moment she went down, her fair face pressed against the filthy ground.

"Meow." Xuetuan cried out in alarm, stepped on Xueyan’s face with both feet, then vanished into the dark night like a fleeing shadow.

Seeing Xueyan knocked to the ground by Xuetuan and then, by sheer coincidence, fall into the chicken coop, Shen Chuwei felt a twinge of sympathy for Xueyan for two seconds, but in the end, couldn’t help laughing out loud.

She was somewhat puzzled, wondering when Xuetuan had followed them.