After Becoming the Cannon Fodder Live-in Spouse A (GL) - Chapter 10: The Tenth Day

Chapter 10: The Tenth Day

Watching Ye Fuguang’s figure fade into the distance, a young man in a sapphire satin robe narrowed his eyes, a hint of deep meaning flashing in them—

Did Prince Qi and his little concubine develop feelings so soon?

How did he not know?

Before arriving at Prince Qi’s mansion, the Imperial Guards had already delivered Ye Fuguang’s entire background to him. From small details, like when she was three and drowned a neighbor’s newly hatched chick in a water tank in the countryside, to bigger ones, like every dowry shop her mother brought into the Ye Family that she lost at the gambling house, and even the words she used to defy Ye Rong and curse Prince Qi after learning she’d marry into Prince Qi’s mansion.

If not for this, he might have believed Ye Fuguang and Prince Qi were deeply in love.

She was quite the actress.

But her lies were too easy to see through, making her seem foolish.

It matched perfectly with the impression the Imperial Guards’ report gave him.

Shen Jingming thought this, resting his chin on one hand and turning his gaze away. He chatted casually with the mediocre scholars in front of him, who thought themselves highly talented but were frustrated by their lack of success. Too lazy to deal with them, he made an excuse and left.

Just as he stepped out of the desolate courtyard, the young man paused and casually said to the attendant beside him, “That one who looks down on the Shen Family but still eats our grain…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

But the attendant, Fuyao, understood. “This servant will handle it.”

Shen Jingming’s gaze calmly drifted toward the main hall in the distance, and he spoke slowly. “It’s been a while since I visited her. Has the bedding in the main hall been changed?”

“Ye Fuguang said the Plum Garden is fine too. Moving back and forth isn’t good for Prince Qi’s health, so Yu Qing didn’t make a big fuss about replacing things,” Fuyao answered properly, clearly knowing every detail of Prince Qi’s mansion despite being in Yong’an City.

Shen Jingming was satisfied and said, “Then let’s see how she’s settling in at the Plum Garden.”

If things were going well, letting Ye Fuguang stay a few more days wouldn’t hurt.

With Shen Jinglan’s temperament, she surely couldn’t stand Ye Fuguang’s insults. With Xue Congde’s prescription controlling her, she could live another year or two. Once he settled court matters, he’d give her a quick end.

Fuyao, understanding his intent, glanced at someone in the shadows, signaling them to keep Ye Fuguang busy. Otherwise, with her foolish ways, if she appeared before the Emperor again, his dislike for stupidity might flare up. Even a marriage decreed by the Emperor might not save her head.

…

“Achoo!”

Not long after leaving the Plum Garden, Ye Fuguang sneezed hard.

Her earlier boasting seemed calm, but inside, she was panicking, afraid to turn and see Ruyi’s awkward expression. Luckily, the mansion’s servants were specially trained not to embarrass their masters. Seeing her turn, they pretended not to notice or hear anything and gave her a way out.

“If Jixiang has found those vegetable seedlings, they’re probably in the kitchen by now. Would the Princess like to return to the Plum Garden to wait?”

“Sounds good.”

She agreed happily.

But halfway there, a kitchen servant came to report that the pot she wanted wasn’t in the kitchen and asked if she could draw its design so they could have a blacksmith make it.

“Then tonight, have the kitchen make shepherd’s purse dumplings or wontons?” Ye Fuguang thought, looking around and pointing at the nearest courtyard. “Is there paper and a brush inside? I’ll draw the pot’s design.”

Ruyi glanced at it. It was another courtyard Prince Qi rarely visited. The Plum Garden was great for winter snow views, but this courtyard had a unique water scene. A pond covered half the yard, with willows by the pavilion and lotuses in the water. Sadly, it wasn’t summer yet, so the pond’s edges were lined with withered branches and cold, barren stems.

It looked bleak.

“There is,” Ruyi answered carefully. “When Prince Qi first moved in, aside from the main hall, other places weren’t tended to much. She spent more time at the military camp than here, so even the ‘Listening to the Rain’ plaque hasn’t been taken down. If the Princess is interested, you could take a look.”

Ye Fuguang glanced up at the gold-trimmed, slender-lettered “Listening to the Rain” plaque—

The name felt familiar.

But her attention was now caught by this courtyard’s scenery, which seemed to hold the history of two dynasties. Eagerly, she lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold.

The “Listening to the Rain” courtyard did have a study.

It was fully equipped with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, plus some rare storybook originals.

Ye Fuguang’s eyes didn’t know where to land. One moment, she was flipping through a storybook’s bold illustrations; the next, she was using a white wolf-hair brush to draw a pot on gold-flecked paper. Halfway through, her attention shifted to the pine and crane cloud patterns carved on the inkstone.

Adults should have it all!

That’s what she thought, but in the end, the storybook won her favor—

Who could resist a collector’s edition 18+ book?

She couldn’t!

Wasn’t she drawn to *The Rise of the Dikun* for its spicy content? She wasn’t from Shaolin Temple—why abstain?

Ye Fuguang tossed aside the paper and brush, confidently diving into the storybook.

As she was captivated by its bold poses, a faint fragrance drifted through the cold breeze outside the window, like lotuses blooming in the pond. ⊥

The scent grew stronger, eventually feeling like someone had spilled a bottle of perfume in front of her—or in this era, dumped raw spices on her.

Ye Fuguang, still holding the storybook, couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ruyi.”

She called to the maid guarding the door. “Who’s burning incense outside?”

Before Ruyi could answer, a strange noise came from under the window, startling Ye Fuguang. She hurried to look outside, but the pond’s edge still had only withered lotuses and willows. The area was empty, not even a stray cat in sight.

“No, Princess, I didn’t see anyone.”

“Oh…”

Ye Fuguang was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it. After the noise, the scent seemed to fade, no longer making her dizzy, so she went back to reading.

But as she read, she couldn’t help but hold the book in one hand while tugging at her collar with the other.

So hot.

It felt like summer had suddenly hit. Her thick clothes were stifling. Ye Fuguang pulled at her pink collar, then realized something was off—

Getting this immersed in a risqué picture?

How embarrassing.

…

Outside the “Listening to the Rain” courtyard.

Someone in a cloak hurried away. As the wind blew, it revealed a lip corner with a striking red mole.

She cursed her luck. Today, of all days, while meeting Da Zhi for a deal, she ran into the eldest prince, Guishuang, sneaking into the city. And, just her luck, the incense in his room triggered her signal scent.

She’d been taking “Shijun Jue” for years to pass as a Zhongjun, but the drug was toxic. Once her signal scent spread, she’d enter her signal period. The first Qianyuan to smell it would be poisoned, unable to resist her scent, becoming utterly obsessed with her.

Why did it have to be Ye Fuguang who smelled it?

This courtyard was so remote, no one came here in ages.

Su Wanqiu lowered her eyes, recalling how Ye Fuguang looked when calling her closer that day—clear-eyed and foolish, obviously not too bright.

Shen Jinglan had lived too long. Day after day, Su Wanqiu waited, but her death never came—

What if someone could help her with this?

And this person would be easy to control, keeping Su Wanqiu completely in the clear if things went wrong.

Su Wanqiu clutched the stolen poison bottle, slowing her steps as she left the courtyard. Then, she turned back entirely. As a pink flush crept onto her face, she quietly stared at the “Listening to the Rain” plaque.

She walked back inside.