nycdaug Chapter 404 (134 words added)
Chapter 404 (134 words added)
Murong Xun turned around and saw that it was Su Wanrou, the daughter of the Prime Minister. He was secretly annoyed that she had ruined his plans, but he put on a smile and said, "Miss Su is here too."
Su Wanrou moved gracefully to the spirit fruit, her fingers lightly tracing its surface: "I'll take this spirit fruit. Young Master Murong won't try to take it from me, will he?"
Murong Xun gritted his teeth. Su Wanrou, relying on her father's power as the Prime Minister, had always been arrogant and domineering. But he couldn't afford to offend the Su family now, so he could only suppress his resentment and say, "If Miss Su likes it, then take it."
Su Wanrou smiled smugly and was about to pick up the spiritual fruit when a gust of wind suddenly blew by, and the fruit vanished into thin air. Both of them were shocked and searched everywhere but couldn't find the fruit. Murong Xun was secretly delighted, feeling that even the heavens were on his side, while Su Wanrou stomped her foot in anger, glared at Murong Xun, and stormed off.
Xue Ruanruan watched as Murong Xun walked towards her from afar, surrounded by a crowd, and secretly clenched her fists. This Murong Xun, on the surface, appeared to be a refined gentleman, but in reality, he was ruthless and would stop at nothing to seize power.
Murong Xun quickly noticed Xue Ruanruan, a faint smile playing on his lips as he walked straight towards her. "Miss Xue, how have you been?" His voice was gentle, but his eyes held a hint of inquiry.
Suppressing her disgust, Xue Ruanruan curtsied. "Greetings, Your Highness." Murong Xun, observing Xue Ruanruan's curtsy, flashed a barely perceptible hint of contempt in his eyes. "Miss Xue, you are indeed exceptionally beautiful today." Xue Ruanruan inwardly scoffed; Murong Xun was clearly mocking her. She straightened up and smiled slightly. "Your Highness flatters me; it's nothing more than ordinary attire."
Just as Murong Xun was about to say something more, a servant rushed over and whispered a few words in his ear. Murong Xun's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure and said to Xue Ruanruan, "Miss Xue, I have to take my leave now. We'll talk another day." With that, he led his entourage away in a hurry.
Xue Ruanruan watched his departing figure, puzzled. What could have happened to make the usually composed Murong Xun so flustered? Just then, her maid whispered, "Miss, that servant just said a mysterious guest suddenly arrived at Prince Murong's residence, seemingly related to the spirit fruit." Xue Ruanruan's heart skipped a beat. The spirit fruit…could it be connected to the spirit fruit that vanished into thin air? She decided to investigate secretly to see what secrets lay behind it. Murong Xun circled her once, "I've heard Miss Xue is exceptionally intelligent; I'd like to see for myself today."
Xue Ruanruan felt a chill run down her spine, but remained calm on the surface. "Your Highness flatters me. How would Your Highness like to see my work?" Murong Xun's lips curled up, revealing a meaningful smile. "I've heard that Miss Xue is skilled at making delicious food. I happen to be having a bit of a craving. How about you make one for me right here and now?" He wanted to use this opportunity to make things difficult for Xue Ruanruan.
Xue Ruanruan pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness." She quickly prepared the ingredients, and with the advantage of the spiritual rice in her space, she soon made a spiritual rice pastry. The pastry was fragrant and mouthwatering.
Murong Xun took a bite, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected the taste to be so wonderful. "I underestimated you," he said, changing the subject. "However, just being able to cook isn't enough. This palace is full of infighting; how long can you hold out?"
Xue Ruanruan looked directly into his eyes. "Your Highness, the ways of survival in the palace must be learned through trial and error. Although I am merely a woman, I will not easily admit defeat." Murong Xun chuckled. "You do have some backbone. I will wait and see how far you can go in this palace intrigue." With that, he left with his entourage.
Xue Ruanruan breathed a sigh of relief; this Murong Xun was indeed difficult to deal with. At this moment, Su Wanrou gracefully walked over, looking at Xue Ruanruan with disdain in her eyes. "Oh, Miss Xue, you certainly stole the show in front of the Prince." Xue Ruanruan curtsied respectfully. "Miss Su is too kind. I only made a pastry." Su Wanrou snorted coldly. "Don't think that just because you can cook a few dishes you can stand firm in this palace. I, Su Wanrou, won't let you get away with this so easily." Xue Ruanruan smiled in response. "Miss Su, instead of wasting your time targeting me, you should spend more time trying to please the Emperor." Su Wanrou was speechless, her face turning red. Just as she was about to lash out, she heard the sound of the Emperor's carriage approaching from afar. The two hurriedly straightened their clothes, knelt down to welcome the Emperor as he slowly descended from the carriage. His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Xue Ruanruan. "I just smelled that wonderful fragrance, was it your pastries?" Xue Ruanruan hurriedly kowtowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it is indeed the spirit rice pastries I made." The Emperor said with interest, "Bring them here so I can try them." Xue Ruanruan quickly presented the pastries, and the Emperor took a bite, his face beaming with delight. "These pastries have a unique flavor, rarely seen in the world. How did you make them?" Xue Ruanruan had a sudden inspiration and replied, "Your Majesty, I obtained a special kind of rice by chance and carefully crafted them. Thinking of Your Majesty's busy schedule, I made them for you to try." The Emperor was very satisfied and rewarded Xue Ruanruan with many treasures. Su Wanrou watched from the side, filled with jealousy and resentment. At this moment, Murong Xun stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this spirit rice is so miraculous, perhaps it should be promoted for cultivation throughout the country to increase the national treasury's grain supply." The Emperor thought this made sense and ordered Xue Ruanruan to take charge of the matter. Xue Ruanruan accepted the order, understanding that this was both an opportunity and a challenge. The path of palace intrigue and agricultural promotion would undoubtedly be filled with more twists and turns. A new wave seemed poised to rise in the palace. "Each will rely on their own abilities. I don't provoke trouble, but I'm not afraid of it either." Murong Xun stared at her for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Good, you have guts! I'd like to see how much of a storm you can stir up in this vortex of palace intrigue." With that, he turned and left. Xue Ruanruan watched his retreating figure, secretly vowing to protect herself amidst the palace struggles and uncover the secrets behind it all. "This humble woman is nothing but a figurehead." Murong Xun's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Then I'll give you a question to test your knowledge. If you answer it correctly, I will reward you handsomely." Xue Ruanruan took a deep breath. "Please, Your Highness, give me the question."
Murong Xun's gaze drifted to a distant pavilion. "A string of wind chimes hangs on that pavilion, tinkling softly in the breeze. Tell me, what secret is hidden in the sound of these chimes?" Xue Ruanruan's heart tightened. This question seemed simple, but it held a profound meaning. She listened intently to the chimes, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness, the sound of these chimes is clear and melodious, with varying rhythms. When slow, it's like peaceful days, with everyone in the palace living in tranquility; when fast, it's like an undercurrent of turmoil, foreshadowing an impending struggle within the palace." A hint of surprise flashed in Murong Xun's eyes; he hadn't expected her to answer so succinctly. "Interesting. In your opinion, when will this struggle begin?" Xue Ruanruan looked up at the sky. "Within three days, there will surely be turmoil." A faint smile appeared on Murong Xun's lips. "If what you say comes true, I will certainly reward you handsomely." Just then, a eunuch rushed over and whispered a few words in Murong Xun's ear. Murong Xun's expression changed slightly. He said to Xue Ruanruan, "Let's stop here for today. If your prediction is correct, I will find you myself." With that, he hurriedly left. Xue Ruanruan watched his retreating figure, understanding in her heart that the struggle in the palace might indeed be as she said, about to unleash a storm. "The wind blows, the bells ring, each ring representing a breath. If we start timing from the first bell ring and end with the hundredth bell ring, how many breaths have passed?" Xue Ruanruan thought for a moment, then smiled gracefully and said, "Your Highness, from the first bell to the hundredth bell, there are ninety-nine time intervals, so a total of ninety-nine breaths have passed." Murong Xun raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting her to answer so quickly. "Interesting. Then I'll test you again. There is a lotus pond in this palace. The lotus flowers double their growth rate every day, and in thirty days they will fill the entire pond. On what day will the lotus flowers have grown to half the pond?" Xue Ruanruan answered without hesitation, "Your Highness, it's the twenty-ninth day." "Because it grows doubling every day, it will be half full on the twenty-ninth day and fully grown on the third day." A hint of admiration flashed in Murong Xun's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, a servant came to report that an urgent matter had occurred in the palace and he needed to go immediately. Murong Xun had no choice but to say to Xue Ruanruan, "Let's call it a day for now. We can exchange ideas another day." With that, he hurriedly left. Xue Ruanruan watched his retreating figure, knowing in her heart that this palace intrigue was far from over. "This pavilion has nine floors, and the number of lanterns on each floor is twice that of the floor above. It is known that there are three lanterns on the top floor. How many lanterns are there in the pavilion in total?" Xue Ruanruan thought for a moment and then calculated the answer, "Your Highness, there are 765 lanterns in the pavilion in total." Murong Xun was slightly surprised, not expecting her to answer so quickly.
Just then, an urgent report came from the palace, saying that the Emperor had suddenly fallen ill. Murong Xun's expression changed, and without bothering to test Xue Ruanruan any further, he immediately led his men to the palace. Xue Ruanruan's heart stirred, feeling that this matter might be related to the spiritual fruit. She decided to find an opportunity to enter the palace to investigate, hoping to gain greater benefits for herself amidst the ever-changing power struggles within the palace. Knowing that Murong Xun was deliberately making things difficult for her, she forced herself to remain calm and smiled sweetly, "Your Highness flatters me. Ruanruan is merely a little knowledgeable. I wonder what Your Highness would like to see?" Murong Xun's lips curled up, his eyes filled with provocation, "I've heard that Miss Xue's zither skills are quite good. Why don't you play a piece right now? If it satisfies me, I will let bygones be bygones." Xue Ruanruan secretly resented this; he was clearly trying to embarrass her. But she maintained her smile and slowly walked to the zither and sat down. She gently stroked the strings, and melodious music flowed out. At first, the music was melodious and gentle, like a babbling brook, but then the rhythm gradually quickened, as if a thousand horses were galloping in. Murong Xun's initial disdainful expression gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of surprise.