Chapter 1: Looking forward to the favor of this prince?
Early spring, Ningguo Mansion, Qingsong Garden.

A group of little maids stood in a row in the yard. The aunt in charge swept everyone's face with a stern look and spoke in a sharp tone.

"It is a great honor to be able to work in the prince's courtyard, but you must remember that our prince is different from those noblemen outside. He is not interested in women, and he hates those who don't know how to love themselves and are delicate and artificial. I remind you, don't have any crooked ideas. In the past, there were people who had the intention of climbing up and breaking my rules, and they were beaten to death."

Although the head aunt was only in her early twenties, she was a capable woman. As she was already married, she acted more aggressively. After she spoke harshly, the little maids all behaved well and responded in unison.

After knocking for a while, the person in charge softened his tone again: "Of course, you all know the benefits of working for the prince. He is generous and usually rewards you. As long as you do your job conscientiously, the prince will never treat you unfairly."

When this was mentioned, the maids couldn't help showing joy on their faces, and they all responded in unison.

After all, they were carefully selected, and the person in charge breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were sensible. He had been scolding for a long time and his mouth was a little dry, so he cleared his throat.

"Sister Amber, you've been busy for a while, come in and have some tea."

As the gentle and soft voice spread, a delicate little girl, holding up her skirt, slowly walked down the steps of the main room.

She had a face as pretty as a peach, a graceful figure and a slender waist, which was softer than the willow branches in early spring. She was only sixteen or seventeen years old, as beautiful as a young girl in February, emitting a faint and lingering fragrance that made people feel as if they were bathed in the spring breeze at first sight.

This little girl's name is Qin Xiaoning, and she is the only woman around the prince Lu Ji. Although the prince is cold-hearted and unkind, he treats this little concubine in a special way.

When the head servant saw the newcomer, he immediately put on a smile and explained, "Thank you Miss Qin for your kindness. I won't go in. I just received a report at the door that the prince is talking to the Duke and his wife in front. I have to go back to the courtyard soon. These little maids have just arrived, and I can't rest assured. It's better for them to wait in the courtyard."

Lu Ji was ordered to go to war five years ago and returned victorious today. In order to welcome the prince, the whole mansion has been busy for several days.

As soon as the head aunt finished speaking, there was a noise outside the courtyard, and a group of followers came over with the prince. When they arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the followers stopped together, and only the tall and straight man strode into the courtyard.

The huge courtyard immediately became quiet.

The man was wearing silver armor and a golden helmet. He walked as briskly as the wind. He looked tall and handsome, with a noble bearing.

It is like an indestructible sword made of cold iron, or an insurmountable and steep iceberg.

Years of fighting on the battlefield had given the man a powerful aura, which frightened the new maids in the yard so much that they bowed their heads and dared not even breathe.

"His Majesty, how are you——"

With the head servant taking the lead, the maids followed suit and bowed to the man.

The man walked up the stairs without even blinking, and when he reached the door of the main house, he suddenly stopped, without turning around, and just said coldly: "Why don't you come in?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this, not knowing who the prince was calling. After a moment's silence, the little girl named Qin Xiaoning followed in small steps and followed the man into the main room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

When they entered the house, the girl bowed gracefully to the man. The man still didn't look up, but stretched out his arms with a cold face. The girl understood and immediately stepped forward to help the man change clothes.

The man was tall, so the girl had to tiptoe to untie him. The armor was heavy, and the girl was weak. She staggered and almost fell when taking it off, but fortunately the man held her up.

"You're still so stupid." The man looked down at her and snorted coldly.

The little girl lowered her eyes and said nothing. After helping the man change his clothes, she spoke softly, "The water has been prepared. Are you going to take a bath now, my lord?"

The man ignored her and went into the bathroom. After a splash of water, he leaned out of the bathroom halfway and said in a bad mood, "What are you standing there for? Come in."

Faced with his cold face, the little girl, although she had a bad temper, did not dare to lose her temper. She just rolled her eyes at him secretly when he pulled back, and then she walked into the bathroom.

The bathroom is spacious, with a hot spring pool inside. The air is filled with mist and dense water vapor.

The man stood on the ground, wearing only a pair of running shorts, his naked upper body covered with water droplets.

Although the girl was the prince's concubine, Lu Ji had been away fighting in the past few years, and the two had not consummated their marriage. Looking at the man's naked back, the girl blushed slightly with shame, timidly took the towel, and carefully wiped his body.

The man was tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Years of fighting on the battlefield had left many marks on his body. Scars of varying depths and shallows fell on his bronze and firm muscles, but they were not an eyesore, and instead added to his masculine charm.

"During this expedition, the prince was injured again. You have worked so hard." The girl wiped his wound gently, and her tone was gentle with a hint of flattery.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ji turned around, and her palm-sized face, like a pink flower bud just sprouting in early spring, was reflected in the man's deep eyes.

The man glanced at her in silence for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and pinched her tender face.

The big hands that had been practicing martial arts for many years and were rough from holding the knife, pinching the girl's delicate face, felt sore, numb and painful.

"Oh, you hurt me."

The little girl couldn't help but call out softly, glancing at the man's gloomy face, but she was a little timid. Her voice was low, and it sounded like a bird's thin wings scratching her ears.

The man sneered, and his resolute and cold face finally showed some warmth. He immediately let go of her hand, lowered his eyes to look at her, snorted through his nose, and said, "You have been pampered in the mansion, only knowing how to enjoy the good life, but you have been raised to be plump and beautiful."

She has been with the prince since she was young, so how could she not know his temper.

After hearing this, the girl's heart tightened, and she thought secretly: Could it be that he has seen through the clues of that matter?

Five years ago, Lu Ji was ordered to follow the army to recover Hexi. When the war lasted for the third year, the commander-in-chief died unexpectedly. The war was difficult, so Lu Ji was ordered to return to Beijing and took over the position of commander-in-chief. This war was really difficult and it was unknown how long it would last. The wife of the Duke was afraid that her son would lack care on the difficult front line, so before leaving, she asked her son to bring a personal servant with him. Lu Ji pointed casually and chose Qin Xiaoning, an orphan who had been raised in the mansion since childhood.

Qin Xiaoning was originally someone close to Lu Ji, so the Duke's wife simply made her Lu Ji's concubine.

Qin Xiaoning followed Lu Ji and rushed to Hexi with the army, but she didn't expect the environment there to be so bad. As soon as they left Jiayu Pass, the sky was filled with wind and sand, which made people's faces chapped. The march was so bumpy that people felt like they were falling apart. They had three meals a day, all hard rations, and there was not even a sip of hot water.

Qin Xiaoning didn't want to suffer this, so she pretended to be seriously ill. Lu Ji had no choice but to order someone to send her back.

That time, she had clearly pretended to be very similar, could it be that he had seen through her? Otherwise, he wouldn't have treated her so badly right after returning.

This guy is never easy to fool.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lu Ji looked at her leisurely and spoke slowly and calmly.

"Oh, no, it's nothing."

Qin Xiaoning felt a little guilty, so she quickly took the clothes and helped him put them on: "This late spring cold is the most harmful. My Lord, get dressed quickly. You just took a shower, be careful not to catch a cold."

He looked as if he was deeply concerned about him.

"Don't pretend with me."

Lu Ji was displeased and snatched the clothes from her hand. The girl was pulled off balance and fell on him. His hard chest muscles hurt like hitting a rock.

"Ouch——" She covered her forehead and cried out softly, her little face wrinkled in pain.

Lu Ji, however, had no intention of showing any sympathy to her. He just stood there with his hands hanging down, not helping her up. His tone was full of ridicule: "Huh! Throwing yourself into my arms, huh?"

After making a teasing remark, he seemed to be unsatisfied and looked down at her: "What? Are you looking forward to being favored by this prince?"

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　　(End of this chapter)