Her Highness Doesn’t Want to Work Hard Anymore

The More You Know, The Faster You’ll Die

Although Hua Manman wasn’t poisoned to death, she had almost eaten her way into an early grave.

She ate way too much for breakfast.

So much so that after she got onto the carriage, she couldn’t stop hiccuping.

The interior of Zhao Wang‘s carriage is very spacious. In the center there was a low table with fruits and melons placed on it, and smoke billowed from the incense burner.

Li Ji rests his back against a soft pillow. His wide sleeves hang down by his sides and his long and narrow eyes are slightly narrowed, giving him a lazy appearance.

He looks at Hua Manman, who is currently engulfed by nonstop hiccups, and smiled lightly.

“You could actually eat a bit more. That way you can eat yourself to death and become a satiated ghost, just like you wanted.”

Hua Manman hiccupped.

“How did you know that this concubine wanted to become a satiated ghost?” she asks.

Li Ji doesn’t answer, but instead asks: “Isn’t it obvious?”

Hua Manman: “…”

She has a sneaking suspicion that she’s being mocked right now.

Still, she can’t help but keep asking:

“How did Wangye know that the medicine was poisoned? Also, why did Wangye still drink the medicine even after knowing that it was poisoned?”

The smile on Li Ji’s face gradually fades.

“Did no one teach you?” he replies, his tone growing cold and low. “The more you know, the faster you’ll die.”

Hua Manman immediately stopped talking and didn’t dare to continue asking questions.

But in the next moment she couldn’t help but hiccup again, this time with enough force that her body trembled as well.

Seeing this sight, Li Ji found it quite amusing and kept his eyes on her, his gaze constantly lingering around her figure and never once straying.

It wasn’t until the carriage had come to a stop, when Chen Wangbei reminded him that they had reached the Duke’s estate, that Li Ji sits up a bit and beckons towards Hua Manman.

“Come over here.”

Hua Manman doesn’t know what he’s planning on doing, but nonetheless she still leaned over obediently.

“What are Wangye‘s orders?”

Li Ji’s right hand circles around her and quickly taps twice at the two acupuncture points on her back.

Before Hua Manman could figure out what his actions meant, Li Ji had already been helped out of the carriage.

It wasn’t until she also left the carriage that she realized. She wasn’t hiccupping anymore!

So it turns out those two taps Zhao Wang had used on her back just now were to help her stop hiccupping.

Duke Zhen had died on the battlefield five years ago. It stands to reason that the title of “Duke” should be passed down to Li Ji, the only legitimate and direct son. However, Rou Wan Junzhu had not yet petitioned for the Emperor to officially recognize Li Ji as the new Duke Zhen, so the title of Duke Zhen was still left vacant.

The reason for this was unknown to outsiders.

There weren’t many descriptions of the Duke’s estate in <<Palace Scheming>>, so Hua Manman knows very little about the grievances and entanglements in Li Ji’s personal family.

She pushedsLi Ji’s wheelchair into the Duke’s estate.

The gates open one by one, and maids kneel down on both sides of the path.

“We welcome his Royal Highness, Zhao Wang!” they shout in unison.

The carved beams and painted rafters within the Duke’s estate are magnificent.

But, perhaps because Duke Zhen often practiced martial arts, the overall architecture of the mansion was built to be simple and tough. Compared to the homes of the other nobles and people holding titles of equal status in the capital, the Duke’s estate is less extravagant and luxurious, and has a more solemn atmosphere.

Hua Manman and Li Ji are invited to sit in the hall.

“Wangye and Ruren,” the housekeeper says respectfully. “Please have some refreshments and tea. I will now go inform Her Highness Junzhu.”

Having said that, he respectfully backs away.

Hua Manman first took a look around the room they were seated in. The furniture in the room are naturally of excellent quality, but she couldn’t understand and appreciate the ancient calligraphy and paintings, so she quickly lost interest in observing her surroundings. Instead, her eyes focused on the refreshments on the table.

These refreshments look really tasty.

It’s a pity that she ate too much this morning, to the point that even now she still feels bloated. She really can’t eat any more.

Li Ji immediately noticed where her gaze is directed and immediately reached out. As he held a piece of almond butter cake, he asked slowly:

“Do you want to eat it?”