She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Inside the small tent.

Being away from home is inconvenient in many ways.

Without access to a bathhouse, Jiang Ruining quickly washed herself, let down her hair which was slowly regaining its shine, and sat in front of the lamp, writing down the seasonings and side dishes needed for marinating the meat.

Tomorrow we'll go hunting. Once we catch some game, we'll immediately start marinating it so we can roast it at the bonfire feast tonight!

Although the seasonings were not as complete as those in modern times, noble households already had a wide variety of them, and Xiao Che had been instructed to buy all the available ones beforehand.

Marinated roasted meat has a richer flavor than simply grilled meat, which can certainly give these aristocrats who have never tasted it before a novel experience.

It's a pity this place is too far from the sea, otherwise we could have grilled seafood!

After finishing writing, he handed it to the maid: "Prepare what you can first."

The maid accepted it respectfully.

Ever since witnessing the Yueya family being sold off, they have all become extremely respectful: "Yes, we understand."

She went out.

He just happened to brush past Jin Yu.

Jin Yu came with Jiang Huai. She had always thought that her master had fallen off the cliff and died. She was depressed and unhappy while guarding Chaohua Residence. When she suddenly saw her master alive, she cried tears of joy. When she heard that her master was still suffering from the poison, she cried loudly again. Her eyes were still red at this moment.

Holding the box in her hands, she slightly presented it to him: "Miss, these were all sent by Lord Xie."

Jiang Ruining raised an eyebrow: "I haven't spoken to him in years, why would he think of sending me something? Could it be that he's trying to harm me for someone else?"

In July, she put on the special gloves given to her by Lady Wan, opened the box, and after checking everything, she had Jin Yu bring the box to her mistress: "Miss, these are all pigments, non-toxic."

Jiang Ruining glanced at it sideways.

A striking, intensely vibrant purple hue caught her eye, instantly brightening her previously uninterested gaze.

Take another look.

There are also several precious pigments that have not been seen for many years.

She asked Xiao Che to help her find them recently.

She studied painting for over a decade, but was abandoned in modern times due to illness. She had no money to continue her studies and no energy to paint anymore. Now that she's hooked up with a powerful and influential man, she's bound to pick it up again.

Xiao Che was skilled in ink painting, so no officials offered him any pigments as tribute, and the treasury was empty.

As soon as he announced his intention to collect them, those that were already extinct or not yet popular in this dynasty were all brought to him, but there were still a few missing.

The pigments and raw materials that Xie Lanheng sent basically filled those gaps.

Each color is hard to find, and each color is very valuable.

"These colors are so vibrant!"

Having traveled all over the country in July, he had seen quite a lot and nodded after seeing these paints: "They are indeed more beautiful than the ones Your Highness has collected recently."

Jiang Ruining wanted to test the waters, but she held back and closed the box: "The prince is stingy. If he hears this, you'll be punished."

July wasn't worried at all: "If you save me, young lady, the prince won't refuse you."

"You've gone bad too!" Jiang Ruining laughed, patted her shoulder, and then waved her hand, "Give it all back."

July asked in confusion, "If the girl likes it, why not accept it?"

Jiang Ruining smiled faintly, her eyes clear and understanding: "I am not close to Xie Lanheng, so why would he go to such lengths to collect these precious pigments for me, and even bring them to the hunting grounds?"

"These were all sent to me by Shao Yunting through him. I could guess it, and he knew I could guess it too. If I accepted them, he might become suspicious and think that I was willing to give him a chance."

"Since these pigments exist in the world, with the abilities of Your Highness and my father, are we afraid of not being able to collect them all? It's just a matter of sooner or later; I can afford to wait."

After hearing what she said, July thought it made sense. She paused for a moment and then asked a direct question: "You took it because you like the prince, since it was given to you by the prince?"

Jiang Ruining didn't deny it, but her explanation was different: "I saved your prince's life. Let alone paint, even if he gave me his entire storeroom, I would still accept it."

July pressed on, asking again, "Does the young lady like the prince?"

Jiang Ruining nodded without hesitation: "I like him!" She started listing the things he liked on her fingers, speaking with great sincerity, "The prince is powerful and influential, and he's so tolerant and generous to me, how could I not like him? Any normal person would find it hard not to like such a master, right?"

I answered, but it also seems like I didn't answer.

Because the answer missed the point!

In July, the question was about liking between men and women, but she answered that it was about liking between superiors and subordinates.

"Is that girl willing to marry the prince?"

Jiang Ruining looked like she'd seen a ghost and shook her head firmly: "Are you kidding me? Of course I won't marry him!"

"Who wants to go into the Regent's Palace and fight with a bunch of women! I've been tormented by the schemes of the inner court for so many years, almost tortured to death. I barely managed to crawl out of that hellhole, and now I've gone mad and jumped back in!"

He rested his chin on his hand, looking at her with a soft and relaxed expression, but his round eyes, reflecting the candlelight, were unfathomable.

"What's wrong with July today? Why is she suddenly asking these questions?"

July's expression remained as calm as ever. She scratched the back of her head and said, "I'm just a little curious about what you're thinking, Miss. You're always seen with the Prince, and you receive special treatment. Many people want to know if you're going to marry him."

Jiang Ruining gave a lazy "Oh," then changed her tone and said crisply, "I have no intention of getting married!"

July's Unexpected Turn of Events: "Because of fear of being plotted against by the inner quarters?"

Jiang Ruining fiddled with her beautiful hands: "Part of the reason! The main reason is that I can't accept sharing my husband with other women! Even if I have to marry him in the end, I'll choose someone from a lower-class family, someone easier to control!"

"As long as my father is alive, no man will dare to take a concubine!"

"But your prince is high above, can my father, a mere subject, possibly intimidate him? Does he seem like someone who can be manipulated by a woman like me who has neither money nor power?"

Her true thought is that she refuses to share her man with a group of women.

Let him know first.

Let's see what he does next.

She can accept that he has had other women in the past, and she can even accept that he has other women after the relationship has ended and they no longer have sex, but she absolutely cannot accept that he shares a man with another woman at the same time!

She felt uncomfortable and really couldn't sleep!

If he needs to have a large number of wives and concubines in order to consolidate and expand his power, then she will not go along with it.

July's sharp gaze pierced through the thick tent, glancing at the faint shadows patrolling around it, a hint of regret in her eyes.

She asked all the questions she needed to ask.

But the prince simply cannot do the rule of not taking concubines.

It will be even more impossible for him to take over the Zichen Palace in the future.

What emperor doesn't take concubines?

"Not getting married is fine too. But if there's an aunt in the family who doesn't marry, the sister-in-law and brother's wife usually won't tolerate it."

If a nun doesn't marry, others will speculate that she has some kind of disease that she can't show in public, and then they will wonder if the other children in the family might also have the same disease, making her marriage prospects more difficult to predict.

The book describes the original owner's sister-in-law very little; she is only mentioned briefly when Madam Jiang visits the pregnant female protagonist at the Duke of Shao's mansion.

She is well-educated, gentle yet resilient, and adept at managing her family affairs.

But Jiang Ruining didn't know exactly what kind of person he was.

Because at that time, the original owner had already been schemed against and retaliated against by the male and female protagonists' sycophants, and was sold into a brothel, where she was being humiliated and died not long after, so she never had a chance to get along with her sister-in-law.

Even if he really couldn't tolerate it, Jiang Ruining had a way to deal with it: "Either sever ties and I move out to start my own household. Or build a Buddhist shrine or a Taoist temple at home and practice Buddhism there while keeping my hair."

If a sister-in-law can't even tolerate a monk, she doesn't even need to open her mouth; others will drown her in their spittle.

However, Jiang Ruining still believes that his future sister-in-law is a broad-minded person!

Besides, her father wouldn't let his daughter-in-law bully his daughter!

July: "..." This girl is really thoughtful!

The gift has been returned.

The conditions have been sent to the target.

Jiang Ruining began to think of ways to provoke Xiao Che.

Although the condition of not allowing her husband to take a concubine was very strict, she knew that Xiao Che, a man who could get whatever he wanted, would not give up easily if he truly liked her.

Even if he ultimately chooses to take a concubine, what a great achievement it would be to make the regent lose control over her!