Chapter 339: The Prince’s Jealousy

Chapter 339: The Prince Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine

Luo Junhe: "..."

Luo Junhe: "!!!"

He was so shocked he nearly spat blood.

Why had he never realized Chen Hu was this efficient?

He really had shot himself in the foot, hadn't he?

At this thought, Luo Junhe's heart trembled. He urged, "Hurry, push me inside."

Chen Hu acknowledged and quickly pushed the wheelchair, bringing Luo Junhe inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw Ji Yuntang sitting by the dining table. It looked like she had just bathed, her hair ends still dripping wet.

Her cheeks were flushed, and she lounged against the chair, watching Luo Junhe with a sly, knowing smile.

Spread out on the table before her was an array of pigeon dishes.

Roasted squab, braised squab, steamed squab, spicy stir-fried squab, mushroom stewed squab, squab casserole...

Just then, Ji Yuntang spoke.

"A He is so good to me. Knowing I love pigeon, you went and prepared a whole table of pigeon dishes for me. I'm thrilled."

Luo Junhe said sheepishly, "A Tang, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Eat up."

Ji Yuntang gave a faint smile. "With this much pigeon, I can't possibly eat it all by myself. Why don't you join me, A He?"

Without giving Luo Junhe a chance to refuse, she picked up a piece of braised squab and dropped it into his bowl.

Luo Junhe: "..."

Before he could get a word out, Ji Yuntang instructed Tao Zhi, "Eating nothing but pigeon is so boring. Go get the Prince something to drink."

Tao Zhi stifled a grin and asked Ji Yuntang, "What would the Princess Consort like me to bring?"

"Just bring a jug of vinegar. Dipping squab in vinegar is a tradition from my hometown—it's the best. Today, A He is in for a real treat!"

Luo Junhe: "..."

He couldn't shake the feeling that this way of eating was weird.

At first, Luo Junhe figured Ji Yuntang just wanted him to dip the squab in vinegar.

But when he saw Ji Yuntang pick up the vinegar jug and pour him a full cup, Luo Junhe panicked!

He hated sour things more than anything, and his little Princess Consort was clearly trying to get him to drink vinegar like it was tea!

"A He, go on, try it. One bite of squab, one sip of vinegar—it'll be a one-of-a-kind taste."

Ji Yuntang lifted the cup of vinegar to his lips, smiling at him.

The sharp, sour smell hit his nose. Just the scent alone made Luo Junhe's teeth ache and chatter.

"A He won't open up? Don't you like me feeding you?"

Luo Junhe: "..."

He inwardly cried out in protest. It wasn't that he minded Ji Yuntang feeding him—he just hated vinegar.

Still, he opened his mouth and obediently took a sip.

Maybe because the taste was so strong, his brows scrunched up from the sourness.

A sudden realization hit Luo Junhe.

It suddenly dawned on him why Ji Yuntang was making him eat pigeon and drink vinegar!

In short, it was because he'd been jealous of Xie Liuzheng today and had prepared a whole pigeon feast for her.

Ji Yuntang was giving him a taste of his own medicine by making him drink vinegar.

Luo Junhe was miserable. He really had brought this on himself.

Ji Yuntang barely touched the pigeon feast, but Luo Junhe ended up eating three whole pigeons and downing five cups of vinegar.

Just when he thought he'd gotten off easy, Ji Yuntang's next words made Luo Junhe question his entire life.

"Pack up all the pigeons that haven't been touched and put them away. It's cool out now, so they'll keep for a few days."

"Tomorrow, heat them up for the Prince and let him keep eating. He can only switch to something else once he's finished them all."

Luo Junhe: "..."

Luo Junhe: "!!!"

The corner of his mouth twitched as he grabbed Ji Yuntang's hand.

"A Tang, why not let the servants split the rest?"

"It's not right for me to hog all this."

"What's wrong with that?" Ji Yuntang said with a knowing smile. "A He, you were bedridden for three years. In all that time, you never got to enjoy any good food, unlike others who could eat whatever they pleased."

"Now that you've finally recovered, you need to make up for all the nutrition you missed those three years. This pigeon soup is the most nourishing thing there is."

"Our Dongchen Kingdom promotes not wasting food. Take your time with these fifty pigeons—no one's going to fight you for them."

With that, Ji Yuntang smiled at him and headed back to her room.

Luo Junhe could tell Ji Yuntang's smile had a deeper meaning, as if to say, "Why did you have to go and do this to yourself?"

He stared at the table full of pigeon dishes, drowning in regret.

Meanwhile, at the Marquis of Yongning's residence.

Ji Qingqing finally came to after the imperial physician had administered acupuncture to her three times in a row.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Madam Meng sitting by her bed, sobbing with red-rimmed eyes.

She dabbed her tears with a handkerchief and said in a raspy voice, "Qingqing, you're finally awake. Something's happened to your third brother!"

Ji Qingqing's head pounded with pain, but she bore it and asked, "Mother, what happened to Third Brother?"

Madam Meng recounted the day's events to her, not holding back on the embellishments.

Ji Qingqing felt her blood boil upon hearing this, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "How could Ji Yuntang do such a thing!?"

"The Canglang Poetry Talk is supposed to be a fair competition. To reduce her competition and get Third Brother eliminated, she used such despicable tricks to frame him. Doesn't her conscience bother her for doing this?"

Meng Shi said indignantly, "Does someone like her even know how to write the word 'conscience'?"

"No matter what, Hang'er is still her own brother. Siblings are bound by blood, no matter what. Is she so eager to see Hang'er ruined? How could I have given birth to such a venomous daughter?"

Upon hearing the words "own brother," Ji Qingqing's gaze darkened.

She was now incredibly grateful she'd fainted and wasn't there at the scene.

Otherwise, if Ji Yuntang had forced her to take the blood oath test too, wouldn't she have been exposed?

While Ji Qingqing was still feeling shaken up, Meng Shi suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Qing Qing, why don't you go ask the Crown Prince to help get your Third Brother out?"

"He still has two competitions tomorrow. If he can't come back today, all his hard work over the past three years would be for nothing, right?"

"We can't just sit back and watch Ji Yuntang win the laureate while Hang'er gets disqualified. That's so unfair to him, isn't it?"

"The whole Marquis Yongning household is counting on Hang'er to use this chance to restore our family's honor!"

"Qing Qing, you're the only one who can save Hang'er now. Please help your Third Brother!"

Ji Qingqing frowned slightly. She really hated how Meng Shi was guilt-tripping her daughter for her son's sake.

So, was Ji Zihang's life precious, but hers wasn't?

She had just woken up after being knocked unconscious, her whole body aching terribly, and Meng Shi hadn't even shown her an ounce of concern.

Feeling somewhat displeased, Ji Qingqing said patiently, "Mother, I understand your difficulties, but I've just woken up and my head still hurts badly. I'm afraid I can't go ask the Crown Prince for help today!"

------------