Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 846 - 113 Chess piece_4

"Your Highness might have caught a chill while feeding the fish by the pond just now," said Ru Yan as she personally made ginger soup, "Please drink it while it’s hot to warm up your body."

With these words, her slender pale fingers raised the bowl to Zhao Hongsheng’s front.

Ever since he was tricked by Xia Zheng and Zhao Hongde as a child, Zhao Hongsheng never dared to eat anything casually given to him. He glanced at the bowl of ginger soup, a flicker of wariness passed quickly, and he smiled, "It’s merely a stomachache, I’m not so delicate."

Tang Ruyan was extremely clever, how could she not see why Zhao Hongsheng refused to drink the ginger soup?

"As a royal prince, the son of a true dragon, how could you not be delicate?" Tang Ruyan let out a light smile, took a little spoon, scooped up a spoonful of ginger soup, blew on the steam, took a sip herself, and then scooped up another spoonful to Zhao Hongsheng’s mouth, "It’s no longer hot, Your Highness, please have some."

Zhao Hongsheng’s stomach hurt in waves, and just then he wanted to drink something warm. Seeing Tang Ruyan test the soup for poison, he finally relaxed, took the bowl, and drank a mouthful, feeling indeed warmed up, and his stomach no longer hurt as before.

Having finished the bowl of ginger soup in one go, Zhao Hongsheng smiled and said to Tang Ruyan, "The ginger soup Yanie made is comparable to spiritual medicine; indeed, my stomachache is gone."

Tang Ruyan smiled, lowering her gaze to hide the disappointment in her eyes, he still didn’t trust her after all.

"To be able to serve Your Highness is Yanie’s fortune."

Zhao Hongsheng was very fond of this clever and well-behaved woman. Without her advice, the matter of An Jie’s poisoning couldn’t have progressed so smoothly, nor could Fragrant Full Building have been so easily defeated. It could be said that if Zhao Hongsheng were to ascend the throne one day, Tang Ruyan’s contribution would be indispensable.

"Yanie." Zhao Hongsheng held Tang Ruyan’s soft hand tightly and said in his gentlest voice what he thought was the sweetest of love confessions, "Yanie, we owe this smoothness in dealing with An’s House to you. Once my position is stable, I will ask my father for a decree to take you as my consort."

Tang Ruyan was clearly startled, her eyes shimmered brightly, and just when Zhao Hongsheng thought she was about to cry tears of joy, Tang Ruyan suddenly changed her tone, shaking her head repeatedly, "Your Highness, you must not."

Must not? Why?

Zhao Hongsheng didn’t understand, thinking she hadn’t understood him, and couldn’t help but add, "Yanie, I’m speaking of taking you as a consort, the position of main consort."

This time Tang Ruyan’s refusal was even more resolute, her eyes full of adoration for Zhao Hongsheng and calculation: "It is precisely because it is the position of the main consort that Yanie cannot agree. Your Highness, Yanie adores you, but I wish even more for you to fulfill your ambition and rise to the top. So, Your Highness, Yanie can’t obstruct your grand ambitions for my own personal emotions."

Zhao Hongsheng clearly did not expect Tang Ruyan to be so considerate of him, and he was somewhat stunned. He had seen many women and had many advisers like Tang Qing beside him, all eyeing his position as the main consort, all waiting for him to ascend to the throne so they could claim the empress’s seat.

Tang Ruyan, astute as a demon, naturally understood what sort of ripples her words would cause in Zhao Hongsheng’s heart, but she concealed it well, as if unaware of the different feelings Zhao Hongsheng held for her, and continued, "Your Highness, forgive Yanie’s presumption, but you should not marry me, nor should you marry An Jie’s sisters. The woman who can be your main consort not only needs to come from a noble birth but also needs to be of help to your career."

Zhao Hongsheng looked at her with great interest, his face full of approval and a smile, "Then, in your opinion, which family’s daughter meets these criteria?"

Tang Ruyan curled her lips into a smile, "Does not Your Highness already know? Why ask Yanie?"

Zhao Hongsheng laughed heartily, the first time taking the initiative to pull Tang Ruyan into his embrace, both joyful and tender: "Yanie, you truly are my perceptive flower. If An Lele had even half of your sensibility, I wouldn’t have to put so much effort and worry into everything."

Tang Ruyan smiled coyly, lowering her head. Yet in a place where Zhao Hongsheng couldn’t see, a sharp glint appeared in her eyes.

After Tang Ruyan left the room, Tang Qing, who was hiding in the corner, pulled her aside to a secluded area. After carefully looking around and seeing no one, he scolded in a fit of anger, "You foolish girl! The Second Prince offered you the position of Main Consort as a sign of respect! And you actually reject it? You actually reject it! You foolish girl, are you trying to infuriate me to death?"

Tang Ruyan looked at her father, who was in a state of agitated desperation, with cold eyes and couldn’t help but frown, "Father, after so many years in the government, you can’t possibly believe that the Second Prince would really offer me the position of Main Consort, do you?"

"What, what?" Tang Qing’s eyes widened, incredulous as he gazed at his unusually calm daughter, "You mean, he won’t?"

"Of course not," Tang Ruyan said with a cold laugh. "You’re just a minor Magistrate; how can you compare to the venerable Prime Minister? As for me, other than my somewhat smart brain which is useful to him, I am in no way comparable to Su Qiuyu. Moreover, Father, don’t you forget, Su Qiuyu is the Empress’s own niece. The central palace has no son, and if the Second Prince has Su Qiuyu, it’s as good as having the Empress’s support. He understands this better than anyone."

Tang Qing understood everything his daughter was saying. But still.

"But, isn’t Su Qiuyu fond of Xia Zheng?"

Tang Ruyan looked at her father as if he were a fool. Her usually clever father, why had he suddenly become so foolish?

"That’s exactly why the Second Prince is so eager to break Xia Zheng down. Besides, Father, you’ve just said it yourself, Xia Zheng has a woman by his side," Tang Ruyan reminded as she touched her hair, "Father, let me remind you, it’s best if you don’t touch that Lin Yuan. I think the Second Prince would prefer her unharmed as well."

Tang Qing frowned, feeling that his daughter made a lot of sense. However, to simply hand over the position of Empress was something he found difficult to accept!

"But, Father, I put so much scheming into helping the Second Prince ascend to the throne, all for securing you the position of Empress. Now, you’ve directly handed it over to someone else. How can Father, how can I be content with that? Ah!"

At this point, Tang Ruyan laughed with composure as if everything was already within her grasp: "Father, do you not trust your daughter?"

How could he not? The person he trusted most in this world was his intelligent daughter!

"Since you trust your daughter, then there’s no need to worry," she said.

Tang Ruyan raised her chin confidently: "Father, do you really think that women like An Yueyue and Su Qiuyu could rival your daughter? Heh, since your daughter dares to easily give away the position of Empress, she has the ability to take it back. What about Su Qiuyu? Besides having a father who is the Prime Minister and an aunt who is the Empress, what does she have that can outshine me? The position of Empress is merely being kept safe by her for the time being."

Knowing his daughter’s intelligence and tactics, Tang Qing finally relaxed and laughed: "With these words from my daughter, Father is reassured."

Tang Ruyan curled the corners of her lips, her eyes drifting towards the room where Zhao Hongsheng was located. A figure was projected through the window. Although it was only a vague silhouette, it still made her heart flutter in admiration. She had to admit, she did like this man, but he only saw her as a chess piece in the game for the throne.

A chess piece? Since they were both chess pieces, then she would be the smartest one, the only one that could earn his admiration!