0p0 Chapter 191 Things Don't Go As Planned
Chapter 191 Things Don't Go As Planned
The next day.
After several days, Jing Rou had almost recovered. When Jing Anle arrived at Jiying Hall, she was already sitting in her seat.
Today, Jing Rou wore a lotus-pink dress, its wide skirt flowing like clouds, cinched with a silver belt inlaid with sparkling gemstones that shimmered with a faint light. Even more eye-catching were the lotus ornaments she wore on her head; each petal was so lifelike, as if just picked from the water.
"Greetings, Princess." Jing Rou stood up and gave a proper bow. She had a smile on her face, gentle and charming, as if the person who had provoked her at the banquet yesterday was someone else entirely.
At the same time, Jing Rou was also sizing up Jing Anle. Today, she was wearing a silver-purple princess dress. Because she had to go to class, she specially wore a long skirt. Although it did not have the domineering presence of a large skirt, it was still... imposing.
Over the past few months, Jing Rou has noticed that Jing Anle is practically a different person, and almost every plan she's made has fallen through. If she continues to act recklessly as before, it probably won't work.
"Get up," Jing Anle said calmly, glancing at Jing Rou.
"Thank you princess."
Jing Rou hated this indifference, this nonchalance, this effortless enjoyment of others' groveling. She gently gritted her teeth, vowing that this prestigious position would be hers forever!
Other people arrived one after another.
After Qi Zhi arrived, Jing Rou secretly glanced at him, then continued the lesson as if nothing had happened. Qi Zhi naturally noticed Jing Rou's gaze, but instead of turning around, he lightly tapped the table with his left hand in response.
Some are happy while others are sad. On one side, there is tender affection, but on the other, since Kou Shuran was confined to his quarters, Crown Prince Luo Wei of Shu Kingdom has been unable to muster any enthusiasm for anything.
The others didn't notice anything unusual, and the class passed just like that.
……
Yongfu Palace.
After having dinner, Jing Anle changed into a light blue bathrobe and practiced calligraphy while listening to Mu Ping talk.
"Just as Your Highness predicted, Princess Rou entered the palace at dawn today. I followed your instructions and hid in the shadows. Sure enough, I saw her having a secret rendezvous with the Crown Prince of Qi."
Jing Anle remained unfazed after hearing this, continuing to write at a leisurely pace, and then asked, "Besides speaking, what else did you do?"
Mu Ping was taken aback by Jing Anle's bluntness, but she still nodded and said truthfully, "Their behavior was indeed very intimate."
"It seems she can't wait any longer." Jing Anle finally put down his pen, picked up the finished writing, and handed it to Mu Ping to see. "How is it?"
When Mu Ping took a look, she saw a large character "仇" (chóu, meaning hatred) written on it. Her heart ached, but she quickly composed herself. "The strokes are strong and powerful. The princess's handwriting has indeed improved a lot."
In her previous life, Jing Anle worked hard to learn the zither and cram for poetry and literature for Murong Peifeng, but her handwriting was really not presentable. Now she practices whenever she has free time.
"It seems I have made some progress." Jing Anle smiled.
"Now we just have to wait for them to be even more affectionate. The sweeter they are now, the more painful they will be in the future."
Mu Ping nodded, understanding that Jing Anle intended to wait until the symptoms all manifested at once in the future.
"In addition, a palace maid from the Imperial Kitchen fell into a well and died this morning."
The two exchanged a glance, both knowing who had done it.
“Consort Chen is not stupid; she knows to nip it in the bud.” After saying this, Jing Anle continued writing. She was not surprised by this. The Empress Dowager favored Prince Qing, and naturally, she also favored Prince Qing’s wife because of the Empress Dowager’s favoritism. However, she forgot that she also had a jealous niece.
Mu Ping thought for a moment and then asked, "Yesterday, Consort Chen secretly plotted to poison her, so how come Princess Qing was unharmed?"
"Could it be...could it be that Princess Qing has discovered it?"
Jing Anle smiled and said, "If Princess Qing had really found out, she probably would have made a scene long ago."
"I'm afraid what was put inside won't take effect immediately, so Princess Qing's child is destined to die."
Mu Ping's eyes lit up. "If that's the case, and the child can't be saved, wouldn't the relationship between Prince Qing and the Empress Dowager be in grave danger? Or even turn against each other?"
Jing Rou paused in writing, and said quietly, "That's not necessarily true."
“Prince Qing is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What he wants is the throne of Jing Kingdom. A child is certainly rare, but what does that matter compared to his ambition?”
"Even if the matter comes to light, the Empress Dowager will definitely distance herself from it. She is the same kind of person as Prince Qing, selfish and self-serving."
Mu Ping nodded in agreement, then asked, "What should we do?"
"Since the Empress Dowager wants to distance herself from this, then I will not allow it to happen to her." Jing Anle unconsciously increased the pressure on the pen in her hand, and the ink immediately soaked through the paper.
……
The outskirts of Beijing.
No one would have imagined that in this remote and desolate place, there would be such an abandoned temple, long forgotten by time. The mottled walls, the dilapidated roof, and the moss-covered stone steps all bear witness to the many storms it has weathered.
The inner courtyard of the temple, however, is a completely different world. Although it is not exquisite and elegant, it is clean and tidy, a world apart from the outside.
Cao Wantang has been staying here for several days since she left the Qin residence. Apart from being brought food, she has been practically trapped here.
Today, just as she was about to have her meal, a figure flashed past the door.
"Who is it?" Cao Wantang immediately stared warily at the door.
With a loud bang, the door was opened, revealing a tall, imposing man.
His hair was loose, but this did not diminish his dignified and mysterious aura in the slightest. Even more striking was the black mask he wore, obscuring his face, but the aura emanating from him suggested that this man was no ordinary person, and his status was undoubtedly extremely noble.
"Ah, young master." Aunt Cao was clearly taken aback, then delighted, and then instantly disappointed.
"Greetings, Young Master." Cao Wantang knelt down to pay her respects.
But the man didn't tell her to get up; instead, he walked straight inside, as if he knew the place very well.
Cao Wantang could only kneel obediently, looking at the person cautiously.
The man walked to the main seat and sat down before slowly speaking, "Wan Tang, you have quite the nerve!"
These few words sent a chill down Cao Wantang's spine, for the visitor was none other than Ji Yuan, the adopted son of the Emperor of Dayun Kingdom.
"I deserve to die. My identity was discovered by Qin Xu because of my incompetence," Cao Wantang said, biting her lip.
The man's eyes, which had initially held a cold smile, quickly turned into a sinister chill, and even his words seemed to be laced with poison: "It is indeed a dereliction of duty for you, as a spy, to expose your identity."
"But what about your secret plan to kill Jing Anle?!"
What? Cao Wantang suddenly raised her head, her pupils filled with shock. How could he know? Those assassins were all his men.
Faced with Ji Yuan's questioning, Cao Wantang had the words on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't say them. What could she say? That she admired him? That she was jealous of Jing Anle?
No, she also had her pride. Cao Wantang stubbornly argued, "If Jing Anle dies in the General's Mansion, then Qin Xu will definitely be sentenced to death, and then no one will attack our Dayun."
Ji Yuan could easily tell that this was Cao Wantang's sophistry, and he interrupted, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
"You previously reported that Prince Qing intended to attack Dayun, but now you're saying it's Qin Xu?"
"Wu Zheng." This was the first time Ji Yuan had called her by her original name in Jing Kingdom.
"You disobeyed orders and acted on your own initiative. Do you know what to do?"
Cao Wantang lowered her head as if resigned to her fate, "I shall receive fifty lashes."
"Go, receive your punishment, and then return to Dayun." Ji Yuan's voice was devoid of any warmth.
Cao Wantang collapsed to the ground, as if all her strength had been drained. This was tantamount to saying that she was going to be abandoned, which was a hundred times more painful than killing her.
After saying that, Ji Yuan stood up and walked towards the door.
"Little Lord!"
Cao Wantang's voice was soft, but it was filled with sorrow. She looked at Ji Yuan with a desolate gaze and asked, "May I be so bold as to ask, young master, is it for her sake?"
Ji Yuan paused, glanced back at Cao Wantang, and uttered a few words, "This is not something you should ask."
After saying that, he turned and left.