Yun Xiang understood every word separately, but when combined, she couldn’t understand them at all.
But Yun Xiang was still a dutiful pawn and quickly calmed down.
"How is there no threat? Miss Rou is loved by His Highness, and you’re jealous..."
"So what? Does His Highness dare to let Zhen Rou sit in my position, or dare to elevate Zhen Rou’s rank?"
Yun Xiang: "..."
Changsun Hang: "..."
Even Changsun Hang didn’t dare.
Back when he married, Yann Qin had warned him.
As a Prince being warned by a subject, it was already embarrassing enough.
But what’s more embarrassing is, he really didn’t dare...
Yun Xiang was extremely flustered inside, barely holding herself up: "You... you’re just jealous of Miss Rou being favored by His Highness, afraid that one day Miss Rou might replace you. You even said..."
Changsun Hang: "What else did she say?"
Yun Xiang shrank her neck, full of fear: "Said she wanted Miss Rou to die miserably."
Changsun Hang’s eyes darkened, anger burning more fiercely: "Yann Chuzheng, do you have anything else to say? You..."
"Third Prince." Chuzheng called out calmly.
Changsun Hang intended to burst out, but facing Chuzheng’s calm gaze, he silently held back.
"This is just her side of the story for now. Do you have other evidence? If not, you come here to demand accountability, how do you plan to explain to my brother?"
Chuzheng didn’t mind borrowing Yann Qin’s name.
After all, it could save her a lot of trouble.
Changsun Hang: "..."
Changsun Hang indeed had no other evidence besides Yun Xiang’s testimony.
He heard about this matter related to her and immediately came to make trouble without deep consideration.
"Yun Xiang has been expelled from Jinxiu Pavilion by me, what she did has nothing to do with me..."
Yun Xiang hurriedly said: "Prince’s Consort, didn’t you say you kicked me out to make Miss Rou believe that there’s a rift between me and you?"
Chuzheng raised her brows slightly: "Are you sure?"
Yun Xiang turned to look at Changsun Hang: "Yun Xiang dare not lie!"
Yun Xiang firmly insisted it was Chuzheng’s doing.
Chuzheng asked Yun Xiang for more evidence, but she couldn’t say anything.
Changsun Hang was furious for Zhen Rou but wasn’t stupid.
Chuzheng didn’t look like the culprit at all, remained excessively calm throughout.
Not to mention Chuzheng even used Yann Qin as a shield, if he hastily convicted her, the one suffering would likely be himself.
"Investigate!"
Finally, Changsun Hang gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words.
"Before this matter is thoroughly investigated, I hope the Prince’s Consort won’t act rashly!"
When leaving, Changsun Hang didn’t forget to warn Chuzheng.
Chuzheng coldly shut the door, blocking Changsun Hang’s gaze outside the room.
Changsun Hang: "..."
-
With the door closed, Chuzheng sighed with hands on her hips.
The breeze by the window passed by, and after a slight sound, a dark-clothed man stood by the window, respectfully inquiring: "Miss, should I investigate?"
"No need."
Chuzheng casually lowered the hand at her waist, declining Shi Yi’s help.
Chuzheng paused, glanced again at the low-browed and eyes-down Shi Yi, changed her tone: "I need you to handle something for me."
"Please tell me, Miss."
Chuzheng beckoned, signaling him to approach.
Shi Yi didn’t move: "Miss, there are distinctions between men and women, you can just speak like this."
"What are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat you! Come here."
Shi Yi: "..."
Chuzheng attempted to find a legitimate reason: "The walls have ears."
Shi Yi: "There is no one around, Miss can be assured."
Chuzheng: "..."
Fine!
You won’t come over, right!
I will go over!!
Who made you a Good Person Card, letting you is something I should do after all!
I tolerate you!
Chuzheng comforted herself inwardly and stepped towards Shi Yi.
Shi Yi clenched his sword, took a step back. He was already standing by the window, no retreat route behind, his body pressed against the windowsill, wind swept his neck, lifting some scattered strands of hair gently.
The moment the woman approached, Shi Yi smelled a faint fragrance, unlike the scent of rouge and powder, more like the body fragrance of a girl.
Shi Yi’s hand gripping the sword tensed, veins stood out on his hand.
"Miss..."
Chuzheng leaned slightly, moving close to his ear.
Shi Yi’s body stiffened, not daring to move again.
Heat from her breath by his ear, accompanied by her words, slowly rolled down to his heart.
In his peripheral vision, he could see her side profile, white and tender skin smooth like jade, long and curled eyelashes casting a shadow on her face.
Shi Yi’s heart quivered slightly, as if fine electric currents coursed through his body.
This feeling he had never experienced before, did not know what it meant...
"Understand?"
Shi Yi snapped back, hurriedly lowered his gaze: "...Yes."
Chuzheng stepped back, waved her hand: "Go ahead."
Shi Yi dared not stay longer, turned and left through the window, disappearing without a trace.
Chuzheng leaned on the windowsill, gazing at the trees and flowers outside, rustling in the wind, with a hint of imperceptible softness in her cold demeanor.
-
Yun Xiang had thought that as long as she pointed the finger, this matter would soon conclude, but did not expect it to stir such commotion.
She was detained, interrogated.
Yun Xiang still firmly insisted Chuzheng was the mastermind behind the scenes.
Many people in the residence were subjected to scrutiny, but unfortunately, no useful clues emerged.
"Cough cough cough..."
Yun Xiang huddled with her knees in the corner of the cell, shivering coldly, pale with vacant eyes, looking rather pitiable.
Squeak—
The slight sound startled Yun Xiang, making her shiver.
She abruptly raised her head to look outside, but what met her gaze was not the familiar person who usually interrogated her, but a never-seen before... man.
And an extremely handsome man at that.
The moment he appeared, the dim cell seemed to turn into a backdrop.
"Who... who are you?" Yun Xiang’s voice was hoarse, not bewitched by the man’s beauty, but more fearful.
In such an environment, to suddenly appear like this...
The man didn’t speak, walked to the cell door, took an item from his waist and placed it in the cell.
"If you want your family safe, you’d better tell the truth." His clear and pleasing voice echoed in the deep cell.
Yun Xiang’s pupils shrank.
That’s her mother’s thing...
Yun Xiang struggled to get up, lunged towards the cell door: "What have you done to my mother!?"
The man stood outside with his sword, looking down on her: "As long as you speak the truth, your mother will be fine."
"This matter has nothing to do with my mother, let go of my mother!"
"My mother knows nothing!"
"If you have anything, come at me!"
Facing Yun Xiang’s pleas, the man remained unmoved, and before anyone noticed the commotion, quietly left the cell.
"What’s the noise?" The person entering saw Yun Xiang crazily clutching the cell door, shouted.
Tears and snot smeared Yun Xiang’s face: "I’ll say, I’ll confess everything!! I want to see His Highness, I’ll tell everything!!"