Chapter 15 The servant girl fainted again. Qi Fan then glanced at Jiang Zhuoying...

Qi Fan then glanced at Jiang Zhuoying, his gaze indifferent and aloof, carrying a subtle scrutiny.

Under such a sharp gaze, Jiang Zhuoying, feeling slightly guilty, covered her face with her sleeve to block the other person's view.

Why do the eyes of this second prince look somewhat similar to those of her father?

His gaze was piercing, as if he could see right through her guilty conscience and petty tricks after she got into trouble...

"Don't worry too much. This was ultimately the fault of my guards. As for the broken gift, your young lady won't know about it."

"You may accept all the rewards I mentioned earlier."

Jiang Zhuoying lowered her eyes in thought. In truth, it was indeed because she had ventured out alone without fully understanding the situation.

If she really is this Jiang maid, then she will agree to the Second Prince's request.

But that wasn't her intention.

She had to infiltrate the Second Prince's inner circle to find out the truth about the Duke of Rui's mansion and the cause of her mother's death.

Thinking of this, she lowered her head again and bent down, pretending to be overjoyed and crying: "This servant understands, thank you Your Highness for saving this servant's life."

The room suddenly fell silent again. The man behind the desk remained silent, and she did not get up without permission.

"How could breaking a few toys lead to death?"

Although the man's voice was cold and clear, it was not difficult to detect a hint of suspicion in it.

Jiang Zhuoying pursed her lips and looked down, saying, "Miss is extremely strict with us servants, and I haven't done the important things you assigned me well, so I'm afraid of being punished."

"One should indeed be stern and firm when dealing with servants," the man sitting behind his desk said slowly, his voice cold and sharp.

Jiang Zhuoying frowned involuntarily: "???"

What does this mean?

Does that mean she should be punished?

The girl bowed slightly: "Your Highness is right."

"Step back." The tone of his voice seemed to grow even colder.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

Things didn't go as she expected, but she could only slowly stand up and say, "Yes."

As she turned around, she keenly realized that her conversation with the Second Prince had not been pleasant.

Who knows, before she even gets back to her room, Eunuch Chu might catch up with her and send her away again.

...

With a "thud," Chu Yixin exclaimed, "Master! That girl has fainted again!"

Qi Fan looked up and said calmly, "Find two people to carry it back."

Chu Yixin wanted to persuade her further: "Master, she's just a timid maid. You frightened her just now."

"When I went to call her just now, her little face was so pale that she could barely stand and was still trying to express her gratitude... Even if she was sent by someone, she seemed to be a well-behaved person by nature."

The man glanced at him indifferently: "You do have a good eye for people."

"Cough cough..." A weak cough interrupted their conversation.

Both master and servant looked towards the doorway...

Jiang Zhuoying clung to the door frame and slowly stood up again.

She rubbed her temples, turned around, and bent over: "Your Highness, please forgive me. My mind went blank just now, and I accidentally fainted again."

"I feel extremely dizzy and weak. Could I please rest a little longer?"

The girl was standing far away, and even holding onto the door frame, she couldn't stand steadily, which made her look even smaller and thinner.

Qi Fan pursed his lips slightly: "Go back and rest. I will have someone inform Miss Jiang that you can return to the manor after you have recovered."

"Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Jiang Zhuoying breathed a slight sigh of relief, and bowed again tremblingly. "Then this servant will take her leave."

She walked slowly, her figure swaying precariously, her silhouette gradually shrinking...

Chu Yixin lowered her voice and muttered softly, "That girl is so pitiful..."

The man beside him glanced at him, his eyes holding a deeper meaning.

Chu Yixin immediately stopped talking and was about to leave when she remembered the instructions given to her by Eunuch Liu, who was by the Emperor's side.

After weighing the options in his mind, he realized that today was not a good day to tell his master the truth, so he raised his head and left.

*

Jiang Zhuoying returned to the main room, closed the door, and slowly walked to the armchair in the hall to sit down.

Although the second prince relented and allowed her to recover before returning to the manor.

But what if she fails to uncover the truth in the next few days...

It seems we need to have some other tricks up our sleeve.

The birds outside the window chirped sweetly, chirping incessantly.

She was drawn to look over, but her eyes were captivated by a piece of calligraphy that she happened to glance at.

Hanging on the wall of the side room was a piece of cursive calligraphy, and the signature was the Second Prince's private seal.

Jiang Zhuoying stared at the calligraphy for a long time before finally letting out a slight smile.

Isn't that a coincidence?

Her forte is cursive script.

Jiang Zhuoying began learning calligraphy at a young age, when the popular style among young ladies in Luoyang was small regular script with floral patterns.

However, his father was a military general who was skilled in cursive calligraphy and once said that he wished to live a carefree and unrestrained life.

Her father taught her cursive script, and her mother had some objections, but later, seeing that her daughter liked it herself, she let her do as she pleased.

Recalling this moment, Jiang Zhuoying stood up and walked to the next room, where she carefully examined the masterpiece by the Second Prince.

If she were to give her evaluation, this painting would truly be described as having the strokes of dragons and snakes, with unstoppable momentum.

Although she had practiced this calligraphy style for many years, she was a woman with relatively weak strength and limited experience due to her long years spent in the inner quarters.

All one can do is enjoy oneself in a smooth and natural way.

Given the Second Prince's talent and skill, it would be easy for him to imitate her writing style.

Jiang Zhuoying searched the entire room and actually found some excellent Xuan paper, writing brush, ink, and inkstone.

She closed the window and calculated the time. There was still at least an hour until lunch, so no one would disturb her for the time being.

Jiang Zhuoying carefully wrote a piece of calligraphy, which was an excerpt from a poem that her father liked.

While waiting for the ink and brush to dry, she wiped the ink, brush, paper, and inkstone she had just found clean and put them back in their original places.

"Bang bang bang~" There was another knock on the door, but it wasn't lunchtime yet.

Jiang Zhuoying frowned, placed the calligraphy on the couch, and then pulled the bed curtains aside before quickly opening the door.

Standing at the door was Chu Yixin again.

Jiang Zhuoying asked with a puzzled look, "Eunuch Chu? What's going on?"

She glanced at him and saw that this Eunuch Chu hadn't brought the rewards he'd mentioned earlier.

Chu Yixin's expression was a mix of urgency and embarrassment. He wiped his forehead and forced a smile.

"Miss Jiang, could you please go and see Zhuozhuo? I don't know why she refuses to eat again, and His Highness is very worried."

Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback, but immediately nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."

She closed the door and went to the east wing with Chu Yixin.

This is where the bright red earthenware jar is currently placed, and also where the Second Prince rests.

"After the problem was found in the pool water outside yesterday, His Highness ordered people to move the earthenware jar into the east wing. With His Highness's supervision, no unauthorized people can get close to Zhuozhuo."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded; she knew how much the Second Prince cared about this red carp.

"This servant greets Your Highness."

As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw his tall and slender back and immediately bowed in greeting.

The man didn't turn around, but said directly, "Come over here and let Zhuozhuo take a look."

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

The purpose of summoning her here was not to have her see Zhuozhuo, but to have her be seen by Zhuozhuo.

Despite her inner grumbling, she maintained a gentle and delicate tone: "Yes, this servant will come right away."

Jiang Zhuoying quickly walked to the earthenware jar. She leaned forward slightly so that Zhuozhuo could see her from its angle.

"Zhuozhuo? I'm here~"

She smiled at the red carp in the water, and the carp seemed to recognize her, immediately becoming excited and circling the earthenware jar.

The man took in the whole scene. He glanced at the top of the girl's head and his face turned cold without showing any emotion.

Jiang Zhuoying was also deeply surprised that Zhuozhuo could really recognize her, and his affection for her was also obvious.

She raised her eyes and said gently, "Your Highness, I heard from Eunuch Chu that Zhuozhuo refuses to eat? May I try?"

Qi Fan glanced at Chu Yixin, who immediately brought over the meal prepared for Zhuozhuo.

"Miss Jiang, this is the meal prepared for Zhuozhuo."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded gently, then picked up the porcelain spoon and sprinkled the meat from the plate into the water.

Qi Fan frowned instantly: "You..."

"Hmm? Does Your Highness find something amiss?"

The man's gaze had already shifted to the water, where Zhuozhuo was indeed happily munching on the fish food.

After a brief analysis, Jiang Zhuoying immediately understood.

These two will probably wait for Zhuozhuo to surface and feed, just like before.

But the red carp's core is no longer hers, so it will naturally revert to its original habits.

“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Qi Fan narrowed his eyes, his expression deep.

After Jiang Zhuoying finished feeding the food on the plate, she bowed and prepared to leave.

"If Your Highness has no further instructions, then this servant shall take her leave?"

The man nodded, saying nothing more.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at his indifferent face and turned to leave.

As she left, she pondered repeatedly, and then suddenly realized something.

The second prince is prejudiced against her!

No matter what, she had been the Red Carp for so long and had spent so much time with the Second Prince.

His attitude towards everyone else was completely different from how he treated her!

Although he appeared indifferent to others, he was still polite and courteous.

But when it comes to myself, I feel a cold indifference from the inside out...

What did I do to displease him?

Jiang Zhuoying couldn't help but touch her cheek. It wasn't that she was bragging; everyone could see her face.

As for her temperament, she was also dressed up to the Second Prince's preferences, being obedient and gentle, and speaking in a soft and gentle voice.

That's really weird...

*

East wing room.

Chu Yixin stared at Jiang Zhuoying's departing figure until she disappeared around the corner before turning her head.

“Master, look at that girl, so well-behaved and obedient, so sensible, why do you have to do this to her…”

The man glanced at him and said indifferently, "Can't you see why she came here?"

Chu Yixin was speechless. Undercurrents were swirling in the Duke of Rui's mansion. The marriage between the Third Prince and the eldest son's wife had already been decided, and yet this legitimate daughter of the second son's wife had sent such a pretty maidservant at this time...

After thinking for a moment, he changed his words: "This servant can't choose who his master is. Even if that Miss Jiang has other plans, this girl is just a pitiful pawn."

Qi Fan looked at Zhuozhuo in the earthenware jar again: "Whether it is a chess piece or not is still hard to say."

"Go ask Doctor Wang if there's any way to make the red carp more affectionate towards this person?"

Chu Yixin frowned: "Master, you suspect..."

The man suddenly changed the subject: "Has the crab meat in the pond been identified?"

"No, that's not the case. We just found suspicious shoe prints about ten feet away from the back gate of the house."

Pei Yun has already followed the trail, but there is still no news.

"Okay, go ahead."

Chu Yixin nodded: "Yes."

He turned his head and realized at the same time, could it be that his master suspected that the person who drugged Zhuozhuo was also sent by Miss Jiang?

But in his opinion, the master has always been a heavy-hearted and overly suspicious man.

*

Jiang Zhuoying returned to the main room, completely baffled as to why the Second Prince would treat her this way.

Clearly, all of this was done according to his preferences...

She returned to her bedroom and took out the calligraphy from the couch. She still had some time, so she decided to keep the calligraphy for the time being and use it again in a couple of days.

She had to fetch her lunch from the kitchen herself, where she ran into Pei Yun and Xie Ling.

The sound of their conversation came from outside the door at that moment—

"Do you think I should apologize to that girl?"

"what ever."

"I accidentally scratched her neck. If I want to apologize to the young lady, should I prepare some gifts as an apology?"

"what ever."

"Hiss... Why are you acting like this?"

Pei Yun glanced at Xie Ling: "Her injuries were not caused by me."

Xie Ling: "..."

He squinted and changed the subject: "The shoe prints outside the back door still haven't been found? Is His Highness reprimanding you?"

Pei Yun immediately became serious: "Be careful what you say."

Xie Ling: "..."

He stopped in his tracks and did not follow Pei Yun into the kitchen, but a few moments later Pei Yun's voice came from the kitchen.

"The young lady is here too? Xie Ling said she wanted to apologize to you."

Xie Ling: "???"

He hurried into the kitchen and looked up to see Jiang Zhuoying standing beside the stove.

Seeing the thin girl with a bandage wrapped around her neck, his expression suddenly became embarrassed.

"Aunt, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you yesterday and even caused you to get hurt."

His face looked somewhat embarrassed, and his eyes flashed with apology. As his gaze wandered, he noticed the food tray in Jiang Zhuoying's hands.

The girl's wrists were slender and thin, her fingers as delicate as scallions, seemingly unable to bear the weight of the food table.

He pushed aside Pei Yun, took two steps forward, and said seriously, "Ahem, let me help you?"

After saying that, he actually reached out and tried to snatch the food tray from Jiang Zhuoying's hands.

Jiang Zhuoying was startled. From childhood to adulthood, when had any strange man ever dared to get so close to her?

She immediately let go, and the food tray fell into Xie Ling's hands. Then she hurriedly took two steps back and carefully considered her words.

"No, no need. I'm fine, just a minor injury. It's just that this gauze looks scary."

Upon hearing her words, Xie Ling felt even more guilty.

He must have been blinded by something yesterday, mistaking such a kind and timid woman for a spy.

How could he generalize based on her appearance alone?

Xie Ling's heart softened more and more as he listened, and he kept shaking his head: "No, no, no, I really want to apologize to you, so let me do something for you?"

Jiang Zhuoying looked him up and down; he was a tall, burly man with dark skin.

I didn't think much of it yesterday, but these words seem a bit silly today.

He looked anxious and uneasy, as if he desperately wanted to get a positive answer from her.

"Fine... if that's how it is," Jiang Zhuoying nodded.

"Then please take it to my room. I accept your apology after this incident, and you don't need to do this again in the future."

"Okay, no problem!"

Pei Yun glanced at Xie Ling, his expression somewhat complicated. He then nodded to Jiang Zhuoying before retrieving his lunch.

Xie Ling let out a breath and smiled sheepishly at Jiang Zhuoying: "Shall we go then?"

Jiang Zhuoying nodded, deliberately keeping a distance from him: "Okay, thank you."

"My name is Xie Ling. You live here. If you need any help, please feel free to call me."

Xie Ling thought for a moment and said, "How about I bring you meals every time it's time to eat?"

Jiang Zhuoying refused without hesitation; these were all trivial matters that she could easily do, and she didn't need any help.

More than that, she had other things that needed to be confirmed.

As the two passed the pond in the courtyard, Jiang Zhuoying looked at the water and murmured softly with a slightly melancholy expression.

"I wonder if the anomaly in this pool has been investigated. It's really a bit unfair to keep Zhuozhuo in that earthenware jar all this time."

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Xie Ling, who was two steps away, to hear clearly.

Yesterday, Jiang Zhuoying rescued the agitated and running around Zhuozhuo in the courtyard. Even the Second Prince was helpless against Zhuozhuo at that time.

Everyone in the courtyard knew about this.

Xie Ling heard Jiang Zhuoying's worries, paused for a moment, and then replied, "Miss, there is no need to worry. There has been progress in this matter, and we should be able to catch the real culprit who poisoned the pond soon."

Now that the topic had come up, Jiang Zhuoying asked directly, "I just heard you talking to another guard about the shoe prints outside the back door. Is that related to this matter?"

"If... if it's something I can't know about, you don't have to tell me."

Xie Ling shook his head: "This matter is not yet settled; there are only slight doubts."

As soon as he said that, Jiang Zhuoying immediately understood.

Suspect!

Given the Second Prince's deep-seated suspicion and cunning, it's natural that he would have some doubts...

In just a few words, the two had already arrived at the entrance of the main house.

Jiang Zhuoying thanked him briefly, but not wanting to let him into the house, she took the food tray from Xie Ling's hands.

"Thank you, Guard. You don't need to be so polite in the future. I will pretend that yesterday never happened."

The room was bright, and Xie Ling was able to clearly see the face of the girl who was a head shorter than him.

He wasn't very well-read, but he knew that this must be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“…Hmm.” He nodded blankly.

Jiang Zhuoying nodded slightly, then carried the food tray into the room.

...

East wing room.

The man stood by the window, staring indifferently at the two people in the distance.

Chu Yixin was setting out the meal inside the room. After the food was ready, she looked out the window and said, "Master? Let's eat."

"Um."

Although the voice responded, no footsteps were heard for a long time.

Chu Yixin was puzzled, so he followed to the window, and upon seeing it, he understood.

He glanced at the man beside him, then coughed lightly: "Well, this Miss Jiang has a good temperament and is good-looking; she's quite likable."

The man gave him a long, thoughtful look: "Have Xie Ling come over."

A note from the author:

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Today's chapter features a chubby little panda! [panda head emoji]

"It's all because Miss Jiang is being harsh on me!"

When Yingbao gets ruthless, she even makes fun of herself. [eating melon emoji]