Chapter 551 Spoiled and Willful Wife VS Cowardly and Fearful Husband 43

Not long after, Jiang Zhiyi was taken to a secluded Taoist temple.

She was locked in the house, and the guards outside were very tight. No one came to see her for the time being, and no one told her what she was supposed to do there.

Jiang Zhiyi knew she couldn't confront them head-on, so she forced herself to calm down.

She sat at the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and slowly sipped it to calm herself.

Along the way, the generals kept discussing things, and Jiang Zhiyi gleaned some information from their snippets of conversation.

This matter concerning the Jun family was probably orchestrated by Pei Chengce.

He was a prince, of unparalleled nobility. Even if the Jun family was as wealthy as a country, they were still just merchants.

Even the Jiang family were merely subjects.

There is a distinction between ruler and subject.

He could easily take action against them with just a word.

But why did he do that?

Jiang Zhiyi was self-aware and clear-headed. Even though Pei Chengce and she had a childhood friendship, that was definitely not a reason for him to take action.

She thought carefully about what had happened recently.

Not long after, the door was opened.

Pei Chengce walked in, fiddling with a jade thumb ring in his hand, his eyes fixed on her.

"Why are you locking me up?" Jiang Zhiyi questioned.

Seemingly dissatisfied with her barbed tone, Pei Chengze frowned.

“The Jun family has colluded with the enemy, and I have been ordered to apprehend this serious criminal. I know you are innocent, and I am only doing this to protect you.” Pei Chengce sighed. “Don’t worry, I will not let the Jun family’s affairs implicate you. I will protect you.”

He took a few steps closer, intending to touch her hair, but she dodged him.

"You're lying!" Jiang Zhiyi didn't believe him. "You orchestrated all of this!"

It seems that someone from the Jun family or the Jiang family is blocking his way, so he wants to find a way to get rid of those who make him dissatisfied or unhappy.

She knew he wanted to seize power and compete with others.

But now he has set his sights on the Jun family. If something happens to the Jun family, she will naturally not escape it, nor will the Jiang family.

Even if he saves her, she will still be greatly affected.

He couldn't possibly be unaware of these consequences.

But he did it anyway, without considering her at all. He only pretended to be a good person afterward, offering her some small help, which might not even have been real help.

Jiang Zhiyi took a deep breath.

“You’re lying to me,” she said again.

Pei Chengce heard the certainty in her tone and did not deny it.

He never intended to hide it from her; these things couldn't be kept secret anyway. The excuses he made earlier were just that—excuses—to at least make things look good on the surface.

But she didn't appreciate it.

"Yes." He sighed again. "I didn't want to hurt you, but there were some things I had to do. I told you, I will protect you, so you don't need to worry about anything. You married him because you suffered, and it's all my fault for getting too close to you, which led to Father..."

He was referring to the current emperor, so he stopped himself in time and said, "You don't need to do anything. I will arrange everything. Once things are settled, I will welcome you into my residence in grand style."

He is not the rightful wife now, but he will not mistreat her and will grant her the position of concubine.

"You're dreaming!" Jiang Zhiyi casually picked up the teapot on the table and threw it in front of him. "There's no way I'll marry you! I misjudged you before. Since you've turned your back on me, all our friendship is null and void. From now on, we're strangers. You used such despicable means to frame the Jun family and even dared to arrest me. Aren't you afraid His Majesty will find out the truth?"

She probed his intentions.

Pei Chengce patted the water that had splashed on him.

He reached out and pinched Jiang Zhiyi's chin, the force so strong that it made her frown.

"Who in the court doesn't know that the Jun family has colluded with the enemy? Even if I keep you by my side, no one will dare to say a word against it. Don't try anything funny with me, just behave yourself."

Jiang Zhiyi turned her head away from his touch.

"Don't touch me! I find you dirty!"

Pei Chengce's face darkened, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

He wanted to be gentle with her, but her actions had already made him lose his patience.

"I know you're angry, I'll give you time, you'll think it through."

He turned to his subordinates and coldly gave them instructions.

"Lock her up here and have people keep a close watch on her. Don't let her step out of the yard, and don't let anyone have contact with her! If she dares to cause trouble again, then..." He paused, but ultimately didn't say anything harsh. He only added, "Let her go hungry for two meals, so she can reflect on her actions."

The door was slammed shut.

Jiang Zhiyi sat there, unsure of what to do.

The Taoist temple is located halfway up the mountain, surrounded by dense pine forests, with only a narrow mountain path leading down the mountain.

The windows of the side room were sealed shut, leaving no chance of escape.

She couldn't escape on her own.

It's quite a coincidence that this place is actually a Taoist temple.

Junyu didn't lock her up, but now someone else is locking her up.

It was an inescapable fate.

She couldn't help but worry, wondering how Junyu was doing and when the Jiang family would be able to find her.

A few days later, only the maids brought three meals a day, and they left without saying a word.

Jiang Zhiyi didn't waste her energy making a fuss and stayed relatively quiet.

As for the child in her womb, she already knew the truth.

I was drugged!

A few more days passed.

Gradually, the maids began to lower their guard.

That day, only a very young maid came to deliver the food. She put down the food box and was about to leave when Jiang Zhiyi stopped her.

"Wait! I'm asking you, how is Junyu now? Has he been caught?"

The maid paused, hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head. "I don't know. The Crown Prince forbids us from asking about things outside, so you'd better not ask."

After saying that, she quickly walked out of the room.

Jiang Zhiyi stopped her, not letting her leave.

"If you don't tell me, I'll say you're deliberately neglecting me. Although Brother Chengce has locked me up here, he must have said that you should take good care of me. Since you're disobedient, I'll have him chop off your head!"

The maid had never seen anything like this before; she was terrified.

Jiang Zhi noticed that the maid's shoulders were trembling. She reached out and picked up a delicate pastry from the table, handing it to the maid.

“Tell me quietly, and I won’t make things difficult for you.” She softened her tone, reassuring him promptly. “I know I can’t escape, and I didn’t intend to run away. I was just really worried and wanted to know what was happening outside. Take these pastries; consider it my way of thanking you for telling me all this…”

The maid cautiously raised her eyes, glanced at Jiang Zhiyi, then at the sweet-smelling pastry. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and took it, whispering, "I don't know much. I only heard it from the guards when they were chatting."

She told him everything she knew: an old gentleman, who was said to have been the emperor's teacher, had come to plead on behalf of the Jun family...

His Majesty was persuaded and ordered an investigation to be conducted again.

Everything is still under investigation.

"Do you know that old gentleman's name? Why would he suddenly speak up for the Jun family?"

The maid, being greedy, couldn't resist taking a bite of the pastry.

Recalling what those people had said, she slowly said, "I don't know. I only heard that this old gentleman came to the capital from his hometown, and even went to the palace to request an audience with His Majesty. He knelt outside the palace gate for a whole day, saying that the Jun family had been loyal and virtuous for generations and would never collude with the enemy. He begged His Majesty to investigate more thoroughly."

"Then... how is my husband?"

The maid shook her head. "I don't know... They didn't mention it, but it should be nothing serious. If something happened to Young Master Jun, those people would definitely talk about it."

Jiang Zhiyi felt a little relieved, but she was still worried.

She remained silent for a moment.

"I understand, thank you."

Seeing that she was no longer asking questions, the maid whispered, "Then I'll go back. If the steward finds out that I'm talking to you here, he'll scold me."

Jiang Zhiyi nodded, watching the maid leave quickly.