Chapter 91 Private Talk Jiang Zhuoying had already surveyed the layout of the room, but…
Jiang Zhuoying had already surveyed the layout of the room, but what puzzled her was: "Why is this room laid out this way?"
There was no traditional eight-immortal table in the side room; instead, there was a square table between two round-backed chairs, with the chairs facing a wall.
It doesn't look like a place for dining; it looks more like a place for watching a play.
Consort Ling looked at her with suspicion upon hearing this: "What brings you here?"
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback, and stammered, "A...meal?"
Consort Ling suddenly realized something and patted the arm of her chair in a carefree manner: "It's alright. Whether it's for a meal or something else, I guarantee A-Zhuo will be satisfied."
She called Jiang Zhuoying by her maiden name and invited her to sit down.
Shortly after Jiang Zhuoying sat down, a maid came in to set out the meal, much of which was the same as what she had eaten at Consort Ling's palace last time.
"A-Zhuo, please use more. Last time in the palace, I saw that you really liked the food from the Li Kingdom."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded, when suddenly a dull thud came from beside her ear. Startled, she turned her head and discovered that the wall directly in front of her was slowly rising.
When we finally stopped, we looked out from here and saw a very spacious meadow, lush and green, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
“This…” She stood there, stunned.
It doesn't look like a stage at all. It's much bigger than a regular stage, and where would you find a stage overgrown with grass?
She turned her head to look at Consort Ling, who smiled but said nothing.
Jiang Zhuoying soon found out that it was actually used for horse racing!
More precisely, this is a venue for equestrian performances; I hadn't realized how spacious the restaurant was from the outside.
However, it's fortunate that the person behind this could come up with such a plan.
"Most people in our Li Kingdom are skilled riders. Not only are the men all brave and mighty, but the women are also incredibly spirited. Crown Princess, look at them, aren't they different from the people of your Rong Kingdom?"
Upon hearing these words, Jiang Zhuoying perked up and opened her eyes wide. As a young lady from a respectable family, the farthest place she had ever been was the outskirts of Luojing City, and she had indeed never seen such a scene before.
The men of the Li Kingdom are broad-shouldered and burly, and when they ride their horses, they are both brave and agile, exuding a strong sense of power...
Seeing that she was staring intently, the woman beside her laughed and asked, "What does the Crown Princess think?"
"Very good."
Jiang Zhuoying's heartfelt words.
She originally thought that Qi Fan was the person she had ever met whose appearance best suited her.
With deep-set eyes and a straight nose, he has excellent bone structure and always exudes an aloof and unpredictable aura.
Although she often complained in her heart that he was always cold-faced, there was no doubt that he was good-looking.
Although the young men of the Li Kingdom before her did not have his superior looks, they were still enough to attract her attention.
This is a different kind of wild spirit, unlike that of the Rong people.
The noble lady beside him chuckled a few times: "Your Rong Kingdom is great in every way, but these rules are too complicated and give me a real headache."
She was already used to these things, unlike Jiang Zhuoying who found them novel, and she also had the energy to look around at other strange things.
"Hey, look at that man, doesn't he look like your prince husband?"
Jiang Zhuoying didn't take it seriously, her gaze still fixed on the grassland, and said casually, "How could that be? You must be mistaken."
That fellow went out of the manor today.
Leaving the residence?
The girl slowly frowned, then turned her head to ask, "Where is the person you spoke of, sir?"
"There!"
Jiang Zhuoying looked in the direction the other person was pointing—
The next instant, her pupils suddenly contracted. She recognized the two people sitting diagonally opposite their room just by looking at their figures.
Isn't that Qi Fan and Gu Yunci?
Jiang Zhuoying panicked and quickly stood up, hiding in the corner of the wall.
"Hey? Ah Zhuo, why are you so flustered?"
When Consort Ling raised her question, Jiang Zhuoying had already huddled in the corner.
Upon hearing this, she paused slightly. Yes... why was she so flustered?
Even if they recognized her, so what?
She's just having a meal here, and besides, he's here too, so why can't she?
"Ahem... It was just a moment of panic."
Jiang Zhuoying coughed twice to cover her unease, not daring to meet Ling Guiren's teasing gaze, and was about to get up with Xiangxing's help.
But then she suddenly overheard a conversation coming from the room next door, separated by only one wall…
"Jiang Zheng and his son are already on their way back. Take care of them for me."
"Pshaw, that little bit of benefit isn't enough."
What do you want?
...
Jiang Zhuoying's movement to get up suddenly froze. Her eyes widened slightly. She couldn't have misheard; the person mentioned Jiang Zheng and his son!
Chengyun and his father.
"A-Zhuo?"
Seeing that she was frozen in place, Consort Ling couldn't help but feel a little strange, and called her softly again.
Jiang Zhuoying quickly gestured for her to be quiet, then pressed her ear against the wall, trying to hear more clearly.
As soon as Consort Ling saw her actions, she understood. Not only did she fall silent, but she also tiptoed over like Jiang Zhuoying and, imitating her, leaned close to the wall to listen.
...
The conversation in the next room was even clearer, every sound audible.
“You do not possess what the Lord desires.”
The voice that answered him was filled with anger: "If I hadn't revealed the route for transporting the supplies to you back then, how could you have won?"
"Don't forget, Jiang Zheng was invincible back then. If he returns to the battlefield, can you be sure you can defeat him?"
His tone was already somewhat exasperated, and the other party, perhaps deep in thought, did not reply for the time being.
"If we can get rid of him before he returns to Luoyang without anyone noticing, it will be good for both of us."
He then softened his tone and began to patiently guide him.
But the other party remained calm and unhurried: "I will go back and report to my lord."
Then she lost her voice again.
Jiang Zhuoying heard everything. With the help of Xiangyue and the others, she slowly returned to her original seat and sat down blankly.
Consort Ling glanced at her several times; she had naturally overheard the conversation in the next room.
She didn't know anything about this Crown Princess before, but after meeting her in the palace last time, she accidentally said a few things while drunk, so she sent someone to investigate her thoroughly.
If she remembered correctly, the Jiang Zheng mentioned by the two people in the next room was the Crown Princess's biological father.
Consort Ling's eyes flickered slightly, and she reached out and grasped Jiang Zhuoying's wrist: "Come with me."
...
Jiang Zhuoying followed her out of the original room, then went up one floor and entered a more exquisitely decorated room with a more exotic style.
"This is?"
Jiang Zhuoying looked around, somewhat puzzled.
"There are no eavesdroppers here, Your Highness, please listen to me."
"Is Consort Ling the mastermind behind this building?" Jiang Zhuoying was not stupid. She could easily lead her around this building, and the people here were all so respectful to her.
"That's right." She nodded in agreement, then suddenly changed the subject, "Does the Crown Princess know who was talking in that room just now?"
Jiang Zhuoying frowned. She naturally recognized one of them as Jiang Lang, and the other was the person who had conspired with him to almost kill her father.
But she really didn't know who this person was.
However... I just overheard them mentioning provisions, so they must be from Xiyan?
My father was defeated in the battle against Xiyan.
"The Crown Princess is a smart woman. Since my time to leave the palace is limited, I will not beat around the bush."
"One of those two people was a staff member of Xiyan."
Jiang Zhuoying's eyes widened: "How did you know?"
Consort Ling glanced at her sideways, her expression more serious than ever before. She slowly walked to the window and began to speak in a gentle and detailed manner.
"Li Mo and Xi Yan are adjacent countries. Rong was originally the strongest. My country Li was defeated in battle and we made an agreement with you. In addition to paying tribute every three years, each monarch would send his own princess to marry you."
"Originally, things were peaceful, but ever since Xiyan defeated Rongguo in that battle a few years ago, our border with Xiyan has become increasingly volatile... My father originally did not want me to come here for a marriage alliance!"
...
Jiang Zhuoying understood...
Consort Ling was deeply loved by her father, the king, and she was his only princess. However, her father had already ascended the throne, and the princess had reached marriageable age, so the matter of sending the princess to marry a foreign ruler could not be delayed.
Originally, Prince Li was unwilling to send her here, but at this crucial moment, Xi Yan might attack them at any time.
This would disrupt the balance of power, and if the Rong Kingdom were to become dissatisfied because of the princess's affair... King Li could not afford to take that risk.
Consort Ling slowly calmed herself down and said softly, "However, I am still a princess, and your emperor is now quite old... cough cough, once he passes away, I will be able to go back."
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
She couldn't accept that.
"By the way... I only told you this because I felt we clicked really well."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhuoying perked up her ears, her voice soft and full of curiosity: "What's wrong?"
Consort Ling walked up to her and leaned close to her ear: "You can rest assured, the old emperor has already..."
Her voice was very low, and Jiang Zhuoying's cheeks flushed bright red instantly.
"In that case, the Crown Princess and her husband need not worry."
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
She wasn't worried about that at all.
"In short, I find that person very unpleasant, and I suppose your father was also murdered back then."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded gently: "That's right, I will investigate carefully. Thank you for your kind words today."
Consort Ling raised an eyebrow: "I have high hopes for you."
Her words had a hidden meaning, and Jiang Zhuoying had to respond, so she solemnly bowed to her: "If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my best to assist you."
Consort Ling finally smiled broadly: "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."
...
When Jiang Zhuoying came out, it was already dusk.
Her mind was preoccupied with the conversation she had overheard between the two people and the words that Consort Ling had told her. It wasn't until she heard the familiar, high-pitched voice that she suddenly came back to her senses.
"Your Highness? The Master is waiting for you in the carriage." Chu Yixin bowed.
Jiang Zhuoying was stunned for a moment. This was the first thing she had said to Chu Yixin in private since becoming the Crown Princess.
Although he called her Crown Princess a few days ago, that was in the mansion, and besides Qi Fan, there were a bunch of servants around.
She pursed her lips and said, "There's no need to be so polite. I remember all of Eunuch Chu's past kindness."
Chu Yixin bowed even lower: "Yes, this servant understands."
Jiang Zhuoying knew this was his way of doing things, so she didn't say anything more and looked up at the carriage on the street corner.
Pei Yunli stood outside the car and cupped his hands in greeting when he saw her.
Jiang Zhuoying nodded to him and glanced at Xiangyue, intending for her to help her into the carriage.
But Xiangyue was unusually distracted, which Jiang Zhuoying found strange, so she turned her head sharply to look at her.
"Xiangyue?"
"Huh, huh?"
Xiangyue glanced at her immediately, her eyes darting away, clearly startled, her voice stammering in a flustered manner.
Jiang Zhuoying raised an eyebrow, then looked away from her, instead turning her gaze to Pei Yun, who stood upright to the side like a pine tree.
Pei Yun, she had known him since the time in the osmanthus grove. He was born with a cold and aloof demeanor, and had a unique sense of arrogance that kept strangers at bay.
She has a similar temperament to Qi Fan.
“…Your Majesty.” Xiangyue whispered a reminder, gesturing repeatedly towards the direction of the carriage.
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback and immediately looked towards the carriage. Only then did she realize that the carriage door had been wide open at some point, and the man was sitting inside, staring at her with a piercing gaze that seemed almost tangible.
Jiang Zhuoying suddenly felt a chill run down her spine...
But then she thought again, what did she have to be afraid of him about?
Didn't we already agree to wipe the hatchet?
She didn't do anything wrong today, nor did she deceive him about anything.
With that thought, the girl straightened her slender frame and her expression became more composed.
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