Chapter 57 Falling into the Trap A deep, hoarse voice, like the sole of a shoe scraping against sand and gravel...
His deep, husky voice sounded like the soles of shoes grinding against the sand and gravel.
Jiang Zhuoying snapped back to her senses and shrank back further until she was hidden in a corner by the bed.
With my back against the hard wall, I finally felt a little safe.
She let out a shallow breath, the face mask having been torn off in the earlier panic.
At this moment, her delicate, palm-sized face was streaked with tears, easily arousing certain unspeakable desires in a person.
With her knees tucked in front of her, she glanced up at the man still standing before the bed, but her gaze quickly shifted away from his cold, stern face.
“I’ll tell you everything I overheard about Miss Jiang’s conversation with General Fu.”
She kneaded the fabric on her knees, her eyelids red, her voice weak: "Originally, I did intend to find Miss Jiang, but while following her, I saw General Fu instead."
Jiang Zhuoying glanced at the person whose face was ashen, waiting for his question.
Sure enough, he narrowed his eyes slightly: "General Fu?"
"He is the son of the Duke of Zhenguo."
Jiang Zhuoying quickly added, "I remember seeing you before when I was serving you, Miss."
The man gestured for her to continue.
As Jiang Zhuoying spoke, she naturally omitted the secrets between Jiang Ying and Fu Ce, only mentioning that Fu Ce was aware of the absurd things the Third Prince had done before.
Perhaps it was because of the affection the two had shared in their childhood that Fu Ce came to inform them.
"Therefore, I did not actually tell Miss Jiang about the Third Prince myself."
As she spoke, she became more and more confident.
"I did not ask Miss Jiang to take me in. Your Highness is being unreasonable in bullying this servant!"
"Is it that you didn't have it, or that you didn't have time?"
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
She knew, of course, that it wouldn't be so easy to fool them, so she just lowered her head and pretended to be extremely aggrieved, speaking weakly.
"It was my fault, I will never do it again."
"Is it that you can't, or that you're afraid?" the man asked indifferently.
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
She opened her mouth, about to find another excuse for herself, but the man had already turned his back, leaving her with only a cold remark.
"Think about it carefully here."
After saying that, he seemed to want to leave immediately.
Jiang Zhuoying was a little anxious and called out to him without thinking.
"Second Prince? Where are you going?"
We can't just leave her like this, can we?
The man stopped in his tracks, without turning his head, and said calmly, "To see the General Fu you mentioned."
This was an answer she hadn't expected.
See Fu Ce?
Jiang Zhuoying frowned involuntarily.
Within moments, she had a sudden realization; no wonder she had so easily overheard those secrets from Jiang Ying!
This is all a setup!
It was a setup by Fu Ce to get Qi Fan to meet him!
In the eyes of all the guests today, she is the Second Prince's person, so naturally she will tell the Second Prince everything she has found out.
Jiang Zhuoying felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She thought she was scheming against others, but she had unknowingly fallen into someone else's trap.
If Fu Ce is like this, then what about Qi Fan?
He was so much older than her, and he knew the Third Prince and the dynamics of the court like the back of his hand. How could he be as easy to deceive as she imagined?
Was he truly unaware of all that had happened in the past, or was he simply playing along?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and she didn't even notice that Ah Liu had already walked to the bedside.
"Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Zhuoying was startled, her body trembled uncontrollably, and when she looked up, she saw that A-Liu was holding a small porcelain bottle in his hand.
Ah Liu softened her voice at the right moment: "My master asked me to take a look at the injury on your waist, Miss."
"Oh, okay~" The girl nodded blankly, letting Ah Liu untie her belt.
After applying the ointment, Ah Liu helped her lie down, saying that she should rest for a while and that the master would wake her up when he returned.
Jiang Zhuoying had no objection to this, of course. There was nothing she could do at the moment, so she could just wait obediently and get another nap.
...
When Jiang Zhuoying woke up and opened her eyes, she happened to see A-Liu lifting the bed curtains.
Seeing that she was awake, Ah Liu relaxed slightly and quickly lifted the bed curtains and hung them on the hooks on the bedposts on both sides.
Jiang Zhuoying coughed lightly: "What time is it?"
"The hour of Wei (1-3 PM) has just begun."
Ah Liu turned around and fetched a stack of clothes: "Miss Jiang, wake up from your drowsiness, you can go for a bath soon."
Bathing?
The girl, who was still half-awake and in a daze, suddenly opened her eyes wide and exclaimed, "Bath time?"
What kind of soup?
Didn't we agree that I should go back after I woke up?
A-Liu remained unfazed by her astonishment, nodding calmly, "Indeed, it was the Third Prince's arrangement for our Highness."
The girl frowned in confusion: "What does that have to do with me?"
Ah Liu's expression remained unchanged: "Everyone at the table today has a share. It is said that the hot spring here has natural and miraculous effects, especially for beauty and skin care."
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
She glanced down at the clothes Ah Liu had brought, and they were indeed the style she usually wore when bathing.
"And what about His Highness?"
Ah Liu said calmly, "Our prince is also taking a bath. Today, all the guests are resting and playing in various places. They will all have their dinner here in the evening."
"Miss Jiang, are you unwilling to go?"
Upon hearing that Qi Fan had already gone to enjoy himself, Jiang Zhuoying clenched her fist indignantly and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Ah Liu smiled silently upon hearing this.
Half an hour ago.
The master had already come. She was originally going to wake up the sleeping girl in the room, but someone stopped her.
The man walked past her, went straight to the bed, and personally lifted the bed curtains.
She followed closely behind and saw a delicate, soft-spoken girl sleeping soundly on the bed. Her cheeks were rosy, her oval face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her lips were slightly parted, emitting soft snores.
Steady and regular breathing is a sign of deep sleep.
At first glance, she appears delicate and fragile, as harmless as a little rabbit.
The master stood there for a while before putting the bed curtains back in place, and his footsteps as he left were barely audible.
It wasn't that they deliberately didn't call out; they were clearly reluctant to call out.
...
After hesitating for a few moments, Jiang Zhuoying decided to relax. She had been enduring humiliation and hardship lately, and was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Such an opportunity is rare; it's been years since she last took a hot spring bath.
But she was still a little cautious and said she would go and check out the hot spring first.
Ah Liu nodded, said nothing more, just carried her clothes and led her to the backyard.
The back gate opened to reveal a small path paved with pebbles. As the door opened, the maidservant standing guard at the entrance bowed and approached.
"Are you going to take a bath, young lady?"
Jiang Zhuoying nodded, and the other person curtsied again: "Then please follow me, young lady."
The two followed the maid as she meandered along the pebbly path.
Jiang Zhuoying felt a little strange. The road was lined with jagged artificial mountains and strange rocks, and she felt inexplicably uneasy.
But when she glanced at Ah Liu behind her, her expression remained calm.
Finally, the maid led them through the artificial hill to a closed partition door.
The maidservant explained that the other side of the partition was a hot spring.
Jiang Zhuoying nodded slightly and dismissed the others.
Watching the person's disappearing figure, she turned her head and asked, "Ah Liu, do you know where our Highness is?"
Without hesitation, the other party nodded: "This servant understands. Miss Jiang wishes to seek His Highness?"
"But men and women bathe separately, since the medicinal herbs added to the bath have different effects."
Jiang Zhuoying choked slightly, then immediately shook her head: "No, it's just that I'm a little uneasy if something happens."
The Third Prince dared to openly test Qi Fan at the banquet; who knows if he would take advantage of this opportunity to do something to Qi Fan...
Ah Liu pushed open the partition door first, and Jiang Zhuoying followed her inside.
After the door closed, Ah Liu spoke: "Miss Jiang, don't worry, His Highness will be fine."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded. She knew that they were in the Third Prince's territory today. If something happened to a prince, how would he face the consequences?
I'm probably worrying unnecessarily.
She pursed her lips, stepped inside, and the scene inside suddenly brightened her eyes.
I had assumed that the room behind the partition was just an ordinary room with a hot spring pool in the middle.
To her surprise, pushing open the lattice door revealed a completely different world.
The interior is surrounded by rugged artificial mountains, with a natural square hot spring pool in the center, surrounded by grass and flower bushes.
Ah Liu was looking around.
Jiang Zhuoying took a light sniff. It was a faint fragrance. It was autumn, and the variety of flowers that could bloom was limited. However, at a glance, there were quite a few varieties among the flowers.
“Miss Jiang? I have already checked. There is a courtyard wall behind this rockery. You can rest here without any worries.”
Jiang Zhuoying glanced at her sideways: "A-Liu, didn't we agree that you don't need to refer to yourself as a servant?"
Ah Liu smiled faintly, but then changed the subject: "Miss Jiang, would you like me to stay here or wait outside the door?"
It seems like they've changed their minds...
Jiang Zhuoying had no intention of getting entangled in the matter. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then I'll trouble you to stay outside. Oh, and remember to move a stool out as well."
She pointed to a few stools placed not far away.
Ah Liu nodded: "Okay."
After everyone left and the door was closed, Jiang Zhuoying looked around again and found nothing unusual. Indeed, as A-Liu had said, although the roof was open to the elements, the room was surrounded by walls.
With Ah Liu guarding outside, she felt at ease.
I squatted down by the pool and splashed the warm water with my hands. The gentle warmth instantly spread from my fingertips to my limbs.
"Hmm..." The girl sighed softly, hesitated for only a few moments, and then decided to soak in the pool.
Jiang Zhuoying changed into bath clothes, which were much lighter and thinner than the jacket she was originally wearing.
After immersing herself in the hot spring, the whiteness of her shoulders became even more apparent.
The warm pool water enveloped her skin, making her feel cozy all over. A faint fragrance of flowers and herbs lingered around her nose, and Jiang Zhuoying slowly closed her eyes.
She let her thoughts relax and stopped deliberately planning what would happen next.
How long has it been since I felt this relaxed?
Since her father and brother went to war, things at home have changed. The beautiful memories she had of the past are like a dream, and have been frozen six years ago.
The girl, surrounded by a warm aura in the pool, lowered her eyes slightly, murmured a few words, and slowly leaned against the edge of the pool.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment. After an unknown amount of time, the girl, whose skin was as smooth as brocade, lay on the edge of the pool and suddenly opened her eyes.
Something's not right.
How long has she been in the pool?
At this moment, my limbs felt weak, my thoughts became sluggish, and I was completely exhausted.
If she closed her eyes now, she could even fall asleep immediately.
The dizziness and weakness were almost unbearable for her, and her heart was beating faster and faster.
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