Chapter 12 This servant can save Zhuozhuo. Jiang Zhuoying stood stiffly, not daring to move...
Jiang Zhuoying stood frozen, not daring to move, for swords and blades have no eyes.
She had never been held hostage like this before in her entire life.
The girl appeared trembling with fear, her face pale, but she was calmly analyzing the situation she was facing.
If she insisted that she was sent by "Miss Jiang," the guard wouldn't believe her and stabbed her with his knife...
How could she possibly still be alive?
The guard with the knife to her neck gave another guard a wink.
The latter nodded and then took out a hemp rope from his pocket.
It looks thicker than Jiang Zhuoying's thumb.
He circled behind the young woman, intending to tie her wrists together.
Suddenly, a shrill voice came from behind: "What's going on?"
It was the voice of the eunuch beside the Second Prince!
Jiang Zhuoying's pupils opened slightly, but before she could speak, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck.
"Behave yourself." Xie Ling said sternly, startling her.
The girl was so frightened that she froze. Only then did he stop and bow to the person directly in front of him.
"Your Highness, we don't know who sent this female spy, but she managed to find out Steward Yu's whereabouts and came here at this time. She must have something to do with it."
“Me?” Yu Ji frowned.
The girl suddenly turned around, knelt on the ground, and straightened her slender waist.
Her voice trembled and choked with sobs: "This servant was sent by Miss Jiang to deliver a thank-you gift to His Highness the Second Prince. I am not a female spy. Please, Your Highness, understand."
After saying that, she raised her face, which made everyone present tremble.
Her eyes were red and swirling with tears, and her slender waist trembled slightly with each sob, making her appear even more delicate.
"Dr. Yu, the girl said she informed you beforehand."
Yu Ji was stunned for a moment, then turned around with a stiff upper lip: "Sir, this... seems to be true."
He hadn't expected that Miss Jiang would send people over directly. Wasn't she supposed to ask him when he got back before making any plans?
Could this be the maidservant that Miss Jiang once mentioned who was extremely skilled at raising carp?
He glanced at it casually just now.
The beauty sheds tears, and I feel pity for her.
Why did he feel that this Miss Jiang had ulterior motives?
Jiang Zhuoying cautiously raised her head and looked at the tall and slender figure in the crowd, like the only snow-capped mountain among the mountains, cold and desolate, lonely and upright.
But the man didn't even look at her.
Qi Fan glanced at Yu Ji but said nothing, then strode forward with a blank expression.
Jiang Zhuoying caught a glimpse of the approaching bluish-gray hem of a dress out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but lower her head.
"Well-behaved, innocent, gentle, and timid." This was her eight-character motto for approaching this icy man.
A scent of agarwood drifted closer, seemingly brushing past the tip of my nose before fading away...
This is something the Second Prince is used to.
Seeing his master leave, Yu Ji hurriedly went up to Jiang Zhuoying.
He was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to help or not, and scratched the back of his head.
"Ahem, young lady, please get up quickly. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter this courtyard. You'd better go back quickly."
Jiang Zhuoying remained kneeling in place, pondering how to subtly inquire about Zhuozhuo's situation.
That familiar, high-pitched voice came from beside him again: "Yu Ji! Quickly go and fetch Doctor Wang."
Jiang Zhuoying looked up abruptly and saw that the eunuch had already run back.
"Dr. Wang? Has something happened to Zhuozhuo?"
Chu Yixin was sweating profusely with anxiety. He nodded and said, "That's right, Zhuozhuo has suddenly started going crazy for no reason! I'm very worried!"
"I'll go right now."
Before Yu Ji could finish speaking, Jiang Zhuoying suddenly stood up: "May I ask, gentlemen, is there something wrong with the red carp that the Second Prince is raising?"
"You silly girl, this is not something you should know, so don't go asking around," Chu Yixin scolded her with a stern face.
Yu Ji suddenly raised his hand to stop him, and turned his head to look at Jiang Zhuoying: "You are the maid that Miss Jiang mentioned who is very good at raising carp?"
Jiang Zhuoying nodded repeatedly, eagerly saying, "Exactly! This servant is extremely skilled at raising carp. If you let me take a look, I guarantee I can restore Zhuozhuo to its original state."
"What a boastful tone! Even the palace veterinarian wouldn't dare make such a promise." Chu Yixin looked suspicious, narrowing her eyes and frowning.
Jiang Zhuoying said respectfully, "Eunuch, there's no point in saying more. Why don't you let me take a look? Doctor Chu can also go and find a doctor right away, so as not to waste any more time."
Yu Ji nodded in agreement: "What this maid said makes sense."
He looked at Chu Yixin beside him and said, "Take this maid inside and have a look. The matter at hand is urgent, and the master will not blame you."
Chu Yixin hesitated for a few moments, then finally nodded: "Come with me."
...
"If His Highness asks any questions later, just tell the truth. Don't be afraid. Although His Highness is a bit cold, he is not harsh on his servants."
"This servant understands."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded, lowered her head, and followed closely behind Chu Yixin into the courtyard.
She arrived too late, and no one knew exactly how much crab meat Zhuozhuo had eaten.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she hurried toward the fish pond.
A plump, fiery red carp was leaping and thrashing wildly in the pond. Her heart tightened, and she immediately shouted anxiously, "Quickly, save it!"
Qi Fan heard her voice, turned around, and his gaze sharpened.
Jiang Zhuoying was extremely anxious and could only hurriedly explain, "Your Highness, there must be something wrong with this pool water. Zhuozhuo is calling for help!"
The man stared at her for a few moments, then turned and ordered, "Prepare the water vat, and fetch the long-handled net."
The servants were well-trained and quickly prepared the necessary items.
The red carp jumping around in the pond seemed to have lost their minds and could not be caught with a long-handled net.
Qi Fan and Chu Yixin went into the pool one after the other, but for some reason, Zhuozhuo panicked and ran around in a frenzy when she saw people.
Despite being faced with its owner of over ten years, it seemed not to recognize him.
Jiang Zhuoying was extremely anxious looking at the scene before her.
She knelt on the bank, leaned forward, and stretched out her arms: "Zhuozhuo, don't be afraid! Come to me..."
She was only trying it out, after all, she had quite a connection with this red carp, and she didn't know if it would respond when she called it.
"Zhuozhuo, come here quickly, don't be afraid."
"Zhuozhuo, don't be afraid..."
She called out three times in a row, and after darting around in the pond, the red carp disappeared into the depths of the lotus pods. Surprisingly, the red carp, which had left her helpless, poked its head out from within.
The man slowly relaxed his tightly clenched fists, a strange glint flashing in his dark eyes.
Jiang Zhuoying opened her arms to the red carp, but when the red carp, which was as long as one of Jiang Zhuoying's arms, swam to a distance of about two or three feet from the shore, it suddenly stopped moving forward.
"Zhuozhuo? What's wrong?"
Jiang Zhuoying spoke softly and gently, afraid of startling it.
But Zhuozhuo remained in the same spot, constantly swaying its tail and pectoral fins, but never swimming forward an inch.
Jiang Zhuoying bit her lip. The water in the pool was only up to the Second Prince's knees, which meant it wasn't deep.
She gently coaxed the red carp in the water, "Then I'll go into the water?"
Jiang Zhuoying lifted her skirt and plunged into the pool...
It is now autumn, and it is getting late. The pond water is icy cold.
As soon as her embroidered shoes got wet, Jiang Zhuoying involuntarily flinched.
No one in the courtyard uttered a sound; everyone held their breath, waiting for Jiang Zhuoying's next move.
She gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and slid directly into the water.
She can swim; when she was little, her father taught her how to swim when he taught her younger brother.
"Zhuozhuo? Come here quickly."
Jiang Zhuoying opened her arms.
The pond was still shallow, and the plump, fiery red carp, waving its tail fins, suddenly leaped without warning into Jiang Zhuoying's arms.
"Why!"
Zhuozhuo was as long as one of Jiang Zhuoying's arms. As soon as she jumped into Jiang Zhuoying's arms, the sudden weight was something she couldn't bear!
Jiang Zhuoying was thrown backward by Zhuozhuo and fell into the water with a splash.
Fortunately, she was already a swimmer, so this unexpected accident didn't leave her at a loss.
But as a result, her clothes were completely soaked...
"All of you, step back."
Suddenly, a man's clear, cold voice rang in my ears.
"yes."
The unrelated people in the courtyard left very quickly, and even Chu Yixin hurried towards the main house.
The lower half of his shirt was still dripping wet...
Jiang Zhuoying blushed slightly: "Please turn around, Your Highness. This servant will carry Zhuozhuo into the water vat right away."
The man remained silent for a few moments before suddenly asking, "Can you lift it?"
"……ah?"
Jiang Zhuoying looked at Zhuozhuo, who was still circling around her, and suddenly fell silent.
"This servant...will give it a try?"
Fortunately, Zhuozhuo was no longer running around in a panic like before.
"No need."
The man rejected her succinctly.
Jiang Zhuoying then heard the sound of footsteps wading through the water, and she nervously shrank back into the pool.
She was, after all, an unmarried noblewoman, and such behavior was truly improper, but at this moment she had nowhere to hide.
"I won't look at you."
A cold, clear voice came from behind her, and Jiang Zhuoying paused, then suddenly looked up.
She then realized that the Second Prince had come with his eyes closed.
Those who practice martial arts may be able to locate sounds by sound. Jiang Zhuoying pursed her lips, unsure of what to say for a moment.
"Stay away."
Another cold, commanding voice rang out, and Jiang Zhuoying suddenly felt a surge of displeasure.
No one has ever spoken to her in such a tone before!
"This servant understands." Jiang Zhuoying's tone was somewhat stiff as she slowly moved to her side.
To Jiang Zhuoying's surprise, no matter where she moved, the scarlet carp in the water followed her closely, circling around her...
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
"Ahem, Your Highness, Zhuozhuo has been following me around the whole time, why don't we let me give it a try?"
The man stopped halfway through his speech upon hearing this: "...Hmm."
"Hurry up," he added in a cold voice.
Seeing that he still had his eyes closed, Jiang Zhuoying drooped her lips and subtly wrinkled her nose at him—a small gesture to express her dissatisfaction.
But her voice was sweet and delicate, sounding gentle and obedient: "Yes, this servant understands."
A note from the author:
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My daughter and Qi Gou finally met! [panda head emoji]
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