Chapter 360 Establishing an Heir Apparent
Wei Qingqing's hesitant expression successfully angered Xiao Jue.
He was almost certain that she had seen something that day, but she wouldn't tell him!
Xiao Jue strode up to Wei Qingqing, and with a sweep of his hand, grabbed her slender, delicate neck, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"I'll give you one more chance. Tell the truth, or you'll regret it."
"Did you see my sister that day? Did you stand by and watch her die?! Did you?"
In the end, he practically forced it out through gritted teeth.
Wei Qingqing was terrified.
This appearance was even more frightening than when he first woke up and learned that he had accidentally given him poison!
Is it really necessary? So what if he's beyond saving? It's not like she deserves to do this. She saved him and he's still not satisfied. She, Wei Qingqing, isn't a goddess who goes to the bottom of the cliff to fish people out every day.
Thinking this, Wei Qingqing decided to throw caution to the wind and tightened her grip on her neck until her eyes rolled back: "I only know a few things you don't know, it's not like I know everything..."
Seeing that her face had turned purplish-red, Xiao Jue could no longer bear it and loosened his grip slightly.
Wei Qingqing took a deep breath to catch her breath, and her face regained some of its paleness before continuing:
"Yes, I admit I had ulterior motives in saving you, but I didn't even know who I was saving! You know I'm just an escaped official's maid. The Wei family is a pile of shit, so I have to save myself, right?"
"If I could escape this misery by picking up a high-ranking official, why wouldn't I? As for your sister, yes, I did say I planned to save her, but when I went to check the next day after I saved you, there was no one at the bottom of the cliff. They must have been rescued by someone else..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jue's fingers tightened, his voice as cold as ice: "Them?"
"I didn't say anyone other than my sister, how do you know there was more than one person?"
"You're not Wei Qingqing, who are you?!"
Oh no! This blow was even harder than the first one. Wei Qingqing felt her vision go black and her head filled with stars. She might be going to see her great-grandmother in the next second!
"You...I, I am...I am...Wei Qingqing...you...let go first..." she squeezed out in pain, her fingers constantly digging into Xiao Jue's hand, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pry his fingers open.
Wei Qingqing could even feel the cracking sound of her neck bones being squeezed tightly, and waves of suffocating pain surged through her. The next second, she was thrown to the ground like trash.
"Guards! Lock her up, gag her, and don't give her any water or food. No one is allowed to visit her!"
Xiao Jue left those words behind, then quickly turned around and strode away from Baozhen Courtyard.
"Hey, you—" Wei Qingqing had only just regained her breathing when she opened her mouth, and her throat felt like it had swallowed a razor blade, making it impossible for her to utter a complete sentence.
That damned Xiao Jue! How could he have no mercy for women at all!
After this thought, Wei Qingqing was filled with boundless fear.
What should we do? It seems she really said something she shouldn't have. Xiao Jue must have gone to verify it with someone now.
She really disrupted the original plot; this is terrible. Will the male and female leads still be able to smoothly ascend the throne and get married?
However, the next moment, two burly women rushed in, dragged her up like a dead dog, and shoved a handkerchief that hadn't been washed in who-knows-how-many days into her mouth. Seeing her still whimpering and resisting, they slapped her twice across the face.
"You slut, do you really think you're here to enjoy yourself?! You better behave yourself!"
Wei Qingqing's eyes widened. How could they be so opportunistic?! Just moments ago, when they were getting her luggage, they were calling her "Miss Wei" so affectionately!
"Slap—" Another slap landed. "You dare glare at me? Keep your eyes in your pocket, or I'll gouge them out right now!"
Wei Qingqing was completely dejected, filled with regret.
Of all the people she could have saved, why did she have to save such a troublesome ancestor?
On the other side, Xiao Jue had already hurriedly changed his clothes and prepared to enter the palace.
However, it wasn't until half a month later that Xiao Jue was released.
The journey from the palace to the Xiao family was long and arduous for Xiao Jue.
The Crown Prince and Princess's tattered clothes and jewelry were found, and almost everyone in the court and the public concluded that the two had died at the bottom of the cliff. The most urgent task was to immediately establish a new Crown Prince to stabilize the court, especially since the Yue Kingdom was also in turmoil. If they could seize this opportunity to take it down in one fell swoop, that would be a matter of great importance to benefit future generations!
Xiao Jue's suggestion to continue searching for the Crown Prince and the Princess was overlooked by most people.
The court officials petitioned the Empress Dowager, requesting that the fourth prince be made the new crown prince.
Xiao Jue knew that all of this might be a scheme set up by the Consort and her faction, a scheme targeting the Crown Prince's faction and the Eldest Princess's faction.
He was feeling depressed, and the once smooth and wide road felt unusually bumpy. Xiao Jue reached out and lifted the curtain of the carriage, looking out at the increasingly deserted streets of the capital.
Beset by internal and external troubles, the capital was filled with an atmosphere of fear and unease. People rarely went out, and shops were unable to do business. Even though the New Year was approaching, the long street became more and more desolate each day.
He sighed softly and was about to lower the curtain when his peripheral vision was drawn to two unremarkable figures.
"Stop the car! Stop the car!" he shouted urgently to the driver outside.
The coachman was quick and efficient; he immediately reined in the horse and pulled it over to the side of the street.
Xiao Jue practically ran, quickly disembarking from the carriage and rushing towards the two figures that were about to disappear.
"Young Master!" The coachman was even more anxious. Who had the young master seen? As an official of the imperial court, how could he be so reckless? What if he fell?
Xiao Jue couldn't care less about anything else. All he knew was that the figure that resembled his sister was so familiar that he was absolutely certain he wouldn't be mistaken. As long as he saw her face again, he would definitely recognize her!
But even after he exhausted all his strength to chase after him, he could only watch helplessly as the person crossed the bridge and disappeared around a corner, never to be seen again.
"Young Master, Young Master!" The coachman followed breathlessly.
"What have you seen? Why are you in such a hurry? Let me go and take a look for you."
Xiao Jue waved his hand, his face full of dejection.
"Never mind, maybe I just misread it."
The coachman was puzzled: "Young master, you didn't even catch up, how do you know you were mistaken? I'm fast on my feet, if you can wait, I'll go after them and ask for you!"
Xiao Jue was stunned, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment.
A few breaths later, he patted the driver on the shoulder and took off chasing after the direction where the two figures had disappeared.
Even if he's made a mistake, he has to see it with his own eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com