Jingyi's words left the three people opposite her at a loss. Jinglu glanced at Yu Chuxuan and smiled at Jingyi.
“Jingyi, Jingning is about to marry into the Jade Kingdom. She is unfamiliar with the Jade Kingdom. Fortunately, the Ninth Prince is from the Jade Kingdom and knows its customs. He can remind Jingning of some rules. How about we let him come with us to the Longevity Palace today?”
Jing Yi ignored Jing Lu's excuses, glanced at the silent Jing Ning, and saw that she was sullen and unable to say what she wanted to say.
She turned to Jing Lu and snorted, "Isn't the Ninth Prince a guest of my Jing Kingdom? How can he be a tutor?"
Jingyi pointed at Jingning and questioned Jinglu: "Isn't she going to marry into the Jade Kingdom and become the Empress? She's practically the future stepmother of the Ninth Prince. Is it appropriate for a junior to teach an elder?"
"Is it because my Jing Kingdom has no one to rely on, or are you convinced that the Yu Kingdom will look down on her, hmm?"
“Jingyi, this doesn’t sound like you,” Jinglu said, seeing through her words.
As soon as she said this, Jing Ning and Zheng Yutong both looked at Jing Yi, as if questioning her about who had instigated her.
Even Yu Chuxuan glanced at Jing Yi thoughtfully.
A hint of guilt flashed in Jingyi's eyes, but her posture remained as straight as ever. She countered Jingning's question, "Am I wrong?"
Even though Jingning hadn't officially married out yet, the thought of becoming the legal mother of a man who was about her age brought a blush of shame and indignation to her face.
She glanced quickly at Yu Chuxuan, about to speak.
Yu Chuxuan first corrected Jingyi's words: "Princess Jingyi, Princess Jingning has not yet formally completed the ceremony with the Emperor, so the rules of etiquette cannot be violated."
Jingyi frowned and glared at him, displeased: "So you think the Jiaofang Palace isn't worthy of you, and you want to go to the Changshou Palace instead?"
"Your Majesty the Empress need to go," Yu Chuxuan reassured Jingyi.
He cast an apologetic glance at Jingning and explained respectfully, "Princess Jingning, I have been ill in the palace for a long time and am not very familiar with the customs and rules of the Jade Kingdom."
“Even if you ask me, there’s not much I can do to help you. I haven’t even formally visited the Jiaofang Palace since I came to Jingyi,” he said, taking a step back behind Jingyi as he made his choice.
"This time, let's first accompany Princess Jingyi to pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress. Thank you for your kindness, Third Prince and Princess Jingning."
Yu Chuxuan had been taken to the Longevity Palace by Jing Lu, Jing Ning, and the others several times, and each time Empress Dowager Zheng had questioned him extensively.
It wasn't that she was trying to find out about his close relationship with Yu Chuyi, the crown prince of Yu Kingdom, in an attempt to befriend Jing Lu.
She kept asking him about his father in roundabout ways. Yu Chuxuan guessed that Empress Dowager Zheng wanted to use him to help Jingning understand his father's preferences and win his favor.
Thinking of the various issues surrounding the Yu Kingdom's royal family, Yu Chuxuan felt only slight sympathy for Jing Ning; there was nothing more he could do to help her with just a few words.
Although his time in Jing Palace was short, Yu Chuxuan often stayed in the palace and was also looked after by Shang Yurongying. He had heard about the general interpersonal relationships within Jing Palace and knew Jingyi's true nature.
Compared to the scheming of the Longevity Palace, and setting aside the suspicion that Jingyi was being used by another empress dowager, she herself had no need to worry at all.
Jingning had already met Yu Chuxuan many times at the Longevity Palace, where everyone was holding up a raft indicating that she was about to marry into the Yu Kingdom, trying to get information out of Yu Chuxuan.
She held back her tears, knowing that only he could treat her as a person, not an object to be married off.
Jingyi was unaware of the considerations in the hearts of the people in front of her, but Yu Chuxuan clearly chose her, and she was triumphant, raising her eyebrows to show off.
"Did you hear that? This time it was the Ninth Prince himself who said it: If you've given up, then go back."
She glanced intently at Jing Lu, whose expression remained calm and composed, showing no sign of distress over the matter.
He cupped his hands to Yu Chuxuan and said, "It's alright. Since the Ninth Prince has said so, I will go and properly inform my grandmother. Farewell."
Jing Lu turned and left with Jing Ning and Zheng Yutong. As they left, Jing Ning was still grateful for what Yu Chuxuan had just said.
She took a few steps, then turned back and bowed deeply in thanks: "Thank you, Ninth Prince."
Yu Chuxuan nodded silently.
Jing Ning turned her head back, her eyes red.
Just after Jing Ning and the others left, Jing Yi was about to take Yu Chuxuan to the Jiaofang Palace when Yu Chuxuan suddenly started coughing incessantly.
Jingyi was instantly alarmed and panicked: "Ninth Prince, what's wrong? You were fine just now!"
“Princess Jingyi, I…I…” Yu Chuxuan coughed, his face turning red, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Jingyi turned pale with fright and looked around at the Ninth Prince's eunuchs: "Did you bring any medicine?"
Yue Jiang then walked over and immediately instructed Qingke Qingfei: "It seems that the Ninth Prince has fallen ill again. Quickly help him back to the East Palace to find Shang Yu."
Yu Chuxuan's eyes were red. When he saw Yue Jiang coming over, he said to her in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Crown Princess."
Qingke and Qingfei hurriedly helped Yu Chuxuan leave. Jingyi looked at the person who was being sent back with a hunched back and spoke haltingly.
“Sister-in-law, I didn’t do anything. He… he died from vomiting blood, it’s not my fault.”
It's true that Yu Chuxuan is seriously ill, but Yue Jiang just saw through his act.
She observed Jingyi's lingering fear and said with concern, "Afraid that the Ninth Prince might vomit blood and get into trouble, why did you insist on taking him to the Jiaofang Palace?"
"Didn't Mother warn that the Ninth Prince is physically weak and shouldn't be provoked or bullied easily?"
Jingyi frowned, feeling wronged: "I didn't bully him. All I did was stop him from going to the Longevity Palace. They really care about Jingning. She shouldn't have married the Jade Emperor. What's the use of calling a Jade Prince?"
"Sister-in-law," she said anxiously, standing on tiptoe to look in the direction where Yu Chuxuan had walked away, her words tumbling out incoherently, "I hope nothing really happened to him. If something happens to him, Father and Mother will definitely blame me."
Yue Jiang: "Don't worry, Shang Yu is already skilled at taking care of the Ninth Prince, and he will recover quickly."
"Really?" Jingyi was so anxious she was almost in tears. Hearing Yuejiang's words, she calmed down a bit and muttered to herself, "There are many ways to make things difficult for the Longevity Palace. Next time, I'll stay far away from him!"
Yue Jiang vaguely heard Jing Yi talking to herself, recalled what had just happened, and pressed for an answer.
"Those words you just said certainly don't sound like something you would say. Did Grandmother Cheng teach you to say them?"
Jingyi's worried expression froze, and she slowly raised her face to look at Yuejiang, feeling embarrassed.
"Sister-in-law, how did you know?"
Yue Jiang smiled insincerely: "Because whenever Princess Jingyi has to act so aggressively, it's never a simple matter."
Although Jingyi is unruly, she is well-behaved when no one instigates her. However, whenever she stirs up trouble in the palace, there is always someone behind the scenes making arrangements.
Empress Dowager Cheng must have some ulterior motive.
***
As dusk settled, only the guiding candles for those getting up at night remained lit in the sleeping quarters.
Jing Yan lay on the bed for a long time, and Yue Jiang beside him did not move to come closer, which was very different from usual.
He couldn't help but think that Yue Jiang was playing some kind of coy trick again. After waiting for a couple more moments, Jing Yan called out, "Jiang'er, are you asleep?"
Yue Jiang was not asleep, of course. She was just waiting for Jing Yan to speak first. She shook her head and said, "Not yet, Your Highness. I have something to tell you."
When Jing Yan heard that Yue Jiang was still awake and had something to say to him, he calmly said that the fire in his heart could wait.
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