A sudden panic arose in Jing Yan's eyes. He quickly glanced at Yue Jiang and saw that the calmer and more bewildered she was, the faster Jing Yan's heart beat.
"Don't you know what you're missing from your gear?"
Yue Jiang looked down at Jing Yan in confusion, straightened her arms and searched her body a few times, still puzzled.
"Your Highness, I still don't know. Shall I open it and take a look?"
When Jing Yan saw Yue Jiang raise her hand to touch the lock of the box, he wanted to stop her for a moment, but the words stopped before he could finish speaking.
It was Yue Jiang who left with him; it wasn't that he personally tore it off Yue Jiang.
She doesn't even remember leaving anything behind, so she might not have forgotten anything from yesterday.
Now that the items have been returned, there's no need to hide them. Does Yue Jiang not understand even though she saw them?
However, that's what Jingyan thought, and Yuejiang only recognized it after opening and taking it out, using a tone of sudden realization mixed with embarrassment and shame.
"So it was... my undergarments!"
Whether it was because Yue Jiang saw it clearly or not, she herself was shocked by this unexpected event, and stood frozen in front of Jing Yan, clutching her undergarments.
If you let Jingyan look up, he will see a pinkish-red undergarment, soft and smooth like brocade, embroidered with blooming crabapple blossoms.
Whether it was Jing Yan's imagination or not, just one glance was enough for him to smell that faint yet strong scent from last night, a scent that made him feel dizzy and lightheaded.
Jing Yan awkwardly turned her face away, still pretending to be indifferent: "Keep it safe, don't just throw it out."
Yue Jiang then seemed to wake from a dream, hurriedly crumpled the undergarment in her hand into a ball, stuffed it into the box, and closed it again.
Her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment, her eyes filled with helplessness, and she turned to look around.
After Jing Yan arrived, Yue Jiang called everyone in the hall to the door. Now that no one was around, she continued to explain, feeling uneasy.
"Your Highness, I don't remember how I got back yesterday. I slept until today. Qingke and Granny Ye took care of everything for me. I really don't know if I'm missing anything."
"It seems...it seems that I was too hot yesterday and tossed and turned in bed feeling uncomfortable, so I just grabbed a handful of things and pulled this on," Yue Jiang's eyes shifted down to the box, her voice as weak as a mosquito's buzz.
"It was torn off."
Jing Yan coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness around him, trying to use a calm tone.
"I didn't say it was your fault. You suffered because you accidentally ate the pastries that Cheng Suyun gave you."
"No, it was because I was greedy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have eaten what Princess Cheng sent to Your Highness," Yue Jiang said with a guilty and tearful tone, full of regret.
"No, I shouldn't have gone to the East Palace yesterday. Not only did I make a fool of myself in front of Your Highness, but I also made a complete fool of myself."
Hearing that Yue Jiang felt so guilty, Jing Yan felt much less embarrassed and comforted her.
"You are my Crown Princess, so it is only natural for you to go to the Eastern Palace to find me. It is wrong of others to bring such things with impure intentions. It was my sister who personally helped me. I am sorry."
Jingyan had already found out what happened yesterday at the East Palace. It was Jingyi who brought Cheng Suyun into the East Palace. Jingyi is Jingyan's younger sister, so the people at the East Palace wouldn't scrutinize her comings and goings too closely.
Then Jingyi used this opportunity to evade the Eastern Palace eunuchs' investigation and helped Cheng Suyun deliver the pastries into the Eastern Palace.
"I will personally seek out Jingyi and ask her, and give you an explanation."
Yue Jiang said dejectedly, "No need. Princess Jingyi doesn't like me to begin with. If Your Highness were to reprimand the princess for what has already happened, she would hate me even more."
Whether Jingyi knew that the pastries Cheng Suyun brought contained substances related to sexual intercourse was unknown to Yuejiang.
But she knew that Jingyi was Jingyan's younger sister and Empress Ye's daughter. If she had tried to expose her yesterday, and things had gotten out of hand, Jingyi's reputation would have been ruined as a result.
She doesn't need to ruin the relationship she's built with Jing Yan and Empress Ye for the sake of a mere Cheng Suyun.
But what Jingyan and Empress Ye would do behind Jingyi's back afterward was beyond Yuejiang's control.
She was extremely frustrated and confused: "I have a sweet tooth and deserve to eat things I shouldn't have, but why would anyone send such things to Your Highness?"
"Princess Cheng invited me to play with her on the street that day. She's clearly a very good girl!"
Although there was a hint of complaining in her words, it was Yue Jiang who was the victim yesterday.
It wasn't that Yue Jiang "accidentally" ate it; Cheng Suyun used it on Jing Yan, who was supposed to marry her. Before she even entered the Eastern Palace, other women were already using tricks to intimidate her.
Even a soft dough, after being exposed to harsh winds for a few days, can harden and kill someone.
Jingyan sighed, "You can't judge a person's character by their eyes; you have to use your heart."
He glanced at Yue Jiang and sighed with concern for her.
"Just like the incident where Jiang'er rashly took in an orphan, the Cheng family did not offer you any assistance. I imagine they are all waiting for you to make a fool of yourself."
Yue Jiang: We've finally gotten down to business.
"I am Your Highness's woman," Yue Jiang muttered lightly, turning her small face slightly to the side as she complained softly.
"Does this mean that I won't be the one to do this in the future? It won't be my turn. Your Highness is not often in the palace. I am new here. Only the Empress is always welcoming to me in the whole palace."
"I haven't been in the palace for very long, but I've only spent most of that time seeing Her Majesty the Empress holding the account books of the orphans and checking the accounts. Her eyes are bloodshot, her face is pale, and her body is weak from staying up all night."
"But Huayi Palace keeps asking the Empress for money. It pains me. I'm new to the palace and fearless. For my own sake and for Your Majesty's sake, taking over the orphan is very important."
"Whether the Cheng family helps me or not is irrelevant. They are just one of the orphans. Given the Emperor's boundless grace, I should help them out."
“If I help them, they will laugh at me. Wouldn’t that be laughing at the royal family?”
Jing Yan smiled meaningfully: "Jiang'er, you're right. They just want to see the royal family make a fool of themselves, to see how the royal family can't do without them."
Yue Jiang retorted, "I don't think so. No one in this world is indispensable to anyone else. It seems that the orphans cannot live without the Cheng family, but does that mean the Cheng family can live without the orphans?"
"If the orphans want to be protected by the Jing Kingdom forever, they must understand that they are citizens of the Jing Kingdom, not retainers of the Cheng family."
At this point, Yue Jiang was full of confidence and had already made up her mind.
"I have made up my mind. In a few days, I will set up a stall to give alms and, as the Crown Princess of Jing, personally visit the orphans."
Jing Yan was convinced by Yue Jiang's words. Every word she said was correct. Yue Jiang would have to shoulder half of the burden of Jing Kingdom's affairs in the future, and there was no way to avoid the matter of the orphans.
Despite her years of hard work and meticulous efforts, Jingyan's mother still failed to gain the complete trust of the orphan, adding to her own exhaustion.
Jing Yan should trust Yue Jiang and stand by her through thick and thin.
"Okay, I'll make time to come and keep you company then."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Yue Jiang said.
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