Yinzhen stared blankly at the palace maid fleeing in panic, frowned, turned around and walked towards the source of the commotion, and then saw a pink hem of clothing.
Before he could even react, he was met with a pitiful little face.
Jingrou really didn't mean to pry into their secrets! Seeing Yinzhen's furrowed brows, Jingrou made a face, her small, pale face scrunched up in a grimace, half-squatting on the ground. It wasn't that she was trying to play the victim or lower someone's guard; it was because she had been squatting there for too long, her legs were aching, and she couldn't stand up at all—they felt numb, swollen, and incredibly uncomfortable…
Yinzhen knew her. Although he had never met her, he knew that the chattering Yinqi had a very precious cousin, not to mention that Yinqi would talk about her in his ear every day.
He would either praise how considerate his little cousin was, or how fair-skinned and cute she was... In short, even if his little cousin did something completely unintentional, Yinqi would still praise her to the skies!
Although Yinzhen felt impatient to listen to these things, the more he heard them, the more the impression of Jingrou seemed to be etched into his mind.
Over time, Yinzhen felt like his ears were calloused. However, he wasn't the type to talk much, and he was too lazy to pay attention to him or stop him. But these words kept pouring into his ears, one after another.
It's unclear whether it was because Jingrou "unintentionally" appeared and helped him get rid of that annoying palace maid.
Anyway, Yinzhen is grateful to her now, at least he got rid of that annoying palace maid.
Yinzhen now finds the little girl not far away quite pleasing to the eye; she does seem to be as the Fifth Prince described—quite cute!
Moreover, the way she blinked her big, dark eyes and looked at him pitifully matched the image of a younger sister in Yinzhen's mind, which made Yinzhen quite patient with her...
The younger sister he hoped for was delicate and sweet-smelling, who would rely on him wholeheartedly. Yinzhen said he would definitely be a very qualified older brother!
younger sister…
The thought of his mother dimmed Yinzhen's eyes even more.
Yinzhen didn't have the mind to suspect that Jingrou was deliberately lying there eavesdropping—he didn't know Jingrou at all and wouldn't make malicious assumptions. He also didn't know where this little girl came from, or if she had gotten lost in the Imperial Garden.
Jingrou said it really wasn't that bad, although she was sometimes a bit confused.
But wasn't it because of her cleverness that she chased that palace maid away today?! Although he accidentally overheard someone's conversation and secretly heard a secret, he can atone for his mistake, right?
Otherwise, how could you, Yinzhen, have escaped so easily? You would definitely have been entangled with that palace maid for quite some time.
"Are you alright?" Yinzhen stood there somewhat at a loss, unsure whether he was injured or not, as he had never interacted with the young girl before.
He heard that the little girl was very soft-boned, so he didn't dare to go near her, afraid of hurting her...
Yinzhen frowned. Although he looked somewhat serious, he wasn't as cold-faced as historical figures described. After all, he was still a fair-skinned child with lingering baby pink on his face. Even so, he still looked quite adorable when he looked at people.
Jingrou forced a smile. Actually, it was nothing; her legs were just incredibly sore and numb. Even for someone with a strong constitution like her grandfather, squatting here for so long would definitely make their legs ache!
But she couldn't very well tell Yinzhen that her legs went numb from squatting there for so long, wouldn't that be blatantly admitting that she had been eavesdropping for a long time?
"The rocks here are a bit messy, it looks like I twisted my ankle..." Jingrou scratched her head, then looked up and smiled ingratiatingly.
Of course, Yinzhen couldn't abandon the young girl. After all, she was the fifth prince's cousin, so they were practically related to him! Besides, if the fifth prince found out that his sister was injured and he had left Jingrou unattended, wouldn't he cause a huge uproar, listen to his incessant nagging, and maybe even get angry and throw a tantrum...
"Then I'll have someone send you back. You should get some rest..."
Jingrou nodded immediately. "I just picked some flowers over there and then I twisted my ankle..." she continued, trying to show that she hadn't been eavesdropping!
Yinzhen smiled faintly. Her timid appearance was just like those little dogs with their heads drooping in the beast-taming room.
Then he went out from outside the Imperial Garden to greet people, and led them to escort Jingrou back to her study. In just that short time, it seemed she had been injured.
This action startled Jinse and the others around Jingrou. The county princess suddenly ran out again and returned looking injured. Jinse was so anxious that she wanted to report to Consort Yi, but Jingrou quickly stopped her from going over.
If I tell my aunt, then the truth will be revealed. She just went numb from squatting. If we really call the imperial physician, wouldn't that be embarrassing enough?
Jingrou then had someone escort Yinzhen out the door. Seeing that the little girl was already being taken care of, she separated from her due to a dispute.
He had many things to do, and after hearing what the palace maid said, he was in a state of confusion and couldn't think of anything else for the time being. However, he knew that although the palace maid had run away out of fear, she certainly wouldn't let it go. He was at a loss and didn't know how to handle the situation.
Jingrou waved goodbye to him. Actually, she had been squatting there for so long, she could have continued squatting. Wasn't she trying to save Yinzhen from his predicament?
She came to her senses with satisfaction. Although Yinzhen looked cold, the young man was actually very kind and had brought her back!
After seeing the people off, Jingrou was also nagged by Jinse and the other two. In the end, they promised her not to run around anymore. When she breathed a sigh of relief and checked the system panel, she found that she had not completed her historical mission yet!
What happened?
Jingrou got angry.
She had already driven the people away, so how could it not be considered saving Yinzhen from this predicament?
How could the task not be completed? How exactly is this task judged?
There are only two days left until the mission deadline. Hmph, she finally understands why the system sets this to two days instead of a shorter time.
If she had simply driven the person away, how could she have completed the task so easily? At this moment, Jingrou discovered the system's sinister intentions!
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