After Lingzhi finished speaking, she boldly raised her head and looked directly at the Crown Prince. There were tear stains on her face, making her look pitiful.
She had such inappropriate thoughts, and naturally, she was beautiful.
But it depends on who you're comparing her to. If you compare her to the Crown Princess, it's like comparing heaven and earth. Such behavior only makes her look uglier, more vulgar, and crude.
The crown prince thought this to himself, then smiled coldly to himself, not even deigning to give him a glance.
He was only worried that his Crown Princess might be heartbroken because of this treacherous servant.
If that's the case, then this servant might as well go and die.
As the Crown Prince thought this, he turned his gaze to his own Crown Princess and, sure enough, saw the astonishment and disappointment in her eyes.
Liu Lingxi frowned, only then realizing—
It turns out that this servant beside me had such audacious thoughts!
These are my personal maids from home. Lingzhi and Yezhi have been with me since I was a child. How could this be?
So she knew about the poisoned pastry; she had been bribed to be served it to poison her.
Why didn't I realize this sooner?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. She was a servant born into the household. If she hadn't had second thoughts, how could she have been so easily bought off?
As for why I didn't realize it for so long...
In his previous life, His Highness the Crown Prince was not interested in women and rarely even visited his own Zhengde Palace.
They come to discuss business and rarely stay overnight, so how could they possibly give Lingzhi the opportunity to throw herself at them?
Lingzhi finally got his chance today; what a servile lackey!
Thinking this, Liu Lingxi was furious and wished she could drag her out and beat her to death.
She was about to speak when she heard—
"Is that so? Such a bold servant must have been poorly trained by the Imperial Household Department. He should be sent back and properly disciplined."
Although the prince's voice was still clear and pleasant, his tone was as if it had been tempered with a layer of ice, making people shudder.
Liu Lingxi looked up in surprise, not expecting him to stand up for her on such a trivial matter.
Lingzhi was also surprised to hear this, seemingly not expecting the Crown Prince to be so heartless towards her. After realizing what had happened, she quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy.
"This servant knows her mistake, this servant is guilty. I only beg Your Highness and the Crown Princess to forgive this servant this time. This servant is the Crown Princess's servant and cannot be sent back to the Imperial Household Department."
Seeing Lingzhi push her out to take the blame at this moment, Liu Lingxi sneered inwardly.
I have indeed spoiled Lingzhi too much, making her arrogant and ignorant.
When Liu Lingxi chose Ye Zhi and Ling Zhi to serve her, she specially named Ling Zhi because Ling Zhi was beautiful, not caring that it was the same as her own name.
Even because she was prettier than Yeats, she was given less work, and errands were left to Yeats.
Knowing she loves beauty, I always make sure to get her a share of the best fabrics I have, so she can dress up beautifully.
He usually loved her more than Ye Zhi, and after Ye Zhi died in his previous life, he doted on her even more.
In retrospect, it was my own indulgence that led her to be so ignorant of her own limitations and nurtured her ambition.
"Is that so? Did I tell you to seduce His Highness?"
Liu Lingxi's gaze was sharp as she stared intently at Lingzhi, as if trying to bore a hole through her.
Lingzhi only glanced at it before shrinking back in fright, thinking that the Crown Princess would plead for her.
The Crown Prince originally intended to dismiss her from the Imperial Household Department because she was a servant born to his Crown Princess, and let the Crown Princess handle it herself.
But now it seems she really angered her own crown princess; she deserves to die.
"Great, now we don't need to go to the Imperial Household Department..."
Lingzhi was overjoyed, and her face showed even greater delight. She even fantasized that the Crown Prince had changed his mind, perhaps out of pity for her, and wanted to favor her.
However, the Crown Prince's next words ruthlessly shattered her illusions.
"Drag him out and beat him to death! You dare to offend me? Nine lives wouldn't be enough to pay for it! Guards—"
Who would dare disobey the Crown Prince's orders? Soon, two strong young eunuchs arrived, dragged Lingzhi away, and started to walk out.
Lingzhi turned pale with fright, her face completely devoid of color. She didn't want to die; she truly loved His Highness!
"Your Highness, please spare me! My mistress, please save me! My mistress—"
Finally, the young eunuch gagged her, forcibly dragged her out, and the world fell silent.
Liu Lingxi stared intently at her the whole time, her lips tightly pursed, her little face tense.
The crown prince was afraid that she would be soft-hearted, and also afraid that his overstepping his bounds would displease her, so he took the initiative to speak.
"Stop looking. She's already had second thoughts. Even if we let her off this time, she might hold a grudge next time and do something drastic. Maybe she'll become someone else's spy."
What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.
Liu Lingxi vaguely recalled why no one had appeared on the night she was strangled to death by Jiang Wuyou.
Even if they are held back by Empress Jiang Wuyou's status, someone should still stand up.
After all, the new emperor's intentions towards her were quite clear at the time. Weren't they afraid of being punished?
Looking back now, it must have been quite simple for Lingzhi, as her personal maid, to simply hire a loyal person.
Even more likely, the news that she was frequently summoned by the new emperor might have been intentionally leaked by her.
"Xi'er, Xi'er?"
Upon hearing Sheng Changfeng's shout, Liu Lingxi suddenly came to her senses, realized her rudeness, and quickly apologized.
"Your Highness, I did not rest well last night, and I have been disrespectful in front of you. I know I was wrong."
"Don't say that. Xi'er is very good. I don't like you kneeling all the time. You don't need to be so polite in the future."
How could Sheng Changfeng allow her to actually kneel down? He quickly helped her up halfway and comforted her.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Seeing Liu Lingxi's obviously absent-minded appearance, Sheng Changfeng knew the reason, but didn't know how to alleviate her mood.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, let me take you to the Imperial Kitchen for a meal."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Seeing that his little crown princess was still so reserved, Sheng Changfeng sighed inwardly.
It seems that my previous actions have indeed hurt the Crown Princess's feelings. Alas, what should I do?
Soon after, the two arrived at the Imperial Kitchen and sat opposite each other. After the palace servants tasted the dishes, they began to serve them their meal.
After taking a couple of bites, Sheng Changfeng noticed that the Crown Princess had put down her chopsticks, looking like she had a poor appetite.
He immediately became concerned and asked with concern.
"But the food is not to my liking. It was my oversight. What do you want to eat? Have the imperial kitchen make two more dishes."
"No, Your Highness, it's just that I've been thinking about something and can't eat."
Liu Lingxi was once again surprised by the Crown Prince's concern for her, and by this extremely unusual scene.
She felt something was off. Was the crown prince in her past life ever this kind of person to her? It seemed... not, right?
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