Chapter 414 Confession (Two Updates)
Prince Rui pinched her cheek: "Silly girl, what's so difficult about this? You're my wife, if I don't treat you well, who else will I treat well!"
"Ahem." Prince Ning cleared his throat. "Let's go."
Princess Rui quickly withdrew her hand, and Prince Rui scratched his head in embarrassment. After that, the two seemed to deliberately avoid each other, as if they could get off the carriage in between.
Ignoring everyone's gaze, Prince Ning took Princess Ning's hand in public.
The customs and traditions of this dynasty are more open than those of the previous dynasty, but people rarely interact so intimately in public.
Princess Ning felt slightly uncomfortable, while Prince Ning's gentle smile was irresistible.
The four of them left the palace. The carriages from both residences had been waiting outside the palace for a long time. Princess Rui naturally went back with Prince Rui. Logically, Prince Ning should also go back to Prince Ning's residence with Princess Ning.
Unexpectedly, Prince Ning shook Princess Ning's hand and said, "My father wants me to go to the Imperial Study this afternoon. You should go back to your residence first."
Princess Ning hurriedly said, "If you had official business to attend to, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Prince Ning smiled and said, "I want to see you off, but I won't feel at ease until I see you get into the carriage."
Princess Rui was incredibly envious. What an amazing love story between the eldest brother and his wife!
Princess Ning said, "Then you should go see the Emperor quickly. I'm going back now."
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Alright."
After speaking, Princess Ning withdrew her hand, turned around, and got into the carriage of the Ning Prince's residence.
Prince Rui bid farewell to Prince Ning, saying, "Well then, elder brother, we'll be going now."
Prince Ning nodded: "Pay attention to the matter I told you. I'll ask the Emperor for credit for you later."
Prince Rui laughed heartily: "Alright!"
"What does your elder brother want you to do?" Princess Rui asked in a low voice.
"I'll tell you in a bit." Prince Rui led his wife toward the carriage of Prince Rui's residence. Just as he was about to help Princess Rui into the carriage, another carriage suddenly drove up on the official road at the palace gate.
The carriage was traveling at an extremely high speed, and it didn't slow down at all even when it was close to the palace gate, almost causing a collision.
Fortunately, the carriage stopped when it was only one carriage's distance away.
Prince Ning had already positioned himself in front of the carriage, holding a sword in his hand, as if he would have killed the horse if the other party hadn't reined in the carriage in time.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and a handsome man with wheat-colored skin jumped down. He had strong features, deep-set eyes, and his eyes were particularly bright when he smiled.
He held a folding fan in his hand, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air.
He didn't tie his hair up today, but simply pulled a braid behind his head. A few strands of hair fell down his right cheek, perfectly obscuring one side of his face.
"Oh, what a coincidence, aren't these His Highness Prince Ning and His Highness Prince Rui?" He held a folding fan and bowed with his hands clasped.
Prince Rui frowned: "The Sixth Prince?"
Indeed, this person is Yuan Tang, the sixth prince of the Chen royal family and a hostage of the Chen Kingdom.
Yuan Tang's attire today was somewhat strange; with a few strands of long hair draped down, she gave off a feeling of being half-concealed while playing the pipa.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a pale-faced scholar; he was a handsome, tanned man exuding masculinity, which made his image somewhat indescribable.
Yuan Tang smiled and said, "Your Highness Prince Rui, it's been a long time. This must be Princess Rui? I saw her a few years ago."
Prince Ning subtly shielded Prince Rui and his wife behind him and said to Yuan Tang, "Does the Sixth Prince intend to ride a horse in the palace?"
Yuan Tang cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "No, no, I was just too eager to greet Your Highnesses, so I was a little too hasty."
Prince Ning said calmly, "We're not familiar with each other, there's no need for us to greet each other."
Yuan Tang raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Is this how your country treats its guests?"
Prince Ning said coldly, "You are a hostage, not a guest."
Yuan Tang rubbed her chest: "Oh dear, this really hurts my pride. I originally found a talking parrot outside the palace, hoping to enjoy it with Your Highnesses, but it seems that Your Highnesses are not interested in enjoying it with Yuan Tang, so Yuan Tang will take her leave."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in greeting to the group and turned to walk towards his carriage.
As he brushed past Princess Rui, a cold wind ruffled his hair. It was all because his appearance was too eye-catching that Princess Rui glanced at him subconsciously.
"Ah—" Princess Rui exclaimed in surprise, dropping the handkerchief in her hand.
“Princess Rui, what is this—” Yuan Tang turned around in confusion.
Princess Rui turned around and moved close to Prince Rui's chest. Prince Rui quickly pulled her into his arms and glared coldly at Yuan Tang, saying, "You've frightened my princess!"
"Well, I'm sorry." Yuan Tang cupped his hands and bowed again.
After Yuan Tang left, Prince Ning looked at Prince Rui and his wife with concern: "What happened just now?"
The handkerchief on the ground had been picked up and put away by the servants.
Prince Rui patted Princess Rui's shoulder reassuringly: "Yes, was that guy just now trying to scare you on purpose?"
Princess Rui shook her head: "No, no, I was just... too surprised."
Prince Rui asked, puzzled, "What are you so surprised about? It's not like we haven't seen him before."
Yuan Tang was a hostage from the State of Chen and generally did not attend gatherings of the Zhao royal family. However, when he first arrived in Zhao, in order to demonstrate the grandeur of the Zhao royal family, the emperor still held a welcoming banquet for him and the envoys from the State of Chen.
After careful consideration, Princess Rui decided to tell the story of how she had witnessed the Crown Princess meeting with someone in secret.
"You, you, you..." Prince Rui stammered in shock, "You didn't hear wrong? It really is the Crown Princess and Yuan Tang?"
Princess Rui recalled, "They all spoke in a low voice, and I couldn't tell whose voice it was. However, I heard the Crown Princess say, 'What did you do to Chunying?' Chunying was the Crown Princess's personal maid. Afterwards, I saw the Crown Princess come out from behind the rockery, so I was sure that the woman was the Crown Princess."
"Then how did you determine that the man was Yuan Tang?"
It was Prince Ning who spoke.
Princess Rui frowned and said, "I heard the Crown Princess slap him behind the rockery. Just now, I saw that Yuan Tang's face was red and swollen, with marks that looked like lingering finger marks. I immediately thought of that man..."
This kind of thing doesn't sound honorable at all. The Crown Princess of the current dynasty actually colluded with the hostage prince of Chen. If this got out, it would be a capital offense.
Prince Rui said in disbelief, "This Yuan Tang... she's too audacious... and the Crown Princess, why is she colluding with the hostage from Chen? She doesn't seem like that kind of person..."
Princess Rui snorted, "What do you mean she doesn't seem like that kind of person? You men are all blind! I told you long ago that she's not a respectable woman. She dared to seduce the Crown Prince when she was engaged to Xiao Heng. Who can say that she won't seduce other men now that she has the Crown Prince?"
Prince Rui retorted, "How dare you speak like that? Who's blind?"
"You!" Princess Rui's words trailed off, then, remembering that Prince Ning was also present, she gave an awkward laugh. "Eldest brother, no! Eldest brother is the most discerning person in the entire palace! Don't think I don't know you secretly liked Wen Linlang too! Fourth brother too! Only eldest brother didn't like her!"
Prince Rui choked for a moment: "That happened so many years ago..."
He was just young and inexperienced, and was amazed by Wen Linlang's beauty, but didn't he never look at Wen Linlang again after that?
Now, his heart and eyes are only for Du Qianqian!
Prince Rui said, "On the other hand, if she really... I mean, if... she really did that, how could she face the Crown Prince? How could she face Father and the people of Zhao? Brother, shouldn't we report this to Father as soon as possible?"
If he were to seduce other men, they would simply turn the crown prince's head green with envy, but since he is a hostage from the State of Chen, the implications are far more serious.
Prince Ning paused, then said, "Don't rush. Words alone are not enough; we need to find evidence first." He then looked seriously at Princess Rui, "Third sister-in-law, can you take responsibility for what you said? Are you sure you didn't mishear?"
Princess Rui thought about it carefully again, then nodded with absolute certainty: "I'm sure!"
Prince Ning continued, "Then you didn't alert them, did you? I mean, you didn't go to the Crown Princess to confirm, did you?"
Princess Rui shook her head: "Of course I didn't! But she still saw me when she came out from behind the rockery. I told her I had just arrived there, but I don't know if she believed me."
Prince Ning nodded: "Then, besides you, was there anyone else who heard the noise behind the artificial hill?"
Princess Rui almost blurted out Miss Gu's name, but shook her head before she could finish the sentence: "No, I wouldn't have been discovered otherwise, but my personal maid and Miss Gu came looking for me, and the Crown Princess saw them too."
Prince Ning stared intently at her: "Are you sure they didn't hear us?"
Princess Rui said, "It was when they came and called my name that the Crown Princess was alerted."
These words cleared Gu Jiao of any blame by association with the maid. In fact, her elder brother was a trustworthy person, but she did not want to involve Gu Jiao.
If the eldest brother goes to Gu Jiao for confirmation, the Crown Princess and Yuan Tang may notice Gu Jiao, and Gu Jiao will be in danger.
Prince Ning said solemnly, "I understand. Don't make this public for now. I will investigate the whole truth and report to the Emperor once I have solid evidence."
Prince Rui wholeheartedly agreed: "Brother is right."
The Crown Princess is no ordinary woman. She is the most respected princess in the Zhao Kingdom's royal family and will one day become the empress. If there is real evidence to bring her down, that would be fine. But if the evidence is insufficient and she is falsely accused, all of my brother's hard work over the years will be in vain.
Thinking of something, Prince Rui said worriedly, "Then... will Qianqian be in danger? The Crown Princess saw her. What if she tells Yuan Tang that Qianqian may have overheard their conversation? Will Yuan Tang come to silence her? Yuan Tang is so skilled in martial arts; he even tried to assassinate Father Emperor..."
The more he talked, the more terrified Prince Rui became.
How did his wife end up in this situation?
Prince Ning smiled gently and said, "I will send people to Prince Rui's residence to protect my third sister-in-law. For the time being, my third sister-in-law should try not to leave the residence. If she must leave, she should take the guards I sent with her."
Prince Rui felt relieved and cupped his hands in a smile, saying, "That's perfect! I thank you on Qianqian's behalf, elder brother!"
Prince Ning patted him on the shoulder: "We're family, so let's not be so formal."
...
Medical clinic.
Gu Jiao had just returned from outside, treating a customer's injury and repositioning his dislocated left arm. The second boss came over, knocked on her clinic door, and said with a smile, "Little Gu, are you free later?"
"Speak," Gu Jiao said succinctly.
The second landlord walked in, grinning, and said, "Do you remember what day it is tomorrow?"
"What day is it?" Gu Jiao asked.
The second landlord said, sounding hurt, "You really forgot!"
Gu Jiao snapped out of her reverie in a second: "...Isn't it just a business association gathering?"
A genius's mind never disappoints.
The second boss smiled and said, "That's right, it's a chamber of commerce gathering at Sihai Villa in the eastern suburbs of Beijing. I'll have someone pick you up from Bishui Hutong tomorrow morning."
Gu Jiao said "Oh," and asked, "How many days will you be gone?"
The second landlord gestured with his fingers: "Three days, that'll be quick!"
"Okay." Gu Jiao nodded in agreement.
The second boss looked at her suspiciously: "Little Gu."
Gu Jiao: "Hmm?"
Second employer: "Have you gained weight? Your clothes are all too small."
"Really?" Gu Jiao looked down at her body and didn't feel anything.
Gu Jiao took a ruler and measured her waist. She had been exercising a lot lately and had even lost half an inch.
However, to be honest, the clothes are indeed too small. They're not small in any other way, but in the collar, which is almost too small to close properly.
Gu Jiao had a headache.
If she continues to develop like this, it will be very difficult for her to disguise herself as a man.
The clinic was unusually busy today, and the second owner was quickly called away by Manager Wang.
Xiao Jiangli came over: "Sister Gu, someone has come to the door and says they are looking for you."
Gu Jiao buried herself in organizing the previous patient's information and said, "Are you a patient? Get in line."
Xiao Jiangli shook her head: "It's not a patient, it's a lady. She said she knows you and that you promised to come to her house to treat her wife."
"Did I agree to come to her house to treat her wife? Did I?" Gu Jiao searched her memory and confirmed that she had no such memory. She then asked Xiao Jiangli to report back to the other party.
A little while later, Xiao Jiangli came again, this time with a token in her hand: "Sister Gu, that lady said you'll know after you've seen it."
"Let me see it." Gu Jiao reached out and took the token.
The token bears the emblem of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family and a large character "Ning".
They are from the Prince Ning's residence.
Yes, she had promised Prince Ning that she would visit Princess Ning to help her recover, but before she could go to Prince Ning's residence, Princess Ning went back to her parents' home to visit relatives.
Although her family was also in the capital, it was still a bit strange to go there to examine her pulse.
Gu Jiao said to Xiao Jiangli, "I still have three patients left. Please ask that lady to wait a moment. If any more patients come later, please have them be assigned to Doctor Song and Doctor Lu."
"Okay, Sister Gu!" Little Jiang Li obediently went off.
Despite her small stature, Xiao Jiangli is very thoughtful in her work.
After Gu Jiao finished examining the three patients, Xiao Jiangli led in the female official who served Princess Ning.
The female official greeted Gu Jiao politely: "Doctor Gu."
Gu Jiao asked, "Has Princess Ning returned to the residence?"
The lady-in-waiting said with a smile, "That's right. My princess returned to her residence last night and went to the palace today to pay her respects to the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. She suddenly felt a bit tight in her chest when she came back this afternoon. I had heard from the prince that Doctor Gu was a highly skilled physician, so I specially invited Doctor Gu to the residence to take the princess's pulse."
(End of this chapter)
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