Yang Mengchen’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, her instincts innately averse to the man and woman before her.
The man’s smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze, his eyes clear and lustrous like jade, water-like. His lips curled in a gentle and amiable grin, the elegance and nobility in his every move were so innate, they made people wish to lower themselves to the dust in admiration.
If such an outstanding man smiled gently at you, you would feel his kindness and closeness, and you couldn’t help wanting to get closer to him.
Unfortunately, Yang Mengchen was not among those people; moreover, she was already married. The fact that the man dared to give her such a smile not only failed to endear her to him but, on the contrary, made her want to keep her distance and even sparked a sense of vigilance.
And that woman was far too arrogant and haughty, a concubine who didn’t even give the proper respects upon meeting her and Wende. Especially how her enchanting eyes hooked Wende deliberately or otherwise—clearly a sign of the woman’s arrogant conceit and lack of education. However, such people were generally fools and not worth considering. It was this man they had to be wary of.
"Prince and I have matters to attend to, our path is not the same as Prince Jing’s," Long Xuanmo said in an icy tone devoid of warmth, leading Yang Mengchen by the hand toward another road.
Feeling the stern aura emanating from Long Xuanmo, Yang Mengchen gently squeezed his hand, and when he looked over, she smiled softly.
The assassination attempt earlier this year had been the work of Prince Duan, Long Yisi (formerly Prince Su), and Second Princess Long Fengying (Prince Su’s full-blooded younger sister, married to the legitimate second son of Marquis Changxing, Shang Jiatao). After the Emperor came to know of it, he ultimately only scolded Prince Duan, imposed a fine for one year, and ordered him to reflect behind closed doors, while Consort De was demoted to Concubine De.
Long Yisi, who was already imprisoned in Zongren Mansion, had nothing left to fine, thus he was given twenty cane lashes.
Long Fengying’s rank was reduced from first-rank to third-rank, and she too was fined for one year with orders to reflect behind closed doors. Her husband, Shang Jiatao, who originally held the position of compiler at the Hanlin Academy (prince consorts in Dong Chu could hold office, but usually only minor appointments and never in positions of real power), was also taken by the Emperor to return home for introspection.
Both of their mothers (formerly Consort Xian, later Imperial Concubine Jieyu) were demoted for their poor upbringing of their children, downgraded to ninth-rank Baolin.
As for these outcomes, they were within her expectations; after all, the three masterminds were the Emperor’s own flesh and blood. Whether it was the adage that even tigers don’t eat their young or for the sake of a reputation for wisdom, the Emperor would never be too harsh on them, unless they were guilty of treason.
Wende might have felt disappointed and angry, but there was nothing he could do. However, both Mengchen and Wende would not easily let the three of them off the hook.
Moreover, though Prince Jing’s shadow was not seen in this matter, both she and Wende had not lowered their guard, especially since seeing Prince Jing just now. She had the intuition that Prince Jing was not a simple character.
With considerate gestures, brushing his wife’s hair behind her ear, Long Xuanmo murmured softly, "I’m fine." His eyes brimming with deep affection and indulgence.
The sight of the deeply attached couple ahead of them filled Sister Jin and the others with both joy and profound relief.
Left standing alone, Prince Jing’s expression turned dark and sinister, his lips tightly pursed, a fierce hatred and intent to kill flashing in his shadowed eyes.
Throughout it all, that person never even glanced her way, and this filled Consort Ying with an acidic bitterness, her gaze fixated on Yang Mengchen and Long Xuanmo’s joined hands. Her beautiful face was marred by profound hatred and resentment, jealousy blazing in her eyes like a wildfire, wishing she could rush forward and pry apart those clasped hands.
Prince Chen was hers!
That detestable wretch had the audacity to compete with her for Prince Chen—she swore that one day she would tear that wretch to shreds!
Only when the gradually receding figures of the two were no longer visible did Prince Jing withdraw his gaze, and upon seeing Consort Ying’s jealous and resentful demeanor, a trace of mockery and disdain flickered across his lips. He then strode towards Cining Palace.
Seeing that the Prince had left the concubine behind and set off alone, and the concubine herself being completely oblivious, one of the maids timidly whispered a reminder to Consort Ying.
"Worthless wretch, the Prince has already left; why didn’t you inform this consort sooner? What use are you to this consort?" Spitting the words venomously, Consort Ying violently twisted the maid’s arm she could reach, then twisted it with force. The pain turned the maid’s face deathly pale as she broke into a cold sweat and trembled, only then did Consort Ying let go and turned to chase after Prince Jing.
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