Chapter 256: Going the other way
Xiao Jinxuan was silent for a rare moment.
After all, it was hard for him to imagine that there was any woman in the world who would be as rebellious as Xie Zhuoning and dare to destroy the lifeblood of a country's heir apparent.
But if you think about it carefully, she is someone who even dares to rebel, so it doesn't seem so surprising that she would do such a thing.
"It's not your fault." He opened his thin lips and gently comforted Xie Zhuoning.
It was Xiao Bicheng himself who harbored evil intentions, and he deserved this result.
But every time he thought about how Xiao Bicheng, the crown prince of a country, could do such a shameful thing, he couldn't help but feel more and more disappointed.
Hearing what Xiao Jinxuan said, Xie Zhuoning pursed his lips and chuckled, "Are you so supportive of me?"
It seems that he is really ready to give up Xiao Bicheng.
Seeing her heartless look, Xiao Jinxuan held his forehead and shook his head, "You are about to die, and you can still laugh?"
She really has a big heart.
Xie Zhuoning picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said leisurely, "Who said that my death is imminent? Your Highness Prince Xuan, can you bear to watch a weak woman like me fall into the hands of thieves?"
If Xiao Jinxuan was really going to hand her over, he would not have killed Gong Li without hesitation.
"Weak girl?" Xiao Jinxuan looked at her and thought of Xiao Bicheng rolling on the ground.
For a moment I didn't know who was weaker.
But the little girl understood his thoughts very well and knew that he would not sit idly by.
It can be said that from the moment he met her, countless possibilities had already flashed through his mind.
He had even prepared for the worst. If he was really desperate, he would take her away from the capital...
Xie Zhuoning blinked innocently, "Whether I am soft or weak, Your Highness Prince Xuan can know it by feeling it himself, right?"
After saying that, he actually came closer, and my nose was immediately filled with a warm and sweet fragrance.
This girl is starting to tease people again.
Xiao Jinxuan was afraid that he would lose control again, so he quickly got down to business, "I'll let Ling Feng take you away first, and I'll take care of the rest..."
"I'm not leaving." Xie Zhuoning shook his head.
Xiao Jinxuan lowered his eyebrows and said, "Don't make trouble."
Xie Zhuoning raised her extremely beautiful eyebrows and glanced at him, "Xiao Jinxuan, when have you ever seen me being naughty?"
According to everyone's speculation, she had committed a serious crime by stabbing the prince, and she would definitely panic and flee in a hurry.
But she chose to do the opposite and appeared in public in a swaggering manner.
Xiao Jinxuan was stunned for a moment, "You..."
"Don't worry," Xie Zhuoning raised the corners of his lips confidently, "The more people there are, the less likely Xiao Bicheng will dare to arrest me."
In just a moment, Xiao Jinxuan immediately realized what she wanted to do.
She's gambling!
Xiao Bicheng dared not make his inhumane deeds public!
Even he couldn't help but sigh that this girl was too bold.
But it may not be a good idea.
Without hesitation, he said, "I'll take you to Bowenyuan."
The place with the most people nowadays is Bowenyuan where the literary examination is held.
At Bowenyuan, the written test soon came to an end.
The topic of today's competition is to write a poem and draw a picture on the theme of "Autumn" within the specified time.
Seeing that the sand in the hourglass was about to leak to the bottom, people began to hand in their test papers one after another.
At this time, everyone's eyes were on the children of the aristocratic families, and they were all guessing who would get first place.
Then Xiao Jinxuan's appearance caused quite a stir.
On the contrary, no one noticed when Xie Zhuoning mixed into the crowd.
Even Xia Ju and Fu Ling returned to her side quietly.
"Xuan'er, why are you here?" Princess Jing'an was slightly stunned when she saw Xiao Jinxuan.
According to her expectations, he should be with the Duke at this moment.
Xiao Jinxuan said calmly, "Why do you ask this, sister? I am responsible for supervising the smooth conduct of this civil and military conference. Shouldn't I be staying here?"
Although there was no emotion in the tone, Princess Jing'an inexplicably sensed a chill.
It seemed as if the distance between Xiao Jinxuan and her had suddenly widened a lot.
Did he already know?
This shouldn't be the case. If he knew that Xie Zhuoning was in trouble, he shouldn't have acted so calm.
Zhuang Qingyi noticed that something was not right between the two of them, and smiled as she said, "Brother Heng has come at the right time. The rankings will be chosen soon, and the Crown Prince has to leave for something urgent, so Brother Heng is here to be a witness."
His gaze shifted and fell on her. Xiao Jinxuan narrowed his eyes and looked at her carefully.
Zhuang Qingyi lowered her head uncomfortably and lightly lifted her hair, "Brother Heng, why are you staring at me? Is there something dirty on my face?"
In the past, if Xiao Jinxuan's gaze had stayed on her, she would have been extremely happy.
But today, this look was like a sharp sword piercing through her body, as if it wanted to penetrate her completely.
Xiao Jinxuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He was certain that Duke Zhao and Princess Jing'an were involved in the Crown Prince's plan to plot against Xie Zhuoning.
Maybe he wants to borrow the power of the crown prince to return to the court, or he may have some interest exchange with the crown prince.
Regardless of the reason, they were able to cause trouble in Duke Zhao's mansion and even let Duke Zhao delay him. Based on these, even if the couple were not the masterminds, they were definitely participants.
But he is not sure now whether Zhuang Qingyi has anything to do with this matter.
After all, they grew up together, so he didn't want to think negatively.
But if she was involved in this matter, she would never tolerate it.
"That's the wrong address." After giving the reminder, Xiao Jinxuan withdrew his gaze.
Zhuang Qingyi bit her lip. She found it hard to address him as "cousin" so she simply called him by his title. "Qingyi will remember this next time, Your Highness Prince Xuan."
Xiao Jinxuan did not continue the topic, but asked, "There are so many young talents today, is there anyone you like?"
Pinching her thigh, Zhuang Qingyi's face turned pale and she forced a smile, "The young masters of each family are all very outstanding, but Qingyi is so weak that I am afraid I will be a burden to others."
Hearing this, Xiao Jinxuan nodded and said, "Since you don't like it, it's not easy to force it."
Before she could be happy, she heard Xiao Jinxuan continue, "In this case, I will send someone to take you back to the Empress Dowager tomorrow."
The Empress Dowager asked him to choose a son-in-law for Zhuang Qingyi, and this time he gathered together almost all the young talents in Daye.
Since she couldn't pick out the ones she liked, there was nothing I could do but send her back.
"Your Highness Prince Xuan, are you trying to chase me away?" Zhuang Qingyi's lips turned pale, her eyes were blurred with tears, and she tried hard to hold back her tears.
Princess Jing'an couldn't bear to see her weak and pitiful appearance, "Xuan'er, Qingyi is alone and helpless. As her brother, why don't you take care of her more?"
Xiao Jinxuan was not soft-hearted at all. "I will take care of her, but now there are rumors all over the capital. If I continue to keep her in Prince Xuan's mansion, wouldn't that be irresponsible to her?"
That tough tone clearly showed that there was no room for maneuver.
Princess Jing'an patted the back of Zhuang Qingyi's hand and said meaningfully, "Don't be sad. Xuan'er is doing this for your own good. The results of the written test will be out soon. Wait and see. What if there is a turnaround and you meet someone you like?"
Wait a little longer until news comes from the prince.
When the time comes, there will be a turning point.
Princess Qingyi obviously understood, and her mood immediately stabilized a lot.
On the stands, Xie Zhuoning supported his head with his hands, but he didn't look at Xiao Jinxuan. Instead, he looked at Princess Yunheng with interest.
As the old saying goes: When Yunheng is quiet, he must be causing trouble!