Chapter 43
The princess could feel the warm blood dripping on the back of her neck, mixed with Jiang Jiang's suppressed groans, burning her heart and making it ache.
"Enough!" the princess roared, and suddenly struggled to look up, "Zhao Xun! After all, I am the Fifth Princess!"
Her meaning was very clear. She was a princess after all. If she was beaten so disrespectfully, even if she was not favored, her father would be angry for the sake of the royal family's reputation.
The Third Prince, Zhao Xun, raised his hand to stop the palace attendant and looked down at the princess with interest. "Do you think this prince is afraid of you?"
Jiang Jiang suddenly kowtowed heavily, her forehead hitting the blue bricks with a dull sound. "Third Prince, I have only one life left. I am willing to die as an apology. I hope that Third Prince will spare the princess. This will further demonstrate your tolerance and generosity! The Emperor will definitely look upon me with a higher regard!"
In the cold wind, the girl's voice was as clear as broken jade, yet neither humble nor arrogant.
The third prince narrowed his eyes and saw this servant whom he usually disdained to even look at, and there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.
But Jiang Jiang's words reminded him.
The emperor was happy that Concubine Yu had given birth to a prince. If he caused trouble at this time, it would definitely make the emperor unhappy.
Although he was only ten years old, the harem was precocious.
He swung his sleeves in boredom, "Spoof, let's go back to the palace."
The cold autumn rain finally fell.
The princess trembled as she went to help Jiang Jiang. Seeing the bright red on the corners of Jiang Jiang's lips, she unconsciously reached out to touch them.
But his palms were stained with sticky blood.
Jiang Jiang first held the princess's hand, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and carefully wiped the princess's palm, "Princess, such a precious person cannot be contaminated by the blood of a slave..."
"Why?" The princess looked at the hideous bruises beneath her torn skirt, tears mixing with the raindrops as they fell. "I have to rely on the Imperial Household Department for even a decent winter coat. Why don't you learn from them and find another way out?"
Ever since the princess's mother died of complications during childbirth, the emperor was only sad for a few days and then favored other concubines. She, the unimportant princess, was forgotten in a corner.
The palace maids and eunuchs around the princess had already found a way out for themselves and chose other palaces. The rest who had no background were not devoted to her and even criticized her from time to time.
In such a huge harem, one can only hear the laughter of new people but not the tears of old ones.
Jiang Jiang endured the pain and stood up, picked up the hand warmer from the ground, and carefully wiped off the dirt on it.
Then she knelt before the princess and put the hand warmer into her hands.
The residual heat of the hand warmer warmed the princess's hands and her heart.
"Princess, do you remember that time when I was about to be beaten to death for breaking your ladyship's glass cup?"
Seeing the princess still looking bewildered, Jiang Jiang was not disappointed. "That time, it was Your Highness who said that she should be given a chance! That's how I was able to save my life!" She gently supported the princess. "From then on, Jiang Jiang's life belongs to the princess."
In fact, it was just a trivial thing that the kind princess did for her.
Ever since that year when the little princess was choosing her personal maid and pointed at her and said she wanted her, Jiang Jiang had been grateful.
As they got to know each other more and more, she became more and more devoted to the princess.
How could she have deserved to meet such a kind and lovely princess!
The princess looked at the crushed petals on the ground and remembered what her mother had said to her.
"This deep palace is a place of cannibalism, flattering the powerful and trampling on the weak is the norm. Only in times of adversity can one see true heart..."
At this moment, the wound on Jiang Jiang's back was still bleeding, but her eyes were brighter than any palace lantern.
The princess held Jiang Jiang's hand, and her nose felt sore...
*
The morning light shines into the bedroom through the gauze curtains, casting mottled shadows on the floor.
Xiaobai slowly opened his eyes, and his eyelashes were coated with a layer of gold in the sunlight.
She turned her head and saw Jiang Jiang still sleeping soundly.
Her black hair was scattered on the pillow, her cheeks were faintly pink because of the warmth, and her lips were slightly pouting, like a child who knew nothing about the world.
Xiaobai's heart instantly softened like a pool of spring water.
She moved closer cautiously, gently put her arms around Jiang Jiang's waist, and placed a feathery kiss on her cheek.
Jiang Jiang frowned in his sleep and pouted unconsciously. This childish action made Xiaobai's heart skip a beat.
"Jiang Jiang! So cute!!" Xiaobai murmured silently, and couldn't help but move closer and pecked Jiang Jiang's lips several times.
Every touch was like tasting the sweetest honey, making her reluctant to leave.
But thinking that Jiang Jiang had been tossed around until very late last night, Xiaobai still suppressed his reluctance and got out of bed quietly.
In the kitchen, Xiaobai tied an apron on and hummed a tuneless song while cooking skillfully.
The fried eggs in the pan made a sizzling sound, and the aroma of porridge gradually filled the room.
"Hmm..." Jiang Jiang's confused hum came from the bedroom.
After a while, Jiang Jiang appeared at the kitchen door with sleepy eyes, his hair was disheveled and he was wearing clothes that were obviously just casually grabbed and put on.
"Why are you up so early?" Jiang Jiang rubbed his eyes, his voice full of sleepiness.
Xiaobai turned around and saw Jiang Jiang's appearance, and almost dropped the spatula on the ground.
In the morning light, Jiang Jiang's slender legs were faintly visible under the oversized short sleeves, and the tilted neckline revealed one shoulder, with an unconscious sexiness in her laziness.
"Breakfast...breakfast is very important!" Xiaobai stammered, his ears burning, and he swallowed furtively, "If you don't eat, your health will be bad..."
Jiang Jiang narrowed her eyes, looking at Xiaobai's bewildered look. Suddenly, she realized that Xiaobai's eyes were fixed on her. She snorted coldly, turned back to the bedroom, and said, "No! I want to sleep a little longer!"
Xiaobai looked at Jiang Jiang's back and smiled foolishly for a long time before he remembered that the fried eggs in the pan were almost burnt.
After breakfast was ready, Xiaobai gently pushed open the bedroom door.
Jiang Jiang had fallen asleep again, holding a thin blanket in his arms.
Xiaobai squatted beside the bed and couldn't help but gently trace her eyebrows and eyes with his fingers.
The itchy feeling on his face woke Jiang Jiang up in a daze. He unconsciously reached out and hooked his hand around Xiaobai's neck to act coquettishly.
"Sister Liang suddenly had an inspiration and wants to draw the following content. She needs my help with the layout and coloring..." Xiaobai whispered, "I have to go help. The food is warming in the kitchen."
She was a little reluctant and wanted to hold Jiang Jiang in her arms and continue to be affectionate with him.
Jiang Jiang didn't say anything, just paused for a moment and nodded.
She is awake.
Xiaobai sighed. Since she had agreed to the job, she couldn't refuse it because of personal matters.
In the end, I could only grit my teeth and get up.
She looked back and saw Jiang Jiang just waving his hand casually, as if to drive away a fly.
Xiaobai smiled, closed the door and left.
…
It was almost noon and Jiang Jiang finally got enough sleep.
She stretched and lay in bed in a daze for a while.
The house without Xiaobai seemed eerily quiet.
Jiang Jiang suddenly became curious about how he had managed to survive when he lived alone before.
She got up slowly and mechanically ate the breakfast left by Xiaobai.
The fried egg was already a little cold, but you could still taste Xiaobai's effort.
The porridge is kept warm in the rice cooker.
The feeling that usually made her feel warm now made her feel empty inside.
After dinner, she thought about it, turned on the TV and played a random movie, but she couldn't concentrate.
Jiang Jiang buried his face in the pillow that Xiaobai often hugged and took a deep breath.
So annoying!
When did I become so clingy?
"It's only been a few hours..." Jiang Jiang muttered to himself, but he couldn't ignore the inexplicable emptiness in his heart.
It turns out that after getting used to someone's company, being alone can be so difficult.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Jiang Jiang almost jumped up and rushed to the door without even having time to put on his slippers!
Is Xiaobai back?
She couldn't wait to run to the door, took a deep breath, and pretended to open the door calmly.
The smile on his lips froze instantly when he saw who was coming.
"Long time no see, Miss Jiang." Lin Yue stood outside the door and gave a meaningful smile.
Jiang Jiang's blood froze instantly.
She subconsciously wanted to close the door, but Lin Yue held her back.
Because of his foot injury and the intimacy with Xiaobai last night, Jiang Jiang was still sore and weak all over, and was unable to push Lin Yue over at all.
"Won't you invite me in to sit down?" Lin Yue walked straight into the living room, her shoes making crisp sounds on the marble floor.
She looked around, her eyes circling the living room, and then sat down on the sofa naturally, as if this was her own home.
Jiang Jiang stood at the door, his fingers tightly gripping the door handle, "This is my home!!"
Her voice was as cold as ice, and if you listened carefully you could hear the trembling in it.
Lin Yue looked at Jiang Jiang and laughed, "You want to ask why I was released, right?"
Jiang Jiang pursed her lips and did not answer, but just glared angrily at the uninvited guest in front of her.
Lin Yue slowly spread his hands and said, "I'm a scientist, a biological researcher! Of course, those materials were obtained through legitimate channels!"
As she spoke, she took out her phone, pulled up a few pictures, and waved them in front of Jiang Jiang. "These are all legal donations, and the procedures are complete."
Jiang Jiang took a quick look and found that it was indeed the seal of a formal department. She didn't understand anything about this, but since Uncle Hat let her go, it meant that it was all true.
"You just came out and you're breaking in illegally. Do you still want to go in?" Jiang Jiang was a little annoyed. She pointed at the wide-open door and signaled Lin Yue to leave her home quickly.
Lin Yue wanted Xiaobai, but she didn't know that Xiaobai worked next door, so she had to find a way to inform Xiaobai to leave quickly.
As long as Xiaobai leaves, she will be of no use to Lin Yue.
"Oh, that hurts." Lin Yue shook her head in mock sadness and pushed up her glasses, which reflected the excitement in her eyes. "I'm curious, how does it feel to live with that monster? Is she any different from usual? Does she eat and drink like a normal person?"
Jiang Jiang dug her nails into her palms and forced herself to remain calm. "Please leave! If you don't leave, I'll call the police!"
Lin Yue stood up calmly, but suddenly stopped when passing by the bookshelf.
She took out a book of artistic photos and opened it. It turned out to be a collection of Jiang Jiang and Xiaobai’s wedding photos. In the photos, both of them were smiling brightly.
Lin Yue was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jiang Jiang in surprise, "Are you with her?"
Seeing that Jiang Jiang didn't answer, he shook his head regretfully, "How foolish!..."
Jiang Jiang didn't want to waste any more time talking to Lin Yue, so he took out his cell phone and was about to call the police.
As her fingertips touched the phone screen, a tall figure suddenly appeared behind her.
He was a bodyguard dressed in black, nearly two meters tall, and his muscular arms instantly grasped Jiang Jiang like an iron clamp.
It was obvious that this bodyguard was not on the same level as those useless bodyguards who had been around Lin Yue before.
Her cell phone was confiscated and her wrists were roughly twisted behind her back and tied with plastic cable ties.
"Ouch!" Jiang Jiang cried out in pain, and before he could react, his mouth was sealed with wide tape.
A middle-aged man in a dark gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses walked in slowly, his leather shoes making a cold sound on the floor.
He glanced indifferently at the struggling Jiang Jiang, then turned to ask Lin Yue, "Is this the experimental material?"
"It's not her." Lin Yue restrained her smile, with a hint of impatience on her face, "But the experimental subject also lives here and will be back soon."
The man with glasses nodded expressionlessly, took out his cell phone from his inner pocket, dialed a number, and then handed it to Lin Yue, "The master is looking for you."
A hoarse male voice came from the other end of the phone, and it was weak even through the microphone.
"Dr. Lin! This is the last chance I'm going to give you..." He was interrupted by a violent cough.
Lin Yue's expression became anxious. "Boss Wang, don't worry. As long as I get the experimental subject, this time I will definitely..."
"I don't care about your messy process. I invest in you just for the results!" Mr. Wang interrupted her, his voice filled with the hysteria of a dying man. He didn't have much time left!
President Wang then took a breath and regained his previous weakness. "I've already sent my assistant and bodyguard over. I believe Dr. Lin won't let me down this time!"
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yue's face became gloomy.
She glanced at Jiang Jiang who was pressed on the sofa, suddenly smiled, and whispered to herself, "No, I will succeed!"
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