Chapter 185 Sister's Proposal
As soon as the words fell, silence fell in the hall.
Although it was expected, when Xi Qingtong actually said it, everyone who knew the truth was still shocked.
Xi Zhong, in particular, couldn't help but tremble, his palms covered in sweat, and he couldn't help but shout in his heart, "Madam Tong, are you crazy? How dare you say that out loud?!"
Even with the princess's assurance, he couldn't help but feel worried for his master, the Xi family. What if the prince suddenly changed his mind and wanted to punish the Xi family...
He couldn't help but look at the princess sitting right behind the screen. There was no fear on her face, not even a frown. Her eyes casually fell on her knees, and she was obviously concentrating on paying attention to the front with her ears.
Seeing Qingwu so calm, Xi Zhong calmed down and pricked up his ears.
Xiao Ji, standing in front of the screen, was also stunned for a few breaths, the shock on her face was beyond words. How could she say it out loud with such a straight face because of Xi Qingtong's shamelessness? She didn't feel guilty at all.
But there was no need to pretend now. Xiao Ji paused for a few moments before regaining his composure and continuing to act out the play.
"...What do you mean, Madam Song?"
Xiao Ji's shock was obviously misunderstood. Seeing that he had taken the bait, Xi Qingtong immediately knelt on the ground, his eyes red, and he finally showed the look of someone who had done something wrong.
"Your Highness...I was wrong...I was really wrong..."
After the tears fell, Xi Qingtong raised her face, which was exactly the same as Qingwu's, and tears slid down her delicate chin. She deliberately turned her left cheek, which was slightly red from being beaten, towards Xiao Ji, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and her eyes were filled with a broken light.
Xiao Ji, however, did not soften his heart because of her pitiful appearance. He still did not understand the situation and asked directly, "What did you do wrong? Tell me."
Xi Qingtong's body froze, and she had to give up any unnecessary movements. She raised her eyes and looked directly at Xiao Ji, "Your Highness... take a closer look at me. I am the concubine you married when you were the crown prince... I am Xi Qingtong."
Although this was true, Xiao Ji certainly couldn't take it seriously right away. He frowned and said, "Madam Song, even if you two are exactly alike, you must never say such things."
Seeing that Xiao Ji didn't believe her, Xi Qingtong immediately took two steps on her knees, twisting her waist slightly, deliberately showing the most gentle posture, which made her look even more pitiful.
"It's true! Three months ago, before the prince left the palace, I swapped identities with my twin sister. The one in the palace now is actually my twin sister Xi Qingwu, who grew up in the countryside! She's the real Madam Song."
Xi Qingtong deliberately ignored the reason for the exchange and only cared about belittling Qingwu, hoping that Xiao Ji would first dislike Qingwu and then allow her to continue to say the following words.
The man before her was just as she had imagined. His face grew darker and darker, yet he remained silent. Xi Qingtong thought she had found her chance. "I was possessed by the devil and did such a foolish thing... For the past three months, I've regretted it every day..."
"I know the prince is angry with me and annoyed with me..." She wanted to grab Xiao Ji's hand, but Xiao Ji dodged it nimbly, "What are you doing?"
Seeing that Xiao Ji was still unmoved, she immediately said anxiously, "If Your Majesty is not satisfied, feel free to punish me... I only ask... I only ask for a chance to mend my ways..."
As she spoke, she tilted her head back slightly, revealing her slender neck. Any man would have felt pity for her showing such weakness.
Even though they couldn't see what was happening outside, the people behind the screen had to admit that Xi Qingtong was very skilled in showing weakness and begging for mercy. They all felt pity for her as she sang, recited, and acted.
But how could these words confuse Xiao Ji?
Looking at Xi Qingtong, who was in tears, if he hadn't thought about her face that looked just like Qingqing's, he would have wanted to slap her on the other side of her face as well.
Her abandonment of him was a betrayal and a shame to him, but that was fine. Three months ago, he had intended to let her go home. The same thing happened—
Xi Qingtong was wrong in many ways, but she shouldn't have wanted both a wealthy life and a worry-free reputation.
How can you have your cake and eat it too?
For a person who does things that harm others and benefit himself and has great moral integrity, the fact that he has been able to endure until now is a testament to his great endurance.
If it weren't for the purpose of exposing her true face more thoroughly, he would not have been willing to waste words with her.
Xiao Ji stood up suddenly, his robe fluttering and bringing up a gust of sharp wind.
He looked down at Xi Qingtong, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Twin sisters swapping identities? Do you know that this is a crime of deceiving the emperor? Since you are the princess's biological sister, I will consider you confused."
This sentence is both a warning and a last chance. If Xi Qingtong can stop here, she may be able to live a "peaceful" time.
But she didn't realize that Xiao Ji's protective attitude towards Qing Wu also inadvertently gave her courage.
"Your Highness is very perceptive!" Xi Qingtong said anxiously, "Everything I said is true. My sister grew up in the countryside and knows nothing about music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. You only need to test her a little, and you'll know if it's true or not!"
After the words fell, the hall fell silent again. Xiao Ji suddenly sat down, picked up a cup of tea, and his eyes fell on the teacup. He was afraid that he would not be able to control himself if he looked at Xi Qingtong again.
"It's been three months. Is it true or not? Does it still matter..."
Xi Qingtong was delighted, thinking her plan had succeeded, and quickly said, "How can it be unimportant? My sister grew up in the countryside, how could she hold the position of princess? I know I was wrong... I want to return to the prince's side..."
As she spoke, she lowered her head shyly, completely unaware of the growing coldness in Xiao Ji's eyes.
"Is that so..." Xiao Ji slowly stood up and looked down at her condescendingly.
Xi Qingtong's heartbeat quickened, and the side of her face that hadn't been slapped turned red. Suddenly, Xiao Ji sneered, "Then tell me why we swapped identities."
A trace of panic flashed across Xi Qingtong's eyes. The inevitable question had finally arrived. She swallowed and whispered, "It was...my sister who suggested it. Because my cousin has someone else in his heart, my sister is disheartened and wants to leave him, so she wants to swap with me."
This is confusing right and wrong!
For a moment, everyone who heard this fell silent. Baozhu, who had reacted, was about to rush out, but was held firmly by Yuzhu.
Qingwu also looked at the screen in disbelief, as if he could already see Xi Qingtong's ugly face through the screen.
She actually turned right into wrong and made herself the victim. How could she be so vicious?
Qingwu's hands trembled involuntarily. She felt that she had underestimated her twin sister. If she had not confessed to Xiao Ji long ago, if Xiao Ji did not know in advance and believed Xi Qingtong's words first... then this matter would really be unclear. It goes without saying who Madam Zheng would help.
But the next moment, the young man's clear voice echoed throughout the hall - "What about you? Why are you willing to swap?"
Xiao Ji took a step forward and approached Xi Qingtong. He ignored all the confusing words and grabbed Xi Qingtong tightly.
"Let's assume for now that what you said is true. Your sister is having trouble with Song Yunhe because he has someone else in his heart. Why did you agree to this?"
Xi Qingtong was stunned by the question. She had been thinking for a long time. She used many tricks to guide Xiao Ji to think about other things, to think about the bad things about Xi Qingwu, but he just kept holding on to her and kept blaming herself for her mistakes. Why?
"Let me speak for you." Xiao Ji took a step back, as if he had touched something dirty.
"Because you were afraid of suffering by following me, you deserted me and betrayed me. What kind of person are you?"
Qingwu smiled behind the screen.
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