Chapter 90 How am I not as good as her?
Soon, the group packed up and continued on their journey. When it was almost dark, they finally arrived at a small town on the outskirts of the county and stayed in an inn booked by the advance team.
During dinner, Zhong Min didn't see Chen Jiaxin coming downstairs, so he became more cautious and called a guard to check. But before the guard could go up, he saw Chen Jiaxin coming out from the back kitchen carrying several plates of dishes that looked delicious.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I just went to the kitchen to help make a few side dishes. If you don't mind, please try them." Chen Jiaxin said softly, "Thanks to your care these days, I was able to reach Quanxian safely."
At this point, Chen Jiaxin put down the tray in her hands, knelt down in front of Xiao Mingzheng, and said stubbornly, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Your Highness. I also know that your decision today is also for my own good. However, I dare not marry that man. My mind is made up, and I beg Your Highness to revoke your decision."
After saying this, Chen Jiaxin kowtowed three times to Xiao Mingzheng, and then continued, "This place is only two days' journey from the capital, and there are many people along the way. I don't think there will be any danger. I will leave on my own and go to the capital to find my relatives. I sincerely ask Your Majesty to grant me this!"
"If you are determined not to marry Xie Feng, I will naturally not force you. However, if what happened today gets out, won't people think that I am bullying others and condoning my subordinates?" Xiao Mingzheng looked at Zheng Jiaxin calmly and immediately agreed to her request.
This woman suddenly brought this up, knowing it was already dark, yet she was still going to say something and leave on her own. I'm afraid she's up to something bad again. Xiao Mingzheng snorted inwardly. Come and go as she pleases? Does she really think this is an inn?
"Your Highness, please treat today's incident as a misunderstanding. I have no intention or ability to pursue it further. I only ask Your Highness to revoke your order. I will leave now." Chen Jiaxin's face was full of determination, as if she had given it her all. This was completely different from her previous weakness and helplessness, and there was another kind of indescribable beauty on her face.
"In that case, Your Highness will not force you to stay. But it's getting late today, and it's not convenient for a woman like you to leave alone. It won't be too late to leave after tomorrow morning." Ning Zhiyuan saw that Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything, so he tried to smooth things over.
Seeing that the nosy Ning Zhiyuan had taken over the conversation so appropriately, Zhong Min couldn't help but frown for a moment. After glancing at Xiao Mingzheng beside him, she said, "What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right. If you don't want to get married, then don't get married. If you leave now and something happens, it will seem like we are the ones who bullied you and forced you into a desperate situation. Get up first and leave tomorrow."
"No need for that. Thank you Miss Min'er for your kindness. I've made up my mind and will leave now. I hope Your Highness and Your Highness will forgive me!" Chen Jiaxin said, kowtowed again, and then stood up. She glanced at everyone, turned around, and left resolutely.
"Wait!" Xiao Mingzheng finally spoke. He glanced at Zhong Min and ordered, "Give her some silver."
Seeing this, Zhong Min immediately understood Xiao Mingzheng's intention and quickly said yes. He stepped forward and stopped Chen Jiaxin: "Miss Chen, why are you leaving in such a hurry? You have no money on you, and it will take two days to reach the capital. Are you going to go without food or water for the next two days?"
She reached into her bosom to take out the silver and continued, "Besides, the capital is so big. If I can't find my relatives for a while, it would be even more troublesome if I don't have some money to protect myself. Take this, it should be enough to cover my expenses for a month or two."
Seeing this, Chen Jiaxin hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out to take it. Then she turned around and thanked Xiao Mingzheng, and prepared to leave again.
"Ms. Chen, have you ever been to Beijing before?" Zhong Min smiled and pulled Chen Jiaxin, who was about to leave, and said, "Where do your relatives live? Why don't you leave an address? I'll send someone to see if Miss has arrived safely. That way I can rest assured."
"Miss Min'er, it's rare that you care about me so much. Although I've never been to the capital, my father told me that my relatives' addresses are very easy to find. I can just ask around once I get to the city, so there's really no need for you to worry." Zheng Jiaxin sighed and said suggestively, "If you had treated me this way before, I think we might have become good friends."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Min shook her head and said with a half-smile, "A mere maidservant like me wouldn't dare to become your friend. However, there's one thing I really don't understand. Since Miss Chen has never been to the capital before, how did she know it was only two days' journey from here, and how did she know there were so many people along this road?"
"This..." Chen Jiaxin's expression changed slightly, and then she smiled and said, "I've heard those soldiers occasionally mention that we'll arrive in two days. As for the crowds along the way, I guessed. I thought the closer to the capital, the more prosperous it would be, and the more people there would be."
"Miss Chen is truly incredibly clever." Zhong Min's smile deepened as she sighed, "Look at her cooking skills! It's beyond the reach of just any ordinary lady from a wealthy family. Furthermore, a native northerner can actually cook such exquisite southern dishes. It's truly enviable."
As Zhong Min spoke, she looked at the plates of appetizing dishes on the table and casually asked, "Zhong Min, this is truly bizarre. How can Miss Chen make such authentic Southern dishes?"
"This..." Chen Jiaxin subconsciously glanced at the dishes on the table and suddenly seemed a little uneasy. She mumbled and explained, "This is what I learned from a cook in the mansion. That cook is from the south."
As she spoke, she pulled away Zhong Min's hand and smiled unnaturally: "It's getting late. I have to go. Goodbye."
"What's the rush?" Zhong Min refused to agree. He grabbed Zheng Jiaxin again and said sarcastically, "Miss Chen, you're in such a hurry to leave. Could it be that something big is about to happen here, so you're in such a hurry to leave first?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. Please move aside. I really have to leave!" Chen Jiaxin looked unwilling to argue with Zhong Min and was obviously in a hurry to leave.
"Don't know? Then let Brother Xie tell you! Look back, what is that?" Zhong Min pulled Chen Jiaxin and turned around, only to see that Xie Feng had come in and stood next to Xiao Mingzheng at some point.
When Chen Jiaxin saw the pigeon in Xie Feng's hand, her expression changed instantly. She looked like a different person, with an extremely cold expression.
"Chen Jiaxin, this is yours, right?" Xie Feng raised the pigeon in his hand and said with relief, "What a pity! You finally found the opportunity to send the message, but it was accidentally intercepted by my subordinates. It seems that you can't leave today."
At this time, the small note originally tied to the pigeon's leg had already been taken into Xiao Mingzheng's hand.
"So it's someone from Yumen Tower. I didn't realize I had a grudge against Yumen Tower before." Xiao Mingzheng said as he handed the small note to Ning Zhiyuan. "Prime Minister Ning, take a look at this. I don't know who the Yumen Tower paid to buy my life. I'm afraid Prime Minister Ning will be implicated by me tonight."
Ning Zhiyuan took the note and looked at it. Sure enough, it said: The things have been put away and you can take action tonight.
"I never thought you were actually a spy!" Ning Zhiyuan frowned slightly and said to Chen Jiaxin, "You're really brave. You actually dared to attack the prince. Why don't you confess the truth? What exactly are you planning?"
Seeing that the truth had been revealed, Chen Jiaxin was too lazy to pretend anymore. She suddenly stretched out her hand to grab Zhong Min. Her movements were so clean and quick that it was as if she had become a different person. It was obvious that she was a martial artist, and no longer the weak little woman she had played before.
Her movements were very fast, and no one was prepared beforehand, so in the blink of an eye, Zhong Min had been restrained by her, and she had a dagger in her hand, pointing it at Zhong Min's neck.
"Your Highness truly lives up to his reputation. I never thought you would intercept even the carrier pigeon so quickly." Zheng Jiaxin sneered, "But even if you knew this, it wouldn't matter. Even if the news didn't spread, my plan wouldn't be affected too much."
"Let her go!" Xiao Mingzheng saw that Chen Jiaxin had unexpectedly held Zhong Min hostage, and for a moment he regretted being too confident. Knowing that Chen Jiaxin was not a good person, he should not have let Zhong Min get so close to her before the showdown.
Hearing Xiao Mingzheng's words, Chen Jiaxin couldn't help but laugh. She glanced at Zhong Min, and then said nonchalantly, "It seems that the prince really cares about this Miss Min'er. I've always been puzzled. In terms of appearance and figure, this little girl is no match for me. Why does the prince care so much about her, but doesn't even want to look at me?"
"Do you think you can leave here alive today?" Xiao Mingzheng's expression became increasingly cold. In just a short while, the entire inn had been surrounded by his men. No matter how capable Chen Jiaxin was, she would not be able to leave safely without him.
"Why not? If Your Highness doesn't want Miss Min'er to get into any trouble, you can have your men come forward." Chen Jiaxin didn't take Xiao Mingzheng's threats or the guards who were staring at her with knives in their hands seriously. Instead, she said with extraordinary ease, "Your Highness hasn't answered my question yet. What's the matter? Don't you want to answer or are you afraid to answer?"
As she spoke, she increased the force of the dagger in her hand and moved it closer to Zhong Min's neck. The smile on her face was particularly strange. "If you don't answer, I will be upset and my hand will shake carelessly. I might accidentally cut Miss Min'er's white neck open."
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