Consort Xiao truly had excellent fortune—she bore a proud son skilled at scheming and a daughter with such eloquence, while she herself was deeply favored by the Emperor.

She must have saved the entire galaxy in her previous life!

Since Jing Xuan was a princess after all, Ji Yunshu couldn’t refuse her wanting to come along. She could only sit properly without speaking or responding.

Someone had slipped into the carriage, and a princess at that. Naturally, Jingrong outside wouldn’t let her be.

Sure enough, the curtain was pulled open and Jingrong’s hand reached in, grabbing Jing Xuan’s arm.

“Get out!”

His voice was somewhat terrifying.

As Jing Xuan was being pulled outward, she instinctively grabbed Ji Yunshu, causing Ji Yunshu’s body to also tilt toward the outside of the carriage.

Seeing this, Jingrong loosened his grip slightly.

“Imperial Brother, I won’t cause you any trouble. I promise.” She was very sincere.

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t get out, I’ll break your leg and throw you out.”

“You’re doing this again!”

Tears welled up in Jing Xuan’s eyes. She instinctively pulled her legs back and pressed her body backward with all her might.

Actually, this wasn’t the first time. Seven years ago, when Jing Xuan was only ten years old, she had secretly snuck into Prince Rong’s manor and clung to Jingrong relentlessly. Jingrong had tried pushing her away all morning but couldn’t drive this pest out.

Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Jingrong had taken a sword from the screen rack in the room and struck her leg hard with the hilt.

The result was obvious—Jing Xuan had lain in bed for an entire month. Consort Xiao had cried before the Emperor for two days. In the end, the Emperor couldn’t withstand the beauty’s tears. Combined with the fact that it was right when Empress Xuanshu had passed away, the Emperor punished Jingrong by sending him to the imperial tomb to keep vigil for a year.

“Imperial Brother, I won’t cause you trouble. Can’t I just promise? I’ll just stand quietly to the side. I won’t speak, really.”

“One, two…”

Before he could count to three, Ji Yunshu spoke. “It’s getting late. We should hurry there.”

The implication was that she agreed to let Jing Xuan stay.

Jing Xuan heard the meaning and was naturally overjoyed, flashing Ji Yunshu an extremely grateful smile.

Jingrong thought it over, deliberated, and finally withdrew the hand pulling Jing Xuan.

He snorted, let down the curtain, mounted his horse, and ordered them to depart.

Inside the carriage, Jing Xuan rubbed her painfully gripped arm, complaining, “This Imperial Brother of mine gets angry at me at the drop of a hat. He’s been away for half a year. I thought his temperament might have improved, but no—he’s still this rough and volatile.”

“Have you ever offended him?” Ji Yunshu asked.

“Not at all!” She hastily denied it. “Among all my many brothers and sisters, the one I like most is Imperial Brother Jingrong. He looks cold and icy, but I know that actually, he treats me well.”

Treats you well?

And yet he broke your leg?

Could this be what people meant by that saying—if you don’t court death, you won’t die?

Just as Ji Yunshu was puzzling over this, Jing Xuan raised her eyes with a moved expression and began reminiscing.

She said, “Seven years ago, when I was only ten, a group of people from a distant clan came, saying they wanted to form a marriage alliance with the imperial family. Father Emperor discussed it with Mother and decided that after I came of age, they would send me there for a marriage alliance. Mother agreed too. When I found out, I begged Mother for a long time, but she didn’t care about my feelings at all. So I secretly left the palace and went to find Imperial Brother, asking him to help me think of something. But Imperial Brother ignored me. I pestered him for a long time, and finally, he got so angry he broke my leg.”

Pausing at this point, she actually smiled as if fortunate.

She continued, “It was precisely because Imperial Brother broke my leg that when those people from the distant clan found out, they insisted on telling Father Emperor to cancel the marriage and send Eighth Sister for the alliance instead. Although Imperial Brother broke my leg on the surface, I know he was helping me. But it caused him to keep vigil at the tomb for a year.”

A sense of guilt rose within her!

Put this way, although Jingrong’s method was too underhanded and his means too extreme, it had to be said—it worked.

Ji Yunshu gained another perspective on him in her heart.

Her eyes lowered slightly, her thoughts becoming somewhat muddled.

Jing Xuan waved her hands in front of Ji Yunshu’s eyes.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re just like my Third Imperial Brother who shares the same mother as me—you like to space out. But I don’t like him. I like you.”

Ji Yunshu’s spine went cold, her mouth paused.

The next moment, Jing Xuan’s body suddenly moved closer to her. Her beautiful eyes curved as she bit her lip and said in a teasing voice, “I see you have such delicate, tender skin—exactly what I like.”

“Princess, please conduct yourself with propriety.”

“Why should I conduct myself with propriety? If I like someone, I like them. If I don’t like someone, I don’t. Yesterday when you knelt in the great hall and forced Father Emperor to agree to opening the coffin—do you know that in the past, if anyone dared to overstep their authority and force Father Emperor, that person would certainly die? Yet your kind of boldness left even Father Emperor helpless. It’s something I’ve never seen among all the court officials, so this princess toward you…”

As she spoke, she actually extended her index finger and gently lifted Ji Yunshu’s chin.

“Fell for you at first sight!”

Ugh!

Ji Yunshu’s liver trembled violently.

First stunned, she immediately grabbed Jing Xuan’s hand and removed it from her chin.

Once again she said, “Princess, please conduct yourself with propriety!”

“I won’t. Not only that, I also want to see what your face looks like under this mask.”

She reached out to remove Ji Yunshu’s mask.

Ji Yunshu turned her body aside, her expression turning cold. “If you continue like this, I’ll have the carriage stop and have His Highness throw you out.”

Her hand paused. Jing Xuan immediately became well-behaved, pursing her lips and sitting properly.

“I was just joking with you. Why take it seriously?”

“Whether it’s a joke or real, if the Princess truly wants to know the truth about the disappearance cases, then behave yourself and don’t test others’ patience.”

“Alright, alright. At worst, I won’t bother you anymore.”

She turned her head and lifted the window curtain.

Since they were heading to the southern part of the city, there were very few people along the way. After looking for a few moments and finding it uninteresting, she sat properly again, though she kept glancing at Ji Yunshu from time to time.

As for Ji Yunshu, she was naturally “afraid” of her. She shifted slightly farther away and fastened the mask on her face more tightly.

When they arrived at Yi Zhuang, the two got out of the carriage one after the other!

Outside Yi Zhuang were all people from Jing Zhaoyin’s office. Seeing Jingrong arrive, they all bowed in greeting, completely failing to notice the now well-behaved Jing Xuan.

Ji Yunshu followed behind Jingrong as they entered. The courtyard was full of people, each one looking unwell.

Some were covering their mouths, faces flushed red.

Some even had their eyes closed, backs turned to the room!

One could imagine just how revolting that corpse must be!

Ji Yunshu cast a fierce look of contempt at these people!