The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 171 Pursuit

Jingrou, being young, glanced anxiously towards the door. Prince Qing and Princess Qing exchanged a look, and then Princess Qing quickly lay down, pretending to be unconscious.

Without a word, Zhang Zhiji, who was outside the door, was about to push the door open when Prince Qing opened it from the inside. His face was gloomy, and he said disdainfully, "What, is Lord Zhang afraid that I will run away?"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, but I was worried about the Princess Consort's condition, so I specially invited the imperial physician to take a look." After Zhang Zhiji finished speaking, he said to a middle-aged man behind him, "Imperial Physician Hu, please take a look at Princess Consort Qing."

"Yes."

Looking at the sealed-off Prince Qing's residence, Physician Hu sighed inwardly. He hadn't checked the almanac before leaving the palace today, and had been brought here by the Ministry of Justice as soon as he stepped out of the palace gates.

Just as Physician Hu was about to step forward, he heard Prince Qing shout, "Wait!"

"My royal physician has examined her; the princess is weak and has fallen into a deep sleep. She must not be disturbed!"

"If you go in now and disturb the Princess, and something happens to the royal heir, can you bear the responsibility?"

Zhang Zhiji knew that Prince Qing was cunning, so he gritted his teeth and said respectfully, "Since that's the case, then I would like to trouble Your Highness to find the hairpin. I will have an explanation and be able to clear Your Highness's name."

Prince Qing knew that Zhang Zhiji wouldn't give up until he got to the bottom of things, so he said, "The items are kept by the Princess Consort, but now that the Princess Consort is unconscious, I don't know where they are either."

"Why don't we wait until the princess wakes up before making any plans?"

Zhang Zhiji knew that Prince Qing was stalling for time, so he simply said, "In that case, there's no need to trouble the Princess."

Before Prince Qing could feel smug, Zhang Zhiji continued, "Then this humble official will conduct the search personally."

“You…” Prince Qing was furious.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will instruct them to be careful and not damage a single tree or blade of grass in the palace."

"Zhang Zhiji!" Prince Qing shouted angrily.

"Your humble servant is here." Zhang Zhiji ignored Prince Qing's anger and remained calm and composed.

Prince Qing walked up to Zhang Zhiji and said sarcastically, "You may not hold a high official position, but you are quite capable. No wonder your wife and children were targeted for revenge and didn't even have a complete corpse."

Even though Zhang Zhiji was known as the cold-faced devil, his expression changed slightly at this moment, but only for a moment. He suppressed his anger and said sternly, "Men, investigate!"

Night had fallen, but the Prince Qing's mansion was still brightly lit.

……

royal palace.

Emperor Jing, unusually, did not review memorials late at night, but simply sat idly.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest." Only Eunuch Wei would dare to disturb Emperor Jing while he was thinking.

"Weinian." Emperor Jing's voice sounded somewhat weary.

"The slave is here."

"Today, the Empress Dowager sent people to invite me several times." This seemingly casual inquiry reveals a deep-seated devotion to maternal love, despite his falling out with the Empress Dowager.

Wei Nian's eyes showed worry. "Your Majesty, it happened five times in total."

Emperor Jing didn't say anything after hearing this, but then asked, "How is Prince Qing doing?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has taken care of it."

Emperor Jing glanced at Wei Nian, his fingers tapping on the chair, seemingly deep in thought.

……

Yongfu Palace.

The night was deep, but Jing Anle still couldn't sleep. The women in the inner palace only knew that Emperor Jing had ordered the Prince's residence to be placed under house arrest, but they didn't know what was actually happening inside.

In addition, Mu Ping noticed that the Empress Dowager was behaving strangely today, so she went out of the palace to investigate.

Jing Anle gazed at the bright moon outside the window and murmured to herself, "Mother, are you doing well over there?"

As soon as she finished speaking, an autumn wind swept in, and Jing Anle unconsciously tucked her cloak in. Suddenly, she heard the sound of leaves rustling outside the window.

"Who?" Jing Anle instantly became alert and hurriedly took a few steps back.

In just a moment, with a "whoosh," a black figure stood in front of him.

"It's you."

Jing Anle looked up and, by the moonlight, could make out the appearance of the person who had come.

"I heard you're not feeling well," the man said in a low, gentle voice.

"Crown Prince Xiao!" Jing Anle's tone was unfriendly. She was burdened with hatred, and coupled with the death of Consort Yu, Jing Anle was in a very bad mood.

"Crown Prince Xiao is a carefree nobleman who can come and go as he pleases. But I have no time for romantic strolls with you here. Please leave."

After saying that, Jing Anle turned around, looking like she wanted to shoo him away.

Xiao Heng felt a pang of inexplicable heartache; he knew there must be something wrong.

"Anle!" he called softly, his tone gentle yet helpless.

"You know I'm worried about you."

Xiao Heng watched her retreating figure, his eyes darkening slightly. "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Jing Anle was taken aback, a warm current flashing through her body, but it was only for a moment. She bit her lip and softened her tone, saying, "You will eventually have to go back."

She didn't want Xiao Heng to get involved, and she was also afraid that Xiao Heng would become the second Murong Peifeng.

"Anle!"

A hint of joy flashed in Xiao Heng's voice. He turned to Jing Anle and said excitedly, "You have me in your heart!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!?"

Jing Anle felt a mix of shame and anger, so she simply turned her back on him again.

"Anle, I'm serious. You know how I feel. No matter what, I'm willing to share your burden."

In the darkness, Xiao Heng's eyes shone brightly, twinkling like stars. As their eyes met, Jing Anle tried to discern something within them, but it seemed to hold nothing but sincerity.

Those eyes were so intense, so sincere, that Jing Anle almost fell into them.

"Anle..."

The hazy moonlight softened Jing Anle's aloofness, and her features were deeply imprinted in Xiao Heng's heart. From her eyebrows, eyes to her nose, and finally settling on her cherry-like lips.

Xiao Heng couldn't help but lower his head, wanting to touch that soft spot.

Jing Anle was as if possessed, unable to move her entire body. Even in her previous life, when she was obsessed with Murong Peifeng, the two had never been so intimate.

She felt her heart pounding, and her cheeks flushed involuntarily. Just as Xiao Heng was about to touch her, she dodged to the side.

The air was filled with a romantic yet awkward atmosphere.

"Xiao Heng!"

Jing Anle shouted out his full name in shame and indignation.

A cool breeze blew by, and the two of them finally came to their senses. Xiao Heng's ears also turned slightly red. He knew that this was a young girl's shyness.

"Just call me Aheng," he said softly.

Jing Anle felt annoyed; she had almost become obsessed. She had previously wondered if the hairpin incident was related to Xiao Heng, but now it seemed she had worried unnecessarily.

She turned around and looked at Xiao Heng's face, a face of unparalleled handsomeness, yet devoid of any artificiality. His smile was like a gentle breeze and a bright moon, soothing the heart.

Jing Anle almost forgot that this crown prince also had a powerful force behind him.

Rather than...