Although the atmosphere in the hall was a bit strange, it didn't affect the two people hiding in the corner of the building.
On the third floor of the Yanyu building, the guests and the ladies were already dressed and went downstairs to watch the excitement.
However, the two of them bypassed the corner and quietly went to a place behind a bamboo curtain. The hanging bamboo curtain shielded their figures, making them completely invisible to those outside the curtain.
The two people were Xiao Jin and Chu Shao.
Since Xiao Jin had used an iron fist to strike Chu Shao, she no longer attempted to uncover Xiao Jin's secrets.
After seriously considering Xiao Jin's proposal, Chu Shao unexpectedly accepted it and decided to wait and see what happens, hiding behind the bamboo curtain to eavesdrop.
However, Chu Shao still had no intention of untying Xiao Jin's belt, and only brought the box of "Spring Mountain wind" with her, and held Xiao Jin as she entered the bamboo curtain.
With their breaths close to each other, she also brought a chair from the side and placed Xiao Jin on it.
Looking at Xiao Jin, who was sitting on the chair with her hands tied and her face calm, Chu Shao smiled happily, feeling that her appearance was indeed very obedient, with an anger yet to be released, and forced submission.
In fact, Chu Shao was overthinking it.
Xiao Jin was not actually angry, because she had become numb. Besides, listening to the commotion below, Su Tan seemed to be worse off than her.
So in comparison, at least she was only dying in front of Chu Shao, while Su Tan was truly in a dilemma and dying in front of everyone.
But there was one thing that was indeed tricky, because Su Tan was now sitting on the wheelchair that she had just been sitting on.
Although the wheelchair had been replaced after she arrived in Fengyang City, it was still made of ordinary green bamboo, not the purple bamboo wheelchair used in ordinary days.
The purpose was naturally to conceal the truth. This way, others would not link the ordinary green bamboo wheelchair to the Prince Yan who had lost both legs.
However, when they were on the ninth floor, Bai Zheng had already come face to face with Su Tan and knew that the wheelchair belonged to her and not Su Tan.
With Bai Zheng's cleverness, she would definitely notice the clues.
However, to Xiao Jin's surprise, she quietly listened to the commotion in the lobby upstairs and found that Bai Zheng not only intended to defend Su Tan but also actively found a way out for her.
... It was so magical. Could it be that Bai Zheng was also involved with Su Tan?
The crowd downstairs was dense, and no one spoke.
They only stared at the three people in the center of the lobby, unable to figure out what was going on.
The fourth prince frowned at Su Tan, trying to read something from her face, but she was calm and composed even sitting in a wheelchair.
In fact, he had already achieved his goal on this trip. If he stopped now, at most, he would only be scolded by the Emperor Qi.
According to reason, it was time for him to leave.
But he always felt that something had changed about Xiao Jin.
Since the moment she snatched the bride, her actions had become increasingly unpredictable.
Since he was able to get information from the Dali Temple, Xiao Jin is not stupid and must know some information as well.
With Xiao Jin's vengeful personality, if someone plotted against her in secret, she would definitely seek revenge. Therefore, regarding the assassination matter, he firmly believed that Xiao Jin would not let it go.
Thinking of this, the fourth prince moved his gaze away and looked up at the towering buildings.
He had a feeling that Xiao Jin was currently hiding in one of the chambers, lurking in the dark and observing everything.
"Thump, thump..."
Bai Zheng watched the fourth prince tap his fingers on the table with clear and powerful knocks, seemingly pondering something.
But she never cared about what Xiao Yi was thinking. She just wanted to quickly drive this person out of the Yanyu building.
After tapping the table three times, the fourth prince stopped and shook his head, saying, "She is not the person the palace is looking for."
Bai Zheng remained silent for a moment before saying coldly, "Your Highness, even if you search the entire Yanyu building, I'm afraid you won't find the person you're looking for."
Upon hearing this, the fourth prince laughed and said, "I had no intention of disturbing Miss Bai by coming here today. But since it concerns the attempted assassination of third brother, the palace must be cautious."
"Your Highness, you have already searched the building thoroughly. How much more cautious can you be?" Bai Zheng retorted.
"Miss Bai, you are mistaken. Even the most meticulous plan can have a flaw," the fourth prince looked at Bai Zheng and said slowly, "The palace guards are very careless. If a would-be assassin who intended to harm third brother slipped through the cracks, how could the palace justify it? And how could we explain it to the emperor?"
Upon hearing this, even Xiao Jin, who was sitting upstairs watching the show, couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly and thought, "You keep calling him third brother. If people didn't know any better, they would think you were close to the original owner."
In the original work(novel), although the original host didn't have many scenes, Xiao Jin had been in the world of the novel for so long that she could tell that the relationship between the male lead and the original owner was not good.
It couldn't even be said to be bad, only that they were completely unfamiliar with each other.
When someone was present, they could barely be considered to have a polite relationship. But when no one was around, they probably wouldn't even bother to say hello.
Therefore, there was no need to force a relationship.
However, the fourth prince was very eager to get close to Xiao Jin. Even when he came to the Yanyu Building to cause trouble, he had to put on the pretext of investigating the real culprit. "Miss Bai, your Yanyu Building has guests coming and going every day, and it's inevitable that there are all kinds of people mixed in. You may not even know who is involved in all of this."
The fourth prince looked young but spoke very sharply. With one sentence, he had offended all the "distinguished guests" present.
The guests all glared at him. If it weren't for the difference in status, they might have rushed up to argue with him on the spot.
Bai Zheng felt that the Fourth Prince's words were unrelated to the topic at hand, as if he deliberately wanted to offend everyone in the building. There was really something wrong with him.
She immediately retorted, "What does Your Highness plan to do? Are you going to have someone tear down my Yanyu Building?"
The Fourth Prince said slowly, "Miss Bai, don't be agitated. The palace only wants to lead a team to search the place personally."
Bai Zheng glanced at Su Tan, who was sitting in a wheelchair, took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness's actions are blatantly disregarding the laws of Qi country! I have already sent someone to report this to the officials. They will be here soon. I hope Your Highness can still justify your actions in front of them."
The Fourth Prince raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect that Bai Shangshu, the old stubborn man, would have such a smart daughter.
However, Yanyu building's situation was complicated.
He could handle it, but the Dali Temple might not have the same confidence.
Thinking of this, the fourth prince chuckled.
He stood up, adjusted his clothes, and said arrogantly, "My brother in the palace is eager to help, so naturally his words are reasonable and well-spoken."
After speaking, he gestured to the steward beside him and said, "Lao Wang, come with me to search. I don't believe that this building can make people disappear."
Seeing the guards below getting ready to charge up the stairs and flip Yanyu building upside down, Chu Shao stood behind the bamboo curtain and smiled at Xiao Jin, "Your highness, they're coming soon. Do you have any brilliant ideas?"
Xiao Jin's heart was numb because Chu Shao's words were full of expectation, which was almost written on her face.
However, she wasn't too worried. After all, in the original story, Yanyu building had a backer.
According to the current situation, someone had to come and cure the fourth prince's inexplicable madness.
Xiao Jin sat calmly in her chair and seemed unaffected, but she mysteriously said one word, "Wait."
Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin, who was trapped in the chair. She really couldn't think of what the other party could do at this point.
Like a delicate white peony, unable to walk with her legs bound by silk ribbons, where could she go?
Chu Shao was actually looking forward to seeing what unexpected move Xiao Jin would make. So she smiled slightly and asked softly, "What are you waiting for?"
"What am I waiting for?" Xiao Jin, with the air of a big shot, said lightly like all the enigmatic people, "What I'm waiting for, the princess will find out later."
Su Tan, sitting in the wheelchair, didn't know what Xiao Jin was waiting for, and Chu Shao didn't know either.
Even Xiao Jin herself was not sure what she was waiting for.
But according to the common plotline of online novels, Xiao Jin was sure that there would be some variables in this situation. However, whether it would turn out for the better or for the worse, she did not know.
At the next moment, as if to confirm Xiao Jin's words, a voice suddenly came from outside the building, "Fourth Brother, wait a moment."
The voice was gentle and calm, but when Xiao Jin heard it, her face remained unchanged, but her heart lit up with a glimmer of hope.
Someone was coming to stir things up.
The person's voice was not loud, but in the confines of the building, it was like a north wind passing by, making everyone in the hall involuntarily stiffen.
The guard climbing the stairs was frozen, almost losing his grip on his weapon. Even the usually arrogant Fourth Prince couldn't help but furrow his brow at this moment.
However, when the Fourth Prince turned around, all the displeasure between his brows and eyes turned into a smile.
He first bowed to the person standing below the hall, and then exchanged pleasantries: "Today, Yanyu building is really lively. His Highness the Crown Prince is busy with affairs, and even has the leisure to come here to enjoy himself."
Xiao Jin: "..."
Turning visiting a brothel into "enjoying himself," this second male lead is really good at speaking.
But then again, Xiao Jin was actually the most comfortable at this moment.
As a cannon fodder and the most important person involved in this incident, she was fortunate enough to sit leisurely behind the bamboo curtains and listen to the play.
Furthermore, with such a gathering of talented actors, the male lead, male second lead, female lead, and supporting actresses were all present. This magnificent scene definitely belonged to the "once in a lifetime" series.
When Xiao Jin looked up and saw Chu Shao, she noticed that she seemed to be dazed. She couldn't help feeling sorry and thought to herself, "It's a pity that the female lead didn't have a chance to appear. Otherwise, it would definitely turn into a bloody battle."
However, according to the current state of the female lead's character, it was not necessarily the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince who would fight for her, but rather...Chu Shao.
Chu Shao had no idea how excited Xiao Jin was on the inside.
When she heard the Crown Prince's voice, she frowned slightly. Even her gaze at Xiao Jin was full of confusion and bewilderment.
Because she really didn't understand why Xiao Jin knew that there was a silver needle hidden in Su Tan's bamboo tube, and why she could predict that the Crown Prince would definitely come to Yanyu building.
After a moment, a smile appeared on Chu Shao's lips.
Xiao Jin had too many mysteries about her. If she slowly unraveled them, it would actually be a fun thing.
Thinking of this, Chu Shao lowered her eyes and gently looked at Xiao Jin, asking the riddle that interested her.
Her tone was as gentle as her question, "Your highness, is the person you're waiting for the Crown Prince?"
At this point, Xiao Jin was rubbing the white silk that bound her hands against the broken armrest of the chair.
After the sharp edges cut through the silk, she answered Chu Shao's question calmly, "No."
Chu Shao quietly watched Xiao Jin move her wrist joints. After being tied up for so long, there were already some red marks on her skin.
It was like rouge smeared on peony petals, but also like blood dripping on ice crystal flowers.
She remembered the snow that was falling heavily in the past, and the song of Yao country Palace rang in her ears.
Chu Shao couldn't remember the melody anymore. The only thing she could remember was the ice crystal flower splattered with blood.
The current Xiao Jin reminded her of that ice lotus. Xiao Jin's current situation was obviously more desperate than that of the flower, but she did not seem to feel despair.
This made Chu Shao realize that perhaps there was something fragile about Xiao Jin, like snow that would quickly melt in the spring.
But in the cold winter, the sweeping frost would make the snow more vast, transforming it into unbreakable ice.
Untemptable, unshakable, it was a kind of beautiful and inviolable solidity.
Thinking of this, Chu Shao smiled at Xiao Jin and asked gently, "If not the Crown Prince, then what are you waiting for?"
The torn white silk fell to the ground, and Xiao Jin stroked the broken armrest without answering Chu Shao's question.
How could she explain it? After all, what she was waiting for was the plot.
Xiao Jin could only look up and give Chu Shao a meaningful glance.
It was just a basic operation for a transmigrator, something that the locals wouldn't understand.
...
The atmosphere in the main hall was not as relaxed as upstairs.
It was because the person who came was dressed in a python robe and a jade belt, the current Crown Prince.
When this person appeared, he was more intimidating than the hundreds of guards sent by the Ministry of Justice.
In fact, the Crown Prince Xiao Yu did lead a team of bodyguards, but these bodyguards were drawn from the Divine Machine Corps, and their momentum was much greater than that of the Fourth Prince.
He first ordered this team of people to lift the blockade of the Yanyu building, and then looked towards the Fourth Prince standing on the stairs, saying with a smile, "Fourth Brother, I didn't come here to play. I just heard that Fourth Brother has become more and more willful lately, so I came here to take a look."
The Fourth Prince had always hated the Crown Prince calling him "willful."
If it came to being willful, Xiao Jin was a thousand times more willful and a thousand times more hateful than himself. Why didn't the Crown Prince, who had a reputation for being wise, go and take care of him?
But Xiao Yu was the current Crown Prince and also his elder brother, so the Fourth Prince could only respectfully say, "Your Highness, this time it's not that I'm being willful, but there is a reason for it."
The Crown Prince smiled and asked, "What's the reason?"
Xiao Jin sat on the pavilion, boredly listening as the Fourth Prince repeated the reason for "someone reported and therefore Third Brother pursued the assassin."
Because Chu Shao was here, she didn't show any expression on her face, but she was already tired of being used as a tool by others.
If it weren't for Xiao Yu wearing a snow robe and gaining the accentuation from the system, she would definitely have questioned the Fourth Prince: does this prince need you to uphold justice?
However, the Fourth Prince unilaterally declared that he would administer justice for Xiao Jin.
Even though everyone present knew that he and Xiao Jin were at odds and that he had been robbed of his bride by Xiao Jin just a few days ago.
But as long as his tone was serious enough and his face thick enough, even if no one believed him, the Fourth Prince could still perform on his own."
However, after he finished his performance, the Crown Prince looked at the Fourth Prince and casually said, "Fourth brother, I appreciate your intentions, but the matter of the third brother is naturally the responsibility of the Grand Court. You need not concern yourself."
He paused and looked at the guards surrounding Yanyu Building, speaking frankly, "Exaggerated."
Although Xiao Jin thought the Crown Prince's evaluation of the Fourth Prince was spot on, she didn't expect Bai Zheng to burst out laughing.
Bai Zheng, who had always aspired to be the Crown Prince's consort, now saw the man she had been searching for, but she showed no signs of shyness as a young girl would.
She only bowed to the Crown Prince and smiled, "Many thanks to Your Highness for leading your troops to break the siege of Yanyu Building. I am grateful."
The Crown Prince turned his gaze to Bai Zheng, nodded, and said, "Miss Bai is very courteous. The fourth brother is my only sibling, and he has caused offense today. I hope Miss Bai will bear with him."
Bai Zheng smiled, "With the presence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince, I will naturally be accommodating."
Xiao Jin: "..."
She couldn't help rubbing her forehead. Why did Bai Zheng bring her into the conversation again? Being innocently implicated was bad enough, but now she was afraid Bai Zheng was purposely trying to provoke her enemies.
The guests now looked at Bai Zheng with admiration. Even the discerning eye could see that the Crown Prince's words were only a polite gesture, but Bai Zheng was genuine and went along with it."
Not only did she claim to be willing to "bear the burden" of a prince of a country, but she also put the Crown Prince's face after that of the Prince Yan. She was indeed a heroine among women, daring to say anything.
The Fourth Prince, who was "burdened" for no reason, was somewhat depressed. He could understand the Crown Prince disciplining him, but where did Bai Zheng get the confidence to "bear the burden" of him?
The Fourth Prince wanted to speak out, but then he remembered Bai Zheng mentioning Xiao Jin and Xiao Yu just now. If he got angry now, it would inevitably lead to gossip.
It was only then that he realized that Bai Zheng was not simple. The words she said seemed reckless, but if he really wanted to criticize her, he would fall into her trap.
After all, Bai Zheng had "borne the burden" of him in front of the Crown Prince and the Prince Yan. If he ridiculed Bai Zheng again, he would be disrespecting the Crown Prince and the Prince Yan.
Helpless, the Fourth Prince could only swallow his anger and remain silent.
The Crown Prince looked at Bai Zheng and laughed, then bowed and said, "Then, I will thank Miss Bai on behalf of the Fourth Brother."
Bai Zheng dared not accept the Crown Prince's gesture of thanks, and immediately returned the gesture, saying, "This humble woman dare not... but if the Fourth Prince must thank someone, it should be the Prince Yan."
The Crown Prince was stunned for a moment, but he saw Bai Zheng lift her head, look around the building, and then say softly, "When I was young, during the hunting in the grassland, Your Highness saved my life. Perhaps you think it's nothing, and you've long since forgotten about it, but I still remember your kindness."
Hidden behind the bamboo curtain, Xiao Jin remained silent.
She really didn't expect that even though she stayed outside of the scene, she could still be involved. She also didn't expect that the original owner, a cannon fodder who was supposed to be killed off after only three chapters, had saved the third female lead, Bai Zheng.
Listening to Bai Zheng's words, she had a feeling that the other party knew who she was and was deliberately speaking to her.
Chu Shao obviously noticed this too, so she gently lifted the cover of the Spring Mountain wind in her hand, and with a smile said to Xiao Jin, "It seems that your highness has more than one debt of love to pay off."
"..."
Xiao Jin fell silent. She could barely understand why the original owner had left her with an inexplicable debt, but she couldn't quite understand the last sentence.
So she slowly asked, "What other debt?"
Chu Shao moved her fingertip slightly, and the clear fragrance of Spring Mountain wind lingered inside the bamboo curtain, like the misty rain and fog rising from a mountain stream.
In the hazy mist, a smile appeared on the corner of her lips, and the teardrop mole under her eye was so passionate that it was almost dazzling.
"Your highness claimed to have fallen in love with me when she kidnapped me, saying that she would only marry me in this lifetime. I believed you at the time, so I, too, am a debt of love owed to you, your highness."
"Don't you remember?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: First chapter is out, delayed by the holiday, the next chapter is still being written and will be released tomorrow!
Also, happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Thanks to all the little angels who voted for me or provided nourishing nutrients between 23:57:44 on February 12, 2022, and 23:59:34 on February 14, 2022!
TO BE CONTINUE...