Chapter 136: Ji Lingchuan, you have quite a peculiar taste, don’t you?

Chapter 136: Ji Lingchuan, you have quite a peculiar taste, don't you?

Chu Li, who was struggling with Ji Lingchuan, froze and suddenly turned her head, her gaze falling on the neck of the woman in the bamboo house, where she indeed saw a protrusion.

Her thoughts raced for a moment, and her gaze slowly turned to Ji Lingchuan. She gritted her teeth and said, "Ji Lingchuan, you have quite a peculiar taste, don't you?"

Knowing she had been fooled, how could Chu Li not be angry?

Ji Lingchuan offered a guilty smile, "How could that be? My taste is quite refined and will never change in my lifetime."

Chu Li rolled her eyes at him, her anger still evident.

But suddenly, she decided against making a scene, at least not in the Crown Prince’s palace, lest others laugh at her.

But she still had to vent her anger: "The Crown Prince's spring banquet is quite the spectacle, with genders indistinguishable and men and women mixed up. Could it be that the palace also keeps male courtesans?"

The Crown Prince: "..."

Once again disappointed, the Crown Prince's anger was about to boil over. Being questioned like this by Chu Li only added to his fury: "Miss Chu, as the daughter of a duke, how can you act so unbecomingly?"

"Isn't it because I have seen so little and am shocked by the absurdities of the Crown Prince’s palace?"

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth: "Sharp-tongued."

As he spoke, he glanced coldly at the Crown Prince's consort. Her methods were quite sophisticated, and over the years, she had used them to win over many officials. But when it came to He An and Ji Lingchuan, they often went wrong, which was truly disappointing.

Chu Li had no desire to engage in a verbal spar with the Crown Prince. She picked up her whip and rushed into the bamboo house: "I won't be content until I vent my anger today. Your Highness won't stop me from helping you deal with your servants, will you?"

Then, muffled groans emanated from the bamboo house, and later, the cries grew even more pitiful, likely after the gag was removed.

Outside the bamboo house, He An and Ji Lingchuan were playing off each other.

"General Ji, care to explain what's going on?"

Ji Lingchuan looked remorseful: "It's a complicated matter. I had a bit too much to drink and was meandering around the palace when I noticed two men dressed as women sneaking around, so I followed them."

As he spoke, he observed the expressions of the Crown Prince and his consort. Though they remained composed, the Crown Prince's interlocked fingers turned white, clearly showing unease.

The Crown Prince, however, managed to maintain his composure.

"Then I found that they went to the western corner courtyard. Concerned that they might be up to something nefarious, I followed them and found the courtyard filled with piles of yellow soil. That's when I realized they seemed to be digging a pit, or perhaps filling one."

Digging a pit?

Filling a pit?

The officials were taken aback.

The Crown Prince: "Nonsense, they must be tending to the grounds. That corner courtyard is usually used for planting, and with spring sowing approaching, it needs to be prepared."

"Is that so?" Ji Lingchuan looked innocent and puzzled: "But the pile of soil is as tall as a house. What does Your Highness plan to plant?"

The Crown Prince's expression became increasingly uneasy. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he made, so he had to change the subject and glanced at the bamboo house: "Since the person has been found, Miss Chu's anger should have subsided. It's all a misunderstanding. Let's return to the front courtyard."

The Crown Prince did not move: "Your Highness, don't be in such a hurry. Even if these two are servants of the palace, dressing as women suggests they are up to no good. We must not be careless. Let's take them and question them thoroughly to avoid future trouble."

"Besides, General Ji mentioned that they were sneaking around the western corner courtyard. Let's go and take a look."

The Crown Prince turned to leave but was stopped by the Crown Prince: "In the palace, such petty thefts are not uncommon. After the banquet, I will personally interrogate them."

**

As they left the Crown Prince’s palace, Chu Li, in full view of everyone, yanked Ji Lingchuan by the ear and boarded the carriage.

The officials shook their heads in disapproval, wondering how a national hero could be so henpecked. What kind of example does this set?

As they bid farewell, the prime minister trailed closely behind his wife, explaining what had just happened.

Inside the carriage, Ruan Qinghuan questioned, "You know Chu Li’s temper well, so why didn’t you tell her your plan beforehand?"

"My lady, you see, I didn’t want to get involved in this matter. Ji Lingchuan was the one who insisted on testing Chu Li’s feelings like this. You know she’s been unsure about their relationship ever since coming back from Lu City. He was scared."

"But that doesn’t make it right, does it?"

He An frowned, looking troubled. "I didn’t want to get involved either, but recently, Chu Li’s cousin, Feng Yi, has been writing a lot lately. Ji Lingchuan couldn’t think of any other way, so he used the spring banquet at the Crown Prince’s palace to pull this stunt."

"Chu Li’s your best friend, and Lingchuan’s my sworn brother. If it weren’t for them, why would I bother?"

He An tried to explain, inching closer to her cautiously. "My lady, can you stop being mad?"

He An’s personality was no secret. If it weren’t for Ji Lingchuan, with his usual cool attitude, he’d never have played matchmaker.

Moreover, today’s events showed just how cunning he was. Though he seemed to just nudge things along, in reality, he only said one thing.

That was when he suddenly mentioned that Ji Lingchuan had gone to the eastern pavilion.

One sentence was all it took to blow things up, leaving the Crown Prince hopeful, making Chu Li furious, and getting the officials curious.

All of this was just to uncover the secret in the western courtyard.

After Pei Chong’s failure, Jiang Jie wouldn’t dare hide the secret tunnel. But the Emperor stayed quiet, and no one dared guess what he was thinking.

The Crown Prince had no choice but to seal the Pei family’s tunnel at this crucial time.

He An’s move was meant to block this escape route.

With so many officials around, the Crown Prince’s excuse about spring planting wouldn’t fool anyone. Simply refilling the tunnel wouldn’t resolve the predicament. He would have to enter the palace and confess the matter to the Emperor.

**

"You’ve become increasingly useless."

The Crown Prince pressed forward step by step, while the Crown Prince’s consort retreated in fear. "Your Highness, I prepared everything meticulously for today’s event. There should not have been such a mistake."

"Are you referring to He An’s wine?"

Hearing this, the Crown Prince’s consort’s eyes narrowed.

The Crown Prince sneered and threw out a handkerchief, which was clearly soaked and reeked of alcohol. "The wine you prepared is all here."

"How is this possible? I clearly saw him drink it!"

A sharp slap echoed as the Crown Prince’s consort was struck and fell by the bedside, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

The Crown Prince’s menacing gaze was terrifying. She hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, spare me! This time it was my oversight. I will find another way."

The Crown Prince was consumed by rage. Twice, he had been outmaneuvered by He An and the Crown Prince, and the feeling of failure tormented him, fueling his fury.

He had hoped to use today’s event to completely sever the relationship between He An and the Crown Prince.

Instead, not only did the plan fail, but the matter of the secret tunnel was brought to light once again.

The Crown Prince’s consort knew what he was worried about. Struggling to her feet, she poured a cup of tea. "Your Highness, there’s no need to worry. Since Her Majesty has agreed to assist you, the chances of success are still high."

The Crown Prince glanced at her and sneered, "Don’t bring Her Majesty into this. You know very well that the He family’s status was given to you by Her Majesty, but it’s still a false one. If anything goes wrong again, you’ll end up like your father…"

The Crown Prince’s consort: "..."