Chapter 267: Framed and Manipulated

Chapter 267: Framed and Set Up

Jiang Shuning saw the undisguised murderous intent in Xiao Lingchuan's eyes.

Even though she knew that Jiang Tianze was not related to her by blood, she still couldn't bear to see the young man who had been calling her "Big Sister" for so long die at Xiao Lingchuan's hands.

She forced out the words: "This... cannot be entirely blamed on Tianze. Perhaps I failed to maintain proper boundaries when interacting with him, which led to his misunderstanding... You promised me you wouldn't make things difficult for him. Moreover, my parents still don't know about his background. If word of this spreads..."

"Enough!" Xiao Lingchuan cut her off coldly, his tone harsh. "If you want to plead for him, don't bother! He's just a bastard son of the Nanyue Emperor. What a waste it would be to kill him! Rest assured, I'll keep him alive—I have use for him!"

Jiang Shuning's brows twitched, and a sense of unease rose in her heart. She asked tentatively, "You... want to use him to deal with the Nanyue Emperor?"

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Xiao Lingchuan's lips curled into a meaningful cold smile. He slowly raised his hand, his slender fingers lightly brushing her cheek, the gesture seemingly gentle but carrying a disturbing, invasive quality.

Jiang Shuning instinctively turned away from his touch, saying coldly, "If the Nanyue Emperor truly cared about Tianze and Third Aunt, how could he have let them scrape by in Daye for so many years? Your Highness may find that even using Tianze won't necessarily let you get a handle on the Nanyue Emperor."

"Who said I want to use Jiang Tianze to control the Nanyue Emperor?" Xiao Lingchuan's expression turned dark, a chilling light flashing in his eyes. "What I want is for him to personally kill that old bastard!"

Jiang Shuning's heart jolted at his words. "You... want Tianze to commit patricide?"

"Naturally." Xiao Lingchuan's eyes grew even more fierce, as if endless resentment surged beneath them, his tone carrying a bone-chilling coldness. "In this world, aside from my imperial father, the person I hate the most is Hua Liancheng!"

He paused, his gaze shifting slightly, as if lost in some dark memory.

"If it weren't for Hua Liancheng's insistent demands back then, the then-emperor of Nanyue would not have married off his only daughter to Daye, nor would he have sent so many Nanyue tribute women. Before my mother was sent to Daye, she was already pregnant with her fiancé's child. Hua Liancheng swore to her that he would bring her back to Nanyue as soon as possible. But she waited in the Daye palace year after year, and finally died in endless despair..."

Hearing him speak of these dusty past events, Jiang Shuning's heart tightened, as if gripped by something.

Xiao Lingchuan grew up in the cold palace, enduring hardships beyond ordinary imagination, which explains why he developed such a ruthless and venomous heart.

She instinctively clenched her fists, a bold and unsettling speculation forming in her mind—Xiao Lingchuan's mother was likely one of those Nanyue tribute women, and the Nanyue Emperor Hua Liancheng might be his biological father.

She hesitated for a moment, then probed, "So, Your Highness and Tianze... are brothers?"

"So what if we are?" Xiao Lingchuan's expression darkened. "Does being brothers mean he can covet my woman? Not killing him is already the greatest face I'm giving him!"

Jiang Shuning's lips twitched, speechless inwardly: "..." Who's discussing that with you?

She took a deep breath, suppressing the absurdity in her heart, and carefully chose her words: "...Since you are brothers, isn't it a bit... unfeeling for Your Highness to incite him to commit patricide?"

"I never incited him to commit patricide." A glint of cunning and coldness flashed in Xiao Lingchuan's eyes, his tone casual yet laced with murderous intent. "I merely told him to do his utmost to become the Crown Prince of Nanyue. If his ambition is great enough to ascend to the throne of Nanyue, I might even think highly of him!"

Jiang Shuning felt a chill run down her spine, a cold dread rising in her heart.

What kind of character would incite one's own brother to kill his father and seize the throne?

She had thought that, when facing his own biological father, Xiao Lingchuan would at least have some restraint, showing a little mercy.

But she had overthought it; he was simply a completely cold-blooded and ruthless person!

—

Because the matter of Jiang Tianze had diverted Xiao Lingchuan's attention, he temporarily stopped investigating Jiang Shuning's attempt to escape the Jing Prince's manor.

Naturally, Cui Zhilan was not implicated in any way.

She spent a few days in the Cangjin Pavilion in a state of anxiety, her heart always uneasy, until she received a note sent by Liu Ye on behalf of Jiang Shuning.

The elegant handwriting on the note read: "Concubine Cui, I have conveyed your wish to leave the manor and go to Nanyang to His Highness Prince Ning. I believe he will soon arrange for someone to take you away. For now, I am still unable to break free from the shackles of the Jing Prince's manor. I will trouble you to experience the freedom of the Jiangnan water towns on my behalf!"

Seeing the concern in these lines, Cui Zhilan's lips involuntarily curled into a bitter smile.

Jiang Shuning indeed acted out of good intentions. This private escape had not implicated anyone—neither herself, nor her cousin Xiao Huaijin, nor the entire Cui family.

But she didn't know that the reason she had become Concubine Cui of the Jing Prince's manor was actually because she had made an unavoidable deal with her cousin Xiao Huaijin.

As long as Jiang Shuning did not leave the Jing Prince's manor, she herself could not obtain true freedom, trapped in a prison she couldn't escape.

"Oh well." Cui Zhilan murmured to herself, her gaze falling on the note, a mix of helplessness and bitterness in her eyes. "Miss Ning is kind-hearted; she is worth my staying in the Jing Prince's manor to protect her for my cousin."

She sighed lightly, carefully putting away the note. Though unwilling, a trace of determination arose in her heart—since she had come this far, she would have to see this bitter deal through to the end.

In another room of the Cangjin Pavilion, someone was secretly counting the days, plotting the right time to scheme against Jiang Shuning.

Wang Bishan's cousin Wang Qi had already planted people in the Jing Prince's manor, but protecting Jiang Shuning in the manor were not only Xiao Lingchuan but also Ling Wu, who guarded her constantly and never left her side.

This girl was not only exceptionally vigilant but also skilled in martial arts, no easy target; making a move was as difficult as reaching the sky.

Fortunately, her sister-in-law Jiang Yaozhen offered her a plan, suggesting she unite with other secondary consorts to help, find a way to frame Ling Wu with a crime, and find an excuse to temporarily imprison her, thus paving the way for the subsequent plan.

Wang Bishan thought it over and finally chose Huo Xianyue as her accomplice.

That day, they calculated that Xiao Lingchuan was tied up with court affairs and would not be able to return to the manor for a short time, so they secretly arranged things: first, they ordered their own maids to go to the main courtyard, under the pretext of organizing the courtyard's affairs, to bring back a precious potted plant personally planted by Jiang Shuning to their own courtyard. Then they sent someone to inform Ling Wu, asking her to personally move the potted plant back to its original place.

After Ling Wu moved the potted plant back, Wang Bishan and Huo Xianyue claimed that a valuable gold hairpin had been lost in the courtyard, and accused Ling Wu of being the thief with great certainty, forcing the steward to step in and administer justice.

When had Ling Wu ever suffered such humiliation?

She was immediately furious; if not for her status, she would have resorted to violence on the spot.

Seeing this, the steward quickly stopped her, shouting sternly to try to calm the situation.

Although he knew Ling Wu was a trusted confidant specially arranged by Xiao Lingchuan to be by Jiang Shuning's side, the prince was not currently in the manor. Regarding manor affairs, the authority of the secondary consorts should be the greatest, so he had to show them some respect.

"Concubine Wang, Concubine Huo, you claim Miss Ling Wu stole something. Do you have concrete evidence?" the steward asked.

Wang Bishan said loudly, "My maidservant saw it with her own eyes—Ling Wu secretly hid the gold hairpin in her own room! If the steward doesn't believe me, go search her room thoroughly and see if I have wronged her!"

Ling Wu's brows twitched, and a strong sense of unease surged in her heart.

Although she didn't know what trick the other side was playing, her intuition told her that the gold hairpin had likely been hidden in her room; today's events were clearly a deliberate frame-up.

Sure enough, the steward, following orders, took people to search Ling Wu's room. He turned over the pillow and saw the gold hairpin clearly hidden underneath, in such an obvious position that it was simply absurd.

Seeing this, a cold gleam of triumph flashed in Wang Bishan's eyes. She immediately spoke with righteous indignation: "See, I told you she stole it! The evidence is right before you. What else can she argue?"

Ling Wu's face turned livid with anger, and she gritted her teeth, "You are clearly deliberately framing me! If I really wanted a gold hairpin, the princess could reward me with hundreds or thousands of them—what difficulty would that be? Why would I steal this piece of junk from you? Besides, who would be stupid enough to hide stolen goods under their own pillow? If I really wanted to hide it, why wouldn't I hide it on the roof beam? I have martial arts skills anyway, no one would find it!"

Wang Bishan sneered, "The evidence is conclusive, and you still want to deny it! This maidservant is truly lawless and unruly! Someone, seize her and give her twenty strokes of the cane as a warning!"

Hearing this, the steward's face changed, and he quickly waved his hand to stop her: "Concubine Wang, absolutely not! The truth of this matter has not yet been determined. How can we rashly administer punishment? In my humble opinion, this matter needs to be reported to the prince. Let him decide after he returns to the manor!"

Wang Bishan was waiting for this exact sentence.

She nodded reluctantly, saying in a deep voice, "Very well, then lock this maidservant in the woodshed first, waiting for the prince's judgment! Before the prince returns, she is to be given no food!"

The steward could only turn to Ling Wu and console her: "Miss Ling Wu, please endure the injustice and go to the woodshed for now. When the prince returns to the manor, he will ensure justice for you."

"Fine, I'll go!" Ling Wu's eyes were full of defiance and anger. "I have a clear conscience and am not afraid of false accusations. I don't believe the prince won't see through this shoddy framing trick!"

With that, she fearlessly followed the steward to the woodshed.

After Ling Wu was taken away, Wang Bishan and Huo Xianyue exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with barely concealed excitement and smugness.

Finally, the most capable guard by Jiang Shuning's side was temporarily removed, and the next part of the plan could proceed without any hindrance!