Chapter 358: Framed

Chapter 358: Framed

Not to mention, with such a big incident happening at the marquis's residence today, and Madam Ji having ratted him out, Ji Nanchuan's mood couldn't possibly get any worse!

Meng Shi was scared stiff of him, but she forced herself to stay calm and said, "I'm not afraid of you, Marquis. I was just wondering who could have beaten Qing Qing like this?"

Ji Nanchuan released her hand and snorted coldly. "Hmph, now that Qing Qing has become the Crown Princess, who would be the most jealous and scared?"

Meng Shi gasped in shock, "You mean Ji Yuntang, Marquis?"

"Who else could it be?!" Ji Nanchuan flung his sleeve violently, his face especially dark.

"She's never been able to stand seeing Qing Qing do well. Now that she's solidly locked in her position as Princess Ye, how could she possibly be willing to let Qing Qing become the Crown Princess and outshine her?"

"I just never expected her to use such despicable means, trying to ruin a woman's face."

"Back then, when you and I swapped her for Qing Qing, it was precisely because we liked the look of Qing Qing's face. She was so cute and pretty from a young age, just pleasing to look at."

"Unlike Ji Yuntang, whose face has been downright ugly since childhood, enough to make you sick."

Meng Shi's eyes were bloodshot as she clenched her teeth and said, "Ji Yuntang is absolutely vicious!"

"Thankfully Qing Qing is okay. If anything had happened to her, I would have grabbed a knife and gone after Ji Yuntang right away."

Ji Nanchuan's eyes narrowed. He walked over and shut the door first, then said to Meng Shi, "That's stupid. If you killed Ji Yuntang, wouldn't that be poking a hornet's nest for our marquis's residence? We need to plan this carefully."

"That Taoist master I asked you to invite earlier—have you invited him yet?"

Meng Shi nodded. "I went to Baiyun Temple early this morning to invite Master Yuqing. He agreed to come down from the mountain tomorrow morning and enter the palace with the Marquis."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something, and her expression changed.

"However, that Master Yuqing is quite greedy. I gave him a hundred thousand taels in silver notes and he still wasn't satisfied, even hiking the price to a hundred and fifty thousand taels."

"He said this was a job that could cost him his head, and that without enough silver, he wouldn't enter the palace. I think he's just trying to fleece the marquis's residence."

Ji Nanchuan said in a deep voice, "Spending some silver is no big deal. As long as he can get the job done, what's the big deal if we give him a hundred and fifty thousand taels?"

As he spoke, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes. "Besides, even if he takes the banknotes, he may not be able to keep this windfall. How many times have we seen people who get the money but don't live to spend it?"

With the unspoken understanding of a long-married couple, Meng Shi immediately caught his meaning.

He planned to have Master Yuqing finish the job, then kill him to keep him quiet, and take back the banknotes.

Because only the dead can keep a secret forever.

Meanwhile, back at the Prince Ye's mansion.

After Ji Yuntang returned in Wang Sheng's carriage, she discovered that Luo Junhe and Chen Hu still hadn't come back.

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry.

"Didn't the Prince leave before me? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

Wang Sheng said, "How about I go out and look for them?"

Ji Yuntang furrowed her brow slightly. "I'd better go myself."

She really couldn't relax about Luo Junhe's safety.

"Then I'll go get the carriage."

Wang Sheng stopped the carriage at the entrance, and as Ji Yuntang got in, she reminded him, "Go slowly and keep an eye out for their carriage."

She kept an eye on both sides of the street as they traveled.

Finally, after Wang Sheng had driven around three streets and two canals, Ji Yuntang spotted Luo Junhe's carriage.

"Wang Sheng, stop the carriage."

It was an unremarkable black carriage with no decoration on the outside, completely unnoticeable among the other carriages.

But it was precisely the carriage Luo Junhe had been using lately.

Ji Yuntang stared at the carriage for a moment but didn't see Chen Hu anywhere. She guessed that Chen Hu and Luo Junhe must be nearby.

Or perhaps they were sitting in the carriage.

But Ji Yuntang couldn't understand why Luo Junhe hadn't come home.

Just then, Wang Sheng's voice suddenly rang out, sounding a bit awkward.

"Are you misunderstanding something, Princess? The Prince isn't like that."

Ji Yuntang: "???"

Before she could even process the meaning of Wang Sheng's words, she heard him continue, "Although the Prince doesn't say much, everyone in the Prince Ye's residence knows that the only person he loves deep down is the Princess. He would never betray you."

Ji Yuntang: "..."

She furrowed her brow slightly, feeling that Wang Sheng's words were more and more strange.

Weren't they supposed to be looking for Luo Junhe?

Ji Yuntang pulled back the carriage curtain and stuck her head out to look, only to discover that the carriage had stopped in front of Qianxiang Tower.

And Qianxiang Tower, as the name implied, was a brothel—a place where men went for fun.

However, it was different from other brothels because it wasn't as vulgar; it was renowned for its "elegance."

The women there didn't parade around at the entrance in revealing clothes like those in other brothels.

On the contrary, they all had talents and musical skills, which they used to entertain and attract guests.

Generally, those who came here were high-ranking officials.

After Ji Yuntang understood Wang Sheng's meaning, she found it both amusing and exasperating.

"Do you think I don't trust the Prince?"

Wang Sheng didn't say anything.

After all, with the carriage stopped in front of Qianxiang Tower, anyone would misunderstand.

Ji Yuntang laughed. "The Prince has a wife as beautiful as a flower—me—and he'd come here to find other women? Unless a donkey kicked him in the head!"

Wang Sheng: "..."

He thought about it and figured Ji Yuntang made a good point.

At that moment, Luo Junhe, who had a screw loose, sat in the carriage and let out a big sneeze.

It startled Chen Hu, who had been dozing beside him, fully awake. "Your Highness, are the rebels attacking?"

"I thought I heard war drums."

Luo Junhe glanced at him and said, barely moving his lips, "The rebels haven't attacked, but the Crown Prince is probably about to show his face!"

Chen Hu rubbed his nose, looking a bit embarrassed. "Your Highness, my bad, I was dreaming!"

Luo Junhe ignored him and picked up the slingshot from the small table.

This was the one Ji Yuntang had taken off Ji Zihang's attendant yesterday.

She'd just left it in the carriage yesterday.

And today, Luo Junhe just happened to grab it.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng asked Ji Yuntang, "Your Highness, I think I just saw the Prince's carriage shift. Would you like to go down and take a look?"

Ji Yuntang said calmly, "No need, let's just stay put!"

She was now almost certain that Luo Junhe was in the carriage!

She wanted to see just what he was planning.

Luo Junhe was waiting for the Crown Prince to come out, while Ji Yuntang was waiting for Luo Junhe to make a move.

Each sat in their own carriage, both perfectly calm and collected.

Before long, Luo Jingshen, dressed in a luxurious jade-colored robe, staggered out, clearly drunk!

He had two alluring beauties in his arms, their fair skin peeking through sheer veils.

The beauties pouted their rosy lips, dripping with flirtatious charm, "Your Highness, after you marry the Crown Princess, will you still come to see Xiang'er? Xiang'er truly can't bear to part with you~"

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