Chapter 584: Qing Feng Injured

Chapter 584: Qing Feng Injured

"Grandmother's medicine money is borrowed by Father from outside. Forget a hundred thousand taels of silver—even a thousand taels, we can't come up with right now."

When Ji Qingqing heard this, her heart sank into complete despair.

Of her three older brothers, Ji Qingfeng had always been the nicest to her.

She had hoped that Ji Qingfeng would find a way to rescue her.

Now it seemed like it was all just wishful thinking on her part.

The Marquis's household was huge and rich—she didn't buy for a second that they had to borrow money for medicine.

But now she believed that in their eyes, she wasn't even worth a thousand taels of silver.

Ji Qingqing looked at Ji Qingfeng with desperate eyes. "Second Brother, are you really not going to save me?"

Ji Qingfeng opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

After a long while, he finally spoke. "Qing Qing, I'm sorry. I can't go against Father, and I don't dare do anything that would defy the Marquis's household."

"It's getting late. I need to head back. Eat the food while it's hot—I'll come see you another day."

With that said, he prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to step out of the cell, a sharp pain suddenly hit him from behind.

Ji Qingfeng let out a muffled groan. He lowered his head and realized a knife was sticking out of his chest.

The blade had sunk in extremely deep. His white brocade robe was instantly stained crimson with blood, patterns blooming like red plum blossoms.

The red against the white was a striking, blinding contrast.

Ji Qingfeng's body trembled from the pain. His lips grew paler and paler, and he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

As his body lost more and more blood, he couldn't hold on any longer. Clutching his chest, he collapsed to the ground.

Ji Qingfeng looked at Ji Qingqing, his eyes full of hurt and disbelief.

"Wh... why?"

Ji Qingqing stared coldly at him, a hint of madness showing through her gaunt, haggard face.

With a vicious look on her face, she said, "Why? You have the nerve to ask me why?"

"Isn't my downfall all because of you?"

Ji Qingfeng frowned deeply, his expression showing utter confusion.

He wanted to ask Ji Qingqing what she meant by those words, but the searing pain in his chest made it impossible for him to get out a single complete sentence.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Ji Qingqing got even angrier.

She said viciously, "If you hadn't brought Hua Feixue back to the mansion and told him about my identity, how would he have known that I'm not the Marquis Yongning's real daughter, but the child of those two country bumpkins?"

"Wu Jinxi and Chen Huaxiu never came to the capital to find me in these sixteen years. Yet the one time I was about to become the Crown Princess, their whole family came knocking on our door. Tell me, isn't that a huge coincidence?"

"If they hadn't come looking for me, how would the Crown Prince have known I'm not really the young lady of the Marquis's household? And how would I have been stripped of my title as Crown Princess, and even lost the baby?"

Having said this, she crouched down and looked at Ji Qingfeng with red-rimmed eyes.

"My dear second brother, tell me—didn't you cause all my suffering? Wasn't it all your fault?"

"Do you know what kind of days I've been living in this prison cell? I was stupid enough to hope you'd come save me, but I waited half a month before you finally came to see me. If you weren't feeling guilty, if you didn't owe me something, why did it take you so long to come?"

"I already gave you a chance—you just didn't take it. Since I'm destined to die anyway, you shouldn't expect to have it easy either."

Ji Qingqing's bloodshot eyes held a maniacal gleam, and her hatred toward Ji Qingfeng was plain to see.

Ji Qingfeng wanted desperately to explain that things were not like that, that it had nothing to do with him, but he couldn't say a word.

Being stabbed in the back by his own beloved little sister—it felt like heaven was playing a cruel joke on him.

He didn't know how Ji Qingqing had come to learn these things, but he knew for a fact that he had never done such a thing, nor had he ever revealed her identity to Hua Feixue.

Ji Qingfeng was on the verge of fainting from the pain, yet Ji Qingqing kept talking nonstop in his ear.

"Second Brother, even if I'm not Father and Mother's biological daughter, we still shared sixteen years of bond. Why couldn't you all just give me a way out?"

"I'm still so young—I don't want to die! If you'd just help me one more time, I could win back the Crown Prince's favor."

"Ji Yuntang will never accept you all again. Even if I don't kill you, sooner or later you'll all die by Ji Yuntang's hand in revenge..."

Just then, a prison guard came in and saw Ji Qingfeng collapsed on the ground.

Seeing the man covered in blood, he was scared out of his wits and hurried out to call for help.

"Someone, come quick! Second Young Master Ji is injured!"

Soon, several guards rushed in and quickly carried the unconscious Ji Qingfeng out.

When Prefect Zhao Chengjiu heard that Ji Qingfeng had been stabbed in the prison, he was scared half to death. He immediately set down his work and rushed over without wasting a second.

When he discovered that the attacker was Ji Qingqing, Zhao Chengjiu couldn't believe it.

"Prisoner Ji, Second Young Master Ji is your own second brother! How could you be so cruel to your own flesh and blood?"

He had previously thought that Ji Qingqing killing her younger brother from the countryside and causing her father's death was already vicious enough.

But now she had even tried to kill Ji Qingfeng, the one who had always treated her best.

Given Ji Qingfeng's status, if something happened to him in the government prison, the entire yamen would suffer an undeserved disaster.

Zhao Chengjiu would be lying if he said he wasn't scared.

But upon hearing his words, Ji Qingqing just sneered coldly.

"He's not my second brother. My second brother would never just watch me die."

"No, he caused my imprisonment and ruined my life—he deserves to die!"

Zhao Chengjiu: "..."

Zhao Chengjiu: "!!!"

He figured Ji Qingqing had probably lost her mind.

She was imprisoned for concealing her identity, tricking the Crown Prince into marrying her, and committing murder in public—what did any of that have to do with Ji Qingfeng?

She brought this on herself—there's no one to blame but her.

Zhao Chengjiu's face darkened as he said solemnly, "You're already guilty and awaiting punishment, and now you've injured someone. If Second Young Master Ji is fine, good; but if anything happens to him, you'll be held responsible."

"I'll truthfully report Second Young Master Ji's injury to my superiors. Ji, you'd better pray for your own sake!"

With that, Zhao Chengjiu flicked his sleeves dismissively and prepared to leave.

But suddenly, a constable rushed in to announce, "Your Excellency, the Crown Prince has arrived."

Zhao Chengjiu was startled, immediately assuming the Crown Prince had come about Ji Qingfeng's serious injury.

He quickly said, "Quick, follow me out to welcome the Crown Prince."

The constable said, "Your Excellency, there's no need to go out. The Crown Prince is already heading toward the prison."

Zhao Chengjiu was speechless.

Zhao Chengjiu was stunned.

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