Ji Ling Xue glanced at the aggrieved Ji Yu Qing, putting the last pumpkin pastry in her mouth and swallowed it, then she said: "If younger sister wants a secret guard just tell the prince, why are you telling me this?"
Ji Yu Qing raised an eyebrow, "Older sister's secret guard is really given by the prince? I heard his background is unknown, but his martial arts is very good, his real identity is a Dayan prince..."
Ji Ling Xue stood up "Younger sister what are you saying?" Xiao Yi Chen already knew of Ru Ge's identity, Ru Ge had always acted professionally as her bodyguard, Ji Yu Qing's words were trying to sow dissension.
Ji Yu Qing covered her lips smiling: "Why is older sister so nervous, unless you have some other intentions towards that Dayan prince...oh, I spoke wrongly, a deposed crown prince, his reason for staying by older sister's side may not be pure..."
Ji Ling Xue rolled her eyes, she and Ru Ge only had a simple innocent relationship as mistress and servant, Ru Ge had saved her life, it could be considered he risked his life and limb for her, she would remember this so she can repay him.
Ji Ling Xue said: "Younger sister, sheer fiction shouldn't be blindly spoken of."
Ji Yu Qing smiled confidently, "I'm not just blindly speaking, there's proof...older sister do you want to know?"
Ji Ling Xue narrowed her eyes, she hated being threatened like this, "I have nothing to hide, I don't care about your so called proof." She said then walked away.
She heard Ji Yu Qing behind her unhurriedly say, "Older sister do you know why the prince let the former crown prince of Dayan leave your side?"
Ji Ling Xue clenched her hands into fists, taking a deep breath she turned round to look at Ji Yu Qing, "What proof do you have?"
Ji Yu Qing said: "It's a letter for you from Ru Ge, he left in a hurry, he didn't have time to give you the letter so he placed it under a roof tile on your house, this letter spoke of your secrets, if you don't care for it, I will burn it."
Ji Ling Xue watched Ji Yu Qing walk to the candle, looking like she wanted to burn something, she hurriedly stopped her, "Hold it..."
Ji Yu Qing turned to Ji Ling Xue smiling: "It seems older sister believes me, I can reveal a little to you, Ru Ge found out you're not actually part of our Ji family...back then father was fond of your mother's beauty, so he gave you the position of eldest young lady Ji, if you don't believe me you can ask my father."
Ji Ling Xue: "..."
"Let's do a trade, I want the prince's residence blueprint in exchange for the secrets Ru Ge has for you, oh also, if you don't hurry, I will send these papers to the palace, then your life or death will be in the hands of the emperor...haha..."
Ji Ling Xue frowned, seeing Ji Yu Qing smile so much that teeth could be seen but not her eyes, she knew she wasn't lying, her identity...she was a little curious, actually extremely curious.
Ji Ling Xue looked like she didn't care: "Ji Yu Qing, I know you've always been jealous of me, you even make up such lies, you want me to do something bad for you, you ought to give up." Having spoken she left.
Even though she had turned around confidently, she still had a lot of questions in her mind, she felt somewhat revolted.
Until tomorrow, Ji Ling Xue had been sprawled over the table on a mental journey, she was revolted by Ji Yu Qing's words, damn woman spoke of her background and her life, causing her to think for a night.
Mo Xiang pushed open the door and entered, seeing Ji Ling Xue with dark circles under her eyes she jumped in shock, almost overturning the basin in her hands, "Princess, what happened? Could the gold you've hidden been stolen?" Mo Xiang really couldn't think of what could cause Ji Ling Xue to lose sleep.
Ji Ling Xue glanced at Mo Xiang, saying listlessly: "It's almost dawn, I need to take a nap, go guard the door, don't let anyone disturb me." As she spoke she pushed Mo Xiang out, shutting the door.
Mo Xiang looked at the door in front of her at a total loss, what was wrong with the princess?
Mo Xiang obediently stood like a statute at the door, very soon it was the afternoon, the morning had gone.
Xiao Yi Chen came over under the sunshine, Mo Xiang immediately stepped forward to stop him: "Prince, princess is still resting in her room, it's best if you don't disturb the princess's sleep."
Xiao Yi Chen looked up at the sky, his lips twitched: "Why is she still sleeping? Has the princess had breakfast and lunch?"
Mo Xiang shook her head.
Xiao Yi Chen by passed Mo Xiang and entered, seeing the empty room he turned his head and asked, "Where's the princess?"
Mo Xiang pointed at the empty room with her mouth wide open, how can the princess be gone?!
Xiao Yi Chen asked: "Princess didn't tell you where she was going?"
Mo Xiang shook her head, when she came this morning, she thought the princess was acting strange, but was already pushed out of the room before she could ask.
Xiao Yi Chen called for a secret guard to question, the secret guard helplessly shook his head saying: "An Ge took the princess out of the residence, his light martial arts is better than ours, we followed them half way...then lost them..."
Xiao Yi Chen raised his hand to rub his aching forehead, suddenly feeling it was the wrong decision to give his best secret guard to Ji Ling Xue.
At this moment Ji Ling Xue was dressed as a man drinking tea in a teahouse, she looked at the window, she saw Zi Su walking down the street dressed as a married woman holding a basket, Ji Ling Xue called downstairs.
Zi Su looked up and saw Ji Ling Xue, she smiled, walking into the teahouse.
Ji Ling Xue told Zi Su to take a seat and asked: "How have you been?"
Zi Su lowered her head nodding: "Many thanks for your concern princess, this servant is living well."
Ji Ling Xue again asked: "Seeing you with a married woman's bun you must have married?"
Zi Su nodded, when she was sent out of the residence by Xiao Yi Chen she hadn't gone anywhere, her family had arranged a marriage for her, she married a butcher, now she passed her days trivially, cooking, mending clothes, she wasn't as idle as when she was in the residence.
Ji Ling Xue nodded, taking out a bag of silver from her sleeve she passed it to Zi Su, Zi Su couldn't refuse so she had to accept it.
Zi Su looked up at Ji Ling Xue: "Princess, actually the day of the palace banquet, prince was slipped a drug but didn't do anything to this slave, he thought it was princess who plotted against him, in his anger he made this slave his concubine."
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Ji Ling Xue was surprised, a lot had already happened, she almost forgot about it.
She listened as Zi Su continued: "Every time the prince is neglected by princess he would come to this slave, and ask about when you were little, princess, prince really is sincere towards you...if it wasn't for the imperial concubine putting poison into your food, you and the prince would already be a couple."
Ji Ling Xue didn't think her bag of silver would make Zi Su speak so much truth, she was after all the dowry maid of Ji Yu Qing, she had been by her side since young.
Ji Ling Xue asked: "Zi Su, then do you know why the prince married my younger sister?"
Zi Su lowered her head, after some hesitation she said: "When the princess turned foolish after being poisoned, the prince married you because of the empress dowager and the princess's family influence, afterwards master Ji wanted to send imperial concubine into the palace, imperial concubine wasn't willing and said that she's been having an affair with the prince, that's why master Ji allowed imperial concubine to enter the prince's residence."
Ji Ling Xue lips twitched so Ji Yu Qing had so many thoughts, she liked Xiao Yi Chen so much that she didn't care about her dignity or reputation.
Zi Su thought about it then said: "Before imperial concubine entered the residence she would often talk with the prince for a night, the two of them came to a mutual understanding, as for what they said this slave doesn't know, imperial concubine has never fully trusted this slave, she didn't allow this slave to know too much."
Ji Ling Xue nodded, Zi Su bowed and left.
An Ge dressed in black came in through the window, looking at the back of Zi Su, An Ge said: "How did princess come across Zi Su here?"
Prince had sent Zi Su back to her home, how was she still in the capital?
"The capital is so small so we came across each other, what did you find out?" Ji Ling Xue changed topics and asked.
An Ge nodded: "Princess's mother Liu Mei E was the number one talented woman in the capital twenty years ago, talented and beautiful, she had her own way of thinking, she once left her home and travelled to Dayan, later it was your grandfather Liu Yu Fang who sent guards to finally bring Liu Mei E back, back then your father Ji Bai Chuan fell in love with your mother, he personally came asking for marriage three times, this passion moved Liu Mei E."
Ji Ling Xue gave an oh, she didn't think her father would have been so infatuated with her mother before, sadly madam Feng appeared, her family was also torn apart.
An Ge continued: "Quite a few people said Liu Mei E had met a man she admired in Dayan and had made a pledge to be married without their parents' approval, if it wasn't for your grandfather's intervention, breaking up the lovers, bringing Liu Mei E back, if you wanted to find the truth about this rumour you'd have to go to Dayan."
Ji Ling Xue nodded, it seems Ji Yu Qing didn't lie, it was also normal for Ru Ge who lived in Dayan to know about her mother, only why didn't he tell her directly, why leave a letter, right now it was being used against her.
Ji Ling Xue idled at the teahouse for an entire day, it started snowing again, An Ge saw Ji Ling Xue had no intention of returning to the residence, he didn't dare ask, silently standing to the side on guard.
Ji Ling Xue glanced outside the window, muttering: "It's snowing, An Ge, go buy some roast sweet potato, we'll take it back to the residence to eat."
An Ge replied, turning he went downstairs to buy them.
It was during this interval, Ji Ling Xue rubbed her belly, going downstairs to look for the toilet, there wasn't one in the restaurant, rather it was in the back beside a vegetable field.
Ji Ling Xue walked out of the toilet feeling relieved, hearing sounds of movement from a nearby corner, with a mischievous curiosity she hurried over.
A few drops of blood dripped on the outside corner of the restaurant, Ji Ling Xue followed the blood raising her head, a badly mangled corpse hung on a tree branch, a layer of snow covered the body, the long hair fluttering in the wind was stuck with snow.
A faceless female corpse!
Ji Ling Xue was startled, anyone who saw a mangled corpse in the evening would feel their blood run cold.
"Princess, so you're here." An Ge soundlessly appeared behind Ji Ling Xue, suddenly speaking, his hand held a paper bag filled with steaming roasted sweet potatoes, but at this moment the smell of the sweet potatoes was shrouded by the strange atmosphere.
An Ge looked at the strange female corpse on the tree behind Ji Ling Xue, "This..."
"Ah! Murder...murder..." From nearby the sound of a kettle been dropped was heard, a waiter dressed as a man fell onto his buttocks, after he realised what was going on, he screamed loudly and ran inside.
Ji Ling Xue shrugged her shoulders, saying to An Ge: "Inform the prince to come over..."
Recently he's been investigating missing young girls, the girl hanging from the tree didn't look very old, most likely she was one of the missing girls.