Chapter 244: How Long Have You Been Here?
The maidservant still didn’t believe it and raised her voice to defend Qi Wu, “You’re talking nonsense, you’re falsely accusing him.”
“Everyone in the entire capital knows this. Does this palace need to deceive you?” Jiang Ruanxi said coldly.
“No, it’s not, it’s not.”
The maidservant’s tears flowed down like a broken kite string.
Jiang Ruanxi also knew she was a pitiful person who had been deceived, so she didn’t make things difficult for her.
She signaled Yushui to release her.
“You go. I won’t make things difficult for you anymore. Live well from now on and forget that man.”
The maidservant walked away in a daze, took a few steps, then turned back to look at Jiang Ruanxi. “The medicine in the bowl was given to me by that woman who just left your courtyard. I only wanted justice for Qi Wu and didn’t want to kill you.”
Jiang Ruanxi was stunned. She hadn’t expected her to confess, but she quickly composed her emotions and said indifferently, “Got it. You can go.”
The maidservant didn’t know what she was thinking and said nothing more, walking straight out.
“Crown Princess, this Concubine Sun is too hateful. She actually wanted to harm you. I’ll go arrest her.”
Yushui angrily tried to go out.
“Stop. This bit of evidence isn’t enough to make her confess. We shouldn’t alert the enemy.” Jiang Ruanxi called her back.
Yushui was unwilling but knew it made sense.
She could only pout, her brows tightly furrowed.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Ruanxi couldn’t help laughing and comforted her.
“Alright, we know it’s her. We’ll just guard against her from now on. If we arrest her now, the Empress definitely won’t let it go easily. Then she’ll send other women, and we’ll have to deal with them again. It’s better to pretend we don’t know now and just guard against Sun Tina.”
Yushui thought it made sense too. “Crown Princess, you’re right.”
Suddenly, Jiang Ruanxi remembered something and instructed Yushui, “From now on, personally check my food. Don’t let it pass through others’ hands.”
“Yes, this servant knows.” Yushui solemnly promised.
Looking at the porcelain bottle in her hand, Yushui wanted even more to know what Sun Tina was up to. “Crown Princess, I’ll take this porcelain bottle to someone else to examine and see what’s inside.”
“Mm, go ahead.”
After Yushui left, a gust of wind swept past the window.
Lin Ningkun appeared in her bedchamber.
Jiang Ruanxi was stunned, panic flashing in her eyes, but she forced herself to stay calm.
She smiled and said, “Why are you here?”
Lin Ningkun stepped forward, saw her poor complexion, and asked with concern, “Is the injury serious?”
“It’s alright.”
In her heart, she prayed he wouldn’t come closer, but no matter how she silently screamed inside, Lin Ningkun still came before her, took her hand, and said, “If I’d known Qi Wu would harm you like this, I would’ve chopped him into pieces long ago. Luckily, he’s now gotten the retribution he deserves.”
Jiang Ruanxi only felt disgust at the hand he had touched.
She also felt his hypocritical words made her want to vomit.
It had been quite some time since Qi Wu had stabbed her, and everyone in the capital knew.
Yet this man, now pretending to be deeply affectionate, spouted such self-righteous loving words after so long. Jiang Ruanxi found it ridiculous.
With her hand gripped, she felt uncomfortable inside and kept struggling to pull it away.
But Lin Ningkun held it tightly. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free. Afraid of angering him and prompting outrageous actions, with her current injuries, she couldn’t resist him.
She could only endure the disgust in her heart and let him hold it.
“Mm.” Jiang Ruanxi didn’t want to continue the topic and changed the subject. “Did you come today for something? There are many eyes in the manor now. If someone sees you here, it won’t be good for either of us.”
Jiang Ruanxi was reminding him to get out quickly if there was nothing.
But Lin Ningkun didn’t get it and was still smug. “Don’t worry, I checked. There was no one around, so I came in. I avoided everyone else. No one saw.”
Jiang Ruanxi had never wanted so badly to curse the guards in the manor. This living man appeared in the manor—were they blind?
It seemed she needed to bring up the manor’s security issues with Wei Chang.
Jiang Ruanxi was just about to reply when a burst of sword energy came straight at her.
Lin Ningkun immediately released Jiang Ruanxi’s hand and dodged to the side.
Three people in black clothing followed closely, all aiming at Lin Ningkun.
Lin Ningkun countered and dodged variously, but his shoulder was still stabbed.
Knowing he couldn’t win, Lin Ningkun clutched his shoulder and fled through the door.
He didn’t even care that his hat had fallen off his head.
“Crown Princess, forgive us. We subordinates arrived late.”
These people all lowered their heads uniformly and knelt before Jiang Ruanxi.
Jiang Ruanxi was stunned but quickly realized these were the people Wei Chang had left to protect her.
A warm current involuntarily flowed through her heart.
“Get up quickly. You saved me. You didn’t arrive late.”
These people didn’t dare to rise.
“The Crown Prince left you to protect me. Are you not even listening to my words now?” Jiang Ruanxi said sternly.
Hearing this, they didn’t dare disobey Jiang Ruanxi’s order and all stood up.
“How long have you been here?” Jiang Ruanxi voiced her doubt.
“Since the last time the Crown Princess was injured, Master arranged for us to stay and protect you.”
So they had been here that early.
Jiang Ruanxi breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and was very happy with Wei Chang’s arrangement.
“Mm, got it. You can go now. Watch carefully from now on and don’t let outsiders have a chance to come in.”
They knew the outsider Jiang Ruanxi meant was Lin Ningkun.
They said seriously, “Yes.”
After they left, Jiang Ruanxi looked at the hand Lin Ningkun had held earlier and felt it was utterly filthy.
She lifted the quilt, endured the pain in her abdomen, walked to the washbasin on the side, put her hand in the basin, and scrubbed hard until it was red. Only then did the disgust in her heart lessen somewhat.
Not long after returning to bed, Wei Chang rushed in anxiously.
“Are you alright?”
Seeing she hadn’t been harmed, Wei Chang breathed a sigh of relief.
Heaven knew, when he received the news that Lin Ningkun had come to find her again, his heart felt like it was being wrenched in pain. He couldn’t care about disguising anymore and hurried over with big strides.
“I’m fine.”
Jiang Ruanxi could hear his heavy breathing and knew he was worried about her. She shook her head.
She reached out to him coquettishly. “I’m not that fragile. Didn’t you leave several people for me? He can’t bully me. Don’t worry about me.”
Wei Chang naturally took her hand, but it was still trembling.
“This Lin Ningkun really doesn’t take me seriously. He’s come to find you several times. Last time’s lesson wasn’t enough. He can’t be left alive.”
He had originally planned to keep him for later use.
But compared to Jiang Ruanxi’s safety, even if greater difficulties arose later, he could work hard to resolve them.
