bullyxtreme Chapter 141 The New Xu Jiaojiao
Chapter 141 The New Xu Jiaojiao
The carriage slowly drove out of the palace gate, and the thick palace walls gradually disappeared from sight. Xu Jiaojiao lowered the curtain, leaned gently against the cushion, her expression calm, but a hint of coldness was faintly revealed in her eyes.
Zhao Yunzheng sat beside her, his gaze fixed on her. Seeing her serious expression, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Is your wound hurting again?"
Xu Jiaojiao's long, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but come back to her senses.
She smiled and shook her head: "The wound will heal soon, I don't feel any pain..."
Zhao Yunzheng nodded slightly, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
He saw Jiao Jiao's expression. The subtle coldness in her eyes was incongruous with her gentle and charming appearance. Although she acted indifferently, he could still tell that something was wrong with her at a glance.
Although Jiaojiao was unwilling to say it, he could guess that after narrowly escaping death, Jiaojiao harbored resentment. She resented Xie Peining, Zheng Antong, and others for their repeated persecution, resented Zhao Minghuai for his cruel and heartless murder of Lianye, and resented herself for being too insignificant, only able to watch the tragedy unfold helplessly...
As Jiaojiao's husband, he failed to protect her...
Zhao Yunzheng looked at her intently, hesitant to speak, but in the end, he simply pulled her gently into his arms.
At that time, in the Prince Chen's residence.
Bai Yiru was sitting in front of her dressing table, holding a white jade plum blossom hairpin in her hand, looking somewhat dazed.
She has been feeling uneasy lately, as if something big is about to happen.
"Master, what's wrong?" A maidservant beside her asked cautiously when she noticed that her expression was off.
Bai Yiru came to her senses and shook her head: "It's nothing, I just feel a little uneasy."
The maid smiled and comforted her, "Your Highness is overthinking it. Now that the Prince of Jin has been defeated, our Prince is enjoying the Emperor's favor. It won't be long before the throne belongs to our Prince. Your Highness will be a noble lady in the palace from now on. What is there to worry about?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yiru frowned even more deeply.
Since the Prince of Jin's rebellion, Xu Jiaojiao has disappeared without a trace. Everyone says that she met an unfortunate end during the riots, and her body was never found.
But she always felt that things were not that simple.
The news came out of nowhere, without any warning, as if it were deliberately orchestrated.
Furthermore, it has been more than a month since the Prince of Jin was defeated, and the Prince of Chen has hardly returned to his residence, staying in the palace every day, which is really strange.
Especially recently, she has felt like there is a pair of eyes watching her in the dark, making her unable to eat or sleep.
She suspected that Xu Jiaojiao was not dead at all, but was hidden in the palace by Prince Chen.
However, after the Prince of Jin's defeat, the Prince of Chen tightened the security of the Prince's residence. Being in the inner quarters, she could hardly get any news and had no way to verify whether her thoughts were correct.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it," Bai Yiru murmured, but the unease in her heart grew stronger.
On the other side, at Mingkun Academy.
Xie Peining was sitting in her study, holding a secret letter in her hand, her expression solemn. The contents of the letter made her feel uneasy.
"Xu Jiaojiao... is still alive..." she muttered to herself, a sinister glint in her eyes.
She had assumed that Xu Jiaojiao had already perished in the riot, but to her surprise, she was still alive, and Prince Chen had even hidden her in the palace.
If Prince Chen hadn't brought this wretched woman out of Qiming Palace today, she would still be unaware of the situation.
Granny Wang cautiously observed her expression: "Your Highness, now that Madam Xu has returned to the manor, is there anything we should do?"
Xie Peining lowered her eyes and pondered, then shook her head: "We don't need to do anything. It's still unknown whether Madam Xu will return to the mansion immediately. The best course of action is for us to remain still."
However, sitting idly by and waiting for death was by no means in Xie Peining's nature. She twirled her fingertips, looked at Wang Mama, and said coldly, "Send someone to investigate, and make sure to report Xu Jiaojiao's movements to me at any time."
Granny Wang acknowledged and withdrew.
Xie Peining gripped the secret letter tightly, a ruthless glint in her eyes: "Xu Jiaojiao, since you're lucky enough to survive, then I, this concubine, will personally send you on your way!"
The honor and disgrace of the Xie family rest on her shoulders. The Empress's position will surely belong to Xie Peining in the future, and no one can take it from her!
……
"Da da da da..."
"Shut up!"
The carriage traveled for quite some time before finally stopping.
Xu Jiaojiao, who was dozing off in Prince Chen's arms, opened her eyes.
She lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside.
The mansion outside the car window was not the Prince Chen's Mansion; it was quite unfamiliar.
Xu Jiaojiao looked at Prince Chen in surprise. The latter, his eyes gentle, smiled and explained, "Jiaojiao, I want you to be my principal wife..."
With just one simple sentence, Xu Jiaojiao immediately understood the meaning behind Prince Chen's words.
She was a slave, a class of lowly status. In her entire life, she could only reach the rank of concubine of Prince Chen, and could never become his principal wife.
"So Your Highness wants the old Xu Jiaojiao to die, and then a new Xu Jiaojiao to appear by your side?" Xu Jiaojiao asked knowingly.
Zhao Yunzheng knew that his Jiaojiao was always intelligent, so he wasn't surprised that she had guessed his plan: "Not bad."
He slightly lifted the carriage curtain and looked out at the mansion: "This is the residence of Xu Guanghe, the Councilor of the Court of Judicial Review. Jiaojiao, I'm sorry to trouble you to stay at Councilor Xu's residence for a while. After I stabilize the court situation, I will come to pick you up and take you back to the mansion as my legal wife!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao was shaken, and a complex expression flashed in her eyes.
She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, then raised her head and looked at Prince Chen with worried eyes: "Your Highness, I understand your good intentions, but... this matter is extremely risky. If it is discovered, it may implicate Your Highness."
Zhao Yunzheng was well aware that this matter was extremely risky.
If the affair of the "substitution of the crown prince" were to be made public, he would certainly be branded as guilty of defiling the royal bloodline.
But for Xu Jiaojiao, he was willing to give it a try.
He gently held Xu Jiaojiao's hand and softly comforted her, "Xu Guanghe is my confidant. His residence is safe and sound. You just need to stay here with peace of mind. I will take care of everything else."
Xu Jiaojiao pursed her lips: "Your Highness, as I said, I am willing to face the storms with you, so if we encounter danger, please don't hide it from me. Let me face it with you, okay..."
If Zhao Yunzheng has to pay a terrible price for her status, then Xu Jiaojiao would rather not have the title of his legal wife.
Zhao Yunzheng chuckled and reached out to stroke her soft, dark hair: "Okay."
After receiving the message, Xu Jiaojiao finally relaxed her brow, but she was still uneasy.
She knew very well that the struggles in the court were extremely dangerous. The Prince of Jin's rebellion had only recently passed, and the Prince of Chen was in the eye of the storm. If he was not careful, he would be doomed.
Although she was a woman, she was capable of being independent and strong. She did not want to be a burden to Prince Chen, nor did she want to be too well protected and lose her due vigilance and instincts...
With this in mind, Xu Jiaojiao already had a plan in mind.
Once the carriage came to a stop, Zhao Yunzheng personally helped Xu Jiaojiao out of the carriage. At that time, Xu Guanghe was already waiting in front of the mansion.
Upon seeing Prince Chen arrive, Xu Guanghe hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness, Miss Xu, everything has been arranged. Please follow me."