The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 62 The Heart-to-Heart Mantra

Zheng Antong is right. Although Xu Jiaojiao did not carve the witchcraft doll, she herself admitted that the spell was created.

His birth date and time were written on the talisman. What exactly did Xu Jiaojiao intend to do?

Could it be that Xu Jiaojiao really harbored ill intentions?

The thought flashed through Zhao Yunzheng's mind, and a subtle pain shot through his heart.

He believed he had treated Xu Jiaojiao well, and these days he had indeed been very affectionate with her. He had already put Xu Jiaojiao in his heart and planned to treat her well for the rest of his life.

Even though he thought that Xu Jiaojiao might be a threat to him, he still couldn't bear to use any means to force her to answer, and was even willing to give her a chance to explain.

Suppressing the throbbing pain in his heart, Zhao Yunzheng looked intently at Xu Jiaojiao and slowly asked, "Why did you write this talisman?"

Seeing the doubt in Prince Chen's eyes, Xu Jiaojiao's nose suddenly stung with tears.

She loved Prince Chen so much that she was even willing to "die" for him, yet Prince Chen still doubted her.

In an instant, her eyes reddened, and she lowered her head, gently biting her lip, filled with shame and indignation.

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk, Zhao Yunzheng felt even more distressed. At the same time, his inherently suspicious nature made him even more doubtful.

Jiaojiao is unwilling to talk about it. Could it be that she is secretly trying to harm him?

His tone became sterner, tinged with helplessness and frustration, as he hissed, "Jiaojiao!"

Xu Jiaojiao trembled at his shout, and pearl-like tears fell drop by drop.

Lianye, who was standing beside her, was heartbroken and immediately knelt down to offer to speak for Xu Jiaojiao, wanting to clear her mistress's name.

“Your Highness, it is true that the talisman was written by Master, but Master did not write it to harm you, but rather…”

At the crucial point, Xu Jiaojiao glanced sideways, her brows furrowed in a mixture of anxiety and annoyance as she scolded, "Lianye! Stop talking!"

Lianye's eyes also reddened, feeling extremely aggrieved: "Master! Just tell the Prince! Why keep it to yourself and give those with ulterior motives an opportunity to frame you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yunzheng naturally realized that Xu Jiaojiao had not written the talisman to harm him.

His tone softened, becoming somewhat coaxing: "Listen to me, tell me what you want to do?"

With so many people sitting here, if Jiaojiao cannot clear her name in public, she will definitely be criticized in the future.

He wanted his beloved to stand by his side openly and honestly.

Xu Jiaojiao's face flushed red, as if she had some extremely difficult problem to talk about.

Zhao Yunzheng was anxious: "If you don't speak, I will order Lianye to speak!"

Xu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth and muttered in a barely audible voice, "This is a love spell I wrote..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Jiaojiao blushed even more, and her ears and neck also turned a light red.

Although her voice wasn't loud, the room was quiet, and almost everyone heard what she said.

Zhao Yunzheng was slightly taken aback.

The next second, an overwhelming sweetness spread through my heart.

The "Heart-to-Heart Mantra" means to unite hearts forever.

The person casting the spell writes their own and the other person's birth dates on the same talisman, and then places the talisman together with a love knot; this completes the spell.

The caster of this curse must not betray the other party, otherwise they will suffer a backlash and die alone forever, while the other party will be unaffected.

In addition, the caster's fate becomes intertwined with that of the other person. If the other person suffers a fatal injury, the caster will also commit suicide for love. Similarly, the other person will not be affected by this.

Zhao Yunzheng was shaken, and guilt and pity made his heart ache slightly.

How could this silly woman be so foolish?

The princess spoke indifferently at this moment: "Whatever Concubine Xu says goes. The other half of this spell has not been seen. Who knows if this spell is a love spell or not?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly halting the wildly growing love in Zhao Yunzheng's heart.

His eyes darkened, a hint of annoyance rising in his heart, and his gaze toward the princess grew increasingly hostile.

Xu Jiaojiao was extremely aggrieved, and her voice trembled with suppressed emotion: "This incantation was obtained by me at Chengen Temple! On the sixteenth of this month, Princess Jiarong and I went to Chengen Temple to offer incense and pray for blessings. I used fifty taels of gold as a donation to obtain this love incantation. If Your Highness does not believe me, you are welcome to have someone check the donation records at Chengen Temple that day!"

It's hateful that this love charm was lost just a few days after I obtained it, and someone even used it to make a voodoo doll to curse the prince. Could it be that even the heavens are mocking my foolish delusion, which is why I've been subjected to this calamity!

As she spoke, tears streamed down Xu Jiaojiao's cheeks. In the end, she buried her face in her arms on the desk and sobbed.

Seeing Xu Jiaojiao's slightly trembling shoulders, Zhao Yunzheng felt heartbroken.

He gently patted Xu Jiaojiao's shoulder and soothed her tenderly: "Jiaojiao, don't cry. I won't let you be falsely accused for nothing."

As he spoke, he changed the subject, glancing unhappily at the princess, his tone low and harsh: "Since some people don't believe it, then I will have someone investigate the truth right now!"

"Shadow One, you personally go to Chengen Temple to retrieve the donation ledger, and then send a few capable men to search the mansion for the whereabouts of the other half of the Love Mantra!"

Time passed slowly, Xu Jiaojiao stopped crying, and Yingyi returned with the merit account and the other half of the Heart-to-Heart Mantra.

"Master Xu did indeed donate a sum of money on the 16th of this month, which was fifty taels of gold. As for this 'Mutual Affection Mantra'..."

Ying paused, then looked meaningfully at Tian Chunhua kneeling on the ground: "This Heart-to-Heart Mantra was found in the main room of Shi Nuan Pavilion."

He presented a love spell: "Please take a look, Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Tian Chunhua trembled as if struck by lightning.

At this point, she finally understood the self-rescue method that Xu Jiaojiao had mentioned.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jiaojiao was so cunning that she turned the crisis into an opportunity, not only successfully clearing her name but also taking the chance to bring down those who were against her.

But now, she's the one being pinned to the chopping board!

Tian Chunhua's hands tightened slightly as she frantically racked her brains for a solution.

Zhao Yunzheng, who was seated at the head of the table, had already read the remaining half of the Heart-to-Heart Mantra. The handwriting on it was so ugly that it was obvious that it was written by Xu Jiaojiao.

Upon seeing the love knot placed next to the love spell, Zhao Yunzheng felt a warmth in his heart and silently held the love knot in his palm.

After a brief silence, he first raised his eyelids and gave the princess a meaningful look before his sharp gaze fell on Tian Chunhua on the ground.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who interrogated Xu Jiaojiao using the finger-crushing torture method, weren't you?"

Tian Chunhua was terrified and trembling all over.

What is supposed to come will come.

Seeing Xu Jiaojiao so calm and composed that night, she knew that this attempt would backfire. But when the moment actually came, she was still terrified, her heart pounding and her vision blurring.

Tian Chunhua took a shallow breath and kowtowed respectfully: "Your Highness, I did interrogate Concubine Xu under the instructions of Consort Zheng, but I was unaware of the Heart-Sharing Curse. My two maids are also Consort Zheng's people, so this matter may be related to them."

Now that things have come to this, Tian Chunhua knows she is doomed, but she wants to drag Zheng Antong down with her as much as possible.

Only if Zheng Antong falls can her mother and younger brother be safe...