Chapter 435 - 433: Her Wishes and Thoughts (First Update)

Chapter 435: Chapter 433: Her Wishes and Thoughts (First Update)

Xu Jing glanced at Shuangrui and said, "How many years have you and Shuangxi been serving His Highness?"

Shuangrui bit her lip and said, "Shuangxi and I have been with His Highness since he first arrived in Qi State, which has been nearly seven years now.

We were among the first batch of servants to enter the Prince Mansion. Because of this, Nanny Lu, who was responsible for selecting people at the time, paid special attention, especially when choosing who to send to His Highness’s side. Nanny Lu was extremely strict, selecting several hundred people and going through them multiple times before finally picking eight individuals. However, in the end, it was just Shuangxi, I, and two others who stayed by His Highness’s side."

In Great Chu, princes, except for the Crown Prince, are required to leave the Capital City at the age of fifteen to go to their own fiefs.

He was one of the first servants recruited after Prince Ling went to Qi State, and indeed, he has been in the Prince Mansion for almost seven years.

Xu Jing looked at him and asked, "What about the other two?"

"They stayed in Qi State and didn’t come with us."

"Why didn’t the other four people remain in the end?"

Shuangrui was slightly stunned and said with some difficulty, "Well, this... I’m not very clear about it, but Nanny Lu must have let them go because they did something wrong..."

It was apparent that he found this question challenging. His answer was stuttering, and from time to time, he glanced uneasily at Prince Ling nearby.

Prince Ling, however, simply smiled faintly and said with a bit of helplessness, "If Miss Xu wants to know about this, you can ask Nanny Lu. The servants in the Prince Mansion have always been managed by Nanny Lu.

However, I genuinely don’t need that many people around me. In fact, it’s often just Shuangrui and Shuangxi serving closely by my side."

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows slightly, nodded, and asked, "There’s another matter I want to ask Shuangrui about. On the night the Princess Ling was murdered, did you notice anything unusual when you entered her room? It could be anything, whether it’s the feeling the environment gave you at that time or the feeling the princess and her servants gave you."

Shuangrui immediately sensed that Miss Xu was beginning to investigate the case.

Governor Zhang and his team also asked him these questions before, so he answered without as much pressure as the previous question, "I didn’t find anything unusual. When I went in that day, the Princess was having Bishui unbind her hair while Qiuwen was preparing the things needed for the Princess’s bath later.

I greeted the Princess as usual, and then she asked about His Highness’s condition that day, after which I left."

Xu Jing asked, "Consort Fang and Nanny Lu both said that the Princess was in a much better mood that day than in recent times. Was that true?"

Shuangrui shook his head and said, "I didn’t really notice that. However... maybe because I’m someone close to His Highness, the Princess has always been quite kind to me. Before I left that day, she even rewarded me with some pastries she bought on the road that day.

So, my feeling might be a bit different from Consort Fang’s..."

His words carried a hint of embarrassment, clearly aware that the Princess Ling usually had a poor attitude toward Consort Fang.

Xu Jing nodded and said, "According to what you say, you didn’t say much to the Princess that day, but why did the guards outside say you stayed in the Princess’s room for quite some time?"

If it were just talking for a few words, you should have left quite soon.

As soon as Xu Jing’s words fell, Shuangrui’s expression darkened noticeably. He pressed his lips tightly together, sorrow evident in his voice as he said, "I really didn’t stay long in the inner chamber, but after I left, I spoke with Qiuwen in the outer chamber for a while...

Qiuwen is naturally timid, and she was very uneasy because of the incidents that occurred on the journey. She even has nightmares at night, so I always tried to chat with her and comfort her whenever I had the time.

That day, I spoke with her in the outer chamber as usual, and that’s why I left later."

Xu Jing examined his complexion carefully; his words didn’t seem like a lie.

She stood silent for a moment, nodded, and said, "Alright, I understand."

After leaving Prince Ling’s room, Governor Zhang looked at Xu Jing and asked, "Miss Xu, who do you want to see next?"

Xu Jing said, "Let’s first go and pay respects to Princess Consort Ling; it wouldn’t be proper to visit Consort Fang before seeing the Princess Consort."

The room of Princess Consort Ling was right beside Prince Ling’s room, only a few steps away.

Governor Zhang went forward to knock on the door again, and this time, before he could even say anything, the door opened, revealing a tall woman in a yellow and blue lined dress with striking, bright features and a very pale complexion.

Governor Zhang saw her and gave a faint smile, "I’ve brought Miss Xu to pay respects to the Imperial Concubine."

Now, by the side of Princess Consort Ling, there was only left Nanny Lu and a close maid named Dongyang.

This should be Dongyang.

She listened to Governor Zhang and nodded, quietly moving to the side as if inviting them in.

Xu Jing glanced at her somewhat inexplicably, and at that moment, Governor Zhang seemed to remember something, whispering softly as he led the way, "There is something I forgot to mention to Miss Xu: Dongyang... cannot speak. She was born mute."

Xu Jing was slightly taken aback.

However, Governor Zhang couldn’t say anything more as they had reached the inner chamber and saw Princess Consort Ling, leisurely sitting on the long couch, sipping tea.

Seeing Princess Consort Ling at that moment, Xu Jing felt a faint illusion, as if she was seeing the prematurely deceased Jiang Yanxia.

The title of Princess Consort Ling might sound old, but she wasn’t even forty yet. Except for the fine lines at the corner of her eyes and those deep, fathomless black eyes, there were almost no traces of time on her figure. Her countenance remained bright and beautiful, but her face lacked any smile. Upon seeing her for the first time, one would feel an indefinable distance, akin to a thorny rose keeping people at bay.

When she heard Xu Jing and her group approaching, she merely lifted her eyes to glance at them before lowering her gaze again, gently twiddling with the lid of her teacup, saying, "The Holy Emperor does regard us mother and son with importance, even inviting Miss Xu, who has recently become famous throughout Great Chu, to visit us."

Her words carried a faint tone of sarcasm and antagonism, causing Xu Jing to frown slightly. After saluting with Governor Zhang, she responded with a faint smile, "The Holy Emperor is merely concerned for the safety of Prince Ling and the Imperial Concubine."

"Heh, who knows if he’s truly concerned or not."

The corner of Princess Consort Ling’s mouth curved slightly as her voice turned a bit chilly, "Our mother and son indeed cause a lot of trouble for His Majesty now. He can’t let us just disappear directly and has to constantly worry about whether we might conspire with my unremarkable family.

Perhaps, being killed by this mysterious murderer is the best outcome for His Majesty."

Xu Jing frowned even more tightly, her voice calm, "Imperial Concubine, please mind your words. The intentions of the Holy Emperor are not for us to carelessly conjecture."

Princess Consort Ling seemed somewhat surprised and glanced properly at Xu Jing for the first time since she entered the room.

Suddenly, she chuckled softly and said, "Miss Xu is indeed loyal to the Holy Emperor. After all, you were personally sent by His Majesty; naturally, you would understand his mind best.

If that’s the case, let me be honest with you, Miss Xu. I severed ties with the Jiang family fifteen years ago. Whatever the Jiang family intends to do or has done now is none of my concern.

All I wish is for myself and Prince Ling to continue living peacefully as before."

As she spoke, her voice conveyed a genuine sorrow beyond words.