Chapter 351: Rebellion?

"Princess Ye, this poem is absolutely brilliant. Combined with the first half you wrote, the word 'empty' immediately takes on a whole new level of depth!"

"Indeed, asking you to finish the whole poem was the best call I ever made."

Ji Yuntang chuckled softly, "Young Master Jiang, don't say that. Everyone can see how talented you are."

"I believe that if you had completed the two lines you wrote yourself, the overall artistic conception would not have been any less impressive than mine."

Jiang Yunhang remained humble, speaking slowly, "When it comes to poetry, I still have a lot to learn from Princess Ye."

The two traded a few compliments, then Jiang Yunhang suggested they submit their papers.

Ji Yuntang naturally had no objections.

When Cheng Rushan received the paper Jiang Yunhang submitted, he exclaimed with great delight, "What a brilliant line—'flower, yet not a flower; mist, yet not mist.'"

"Yunheng, which two lines here are yours?"

Jiang Yunhang answered truthfully, "None of them, Headmaster Cheng."

"I've decided to withdraw and let Princess Ye take the chance, so all four lines were written by her."

Unexpectedly, the moment he finished speaking, Luo Jingshen's displeased voice cut in.

"Princess Ye is going too far. She was allowed to partner with the examinees to write poetry, yet she selfishly stole someone else's chance to compose. She clearly doesn't give a damn about Qingyun Hall or the Jiang family!"

"Everyone knows how hard it is to earn a spot in the Canglang Poetry Talk competition! Young Master Jiang fought tooth and nail to make it to the fifth round. If he passed this round, he might even win the top prize and get a position at court."

"Unexpectedly, Princess Ye actually forced Young Master Jiang to forfeit and yield his place to her. This is simply unacceptable!"

Luo Jingshen's gaze turned dark, his decently handsome face burning with fury, as if he might erupt like a volcano at any second.

Seeing this, Ji Qingqing quickly stepped up to soothe him.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Honestly, you can't really blame my sister for this. She's always been arrogant and overbearing. Anyone who crosses her always ends up in trouble."

"I figure Young Master Jiang was scared of offending her and stirring up trouble, so he had no choice but to voluntarily give up the competition. Wasn't he just looking out for himself?"

Ji Qingqing would've been better off keeping quiet—the moment she spoke, Luo Jingshen blew up and turned on her.

He fumed, "This is simply unacceptable! The Dongchen Kingdom belongs to the Luo family, not the Ji family. Since when does a princess get to call the shots?"

"Is the Ji family planning to rebel or what?"

Ji Qingqing: "..."

Ji Qingqing: "!!!"

She felt like she'd been dragged into it!

She'd only wanted to see Ji Yuntang take the fall alone, but one careless remark from Luo Jingshen had dragged the whole Marquis Yongning estate into it.

Wasn't this the classic case of a useless teammate?

Ji Qingqing thought Luo Jingshen had to be a bit slow in the head. The Marquis Yongning estate was on his side, after all.

Saying something so treasonous—wasn't he just screwing them over?

He'd really perfected the art of hurting himself more than the enemy.

Today, Ji Qingqing was the only one from the Marquis Yongning estate who'd been invited. She figured now was the time to step up and clear the Ji family's name.

Otherwise, people might think the estate was still in cahoots with Ji Yuntang and lower their standing.

With this thought, Ji Qingqing first steadied herself, then dropped to her knees with a "thud."

Her eyes were pleading, tears spilling before she even spoke. With her pale, sickly face, she looked fragile and pitiful.

"Your Highness, this was all my sister's doing—the Ji family had nothing to do with it! She cut ties with our estate a long time ago!"

"The Marquis Yongning estate is completely loyal to His Majesty and you, Your Highness. Even if you gave us a thousand chances, we'd never dare rebel. Please believe me, Your Highness."

Luo Jingshen caught the odd looks from the crowd and realized he might've just put his foot in his mouth!

In one slip, he'd dragged the whole estate into it, and Ji Qingqing had gone pale with fright.

Luo Jingshen hurried over and helped her to her feet, then wiped the tears from her eyes, his look full of affection.

"Qing Qing, you're my Crown Princess—how could I not trust you?"

"I know the Marquis's character better than anyone. He's completely loyal to the royal family, without a hint of betrayal. He'd never rebel."

"I just blurted that out without thinking. What I meant was the Prince Ye's estate, not the Ji family."

"Ji Yuntang may be your sister, but she's already married off. Once married, she's no longer part of the Ji family—she belongs to the Prince Ye's estate."

Luo Jingshen didn't hold back—he laid his thoughts bare right in front of everyone.

This immediately rubbed Luo Sinian the wrong way.

A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth as he said mockingly, "The Prince Ye's estate rebelling?"

"Second Brother, do you even listen to yourself?"

"My Third Brother is still bedridden and can't even walk. Father took away his military seal and estate, splitting them between you and Fifth Brother. He doesn't have a single soldier now—what's he supposed to rebel with?"

Luo Jingshen's eyes dimmed, and his face went dark.

He sidestepped the issue, "Eighth Brother, is that how you talk to your elder brother?"

Luo Sinian snorted in contempt. "I'm just telling the truth. Second Brother, as the Crown Prince, you should know that careless talk can get you in trouble."

"No prince in the Dongchen Kingdom would rebel—and my Third Brother is the last one who would."

As luck would have it, those words reached Luo Junhe's ears in the teahouse.

A faint, barely noticeable glint flashed in his eyes. His calm dark eyes were deep as the sea, carrying a chilling cold that made your heart skip.

So even as a cripple, the Crown Prince still had it out for him, itching to destroy him.

Emperor Jingyang was naturally paranoid. If this rumor got out, the consequences would be disastrous.

Good thing Luo Sinian was sharp today. Otherwise, Luo Jingshen would've really dumped this mess on the Prince Ye's estate!

A slight smile tugged at Ji Yuntang's lips as her sharp eyes locked onto Luo Jingshen. She raised her hand and gave two light claps.

"Slap, slap—"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, setting the example by spreading rumors and slander—this Princess has never seen anything like it. With a Crown Prince like you, are we all doomed in the Dongchen Kingdom?"

"You—how dare you!" Luo Jingshen's expression shifted drastically, his murderous energy spiking.

Ji Yuntang smirked, "This Princess has always been quite bold in that regard. Didn't Ji Qingqing just mention that a moment ago?"

"I hold grudges, I nitpick, and I never back down from a fight."

Luo Jingshen: "..."

Her words shut him up instantly.

He felt that she'd be the death of him if he kept going back and forth with her, so he decided to change the subject.

But Ji Yuntang pressed on relentlessly, "You concluded that the Prince of Ye's mansion was plotting rebellion based solely on Ji Qingqing's two sentences. Today, Your Highness the Crown Prince must give this Princess an explanation, or else others might think the Prince of Ye's mansion is easy to bully."

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