Chapter 483 Rescue Plan

Chapter 483: The Rescue Plan

"So I boldly guessed that Madam Xu only had me temporarily take the young lady's place in the marriage. After some time, if the young lady's health improves a bit, they would have us switch back. This way, it would be seamless and without anyone being the wiser."

Pei Zhiyi frowned, still deeply puzzled. "But why would she suddenly, out of the blue, have your young lady become a concubine to Prince Ye?"

"And they didn't even notify Tangtang in advance—they just sent the sedan chair over directly. Who just shoves people into someone else's home like that?"

Ji Yuntang also found the motives behind Magistrate Zhong and this Madam Xu's actions very strange.

From the very beginning, they had claimed to be Luo Junhe's in-laws, so it was obvious they didn't intend for Zhong Xinyu to be a concubine—they wanted her to be the Princess Ye.

If Zhong Xinyu had truly been frightened out of her mind by Luo Junhe, and Luo Junhe, out of guilt, made her his princess, then she'd most likely be divorced.

"Could it be... they want A He to divorce me?"

Ji Yuntang guessed this and felt she might have hit the nail on the head!

Magistrate Zhong and Madam Xu's goal was clearly not aimed at Luo Junhe, but at her.

These past days, because she had saved Luo Junhe and protected the Prince Ye's residence, she had ruffled some feathers.

From the assassination attempts a few days ago to now shoving Miss Zhong through the door, all of this was deliberately engineered by someone.

Ji Yuntang knew Luo Jingshen had ordered the assassination, but she wasn't sure if the Miss Zhong matter was also connected to him.

With this thought, Ji Yuntang asked, "Ming Xia, when you came to substitute the bride, did Madam Xu give you any specific instructions?"

Ming Xia said, "Madam didn't say anything explicit. She only told this servant to get into the Prince Ye's residence no matter what today, and then compete for the prince's affections."

"Ideally, make Prince Ye fall in love with this servant and divorce the Princess Ye..."

Ming Xia lowered her head as she spoke, which made Pei Zhiyi furious.

"Is she out of her mind? What makes her think Prince Ye would fall for Miss Zhong and dump Tangtang?"

Ji Yuntang snorted coldly. "Perhaps she thinks Miss Zhong was originally A He's lawfully wedded princess, and that this princess stole her position."

"She thinks that now that Miss Zhong is here, this princess should just hand over the position."

Ming Xia chimed in, "The Princess Ye speaks the truth. Madam Xu did say exactly that. She said if not for our young lady running back home, the position of Princess Ye wouldn't have fallen to you no matter what. She told this servant to fight for the position back, even if it meant starting as a concubine."

Ji Yuntang sneered inwardly, finding Madam Xu both naive and ridiculous.

The position of Princess Ye isn't something just anyone can sit on—if things go wrong, you could even lose your life!

Knowing full well that Madam Xu's approach was wrong and that Zhong Xinyu was coming here to die, Magistrate Zhong still sent her over without a second thought. Why?

Thinking about the recent string of events, Ji Yuntang asked her.

"Has your master done anything out of the ordinary these past two days, or has he gone out to see anyone?"

Ming Xia thought for a moment, and indeed recalled something strange.

"Actually, there was something. The night before last, our master was out all night and didn't come back until noon the next day."

"You see, Madam Xu usually keeps him on a very short leash. If the master went out drinking, hit the brothels, and didn't come home, Madam Xu would throw a huge fit the next day and make him swear he'd never do it again!"

"But that morning, Madam Xu surprisingly didn't throw a fit. Not only that, she was glowing. She had new jewelry on her, and she even personally cooked a whole table of dishes for the master. The two young masters also sat down to eat with them."

"When they were eating, they specifically sent the servants away. This servant doesn't know what they discussed, but I saw that after the meal, everyone looked delighted, as if something amazing had happened."

"That afternoon, Madam Xu personally brought a food basket to see our young lady. She looked especially gentle that day—something that would've been unheard of in the past."

"But when she learned that the young lady was very ill and couldn't even get out of bed, she found it inauspicious, left the food basket, and went away!"

"Until the next day, Madam Xu had her personal maid summon this servant to her room and showed me the wedding dress and crown. I thought she was going to have the young lady married, but unexpectedly, she asked this servant to substitute for the young lady in the marriage."

Ji Yuntang heard this and already had a rough answer in her mind.

"So it seems that the reason Madam Xu had your young lady married off is definitely connected to the person your master went to meet that night."

"The question is, does that person know that your master and mistress sent a servant girl to substitute for your young lady?"

Ming Xia lowered her head. "This... this servant doesn't know either."

Pei Zhiyi stepped forward and asked, "Tangtang, who do you think Magistrate Zhong went to meet that night?"

Ji Yuntang curled her lips. "I don't know either, but I can be certain that it must be someone so important that Magistrate Zhong would risk everything to curry favor with."

Ji Yuntang already had a target figure in mind, but she had no evidence.

She withdrew her thoughts and looked at Ming Xia, saying to her, "Ming Xia, this princess can save your young lady, and I can help her escape the Zhong residence and be openly with the one she loves. But I have a condition."

Ming Xia's heart leaped with joy, and she quickly knelt on the ground and said, "As long as the Princess Ye can save our young lady, this servant will agree to any condition."

"Get up first." Ji Yuntang pulled her up and said, "For this matter, this princess needs your cooperation."

"You should first return to the Zhong residence and pretend that you were knocked unconscious and know nothing. Stabilize Madam Xu and Magistrate Zhong first, and in the meantime, try to find out what they discussed and report back to me. In a couple of days, they'll still need you to substitute for Miss Zhong at the Prince Ye's residence, so you don't need to worry about your safety."

"Tonight at the first quarter of the zi hour, this princess will quietly sneak into the Zhong residence to treat your young lady. At that time, I'll need you to come out and receive me."

As Ji Yuntang spoke, she took out a bottle of medicine from her bosom and handed it to Ming Xia.

"This is a sleeping powder—odorless and tasteless. When you return, mix it into the water and give it to the servants watching over you and your young lady. They'll sleep for two hours and wake up on their own. You don't need to worry about them getting suspicious."

"As for how to get your young lady out when the time comes, this princess has her ways. You just need to cooperate with me to get this done first."

Ming Xia's eyes welled up with tears. She took the sleeping powder and tucked it into her bosom, nodding repeatedly.

"This servant understands. This servant will definitely do as the Princess instructs."

Ji Yuntang nodded and had Pei Zhiyi arrange for someone to escort her to a place near the Zhong residence.

"Alright, I'll have someone escort you back."

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