Chapter 577: The Princess Consort Returns

Chapter 577: The Princess Returns

He knew exactly what kind of person Ji Yuntang was.

If she were actually at the Prince Ye's residence, how could she let Luo Sinian have patrol officers guarding the whole place?

And for half a month straight, no less.

Ji Yuntang had told Emperor Jingyang she was worried the assassins might come back.

But Luo Jingshen figured she was scarier than any assassin.

He'd sent five hundred men to raid the place, and she'd nearly wiped them all out.

He had no idea how she'd pulled it off, but he didn't buy for a second that she was scared of those killers.

Everything pointed to Ji Yuntang acting mighty suspicious lately.

Luo Jingshen stood up, his sharp eyes boring into Luo Sinian.

"Eighth brother, be straight with me—where's Princess Ye been? Has she even been at the residence?"

Luo Sinian's brow furrowed, barely noticeable. When Ji Yuntang left, her biggest worry was someone figuring out where she'd gone.

That's why she had Pei Zhiyi stay at the residence and pretend to be her.

But Pei Zhiyi and Ji Yuntang were total opposites. Pei Zhiyi was blunt and upright, with none of Ji Yuntang's scheming or sly little tricks.

Ji Yuntang stirred up big trouble every ten days and small trouble every three, but Pei Zhiyi rarely got into conflicts.

Pulling off the impersonation for a short while was doable, but the longer it dragged on, the harder it got to keep the act going.

Luo Sinian snapped out of his thoughts. Pei Zhiyi wasn't here right now, and he knew he had to cover for Ji Yuntang.

Otherwise, knowing Luo Jingshen, he'd definitely make trouble for her.

Luo Sinian met Luo Jingshen's gaze, his voice icy. "I don't know why Your Highness would say that. I've had troops stationed here this whole time—how could I not know whether my third sister-in-law is here?"

"She's just been busy taking care of my third brother and hasn't left the estate. Please don't go making wild guesses, Your Highness."

Luo Jingshen let out a cold laugh. "Oh, really?"

"Well, in that case, I'll just wait right here for Princess Ye to return."

"I've got nothing else going on today anyway. Might as well see when she actually shows up—that'll settle my doubts."

With that, he sat back down and grabbed a pastry off the table.

Luo Sinian frowned but couldn't exactly kick him out.

After all, he was just an outsider with no say in the affairs of the Prince Ye's residence.

Luo Sinian was about to turn and leave to fetch Pei Zhiyi when Luo Jingshen suddenly called out to him.

"Where's Eighth Brother off to? Why not stay and play a few rounds of chess with me?"

Without even waiting for Luo Sinian to agree, he had someone bring over the chess set.

Luo Sinian was stuck between staying and leaving. He worried that if he left, Luo Jingshen would head to the back courtyard and cause trouble for Luo Junhe. After mulling it over, he decided to stay and sat down across from Luo Jingshen.

"Then I'll gladly oblige Your Highness."

The two went back and forth at chess—Luo Jingshen playing black, Luo Sinian playing white.

At first, it was a fairly even match, but soon black started relentlessly chasing down white, gobbling up Luo Sinian's pieces one after another.

Five rounds in a row, and Luo Sinian lost every single one.

Luo Jingshen sneered with disdain. "Eighth Brother's chess game could use some work."

Luo Sinian didn't even flinch, his expression staying calm.

"Naturally, I can't compare to Your Highness's superior skill."

After two hours of playing, Luo Jingshen brushed off his sleeves and stood up.

"So, Princess Ye still hasn't come back? She's not planning on staying out all night, is she?"

Luo Sinian said gravely, "My third sister-in-law will definitely be back. If Your Highness has something to discuss with her, I can pass along the message."

But Luo Jingshen wouldn't let it go. "This isn't something you can pass along. I have to speak with Princess Ye myself."

"I hear Heir Xie hasn't been at his place lately either—even Qingge's been going to the palace by herself. And now Princess Ye's gone missing too. They haven't run off together behind Third Brother and Ninth Sister's backs to do something shady, have they?"

Just then, a cold, flat voice came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, do tell—what shameful things could this Princess possibly be up to?"

Luo Sinian turned and saw a familiar figure.

He froze for a second, his first thought being that Pei Zhiyi had shown up.

But her next words made him realize it wasn't Pei Zhiyi—it was the real Ji Yuntang.

"Did Your Highness forget to leash your tongue before leaving the house this morning, and now you're running around the Prince Ye's residence biting people?"

"As a member of the royal family, you can't even keep your mouth shut—spreading baseless rumors and slandering people, even your own sister and brother-in-law. Aren't you afraid of hurting their feelings?"

Luo Jingshen had been feeling pretty smug, but at Ji Yuntang's words, he immediately bristled.

"Ji Yuntang, I've been here this whole time and you didn't even bother to come out and greet me. Is this how the Prince Ye's residence treats guests?"

Ji Yuntang shot him a look of faint mockery. "Hospitality? You mean the hospitality for uninvited guests? Or the hospitality for people who make themselves at home?"

She'd raced back at full speed, only to see the Crown Prince's carriage parked at the main gate. She immediately knew something was up.

Sure enough, after tying up her horse and slipping in through the back door, she found Luo Jingshen sitting in the reception hall, spouting off those provocative words.

Luo Sinian was too good-natured to fire back, but Ji Yuntang was a different story.

She didn't coddle Luo Jingshen one bit—she shot right back, knowing he wouldn't dare do anything to her.

Luo Jingshen's face went dark. He wanted to storm out, but remembering why he'd come, he took a deep breath and held it in.

His tone softened as he spoke to Ji Yuntang. "Princess Ye, I came to see you today about something."

"I have a close friend from out of town who's been having some... trouble in the bedroom lately. He wrote to me asking if I could find a doctor in the capital who could treat that kind of thing."

"So you were the first person I thought of. Your medical skills are unmatched in the whole Dongchen Kingdom, so I'm sure you'd have a solution."

Ji Yuntang gave him a knowing look, one eyebrow raised in a mocking smile.

"This friend Your Highness is talking about—could it be you, by any chance?"

That remark seemed to hit a nerve, and Luo Jingshen shot back loudly, "How could that be? Everyone knows I have dedicated imperial physicians managing my health. How could I possibly have a problem like that?"

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