Chapter 599: Prince Ye Gets Jealous

Xia Chuhe knew this was the home of Ji Nanchuan's biological daughter. She also wanted to see whether Ji Yuntang was truly as cold-hearted, ruthless, and selfish as Ji Nanchuan had described.

She stayed in the carriage without getting out, but her eyes peered through the curtain toward Prince Ye's mansion.

The two guards at the gate saw Ji Nanchuan coming again, and their faces turned blacker than coal from a stove.

"Marquis Ji, why are you here again? Our princess has already said she won't see you. You should just go back."

Ji Nanchuan ignored the two servants and shouted straight at the gate: "Princess Ye, your own brother is lying in bed, hanging by a thread between life and death. Are you really going to just stand by and do nothing?"

Ji Nanchuan waited for a long time, but there was no response from within Prince Ye's mansion. His expression gradually soured.

Even after he said all that, she still wouldn't come out. Was he really going to have to get down on his knees and beg?

He glanced sideways at the carriage and noticed a corner of the curtain had been lifted. Ji Nanchuan's mind started racing.

He had just told Xia Chuhe all sorts of bad things about Ji Yuntang—how heartless she was, how she wouldn't even acknowledge him. She was naive and had believed every word.

Now, if he didn't go all in, how could he prove that Ji Yuntang really had no conscience?

With that thought, Ji Nanchuan hardened his resolve, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt directly on the ground.

Gritting his teeth, his face twisted with humiliation, he said, "Princess Ye, this Marquis is kneeling before you now. I beg you to come out and save my son."

Meanwhile, back inside Prince Ye's mansion.

Ji Yuntang was helping Luo Junhe with his leg rehabilitation exercises.

He had just managed to stand and walk on his own, though his legs still felt a bit off. Ji Yuntang personally massaged them for him.

Just then, Chen Hu walked in with a sour look on his face and said, "Your Highnesses, that Marquis Yongning is here again."

Ji Yuntang didn't even lift her head, focusing entirely on massaging Luo Junhe's legs.

"If he's here, then he's here. Don't pay him any attention, and don't open the door for him. Just tell him this Princess isn't seeing anybody."

Chen Hu said, fuming, "That's what the guards told him, but who would've thought Ji Nanchuan would actually kneel down in front of Prince Ye's mansion! He said that if you don't come out to save Ji Qingfeng, he'll kneel there and won't get up."

"Princess, he's a marquis kneeling at our doorstep—what kind of spectacle is that? Passersby are already gathering around Prince Ye's mansion, pointing fingers and saying you're too cold-hearted and not fit to be princess."

What Chen Hu didn't say was that Ji Nanchuan was Ji Yuntang's own father.

The Dongchen Kingdom placed the highest importance on filial piety. People had seen kids kneel to their parents, but never parents kneel to their kids.

If word got out, even if it wasn't Ji Yuntang's fault, it would become her fault.

After all, nobody expected Ji Nanchuan to go this far for Ji Qingfeng, even tossing aside his dignity.

Ji Yuntang let out a cold scoff, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

"He's just trying to use that cheap, disgusting trick to morally blackmail this Princess."

She got up and looked at Chen Hu. "Do you think he's kneeling at Prince Ye's gate just to beg this Princess to save Ji Qingfeng? Then you're dead wrong!"

"Maybe begging me to save someone is just one of his goals."

Chen Hu was puzzled. "Huh? Then what else is he after?"

Ji Yuntang glanced at Chen Hu and said lightly, "Now that the Yongning Marquis's reputation is in shambles, and Ji Nanchuan has been dumped by that dog crown prince, he's in a tight spot at court. He desperately needs a stable, powerful backer to help solidify his position."

"That dog crown prince is the best candidate he can think of. But how can he win back the dog crown prince's trust and make Luo Jingshen see his worth again?"

Luo Junhe narrowed his eyes and murmured, "He wants to use our Prince Ye's mansion as a stepping stone to get back in the dog crown prince's good graces."

Ji Yuntang nodded, completely agreeing. "Exactly. If this Princess comes out to save Ji Qingfeng, it would be a silent signal to everyone that the Ji family and I have made up, and that the Yongning Marquis's mansion is now under Prince Ye's protection."

"The dog crown prince is dead set on taking down Prince Ye's mansion. If Ji Nanchuan wants to suck up to the crown prince, he'll inevitably do something to backstab Prince Ye's mansion—like framing or falsely accusing this Princess to get rid of me."

"I don't know how bad Ji Qingfeng's injuries are, but from what Ji Nanchuan said, Ji Qingqing stabbed him right in the chest, just a hair away from his heart."

"Normally, for less serious injuries, the imperial physician could just patch him up. But now even the imperial physician is stumped. He came to find this Princess, and with all the time wasted in between—what if Ji Qingfeng dies on the operating table?"

"Then wouldn't he be able to turn around and bite me, claiming this Princess killed Ji Qingfeng, and demand I pay with my life?"

A dark glint flashed through Luo Junhe's peach-blossom eyes. Putting everything else aside, he thought Ji Nanchuan just might do exactly what Ji Yuntang had guessed.

Lose one Ji Qingfeng, and he could eliminate Ji Yuntang, the thorn in his side.

That way, Luo Jingshen would see his value and reinstate him.

His position at court would be secured, and the impact on the Yongning Marquis's mansion would be minimized.

There was no denying it—this scheme was extremely vicious.

On top of that, Ji Nanchuan was now kneeling at the gate of Prince Ye's mansion, playing the victim and using a pity ploy to beg Ji Yuntang.

Wasn't he just trying to use public opinion to pressure Ji Yuntang?

If she saved him, she might fall into the trap he had carefully designed.

If she didn't, the common folk would condemn her for being heartless, while sympathizing with Ji Nanchuan. He could use the added weight of fatherly love to salvage some of his own reputation.

But for Ji Yuntang, there was no benefit either way.

Ji Yuntang thought for a moment, and suddenly an idea struck her.

She called Chen Hu over and whispered a few words to him. Chen Hu's eyes lit up after hearing it, and he nodded repeatedly.

Luo Junhe watched the two of them huddled together mysteriously, whispering about something he couldn't hear. A pang of jealousy stirred in his heart, and he walked over to take Ji Yuntang's hand.

"A Tang, is there something this Prince isn't allowed to hear?"

Ji Yuntang looked at him, blinked, and flashed him a sly grin. "You'll find out soon enough."

Luo Junhe felt that his little princess consort's smile carried a deeper meaning. His narrow peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't press further.

Before long, news spread from outside that Prince Ye had suffered a poison flare-up, vomited blood, and fallen unconscious, and that the Princess Ye was currently tending to him.

Luo Junhe: "..."

Luo Junhe: "!!!!!"

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