si-mexico Chapter 397 No Regrets
Chapter 397 No Regrets
Jiang Zijin knelt before the Buddhist hall.
He was moving the prayer beads in his hand.
Try to calm your anxious heart.
But no matter how she moved the beads, she remained agitated.
She anticipated that Ruyue would face many difficulties entering the palace, including being questioned and even having her appearance examined.
The most serious consequence is decapitation.
Unexpectedly, Princess Chen would take advantage of the situation and turn the fake into the real thing.
She didn't know whether seeking out Ruyue was the right or wrong decision.
She had her own selfish reasons for choosing such a body double.
He feared that Prince Chen might take pity on her, or develop other intentions, wanting her, and also wanting a substitute for her.
So she still sought out a woman of the night like Ruyue.
If Prince Chen were to maintain his integrity, he wouldn't eat everything.
Of course, the most important point is that Ruyue was once a young lady from an official family, so she would not be bad in terms of etiquette. She also spent some time in brothels, so she learns everything quickly.
It's very similar to the fabricated background of Consort Lan.
Good enough to be mistaken for the real thing.
She waited and waited, but Prince Chen and Ruyue still didn't return, and she began to panic.
Let Ya'er go and find out.
Before long, Ya'er came running back, panting.
Out of breath, she cried out, "Your Majesty...it's terrible! The soldiers are here..."
"Tell me slowly, has the prince returned?" Jiang Zijin reassured him.
"No... he hasn't come back. The soldiers have arrived. They said the wanted criminal escaped into the villa, and they are ordered to capture him. They have surrounded the villa and are on their way here."
"Didn't you say this was Prince Chen's residence? How dare they..."
"I told you, the soldiers have an imperial decree, no one dares to stop us, Your Highness, let's escape quickly." Ya'er said, starting to pack up her valuables.
Run! Run to where?
Jiang Zijin felt a chill run down her spine.
She suddenly realized that she had fallen for a trap.
The beggars happened to be causing trouble today, and the Chen Prince's family happened to be summoned to the palace. This distracted the Chen Prince and made her lower her guard.
Let's trap them like turtles in a jar.
It must be Princess Yuqing, otherwise, with the Emperor so busy with state affairs, why would he keep focusing on a mere young woman like her?
But she probably didn't know that the Emperor was keeping a close eye on her.
She was the first and only woman to dare to defy imperial orders and even manage to escape unscathed.
This is blatant disrespect for imperial power.
"Ya'er, grab some dry food and water, let's hide in the secret room first." Jiang Zijin turned the mechanism in the bedroom, and a small door opened instantly on the wall.
Under heaven, all land belongs to the king; where can one escape to?
She never even considered escaping; there were wanted posters for her everywhere, and going out would be like throwing herself into the lion's den.
It would be better to wait for Prince Chen to come and rescue her in the secret room.
She simply couldn't understand why she had gone through so much trouble to plan this.
In the end, they still had to hide and live in hiding, without even a place to call home.
Ya'er stopped what she was doing, hesitating to speak.
"Say what you want to say." The only person Jiang Zijin trusts now is Ya'er; only Ya'er will not betray her.
In her previous life, Ya'er was her personal maid, whom she rescued from human traffickers.
As her dowry maid, she followed her into the Eastern Palace, serving as a head maid and then a head nanny.
He would even die in her place.
In this life, she still saved Ya'er and became her most trusted mistress and servant.
After thinking for a moment, Ya'er voiced her concerns, "Your Highness, please don't blame me for being overly worried, but the soldiers came to arrest him without any hindrance. What if the Prince is just trying to protect himself..."
She had seen the coldness and warmth of the world.
There are quite a few people who sell their children just to have a meal.
Not to mention a prince.
Although Prince Chen was indeed good to Consort Lan, it was clear that his feelings were genuine.
But Prince Chen is no ordinary person; he is the emperor's son and is very likely to sit on that throne.
Even a maid like her could see the prince's ambition.
It's hard to guarantee that he won't sacrifice Consort Lan to protect himself.
"No, he won't." Jiang Zijin said this without being sure herself.
But at this moment, she still chose to believe in Prince Chen.
She would rather be a canary in the royal palace.
They didn't want to escape and hide, enduring wind and rain.
She would rather die than live a life of humiliation.
So even though she didn't trust Prince Chen, she was still willing to take the gamble. If she lost, it would just mean death.
A person who has already died once is not afraid of death.
They still hold onto the hope of starting over.
It's like playing chess; once a move is made, there's no going back. Even if you lose this game, you can always play another one.
The next game will definitely be better than this one.
Ruyue was inexplicably taken back to the Prince Chen's residence, and even then, she was given the title of Consort Lan, a concubine of the Prince Chen.
They were placed in a small courtyard, served by two maids and servants, and provided with good food and drink.
A doctor came to treat her scars.
It was as if she had suddenly returned to the time before her father was exiled, when she was still a daughter of an official, a well-bred lady who never left her home.
But she remained anxious and uneasy.
They knew nothing about the outside world, nor did they know whether their current life was a blessing or a curse.
It was like a grand dream.
Seven days have passed since she returned to the Prince's residence, and she still hasn't seen Prince Chen. Only Princess Chen came once and told her to rest assured that she could be a concubine and that the Prince's residence would not lack her for food.
She felt that Princess Chen actually knew she was an imposter, but she pitied and sympathized with her.
She couldn't help but ask the maid, "Where is the prince?"
The maidservant reported truthfully, "The Prince has been confined to his study by the Emperor."
The incident of bribing beggars to spread rumors caused a great uproar throughout the city.
Prince Chen was impeached by the censor and reprimanded by the emperor, and knelt at the entrance of the imperial study for a day and a night.
He was placed under house arrest as soon as he returned to the palace.
He was not allowed to leave the palace for six months.
They even took back the mansion that had been bestowed upon him, including the villa where Jin'er lived.
Prince Chen was in a complicated mood and paced back and forth in the room.
He knew that Jin'er should still be in that secret room, where there was food and water, enough for her to hide for a few days.
He was worried about Jin'er, but he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore.
He thought about many things during the night he knelt at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
He likes Jin'er.
The disadvantages that Ke Jin'er brought him far outweighed the advantages.
Guan disobeyed orders and harbored a wanted criminal.
That was enough for the Emperor to despise him, abandon him, and cast him into hell from which he could never rise again.
Jin'er has caused him such a huge disaster this time, ruining his long-cultivated reputation and achievements.
He hesitated, he struggled.
It's like having a piece of flesh ripped out of your body—a piercing, excruciating pain.
He couldn't bear it.
But what can I do if I can't bear to part with her? I can't very well die with her.
Even animals will detach their tails to survive, let alone humans.
He also has his own grand ambitions.
He will always keep Jin'er in his heart.
……