The South An City Prince couldn’t afford to ignore the instructions from the secret guards.
What if sothing really happened?
Regardless of how Xie Jingchen might take it, the Emperor wouldn’t let him off easily either.
The South An City Prince called Chu Shun and the others, and jumped down from the window.
Squatting for so long made his legs weak, and they hadn’t recovered in the slightest.
His knees buckled, nearly making him fall to the ground.
Chu Shun and the others were not any better off.
Among them, the South An City Prince had suffered terribly because of the Heir of Duke Chong, while the others basically fell at the hands of their own people - parents, siblings, and won.
This ti, it’s even worse—
The entire army got wiped out.
Seeing them like this, Su Jin remarked with exasperation, "You’re all in such a state and still don’t take a good rest?"
"The secret guards told us to escort our sister-in-law back to the mansion," the South An City Prince said.
"...."
Xingxing glanced sideways.
Her eyes were sympathetic, but her words flew like daggers, piercing their hearts, livers, lungs, and kidneys.
"You all can barely stand; if we encounter assassins, the young lady and I will have to split our focus to protect you," Xingxing said.
"...."
Su Jin cast a look at Xingxing.
Those words made them seem like masters.
But before the secret guards left, they instructed the South An City Prince and the others. Su Jin said, "Just send a servant to drive the carriage for ; you all should take a good rest. We’ll head back to the mansion first."
They had servants, but just one servant made Chu Shun and the others uneasy.
They asked the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to send four or five attendants to accompany them, escorting Su Jin back to the Prince Zhenbei Mansion.
Su Jin rewarded each one with an ounce of silver.
The small servants were thrilled; nobody was more generous than the Princess Consort Zhenbei!
Su Jin stepped into the mansion, took a few steps forward when Xingxing said, "Young lady, it’s the young master."
Xie Jingchen approached.
Su Jin quickened her pace to greet him, and Xie Jingchen said, "Why did you co back so soon?"
"There wasn’t much for to shop for on the street, so I ca back early," Su Jin replied.
"I’ll go to the study to get sothing; you head to the Agarwood Pavilion first," Xie Jingchen said.
Su Jin walked alongside Xie Jingchen towards the study.
Her nose slightly moved, catching up to ask, "Is the thing you’re getting important or urgent?"
"Not very important," Xie Jingchen said.
Su Jin’s eyes glead as she laughed, "Then help out with sothing first."
Su Jin grabbed Xie Jingchen’s arm, pulling him away from the direction of the study. Xie Jingchen asked, "What’s the favor?"
Su Jin pulled him towards the Prince Mansion gate, saying, "I spontaneously decided to go shopping today, didn’t carry money with , borrowed three thousand ounces from the South An City Prince, you go repay it for ."
"Such a trivial matter, why does it need to be so urgent?" Xie Jingchen frowned.
"I’m not used to owing people money; the secret guards are busy with other things, otherwise I would have let them run the errand."
"Hurry along...."
Su Jin directly pushed Xie Jingchen out the Prince Mansion gate.
Xingxing followed, with her brows furrowed tightly.
When did the young lady borrow three thousand ounces from the South An City Prince?
No such thing happened.
Seeing Xie Jingchen riding away, only then did Su Jin turn around to head back to the mansion.
Looking at her, Xingxing said, "Speak only when we reach the pavilion."
Xingxing imdiately shut her mouth.
Once inside the pavilion, Su Jin sat down, and Xingxing couldn’t hold back, "Is the young lady sending the young master to protect the South An City Prince and the others?"
Su Jin, "...."
"Just to send the money," Su Jin said.
"Why?" Xingxing asked.
"The young master doesn’t have money."
"...."
Could this maid speak just a bit more gently?
They all knew, why couldn’t they think about it more?
Seeing Xingxing look at her accusingly, Su Jin couldn’t help but glare at her, "The true young master has no money; the fake young master does."
Xingxing scrunched her brows, then her eyes suddenly widened, raising her voice by two notches, "The young lady ans just now the young master was fake?!"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
Xingxing looked at Su Jin in disbelief, "I didn’t notice the young master was fake at all, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong, young lady?"
"It wasn’t by sight, it was by scent," Su Jin said.
"...."
Xie Jingchen has a unique scent.
A faint sll of grass mixed with a hint of dicinal aroma.
The dicinal scent is cultivated over many years through dication and herbal baths, while the faint sll of grass is from the special soap Su Jin made for him.
Herbal scent might change, but the scent of dicinal herbs cannot.
Being with Xie Jingchen for so long, she could tell just by slling.
Earlier, the man’s scent had grass but lacked dicinal aroma, which clearly was problematic.
The study in the Prince Zhenbei Mansion is the most important place, guarded by secret guards, and generally no one can get in.
Aside from the Prince and the Old Prince, only the Princess Consort and herself could, along with Xie Jingchen.
If Xie Jingchen went to the study to get sothing, the secret guards wouldn’t suspect, thus creating an opportunity.
She had seen Xie Jingchen’s disguised appearance firsthand, so she boldly suspected that man was fake.
Xingxing rubbed her nose and asked, "Why didn’t the young lady shout to catch him?"
Su Jin lightly tapped Xingxing’s forehead and said, "How can things be done so crudely?"
"If I simply shout, in desperation, he might use as a bargaining chip."
"Moreover, whatever he was intending to steal wasn’t clear yet. Disguise techniques aren’t like other things; today he can disguise as Xie Jingchen, tomorrow as the Prince; it’s hard to guard against."
Can’t possibly question every person who enters the study, right?
Who can guarantee that the secret guards are absolutely real?
It’s best to be cautious.
Su Jin didn’t want to alert the snake, aiming to give soone another chance.
The man’s attire was exactly like what Xie Jingchen wore today, and if it weren’t for Su Jin’s attentiveness and sharp nose, she indeed might not have noticed.
Being so familiar with Xie Jingchen’s attire makes the issue even bigger.
Su Jin sat in the pavilion to enjoy the wind.
The reason she stayed was fearing the man might co back.
As long as she was there, he wouldn’t be able to get close to the study.
Speaking of the secret guards, after tailing the man, they directly leapt back over the walls to the Agarwood Pavilion.
Su Jin wasn’t in the backyard, nor in the inner house, making the secret guards a bit worried.
After asking a maid, they found out Su Jin was in the front yard and only then did they co over.
Upon seeing him, Su Jin asked, "Did you find anything?"
"The man entered the Prince Qi Mansion," the secret guards said.
Prince Qi Mansion?
Does this an that the attempt to assassinate the Emperor and trying to pin the cri on Qingyun Mountain was Prince Qi’s doing?
What a clever plan indeed.
The Emperor was to be killed, with the Eldest Prince not in the Capital at the ti, after eliminating the Emperor, the Eldest Prince would also be eliminated, leaving the throne to be inherited by the Second Prince.
But it was unfortunate that they saved both the Emperor and the Eldest Prince.
The secret guards couldn’t comprehend why the Princess Consort was sitting in the pavilion, and over there, when the Princess learned about her sitting there, she was helped out by a maid.
Su Jin turned to the secret guards and said, "Go to the military camp to get the Young Master back."
Afraid of sothing happening, the secret guards didn’t dare delay and left the mansion.
The Princess ca over and asked, "Did sothing happen?"
Su Jin stood up to support the Princess Consort and said, "Nothing is wrong, just sitting here to relax for a while."
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