The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 146 Visiting the Emperor

Jiying Palace.

Before they knew it, it was getting dark earlier and earlier. After class, Jing Anle and Afang had just stepped out of the palace gate when they ran into Mu Ping who was coming towards them.

"Princess."

Mu Ping rarely comes to Jiying Hall, so it must be something urgent. This scene was also seen by Jing Rou and Xiao Heng behind her.

She paused for a moment, then instinctively asked, "What's wrong?"

The master and servant simply walked and talked.

"Today in court, Luo Xun was questioned about the saltworks incident and will be executed on a later date," Mu Ping said in a low voice.

Jing Anle immediately stopped in his tracks. "Just today? What about Prince Qing?"

She had just discussed this matter with Qin Xu yesterday, and the incident happened today; it all happened far too quickly.

Mu Ping hesitated for a long time before saying hesitantly, "Prince Qing did not impose any punishment."

Now that the matter has been discovered, Emperor Jing should naturally know that the mastermind behind it should be Prince Qing. How could this be?

Jing Anle looked slightly angry and puzzled. Seeing this, Afang thought that Jing Anle was unhappy because of this matter and quickly said, "Princess, don't worry."

“Yes, Princess, we’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future,” Mu Ping added.

But a moment later, Jing Anle's anger turned into laughter.

"Princess, what are you laughing at?" Afang asked, puzzled.

Jing Anle gently shook her head, thinking to herself that she was wrong.

She always thought she had to arrange everything perfectly, forgetting that she was just a fifteen-year-old girl. Even with two more years of experience and her quick wit, how could she possibly outmaneuver Emperor Jing's decades-long schemes? It seemed that Emperor Jing could predict as many things as she, Jing Anle, could, and therefore, he must have his reasons for doing so.

"Let's go to Mingde Palace." Jing Anle quickly composed herself; there were some things her elder brother, the Emperor, needed to know.

Mu Ping and A Fang exchanged a glance and respectfully replied, "Yes." They then followed Jing Anle's footsteps.

……

Prince Qing's Mansion.

"This is absolutely infuriating!"

Prince Qing casually flicked the cup in his hand far away.

Right now, he is sitting in the house with Fang Ling and Zhou Hai.

"Your Highness, please calm down. Li Cong is such an eyesore. I will find an opportunity to make sure he never messes things up again."

Fang Ling and Zhou Hai exchanged a glance, knowing that this matter was no small thing. Luo Xun was being questioned not only for violating the law, but more importantly, it was a show of force from Emperor Jing.

"Your Highness, please don't be anxious."

These days, Princess Qing's belly has grown a bit bigger. She was just coming over with tea when Prince Qing saw her and quickly went to help her.

"My beloved concubine, you've arrived." After saying that, she turned to Fang Ling and Zhou Hai and said, "You two should go back now."

"Yes."

Princess Qing put down her tea and said, "I have already heard about what happened in the palace today."

The two looked at each other.

"I'm afraid His Majesty already harbors resentment towards us. We've kept the matter of the salt fields in Yanzhou a closely guarded secret, but now we've actually brought it up directly in front of His Majesty. I'm afraid someone is behind this."

"Does Your Highness mean there's a traitor among us?"

Prince Qing sneered and said, "This matter still needs to be thoroughly investigated. The most important thing right now is that His Majesty has become suspicious."

After thinking for a moment, Princess Qing said, "I will go to the palace in a few days. I think the Empress Dowager should be feeling better. There are some things that would be better said by the Empress Dowager."

"Queen Mother?"

Prince Qing seemed to be suddenly enlightened, and immediately understood Princess Qing's meaning. He smiled and said, "Very well! I'll leave this matter to my beloved princess."

"By the way, Your Highness, about Jingrong..."

"Jingrong, what happened to that girl?"

Princess Qing sighed, "Your Highness, have you forgotten about Jing Rong's marriage to Murong Peifeng? Now that Murong Peifeng is crippled, he is naturally of no help to us. However, in my opinion, just to avoid criticism from outsiders, our marriage with the Marquis of Pingchang should still proceed as scheduled."

Only after being reminded by Princess Qing did Prince Qing remember the matter; he had been so angry that he had lost his mind.

"Your Highness is very thoughtful. Qi Kingdom will not want a crippled monarch. Since she cannot help me, there is no need for me to bother. Besides, I already have a new candidate."

"Your Highness is referring to Prince Qi?"

Prince Qing laughed heartily, "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman!" He then turned to Princess Qing and said, "In any case, I have already made plans for this matter. My dear consort, it would be best to focus on your pregnancy for now."

……

Mingde Palace.

Although Emperor Jing decreed that Jing Fengyao was not allowed to leave, he did not say that others were not allowed to enter.

"Greetings, Princess." The palace servants of Mingde Palace quickly bowed to Jing Anle.

Jing Anle waved her hand gently, her demeanor both domineering and beautiful, "Where is my imperial brother?"

The two palace servants bowed low, exchanged a glance, and their voices trembled, "The Crown Prince, he, he..."

Sensing something amiss in the words, Jing Anle's eyes turned cold as she glared at the palace servant. "Speak, what exactly happened?"

"The Crown Prince is inside the palace... inside the palace..."

Seeing the two palace servants stammering, Jing Anle simply lifted her skirt and walked directly into the inner hall. As soon as she reached the entrance of the inner hall, she smelled a pungent smell of alcohol. She frowned and pushed open the door of the inner hall.

The smell of alcohol in the hall was even stronger. Jing Anle unconsciously covered his nose with his sleeve. Books were scattered all over the floor, creating a mess. At this moment, a wine bottle rolled out of it with a gurgling sound.

Jing Anle looked inside in the direction of the wine bottle and saw what appeared to be a figure leaning against the bookshelf behind it.

"You guys go down first."

Jing Anle turned around and gave instructions to Afang and Muping.

Mu Ping and A Fang exchanged a glance and then politely withdrew.

Once the door closed and the candlelight flickered, Jing Anle called out softly, "Royal brother..."

The room was silent; no one responded.

Jing Anle slowly walked forward, turned a corner, and saw a person slumped on the ground. The dim light made his face appear half dark and half bright.

"Brother, why are you sitting here?"

In just a few days, Jing Fengyao's stubble had already sprouted. He held a wine bottle in one hand and slumped limply to the side with the other. He only opened his hazy eyes when he heard a voice. Before him stood an exceptionally beautiful woman.

"Anle, you've come." Jing Fengyao chuckled softly. He was drunk, and his words seemed to float away. His hair was disheveled, but he still couldn't hide his noble air.

Jing Anle sighed softly, squatted down, gently brushed away the stray hairs in his eyes, and said tenderly, "Brother, drinking is bad for your health. Why did you drink so much?"

"Anle, why do you think Father Emperor treated me like this?"

Jing Fengyao was talking about how Emperor Jing punished him by confining him to his room to reflect on his mistakes because of the Empress Dowager. His voice was slightly drunk, and it contained both doubt and resentment.

Jing Anle simply sat down, leaning against Jing Fengyao, her heart choked with sobs. It turned out that the imperial brother she relied on was only a seventeen-year-old boy. The affairs of the state were complex, and the emperor's heart was unpredictable. Although he was intelligent, he had too little experience and was still unable to bear the burden.

She rested her head on Jing Anle's shoulder and softly called out, "Royal Brother..."