“Why?”
Jing Xuan turned her head and instructed, “Duan’er, quickly go and bring over that bracelet that I broke last time, as well as my gift.”
“Yes.” Duan’er quickly retrieved them.
Jing Xuan passed them to Jing Yi. She pointed at one of the boxes, “This is the bracelet that I had broken, and now repaired. Imperial Brother, please help me return it to Imperial Sister-in-Law.” She pointed at the other box, “I’ve been feeling guilty that I didn’t attend Imperial Brother’s wedding, so I also prepared a congratulatory gift for Imperial Brother and Imperial Sister-in-Law.”
“You’re rather conscientious.”
“Of course!” She raised her brow smugly.
Thus, Jing Yi brought the two gifts back home and gave that bracelet to Chen Xiang. She was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun. When she saw his arrival, she got up to make her greetings.
“This prince has already said that you don’t need to bow.”
“Many thanks, Your Highness.” Chen Xiang noticed the boxes in his hand and asked, “Is this a gift from Your Highness to this concubine?”
“No, it’s that lass Jing Xuan who asked this prince to give it to you. She said that she has already repaired the bracelet that she broke, so I brought it to you.”
“Oh.” She was a little disappointed. She had thought that Jing Yi was giving her a present.
Since Jing Yi was busy with other matters, he didn’t stay long and left after a few sentences of concern.
Chen Xiang stood on the spot for a long while, holding that box. The maid beside her asked, “Side Consort, what’s wrong?”
Pah! She gave the maid a slap. “Didn’t you hear it when I said to address me as ‘consort’ when His Highness is not around?”
The maid kneeled down, cupping her cheek. “Spare me, Consort.”
With a single address of ‘consort’, Chen Xiang turned agreable again. “Alright, get up.”
“Thank you, Consort.” She got up.
Chen Xiang opened the box in her hands. In it was the bracelet that Concubine Xiao had bestowed, perfectly repaired and whole again. She took it out and examined it carefully. There wasn’t a single blemish. The princess had clearly put great care into the repair.
However... “What’s broken is still broken. No matter how well it is repaired, it’s still broken in the end.” She smirked coldly, with a sinister expression as she plotted something. She suddenly said, “Come, follow this consort to visit that crazy woman locked in the woodshed.”
Crazy woman! Naturally it referred to Ji Muqing.
Chen Xiang strode towards the guarded woodshed.
“Greetings, Side Consort.”
“Open the door.”
“Yes.”
When the door opened, a musty stench immediately rolled out. Chen Xiang frowned and covered her nose with a handkerchief. She looked inside with disdain but still went in.
The person sitting inside had a disheveled head of hair, oily face, and dirty robes. She had long lost her former graceful appearance.
“Well, well, well. Isn’t it that arrogant Princess Consort?” Chen Xiang’s voice rang out loudly.
Ji Muqing’s head hung low. The past few days had felt as long as several years. It was unbearably painful.
Hearing no answer, Chen Xiang smirked, “What, are you dead?”
After a long pause, Ji Muqing finally raised her head and met Chen Xiang’s smug gaze. However, she no longer had her former overbearing air and just sat there placid and silent.
Chen Xiang scoffed, “Princess Consort, oh Princess Consort. Did you ever imagine that you would be in such a state? Of all people, the high and mighty oldest daughter of the Ji family protected by her two brothers has been reduced to staying in the woodshed. This is such a joke! If people outside knew about this, how would they mock you?” Hmph!
“My eldest brother will soon know about how you have treated me. When the time comes, he will send people to flatten the entire estate.”
“What grand boasts.” Chen Xiang squatted down to meet her eyes at the same level. “Let you tell you, your eldest and second brothers would never know because the news that you have been locked up didn’t spread, and it will not spread to your eldest brother’s ears. Besides, there’s still Cailan! If your eldest brother asked about anything, a single sentence from Cailan would settle it.”
“You…!” She grit her teeth.
“What? You want to choke me again? Alright, you’d better choke me to death then. If you don’t succeed and harm the little heir, do you think that His Highness would want your life? He would cut you into a thousand tiny pieces.” She chuckled sinisterly.
However, Ji Muqing didn’t answer her this time. She merely looked on coldly at the woman who was beside herself with joy. Conversely, Chen Xiang started to feel a little uncomfortable from her stare. “What are you smiling at?”
“Your stupidity.”
“What?” Chen Xiang glared at her. “Which of us is the stupid one? Only stupid people would be locked up in here.”
“I admit that I, Ji Muqing, am a fool. But you are even stupider than me.”
Eh? Chen Xiang didn’t understand what she meant.