Seeing the person leaning against the door, Mu Wuxia’s face was filled with shock. “You… how did you…”
Jiang Taohua was covered in blood, her plain dress dyed a horrific color. Her face was pale, looking as if she had been severely injured.
“Your Highness,” As soon as she saw him, Taohua’s eyes immediately reddened. “Can Your Highness save my life?”
“What happened?” Mu Wuxia was extremely flustered. He crouched down beside her, his brows furrowed tightly. “You’re injured so badly, why didn’t you tell Prime Minister Shen?”
“I can’t tell him,” Taohua shook her head, gasping for breath as she said, “I can explain the details to Your Highness later, but for now, please find a way to get me into your chambers without anyone noticing.”
Mu Wuxia was stunned for a moment before calming down. “I understand.”
Since she had sent her maid to sneak into the prince’s manor with a message, she didn’t want others to know. Mu Wuxia turned and went inside, sending all the servants to the back courtyard, saying he would give them instructions later. Then he wrapped Taohua in his cloak and had Qingtai carry her inside.
“The people in this manor are all quite astute. I need to go deal with them first.”
After settling her in the inner chamber of his room, Mu Wuxia said, “Please wait for a moment.”
“Alright,” Jiang Taohua nodded, watching Mu Wuxia leave.
“Mistress,” Qingtai sat by the bed, looking somewhat uneasy. “Will the prince believe us?”
“Other princes certainly wouldn’t,” Taohua took a light breath, holding her side as she pressed her lips together. “But the Prince Nan is different. He has the mindset of a youth, full of a sense of justice, and he already harbors suspicions about Shen Zaiye.”
As long as she guessed half of it right, mixing truth with speculation, he would surely believe her.
Qingtai sighed, unable to help muttering quietly, “I thought marrying into Great Wei would be a good thing. Who knew it would be a matter of life and death? If only we had known earlier…”
“Don’t say such useless things,” Taohua frowned. “Fate is determined by heaven. No one has the right to know things in advance. Since things have come to this, we might as well think about how to survive properly.”
She had originally thought that marrying the wrong person was good, but she didn’t expect to fall into an even bigger trap. Shen Zaiye was a ruthless person who wasted his handsome appearance. She had no reason to harbor any other expectations of him. If she needed to frame him to save her own life, so be it.
Qingtai fell silent, looking at her with eyes full of pity. Taohua didn’t seem to care much, thinking about what to do while waiting for the Prince Nan to return.
Mu Wuxia truly didn’t stay away for long. When he returned, he closed the door tightly and strode to the bedside. “Are you alright?”
Jiang Taohua smiled, “I might not be too well, but Your Highness’s trust in me is quite surprising. Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person?”
“I’m very good at judging people,” Mu Wuxia pulled over a stool to sit down, raising his chin confidently. “When I first met you, I knew you couldn’t be a bad person.”
How could he tell she wasn’t bad? Taohua was taken aback, looking down at herself doubtfully.
“Do you need to see a doctor for your injuries?” Mu Wuxia frowned.
“Let me finish speaking first. If Your Highness believes me, then you can call for a doctor. If not, there’s no need,” Taohua took a couple of shallow breaths, her gaze intense as she looked at him.
After a slight pause, Mu Wuxia nodded, “Go ahead, tell me what exactly happened.”
“Prime Minister Shen wants to kill me.”
“…” Taking a light breath, the young prince’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“Because he wants Prince Jing to bear the blame for killing the Zhao Kingdom’s princess, thereby deepening the rift between the Emperor and Prince Jing. It also conveniently eliminates me, preventing me from staying in the Prime Minister’s Manor and distracting his thoughts.” Looking directly at the Prince Nan, Jiang Taohua spoke slowly and clearly:
“Most importantly, it might be because of you, Your Highness. Killing me would be most beneficial to you, Prince of the South.”
(End of Chapter)