Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 377: Hugging and Embracing with the Fifth Princess?

Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Hugging and Embracing with the Fifth Princess?

Murong Jiu looked at Beauty Lin and Talented Lady Xu, and said softly, "Both of you young ladies are at an age of delicate beauty, your skin so flawless it seems you could pinch water from it, no extra maintenance needed."

After she finished speaking, she looked up to the distance and curled the corners of her lips, "The Prince is coming, the Princess Consort will leave first."

She then lifted her foot and walked towards the direction of Jun Yuyan.

The two women immediately looked ahead and saw a tall and handsome man who appeared under the palace walls ahead of them. His figure was slender, his features sharp and beautiful, radiating a masculine energy. Upon seeing Murong Jiu, his fierce face seemed to melt like an iceberg, a gentle smile tinting his eyes, as if she were the only one in his view.

He took Murong Jiu’s hand and they walked together towards the palace exit.

Beauty Lin and Talented Lady Xu were a bit stunned at this moment; although they had heard that Prince Ling was exceptionally handsome, they did not expect him to be this outstanding.

Compared to him, the Emperor seemed like a decrepit old man.

Although the two women were about the same age as Murong Jiu, they could only use all their methods to please the Emperor.

A feeling called jealousy spread from the bottom of their hearts.

Just then, Jun Yuyan suddenly turned around, his gaze cold as he swept towards the two women.

In an instant, a thick sense of murderous intent swept over like something tangible, startling the women, who hastily avoided his gaze. When they looked up again, Prince Ling and Princess Consort Ling had already disappeared under the palace walls, but their blouses were already wet with sweat.

Not daring to speak, the two women hurriedly parted and each returned to their own courts.

"How come you are here?"

"There is nothing much today, just came to pick you up for a meal at Full Moon Tower. There are a few new dishes recently."

Murong Jiu responded with a smile full of joy.

Upon reaching Full Moon Tower and just sitting in a private room, Jun Yuyan suddenly gestured for silence, asking her to listen carefully with him.

It sounded like the voice of the Fifth Princess.

Murong Jiu stood up, went close to the door, and heard the Fifth Princess scolding her maid for inefficiency, then spoke to someone next to her in a lowered voice. Murong Jiu could not hear clearly, but the person responding was a man.

The Fifth Princess and her party soon entered the neighboring private room, and the noise outside ceased.

She hastily signaled with her eyes, asking Jun Yuyan what the Fifth Princess had said softly just now.

She knew Jun Yuyan must have heard it, as martial artists have exceptional hearing.

"She instructed the guard that this time the medicine must be administered successfully."

Murong Jiu widened her eyes and whispered in inquiry, "Who is she drugging?"

Upon reflection, hadn’t Lou Zixi said not long ago that the Fifth Princess was pestering him, which led him to betroth himself to Sikong Wan? The target of the Fifth Princess must surely be Lou Zixi.

Her astonished look was very adorable; Jun Yuyan chuckled and pinched her chin, saying, "Don’t worry, I’ll have Zhou Chen check on it."

Zhou Chen was a Hidden Guard with excellent qinggong who went out and returned after a round to report that he had seen Lou Zixi dining with some friends in another private room.

Today, Lou Zixi was off duty, and somehow the Fifth Princess had found out and was looking for the right opportunity to add something to Lou Zixi’s meal.

As for what she intended to do, it was all too obvious.

So long as in a public setting, if Lou Zixi was seen with disheveled clothes, regardless of what transpired, it would be difficult for Lou Zixi to shake her off.

The Emperor would not accept a princess and a subject taking her as a concubine, thus possibly leading to Lou Zixi and Sikong Wan breaking off their engagement. If the Emperor acted decisively, Sikong Wan could end up the lesser, with the Fifth Princess as the principal wife.

The Fifth Princess was indeed malicious enough, resorting to unscrupulous means for her ends.

Jun Yuyan said, "Recently, Father Emperor was discussing her marriage with the ministers, intending to have her married to the Prince of Yundian as a subsequent Princess Consort."

"What?"

Murong Jiu felt it was incredible but considering the Emperor’s fickleness, she found it plausible.

After the Prince of Yundian had his Princess Consort executed, he had not remarried. The Emperor marrying the Fifth Princess to the Yundian Royal Mansion was like placing a chess piece, watching over Yundian, ensuring the Prince of Yundian dared not make a mistake.

Moreover, if the Fifth Princess were to have children in the future, and those children inherited the position, then the Yundian Royal Mansion would effectively belong to the Imperial Family.

Murong Jiu recalled what Jun Yuyan had told her about Xiao Wen and the love-hate story between the Prince of Yundian and Lady Yu, and felt that even if the Fifth Princess married into the Yundian Royal Mansion, the Prince of Yundian would not accept her.

Still, it was better not to bring disaster upon others.

Of course, Murong Jiu hoped even more that the Fifth Princess would not actually scheme against Lou Zixi.

"I have sent Zhou Chen to keep an eye on things, don’t worry. Lou Zixi is smart himself and will not easily fall for traps; let’s have our meal first," said Jun Yuyan with a light chuckle, signaling for the food to be served.

The dishes here were rather innovative; Murong Jiu did occasionally enjoy dining out. However, she still preferred the chefs at the mansion, as they thoroughly understood her palate, always able to prepare the meals she loved.

Eating out wasn’t really about the food.

She felt that dining with Jun Yuyan outside every now and then gave a slightly different atmosphere compared to eating at the mansion.

It seemed to add a bit of space just for the two of them.

However, because she was concerned about matters outside, she did not eat with much attention. Soon, Zhou Chen came in and said,

"Prince, Princess Consort, the person who tampered with Lord Lou’s food is one of his colleagues who was invited to today’s banquet, this year’s Tanhua. I have already spoken to Lord Lou’s servants about it."

"I can’t believe that Tanhua was actually bribed by the Fifth Princess to do such a thing," Murong Jiu frowned.

"It’s normal. Lou Zixi has been exceptionally outstanding; in this year’s imperial examination, everyone was overshadowed by him, struggling to stand out, naturally fostering jealousy."

Indeed, as a rising star in the Imperial Court, Lou Zixi had recently been very prominent, undertaking several beneficial deeds for the people, ascending in rank, and even getting engaged to the daughter of the Minister of Dali Temple, promising an unlimited future.

Among his peers, others indeed found it hard to stand out.

But someone diligent and committed to their duties would rise eventually; such actions were truly despicable.

Hearing from Zhou Chen that he had informed Lou Zixi’s servants, Murong Jiu was no longer worried. Although she had amnesia and did not remember many things, she always trusted in Lou Zixi’s capabilities.

Peacefully eating the food Jun Yuyan had served her, when they were almost done, suddenly a shout came from outside.

"My goodness! Isn’t that the Fifth Princess? And the man she is embracing, who is he?"

"It seems like Lord Lou Zixi! He was wearing this blue outfit when he entered the restaurant!"

"What! Didn’t Lord Lou get engaged to Miss Sikong? How could he be with the Fifth Princess..."

It seemed these people were arranged by the Fifth Princess in advance, with a very loud voice causing everyone in the downstairs hall to hear the disturbance and come upstairs to see the commotion.

The doors to the other private rooms were also opened, as people peered out into the hallway.

Indeed, they saw a man and a woman embracing each other, both slightly disheveled.

Murong Jiu only needed to see the man’s back to know it was not Lou Zixi.

Sure enough, the door to another private room opened and Lou Zixi came out, puzzled, "I am still here, who said I was embracing and hugging the Fifth Princess?"

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