Kapitel 10: Not Kind With Women
"What do you mean?" Jiao Qingxiao asked. Her clear gaze made Jiao Mei feel guilty for some unknown reason.
However, for the sake of her miss's own good, she still continued to speak, "Miss, the third prince seemed to have…killed his own brothers for his own gain. There are rumours that he is planning to rebel along with the first prince against the emperor."
Qingxiao brows furrowed. The first prince? But wasn't Tang Yunxiao close with the fourth prince Tang Fangxiao? If not for him, in her last life it would indeed be the first prince being titled as the crown prince.
"If he is truly eager to rebel, shouldn't the emperor already be aware of the rumours? Even then he is his right hand man, how could such a rumour be true then?"
Jiao Mei looked up in realisation. Right..she hadn't given it much thought indeed. Her miss was truly insightful.
"But miss…even then..that man…isn't kind with women. He has some peculiar and strange habits. A maid from our residence once accompanied the master to the palace, and saw a woman getting out of the third prince's room covered in bruises, her fingers were cut off. Still bleeding.." Jiao Mei spoke as her quivering voice got softer as she recalled Ah Xiao sharing that incident with her that day.
Qingxiao widened her eyes in surprise. Wow..she hadn't imagined that cold third prince to be so brutal. She had to trade carefully. Her face paled now, she thought it would be easy to coax him into blending into the crowd. It seemed to be more difficult than convincing father now.
Jiao Mei looked carefully at her. "Well, then, miss you are no longer inviting him, right?"
No longer? She already has, ok? Also how could she give up on tearing that fake mask of Tang Fangxiao to Tang Yuanxiao? As this thought crossed her mind she became determined once again.
"I have already invited him, won't it be even rude to go back on my words now? Ah Mei, do you want me to be treated the same way as that woman was? Help me, pleasee??" She held Jiao Mei's hands and requested her pitifully.
Jiao Mei sighed. Just what did she do to deserve such a troublesome miss?
"I will give you my extra fox fur, ok? PLease??" Qingxiao knew just how much Jiao Mei adored the silver fox fur she had in her closet. And indeed, excitement sparkled in Ah Mei's eyes as soon as she heard that. The temptation was too big to not give in. Moreover, it was just an invitation, maybe she was just scaring herself. How could the prince do anything to them in their own residence?
She finally gave it some serious thought as she pondered on how her miss should bring up the word to master.
"Miss, didn't you say that the third prince gave you a ride home? Why don't you tell the master that you invited the person who gave you a ride without thinking much as you wanted to show your gratitude? You don't need to tell him that it's the third prince. Afterall it won't be strange even if you don't know who the third prince is."
Qingxiao blinked her eyes in surprise. Indeed, how did she not think of this? She could pretend to not know the third prince's appearance? Afterall he rarely appeared in the public eyes, and had it not been for her last life in the palace, she truly won't be aware of how he looked like.
"Speaking of which, miss…even I haven't seen the third prince. Then how could you know that he was the third prince?" Jiao Mei asked suspiciously.
"Oh..that…" Jiao Qingxiao was cracking her head to come up with a proper excuse.
"Ah, that day, when I sneaked out to the market, I accidentally saw him instructing his soldiers for something. They addressed him as the third prince and sooooo"
This was a year ago. Probably the first and last time she had sneaked out without even taking Ah Mei with her. She patted herself on her back in her mind, truly the perfect excuse.
Jiao Mei nodded her head in realisation. Completely believing her words.
—----------------------------------------
Qingxiao took a deep breath standing behind the lacquer door, before finally knocking gently.
"Father, am I disturbing?"
A childish soft voice interrupted Jiao Shang's report reading process. He massaged his temple gently, as he glanced over the numerous reports scattered over the table. The fourth prince was already meddling with the treasury.
The changes in the accounts were subtle. Easy to look over as minor calculation mistakes. Yet if one looked closely, the pattern was clear. Even some of the tributes offered from other countries were missing.
He had to report to the emperor. It was a pity that he couldn't point his fingers at the fourth prince since he lacked evidence. Moving the scrolls aside, he relaxed his expression, so as to not scare his daughter, before calling her in.
Jiao Qingxiao cautiously looked at his face. She had practised numerous times before coming here, and yet the slight nervousness in her heart was yet to fade.
"Father, how have you been?" She asked, as she sat beside him, grinding the ink appearing to be an innocent daughter worrying for her old father.
"Good, good. You finished your studies for today?" Jiao Shang asked, with a smile on his face.
"Yes, yes, I woke up within the hour of Yin." She spoke proudly. She truly worked hard to convince this father of hers ok? He should understand her troubles.
"Oh? So early? What's the occasion?" Jiao Shang was curious.
"Father..actually…" she hesitated again, fidgeting with the inkstone.
Jiao Shnag raised his brows. He couldn't help but wonder, what made his daughter so hesitant to speak. He waited patiently for her to continue, staring at her.
"That day in the mid autumn festival a man sent me home as cousin returned early for some reason. I invited him to the spring festival banquet without …without your permission."
Her voice lowered more and more, sounding like a mosquito's buzzing.
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