Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 137 Estrangement

As the hermit Jichen was packing up his medicine tube and preparing to take his leave, Jiang Mian snapped out of her daze and quickly called him back.

"Please wait, layman."

"Is there anything else, benefactor?"

"Just now, the layperson mentioned that those who ingested poison would be sent elsewhere. May I ask, layperson, do you know where that place is?"

"What brings you here, benefactor? Do you perhaps wish to explore this place?"

"Ah."

"The people there are ruthless killers. You should not act rashly, benefactor."

"Don't worry, layman. I am not a reckless person. I just want to know the location in case of emergency."

Ji Chen lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, "Since that's the case, it seems I have a connection with you, benefactor. While I still remember where that place is, it would be good to draw it..."

She took out paper and pen, sketched out a simple map, and handed it to Jiang Mian.

"This is an unnamed place, and I vaguely remember that this is the path."

Jiang Wan took the map, her eyes gleaming, and tentatively asked, "Thank you, sir. May I ask why you came here when this place is so dangerous?"

Ji Chen paused slightly, a barely perceptible hesitation flashing across his expression, but he did not answer.

Seeing that she seemed to be hiding something, Jiang Mian did not press the matter further and bowed in thanks.

She carefully put the map away, thinking that since the people here were good at using this poison, they might also have a way to cure it.

But her time is running out...

We must find a way to completely detoxify ourselves before the 15th of next month.

......

The Crown Prince's residence was quiet and peaceful, with the gate tightly closed.

The soft sound of snow falling under the eaves was clearly audible, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

The candlelight flickered in the room, casting a dim, yellowish glow on the walls and outlining the heavy silhouettes of the two figures, one sitting and one kneeling.

Ning Zhi sat behind the desk, but his gaze fell coldly on Lu Fang, who was kneeling on the ground, and his eyes revealed a hint of disappointment.

"You have followed me for many years and have always been loyal. I believe you are acting under someone's orders. If you tell me who is behind you, I will spare your life."

Lu Fang's body trembled slightly, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Your Highness, spare my life! I was just... just afraid that Miss Jiang would put you at risk, so..."

"So you concealed this from me, intending to strike first and kill her?" Ning Zhi's voice suddenly turned cold as he pointed his sword at her neck, demanding with a menacing tone, "Speak! Who is behind this?!"

Lu Fang suddenly kowtowed, his voice hoarse, stammering, "It's...it's the Grand Tutor..."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Ning Zhi's mouth was agape, his eyes filled with both anger and disbelief.

"teacher......?"

He turned to look at Lu Fang, somewhat skeptical.

Did Duan Zhi'an target Jiang Mian in order to keep him focused on his studies?

Do you know the consequences of lying to me?

"Your subordinate dares not lie. The Grand Tutor originally intended for me to keep an eye on things so that Your Highness would not be distracted by Miss Jiang and thus jeopardize the great cause."

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed and choked up, saying, "Your subordinate deserves to die a thousand deaths, and begs Your Highness to grant me death... But I beg Your Highness to remember that the Grand Tutor is thinking of Your Highness wholeheartedly, and not to have any grudges against the Grand Tutor."

Ning Zhi listened to him speak up for Duan Zhi'an, threw away the sword in his hand, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I thought you were disloyal, but I never imagined you were loyal to someone else..."

Lu Fang kept his head down, looking like he was ready to be dealt with at will.

"You will kneel here properly for the rest of the day."

After Ning Zhi finished speaking, he quickly walked out.

Although he had doubts about Duan Zhi'an, he felt that this was not Duan Zhi'an's style.

If Duan Zhi'an didn't want him to get close to Jiang Mian, he had a thousand ways to avoid resorting to murder.

He's not such a cruel person, and besides, he knows Jiang Wan is the person he likes.

It's impossible to kill her...

So besides Duan Zhi'an, there's another person who could be involved.

Ning Zhi hurried towards the central hall, passing the Buddhist hall, and saw the Empress come out after paying her respects.

He stepped forward and said, "Your son greets Your Majesty."

The Empress asked, "Is the Crown Prince also here to pay respects?"

“No, that’s not it.” Ning Zhi shook his head and said casually, “There were villains at Xue Lu today. I was just about to report this to Father Emperor when I passed by this place.”

“A villain? Zhaoming Temple is a pure and tranquil place. Now that His Majesty is here, how could a villain cause trouble?”

"It is true." Ning Zhi's tone softened slightly as he observed the Empress's expression. "This morning, Commander Jiang's daughter, Jiang Mian, was nearly killed."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression changed, and a hint of urgency flashed in her eyes: "How is she? Is she injured?"

"It was just a fright, nothing serious."

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening slightly.

Ning Zhi frowned slightly and asked, "Why is Mother so worried about Miss Jiang?"

The Empress patted her chest and said, "She will soon marry the Prince of Beiqin. After becoming a princess, she will be the Empress Dowager's granddaughter-in-law. The Empress Dowager specifically instructed me to take care of her during this visit, so naturally I am extremely nervous."

"Marry the Prince of Beiqin?" Ning Zhi was taken aback, her voice suddenly rising.

Seeing his surprised expression, the Empress raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wasn't it the Grand Tutor who personally petitioned the Emperor? He said that the decree would be issued after Commander Jiang returned to the city. How could the Crown Prince not know?"

Ning Zhi suppressed the turmoil in his eyes and remained silent.

The Empress, oblivious to his reaction, sighed again, "I wonder when His Majesty will be able to make a decision regarding the Crown Prince and Yu'er."

Ning Zhi took a deep breath and, suppressing his emotions, slowly said, "I have something to report to Father, so I won't bother Mother any longer."

"Well, go ahead."

After Ning Zhi left, the Empress's eyes suddenly darkened.

Inside the Buddhist hall, Chi Yu cautiously peeked out after hearing that no one was speaking.

"Aunt, you are truly insightful! How could you have guessed that His Highness would come to ask you?"

"I have raised him for ten years, and I know his character well. The more Lu Fang tries to implicate Duan Zhi'an, the more he will suspect me."

Chi Yu frowned slightly, puzzled, and said, "But I don't understand. Now that the Grand Tutor is asking His Highness to associate with me more, isn't that siding with my aunt? Why then is he asking Lu Fang to push this matter onto him?"

"Whose side is he on? Duan Zhi'an is only after his own interests. Now that he sees the benefits for you, he's making Ning Zhi associate with you more. But what if he changes his mind tomorrow and makes Ning Zhi associate with someone else?"

"Ning Zhi trusted him too much, which is not good for either of us. If we can sow discord between the two of them with just Jiang Mian, wouldn't that be a good deal?"

Chi Yu's eyes widened, and she suddenly realized: "No wonder you didn't let me tell His Highness about Jiang Wan's engagement to the Prince of Beiqin. It turns out you were waiting for the right opportunity!"

The Queen chuckled softly: "Some words are only effective when spoken at the right time. It seems that this move has been enough."

She was certain that this one encounter would change the relationship between Ning Zhi and Duan Zhi'an.

As for Lu Fang, he was someone she had placed beside the Crown Prince since childhood, and now he had been used to his fullest extent.

It's just a pity that Jiang Wan was lucky enough to survive.

......

Ning Zhi, with a solemn expression, walked through the central hall and saw Li Zhijing on inspection.

He waved his hand lightly, and Li Zhijing walked over.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Miss Jiang encountered danger at Xue Lu today. You should lead the soldiers to conduct a thorough inspection again, and make sure to keep a close watch on all the halls and courtyards to prevent any mishaps."

Li Zhijing clenched his fists suddenly: "Is she alright?"

Ning Zhi glanced at him, clearly displeased, and did not answer him.

After a few moments of eye contact, Li Zhijing lowered his eyes and replied, "This subordinate obeys."

As Ning Zhi was about to leave, Li Zhijing spoke again: "By the way, Your Highness. During our stay in Yunchuan, Miss Jiang asked me to convey a message to you, it seemed to be something important. I wonder if Your Highness has seen her these past two days?"

Ning Zhi asked in confusion, "Yun Chuan that day? When did you convey a message to me?"

"That day, the Grand Tutor said that His Highness and Miss Chi were watching a play, so he was unable to see them."

Ning Zhi's heart skipped a beat. That day, Duan Zhi'an had said that a servant had come to tell Chi Yu to go home early...

He forced himself to remain calm and replied, "I have already seen her; I am grateful that you still remember this matter."