She Rebuilt Her Fallen Country With Storage Space-Chapter 183: How come it’s you? Where is Xiang Ying?
Chapter 183: Chapter 183: How come it’s you? Where is Xiang Ying?
The chaos had already engulfed the Sixth Prince’s camp.
Upon learning that the stolen items had been taken yet again, in addition to earlier lost weapons, he had executed the Staff responsible on the spot.
He even thundered in the main tent: "How could the grain and fodder that had just been transported from the granary yesterday have disappeared overnight?"
Everyone questioned by him, including the strategist and others, trembled with fear, kneeling down: "Your Highness, please calm your anger. We don’t know what happened either!"
"Ever since the grainery was burglarized last time, I have commanded the men to strengthen patrols and defenses, rotating every half an hour. There are always people on guard outside the granary. How could someone take away so much grain so suddenly without anyone noticing?"
While speaking, the strategist’s eyes flickered with panic.
He quickly stood up: "Your Highness, could it be that we’ve angered some divine power?"
Referring to the previous night, when a lake dried into a shallow shoal in a single night, he couldn’t think of any other possibility besides the work of spirits or ghosts with such power.
The look on the Sixth Prince’s face became overcast: "This Prince does not wish to know whether it was done by humans or ghosts. I only know that if such an incident happens again, none of you will keep your heads!"
His words caused a change in the expressions of everyone present.
The Sixth Prince pointed at the strategist: "Tell Lu Hong, I want to see Xiang Ying. Even without the lake, this meal must still be had."
The strategist hesitated to speak.
The Sixth Prince shook his folding fan impatiently: "Spit it out if you’ve got something to say!"
The strategist bowed: "Your Highness, we have no more grain. The grain in Governor Lu’s Mansion has also been depleted..."
And they still expected to dine like this? Finding food was already a problem for them now.
The Sixth Prince slammed the table in anger: "Then borrow, buy, or take from the civilians! Do I need to teach you how to do even this trivial matter?"
The strategist, fearful of being implicated, nodded repeatedly and ran out.
Only a few steps away, he heard an icy rebuke from inside the tent from the Sixth Prince.
"That Yan Jing is becoming increasingly dull. It’s superfluous to keep him around. After this matter is resolved, he should be dealt with."
The strategist’s heart leapt fiercely.
Yan Jing was him. Originally a man full of schemes, he had served as a strategist under Old Prince Gong and was once praised by the old prince as the foremost in strategy under the heavens.
After Old Prince Gong passed away, he came to the Sixth Prince’s side. freewebnøvel.com
Only because of a dying wish of the elder prince, who asked him to take good care of Princess Consort Zhuang’s son.
Even though the Sixth Prince was not born to Princess Consort Zhuang, he was nurtured under her care for ten years until the Sixth Prince exposed Princess Consort Zhuang’s secret dealings with Xizhou, accusing her of conspiring with the enemy, which resulted in the Emperor’s complete abandonment of both her and her biological son, the Tenth Prince.
Old Prince Gong had entrusted him to take care of Zhuang’s son, which could not possibly be the Tenth Prince, as the Emperor had secretly sent him away from Nanyue by then.
No one knew where he had been sent.
Since then, Yan Jing had stayed close by the Sixth Prince’s side, always remembering his former master’s entrustment, and constantly scheming on behalf of the Sixth Prince.
Over the years, he helped gain the Emperor’s trust and became the most prestigious prince among many.
But now, what he got in return was the Sixth Prince’s intent to silence him!
Yan Jing’s heart turned cold.
He left the tent only to see the Acid Scholar standing not far off.
Yan Jing was taken aback, recognizing the man as one of Jie Chen’s.
The Acid Scholar stepped forward: "Tonight at the 9 p.m. hour, my master will wait for you at Fenglin Slope in the city. There’s a matter to discuss. Whether you come or not, it’s up to you."
Having said that, he left.
Yan Jing’s brow twitched.
Jie Chen was looking for him? But for what reason?
In the evening.
Under a sky with sparse stars, Xiang Ying, led by her maid, finally left the courtyard.
The little maid rambled on with admonishments: "This time, the Sixth Prince wants to see you. The Lord Governor has instructed me to remind you, when you meet His Highness, don’t throw yourself at him frivolously to avoid displeasing the Sixth Prince."
"Moreover, if His Highness desires to spend a spring night with you, you cannot resist..."
She was halfway through her warning when silence fell behind her. Turning to look, Xiang Ying, who had been following all along, had vanished!
Stunned, the little maid looked around: "Where is she? Someone come quick, she’s run off!"
But Xiang Ying had not escaped. It was just that as she passed by the garden, she heard faint crying.
Following the sound, she found herself outside a brightly lit yard.
Glancing inside the gate, she saw someone kneeling in the courtyard, praying to the moon.
"Taiyin God above, bless my little girl’s face to quickly improve, and not to develop any more foul sores."
The speaker was none other than the daughter of Governor Lu—Lu Pancu.
Her face suffered from more pimples and blackheads now than when Xiang Ying had seen her through a drone a few days prior.
The little girl had somehow come across a folk remedy, claiming that worshiping deities and basking in the moon could restore her beauty.
And so, there she was in the courtyard, kneeling earnestly in prayer before an incense burner, her sobs unceasing.
Xiang Ying retrieved a porcelain vial filled with a cosmetic ointment from her medical layer in the space, and tucked it into her hand.
"Miss Lu, don’t cry. I can cure your face."
As she entered the courtyard, Lu Pancu jumped in surprise.
Her tear-filled eyes gazed at her in startled alarm: "Who are you?"
The two maidservants quickly shielded Lu Pancu behind them, and observing Xiang Ying’s appearance, they cried out in surprise: "It’s the Princess of Xizhou who was imprisoned!"
"How dare you escape here? Someone, come quickly!"
However, at that moment, Lu Pancu abruptly raised her hand, signaling them to stop shouting.
She stared at Xiang Ying in suspicion: "You just said you could cure the illness on my face, is that true?"
Xiang Ying nodded: "In our Xizhou royal court, there is a special ointment that if young ladies apply, enhances their beauty, and if grandmothers and older ladies apply, maintains their youthful looks forever. We call it the Youthful Appearance Technique."
She made up a name on the spot which immediately caught Lu Pancu’s interest.
Even in its decline, Xizhou had once been a flourishing nation.
And this Princess from Xizhou must surely know of many royal secret remedies.
"As long as you can cure me, whatever you want, I will have my father give it to you!"
Lu Pancu then added another sentence: "Except for allowing you to leave, you can ask for anything else."
This was precisely what Xiang Ying had hoped for.
"Agreed."
Lu Pancu brought Xiang Ying inside the house, where Xiang Ying had her lie down.
She prepared a saline solution with warm water for a compress, followed by using sanitized silver needles to lance her pimples and blackheads, then applying the ointment from the space.
In reality, even without lancing the pimples, simply applying the ointment would have been effective.
Xiang Ying added these extra steps to make it appear more convincing to Lu Pancu.
As soon as the ointment was applied, Lu Pancu covered her mouth and gasped in surprise.
"It’s cool and refreshing, and there’s a scent of roses!"
"This is our royal court’s secret formula, resulting from countless physicians’ research, Miss Lu, take a careful whiff, can you also smell the medicinal fragrance?"
Lu Pancu sniffed and nodded repeatedly: "It is indeed so."
Xiang Ying sighed: "Nevertheless, I cannot stay here for long, I must be going."
Lu Pancu quickly grabbed her wrist: "You’re leaving? But I’ve only just applied the medicine!"
Xiang Ying expressed helplessness: "But the Sixth Prince has summoned me; I have no choice but to attend to him..."
Lu Pancu had a realization in her eyes.
She did not wish for anyone else to serve the Sixth Prince before her.
So, with a cunning glint, she said: "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for you. Lanting, go tell my father that I’ve kept Xiang Ying here, and as for the Sixth Prince, ask him to return."
They had just settled their discussion when, within the Purple Forest of Governor Lu’s Mansion, the Sixth Prince paced back and forth.
His face was dark, his hand held a folding fan, constantly tapping lightly against his palm.
This Xiang Ying was too bold, to actually let him wait so long?
Once she was within his grasp, he’d certainly punish her thoroughly!
Eventually, the maid led a graceful figure toward him.
The Sixth Prince, not seeing her face clearly, spoke coldly: "You have finally come, making this Prince wait."
However, as the person approached and obediently bowed her head in greeting: "Miss Xiang Qianqian, at your service, Your Highness."
The Sixth Prince was taken aback.
Fifth Princess Xiang Qianqian? Where was Xiang Ying?
The maid, in a state of fear, lowered her head and said: "After Xiang Ying left with this servant, she was taken away by the eldest Miss. The Lord Governor was afraid Your Highness would have no company for the meal, so he had this servant invite the Fifth Princess of Xizhou over."
