What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 326 - 322: The Crown Prince’s Guarantee
Tang Xiaobai had only stayed in the Eastern Palace for a quarter of an hour before being taken away by Princess Ji, who happened to enter the palace today.
"What does the Crown Prince mean by this?" Princess Ji, though approaching her seventies, still had a clear mind, "Does he not care about your reputation by bringing you to the Eastern Palace once or twice?"
"He knows that grandmother is visiting the palace today!" Tang Xiaobai defended Li Mu, "With such a commotion, grandmother would definitely come, and it’s best if he stops just in time."
"What if these old bones of mine arrived late?" Princess Ji was still angry.
Tang Xiaobai patted her back soothingly and said with a smile, "Grandmother is still hale and hearty! Besides, I just stayed in the main hall today, nothing inappropriate could spread."
Only then did Princess Ji relax: "Three times is too much, next time it’s not allowed!"
Tang Xiaobai nodded repeatedly: "Mm-hmm! I’ve already told him!"
Princess Ji gave her a surprised look and smiled.
Tang Xiaobai blushed and pretended to look outside: "Oh dear, we’re almost home!"
Princess Ji laughed and pulled her into an embrace: "You’re not allowed to go home! Come and play at your grandmother’s house, it has been over a year since you returned, and your grandmother hasn’t had a good talk with you yet!"
The Princess Mansion was right next to the Gu Mansion.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Princess Mansion, a servant following the carriage approached the window and said softly: "There’s a young lady outside the Gu Mansion gates."
Tang Xiaobai curiously leaned out to take a look.
It was a very frail young lady, seemingly light enough to be blown away by the breeze.
Tang Xiaobai let out a "hmm", then summoned the servant and whispered a few instructions.
The servant, after being given the order, ran towards the gates of the Gu Mansion.
"Do you know her?" Princess Ji asked.
Tang Xiaobai nodded: "She’s Brother Tao Fen’s fiancée."
"Zhong Chuchu..." Princess Ji only didn’t look outside; she recognized the person.
Yet, when mentioning this name, her tone was somewhat meaningful.
"What is it?" Tang Xiaobai asked.
Princess Ji smiled: "Didn’t you have a meeting scheduled with her this afternoon? See for yourself then."
Upon hearing these words, Tang Xiaobai watched.
Outside the Gu Mansion gates, as the servant was conveying her message to Zhong Chuchu, a person emerged from the Gu family.
Elegant and graceful, as fresh as orchids.
The men of the Gu family across two generations were all good-looking, but the most strikingly handsome was Uncle Gu Ling.
A person truly like a pearl or jade.
As he walked out from inside, it was as if the bright moon emerged from the mountains.
So it was normal for Zhong Chuchu to be a bit entranced while watching, Tang Xiaobai thought.
If it weren’t for Princess Ji’s words.
Zhong Chuchu and Gu Ling exchanged only a few words before parting.
In the afternoon, when Tang Xiaobai met Zhong Chuchu again, she couldn’t help but recall that scene.
"Did Second Miss call for me to talk about Master Tao?" Zhong Chuchu asked proactively.
Her voice was thin and light, her breath very weak.
Zhong Chuchu was diagnosed by the Divine Doctor as being unwell.
Years ago, when Tao Fen was still young, he had mistakenly stabbed the passing Zhong Chuchu, thinking her to be a bandit. That stab pierced her heart meridian, nearly sending her directly away.
The first time Tang Xiaobai met Zhong Chuchu, this girl could barely stand.
After two years of recuperation, she finally looked like a living person.
Towards such a genuinely ill person, Tang Xiaobai was quite empathetic, hurriedly inviting her to sit before saying: "Brother Tao was released from the Jinwu Guard Prison yesterday, and is now in the Ministry of Justice Prison. The Crown Prince once studied with him and will surely lend a helping hand, so Miss Zhong need not worry."
Zhong Chuchu smiled gently and said: "Second Miss already sent someone to convey this yesterday."
"Then why did Miss Zhong visit the Gu Mansion today?"
Zhong Chuchu coughed lightly twice and said: "Tao Lang is always in prison, and I can’t help but worry and come to inquire again," she glanced at Tang Xiaobai, "Yesterday Second Miss sent someone with the news; I shouldn’t trouble two parties for one matter, but recently hearing about the intrigue between Duke Yan Mansion and the Eastern Palace, that’s why I tried to inquire at the Gu family," she paused slightly, her gaze downward, "Just happened to meet Gu Seventh Son, who spoke a few words to me."
After finishing, she suddenly raised her eyes with a smile.
Tang Xiaobai was caught off guard and stared blankly for a moment.
Among those she had seen, Zhong Chuchu could not be considered a beauty, and due to her long illness, her face was too thin, her chin pointy, which made her eyes look large and dark, carrying an innocent childlike quality.
But this smile carried a playful and lively gleam, with a hint of ridicule; it was quite enchanting.
"Gu Seventh Son said much the same as what Second Miss told me, only that the Eastern Palace would not stand by," Zhong Chuchu continued, "As a mere commoner girl, I have no understanding of court affairs, so I ask Second Miss to tell me frankly, what is the situation with Master Tao? Where is the safety, and where is the danger? How will the Eastern Palace not stand by? How will Duke Yan Mansion stand by?"
Tang Xiaobai hadn’t interacted much with Zhong Chuchu and didn’t know she was such an intelligent and astute person.
She understood what she wanted to ask after just a few sentences, explained everything clearly, and even sensitively detected Duke Yan Mansion’s stance.
When retorting, her thoughts were exceptionally clear.
So Tang Xiaobai also answered very plainly: "The situation changes quickly, I dare not say for certain, but regarding Brother Tao’s matter, it hinges on the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace will certainly do everything to protect Brother Tao, for if Brother Tao is falsely accused of plotting the assassination of the Prime Minister, it would be a severe blow to the Eastern Palace—"
"It would be a severe blow to the Eastern Palace, but a death sentence for Master Tao." Zhong Chuchu interrupted.
Tang Xiaobai’s gaze darkened slightly, and her voice lowered considerably: "Whether or not the Eastern Palace is hurt, Brother Tao will not die!"
Zhong Chuchu’s gaze shifted: "Can you guarantee that?"
"Not me, the Crown Prince’s guarantee." Tang Xiaobai smiled slightly.
She knew that nothing in this world was absolutely certain, but for his guarantee, she was willing to place complete trust.
Zhong Chuchu also smiled, saying: "If there’s any news, I ask Second Miss to inform me promptly, regardless of its nature."
Tang Xiaobai nodded, sighing: "It should have been very simple, just find an alibi, but coincidentally at the time, Brother was hiding on a tree on the west side of Yongxing Village, and no one saw him."
Zhong Chuchu was taken aback: "Why was he on a tree?"
On this subject, Tang Xiaobai also laughed: "On that day, the first of August, Brother thought the Crown Prince would enter the court for his title, so he waited on the tree closest to the palace gates, wanting to be the first to see the Crown Prince emerge."
Tao Fen was honest and had integrity, even someone as cold as Li Mu referred to him respectfully as "Brother."
"He has that sort of nature," Zhong Chuchu sighed lightly, "Urgently caring for what others care for, joyfully sharing others’ joys, never once thinking of himself."
Tang Xiaobai consoled her: "Even if no one saw him, that doesn’t prove he’s the assassin, and besides, Brother thinks nobody saw him; maybe someone actually did?"
...
Someone indeed saw it.
Two days later, during the Ministry of Justice’s inquiry of Tao Fen, someone voluntarily testified that when Wang Maozhao was murdered, they saw Tao Fen at the treetops outside the western wall of Yongxing Village.
"How is that possible? How could he have seen me?" Tao Fen himself was the most incredulous about this witness.
