Chapter 46

Another person who was furious today was the claw-waving Princess Jiahe. She had been coveting this purple-gold jade tablet for a long time; she had asked Quan Wuji for it many times, but he never gave it to her, and even throwing a tantrum was useless. Today, he actually gave it to that down-and-out young lady Jun Zijin, which was a slap in her face.

Princess Jiahe was so angry she felt like vomiting blood, but she dared not act out here and now. Feeling she didn't want to stay here any longer, she got up to wander around.

While wandering, Princess Jiahe ran into the sullen Jun Yiyi. Seeing Jun Yiyi’s appearance, Princess Jiahe cursed inwardly, "Everyone in the Jun family is a slut!" A wicked idea suddenly arose in her heart.

She walked up and feigned concern:

"What is wrong with Miss Jun? Could it be because of that purple-gold jade tablet?"

Jun Yiyi was already in a terrible mood, and the raging fire in her heart had nowhere to vent. Hearing this, the fire burned even brighter, and she felt as if her chest were about to burst. Jun Yiyi turned around furiously, but when she saw clearly that the person standing before her was Princess Jiahe, the insults already on the tip of her tongue were forcibly swallowed back.

Although Princess Jiahe was merely a princess from a down-and-out Prince’s manor that the Emperor did not favor, she was still a princess after all.

Jun Yiyi’s eyes rolled. She still had things to do today; the medicine the First Lady had given her was originally intended to be used on the Crown Prince so she could consummate things with him. Today, it would just be a bargain for that slut Jun Zijin, Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth. But as the daughter of an outside official, it was inconvenient for her to act within the inner palace. Since Princess Jiahe had bumped into her and asked such a question, she must also dislike that slut Jun Zijin, so why not...

Jun Yiyi immediately put on a smiling face:

"Is Princess Jiahe perhaps asking about that purple-gold jade tablet? How could Jun Zijin be worthy of such a precious item? In my opinion, that purple-gold jade tablet should have belonged to the Princess all along."

"This young woman has a plan. As long as we ruin Jun Zijin’s reputation, the Emperor will naturally take the jade tablet back, and then it will be yours, Princess. And I will have also avenged my personal grudge."

The two hit it off immediately.

As for Jun Zijin, she had long noticed that Jun Yiyi was no longer in her seat. Jun Zhidie was looking around from her own seat, her peripheral vision constantly fixed on Jun Zijin’s side. Jun Zhidie wanted to find someone to talk to, but this was her first time attending such a banquet, and she didn't know anyone. As a daughter of a branch family of the Jun house, no one paid her any mind.

Jun Zijin played with the jade tablet in her hand nonchalantly, tossing it up and down. Quan Qingle was terrified:

"Ancestor, please put this away properly; be careful not to drop and break it."

Jun Zijin felt the jade tablet wasn't of much use to her; why would she go to the palace for no reason? But she couldn't be ungrateful and try to exchange it with the Emperor, so she thought she would just keep it; who knew if it might come in handy in the future.

Just as Jun Zijin put the jade tablet away, a little maid came over and whispered to her:

"His Highness the Crown Prince’s wound has reopened; he asks for the County Princess to come over."

She also stuffed a note into Jun Zijin’s hand: His Highness the Crown Prince is at Winter Fragrance Pavilion.

It was no secret that Quan Aoyu had come to the Jun manor to change his dressings after being injured, but his wounds had healed extremely quickly, and except for a very few close associates, few people knew. Jun Zijin thought for a moment, gave a few instructions to the people at the table, and got up to have the maid lead the way. Jun Zijin crumpled the note into a ball absentmindedly and tossed it by the side of the road.

As soon as Jun Zijin stood up, Jun Zhidie saw her and followed her from a distance. Seeing Jun Zijin toss away a note, Jun Zhidie picked it up without hesitation. When she saw the content on the note, Jun Zhidie gnashed her teeth and cursed in her heart: "This slut actually dares to sneak off to meet with His Highness the Crown Prince! Hmph, don't think you can succeed just like this. His Highness the Crown Prince is mine, and no one is allowed to take him away!"

With someone tailing her, how could Jun Zijin not know with her keen senses? Jun Zijin’s lips curled slightly, and she followed the maid in front without changing her expression. The maid kept her head down and said nothing. When they reached a corner, Jun Zijin’s figure flashed, and she quickly raised her hand, striking the neck of the maid leading the way. The maid couldn't even let out a hum before her vision went black and she fainted. Jun Zijin was quick-witted and steady, catching the fainting maid and dragging her into the dense bushes by the road to hide her.

Doing all this took no more than two breaths of time. Jun Zijin lurked quietly in place, holding her breath and focusing. Not long after, sure enough, Jun Zhidie walked along the path. Only then did Jun Zijin get up and follow silently behind Jun Zhidie.

Jun Zijin naturally didn't know what trick Jun Yiyi was playing; she was just curious about how sophisticated these harmful schemes could be.

Jun Zhidie was full of triumph at the thought of ruining Jun Zijin’s good fortune, not noticing at all that someone was following behind her.

Turning a corridor, Jun Zhidie arrived in front of a quiet courtyard. Looking up, she saw "Winter Fragrance Pavilion"—this was the place. A wave of triumph washed over Jun Zhidie.

Jun Zhidie pushed the door open gently. The room had thick curtains drawn and only a single candle burning, leaving it in dim darkness. Someone seemed to be lying on the couch inside. Jun Zhidie closed the door softly. Just as the words "Crown Prince brother" escaped her lips, a sweet fragrance drifted into her nose. Jun Zhidie felt the scent was quite pleasant and took a few more whiffs, and suddenly an inexplicable heat surged within her body. With her mind in a fog, the feverish Jun Zhidie could not endure the heat and began tearing at her own clothes regardless of anything else.

At this moment, the person on the couch was also burning with an unbearable, fiery heat. Seeing a woman enter and start undressing, he assumed it was some woman who liked him and had snuck in here. Thinking it came at just the right time, he stepped forward and embraced Jun Zhidie.