Chapter 221 The Incident In The Princess Palace

"What?" Hua Jing's words put Li Yingying in a fluster. Yingying panicked.

The Princess continued, "I suppose you would have worn a veil when you visited the Suiyu House. But the veil was not enough. It only hides your identity from strangers. When people know you, they can easily recognize you even with a veil on. You've always been cautious and smart. Why did you make such a mistake?"

Yingying smiled awkwardly. She tried to dismiss the allegation, "Well, I didn't go there. The place is inappropriate for an unmarried woman like me. The ladies must have mistaken another person for me."

Hua Jing smiled coldly, "Now you're being silly. It doesn't matter whether you visited Suiyu House or not. The rumor itself is disastrous. If someone so close to you, me for example, has heard about it, then most of the ladies in the Imperial City must know as well. You know the ladies love rumors. No one cares about the authenticity of the rumor. Gossiping is fun to them. The ladies won't keep quite when there is such an interesting story. And eventually, the rumor will be heard by your family. The Li Clan are the ones who will get hurt by the rumor."

Li Yingying's face paled, "Hua Jing, you're right. Even if I claim that it is only a rumor, no one will believe me. So what should I do now? My parents and grandparents can't know of the rumor. It's too heavy an accusation for our family to bear."

Hua Jing was amused by Li Yingying's question. 'If she feared the consequences so much, why did she fight for Ya Xi so publicly in the first place? And she was defending herself just now, as if someone had wronged her.

Bitch. I shouldn't have doubted Ya Xi. He wasn't framing her.' The Princess thought. When the guards told Hua Jing what they had seen, she wasn't sure whether or not she should trust them. Now with Li Yingying's guilty confession, Hua Jing was assured.

Princess Hua Jing had been raised in the Palace. Her life had been free of adversities. However, in recent months, too many awful things had happened to her. She had even spent two months in a cold and damp cell thanks to Li Yingying. The latter had never paid the Princess a visit during Hua Jing's internment. And Li Yingying had plenty of excuses for not visiting. She always claimed that she was either terrified or mentally exhausted. 'It looks like Li Yingying was busy enjoying her time with her lovers during my incarceration.'

Hua Jing felt angrier when she thought about the past. 'Ya Xi is mine. Li Yingying will learn that she cannot covet him.'

"Yingying, you're twenty years old and still unmarried. No wonder there are rumors. If you like, I can help with that. I can ask grandmother and aunt to find you some nice young noblemen to select from. If you're married, such rumors will have no basis." Hua Jing raised her hand and smiled as she studied her new manicure.

Li Yingying's face was still pale. Her expression didn't change much at Hua Jing's suggestion. Li Yingying lifted her brows, but chose not to say anything.

Hua Jing interpreted Li Yingying's reaction as reluctance to stop living a free and unfettered life. The Princess felt unhappy, "If you were a man or someone of stature like Prince Jing, people would say you're a playboy, even if you stay unmarried at the age of twenty. But as a girl, you'll receive harsher judgement if you remain unmarried over the age of twenty. It's not good for your reputation. I am only offering help. What you do now, is your decision."

Li Yingying sighed and lowered her head. She hesitated for a while before saying, "I guess I don't have any other choice. Please let my mother and grandmother know that they should find me a husband."

'A husband?' Hua Jing sneered at Li Yingying. 'You wish!' But the Princess hid her feelings well, "I also suggest that you go out less these days. We can't make sure the same rumor won't spread again if you go out too often." Hua Jing nodded at her cousin before leaving. Thinking of what she had accomplished, her heart soared with joy.

Yun Shang was lying on the couch at Prince Jing's Mansion. Ning Qian was reporting the latest updates to the Princess, "The Grand Councilor's wife arranges events quickly. She held a banquet with only two days notice. But only a few people were present. Even her friends didn't attend. They all had excuses for their absence. The Grand Councilor's wife was enraged at the situation. She sent her servants to find out why, and learned of the rumor that Li Yingying had burnt down Suiyu House for an escort."

Yun Shang smiled at the news, "Interesting. What else did she find out?"

"She found out everything that Your Highness wanted her to know. After all, it wasn't exactly a secret that Princess Hua Jing brought the most famed escort from Suiyu House to her Palace. Ya Xi is popular and easily recognized in the City. Besides, he went to the Princess Palace through the front door several times. Everyone saw him." Ning Qian smiled, too.

"Well, the Royal cousins fought over one escort and now, they hate each other for that. What an intriguing story!" Yun Shang took a sip of tea. 'No wonder the civilians like to watch shows.' The Princess thought. The players on stage enact what the audience favors to amuse them. It's said that watching such shows helped the commoners forget about their problems. But Yun Shang had enjoyed customizing this show. And it was only the beginning. She had much more planned.

"What's more, there were several groups of people investigating Ya Xi and the Suiyu House fire. They have shown great interest and conducted the investigation many times. Fortunately we foresaw this and made arrangements in advance. Otherwise they would find out that we were behind the whole incident. Of the people who were interested in Suiyu House, some were from the Grand Councilor's Mansion, and others had been sent by the Empress. I'm surpr

women he slept with. He thought Hua Jing could help him achieve his political goals, so he had lowered his standards and chosen her, despite the fact that Hua Jing wasn't a virgin. Now, seeing Hua Jing sleeping with different men, Prince Qingsu felt veins throbbing in his temples. Reminding himself of the plans he needed help with, the Prince suppressed his feelings and walked in.

But he lost his temper again at the sight that greeted him as he entered. Outer clothes, tunics, and shoes were scattered on the ground. Several naked bodies were piled up on the bed. It was a dirty scene.

Although glowering in anger, Prince Qingsu stayed silent as he watched the woman on the bed. One of the escorts noticed Prince Qingsu. He put on a seductive smile and spoke to the Prince, "Friend. Are you also here to serve Her Highness? Well, you're late. But it doesn't matter. Come and join us. It's our honor to serve Her Highness. Am I right, Your Highness?"

Princess Hua Jing was busy enjoying herself. She was so caught up in the throes of pleasure that Hua Jing kept her eyes tightly closed and moaned. Hearing the question, she didn't think much. The Princess whimpered, "Yeah...... Ah...... Serve me...... Serve me well...... And you...... Ah...... You'll be rewarded......"

The escort who noticed Prince Qingsu smiled at Hua Jing's reply. He bent and continued kissing Hua Jing's neck. Hua Jing moaned out of joy.

Prince Qingsu sneered. He silently walked to the bed. No one noticed Qingsu's approach. "Em, " said the Prince as he unsheathed a hidden knife that he had brought with him. Without deliberating over his decision, the Prince swung the knife at the person closest to him. The escort turned just in time to see the knife heading toward his body. Quickly, he rolled away. Prince Qingsu couldn't stop. As the knife sunk into the person below the escort, Prince Qingsu sneered. Before Prince Qingsu saw who he had stabbed, a scream rang through the chamber. Several people looked around and noticed the Prince's violent behavior, "Ah...... Someone has been stabbed......"

The men on the bed seemed shocked by the sudden incident and started to run around the room naked.

The chaotic scene satisfied Prince Qingsu so much, that he kept stabbing the person on the bed without looking at the victim. The escorts kept shouting and screaming.

Soon, the quilt was soaked with blood. When footsteps hastened toward the room, Prince Qingsu knew that the guards were approaching. He controlled his anger and put away the knife. No matter what, he couldn't be caught committing a crime in the Princess Palace. What he had done would indeed have disastrous effects if he were caught. Prince Qingsu was needed in the State of Yelang. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had no feelings for Hua Jing, so why did he become so emotional? The Prince frowned as he recalled how impossible it had been to control his feelings from the moment he stepped in the room. He couldn't resist the thought of killing.

Familiar with schemes and plots, Prince Qingsu knew it was a set-up targeting him. There must be something odd about the scent in the room.

Prince Qingsu shook his head to clear his mind before trying to jump out through the window. But the Prince was stopped and dragged down by the escorts who saw him. The Prince frowned when he thought he'd be caught by the Palace guards. Hearing the footsteps coming closer, Qingsu swung his knife and stabbed whoever was holding his thigh.

The guards smashed through the door. When they saw Prince Qingsu holding a blood covered knife, they shouted, "Hurry! Arrest him!" Since the guards had entered, the escorts restraining Prince Qingsu loosened their grip. Prince Qingsu took the chance to jump out the window. He disappeared in the darkness.

The guards didn't chase the Prince. They panicked at the blood-soaked bed and shouted, "Help! Her Highness is hurt!"