novelhk Chapter 120 The Only Princess
Chapter 120 The Only Princess
Inside the Prince Jing's residence at this time.
As the Imperial Guards continued to stand guard outside the mansions of the three great families, rumors in the capital intensified.
Xie Jinghan made no comment on this.
He returned to Prince Jing's residence with only his men, leaving the Imperial Guards to guard it.
Si Qing followed Xie Jinghan step by step, muttering to himself, "Your Highness, will what you're doing really work?"
Xie Jinghan's threats were all released yesterday, but after a night, none of the three families made any move; at most, they exchanged a few letters.
Xie Jinghan even forbade them from intercepting those few letters.
Si Qing became increasingly confused about Xie Jinghan's intentions, and her heart grew more and more uneasy.
In response, Xie Jinghan simply said, "If they still refuse to release the people, then fulfill my promise."
His promise was to make the three companies pay the price.
Upon hearing this, Si Qing felt uneasy. He finally couldn't hold back and strode over to Xie Jinghan's side, whispering, "But Your Highness, by doing this, aren't you making them your sworn enemies?"
“They just want to use the princess to threaten you.” He hesitated for a moment, then suggested, “Why don’t you pretend? Pretend to comply with their wishes? It’s not too late to deal with them after the princess returns safely.”
"You've been by my side all these years, don't you know what kind of people these aristocratic families are?" Xie Jinghan retorted. "If I back down, they won't be satisfied; instead, they'll take advantage of me."
“We must not tolerate them.” Xie Jinghan’s voice was deep. “What they want most is the continuation of their family’s legacy. If they do not return the princess, then I will cut off their lineage.”
Upon hearing this, Si Qing's heart skipped a beat. He finally couldn't hold back and managed to utter the words that had been lingering in his heart for so long: "Your Highness, is it worth it?"
No one knew the true relationship between Xie Jinghan and Wen Shuyao better than him. Their feelings for each other were not as inseparable as outsiders thought.
"I will only have one queen," Xie Jinghan said, his tone carrying a hidden warning.
Si Qing quickly waved his hand: "I had no such intention! I just felt that your methods could be slightly..."
As they were talking, the carriage stopped at the gate of Prince Jing's mansion.
The carriage stopped, and Si Qing stopped talking as well.
He was somewhat annoyed. Heaven knows that his words just now were not meant to belittle Wen Shuyao. He only wanted to persuade Xie Jinghan not to make a big fuss, so as not to turn against the three great families.
Even though Xie Jinghan is already a prince, these three great families have deep foundations. He is already cautious when dealing with just one of them, let alone all three at the same time.
As he pondered how to explain, he caught a glimpse of a dilapidated carriage parked behind the Prince's carriage.
As vigilant as Si Qing was, he immediately became alert: "Who is here?"
The coachman was already terrified, and Si Qing's sharp shout made him tremble all over. He stood shakily beside the carriage, wanting to speak, but then he saw the curtain being lifted.
A pair of slender, jade-like hands, seemingly out of place with the worn-out carriage curtain, lifted it, revealing Wen Shuyao's unmasked face.
"it's me."
She smiled at Si Qing with a smile in her eyes.
Upon seeing Wen Shuyao, Si Qing was stunned for a long time.
Who would have thought that Wen Shuyao would come back like this?
"The princess is back!" He paused for only a moment before happily stepping forward to greet Wen Shuyao.
However, Xie Jinghan was faster than him.
Just as he took a step, Xie Jinghan had already reached the carriage. He stretched out his hand and offered it to Wen Shuyao.
"You're back." Xie Jinghan's usually indifferent face held a subtle smile.
After a moment of stunned silence, Wen Shuyao smiled and placed her hand on his.
When their fingers intertwined, Wen Shuyao could keenly feel Xie Jinghan tightening his grip.
She was somewhat surprised, but more than that, she was happy.
On the way here, I heard a lot about Xie Jinghan from the coachman. Although they were all rumors, the fact that Xie Jinghan sent the Imperial Guards to surround those three families was undeniable.
"Thank you, Your Highness," she suddenly said.
Xie Jinghan quickly understood what she meant. After shaking his head slightly, Xie Jinghan said, "You've had a hard time these past few days."
Even though Wen Shuyao was not favored, she was still a pampered young lady.
He must have suffered a lot during that day and night of imprisonment.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao sighed.
Xie Jinghan's heart tightened without him realizing it.
At this moment, Wen Shuyao said helplessly, "I haven't suffered much, but... I've been hungry for a day and a night. What I want most right now is to eat a bowl of plain noodles made by Granny Qi."
Granny Qi had already rushed over upon hearing the news. When she heard Wen Shuyao's words, her eyes filled with tears: "Don't even mention one bowl, even if it were ten bowls, this old servant could make them right now!"
As she spoke, she stuffed a heavy purse into the driver's hand.
As soon as Granny Qi arrived, Xie Jinghan consciously released Wen Shuyao's hand.
However, he no longer felt the soft warmth in his hands, and he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
But the moment he saw Wen Shuyao's back, his heart settled down.
Thankfully, the person has returned safely.
Granny Qi helped Wen Shuyao up, and seeing that Wen Shuyao had changed her clothes, she couldn't hide her worry: "Your Highness, did they release you?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao shook her head and explained the strange things she had noticed.
Upon hearing this, Si Qing immediately denied it: "These are definitely not guards from our royal palace! If our royal palace guards wanted to save you, they wouldn't hide and not even dare to show their true faces!"
Granny Qi breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, you are clever enough to have carried a sleeping potion with you!"
Actually, she gave this medicine to Wen Shuyao for self-defense.
Wen Shuyao took her arm and exclaimed, "Granny, you were so prescient. If it weren't for the sleeping potion you gave me, I would probably have been taken to the next place."
“Those people are in the third alley of Jinhua Lane. As for the house where I am being held, it’s probably nearby, but I’m wearing a veil and can’t know the exact location.” She reminded Si Qing, “I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to take some people to Jinhua Lane.”
Without Xie Jinghan's prompting, Si Qing readily agreed: "Don't worry, I'll take men and bring them back right away. I'll definitely get them to talk!"
Stepping through the gates of Prince Jing's mansion, Wen Shuyao finally felt at ease.
She glanced at Xie Jinghan, wanting to speak, but as soon as she opened her mouth, exhaustion washed over her like a tide. She closed her eyes and, in front of Granny Qi and Xie Jinghan, was about to fall backward.
Granny Qi shouted anxiously, but Xie Jinghan was even faster than her.
Xie Jinghan was clearly farther away from Wen Shuyao, but the moment she fell, he caught her steadily, picked her up horizontally, and strode towards the main courtyard.
"Summon the imperial physician."