Chapter 32 Part 1

Although the atmosphere in the main hall was somewhat bizarre, it couldn’t affect the two figures hidden at the corner of the pavilion.

On the third floor of the Misty Rain Pavilion, guests and courtesans had already straightened their attire and descended to the ground floor to watch the excitement.

Those two, however, bypassed the corner and quietly made their way to a spot concealed by bamboo blinds. The hanging blinds masked their figures, making them completely invisible to anyone outside.

These two were precisely Xiao Jin and Chu Shao.

Ever since Xiao Jin had rapped her with an iron fist, Chu Shao no longer tried to pry into her secrets.

After seriously considering Xiao Jin’s proposal, Chu Shao had actually agreed happily. She decided to observe quietly, like a ruler wielding power from behind a screen, hidden inside the bamboo blinds as a bystander.

Still, Chu Shao had no intention of untying Xiao Jin’s silk ribbon.

She merely tucked the box of “Spring Mountain Void” away while carrying the other person inside the bamboo blinds.

Their breath was close enough to touch. Chu Shao conveniently snagged a chair along the way and settled Xiao Jin securely into it.

Watching Xiao Jin, hands bound and expression displeased, sitting in the chair, Chu Shao smiled, thinking the other truly looked quite obedient at this moment.

And it was the obedient compliance of someone nursing anger but forced to suppress it.

In truth, Chu Shao was overthinking it.

Xiao Jin wasn’t actually angry, just numb. Besides, listening to the commotion below, Su Tan seemed even more miserable than her.

So comparatively, she had only suffered social death in front of Chu Shao alone, whereas Su Tan was truly riding a tiger, experiencing public social death.

However, one point was indeed tricky.

Because the wheelchair Su Tan now sat in was the one Xiao Jin had just been using.

Although Xiao Jin had only ordered a replacement after arriving at Fengyang City, and the bamboo used was ordinary green bamboo, not the purple bamboo wheelchair she usually used—a measure meant to conceal her identity. That way, bystanders wouldn’t connect a common green bamboo wheelchair to the crippled Prince Yan.

But earlier on the ninth floor, Bai Zheng had already met Su Tan face-to-face and knew the wheelchair belonged to Xiao Jin, not Su Tan.

With Bai Zheng’s intelligence and sharpness, she would surely detect something amiss.

Yet unexpectedly.

Listening quietly from upstairs to the activity below, Xiao Jin discovered that Bai Zheng was not only deliberately defending Su Tan but had proactively offered her a way out.

So surreal. Could Bai Zheng and Su Tan have some connection too?

The crowd below was dense, and not a single person made a sound. Everyone stared at the three figures in the center of the main hall, truly unable to figure out what play was being performed.

The Fourth Prince frowned as he stared at Su Tan, wanting to read something from her face.

But he saw that she was neither obsequious nor arrogant. Even seated in the wheelchair, she was calm and composed, seemingly without fear.

In truth, his objective for this trip had been achieved. If he stopped now, at most he would receive a few scoldings from the Emperor of Qi.

It was probably time to leave.

But the Fourth Prince kept feeling that something about Xiao Jin had changed. Starting from the bride-snatching incident, this person’s actions had grown increasingly unpredictable.

Since he could obtain information from the Court of Judicial Review, Xiao Jin was not stupid and would likely also learn certain things.

Knowing Xiao Jin’s vengeful nature, if someone schemed against him in secret, he would definitely seek retribution. So regarding the assassination, the Fourth Prince was certain Xiao Jin would not easily let the matter rest.

Thinking this, the Fourth Prince averted his gaze. Looking up toward the levels of pavilions, he had a gut feeling that Xiao Jin was hiding in one of these chambers, lurking in the shadows and watching everything.

“Tap, tap—”

Bai Zheng watched coldly as the Fourth Prince raised a hand, rapping his knuckles crisply against the table, seeming to be pondering something.

But she never cared what Xiao Yi was thinking. She just wanted to quickly shoo this person out of the Misty Rain Pavilion.

After three taps on the tabletop, the Fourth Prince stopped his motion and shook his head. “She is not the person this prince is looking for.”

Bai Zheng was silent for a moment, then began to unceremoniously shoo the guests away: “Fourth Prince, my Misty Rain Pavilion is clean and clear. Even if you flip the entire building upside down, you won’t find the person you’re looking for.”

The Fourth Prince smiled. “This prince did not intend to disrupt Miss Bai’s business. But since this matter concerns Third Brother’s assassination, this prince must exercise some caution.”

Bai Zheng shot him a glance. “The building has been searched thoroughly by Your Highness. What further caution is needed?”

“Miss Bai is wrong. The most thorough security can still have a single oversight.”

The Fourth Prince looked at Bai Zheng and spoke deliberately. “The guards in this prince’s residence are quite careless. In case they missed an assassin plotting against Third Brother, how would this prince face Third Brother? And how would I explain it to Imperial Father?”

At these words, even Xiao Jin, watching the show from upstairs, couldn’t help frowning slightly.

She thought: With you calling him “Third Brother” this and “Third Brother” that, people who don’t know better might think the original host was close to you.

In the original novel, the original host didn’t have many scenes. But having been in this book world for so long, Xiao Jin could also see that the relationship between the male lead and the original host wasn’t good.

Not just “not good”—they were complete strangers.

When others were around, they barely maintained a show of brotherly respect. When no one was around, they probably couldn’t even be bothered to greet each other.

So this forced familiarity was really unnecessary.

However, the Fourth Prince’s desire to latch onto Xiao Jin was strong. Even making a scene at the Misty Rain Pavilion, he used the pretext of hunting down the real culprit. “Miss Bai, after all, your Misty Rain Pavilion receives a constant stream of guests daily. It’s hard to avoid mixing with all sorts, and you don’t know what kind of people might be mingling within.”

The Fourth Prince looked young, but his words were extremely sharp.

With just one sentence, he had offended every single “esteemed guest” present.

The guests all glared furiously. If not for the fact that the Fourth Prince was the Emperor of Qi’s son, they would probably have rushed up to curse him on the spot.

Bai Zheng felt the Fourth Prince’s words were completely incoherent, as if he deliberately wanted to offend everyone in the building. He must have some kind of problem.

She immediately said: “Then what else does Your Highness want? Do you intend to send men to tear down this commoner woman’s Misty Rain Pavilion?”

The Fourth Prince said leisurely: “Miss Bai, contain your anger. This prince has no intention of doing anything to your building. I merely wish to lead men personally to conduct another search.”

Bai Zheng glanced at Su Tan, who sat in the wheelchair. Taking a deep breath, she said: “Your Highness’s actions utterly disregard the laws of Great Qi! This commoner woman has already sent people to report this to the authorities. The constables will arrive shortly. I ask Your Highness to be prepared to speak with eloquence and reason when facing them.”

The Fourth Prince raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that stubborn old fossil Minister Bai could father such a clever daughter.

Only, the waters of the Misty Rain Pavilion were treacherously murky. He could wade through them, but the Court of Judicial Review might not have the guts.

Thinking this, the Fourth Prince chuckled.

He rose, straightened his lapels, and then said rather arrogantly: “This prince is eager to protect my elder brother. It is, naturally, perfectly justified and reasonable in the extreme.”

Having spoken, he gestured to the steward beside him. “Old Wang, follow this prince to search. I refuse to believe this building can make a person vanish into thin air.”

Seeing the guards below forming up, seemingly about to charge up the stairs and flip the Misty Rain Pavilion upside down…

Behind the bamboo blinds, Chu Shao smiled and said to Xiao Jin: “My Prince, they are almost here. Do you have any more brilliant ideas?”

Xiao Jin’s heart was numb, because Chu Shao’s words were full of anticipation, practically written all over her face.

But she wasn’t too flustered. After all, in the original novel, the Misty Rain Pavilion had powerful backing. Based on the current development, if the Fourth Prince was inexplicably going crazy, someone would have to come and put him in his place.

So, calmly seated in her chair, she mysteriously uttered a single word: “Wait.”

Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin, trapped between the chairs. She truly couldn’t imagine what else the other could do.

A white peony coveted by others, unable to walk on her own two legs, and with her hands bound by silk ribbon—where could she even flee to?

She had to admit, Chu Shao was very much looking forward to seeing what unexpected move Xiao Jin would pull.

Thus, she smiled faintly and asked softly: “What are you waiting for?”

Channeling her boss-like aura, like all riddlers, Xiao Jin calmly spoke: “What This Prince awaits, the Princess Consort will know soon enough.”

Su Tan, sitting in the wheelchair, didn’t know what Xiao Jin was waiting for. Chu Shao also didn’t know what Xiao Jin was waiting for.

Even Xiao Jin herself wasn’t entirely sure what she was waiting for.

But based on common web novel tropes, Xiao Jin could be certain: in this situation, some kind of variable was bound to appear.

As for whether it would change for better or worse, that she couldn’t say.

The next moment, as if to confirm Xiao Jin’s words, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the Misty Rain Pavilion: “Fourth Brother, hold on.”

That voice was gentle and calm. But when Xiao Jin heard those words, her face remained unruffled, though a ray of dawn truly lit up in her heart.

Here it comes. The disruptor.

This person’s voice wasn’t loud, but when it fell into the Misty Rain Pavilion, it was like a north wind sweeping through, causing everyone in the hall to stiffen involuntarily.

The guards climbing the stairs froze, nearly dropping their weapons.

Even the usually arrogant Fourth Prince couldn’t help frowning at this. But when he turned around, the displeasure between his brows had completely transformed into a smile.

He bowed slightly, greeting the person standing below in the hall. Making polite conversation: “Today, this Misty Rain Pavilion is truly bustling. The Crown Prince, usually so busy with affairs, actually has the leisure to take time from his packed schedule to come here for amusement.”