The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Actually Lost the Draw

”No, no, no, I know, of course I know!” Jiang Ning said, ”I am the Lord’s guard. How could I not know about the Lord’s matters?”

”That’s not necessarily true!”

Jiang Ning was so anxious he was scratching his head. He couldn’t let this girl think that way; otherwise, wouldn’t his lord be inexplicably excluded by the young lady? He decided to give it all he got: ”Miss, look at me, am I not also handsome, dashing, and charming? Although I may not be as good-looking as my lord, I’m not bad, right? If my lord liked men, would I still be spared? My lord doesn’t even fancy me, so he won’t like men!”

Xia Wenjin found it amusing how he was trying so hard to clear Huangfu Jingchen’s name, smiling on the inside but appearing doubtful: ”Do you think your lord would like me?”

”Of course, you’re stunningly beautiful, elegant as a lotus. My lord isn’t blind; how could he not like you?”

Xia Wenjin slowly said, ”But, I am a man!”

”Thud,” Jiang Ning lost his balance and fell to the ground.

His eyes almost popped out as he pointed at Xia Wenjin, flustered in the wind: ”You, you, you...”

Xia Wenjin sincerely said, ”We found out this temple might be doing something harmful to women, but without evidence, we couldn’t do anything. So, your lord and I drew lots; whoever drew it would disguise as a woman to investigate. I drew it.”

Jiang Ning: ”...”

His hands clawed at the ground in panic. Oh, dear, this world is terrifying. Where’s the trust between people?

Huangfu Jingchen was talking to the general. When he turned his head, he saw Jiang Ning acting crazy. He came over with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, picking him up from the ground: ”What’s gotten into you?”

Jiang Ning pointed at Xia Wenjin, stammering: ”He, he, he’s a man...”

Huangfu Jingchen frowned, his gaze cooling: ”So what?”

”My lord, you knew?”

Xia Wenjin laughed: ”Of course he knew. We shared a couch, chatted by candlelight, were honest with each other, and held nothing back!”

Kong Chan over there started coughing violently, pointing from Xia Wenjin to Huangfu Jingchen: ”You... you two... shared a couch... candidly...”

Xia Wenjin rolled his eyes: ”Baldy, get lost. What’s it to you? Stop gossiping!”

Kong Chan touched his bald head, thinking, what’s wrong with being bald? Don’t bald people have rights? What’s wrong with gossiping? Without it, what’s the fun in life?

Huangfu Jingchen was speechless. Sharing a couch means sleeping on the same couch but not at the same time. They took turns sleeping there that night in the wilderness.

Chatting by candlelight was about discussing the night exploration plans, and Kong Chan was there too!

Being honest and holding nothing back was just as it sounds. Why think so much!

Jiang Ning was dumbfounded. He felt his mind was like a tangled mess, unable to make sense of it:

The Lord knew this young lady was a man.

The Lord wouldn’t allow him to praise the young lady as a fairy because he’s a man.

Does the Lord like women or men?

If the Lord likes women, why treat this man who looks like a fairy differently?

If the Lord likes men, oh no, how could the Lord like men? Impossible!

Yet, the Lord and this seemingly female but actually male young lady shared a couch, chatted by candlelight, and candidly... candidly!

...

The chaotic thoughts made him dizzy. His mind was even more confused now, glancing at this one and that one, blinking with a bewildered face like a weak and helpless little pitiful one.

Huangfu Jingchen couldn’t be bothered with this fool and continued talking with the general.

From the bits and pieces overheard, Xia Wenjin was surprised to learn that Huang Zheng once stayed in a military camp. This general, named Su Mao, was indeed Huang Zheng’s colleague from those days.

No wonder, without concrete evidence, Huang Zheng dared to send people directly to find him.

And this general brought people without hesitation.

She glanced at Huangfu Jingchen. The young man was tall and slender, with a graceful demeanor, like a scholar. It was hard to tell he had been honed in a military camp before.

Da Jin Prefecture and Qu’an Prefecture were adjacent. Among the six people rescued by Cui’er, one was from Da Jin Prefecture, perfectly suited to become the primary accuser, handing the matter over to Da Jin Prefecture for resolution.

As for the officials from Qu’an Prefecture, Xia Wenjin didn’t reveal the little booklet she held; she had other plans for it.

To ensure Ming Qing, Ming Ze, and Ming Xi wouldn’t die before being sentenced, Xia Wenjin gave them an antidote, which was, of course, another poison. These three were also culprits, and she wouldn’t go easy on them or give them any chance to escape.

The monks were tied up in a row, escorted by Su Mao’s soldiers to Da Jin Prefecture Government Office. Ming Cheng, being the Abbott, went as well, leaving Ming Xuan in charge of handling the aftermath at the temple.

Xia Wenjin also changed back into men’s attire, securing her hair with a white jade hairpin, looking refreshing and upright, her clear eyes and white teeth leaving Jiang Ning dumbstruck.

It turns out he really was a man, but in women’s clothing before, you couldn’t tell at all.

Jiang Ning felt deeply shocked, unable to look at Xia Wenjin directly.

But, no one noticed his minor emotions.

As they were leaving, Sang Xuewei arrived with her group.

Xianglong Sword Sect didn’t have many people around this area, but Sang Xuewei, with Silver, hired dozens of people, marching up the mountain grandly.

Master Lu and the other three were especially delighted, feeling flattered. The young lady held a lofty status, yet she still cared about their safety, knowing they might be in danger, and even hired so many people to rescue them.

Thinking back to last night’s events, if Ming Cheng and Ming Xuan were like those evil monks, the four of them would likely be doomed. The young lady’s worry was not excessive at all.

As Master Lu and the other three were about to thank the young lady properly, they saw Sang Xuewei rushing straight towards Huangfu Jingchen, with a worried face yet appearing shy, saying, ”Brother Huang Zheng, are you okay? I was so worried about you. I feared you’d be caught by those bad guys, so I immediately brought people to rescue you!”

Master Lu and the other three watched silently, their hearts weeping. They knew it. How could the young lady rush back for the likes of them without regard?

Turns out, it was for that pretty boy.

They wanted to glare at Huangfu Jingchen more, but then thought this was the young lady’s chosen one and might be the Xianglong Sword Sect’s future son-in-law. It would be wise to be polite, so they quickly adorned smiling faces, looking at Huangfu Jingchen as if a mother-in-law looking at a son-in-law.

Sang Xuewei ran swiftly, leaping towards Huangfu Jingchen’s arms, almost hugging Huangfu Jingchen, but at the critical moment, Huangfu Jingchen dodged, and Sang Xuewei didn’t even catch his hem.

Having missed, Sang Xuewei said aggrievedly, ”Brother Huang Zheng, why are you dodging!”