The Host Has Fallen for the Second Female Lead Again - Chapter 90

After much deliberation, Ji Mingxiao decided to take all the items with her.

For the chrysanthemum appreciation day, Wen Yue had originally planned to wait for her at the palace gate, but Ji Mingxiao declined.

Fengshan was located in the suburbs of the capital, and its slopes were covered in chrysanthemums. Every autumn, it drew large crowds of young gentlemen and ladies, as well as scholars and refined individuals.

Ji Mingxiao left for the event close to noon. As a princess, her late arrival was of no consequence.

“Host, you’re not just a little late; you’re very late,” System A couldn’t help but complain. She overslept, and yet she’s looking for excuses.

Ji Mingxiao didn’t bother to respond. She lifted the carriage curtain to peer outside and immediately spotted a large crowd gathered not far away, seemingly for a spectacle. Just as she was about to lower the curtain, she saw someone break free from the crowd.

Ji Mingxiao stood up abruptly, hitting her head on the carriage roof.

“Princess?”

In the next second, Ji Mingxiao had already leaped from the moving carriage and grabbed Xi Ruan.

Another person, a man, rushed out and, upon seeing Ji Mingxiao’s luxurious clothes, realized she was someone not to be trifled with. The hostility on his face faded slightly.

“Young lady, I’m disciplining my daughter. Is that any of your business?”

Upon seeing Ji Mingxiao, Xi Ruan sighed in relief. “He wants to marry me off to an old man! And he used a whip on me.”

She wanted to curse him. What kind of father was this? She had actually run away the day before, only to be caught by a neighbor who informed her father.

Ji Mingxiao’s face grew colder as she noticed the wounds on Xi Ruan’s wrists. “Your daughter? This princess is taking her.”

The surrounding crowd immediately began to murmur.

“A princess?”

“It’s Princess Ji Mingxiao.”

“Give him the money. A person like you doesn’t deserve to be a father,” Ji Mingxiao’s voice was frigid. “From now on, your daughter has no more ties to you.”

“How much?” The man wasn’t ashamed. “The princess can’t be too stingy. Wang Mazi next door offered five taels of silver.”

Xi Ruan glared at him, clenching her fists. The people around them quietly distanced themselves, feeling a sense of disgust.

Ji Mingxiao scoffed. “Do you want a whip from me? Give him five taels, and let’s go. You, get in the carriage.”

“Okay,” Xi Ruan nodded and climbed into the carriage.

Ji Mingxiao’s eyes narrowed as she had her first thought of just killing the man on the spot. He saw the displeasure on her face and the guards around her, took a step back, and didn’t dare to say another word.

Ji Mingxiao re-entered the carriage and looked at Xi Ruan, who was very thin, practically skin and bones, and her clothes were ragged.

“Let’s return to the palace.”

“Your Highness?” Cheng Yun looked at Ji Mingxiao, not understanding why she would return to the palace for a random person. “But they are still waiting.”

“We’ll go later. No rush.”

Cheng Yun pursed her lips.

“Princess, you don’t need to accompany me back personally. Go do your proper business,” Xi Ruan said.

“How can you refer to yourself as ‘I’ in front of the princess?” Cheng Yun looked at Xi Ruan with dissatisfaction.

Ji Mingxiao glanced at Cheng Yun. “I haven’t said anything, so why are you talking?”

“I’ll go there. Cheng Jing, you take her back and help her get cleaned up. Don’t bully her.”

“Yes.” Cheng Jing had a slightly better temper and a deeper cunning than Cheng Yun. “Does Your Highness intend to keep this girl in the palace?”

“Yes.”

Cheng Jing understood, led Xi Ruan out of the carriage, and left. Ji Mingxiao still wanted to go back with them, but she knew she shouldn’t. Being too protective of Xi Ruan could put her in danger, but leaving her exposed was also not an option.

She arrived at Fengshan at noon.

“Why are you only just getting here when it’s time for lunch?” Wen Yue walked over to Ji Mingxiao, and the others immediately rose to bow.

“I ran into something on the way,” Ji Mingxiao smiled and took her seat at the head of the table.

Ji Mingxiao glanced at the dishes on the table. The portions were small but beautifully presented. The table was set with fruit wine, but she took a sip and didn’t drink any more.

The noble ladies chatted and composed poems while they ate. Ji Mingxiao quickly identified the people she was looking for, though some were still missing—mostly the daughters of military officials who disliked such gatherings.

She was truly fed up with Zhao Yan. He only knew the names, parents, and ages of these people but nothing else.

“Don’t you like it?”

Ji Mingxiao looked at Wen Yue, who had appeared beside her, and shook her head. “No, I was just thinking about what happened on the way here today.”

“What happened?”

“I rescued a girl whose father was trying to sell her to an old man. How can a father be like that?” Ji Mingxiao sighed. “I wonder how many unfortunate girls there are in this world.”

Wen Yue was stunned. “Where is that girl now?”

“I brought her back to the palace. I plan to let her stay there from now on. Since I saved her, I can’t put her back in danger,” Ji Mingxiao said.

Wen Yue had a bad feeling about this, but seeing Ji Mingxiao’s candid attitude, she couldn’t say anything. It was just a person she had saved, after all.

“The princess truly has a kind heart.”

“This is not a kind heart; it’s just a small act of kindness,” Ji Mingxiao said, setting down her chopsticks.

In the afternoon, they continued to appreciate the chrysanthemums on the mountain and were scheduled to go boating on the lake later.

Ji Mingxiao found it all quite boring. She tried several times to talk to those people, but Wen Yue stuck to her like glue, not giving her a moment alone. It was getting on her nerves.

She wished she had just gone back to the palace. Of course, she didn’t show it.

Although she didn’t get a chance to speak with them, Ji Mingxiao could see that the noble ladies of the pro-Emperor faction were sticking together. They were clearly aware of their families’ political alignments. Ji Mingxiao looked at them so often that she made eye contact with a few of them.

When the noble ladies returned from the event, they told their families about the princess watching them. Their families only instructed them to maintain a good relationship with the princess.

Lately, anyone in the official circles with even a little bit of sensitivity could feel a storm brewing.

Prime Minister Wen also had this feeling, but he still believed that two young children couldn’t cause much trouble. He just didn’t believe that a person could suddenly become smart. He thought Wen Yue was talking nonsense.

When Ji Mingxiao returned, she called Xi Ruan in and made her a third-class palace maid. Xi Ruan had no objections. She also had a rough understanding of the plot and knew that Ji Mingxiao was too busy to pay attention to her. She had felt countless eyes on her when she first arrived, but now that she was just sweeping the courtyard, no one was watching her anymore.

Ji Mingxiao sat by the window, reading a book, occasionally glancing outside.

It was a casual glance, but each one landed on Xi Ruan.

Xi Ruan knew Ji Mingxiao was watching her, but she couldn’t look around. It was the furthest distance—being in the same courtyard but unable to look at each other or speak.

Ji Mingxiao glanced again, closed the window, and took a piece of paper from her book. It was a list of names with some Arabic numerals. The Prime Minister’s faction was clearly stronger in military power. She tapped the table, wondering if these people knew the Prime Minister wanted to rebel.

In contrast, the Emperor’s side only had 30,000 troops that could be mobilized from around the capital, and it was unclear if there were any spies among them. She suddenly felt like stirring up some trouble.

The Prime Minister’s legitimate son, Wen Zhuo, was 19 years old and had already become an official. He was still unmarried and considered the head of the capital’s literary circles and the most sought-after bachelor among the noble ladies.

Zhao Yan had some impression of Wen Zhuo; he was a rather arrogant and annoying person who greatly respected Confucius’s principles of “let the ruler be a ruler, the minister be a minister, the father be a father, and the son be a son.” Based on some of his actions, it seemed he had no idea what his father was up to.

She was very curious about what Wen Zhuo would think if he knew about this.

Ji Mingxiao really wanted to see the Wen family fall into chaos. To make Wen Zhuo believe her, Ji Mingxiao used a skill card to create a dream for him. It would be foolish not to use her cheat code.

She had originally wanted to give the Prime Minister a dream of his own—a dream where he would die horribly if he rebelled, or drop dead as soon as he ascended the throne. However, the system wouldn’t allow it. In a superstitious society like ancient times, such a dream would be too powerful. If she did that, she could get anything she wanted.

Fortunately, the system allowed her to create a dream for Wen Zhuo. Otherwise, Ji Mingxiao would have to argue with it about what a “cheat code” was. A cheat code that couldn’t be used wasn’t a cheat code.

That night, Wen Zhuo had a dream that his father was planning a rebellion and had already conspired with many people. Although Ji Mingxiao didn’t directly show him the consequences of the rebellion, she created an atmosphere that implied they would die horribly if they rebelled.

When Wen Zhuo woke up, he was drenched in sweat, his face pale. What had just happened? Was it a dream? What kind of dream was it? Why did it feel so real?

A rebellion? His father was planning a rebellion? Wen Zhuo felt that this word was very far from his own life. He had always known that his status was extraordinary and what others thought of the Prime Minister’s residence, but his goal had always been to be a powerful minister, never to aim higher.

Although the Emperor was young, he already behaved like a true Emperor. Wen Zhuo suddenly understood why his father would always sigh with regret whenever he mentioned the Emperor. What was there to regret? Was it that the Emperor wouldn’t be on the throne for long?

Wen Zhuo took a deep breath. If his father was planning a rebellion, why did he marry his elder sister to the Emperor? He was very curious whether Wen Yue knew about this.

Wen Zhuo also remembered the dissatisfaction of the people on the street with the Wen family. The villa was built by Wen Yue tricking the princess into it. Where did the money go? To the steward? A steward wouldn’t have that much guts.

He wasn’t an idiot. Once he thought it through, everything became clear. Everything was just a form of exploitation.

Now, whenever Wen Zhuo closed his eyes, he saw that dream. The bad feeling in his heart grew stronger, and he couldn’t fall asleep again. Early the next morning, he went to find the Prime Minister, and the two almost got into an argument on their way to court.

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