The Host Has Fallen for the Second Female Lead Again - Chapter 96

Ji Mingxiao was stunned for a moment, then finally couldn’t help but laugh.

The palace maids outside were startled; it had been a long time since they’d heard the princess laugh like this.

Xi Ruan hit Ji Mingxiao several more times.

“I was in the middle of being touched.”

Xi Ruan’s face was flushed, and she harrumphed lightly, “Lower your voice, why are you being so loud?”

“Why are you so easily embarrassed?”

“This is me being embarrassed for you.” Xi Ruan rubbed her face, “Since your skin is so thick, I have to thin it out for you.”

Ji Mingxiao kissed Xi Ruan’s hair. “Alright, I’ll be more reserved in the future. I promise not to make you blush.”

The next afternoon, Wen Zhuo went to see Prime Minister Wen and told him about the things he had thought through. Prime Minister Wen didn’t overthink it, assuming that the few months of being locked up had indeed made him reflect. Besides, this was his son, so Prime Minister Wen was in a good mood.

Wen Zhuo looked at the smile on Prime Minister Wen’s face and felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

But there was nothing he could do. He was absolutely incapable of doing such a thing. Wen Zhuo said “I’m sorry” in his heart.

Wen Zhuo was very efficient. When Ji Mingxiao went to him five days later, the information he provided was much more extensive than what she had found on her own. She didn’t tell Wen Zhuo how much she already knew, and by comparing the two sets of information, she could basically confirm that Wen Zhuo had no issues. Ji Mingxiao also managed to uncover two suspicious individuals in the process.

“Looking at this stuff gives me a headache.” Xi Ruan had been looking at Wen Zhuo’s secret report with Ji Mingxiao, but after reading half of it, she couldn’t continue. There were just too many names and all sorts of other complicated things. “You’re really something.”

“Of course.” Ji Mingxiao didn’t show any humility. Heaven knows these things gave her a headache too.

Many people in the same family had similar names, with only the last character being different, which made it very easy to get confused.

Of course, for the sake of her reputation, she would definitely not tell Xi Ruan that.

Xi Ruan just needed to know that she was amazing.

To make Wen Zhuo more valued, Ji Mingxiao also gave him some conveniences. As long as Wen Zhuo proved useful, Prime Minister Wen would give him more power. However, this old fox would definitely keep most of the power in his own hands no matter how much he delegated. But as long as Wen Zhuo had a complete understanding of the situation, they could close the net.

Ji Mingxiao basically became the intermediary between Wen Zhuo and the emperor. She handed most of the affairs over to Zhaoxun because she realized that if she got too busy, she would neglect Xi Ruan. Although Xi Ruan felt it was okay, Ji Mingxiao thought it was not.

“I suspect you just want to be lazy.” Xi Ruan narrowed her eyes, watching Ji Mingxiao.

Ji Mingxiao smiled, “What are you talking about? How could I possibly want to be lazy?”

Xi Ruan gave Ji Mingxiao a look of exasperation. “Don’t think I didn’t see you yawning while holding those documents.”

“Where do you want to go tonight?” Ji Mingxiao pretended not to hear Xi Ruan’s words.

Xi Ruan looked at Ji Mingxiao. “Tonight? Do you want to go to the night market?”

“Mhm.” Ji Mingxiao nodded.

Xi Ruan’s eyes lit up. “Won’t it be too dangerous?”

“I’ll have my sword with me. Just hold my hand and don’t let go. And we’ll definitely have people protecting us from the side, so don’t be afraid.” Ji Mingxiao looked at Xi Ruan. “The Wen family is unlikely to make a move on us right now. After all, I’m just a princess. Their plans are going smoothly, so there’s no need to cause unnecessary trouble.”

Xi Ruan nodded. She looked at Ji Mingxiao, feeling like this was a classic setup for a dramatic turn of events, and those setups usually fall apart.

However, she didn’t say it out loud because she really wanted to go out and have some fun. Ever since she entered the palace, Ji Mingxiao hadn’t let her go out, which made her feel restless.

“Okay.” Xi Ruan nodded.

The two of them secretly left the palace, accompanied by quite a few people, and even more people were hidden in the shadows. Although Ji Mingxiao said nothing would happen, they were still very well protected.

The night market was bustling with people, men and women, some from ordinary families, and many young ladies and gentlemen.

Ji Mingxiao held Xi Ruan’s hand, weaving through the crowd.

Xi Ruan didn’t have anything in particular she wanted to buy; she just looked at things here and there.

In a teahouse not far away, two people were looking down.

“Zhaoyan…”

“Is that the princess?”

“Yes.” Wen Yue nodded, glancing at the person in front of her. “Are you interested in her?”

“Interested,” the other person smiled.

Wen Yue’s expression soured.

“Making her uncomfortable would make me even happier.” That person’s eyes fell back on Xi Ruan. “What a pity, she’s such a lovely girl.”

Wen Yue hadn’t noticed Xi Ruan at first, but after hearing what the other person said, she took another look.

She had originally thought the two were just standing close, but now she realized they were holding hands.

Wen Yue clenched her fists. “As I suspected.”

She didn’t understand what made her so inferior to that country girl. Although she admitted that Xi Ruan was indeed good-looking, still…

Wen Yue looked at Xi Ruan again. The other girl seemed very happy, her steps were light, and she even patted Ji Mingxiao’s arm. There was no trace of her former timidness.

She bit her lip.

How could a person change so much in such a short time? Either she was faking it from the start, or the person beside her had influenced her.

Either way, it made her unhappy.

“I’m leaving first.”

“Where are you going?” Wen Yue looked up at the person who was getting up.

“To cause some trouble for them. You should head back first.”

Wen Yue watched the person’s retreating back. Although she didn’t know where this person came from, she had been attracted to them the moment she saw them.

She looked down at the street again. Ji Mingxiao and Xi Ruan were long gone.

Wen Yue looked at the veil on the table. She didn’t understand why Ji Mingxiao could openly walk the streets holding a woman’s hand, while she had to be so secretive.

She hadn’t been out for a long time. She had snuck out this time, and no one had invited her to any gatherings.

Everyone was talking about her, even the servants at home.

The life Wen Yue had envisioned was not supposed to be like this.

She took a deep breath.

She went downstairs and returned to the prime minister’s mansion as quickly as possible without lingering on the street, sneaking in through the back door.

It felt like she was a thief.

Ji Mingxiao felt someone watching her several times, but she couldn’t pinpoint where they were.

She asked the system, but System A also said it couldn’t detect anything.

She thought she might have been mistaken, but her hand instinctively went to the hilt of the sword at her waist.

“What’s wrong?” Xi Ruan noticed Ji Mingxiao’s body was tense and became nervous herself.

“It’s nothing.”

“How about we just go back?”

“Don’t you feel like someone is watching us?”

Xi Ruan looked around and shook her head. “Are you being too sensitive? Never mind, let’s not wander anymore and just head back.”

“Okay.” Ji Mingxiao nodded, and she and Xi Ruan turned to walk back.

The people around them had somehow increased, and they kept trying to squeeze past her and Xi Ruan.

Ji Mingxiao could only hold Xi Ruan’s hand tightly.

“Something’s not right,” Ji Mingxiao said in a low voice. Aside from her and Xi Ruan, the servants who were with them had disappeared.

Xi Ruan nodded and took a deep breath. “You’re right. These people next to us are doing this on purpose.”

Not only were they trying to push the two apart, but they were also pushing them toward a less crowded area.

Ji Mingxiao narrowed her eyes. She pulled the dagger from her sleeve and stabbed the person next to her without any hesitation. Warm blood flowed down her hand. She instinctively wanted to let go, feeling a little disgusted, but she held back and pulled the dagger out.

The person shrieked and clutched their abdomen.

The people who had been pushing Ji Mingxiao were clearly not expecting her to do such a thing. After all, according to their intelligence, this princess didn’t seem like the type to act. They were shocked.

Ji Mingxiao moved quickly, pushing the surrounding people away.

Because of the commotion, the people nearby had already noticed.

“What are you trying to do!” Ji Mingxiao demanded loudly. “You pushed my servants away, and now you’re trying to assassinate me, the princess!”

Upon hearing the word “princess,” more people looked over, whispering amongst themselves.

The servants who had been separated from Ji Mingxiao quickly came closer, and everyone who had been unable to find an opportunity to appear gathered around, shouting for the princess.

“Go back and tell your master! Don’t push your luck! The imperial family has not treated you poorly! How dare you do this in broad daylight, do you have no respect for the imperial family!” Ji Mingxiao said, clutching her arm as if she were injured. There was indeed blood on her, but it wasn’t her own. “This is too much! You’re absolutely going too far!”

Ji Mingxiao’s voice gradually became tearful. The surrounding commoners only felt that she was pitiful, which was then followed by anger. Her reputation among the common people had been good recently.

She didn’t care if these people were from the prime minister’s side or not. Since they appeared and intended to harm her, they were from the prime minister’s side.

There was no room for discussion.

The group of people quickly retreated. In plain sight, those people couldn’t do anything else. The magistrate of the capital wanted to come and arrest them but was a step too late.

However, the commoners wouldn’t think the magistrate was accidentally late; they would only assume it was at the prime minister’s instruction. Who didn’t know the good relationship between the magistrate and the prime minister? Although Ji Mingxiao’s words didn’t mention the prime minister at all, who couldn’t guess?

The people under Ji Mingxiao who were in charge of writing articles began working overtime. The next day, articles criticizing the prime minister once again flooded the common folk and began to spread to the outer cities.

When Prime Minister Wen saw the articles, he was completely flustered. The voices outside scolding the prime minister’s mansion were louder than ever.

The articles accused Prime Minister Wen of treating the capital as his own territory, which was why he dared to do such a thing. This time, he was provoking the imperial family and also warning the common people that the Wen family had become so arrogant they were beyond reason. Some very exaggerated articles even claimed that perhaps when the Wen family gained power, they would directly execute all the common people because the common people were all supporters of the imperial family.

When Ji Mingxiao saw the sensational article, she couldn’t help but think of those articles her elders shared on social media. People with a brain would know it was impossible, but the common people had a low literacy level and were easily incited. The article also suggested that since the Wen family hadn’t fully risen yet, now was the time to uproot them.

“This person is a genius.” Xi Ruan read the article once. It was easy to understand, a little entertaining, and even had a clickbait headline.

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