The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 38

Shen Lingyan and Zhou Jin’s expressions instantly changed. The two followed Yun Zhu to the side hall where the Princess was being held. The so-called side hall was the most inconspicuous little room within the Chaohui Palace.

No one had been inside the room for a long time. Apart from the palace maids who symbolically swept the outside every day, the inside was actually covered in dust.

The two pampered women couldn’t help but cough as they walked in. Zhou Jin was better off; she had covered her mouth and nose early on. Seeing the miserably coughing Shen Lingyan, she actually laughed gleefully. It wasn’t until she had laughed enough that she took out her handkerchief and covered Shen Lingyan’s mouth.

Shen Lingyan rolled her eyes continuously. After taking a few breaths, she finally saw Ji Xi, who was tied up and had rolled onto the floor. Because she had been running around everywhere, Ji Xi’s hair was completely disheveled, and her dress was stained with dirt from rolling in the dust.

In the darkness of the entire room, only the teardrop by the corner of Ji Xi’s eye looked bright and clear.

Shen Lingyan frowned. She wasn’t the original owner, nor was she as inflexible as the original owner. When she saw Ji Xi running away for love, her first reaction wasn’t anger, but heartache.

“Who allowed you to tie up the Princess like this? Who gave you the audacity?” Shen Lingyan had nowhere to vent her overflowing heartache, so she could only take her frustration out on the palace maids and eunuchs nearby. Upon hearing her words, the maids and eunuchs quickly untied Ji Xi and knelt nervously to the side.

“It… it was because the Princess just now, she absolutely refused to let the servants bring her back. That is why we presumed to offend the Princess.”

The leading palace maid, who looked like the one in charge, could only offer this explanation.

Shen Lingyan waved her hand, telling them all to leave. In an instant, the only people left in the room were herself, Zhou Jin, and Ji Xi.

Ji Xi, having been untied, somewhat recovered. She sat on the ground in a daze, looking at Shen Lingyan with empty eyes.

“I know I have brought shame to the Royal Family. Now, whether you want to kill me or torture me, please proceed.”

As soon as Ji Xi said this, Shen Lingyan was somewhat surprised. It turned out Ji Xi was not the weak and delicate princess she had imagined. But for such a strong-willed person to do this for a lover, Shen Lingyan didn’t know whether she should be happy or regretful.

“No. Very few outsiders know about this. I just want to know if that person is truly worth you doing this.” Shen Lingyan regretted asking this question the moment it left her mouth, because she subconsciously knew that the Princess had run away for a man, but no one else knew, and Ji Xi had never said so.

Sure enough, as soon as the words fell, Ji Xi looked up in astonishment, her lips trembling: “What… Your Majesty, you actually know!!”

Zhou Jin slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on Shen Lingyan: “Oh? So our Empress is not entirely foolish. This King is somewhat curious. I only just found out myself, so how did Her Majesty the Empress guess it? And be so certain.”

Being stared at by Zhou Jin in this way, Shen Lingyan was speechless for a moment. She stammered, not wanting to bring the matter up again.

Fortunately, Ji Xi was perceptive and spoke up in time: “Perhaps there were clues that I revealed somewhere. Your Majesty is sagacious.”

Shen Lingyan felt even more heartache. She stared into Ji Xi’s eyes and asked again, word by word: “Is he really worth you doing this?”

“At this point, I don’t know if he is worth it anymore, I only know that he did not come to meet me,” Ji Xi’s mood was extremely low.

Shen Lingyan thought the answer she would get should have been affirmative, but she did not expect things to turn out this way. In her memory, this Princess fell in love with a bodyguard by Zhou Jin’s side. If the plot hadn’t changed…

As Shen Lingyan was thinking, she looked towards Zhou Jin again. Zhou Jin met her gaze without evasion: “Why are you looking at me again? Does Empress Sister think Ji Xi like someone by my side?”

Zhou Jin’s sudden revelation of the fog stunned Shen Lingyan. She looked disbelievingly at Zhou Jin’s emotionless eyes.

Could it be that Zhou Jin knew everything? Shen Lingyan racked her brain to recall the plot but couldn’t remember any detail about Zhou Jin knowing this.

Was she just guessing?

One question after another surfaced in her mind, but no one could answer Shen Lingyan. Fortunately, after a while, Zhou Jin laughed: “Just teasing you. Is it true, though?”

Shen Lingyan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that everything was still within her expectations. The next second, Ji Xi spoke out: “Qi Mian.”

Zhou Jin’s eyes widened when she heard this, yet there was no surprise in her heart. She had indeed known for a long time.

This was certainly different from before. Previously, she had to be pressed with severe questioning to force it out, but the Ji Xi in front of her just said it directly. Was she completely disappointed in Qi Mian?

“Qi Mian.” Zhou Jin called out in a low voice. A black shadow flashed in through the window, and a tall man was suddenly standing next to Zhou Jin.

Shen Lingyan was startled. After recovering, she carefully observed Qi Mian’s appearance. He was indeed very much like the description in the book, but this man had a look of cold-heartedness. One could tell at a glance that he wouldn’t have a good outcome with the person who liked him, and the person who happened to like him was a princess in name only.

“I didn’t know you were secretly involved behind our backs?” Zhou Jin’s voice was a bit low, but there was still a hint of teasing and joking in her words.

Qi Mian immediately knelt down, looking at Ji Xi as if she were a stranger: “Your subordinate has no involvement with Princess Ji Xi.”

No involvement.

The four words struck Ji Xi’s ears like thunder. Shen Lingyan saw the complete look of despair in her eyes. She walked over, squatted down, and put her arm around Ji Xi’s: “He is not worthy of you.”

Ji Xi was unwilling to speak. She just tugged at Shen Lingyan’s sleeve: “Let me go…”

Shen Lingyan knew what she wanted to do. This deep palace courtyard was fundamentally unsuitable for Ji Xi to live in. Since her only hope was gone, since there was “no involvement,” Ji Xi only wanted to go as far away as possible.

However, Ji Xi’s identity and background were too mysterious. If Shen Lingyan let her go now, would Zhou Jin directly intercept her and follow the old path of the original plot?

Shen Lingyan would not allow such a thing to happen. She had just regained her power and could not afford any more mistakes.

Zhou Jin could certainly see what Shen Lingyan was thinking. She walked over frankly, also squatting down, and lightly tapped Shen Lingyan’s chin with the whip she held: “Your Majesty, you don’t need to hesitate. I will not interfere with Ji Xi.”

What was wrong with Zhou Jin today? She always seemed to have telepathy. Shen Lingyan dared not think anymore. She reached out to push the whip away and stood up herself. She did not agree to Ji Xi’s request but simply led Ji Xi out. Qi Mian and Zhou Jin did not follow.

Watching Shen Lingyan leave, Zhou Jin’s voice was frighteningly low: “What exactly is going on.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Mian almost kowtowed. His face was cold: “Your subordinate truly has no involvement with Princess Ji Xi. I was closer to her in recent days because your subordinate discovered that Princess Ji Xi’s background seems not simple.”

“Oh?” Zhou Jin’s interest was piqued. She slowly squatted down and helped Qi Mian up, a distant smile on her face: “Did I instruct you to approach her? Or did I tell you to investigate Ji Xi’s background?”

Qi Mian was so frightened he repeatedly kowtowed, losing all dignity as an assassin and bodyguard. In his eyes, this woman in front of him was more terrifying than the King of Hell.

“No! It was all your subordinate’s own decision…” Zhou Jin’s smile vanished upon hearing this. She stepped on Qi Mian’s hand, pressing down hard. A few crunching sounds were heard, clearly indicating a broken hand.

“Next time, do not let me find you taking liberties again. I don’t mind giving up this throne.” Zhou Jin said very seriously. She had been an emperor for a lifetime. In her previous life, no one was by her side, so now Zhou Jin wanted to try a different approach.

Qi Mian suddenly raised his head, his other un-stepped-on hand fiercely grasping Zhou Jin’s skirt, his eyes filled with terror: “Your Highness!! We… we have been planning for all these years… we cannot stop now…”

“Am I the Regent King, or are you?” Zhou Jin pulled her skirt out of his grasp and walked out of the side hall without a trace of nostalgia, leaving only one sentence…

“Crippled your own martial arts.”

On the other side, Shen Lingyan brought Ji Xi back to the main chamber of the Chaohui Palace. Ji Xi was still lifeless. The light in her eyes had long been extinguished, leaving only the despair of being deceived.

“Did he say that because you were present, and he had no choice?” Ji Xi sat on the small stool Shen Lingyan had brought for her. On the small tea table nearby were exquisite pastries that Yun Zhu had just brought in. Although they looked delicious and appealing, Ji Xi had no appetite at all.

Shen Lingyan was truly angry watching Ji Xi still making excuses for herself: “If you continue to think this way, you are truly disgracing the Royal Family… Royal women, even when caught up in court intrigues, are noble. If they don’t want something, they don’t get it.”

These words stirred a surge of realization in Ji Xi’s heart. Her tears fell uncontrollably, splattering on the back of her hand like water droplets blooming. Shen Lingyan’s tone finally softened. She took a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the back of Ji Xi’s hand, then earnestly advised: “You say you want to leave, but you only want to distance yourself from Qi Mian, as far away as possible. Now that I have ascended the throne, there will be no more intrigues. If you don’t want to see Qi Mian, stay here in the Chaohui Palace. When Zhou Jin comes, she doesn’t bring bodyguards.”

Shen Lingyan naturally spoke Zhou Jin’s name, forgetting that in the eyes of many, Shen Lingyan and Zhou Jin were now sworn enemies. Even though Ji Xi was living deep in the cold palace, she heard about it daily from the palace maids.

“You and His Highness the Regent King… are not bearing grudges.” Ji Xi’s words were truly what was on her mind. How could an emperor be so intimate with the person who seized her political power?

Shen Lingyan, however, kept misinterpreting the meaning. She quickly interrupted: “Hey, hey, hey, the Regent King and I are just friends, it’s not what you think…”

“Oh? What does Princess Ji Xi think it is?”