The Ninth Princess Reigns Supreme [Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Jiang Yuzhang was thin and not very tall, looking like a sickly scholar. He coughed a few times before saying, “I, Jiang, have just recovered from a serious illness and have only recently returned to the Imperial Academy. Please don’t blame me, County Princess…”

Liu Li felt like he was gasping for air after every sentence, and she didn’t dare to interrupt him, fearing that he would faint if he didn’t catch his breath. So, she patiently waited for him to finish speaking.

But Jiang Yuzhang spoke too slowly. They had already walked outside, and Jiang Yuzhang was still exchanging pleasantries.

Liu Li was quite hungry and waiting for lunch, so she had to interrupt him: “Young Master Jiang, what is it that you want to say?”

Perhaps her distant look hurt Jiang Yuzhang, he paused, a little hurt, and said, “Does the County Princess dislike my weak body?”

Liu Li: ?

“I also don’t want to burden the County Princess, but the orders of my parents and the words of the matchmaker…” Jiang Yuzhang coughed violently again, “If there are no accidents, my father will soon discuss my wedding date with the Minister of Rites.”

The Minister of Rites was Liu Li’s father’s official position.

“Wait.” Liu Li frowned, seeing that they were almost at the gazebo, and quickly reached out to stop Jiang Yuzhang. “Are you my fiance?”

This shocked tone once again broke Jiang Yuzhang’s heart. His lips turned pale: “County Princess, have you forgotten? Cough cough cough…”

Liu Li was a little annoyed by his coughing, thinking, did she really have to marry this glass-hearted and sickly young man? Why had she never heard the servants mention it? Was there some misunderstanding?

But in any case, she couldn’t let Ning Zisheng see him.

The Jiang family of the Duke of Jiang’s Mansion was a large family. The current empress was a daughter of the Jiang family, and this empress was a complete villain.

In the original story, the empress had no children of her own, and her mentality gradually became distorted, so that she was very hostile to all the princes and princesses.

When Ning Zisheng first emerged, she was targeted by the empress, who made many obstacles for her, and even Ning Zisheng’s mother, Chu Yan, was killed by her!

In the end, after Ning Zisheng ascended the throne, the Jiang family, who had offended her, all ended up very miserable. Knowing this, how could Liu Li allow herself to have any relationship with the Jiang family?

Impossible.

“The wind is strong outside, Young Master Jiang, please go back first.” Liu Li smiled politely. “You finally recovered from your illness, don’t catch a cold again.”

Jiang Yuzhang seemed to want to say something, but seeing Liu Li’s expression that she didn’t want to say more, he had to nod to her and slowly left.

Liu Li watched his back and finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was a good thing that Ning Zisheng didn’t see him. But when she turned her head, she saw a familiar face close at hand.

Liu Li: …Guilty.jpg.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, but you haven’t come.” Ning Zisheng said, her face as usual.

Liu Li swallowed her saliva, not knowing why she felt guilty: “Well, I’m here now.”

As they spoke, they walked into the gazebo where they usually ate. Ning Zisheng quietly turned her head and glanced back, only to see a figure in a blue shirt, who hadn’t gone far yet.

“Is that the heir of the Duke of Jiang’s Mansion?”

…How are your eyes so sharp? Liu Li was caught and had to admit: “Yes, he said a few words to me.”

“Oh?”

Liu Li hesitated, but still didn’t lie to Ning Zisheng, otherwise, she would definitely lose favorability if she was exposed later, “He said… he wanted to set a wedding date.”

“Huh?” Ning Zisheng raised her eyebrows, then understood and said, “Yes, the Duke of Chu and the Duke of Jiang have a very deep friendship, and they have long been engaged in a childhood betrothal.”

Although Ning Zisheng had not yet turned against the Jiang family at this time, Liu Li took the initiative to clear the relationship to stand on the right side early on: “I don’t want to marry.”

“Why?”

“Just… just don’t want to.” Liu Li casually fooled her. She thought that Ning Zisheng could understand, after all, with Jiang Yuzhang’s physical condition, probably not many girls would be willing to marry him.

Ning Zisheng did understand, but she misunderstood, and was stunned:

“Could it be… because of me?”

Liu Li: “……”

Forget it, let the chips fall where they may, she couldn’t clear herself anyway.

Liu Li slightly turned her head and nodded nervously and imperceptibly.

Wasn’t it just being misunderstood by Ning Zisheng? As long as the favorability could increase, what was the big deal!

Ning Zisheng pursed her lips and after a while, she suddenly mentioned the Jiang family again: “The heir of the Duke of Jiang’s is indeed a trouble.”

Her eyes drooped slightly, and in the pupils covered by her eyelids, there seemed to be indescribable thoughts floating, dark and terrifying, unfathomable.

“I’ve long heard that the heir of the Jiang family is weak and relies on medicine to survive.”

Her lips touched lightly, but the words that followed were ambiguous and unclear.

“If he accidentally dies of illness, it would probably be normal.”

Liu Li was completely unaware of this. After all, Ning Zisheng was just a twelve-year-old girl who would blush in her heart at this time. She said, “It’s still early before I come of age. There’s still a lot of room for discussion on this matter. I’ll write a letter to my father tomorrow and tell him the situation.”

“Yes.”

When Ning Zisheng raised her eyes, everything just now disappeared, and her phoenix eyes returned to their usual clear and pure state.

••••

Liu Li’s letter to her father quickly received a reply.

Liu’s father said in the letter that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and all the ministers would enter the palace to attend the banquet at that time. He could talk to Liu Li about this matter in person.

Liu Li clearly mentioned Princess Bao’an several times, but Liu’s father’s letter did not mention Bao’an’s situation at all.

She was clearly his legal wife, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

Liu Li felt strange and called the servants in the palace to ask, and got some new information.

Liu’s father and Princess Bao’an had been married for many years, treating each other with respect, and there had never been a major conflict, but they were not considered close. He had only taken one concubine, Liu Ruyun’s mother, which was not considered promiscuous in this era.

Since his attitude towards Liu Li in the letter was also considered close, indicating that there was no estrangement between husband and wife, father and daughter, why did he not ask about Bao’an?

Liu Li’s intuition told her that this might be related to the matter of Bao’an being harmed.

At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, all the ministers of the previous dynasty would bring their families, and all the royal children and concubines of the harem would also participate.

Ning Zisheng believed that the person who harmed Bao’an would definitely take action at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

First, Bao’an’s seat was arranged in the place closest to the emperor, with extraordinary favor. Those who hated her would naturally not watch her be so glorious.

Second, there were many people at the palace banquet, and the murderer could hide in the crowd and avoid being noticed.

This analysis was naturally reasonable and well-founded. Liu Li even wanted to ask to see the emperor and say that her mother was too weak and asked for more people to take care of her.

But she was stopped by Ning Zisheng’s light words.

“How do you know that the person who did it wasn’t him?”

Liu Li was horrified. Recalling the emperor in the original story, she realized with a heavy heart that Ning Zisheng was right.

Ruthless and cold, not establishing a crown prince, watching the princes and princesses fight each other to the death, stabbing each other.

What couldn’t such a person do?