Quick Transmigration Hoarding: My Selfishness Leads to a Killing Frenzy

Chapter 422 The Crown Princess in a Female-Dominated World (Part 6)

After a night of searching, the Imperial Guards still could not find the missing Second Princess.

It wasn't until noon that they found Chu Jiaojiao and Lü Jinghuai, disheveled and in a sorry state, in a dilapidated temple outside the city.

One of the imperial guards asked, puzzled, "Commander, didn't we search this dilapidated temple before? There was no one inside, so how come..."

The female commander said with a serious expression, "Things about gods and Buddhas should not be spoken of carelessly."

"Then, what about all the beggars inside?"

The commander glanced at the Second Princess, whose hair was disheveled and who was clearly frightened, and hardened his heart.

“Kill them all, leave no one alive. This matter must not be leaked, otherwise no one can bear the consequences if the Empress accuses us.”

The subordinate's lips twitched. "Commander, don't you want to see what you're saying?"

Aren't all these onlookers human beings?

Some have already secretly run away. Whether it's been spread or not, it'll probably be known by the time they get back to the city, okay?!

"Commander, should we?!"

His subordinate glanced at the surrounding crowd and then made a throat-slitting gesture.

The commander slapped the woman away.

"You bastards, how can you kill innocent people indiscriminately?"

Subordinate: No, who just said not a single one would be spared? Who's feeding me peanuts?

In the end, the group of beggars who had defiled the princess in the dilapidated temple were all dealt with.

The Imperial Guards rushed the Second Princess back to her residence, leaving Lü Jinghuai there as well.

The commander didn't have time to deal with him; she still had to go to the palace to report to His Majesty.

When the female commander stepped into the imperial study, the hall was filled with incense, and the empress was reviewing memorials with a pen, the vermilion ink spreading a glaring red on the Xuan paper.

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince has been found."

The commander knelt on one knee, the clanging of armor exceptionally clear in the silence.

The tip of the wolf-hair brush hovered in mid-air, and a drop of crimson ink fell onto the paper.

The Empress raised her eyes: "Is the second prince alright?"

"Second Prince..." The commander's throat bobbed, his undergarment soaked with cold sweat, "found in a ruined temple outside the city, at that time..."

The Empress suddenly slammed the memorial down on the table, startling the golden bells on the eaves. "You scoundrel, who did this?!"

The commander pressed his forehead against the cold gold brick: "Your Majesty, I do not know. I have already dealt with all the beggars, but..."

She heard the sound of her teeth chattering; "by then, a crowd had already gathered to watch..."

The Empress suddenly turned around, her back to the commander of the Imperial Guards, lost in thought. After a long while, she said softly, "Where was the Crown Princess last night?"

"The Crown Princess's wedding took place last night, and she should have stayed at home and not gone out."

"Yeah--"

The Empress's voice was drawn out, carrying a subtle hint of scrutiny.

"Go and investigate if anything unusual happened at the Crown Princess's residence last night." The commander accepted the order and hurriedly withdrew.

The empress sat on the dragon throne, her eyes cold, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Although she loved Zhaoning dearly, Jiaojiao was still her child. If Zhaoning had truly done this, then she had gone too far...

The Empress summoned her trusted confidante and whispered, "Go to the Second Princess's residence and ask her carefully about what happened. Don't miss any details."

The trusted confidant accepted the order and left.

Meanwhile, inside the Crown Princess's residence.

Qingmo was sitting at the table eating her meal, while Weiqing served her food.

Suddenly, a bodyguard rushed over and whispered a few words in Qingmo's ear.

Qingmo's expression remained unchanged as she continued to eat slowly and deliberately.

Ha, the Queen Mother suspects her? Where's the evidence?!

The incident was done by Jue Er and his group; what does it have to do with Chu Zhaoning?

I'm a very honest and upright person.

Wei Qing asked with concern, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Has something happened?"

Qingmo glanced at him, still quite satisfied with his performance last night.

"It's alright, Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Just take good care of the backyard for me, and there's no need to say anything else."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qing said no more. He just needed to behave himself and he believed that the Crown Princess would give him the proper dignity.

"Your Majesty, there is nothing unusual about the Crown Princess's residence, except..."

Seeing the commander's hesitant expression, the Empress quickly pressed him, "What is it? Tell me the truth now."

The commander was also in a difficult position, so she shouldn't have said that.

"That's right, I heard that Her Highness called for water five times last night. Your Majesty, you should still advise Her Highness to be more moderate. Her health is the most important thing."

The Empress...

That's it? !

I thought you were going to tell me some secret, but instead you've been gossiping about the Crown Princess's bedroom affairs?

The Empress even felt a little gratified. "My daughter is indeed my daughter. She is just as splendid as I was back then."

The empress glared at the commander with annoyance and waved him away.

After a moment of contemplation, the Empress picked up her brush and wrote down the imperial edict.

"Someone, go to the Second Princess's residence and deliver the imperial decree."

When the Empress's decree was delivered to the Second Princess's residence, Chu Jiaojiao was curled up in the brocade quilt, trembling.

Her body was covered in bruises, and mud from the dilapidated temple floor lingered under her fingernails.

"Your Highness, receive the decree." The female official delivering the decree unfolded the bright yellow scroll with a blank expression.

Chu Jiaojiao was helped to kneel down by her maid.

Upon hearing the words "to bestow a marriage upon her and Lü Jinghuai," she suddenly let out a piercing scream: "No! How could Mother Empress treat me like this!"

She grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it at the female official. "No, that man who has been ridden by a thousand men and slept with ten thousand, how could he be worthy of being my husband?"

"It must be that bitch Chu Zhaoning who's behind this! It must be her, she must be the one who spoke to the Empress."

The female official deftly dodged the attack and placed the imperial edict on the incense table: "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. His Majesty has said that the wedding will take place in three days."

She gave Chu Jiaojiao, who looked like she had gone mad, a meaningful look. "The Second Prince dares to openly insult the future Crown Prince. If His Majesty finds out about this, I'm afraid he won't let the Prince off the hook."

"Your Highness should focus on recovering from your injuries and refrain from speaking recklessly."

After saying this, the female official left with her entourage.

From behind the screen, Lü Jinghuai emerged, his face deathly pale, his clothes still stained with blood from the previous night.

Grand Tutor Lü had already given up on him and hadn't come to take him back to his residence, so he was still staying at the Second Princess's residence.

He was about to speak when Chu Jiaojiao suddenly pounced on him and started hitting him: "It's all your fault! If it weren't for me, I wouldn't have suffered such a thing."

"Damn it, how dare you be my husband? Has the Empress become senile?"

"Enough!" Lu Jinghuai grabbed her wrist, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Second Princess, now you know you despise me? Wasn't it you who used to stroll with me under the moonlit flowers?"

"You know perfectly well that the Crown Princess is in love with me, yet you still ask me out time and time again. Isn't it all just to use me to hurt the Crown Princess?"

"Now that I've been abandoned by the Crown Princess, what right do you have to despise me?"

Chu Jiaojiao pushed him to the ground, her eyes filled with malice, no longer the aloof person she used to be.

"Why should I? Lü Jinghuai, do you think I would even look at you if it weren't for my elder sister liking you?"

"How dare you covet this princess with your withered and broken body?"

"Hahaha~" Lu Jinghuai laughed loudly, but his laughter was extremely desolate.

"Your Highness, do you think you're any better than me? We're like a broken pot with a broken lid, neither of us should complain about the other."

"The imperial decree has been issued. Whether you acknowledge it or not, in three days, I will be your rightful husband."

Is Lü Jinghuai happy?

He couldn't be happy at all.

He used to love the Second Princess so much, but now that things have come to this, he can no longer love her.

He hated the Crown Princess, but he hated Chu Jiaojiao even more.

If she hadn't seduced him, why would he have given up on the Crown Princess?

She used to treat him so well...