Chapter 258: Chapter 258: I Ask You, Who Did This!

Xiang Rongrong sniffled, looking at Xiang Ying with a lost expression.

“But… I can’t do it, big sister, I’m not as smart as you.”

The people around also had troubled looks on their faces.

“Li Fengcheng was originally the Military Supervisor, and now that he has earned the trust of the Prince, we can no longer afford to offend him.”

Yet there was a light smile on Xiang Ying’s lips as she looked at Xiang Rongrong: “There are many ways to deal with him, I can teach you.”

…

In the Sixth Prince’s room, a subdued “slap” resounded.

Xiang Qianqian, struck by the slap, fell to the ground, covering her face and looking up at the Sixth Prince.

“Your Highness… what did Qianqian do wrong this time? Why did you hit me as soon as you came in?”

The Sixth Prince stared at her coldly: “The person you planted by Xiang Ying’s side, it was Li Fengcheng, wasn’t it?”

Xiang Qianqian hesitated, then nodded: “Yes…”

The Sixth Prince let out a mocking laugh: “Such an important matter, and you didn’t inform me beforehand, letting that fool Li Fengcheng present it to the Prince.”

Even among the five chests for the Imperial Jade Seal, surely one of them is real.

It was the Prince who reaped the benefits for free!

Thinking of this, the Sixth Prince raised his hand, wishing he could slap Xiang Qianqian’s face again.

But then Qianqian hastily said, “Your Highness, Qianqian was unaware of this! After Li Fengcheng found out, he didn’t tell me; he directly reported it to the Prince.”

The Sixth Prince narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced.

While crying tearfully, Qianqian pleaded: “Li Fengcheng was too eager to earn merit, so he took the initiative to offer strategies to the Prince. Your Highness, if you find an opportunity, please don’t let him off!”

The Sixth Prince pondered, thinking of Li Fengcheng’s anxiousness to please the Prince that day, and the sneer on his face was even more pronounced than before.

Before the Prince arrived, this Li Fengcheng didn’t bother to tell him about the five chests of treasures.

It seemed that he had been too lenient in his behavior usually, letting these people get above themselves, truly deserving of death!

“It would be best for you if this matter has nothing to do with you. If I find out you’ve done anything treacherous, Qianqian, your life will be over,” the Sixth Prince said, and then the Prince’s attendant arrived outside the door.

The attendant said, “Your Highness, the Prince invites you for tea.”

The Sixth Prince left with a flick of his sleeve.

Kneeling on the ground, Xiang Qianqian raised her head, revealing a pair of sinister eyes.

*

Perhaps to show his loyalty to the Prince.

All day long, Li Fengcheng kept a particularly close eye on Xiang Ying and the others.

He led rounds of patrols from time to time, either scolding and beating or showing off his power.

He even led the way in humiliating Xiang Rongrong, saying how forward and enthusiastic she was, trampling her dignity into the dirt.

Xiang Rongrong, several times on the verge of death from shame, was stopped by Lin Lingxiang and the others.

Even Xiang Li, known for his good temper and high tolerance, couldn’t endure it any longer.

But Xiang Ying, in contrast, did not resist. Whenever Li Fengcheng arrived, she would play with a writing brush at the side.

The brush in her hand was very ordinary, nothing special about it, it was mainly in the way she played with the brush, as if her mind was elsewhere.

Li Fengcheng sneered even more proudly.

He was convinced that Xiang Ying had no choice but to keep her tail between her legs.

After all, they were at the feet of the Emperor, what could she possibly do?

The night before the entire Exile Team was to set off.

The Sixth Prince was fast asleep when suddenly he heard hurried footsteps outside.

“Your Highness! Xiang Ying has escaped!”

The Sixth Prince sat up abruptly, the lamp was lit, and a schadenfreude smile ignited in his eyes.

“Good that she’s escaped, at this time, without my saying so, Father will also know it must have been Jie Chen who helped her escape.”

His Father, the Emperor, detested those encumbered by emotions the most.

The Sixth Prince immediately got dressed and rose, needing to understand Jie Chen’s fate at this crucial moment.

As he walked out, he found the person who had brought back Xiang Ying to be none other than Jie Chen.

The Sixth Prince was stunned.

He saw Jie Chen holding Xiang Ying with one hand, Xiang Rongrong with the other, and behind them, Skinny Monkey was shoving the children and Aren along.

The Sixth Prince asked in surprise, “What is going on here?”

Jie Chen glanced at him indifferently, “They both received help in an attempt to flee, but I caught them.”

Upon hearing these words, the Sixth Prince revealed an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Was he still half asleep, or was he hallucinating?

How could Jie Chen possibly have brought Xiang Ying back?

At that moment, the Prince rushed over in a hurry.

“Who dares to escape! What exactly happened?”

Jie Chen bowed and said, “Your Highness, someone assisted them in trying to flee. If I had not discovered it in time, they would have escaped.”

The Prince furrowed his brows immediately; letting Xiang Ying escape was absolutely untenable, otherwise, how would he explain it to the Emperor back at the palace?

He demanded angrily, “Who has been in charge of watching over them these past few days?”

The Prince didn’t notice the strange expressions on everyone’s faces as they stared at him while he spoke.

Even the Sixth Prince, who was always skilled at disguising his emotions, wore a peculiar expression.

Yet Jie Chen’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “These past two days, to avoid any suspicion, Li Fengcheng, the Military Supervisor, volunteered to take over the duty of guarding Xiang Ying and the others. The soldiers on watch tonight were his men too.”

“Li Fengcheng! Bring him to me!” the Prince ordered furiously, his face darkening.

Just then, from the corner of his eye, he saw the Sixth Prince still looking at him with that same bizarre expression.

Could it be that he was waiting to mock him and report back to the Emperor?

The Prince’s anger surged, and his tone became threatening.

“Sixth Brother, what are you looking at? If the prisoners truly escaped, both of us would be responsible.”

“Big brother…” the Sixth Prince cleared his throat, “There’s something… on your face… someone, bring me a mirror.”

Doubt flashed across the Prince’s eyes. He turned his head to the people around him, only to see that they all seemed to be holding back laughter.

What was wrong with his face?

A guard quickly brought a mirror, and he looked into it.

His entire face was painted with a brush, marked with a huge symbol of a turtle!!

“Who did this! I’m asking you all, who did it!” He looked around as his voice roared with anger.

The three little ones beside him covered their mouths with their little hands, chuckling secretly.

Just then, Li Fengcheng arrived in haste, “What’s happened? What’s going on?”

Everyone turned their heads, only to see Li Fengcheng holding a writing brush in his left hand and his right palm covered in ink.

The Prince’s eyes were fiery as he glared at him, “Did you do this?”

Li Fengcheng was stunned, “Your Highness, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“You still dare to play dumb? It seems you won’t shed tears without seeing the coffin—guards, tie him up!” The Prince ordered, and the guards immediately set to bind him.

At that moment, Xiang Rongrong lunged forward, shielding Li Fengcheng.

Tears streaming down her face, she pleaded, “Your Highness, please don’t punish him, it’s all my fault. Fengcheng promised to save my life, so we staged this act for Your Highness to see. It was my instruction; please, Your Highness, spare him…”

Both the Prince and Li Fengcheng widened their eyes in shock.

But the former was angry, while the latter was stunned.

The Prince pieced together Li Fengcheng’s actions from the previous days and realized the truth.

“So you pretended to join us as a ruse to help them escape, to lower my vigilance. You despicable, shameless traitor!”

And Li Fengcheng, looking bewilderedly at Xiang Rongrong, managed to ask, “Rongrong… why did you do this to me?”