The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 96 The storm is coming

Even after Jia Rong left, Xu Jiaojiao was still somewhat bewildered.

Although she had been guiding Jia Rong to help her, she was still somewhat caught off guard by the way Jia Rong was helping her.

Whether or not she could go on the autumn hunt was none of her concern.

After all, her current physical condition doesn't allow it.

All she wanted was for Jia Rong to lift her confinement so she could have a chance to gain favor with Prince Chen, not to watch any hunting competitions.

Holding the gold-threaded soft armor, Xu Jiaojiao was both amused and exasperated.

Well, the golden silk soft armor is priceless, and Jia Rong has even sent her this, so how could she possibly let him down?

Xu Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and touched her lower belly, her gaze softening slightly...

Meanwhile, in the other courtyards of the Prince's mansion, everyone was also putting in their best effort for the autumn hunt.

Inside the Stone Warm Pavilion.

Zheng Antong raised her hand to stroke the clothes she was holding, and smiled strangely: "Lüping, have you done everything I asked you to do?"

Green Ping instinctively shuddered and quickly replied, "It's all taken care of!"

Zheng Antong looked at Lüping with a deep gaze, a half-smile playing on his lips: "You'd better have everything taken care of, in case something goes wrong during the autumn hunt the day after tomorrow..."

Her strange smile widened: "This concubine... will drag you down with her to the grave..."

"Ah!!" Green Ping screamed in terror and scrambled out of the house.

Outside, Green Pearl saw Green Ping run to a corner, crying, hugging herself and trembling, repeatedly muttering, "Don't kill me...don't kill me..."

She glanced at Zheng Antong inside the room through the window with a complicated expression.

Concubine Zheng appeared normal, but only they knew that her hysteria had not improved at all; in fact, it had worsened.

These days, she and Lüping have no peace, living in constant fear, lest Concubine Zheng suddenly go mad and beat them or even kill them with a knife.

Perhaps Zheng Antong inside the room sensed something, for he suddenly raised his head and met Green Pearl's gaze.

Zheng Antong smiled strangely. Green Pearl trembled, quickly lowered her head, and began to sweep as if nothing had happened...

……

Seisekuin.

Bai Yiru instructed the maid beside her: "Keep a close eye on Yuhua Courtyard. Report to us immediately if there is any disturbance there."

The maid nodded slightly: "This servant understands."

Before the maid left, Bai Yiru gave her another instruction: "Check everything that has been prepared one last time, and make sure there are no mistakes or omissions."

The autumn hunt two days later is crucial; if it succeeds, everything will be fine. If it fails, it could endanger her and even her family's lives and property. Therefore, there is no room for any mishap.

Although this move was risky, Bai Yiru was determined because she knew she could both avenge herself and remove an obstacle in her path.

The maidservant noted down the instructions and quickly began to act.

Watching the maid leave, Bai Yiru got up and walked to the clothes rack, gently stroking the hunting outfit that had been prepared beforehand, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.

Women in the inner quarters of the house, are they truly without competition or strife? It's just that their time hasn't come yet...

On the other side, in Mingkun Courtyard.

"Just as Your Majesty predicted, Princess Jiarong has secretly left the palace again. She first went to Mingqian Courtyard, and after leaving Mingqian Courtyard, she went to Yuhua Courtyard. When she went there, she seemed to be carrying a soft armor in her arms."

Granny Wang wiped the sweat from her forehead, calming her breath from running all the way back, and hurriedly reported to the Princess.

After hearing this, the princess remained expressionless, as if she had expected it all along.

After a moment's thought, she tapped the table lightly with her finger and asked, "What was Jia Rong's expression when he left Mingqian Academy?"

Wang Mama lowered her eyes and thought for a moment: "She seems very happy."

The princess's hand, which had been lightly tapping the table, suddenly tightened, and her gaze dimmed.

Suddenly, she looked at Granny Wang: "Send the jeweled armor from my dowry to Madam Su and tell her to make sure she prepares it well."

Granny Wang nodded slightly: "This old servant understands..."

……

These past two days, the Prince Chen's residence has been unusually quiet. The maids and servants are all moving about cautiously and in a hurry.

No one knew what had happened in the mansion; they only felt a very oppressive atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing.

Early on the morning of the autumn hunt, Jia Rong's bodyguards arrived at Yu Hua Courtyard without making a sound.

She handed the cloth bag she was carrying on her back to Lianye; it contained the clothes of Jia Rong's personal maid.

When Jia Rong left that day, she said, "I once went to the Ningde Marquis's mansion as Jiao Jiao's maid, and now I'll let Jiao Jiao go to the hunting grounds as my maid! It's a matter of returning the favor!"

Seeing the clothes Lianye brought in, Xu Jiaojiao's heart skipped a beat, and she felt vaguely uneasy.

Seeing that her expression was strange, Lianye stepped forward with concern: "Is something wrong, Master?"

Xu Jiaojiao's eyelashes fluttered, and she subconsciously looked down at her lower abdomen.

She's been thinking a lot these past two days.

Undeniably, she was somewhat attracted to Prince Chen.

But in this era of supreme imperial and male power, she could not place all her hopes on a man in a high position.

Otherwise, if this man abandons her, she will be doomed!

The fact that I've been confined to Yuhua Hospital for this period of time is the best proof of that.

The world is vast, she wants to live her own life!

She is running away!

Although this era imposed many restrictions on women, it did not mean they had no way to survive.

No matter the era, money can make the devil turn the millstone!

Thinking of the silver notes in the hidden compartment of the bookshelf, Xu Jiaojiao twirled her fingertips: "It's alright, put down your clothes and go to the small kitchen to warm a cup of milk for me."

Lotus Leaf nodded slightly: "Yes!"

After Lianye left, Xu Jiaojiao got up, took out the silver notes, and stuffed the large denomination notes one by one into the lining of her shoe, while keeping the small denomination notes close to her body in her inner pocket.

The arrow is on the string and must be fired.

Thinking of Jia Rong's plan, Xu Jiaojiao's eyes darkened.

If Jia Rong's plan succeeds and she and Prince Chen can return to what they were before, then she will pretend nothing happened, continue to be Prince Chen's favored concubine, quietly make a fortune, and incidentally fulfill her own small ideal.

If that doesn't work, she'll try to fake her death.

While thinking about it, Xu Jiaojiao put on her life-saving gold silk soft armor.

"Squeak..."

Lianye warmed the milk and carried it into the house.

Upon seeing the lotus leaves, Xu Jiaojiao paused slightly while tying her clothes, and her expression became somewhat complicated.

If she were to feign death, Lianye and all the servants in the courtyard would surely be implicated.

They treated her with genuine sincerity, and Lianye had even risked her life to protect her on numerous occasions. If she were to die, they would surely perish, which was not what she wanted to see.

This trip to the hunting grounds was arranged privately with Jia Rong, and no one else could be brought along to avoid attracting attention. Therefore, Lian Ye had to stay in the Prince's mansion.

Thinking of this, Xu Jiaojiao beckoned to Lianye: "Lianye, come here and help me tie my belt."

Lianye stepped forward with the milk in her hand: "Master, the milk is at the perfect temperature. Please drink it, and I will tie your sash right away."

Xu Jiaojiao took the milk and drank it in small sips, thinking about how to talk to Lianye so that Lianye could get away without anyone noticing.

Just as she was thinking this, Xu Jiaojiao felt a lotus leaf moving around her waist.

She snapped out of her daze and hesitated, lowering her eyes.

Lianye compared the two figures together, looking puzzled. "Master, you seem to have gained some weight..."