The daughter of the Marquis is too delicate, the abstinent prince pinches her waist and loves her

Chapter 156 Death without evidence
Ye Jingnian did not answer, but simply bandaged the last wound and gently stroked her wrist with his fingertips, as if to offer a silent comfort.

As Zhi Xing gazed at his cold, stern profile, a painful emptiness welled up inside her.

Yan Chuan came in with a booklet and said, "Your Highness, the arrangements you instructed me to make have been completed."

Ye Jingnian's expression was deep and thoughtful as his fingertips traced a brand-new household registration booklet, the ink and seals still damp.
"Xie Zhaozhi, aged seventeen, is the eldest daughter of Xie Heng, the Imperial Censor. She was frail as a child and was raised in an old family home in Jiangnan. Now she has been brought back to the capital."

Ye Jingnian gave a deep "hmm," closed the booklet, and said, "There are pearls in the storeroom that were sent by the Kingdom of Nanzheng last month. Send them to the Xie residence as well."

"Yes."

“From tomorrow onwards, you will be Xie Zhaozhi.”

Zhi Xing lowered her head, a tear sliding down her cheek: "Your Highness..."

He looked up at the girl beside him and lifted her chin with his knuckles: "The daughter of the Imperial Censor, you are noble and proud, and you no longer need to bow your head to anyone."

"The Xie family will send someone to pick you up in half an hour."

"Miss Xie, will I ever see His Highness again?" Zhi Xing's eyes were filled with reluctance.

Ye Jingnian seemed unable to bear seeing the glistening tears in her eyes, and coldly got up and left.

"Your Highness!" Zhi Xing suddenly hugged him from behind, her cheek pressed against his back, her tears soaking his robes.

"Zhi Xing only wants to stay by Your Highness's side forever. Zhi Xing only wants to be Your Highness's Zhi Xing, not some Xie family young lady..." As she finished speaking, she hugged his arm even tighter, desperately hoping that he would never leave.

Ye Jingnian finally closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and said, "That girl Zhixing was just whipped to death and sent to the Duke's mansion to apologize."

Zhi Xing stared blankly, her heart filled with regret.

"Miss Xie, please have some self-respect." Ye Jingnian coldly pushed her hand away and stepped out the door without looking back.

Zhi Xing's legs went weak, and she knelt down. She gazed in the direction he had left for a long time. As she closed her eyes, tears fell to the ground. She kowtowed heavily and said, "Your Highness, take care."

Zhenbeihou Mansion.

"Outrageous!" Knowing the whole story, Lu Changxuan slammed his hand on the table and gritted his teeth, saying, "Didn't that old woman dote on you?! How could she let you be humiliated in such a grand setting without any explanation?"

Sheng Yunqing lowered her head, frowned in thought, and tapped her fingers on the table.

The array in the Imperial Garden was clearly set up by a master of mystic arts. Besides her and Zhixing, was there anyone else at the banquet who practiced mystic arts?

Su Lan rushed in and said, "Fairy Sister, I just found out some news. Zhi Xing, who was with the Crown Prince, has been whipped to death and sent to the Duke's mansion. The Duke of Bai then sent people to throw her into the mass grave. I went to the mass grave and saw that her face was completely disfigured..."

Lu Changxuan snorted coldly and said irritably, "A face that's completely unrecognizable must be a fake."

Sheng Yunqing focused his mind, raised his hand and calculated with his fingers, his eyes darkening slightly: "Zhi Xing's fate is indeed doomed."

Lu Changxuan couldn't help but gasp, saying, "But if it really was Zhixing who killed Bai Muling, wouldn't that leave no one to testify against her..."

Sheng Yunqing slowly clenched her fist and said, "What's more important right now is the Empress Dowager's heart. If she insists on being so extreme, I'm afraid she won't listen to a word of my explanation."

The impact will be felt throughout the entire Marquis's residence.

“Miss, I also feel that the Empress Dowager is acting strangely. Dongning and you have been to the palace several times and heard the Empress Dowager speak. We know that she is a reasonable person. It is truly unbelievable that she would suddenly take her anger out on you tonight…”

Dong Ning looked at Sheng Yunqing with a face full of heartache. "Although I didn't sense any evil aura when I was there, I still feel that the Empress Dowager was being controlled by someone." Sheng Yunqing narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "There is one person missing from today's banquet."

Lu Changxuan focused his attention and asked, "Who is it?"

“Mu, Ji, Yue”.

Two days later, at dawn.

Sheng Yunqing dressed herself up carefully before entering the palace.

“Miss Sheng, the Empress Dowager is still angry. Please come back in a few days.” Zhang Mama, standing in front of the Shou Kang Palace, stopped Sheng Yunqing at the door with a troubled expression.

"Your Majesty, I caught a cold a few days ago and was afraid of infecting you, which is why I missed your birthday banquet. I felt better this morning, so I dared to come and pay my respects. You are so magnanimous, you won't blame me, will you?"

Mu Jiyue's charming voice came from inside the room, and soon made the Empress Dowager laugh.

"Silly child, I'm already very happy that you have this thought. Quickly, let me see if you've been eating and sleeping well these past few days while you were sick?"

Sheng Yunqing's eyes darkened slightly, and she remained silent.

Granny Zhang turned to look into the inner room and whispered, "Princess Qinxue is truly the Empress Dowager's source of joy. The Empress Dowager had a headache and couldn't sleep all night because she was worried about the Crown Princess. Who would have thought that Princess Qinxue's arrival would make the Empress Dowager laugh?"

Sheng Yunqing rolled her eyes, a faint smile appearing on her face, and said, "It's good that the Empress Dowager is in a better mood."

She took out a sachet from her bosom and said, "This sachet contains some calming herbs. It is a small token of my appreciation. Please convey to the Empress Dowager that since she does not wish to see me, I will visit her again in a few days."

As she turned to leave, Sheng Yunqing's lips fell flat. The Empress Dowager's unpredictable mood was very strange, and this matter must be related to Mu Jiyue.

"Miss Sheng!" Before she had taken more than a few steps, Granny Zhang came running out.

Sheng Yunqing raised an eyebrow and turned her head, saying, "Is there anything else, Granny?"

"The Empress Dowager invites you in."

Sheng Yunqing paused for a moment, nodded slightly, and walked into the inner room.

The joyful laughter abruptly stopped with the arrival of Sheng Yunqing.

Sheng Yunqing respectfully bowed to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager snorted irritably and said, "Have you been loitering around my door for so long because you're afraid that Jiyue will expose your secrets?"

Sheng Yunqing frowned in confusion. When she looked up, she saw Mu Jiyue hugging the Empress Dowager and acting coquettishly, gently resting her head on her shoulder.

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

"Still playing dumb." The Empress Dowager looked at her grim face and said, "Jiyue said you stole her jade pendant, is that true?"

Sheng Yunqing raised her beautiful eyebrows and said, "Princess Qinxue, before you frame someone, I hope you have a good reason."

Mu Jiyue gave a soft snort, took out the Moonlight Jade Pendant from her sleeve, and said, "My Moonlight Jade Pendant and Starlight Jade Pendant were originally a pair. After arriving in the Zhu Luo Kingdom, the Starlight Jade Pendant disappeared. I saw Sheng Yunqing wearing it before, and when I asked her for it, she wouldn't give it to me..."

As Mu Jiyue spoke, she even pouted in a wronged manner.

Sheng Yunqing's reserved smile contained a hint of sarcasm. Was she trying to take the opportunity to snatch the jade pendant back?