The villain prince is three and a half years old

"Wait." Xia Jing stopped Concubine Duan and her group.

Concubine Duan didn't say anything, just turned around and looked at him, then took a step forward and walked in front of Xia Jing.

"What's the matter, Ninth Prince? Our queen is very busy." Yaolu asked.

Xia Jing ignored the palace maid and looked at Concubine Duan.

Concubine Duan waved her hand, asked Yaolu to step aside, and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Please, Concubine Duan, let the Fourth and Fifth Princesses go." Xia Jing said.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang raised their heads and looked at Xia Jing in surprise. They didn't expect that the Ninth Prince would actually save them, and take the initiative to save them!

With someone backing them up, they became arrogant again.

"Did you hear what the Ninth Prince said?" Ning Yitao glared at the palace maid beside her.

"Be smart and do as the Ninth Prince says!" Ning Peixiang pried the maid's hands apart with force.

"Why don't you let go!"

"How audacious!"

Concubine Duan walked forward, raised her hand, and hit the two girls hard on the head.

Ning Peixiang and Ning Yitao cried out, clutching their heads, and looked at Xia Jing aggrievedly. "Are you here to save us, or to take advantage of our misfortune? Why are we getting beaten just because you opened your mouth?"

"What if I don't let you go?" Concubine Duan walked up to Xia Jing, sneered, and reached out her hand to the Ninth Prince's cheek.

This is like the scar healed and the pain forgotten, and she wants to pinch the Ninth Prince's face again.

Xia Jing took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, shook it vigorously in front of Concubine Duan, and wiped his neck.

"If Concubine Duan won't let me go, I have no choice but to go back to Cining Palace and tell grandma that I didn't do what she asked me to do to call Sister Taotao and Sister Xiangxiang." Xia Jing stared into Concubine Duan's eyes.

Concubine Duan didn't hear what the boy said at all. She stared at the handkerchief, her palm frozen in mid-air, her fingers trembling.

She had been embroidering it all night and had pricked two fingers on the handkerchief, how could she not recognize it!

The handkerchief is actually in this kid’s hand!

The smile on Concubine Duan's face disappeared, and her eyes stared at Xia Jing fiercely.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang exchanged a look of despair. It was over. Concubine Duan was angry. Not only were they two to blame, but even the Ninth Prince was in trouble.

The two girls exchanged glances, deciding whether to sacrifice the rook to save the king—a common tactic after a pair makes a mistake, with one person taking all the blame to keep the other safe. As for who would carry the responsibility, they'd first see who was more exposed, then take turns.

Now, neither of them can run away, but they can still protect the Ninth Prince. As long as they make a noise, such as biting the palace maid next to them, Concubine Duan will not have time to get angry with the Ninth Prince!

The two of them quickly finished their discussion, gnashed their teeth, and waited for Concubine Duan to get angry.

"Let them go!" Concubine Duan flicked her sleeves.

The two princesses clenched their teeth tightly, and the screams of the palace maids echoed all around.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang took a moment to react and understood what Concubine Duan said. It was not about 'capture' but 'release'!

They quickly loosened their teeth and smiled ingratiatingly.

The palace maids hadn't reacted yet and looked at Concubine Duan, motionless.

Concubine Duan said sternly, "I said put it down, are you deaf?"

Yaolu hurried over, picked up Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang, and put them on the ground.

Concubine Duan gave Xia Jing a last glance and led the group out of the courtyard.

In the room, the four maids who were escorting Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu quickly let go of their two masters and walked quickly along the courtyard wall, trying to catch up with their own queen.

Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu rushed into the courtyard, hugged Taoxiang and her sister, and thanked the Ninth Prince repeatedly: "Thank you, Ninth Prince, thank you, Ninth Prince!"

The Ninth Prince did not accept the thanks, but stopped the four maids who were about to run away at the door.

"Kneel down!" He pointed to the ground.

The four maids did not dare to resist. Their queen had been defeated, so what else could they do?

They knelt in a row in the yard.

"Kneel until the sun sets! If one of you runs away early, I will break all of your legs!" Xia Jing said again.

"We dare not! We dare not!" The four maids kowtowed repeatedly.

Chapter 183 Two Princesses Have No Water to Drink

In the main hall of Fuchenzhai, the Ninth Prince sat in the seat that Concubine Duan had just occupied. Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu sat on his left and right, expressing their gratitude to him.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang were arguing quietly at the door, fighting for the job of serving tea to the Ninth Prince.

Finally, each of them took out one hand, holding both sides of the saucer, and walked towards Xia Jing.

As the saying goes, one monk carries water to drink, two monks lift water to drink, and three monks have no water to drink. Taoxiang and her two sisters have only two people, but they are as good as three monks.

The small plate under the tea bowl is small to begin with. If one person holds it alone, it will fall if they are not careful. How much more so if two people carry it?

The tea bowl reached the table. Ning Yitao wanted to put it down, but Ning Peixiang was still moving forward. With a clang, the tea bowl rolled down.

Xia Jing jumped up and barely avoided the splashing tea.

Looking at the steaming tea on the chair, Xia Jing looked at Taoxiang and her sister. Is this how you treat your savior?

The two sisters were stunned for a moment, then they cried out, turned around and ran away, fearing that the Ninth Prince would also make them kneel in the yard.

Concubine Xi came forward and wiped the chairs and table with a cloth, and Concubine Niu served new tea to Xia Jing.

"Your Highness the Ninth Prince has misunderstood me. I will definitely teach those two girls a lesson tonight!" Concubine Xi glared at the door angrily.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang hid at the door, peeking in to observe the situation, met Concubine Xi's eyes, and quickly shrank back.

"These two girls are so naughty that they scared the Ninth Prince." Niu Zhaoyi's face flushed red, and she wanted to get up and catch the two girls.

They had to fight over the tea, and now they knocked it over! They almost scalded the Ninth Prince!

After Xia Jing took two sips of tea, Concubine Xi asked, "Is what the Ninth Prince just said true?"

This is about the Queen Mother calling the two princesses.

"Nothing, no rush." ​​Xia Jing replied.

Concubine Xi immediately understood that this was just an excuse made by Xia Jing.

The boy came here specifically to rescue his mother and daughter!

She stood up uneasily, wanting to take something to thank the Ninth Prince. If it weren't for the Ninth Prince, Sister Taoxiang would have entered Anming Palace and who knows if she would have returned! Without her daughter, what hope did she and Sister Niu have for life?

She thought of cakes, cloth, gold and silver, but the living standard in Fuchenzhai was far inferior to that in Jingyixuan. If the Ninth Prince took these things back, it would probably only cause more trouble.

You can only choose something interesting, cheap but not out of style.

She walked into the house and took out a pair of kingfisher earrings from her jewelry box. Kingfisher earrings were a luxury item, and even though they were just earrings, they were still quite valuable. Furthermore, each piece of kingfisher jewelry was unique, so there was no need to worry about the same style and looking cheap.

Xia Jing pushed back the earrings: "You are too polite, Concubine Xi. My mother doesn't like these."

This was not a lie. Xiao Yue was usually very simple, but Yi Qiu liked these jewelries. Whenever she got a new one, she would put it on Xiao Yue's head. She even wanted to put it on Xia Jing's head. Xia Jing punched her and broke her idea.

Seeing that Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu looked uneasy, Xia Jing sighed in his heart. The last time he came to Fuchenzhai, Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu also looked uneasy. However, last time they were afraid, but this time, they were ashamed.

He glanced at the intimacy between the two people and found that they were both over 60, one at 63 and the other at 66. This was just after the event and it was expected to continue to rise.

"How did the two ladies offend Concubine Duan?" Xia Jing asked.

It was already dark, and he estimated that the sun would set completely in less than an hour. He did not leave immediately, but spent his precious time staying in Fuchenzhai because he was curious about this.

If Concubine Duan just wanted to make things difficult for Fuchenzhai, she could have just beaten the Taoxiang sisters. However, she did not do so. Instead, she wanted to bring the two sisters back to Anming Palace and raise them under her wing.

Why is that?

Concubine Duan is not Concubine Rou. She has a prince, Ning Yuanzhong, so she doesn't need to snatch his from others. Besides, he is a princess.

Even if you want both a son and a daughter, you should choose a little princess who is three or five years old, because she will be easier to raise.

Concubine Duan must have other intentions.

"This..." Concubine Xi was puzzled. "I have never had any rift with Concubine Duan, and my family and the Ge family have no dealings."

Niu Zhaoyi also shook her head: "The last time I saw Concubine Duan was at the Qianqiu Banquet."

It's not a personal grudge.

Xia Jing almost guessed it and didn't ask directly.

It was either a personal grudge or a public matter, or in other words, a family affair. Concubine Xi said that her family had little dealings with the Ge family, but a conflict of interests did not require any dealings.

Xia Jing recalled the information about Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu, and it seemed that both of their families had military backgrounds. Concubine Xi's family held a high position, while Concubine Niu's family was originally an ordinary family, and later served under Concubine Xi.

But Xia Jing couldn't remember exactly where Concubine Xi and Concubine Niu lived or what they did.

He hurried back to verify, said goodbye to the two people, and walked out of the yard.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang hid behind the pillars of the side hall and waved goodbye to Xia Jing.

Xia Jing turned back and picked them up.

Although it was still unclear what Concubine Duan was planning, she could sabotage it first by taking the two girls to the Cining Palace for inspection and giving them a seal of approval. Then Concubine Duan would not dare to take any action.

As it concerned their own safety, although they were very afraid of Empress Dowager You, the Taoxiang sisters still followed Xia Jing obediently.

Entering the Cining Palace, Xia Jing saw Eunuch Xiao Hu dozing off to the side. He went over and punched him: "Little Hu, where's grandma?"

Eunuch Hu opened his eyes and saw that it was the Ninth Prince. He immediately bent down and said flatteringly, "Ninth Prince, you are finally here! The Empress Dowager just asked you about it! Her ancestors are in the back garden."

After saying that, Eunuch Hu glanced behind Xia Jing and asked, "What is this?"

Faced with his questioning gaze, Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang huddled together in panic. A few years ago, the two girls had made a scene near the Cining Palace and had been severely reprimanded by Eunuch Xiao Hu. Since then, they hadn't dared to approach the Cining Palace.

"I brought it to see grandma." Xia Jing stepped forward.

"Then please come in." Eunuch Hu's flattery was also directed at the Taoxiang and her sister.

The road to the back garden was quite long. Taoxiang and her sister lowered their heads, not daring to look around. However, they found that the Ninth Prince was completely different from them. He looked around all the time. The eunuchs and palace maids who passed by all smiled and saluted the Ninth Prince.

Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang were in a trance, feeling that they had not entered the Cining Palace, but entered... entered... They thought hard, but could not think of a place with comparison. Even in Fuchenzhai, their own eunuchs and palace maids were not so attentive when they saw them!

The two sisters looked at each other and nodded. The Ninth Prince had a lot of connections.

"It's right in front." After entering the back garden, Xia Jing gave the two princesses some instructions. "Grandma likes things to be formal when we first meet. Once we meet more often, you can be more casual."

Unlike the Ninth Prince, the Taoxiang sisters still have to take a safe approach if they want to get closer to Queen Mother You.

When he arrived at the farmland in the back garden, Xia Jing met Empress Dowager You.

The old lady was standing in the field, watching the crops grow and watering them.

Watering requires less effort, so the old lady didn't use Ning Shouxu and chose to do it herself.

When she saw Xia Jing, she waved.

Xia Jing led the two sisters to the presence of Queen Mother You.

"Grandma, just take a rest. I'll help you."

As he spoke, the Ninth Prince took the bucket and ladle from the old lady's hands and handed them to Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang behind him.

The two sisters, one holding a bucket and the other holding a ladle, stood there in a daze.

What is this? What are we going to do? What's growing in the field?

Besides, didn’t you, the Ninth Prince, say ‘I’ll help’? How did the things end up in our hands?

Damn it, you get all the credit and we get all the hard work, right?

The two sisters grumbled in their hearts, not daring to resist, and were even a little worried that they had not watered the plants well.

The two wanted to ask Xia Jing about his work skills, but they saw that the Ninth Prince had already supported Queen Mother You to the pavilion.

Yuhe saw the two people's dilemma and came over to them to give them guidance.

In the pavilion, Empress Dowager You was eating melon seeds and drinking tea, watching Ning Yitao and Ning Peixiang busy themselves.

"Where did you get these two workers from?" Empress Dowager You looked at Xia Jing.

"I passed by Fuchenzhai and saw Concubine Duan bullying them, so I brought it here." Xia Jing was eating pastries.

"Come on, don't come here too much. Your third brother comes here every day and does all the work in my fields. I have nothing to do myself!"

"Who would complain about having too many slaves? Grandma thinks there's not enough work, so just open up a few more plots of land."