Xiangzhou Chapter: Transmigration into Another World - Chapter 41: Does This Count as Offending the Crown Prince?

Hearing her reply, Shen Jianzhou narrowed his long, narrow eyes, already deep in thought.

He knew that although they had not spent a great deal of time together, he understood that Ye Qiaoqiao had her own plans.

Yet, a deeper, inexplicable sense of loss welled up within him.

Perhaps, in her heart, she was not entirely certain that he would stand by her side or help her deal with these thorny matters.

She still did not trust him.

Otherwise, why would she utter such words as knowing nothing at all?

Yet, he felt that this was hardly the time to quibble over such things.

After a moment of reflection, he ultimately decided to defer to her judgment.

After all, Ye Qiaoqiao's suggestion was indeed sensible.

Thus, he slowly opened his mouth and commanded, "In that case, let this scoundrel be locked away for now. We shall interrogate him once he is able to speak."

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's directive, Magistrate Dong's expression tightened. He hastily nodded respectfully and replied, "Understood, Your Highness. This subject shall execute it right away."

With that, he waved his hand at the bailiffs, signaling them to take the thief away.

The bailiffs acknowledged the order, not daring to show the slightest negligence.

They hurried forward, enduring the foul odor, and yanked the thief up from the ground by his arms.

The thief had long since lost any strength to resist, his limp body left entirely at the mercy of the bailiffs.

And so, he was dragged and hauled away toward the prison at the back of the magistrate's hall.

As he was being dragged off, the thief cast panicked backward glances at the crowd from time to time, as if terrified that once taken away, he would never return and his life would be instantly forfeited.

Standing to one side, Ye Qiaoqiao watched the retreating figure, a shiver running through her heart.

She figured that the matters behind this were likely intricate and far from as simple as they appeared on the surface.

It seemed she truly needed to make a trip to the capital.

Seeing that the guilty parties brought before him had all been cleared away, Shen Jianzhou raised his eyes slightly and instructed Dong Feiguang with a calm expression, "Dismiss the others."

"Yes, Your Highness, dismissing them now," Dong Feiguang nodded instantly.

He left the hall one step behind the bailiffs.

When only he and Ye Qiaoqiao remained in the hall, he leisurely strolled step by step toward Ye Qiaoqiao without any sign of haste.

Standing still before her, Shen Jianzhou looked at her with deep, profound eyes and asked, "Are you satisfied?"

Ye Qiaoqiao nodded repeatedly without stopping, a flattering smile plastering her face as she said, "Satisfied, quite satisfied. Thank you, Your Highness, for your assistance. Since everything has been dealt with according to the rules, this commoner is naturally satisfied."

"Then why did you not speak the truth just now?" A trace of scrutiny flashed across Shen Jianzhou's brow.

His sharp gaze seemed capable of piercing straight through Ye Qiaoqiao's thoughts, leaving her nowhere to hide.

Her heart tightened, and Ye Qiaoqiao felt a wave of uncertainty...

Her heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped rabbit, fluttering wildly with anxiety.

She genuinely did not know how to handle the thorny situation before her, fearing both that the Crown Prince would see through her petty schemes and that continued concealment would incur his further displeasure.

Yet, the stubborn streak in her bones made her unwilling to yield easily, so she forced herself to ask, "What does Your Highness wish to know?"

Only her slightly trembling fingertips inadvertently betrayed her currently turbulent state of mind.

Shen Jianzhou did not state it outright, but slowly said, "When you spoke with me through the jade pendant that day, you must have already coaxed something out of the thief, otherwise you would not have asked me about that hulking brute."

His tone carried a hint of certainty; clearly, he had already formed his own judgment on the matter and was merely waiting for Ye Qiaoqiao to confess it herself.

Realizing that further concealment was meaningless, Ye Qiaoqiao bit her lower lip and stopped hiding it.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Indeed, I do know who instigated that thief."

"Why did you not say so?" Hearing this, a flash of irritation crossed Shen Jianzhou's brow, his eyes tinged with disappointment.

Did she trust him so little?

"What good would it have done to speak? That thief can no longer speak. And you—would you really go out of your way for my sake to casually punish Xiang Ling'er, a pregnant woman and the daughter of the imperial examination's chief proctor?" Ye Qiaoqiao spoke with agitation, her face flushed slightly from the emotional fluctuation.

From her perspective, even if the truth were told, facing someone like Xiang Ling'er who was with child, how easy would it be to make her face the punishment she deserved?

That was why she had chosen to conceal it.

Seeing her agitated state, a flicker of impatience crossed Shen Jianzhou's brows.

Accustomed as he was to having everyone hang on his every word, Ye Qiaoqiao's hesitation and distrust made him—someone perpetually accustomed to being the center of attention—feel extremely uncomfortable.

He questioned Ye Qiaoqiao, "Since you already agreed to be my strategist, why would you worry about such matters? Do you distrust solitary this much?"

"I..." Ye Qiaoqiao froze.

She opened her mouth, attempting to say something in explanation.

Yet for a moment, her throat felt as though it were blocked by something, leaving her utterly tongue-tied and completely clueless as to how to respond to Shen Jianzhou's interrogation.

Thoughts churned in her mind, and she suddenly felt that this matter truly seemed to be her fault.

After all, having agreed to become His Highness's strategist, she should have treated him with absolute candor.

Yet, out of excessive caution, she had chosen to conceal her questioning in the public hall, which was indeed improper.

"Your Highness, I am sorry. I should not have concealed it." Ye Qiaoqiao bit her lip, her expression shifting repeatedly.

Her delicate, melon-seeded face carried a trace of an unnoticeable grievance.

Shen Jianzhou remained silent, his expression turning dark. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked away.

That resolute, departing silhouette exuded an indescribable sense of detachment and anger.

Leaving Ye Qiaoqiao standing alone in a daze within the magistrate's hall, blankly staring in the direction he had disappeared.

Only when his figure had completely vanished did Ye Qiaoqiao snap back to her senses.

Had she really managed to provoke the Crown Prince?

Never mind. Until the person who stole and switched destinies was found, she remained his strategist, and she still had to go to the capital.

Pondering this, Ye Qiaoqiao gathered her thoughts, cheered herself up, and stepped out of the magistrate's hall.

She walked briskly along the street and soon hailed a carriage.

Approaching the vehicle, she instructed the driver, "To Qiaoqiao's Divine Calculation Pavilion."

Hearing this, the driver beamed with smiles and said very courteously, "Right away, miss. Please get in, this little one will take you there at once."

Ye Qiaoqiao nodded slightly in thanks and boarded the carriage.

The carriage swayed leisurely as it traveled toward the Divine Calculation Pavilion.

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

Having spent the entire afternoon keeping watch by the doorway with her eyes fixed on the street, Hanxiang's eyes lit up the moment she saw Ye Qiaoqiao arrive.

She happily greeted her, calling out, "Miss, I'm right here!"

Ye Qiaoqiao merely raised her eyes to glance at Hanxiang before lowering them once more, wearing a listless expression.

Seeing her young mistress like this, the smile on Hanxiang's face vanished instantly, replaced by profound worry.

She hurried over to Ye Qiaoqiao, caught the sleeve of her dress, and gave it a gentle shake as she asked, "What's wrong, Miss? Please don't be so dispirited. Did you encounter something troubling? Won't you tell me about it?"