Chapter 133: To Have Such a Wife! What More Could a Husband Ask For?

Initially, the peasant woman felt confident and self-righteous, relying on the support of the surrounding townspeople. However, once Xia Jiujiang unmasked her right on the spot, the crowd instantly switched sides. They cast looks of utter contempt upon the woman, leaving her too terrified to act out any further.

Trembling as she knelt on the ground, the peasant woman pleaded frantically, "Spare my life, Princess Jin... Please spare me... It wasn't me... I didn't want to kill A-Bao. It was someone else... Someone gave me a thousand taels and instructed me precisely which day and hour to buy those clothes..."

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Every single detail regarding the timing had been arranged in secret. How on earth could the mastermind have known at what exact hour the Princess of the Southern Kingdom would appear in Jiang Mantang?

Surely, the itinerary of the Southern Kingdom's princess was known only to the kingdom's special envoys. Could it have been one of them? No, that made no sense! Why would a special envoy of the Southern Kingdom want to harm their own princess?

The peasant woman stammered, "I just randomly picked the cheapest piece of clothing in Jiang Mantang for A-Bao. After that, I had no idea what was going on. I never even saw the man put any kind of Gu worm on A-Bao. He didn't even come close to the food; he just tapped A-Bao gently on the forehead. A few days later, when A-Bao became completely unresponsive, that person told me to bring the child to Jiang Mantang and cause a scene."

Whoever possessed the ability to plant Gu worms so seamlessly, doing it right under everyone's noses without a sound, was truly formidable. Yet, planting Gu worms did not follow a single rigid method; practitioners each had their own unique techniques. Some used food, some relied on physical contact, some could inflict them simply by walking past a person, and others could even claim lives through sorcery.

"Do you know who that person was?" Xia Jiujiang asked.

Shaking her head, the peasant woman replied, "He... he always wore a mask. I never saw what he actually looked like."

"Was there anything special about the mask?"

"The mask... it had little lines connected across the top," the woman said, vaguely gesturing with her hands.

Xia Jiujiang furrowed her brows. A pattern of the Big Dipper?

The surrounding onlookers never imagined that the person who had previously wailed to the heavens and protested her innocence was actually the very culprit who had harmed her own son. Filled with righteous indignation, they shouted, "How utterly vicious! To dare harm her own child—is she even human?"

"And to keep claiming she was innocent all along, how shameless!"

"To think we actually believed her. We must have been blind."

"She acted so righteous and bold, we were all completely fooled by this woman."

Stammering in panic, the peasant woman cried, "I honestly knew nothing about any Gu worms! I beg Princess Jin to spare my life. If I had known that man was going to plant a Gu worm in A-Bao... I... I..."

Xia Jiujiang offered a cold, mocking smile. "From the moment you accepted that thousand taels of silver, you knew the other party intended to kill A-Bao in order to frame Jiang Mantang. What difference does it make whether they used a Gu worm or not? If I hadn't stepped in, A-Bao would have been heading down a dead end regardless."

The mastermind was not only thoroughly familiar with the Princess of the Southern Kingdom, but also possessed deep knowledge of Xia Jiujiang. Otherwise, how could they have known for certain that Xia Jiujiang was capable of neutralizing the Gu?

The peasant woman banged her head against the ground repeatedly, pleading, "I... I... I was just momentarily blinded by greed. I beg Princess Jin to spare my life! Bao'er only has me, his mother, to raise him. If anything happens to me... he certainly won't survive. I implore Princess Jin to show mercy for the sake of Bao'er. I promise I will take good care of him from now on."

Jun Buwen rejected her coldly, "What is the point of begging for mercy now? You were capable of plotting against your own child, leaving you entirely devoid of any innocence. Now you use the child as a shield—why didn't you remember that he was a human life when you were poisoning him? Commander of the Shuntian Prefecture, take this woman away at once before she offends Our sight."

At Jun Buwen's command, the Prefecture Commander did not dare to hesitate for a moment and immediately ordered his men to seize the peasant woman. He refrained from letting the Imperial Guard handle the matter because he understood clearly that this woman was merely a tool in the hands of the mastermind behind the scenes; even if interrogated by the Imperial Guard, nothing useful could be extracted.

As for the child Bao'er, the reach of the Imperial Guard extended everywhere. Finding him a kind-hearted family without children to adopt him would be infinitely better than letting him stay by the side of a viper-hearted mother.

As the peasant woman was dragged away, the surrounding crowd hurled all sorts of curses and insults at her. Jun Buwen watched as Xia Jiujiang dusted off her hands, and said with a chuckle, "Princess Jin is truly formidable. With a single person's effort, you made a fierce and unruly peasant woman admit defeat. You truly put on quite a fine show for Us."

Xia Jiujiang tossed her head and retorted, "Even without you lifting a finger, this Princess could naturally handle everything on her own."

Jun Buwen smiled with dark amusement, "Naturally. To have obtained such a wife... What more could this Prince possibly desire?"

Xia Jiujiang’s heart skipped a beat. Was Jun Buwen actually... flirting with her?

How was Xia Jiujiang supposed to respond to that?!

Glancing at the surrounding crowd, she felt a hot flush of embarrassment creep across her cheeks.

Once again, she had been left entirely speechless by Jun Buwen. Why was it that she was always so sharp-tongued and witty with everyone else, yet the moment she faced Jun Buwen, she lost all her eloquence?

Noticing the bright gleam in Jun Buwen's eyes, Ming Ningzi walked up to him and offered a bow, greeting, "Prince Jin."

Jun Buwen turned to Ming Ningzi and replied indifferently, "The Princess of the Southern Kingdom need not thank Princess Jin. After all, since the peasant woman caused a disturbance at Jiang Mantang, helping you was only natural."

Who on earth was here to offer thanks? It was glaringly obvious that Ming Ningzi had set her sights entirely on Jun Buwen.

With a stiff smile at the corner of her lips, Ming Ningzi said, "I wonder if Prince Jin has a moment to spare? Might we step aside to speak in private?"

Jun Buwen took Xia Jiujiang's hand and replied, "My hands appear to be quite busy."

Ming Ningzi was not discouraged. A wide smile spread across her face as she asked, "What if it concerns the Holy Maiden of the Southern Kingdom?"

Jun Buwen paused noticeably at those words.

Sensing the question in Jun Buwen's eyes, Xia Jiujiang withdrew her hand from his grasp and said, "I still have some matters to discuss with Baizhi." With that, she stepped away from Jun Buwen's side in advance.

When Xia Jiujiang walked back into Jiang Mantang, Baizhi was busy tidying up the somewhat disordered shop. Many customers had come to demand refunds while the peasant woman was causing a scene earlier. Seeing Xia Jiujiang appear, Baizhi hurried over and curtsied. Xia Jiujiang reached out and grabbed Baizhi's hands, saying, "There's no need for such formal courtesies."

Baizhi looked at her gratefully and said, "Your Highness, we owe everything to you this time... I truly dare not imagine what the consequences would have been."

Xia Jiujiang shook her head. "You've done very well. However, certain people have set their sights on me through Jiang Mantang. You need to carefully consider how to sever any obvious ties between Jiang Mantang and myself. Perhaps only then will you truly be safe."

Baizhi replied, "Actually, I had pondered this question before, but if we do that, I'm afraid Jiang Mantang might no longer be able to establish a foothold in the capital market."

Baizhi was perceptive enough to understand the trade-offs. Not establishing a foothold in the capital was a valid alternative. Xia Jiujiang told her, "I have entrusted Jiang Mantang to your management. Do whatever you feel is best, handle it as you see fit."

Before she knew it, Ming Ze had appeared by Xia Jiujiang's side. He whispered quietly, "Are you very curious about what the Prince and Princess Ningzi are going to discuss?"

Xia Jiujiang was deep in thought, and Ming Ze's sudden voice startled her so badly she nearly jumped. Turning her head to glare at his punchable face, she snapped, "Why is this grandson of mine here?"

Ming Ze's expression froze instantly at her words. He muttered, "I merely came with good intentions to share some inside information with you. Since you don't wish to hear it, never mind."

"A grandson bringing inside information to his grandmother—naturally, the grandmother must listen," Xia Jiujiang replied casually, though her appetite had already been thoroughly piqued.

Perhaps because he was used to being taken advantage of, Ming Ze no longer minded her constant jabs. Leaning close to Xia Jiujiang's ear, he whispered, "Xiangrui Pavilion, tonight at the third quarter of the *Xu* hour."

Xia Jiujiang glanced at him sideways. "How do you know the time and place where Ming Ningzi and Jun Buwen are meeting, and how can you be so sure Jun Buwen will actually go?" Moreover, scheduling it specifically for the third quarter of the *Xu* hour tonight—was Ming Ningzi really that certain Jun Buwen would show up?

Ming Ze flashed an eerie, cryptic smile. "The Holy Maiden of the Southern Kingdom is, after all, Prince Jin's maternal aunt. Naturally, he will go."

Without waiting for Xia Jiujiang's reaction, Ming Ze turned and left, knowing full well that Xia Jiujiang would definitely attend.