Chapter 134: Unwarranted Blame

Initially, Xia Jiujiang had no intention of going to Auspicious Pavilion. After all, she felt that Ming Ze had some ulterior motives for suddenly giving her the address and time, not to mention that the Southern Kingdom's Holy Maiden being Jun Buwen's maternal aunt meant nothing—judging from Jun Buwen's attitude toward the Southern Kingdom, there was only hatred between them, with no personal ties whatsoever.

However, when night fell, Xia Jiujiang discovered that Jun Buwen had stationed several secret guards around the vicinity of Profound Triad Lodge, seemingly to prevent her from knowing that he and Ming Ningzi were meeting at Auspicious Pavilion tonight. This actually piqued Xia Jiujiang's curiosity.

Xia Jiujiang crooked her finger at Lvteng. With a nervous flutter in her heart, Lvteng walked up to Xia Jiujiang and said, "Princess... This maid has a feeling you are up to no good."

Xia Jiujiang chuckled mischievously, saying, "What are you talking about? I am not Yesha. How could I possibly be up to no good towards you?"

Lvteng stamped her foot and retorted, "Why bring up Yesha, Princess? That guy purposely squeezes me out and slanders me for having a secret affair with him. That is malicious framing!"

Xia Jiujiang laughed secretly. Lvteng really was a foolish girl; Yesha still had a long way to go on his road ahead.

Suddenly, Xia Jiujiang stood up and pressed Lvteng down onto a stool. Lvteng was alarmed and cried out, "Princess, what are you doing..."

Xia Jiujiang grinned mischievously and giggled, "What could I possibly be doing? I'm just in a great mood and want to do your makeup to practice my skills."

Puzzled, Lvteng sat before the bronze mirror, letting Xia Jiujiang fiddle with her hair and makeup without daring to speak or ask questions.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Xia Jiujiang nodded with satisfaction and said, "Perfect. Pe-fact."

Lvteng was bewildered: "What?"

Xia Jiujiang smiled and said, "Nothing, nothing at all."

After the makeup was finished, the more Lvteng looked, the stranger it felt. Why were her hair bun and makeup so similar to the Princess's? Lvteng pointed at herself, then looked at Xia Jiujiang, and suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Princess, you... you want me to..."

Xia Jiujiang nodded and said, "Just as you think."

Lvteng abruptly stood up and said, "No, no, this won't do! If the Prince finds out, this maid is dead for sure!"

Xia Jiujiang patted Lvteng's shoulder and pushed her right back onto the stool. "Don't worry. If the Prince of Jin blames anyone, just say you were completely following the Princess's orders and didn't dare disobey."

With that, Xia Jiujiang pulled out a servant's tunic and tossed it aside. "Besides, how do you know the Prince of Jin will even find out?" At that moment, Xia Jiujiang was brimming with confidence, never expecting that tonight would become a night of no return.

When Xia Jiujiang slipped out of the Prince of Jin's estate, it was already past the hour of *Xu*. Fearing that she would miss the conversation between Jun Buwen and Ming Ningzi at Auspicious Pavilion, she hurried straight to South Street, where the lanterns of Auspicious Pavilion hung high in the air, exuding an antique charm.

Xia Jiujiang stealthily climbed up to the eaves of Auspicious Pavilion. Who would have thought that the moment she poked her head out, a large face was shoved right in front of hers, scaring her so badly she almost passed out? Looking closely, who was the brat if not her "grandson," Ming Ze?

This fellow wore a mischievous smirk, as if he had known all along that Xia Jiujiang would appear here.

Ming Ze extended a hand toward Xia Jiujiang, signaling that he wanted to pull her up. Xia Jiujiang rolled her eyes and muttered, "Your grandmother's hands and feet are still quite nimble," before pulling herself up onto the roof.

Ming Ze wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he left a good spot for Xia Jiujiang so she could spy and eavesdrop on the movements inside the room.

Jun Buwen walked into the private room at Auspicious Pavilion that Ming Ningzi had reserved. As soon as Ming Ningzi stepped inside, Jun Buwen asked straight to the point, "If you have something to say, speak."

"Why is the Prince of Jin in such a hurry?" Ming Ningzi deliberately stalled for time.

Jun Buwen replied expressionlessly, "Since the Princess of the Southern Kingdom has no desire to get straight to the point, this Prince will take his leave and pay another visit when the Princess has figured it out." With that, Jun Buwen stood up, preparing to leave.

Ming Ningzi hadn't expected Jun Buwen to show her such blatant disrespect. She stood up and said, "Wait! Could it be that you don't even want to know what conspiracy the Southern Kingdom's Holy Maiden is plotting?"

Jun Buwen sneered. "The Holy Maiden's conspiracy? But this Prince recalls that the Princess of the Southern Kingdom seems to be the Holy Maiden's disciple. If the Holy Maiden does have a conspiracy, why would you, her disciple, spill the beans?"

Ming Ningzi wore an expression of deep anger. "That's right! Although the Southern Kingdom's Holy Maiden is my master, I discovered that she took me as a disciple but never truly regarded me as one of her own. Not only did she have her own arrangements long ago, but she also kept me completely in the dark. Tell me, why wouldn't I expose her conspiracy?"

Jun Buwen watched Ming Ningzi; her expression did not look like she was lying.

Gritting her teeth, Ming Ningzi said, "She arranged for a spy to infiltrate the State of Li many years ago, and even had her approach you. That makes me all the more resentful—why couldn't that person have been me!"

Jun Buwen's expression remained completely unchanged as he said, "A spy? This is the first time this Prince has heard such an amusing tale."

Ming Ningzi said excitedly, "You don't believe me? More than a decade ago, my master arranged for someone to deeply infiltrate the State of Li. Over the years, those people either died or were injured, failing to amount to anything at all. But there is one sole exception!"

Jun Buwen asked, "Could the spy you speak of be the Princess of Jin?"

Without a single blush and with a steady heartbeat, Ming Ningzi declared, "Must I spell it out? The spy is none other than Xia Jiujiang."

Truly, one sleeps soundly at home while a pot falls from the sky.

Had Xia Jiujiang not heard it with her own ears, she would never have believed this Southern Kingdom princess could spout such nonsense with her eyes wide open.

Jun Buwen paused into silence.

Ming Ningzi sneered, "You wouldn't happen to say that Xia Jiujiang becoming the Princess of Jin was thoroughly investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would you? If she were someone you could easily find faults with, would she still be the spy my master meticulously arranged?"

Seeing the utterly convinced look on Ming Ningzi's face, Xia Jiujiang thought: *Good grief, could this idiot actually be mistaken into thinking I am someone planted in the State of Li by the Southern Kingdom's Holy Maiden?*

Ming Ningzi continued, "That spy deeply infiltrated the State of Li more than ten years ago. Exchanging a newborn child during the time Prime Minister Xia's wife, Jiang Ruan, gave birth was child's play for my master."

A flicker crossed Jun Buwen's eyes. If that spy had grown up in the Xia family from the very beginning, wouldn't that explain all of Xia Jiujiang's oddities? That would also explain why Xia Jiujiang had always maintained the persona of a good-for-nothing, yet completely transformed into a different person after arriving at the Prince of Jin's estate...

Was it because she received instructions from the Southern Kingdom's Holy Maiden?

Ming Ningzi cast seductive glances his way. "I have feelings for you, which is why I am furious that Master arranged for Xia Jiujiang to be sent to the State of Li. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have been so thoroughly bewitched, and I am determined to become the Princess of Jin."

Watching from the roof, Xia Jiujiang witnessed Ming Ningzi's arrogant expression and heard her brazen words, prompting her to gasp sharply. Oh heavens, where on earth did this woman get her confidence?