Chapter 135: Never Trusted Xia Jiujiang

Ming Ningzi crossed her arms over her chest, speaking gloomily, "Although I am the disciple of the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Kingdom, I do not want to see you deceived by Xia Jiujing. She is undercover in the Li Kingdom on a mission. Do you really think she treats you well and smiles at you because she likes you? She's scheming against you."

Scheming against me? Xia Jiujing clenched her fists on the rooftop, wanting to fly down and give Ming Ningzi a good beating.

Although Jun Bu Wen had some doubts, it didn't mean he believed Ming Ningzi's words.

Ming Ningzi was stubborn and uncontrollable, continuing on her own: "I just don’t understand why my master supports Xia Jiujing!"

Pouting like a child whose favorite candy was snatched away, Ming Ningzi wondered what was so good about Xia Jiujing and why her master didn’t support her instead.

Jun Bu Wen asked, "Aren’t you afraid that telling me all this now will ruin your master’s plan?"

Hearing Jun Bu Wen's question, Xia Jiujing exhaled in relief; he hadn’t suspected her.

Gritting her teeth, Ming Ningzi said, "You say I’m sabotaging things, but even if my master’s plan is exposed, so what? I just can’t stand Xia Jiujing becoming the Princess of Jin. If I married you, wouldn’t the alliance between the Southern Kingdom and the Li Kingdom be even stronger? Why can’t I become the Princess of Jin?"

The man Ming Ningzi had her eyes on was still within reach, but the Princess of Jin had not only killed the spotted poisonous snake but also caused Jun Bu Wen to reject Ming Ningzi’s affections, which infuriated her.

Ming Ningzi asked, "You don’t believe me?"

"Should I believe a Southern Kingdom princess?" Jun Bu Wen replied. He was more inclined to trust Xia Jiujing, who stayed by his side.

Ming Ningzi pulled out a note and handed it to Jun Bu Wen. Xia Jiujing peeked from the rooftop, wanting to see what evidence Ming Ningzi had.

Jun Bu Wen unfolded the note. It stated that after Ming Ningzi arrived in the Li Kingdom, Southern Kingdom spies would assist her, and she only needed to cooperate with these agents. On the back was the Sacred Maiden’s seal of the Southern Kingdom.

Jun Bu Wen was no stranger to this seal; it was indeed the private seal of the Sacred Maiden. The design matched exactly the one stamped on the last two pages of the "Medical Gu Poison Manual."

He knew this seal well—its size, spacing, and angle were all familiar—and he was certain the seal and the letter were authentic.

While Jun Bu Wen was stunned, Ming Ningzi said, "If it weren’t for what happened today in front of Jiang Mantang, I wouldn’t dare confirm that she is my master’s spy. Today, not only did she protect me in front of Jiang Mantang, she even revealed a skill to remove poison, which was a coded signal to show me she is a Southern Kingdom agent."

Damn it, Ming Ningzi really took Xia Jiujing for the Sacred Maiden’s spy.

Jun Bu Wen questioned, "How do you know that when Xia Jiujing removed the poison from the farmer’s son today, it was a display of a secret code for you?"

Ming Ningzi replied confidently, "Because as my master’s disciple, I can tell that her technique of removing poison comes from my master. Without my master’s true teachings, how could she know our Southern Kingdom’s gu techniques? Not just the poison removal, even the talismans she drew were the same."

Nonsense. Xia Jiujing’s talisman-drawing was based on secret methods from Miaojiang gu sorcery, things even modern science can’t explain, yet Ming Ningzi used that to fool Jun Bu Wen.

Jun Bu Wen clenched his teeth, eyes cold: "You… what you say may all be true."

Xia Jiujing cursed silently—of course it was a lie.

The room fell into a long silence before Ming Ningzi spoke again: "You know what I mean by telling you all this. For your sake, I’m willing to go against my master. She secretly arranged spies behind my back; I don’t care what she wants to do. I only want to follow my heart."

Jun Bu Wen recalled how skillful Xia Jiujing was when removing poison—it didn’t seem like someone who only read books without practice. Xia Jiujing said her medical gu knowledge came from books; could it all be fake?

Lost in thought, Jun Bu Wen was brought back as Ming Ningzi shyly stepped in front of him: "So, what do you say? As long as you agree to divorce Xia Jiujing and marry me as the Princess of Jin, I’m willing to work with you to discuss the future alliance between the Li Kingdom and Southern Kingdom. I don’t think you’d disagree, right?"

Ming Ningzi thought she had the upper hand, sure Jun Bu Wen would turn against Xia Jiujing. But she was too confident. Jun Bu Wen scoffed coldly, "Why should I agree to your demands?"

Ming Ningzi’s smile froze awkwardly on her face: "You… you don’t want me on your side?"

"No," Jun Bu Wen said decisively.

Hearing Jun Bu Wen’s words, Xia Jiujing on the rooftop felt a warm glow in her heart. She knew Jun Bu Wen wouldn’t so easily believe Ming Ningzi. Maybe during the time they spent together, Jun Bu Wen wasn’t as heartless as he seemed.

Xia Jiujing felt pleased but didn’t notice the cold glare from Mingze beside her.

Ming Ningzi grew agitated: "Why? Why can’t it be me? You’d rather have a spy scheming against you by your side than cooperate with me? At least I can help you shatter those conspiracies and bring peace between the Southern Kingdom and Li Kingdom."

Though Ming Ningzi’s offer was clearly more tempting, Jun Bu Wen remained unmoved. Did he prefer chaos over peace?

Jun Bu Wen, who never trusted others, said, "Because I don’t believe marrying you will bring peace."

Ming Ningzi panicked and shouted, "You… you’d rather have that spy Xia Jiujing by your side than me, a Southern Kingdom princess! If I didn’t want to cooperate with you, why would I show you the Sacred Maiden’s secret letter?"

Ming Ningzi’s anger blinded her. Jun Bu Wen already knew Xia Jiujing was a Southern Kingdom spy, yet he still preferred her presence over Ming Ningzi’s alliance for peace.

Who the hell gave Ming Ningzi such confidence? If she wanted Xia Jiujing dead, would Xia Jiujing just kill her on command? Xia Jiujing once thought she was useless in the Prime Minister’s mansion, but now she saw someone even more unbearable.

Jun Bu Wen’s trust warmed Xia Jiujing’s heart, his face lighting up with a smile and tenderness in his eyes. But this expression lasted only a few seconds before Jun Bu Wen said—

He turned contemptuously to Ming Ningzi and said, "Xia Jiujing? I never trusted her, so why would I care if she became the Princess of Jin?"

Xia Jiujing’s heart skipped a beat, nearly stopping for a few moments. She stared rigidly at the scene inside, feeling for a moment as if the voice in her ears was a hallucination, faintly drifting from a distant place.

Ming Ningzi frowned, "You don’t believe Xia Jiujing? But I see you deeply involved, always protecting and caring for her. Am I blind?"

Jun Bu Wen smiled smugly, "You’re not blind. I’ve deceived everyone. For someone who knows Southern Kingdom gu magic, do you think I would trust her from the start?"

Hearing this, Xia Jiujing’s lips twitched, and her nose tingled. No, Jun Bu Wen must be saying this deliberately, to confuse Ming Ningzi!

But a voice inside wondered: if it’s to confuse her… then why didn’t Jun Bu Wen agree to Ming Ningzi’s demands? Wouldn’t that have confused Ming Ningzi even more?