Blind and Bereft

Chapter 38 | Furious Love

Sister Jingyi was a maid at the Floating Abyss Palace. All this time, she had been a part of the Floating Abyss Palace. Jingrui suddenly felt as if the world were an enclosed circle, and fate was paying her its best charity.

Prince Zhanying chuckled and a creeping cold ran down her spine. "No wonder."

"No wonder?" Jingrui asked after she found her voice.

"I have never paid attention to your sister," Prince Zhanying told her as he summoned a handkerchief and wiped the tea off his finger. "I've only ever heard of such a name from Yuansong. He told me that she was the most beautiful maid he had ever caught a glimpse of. Naturally, I didn't care whether she was beautiful or ugly, I could not see. But one day, in the middle of the night, she broke into the inner courtyard. When Yuansong brought her before me, I caught a strong and distinct fragrance of peach blossoms just as I smelt on you."

Jingrui was at a loss for words. She swallowed down all her shock and cautiously met the Prince's gaze with her own. "Why would Sister Jingyi break into the inner courtyard? As far as I know, she is the most careful person in this vast world. She would never break rules without reason. . ."

"She indeed took careful measures to break in. It's just that, she couldn't escape my ears." Prince Zhanying stared right at her direction. "I didn't punish her at first, but she never stopped trying to break in. I concluded she was Yihuai's spy and banished her from my Palace"

"Then what happened to her afterwards?" Jingrui fidgeted her fingers as she anticipated his answers.

"I don't know. Madam Fu sent her to work in a different palace, and I never cared enough of her fate."

"So even Your Highness doesn't know what could have happened to her?" Jingrui drooped down against the table, feeling all hope was lost.

"I do not know. You sisters are very much alike. Li Jingyi was a rule breaker. She snuck everywhere within the Palaces, offended the superiors, and held no proper etiquette. Maybe that's what led her to her doom."

"My Sister was the most well-mannered person I have ever known, she would never do such a thing without reason," Jingrui grumbled and crossed her arms.

"You sure have a lot of faith in your sister, Bao Bao, but from what I've heard, after she left my Palace, she offended Emperor Yihuai and needed to be punished—"

"Jingyi would never do that!" Xiao's angry growl interrupted their conversation, and Prince Zhanying clenched his jaw as his eyes darkened.

"Jingyi would never ever, ever, be as reckless as to offend anyone. And even if, for some inarticulable reason, she did, she did not deserve to die in such a horrendous manner! Pure as ice and chaste as jade, essence and heart of orchids, sink fish and alight birds, outshine the moon and put flowers to shame, too beautiful for description. That was what she was!"

Xiao stormed into the room, but before he sat down beside Jingrui, his gaze met Prince Zhanying's. Rolling his eyes, he pushed her to sit by the Prince and put his arms over the space, occupying it all on his own.

"I am Jingyi's husband, get that straight, Your Highness. I know her best. She was the smartest out of us three disciples. She would never do those accusations Your Highness has assumed!" Xiao spoke at the top of his lungs as he pointed an angry finger at Prince Zhanying.

Prince Zhanying held his hand over his forehead, his jaw clenched. And although he did not try to defend himself or converse with Xiao, Jingrui knew his actions well after having served him for over a moon. She placed her finger onto her lips, desperately shushing Xiao.

Xiao growled under his breath but lowered his voice, not daring to test Prince Zhanying's temper. "I think she might have done those things as part of why Master sent her to the Hell Palace. Jingyi didn't enter the Palace simply because she wanted to be a maid to serve some arrogant gods"—he eyed Prince Zhanying—"but she went there upon Master's request. He probably gave her some kind of mission."

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