Reborn to marry, the short-lived prince lived a hundred years

Qinglan quietly delivered the secret letter to Beiyuan, presented it respectfully to Li Jiaoyu, and then hurried back to Tingyuxuan to report.

She bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the letter has been delivered safely to Miss Li. Miss Li has specially instructed me to express my sincere gratitude to you."

Meng Tingyue's eyelashes trembled as she heard this, and she nodded slightly. "From tonight onwards, you must arrange for people to secretly monitor the movements of the West Garden and the North Garden, especially keeping a close eye on the whereabouts of Meng Dongliang and Qiao Lige."

"If you discover that Meng Dongliang shows any signs of leaving, take action immediately. Make sure to quietly capture Qiao Lige and bring him to me after he leaves."

……

The morning light begins to break, and the second day arrives quietly.

Qinglan brought Qiao Lige, who was caught last night.

"Let go! Meng Tingyue, what right do you have to detain me? Even as the Crown Princess, you should not abuse your power like this!" Qiao Lige struggled hard in the guard's strong arms, her words full of unwillingness and indignation.

Meng Tingyue's voice was calm and gentle, "Let her go."

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately loosened his clenched hands. Qiao Lige was freed and hurriedly rubbed his wrists that had been bound for a long time. His eyes were as sharp as torches, and he shot them straight at Meng Tingyue, burning with anger.

"Meng Tingyue, why are you pressing me so hard? I've long given up on competing with you for the position of Crown Prince. Why are you still pushing me into a desperate situation?"

Meng Tingyue opened her red lips slightly and tasted a mouthful of the delicate lotus seed soup. Her brows were as calm as water, without any ripples.

"Miss Qiao, your words are biased," she said calmly, without a trace of anger. "Why would I kill you? I'm just curious and want to find out what kind of woman my uncle is attracted to."

Hearing this, the indignation in Qiao Lige's eyes gradually faded, "Brother Meng loves me deeply, and I will be your aunt in the future."

"Your words and actions today are truly disrespectful to your aunt. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were to hear of your lack of etiquette, he would certainly punish you according to palace rules."

Qiao Lige's eyes gleamed with pride, her chin raised slightly, and she looked superior. "If you are willing to kneel down and apologize to me, I might consider forgiving your rude and disrespectful behavior yesterday."

When Meng Tingyue heard this, she couldn't help but feel a nameless anger rising in her heart and almost laughed out loud.

She looked at Qiao Lige's self-righteous face and thought to herself: Who is Meng Dongliang? Does Qiao Lige really think that she can be superior to herself by hooking up with Meng Dongliang?

It's really ridiculous.

Meng Tingyue shook her head slightly, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes. "I'm afraid you've misunderstood. How can someone who secretly does shameful things be qualified to be my aunt?"

A flicker of unconcealable panic flashed across Qiao Lige's eyes, and she hurriedly defended herself, "Why do you say that? When have I ever done anything inappropriate with anyone? Don't believe those groundless rumors."

Seeing her reaction, Meng Tingyue's lips curled up in a subtle arc. She tilted her head slightly and said meaningfully, "In this world, if you want others to know about something, then don't do it yourself. Now that my grandparents have arrived safely in Beijing, if they knew about this, given their unshakable old-fashioned ideas, they would definitely not agree to it."

Qiao Lige's expression became increasingly flustered and guilty, his eyes flickering, and he was obviously panicking.

Seeing this, Meng Tingyue decided to press the matter. "I've rarely seen my uncle so deeply in love with someone, and I can't bear to see him heartbroken because of you. If you can honestly tell me when your relationship with that person began, I might, out of consideration for your uncle's feelings, make a break and keep your secret."

Qiao Lige felt a mixture of emotions upon hearing this. After a fierce ideological struggle, she finally made up her mind and looked directly at Meng Tingyue with a sharp gaze: "You must swear to ensure that this time you are truly helping me, and not setting up a trap to trick me into revealing my true feelings."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tingyue didn't hesitate at all and immediately swore an oath, saying earnestly: "If I deliberately try to alienate you from your uncle, the Meng family will not live a peaceful life."

Hearing this, Qiao Lige finally felt relieved. She said softly, "I'm new here, and I'm completely unfamiliar with the Crown Prince's Mansion. I was deceived by Butler Zheng's sweet talk, and ended up doing something so absurd. In truth, he coerced me into doing this, and I never felt any willingness."

After saying this, she looked up at Meng Tingyue, her eyes full of earnestness. She was afraid that the Crown Princess would not believe her heartfelt words, so she reiterated it several times, her words full of urgency.

Meng Tingyue lowered her eyes slightly, and she understood something in her heart, and said to herself: It's just as expected.

"How can I easily believe your words?" There was a hint of consideration and scrutiny in her words.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lige hurriedly defended herself, "I have evidence to prove he forced me." Her voice trembled slightly, yet revealed her determination. "I have evidence to prove he forced me, and I also know that many girls in Beiyuan have suffered at his hands."

Meng Tingyue lowered her eyes slightly to hide the surprise that flashed across her eyes. She had never expected that this investigation would bring such an unexpected surprise.

"If you can truly prove Steward Zheng's actions beyond a reasonable doubt, I will certainly believe you. However, Steward Zheng is known to be cunning, ruthless, and vindictive. Aren't you afraid that if this matter is exposed, it will lead to his crazy revenge?"

Qiao Lige clearly understood the stakes involved. She swallowed hard and looked at Meng Tingyue with a determined gaze. "I'm certainly afraid, but compared to that, I long to spend my life with Brother Meng, forever."

"Brother Meng is the Crown Princess's closest uncle. I firmly believe that the Crown Princess will help me resolve this matter and protect Brother Meng."

Qiao Lige's face was full of confidence, and she obviously believed that Meng Tingyue cared very much about her uncle Meng Dongliang.

"I never expected that my uncle would have feelings for someone as scheming as you." Meng Tingyue's face suddenly turned cold, and a chill filled the air.

Seeing this, Qiao Lige felt more confident. "As long as you are willing to help me get through this, I will definitely speak well of you after Brother Meng and I have a happy marriage."

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue smiled faintly, "It's not difficult for me to help you, but I need solid evidence to prove what Butler Zheng did."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lige quickly nodded and agreed, "I'll return immediately, carefully sort out the evidence, and send it to you as soon as possible."

After Qiao Lige's figure disappeared through the door, the deliberately created displeasure on Meng Tingyue's face dissipated like morning mist.

She gently kneaded her cheeks, a wry smile playing on her lips, "Alas, playing hypocritical roles is really tiring."

Seeing this, Qingdian smiled gently and said softly, "But in the end, all this is what the Crown Princess wants."

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue nodded slightly, and the smile on her face became even brighter. "Yes, it's worth it for me to work so hard to play with her."

After she finished speaking, she turned her gaze to Qingdian, her expression serious, "Qingdian, send someone to secretly follow Qiao Lige and make sure she's safe. Don't let her make any mistakes."

Qingdian was curious, but didn't ask any further questions. She just replied, "The Crown Princess is worried..."

Meng Tingyue nodded slightly.