The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

The hall was eerily quiet; everyone's expression was frozen, yet each one held a deeper meaning.

The Empress Dowager realized her mistake after speaking, feeling that many eyes were staring at her, making her very uncomfortable. She then subconsciously looked at Prince Qing, whose face was also dark and inscrutable, but certainly unpleasant.

Hmm, not bad. Jing Anle was barely satisfied with the situation. In order to clear Qi Zhi of suspicion and protect Prince Qing, the Empress Dowager had now caused Prince Qing to lose face so badly. Even if they didn't fall out, it was still a knot in their hearts.

"Princess Rou has arrived!" The palace maid's sharp, hoarse voice broke the silence.

Jing Anle looked outside and saw a woman wearing a purple fox fur coat standing at the plain white palace gate.

Just in time!

Jing Anle spoke up, "Father, Princess Rou is in poor health. We mustn't let her wait outside for too long; it wouldn't be good if she harmed herself."

The girl's gentle voice brought everyone back to their senses, and it seemed as if peace had been restored.

"Send it here!" Emperor Jing's voice was deep.

The Empress Dowager's expression was not good at this moment. She kept stroking the carved gold bracelet on her left wrist with her right hand, while glancing at Prince Qing out of the corner of her eye. What should she do? In her anxiety, she did not expect to bring up the fact that Jing Rou was pregnant.

Will Prince Qing blame her? The Empress Dowager felt a little worried, but she quickly reassured herself. No, he wouldn't. She had supported Prince Qing for many years, how could he be brought down by something like this? He certainly wouldn't.

Before long, Jing Rou appeared in front of the main hall. Her skin was as white as snow, and she was a beautiful woman even without makeup. Because she had fainted, she looked even more delicate and pitiful.

Unfortunately, no one was in the mood to appreciate her beauty at that moment.

"Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, this humble woman pays her respects." Jing Rou was unaware that the Empress Dowager had already revealed her pregnancy. She had come here to see Qi Zhi, who was already somewhat suspicious of her. Now that Qi Zhi was in trouble, she thought this was a good opportunity to speak a few words for him and ask Prince Qing for help. She believed that Qi Zhi would be extremely grateful to her, and all the grudges would be resolved.

Unfortunately, she was being too optimistic.

Jing Rou looked up and found that the Empress Dowager, who was usually kind and gentle to her, had a strange expression. She was taken aback for a moment, and then unconsciously looked at Prince Qing. Of course, Prince Qing's face was also cold.

She then realized that the atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat subtle.

"Rou'er!" Jing Rou was about to speak up to plead for Qi Zhi when Prince Qing interrupted her.

"You're not fully recovered yet, so it's best not to stay here in the wind. You should go back and rest."

Seeing the look that Prince Qing gave her, Jing Rou was a little confused. She also sensed the strange atmosphere around her. She didn't dare to bring up Qi Zhi's matter. Just as she was about to agree, Emperor Jing interrupted her.

"Is the princess feeling any better?" Emperor Jing's question indirectly blocked Jing Rou's way back.

Since she was able to come here to pay her respects, she must not be too weak. Jing Rou could only say, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am much better now."

For some reason, Jing Rou felt uneasy.

“Father, since the princess is much better now, why don’t we ask her opinion on this matter?” Jing Anle suddenly spoke up.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Empress Dowager's eyes shot towards her like knives.

What? She misspoke. Didn't you make a big fuss about Jingrou being pregnant and that it couldn't be delayed?

Jing Anle didn't tolerate her at all, pretending not to see anything, and continued calmly, "Father, the princess and I are both women, so we naturally understand the difficulties of being a woman."

As she spoke, her brows furrowed slightly, seemingly revealing a genuine sense of worry.

"Grandmother, I was too rash in my words earlier. Please forgive me," Jing Anle said, then turned to look at the Empress Dowager.

“Grandmother’s words are reasonable. We cannot be careless about the princess’s life-long affairs, nor can we make rash decisions on matters of state. Since the princess has already entered the palace, rather than arguing with her, we should let her make the choice.”

These words left Jing Rou completely bewildered.

"What choice?" Jing Rou was bewildered.

"Nonsense!" The Empress Dowager was so angry that her temples throbbed.

"Rou'er is a noble lady; how can a young woman discuss her own marriage?"

The Empress Dowager would certainly not let Jing Rou fall into the trap, so she could only direct her attacks at Jing Anle.

"This old minister thinks the princess has some merit," the Prime Minister of Chu said quietly after listening for a long time.

"Is Prime Minister Pei going to join in Anle's nonsense?" The Empress Dowager felt her headache getting even worse.

Prime Minister Pei stepped forward and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, what the princess said is not nonsense. In the current situation, the affairs of the country should be the priority. Although the princess is engaged to Crown Prince Qi, she is a member of the royal family of Jing Kingdom. Her words and actions represent the royal family. If there is any discord between Jing Kingdom and Qi Kingdom, the princess should not be caught in the middle and put in a difficult position.”

Prime Minister Pei was indeed a veteran minister; he spoke very frankly, which made the Empress Dowager's throat hurt.

"That's utter nonsense!" The Empress Dowager was very unconvinced. "Now..." She glanced at Jing Rou's belly. The die was cast, and Jing Rou's only way out was to marry Qi Zhi.

"Grandmother, what are you talking about?" Jing Rou asked anxiously. She was only concerned about whether she could marry Qi Zhi smoothly, but now she understood what was going on. However, she still had to put on a show. Jing Rou said, "I am willing to do anything for the sake of Jing Kingdom, even if it means sacrificing my life!"

Tsk tsk, that sounds so nice. Jing Anle almost laughed out loud. She tried to suppress her laughter and frowned, saying, "Princess, now that Crown Prince Qi is to be sent back to Qi Kingdom, you not only have a marriage agreement... but also..."

Jing Anle didn't say what she was going to say next; she just stared at her stomach, hesitant to speak.

Everyone knew what she meant. She was carrying the child of Qi State, and now she only had two paths: either she would go back to Qi State with Qi Zhi, but given the current situation between the two countries, Jing State would not offer her any assistance and might even sever ties with her, or she would have an abortion, remain in Jing State, and become a laughingstock.

Two paths, each fraught with difficulty.

A flicker of panic crossed Jing Rou's eyes. Her right hand instinctively reached for her stomach. With her intelligence, she immediately realized that if Jing Anle dared to say such a thing in public, it meant that they already knew about it.

Jing Rou's face turned deathly pale instantly. Her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground. This time, she wasn't faking it; it was Lin Fei who reacted quickly and helped her up.

Everyone around her fell silent, their eyes all fixed on her, awaiting her answer. Jing Rou's mind went blank; she had never imagined she would find herself in such a desperate situation.

She subconsciously looked at Prince Qing, who naturally hoped that Jingrou would marry Qi Zhi, so he said, "Your Majesty, Mother, things have happened so suddenly, may I have some time to think it over?"

Jing Anle's eyes turned cold. Trying to stall for time? No way.