Chapter 18: This Plot Should Be Over!
Zhongli Zhengzhen couldn’t forcibly detain Gan Qiongying and was thoroughly infuriated by her words. As Gan Qiongying’s carriage drove away, she gestured behind her, and two of her subordinates immediately stepped forward.
“Has Lihua returned to his own residence?” Zhongli Zhengzhen, having failed to settle the matter, was in a foul mood.
One of the two subordinates stepped forward, footsteps so light they were almost inaudible—clearly a martial arts expert.
He was Zhongli Zhengzhen’s most trusted subordinate, named Song Ci.
Song Ci replied softly, “Your Highness, he has already returned to the Consort’s residence.”
Zhongli Zhengzhen glared darkly in the direction Gan Qiongying had left and said to Song Ci, “Princess Duanrong’s behavior is unusual. Follow her personally and make sure to find out what’s really going on.”
“Yes!” Song Ci wore a mask covering half his face, making his features indiscernible. Only his pale lips were visible, and the exposed skin and hair were ghostly white.
He swiftly took off, his movements even more agile than those of Gan Qiongying’s two shadow guards.
Meanwhile, Gan Qiongying, now satisfied after reclaiming the priceless pendant, leaned contentedly inside her carriage, turning the jade ring over and over in her hands.
It was smooth, translucent, and warm to the touch—truly a fine piece.
But she hadn’t forgotten her main task. To avoid suffering later, she had to follow tonight’s plotline.
So she asked Silver Moon, “Where is Princess Xue’e’s carriage?”
“Right behind us,” Silver Moon replied. “Following from a distance, with unclear intentions. She only has her personal attendants with her.”
“Princess,” Silver Moon recalled Gan Qiongying’s past behavior and guessed her intentions, “should we intercept them and give them a warning?”
Gan Qiongying smiled at her new “little lackey” and said mysteriously, “A mere verbal warning won’t teach her a lesson. She’s still full of resentment.”
“If she wants to steal a man from me, she’d better have the life to do it!”
Gan Qiongying perfectly imitated Princess Duanrong’s arrogant and unrestrained demeanor. “Today, let’s have some fun with something more thrilling.”
She then beckoned Silver Moon closer, leaning in to whisper instructions with an air of secrecy.
Silver Moon’s eyes widened, seemingly disapproving, but Gan Qiongying, with a crazed expression, caressed the jade pendant and said, “The Third Prince has already softened toward me. Only this way will he not suspect I’m deliberately targeting Wen Xueling. Just do as I say!”
The Huishui River ran through Yindu, encircling the city. To meet Zhongli Zhengzhen, Gan Qiongying had to cross several bridges.
Some were stone bridges, others wooden.
Although the heartache from earlier hadn’t fully subsided, this was Gan Qiongying’s first outing since her transmigration, and she found everything fascinating. Through the gaps in the carriage’s soft curtains, she had been watching the scenery along the way.
She remembered a wooden bridge, located just before entering the main city area. Its railings were low, and the Huishui River at this point could no longer be called a river—it was more like a canal.
For the safety of the city’s residents, the channel had been deliberately narrowed and its bottom raised.
It was only waist-deep.
Soon, Wen Xueling’s carriage, following from a distance, noticed that Princess Duanrong’s carriage was slowing down and had even come to a stop.
A servant asked Wen Xueling, “Princess, Princess Duanrong has stopped. Should we take a detour?”
Wen Xueling bit her lip, her expression also unwell. She recalled how, from a distance earlier, she had seen Zhongli Zhengzhen—who had always been cold and dismissive toward Duan Rong—acting intimately with her.
Wen Xueling deeply despised Duan Rong’s seductive and coquettish behavior, believing that a woman should not be so unrestrained and wanton. She had always avoided confronting her directly, but that didn’t mean she, the esteemed Princess of Jingxi, truly feared a princess whose status was neither legitimate nor proper!
Her father’s letter had advised her to avoid clashing with Duan Rong, and Wen Xueling had always heeded such advice. But tonight, the thought of how the Jinchuan Zhizi had behaved toward Duan Rong troubled her.
So she said, “Ignore them. Let’s go on our way. No matter how influential or wicked Duan Rong may be, could she possibly block my carriage or take my life?”
Thus, Wen Xueling’s carriage slowly overtook Gan Qiongying’s carriage, and then—after they had ascended the wooden bridge—Gan Qiongying’s horse suddenly panicked.
The carriage, now out of control, swiftly crashed into Wen Xueling’s carriage.
With a loud “bang,” the horse pulling Wen Xueling’s carriage also panicked.
The railing by the river, long neglected and in disrepair, gave way under the violent collision. Both horses, nostrils flaring in terror, pulled their carriages one after another into the river.
Two successive “thuds” as they fell into the water startled the frogs in the river at night.
Amidst their croaking cries, urgent shouts for help from both sides soon followed.
Although Gan Qiongying had prepared for this, the sudden plunge into the water still left her startled.
But she quickly laughed, because the water was shallow, and the attendants on both sides were all highly skilled—there was no real danger to anyone’s life.
Even the horses were fine, having merely swallowed a bit of water.
The waterline had just risen above the carriage. Aside from the slight chill, the faint, lingering pain in her chest had vanished.
This part of the plot must have passed!
She really was clever!
This way, the plot where Princess Duanrong, out of malicious jealousy, pushed Princess Xue’e, Wen Xueling, into the water—had now become Princess Duanrong’s carriage panicking and accidentally dragging Princess Xue’e’s carriage into the river!
While the plot couldn’t be avoided, it could be altered, leaving plenty of room for manipulation!
She could “follow the plot” in a different way. No longer would she have to worry about meeting a tragic end like in the original story!