Forced to be a third person: I turned around and left the palace to marry a villain

They tried to harm Xiaoxue many times. In order to protect her, my father had to send her to Changle Mountain and declared me as the heir.

After hearing Jiang Chen's story about the past, Xiaoxue finally understood why she was sent to Changle Mountain when she was three years old. All this was to protect her.

My elder brother had longed for freedom since he was young and didn't like the intrigues in the palace. Although my father knew what my elder brother was thinking, he still made him the heir and bound him to the palace.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxue's heart was filled with regret. If it weren't for her, her brother might have lived a carefree life long ago, without having to suffer the burden of the throne or go through so much hardship.

"Don't feel guilty. You would do the same if you were in her shoes." Jiang Chen saw the uneasiness in her heart, patted her shoulder gently and said with a smile.

In his opinion, nothing is more important than the safety of his family. After experiencing the misfortune of his parents, he is more than willing to do everything to protect his only sister.

Shangguan Jin looked at Jiang Chen's care for Xiaoxue, feeling both envious and a little jealous. He knew that if he wanted to win Jiang Chen's trust, he had to win Xiaoxue's favor first. So he asked, "What should we do now?"

Xiaoxue smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Shangguan Xi will naturally have a turnaround."

Shangguan Jin looked at her in confusion, not understanding the meaning of her words. Xiaoxue just smiled and signaled him to wait and see.

At this time, in the Fourth Prince's Mansion, Shangguan Xi was carried back because of punishment. Seeing his bruised appearance, Cao Zhiqing covered her mouth and nose, stepped back slightly, frowned, and showed a hint of disgust.

Alas, I heard that people who enter the Inner Court can rarely come out easily.

How come this person was released so quickly?

She originally planned to find an opportunity to get rid of him and make him disappear quietly in prison.

Unexpectedly, he came back before the plan was implemented.

There is no principal wife in the Fourth Prince's mansion. The one who makes the decision is Shangguan Xi, followed by the concubine Cao Zhiqing.

Although she didn't want to see Shangguan Xi come back alive, she still had to maintain superficial etiquette in front of so many palace guards and servants.

Especially after the Prince's Mansion established an image of tolerance, she could not reveal any flaws.

She took out some silver and gave it to the guards who escorted Shangguan Xi back, and ordered the servants to carry Shangguan Xi back to his room. Then, she left the mansion with only a personal maid, under the pretext of buying medicine for her injuries.

"Miss Si, the Fourth Prince's concubine is here."

In the young master's mansion, the prince and Jiang Chen had just gone out for something, and Cao Zhiqing arrived shortly after.

Jiang Xue stopped what she was doing, sorted out the herbs, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.

"That arrives so fast."

"Please go to the flower hall and sit for a while. I will change my clothes and come over."

After saying that, she went into the house to change her clothes, and when she reappeared, she had two exquisite medicine bottles in her hands.

"I wonder what brings you here, Concubine Cao?"

Jiang Xue sat calmly in the main seat and looked at Cao Zhiqing.

"I would like to ask Miss Si for a favor." Cao Zhiqing said.

"Excuse me, how can I help you, Concubine?" Jiang Xue asked gently.

Cao Zhiqing looked around, seeming a little hesitant, as if considering whether to speak.

After all, this matter is of great importance. If it were leaked and known by Shangguan Xi, her situation would be very dangerous.

"There are no outsiders here, Concubine, please speak freely."

Noticing her concerns, Jiang Xue comforted her softly.

"I would like to ask you to help me get rid of Shangguan Xi."

Cao Zhiqing finally mustered up the courage to say this.

Jiang Xue raised her eyebrows slightly, looking very surprised: "As the concubine of the Fourth Prince, you should understand the principle of the loss of lips and teeth. Regardless of whether I have the ability to do this, the risk of this matter alone is not something that ordinary people can afford."

"You don't want to?" Cao Zhiqing frowned.

Jiang Xue remained silent and just stared at her.

"You must help me!" Cao Zhiqing became anxious and stood up suddenly. She knew the strength of this woman!

She had seen with her own eyes how Jiang Xue had cleverly arranged things to put Shangguan Xi and her sister in trouble. As long as she was willing to take action, she could solve the problem of Shangguan Xi and get herself out of trouble.

"What if not?" Jiang Xue really wanted to know what reason Cao Zhiqing would use to convince her.

"I know that you were the one who did what happened to Shangguan Xi and Cao Zhilan! If you don't help me get rid of Shangguan Xi, I will tell the emperor!"

Jiang Xue sneered in her heart. After all, Cao Zhiqing was born out of wedlock and had limited vision. It was childish to threaten her with a fact that had already been settled.

In her previous life, she had experienced too many threats, all of which ended in misery. In this life, she hated threats. Originally, if Cao Zhiqing had asked for help, she might have been kind enough to help. But she chose the most annoying method.

In fact, getting rid of Shangguan Xi was also in her plan, because he had tried to harm her many times. But now was not the right time, and she had to keep him for the time being.

Cao Zhiqing was so impatient to make demands at such an inappropriate time, and even wanted to threaten her, so Jiang Xue could only regard her as another chess piece on the board.

"Even if I am willing to help you, dealing with the royal heir is no trivial matter. Does Concubine Cao have any specific plans?" Jiang Xue said slowly, already having a plan in mind.

"Plan?" Cao Zhiqing thought for a moment. "He has been beaten with twenty sticks by the Inner Court and is weak. It should be easy to attack him now."

"How do we do it specifically?" Jiang Xue leaned back slightly and leisurely picked up the teacup.

Cao Zhiqing was speechless for a moment, obviously not having thought about this issue carefully.

"Since you have come to me, Concubine, you should understand that I will not do things head-on. Although Shangguan Xi made a mistake, the emperor did not want his life, which shows that he is not easy to deal with.

Without a thorough plan, it would be difficult to kill him, let alone touch him. Moreover, after this incident, his defenses will only be stronger, and it will be even more difficult to trap him. Unless…"

Her fingers trembled slightly and her eyes inadvertently swept towards Cao Zhiqing.

"Unless what?" Cao Zhiqing asked anxiously, as if she had grasped a glimmer of hope.

"Unless we know Shangguan Xi's weakness."

In order to defeat an opponent, one must understand his strengths and weaknesses. Shangguan Xi must have held a grudge against her because of this incident, and once he regains his strength, he will definitely not let her go.

So before that, she had to find out his fatal weakness in order to take the initiative.

She kept Cao Zhiqing just to find out Shangguan Xi's flaws through her.

"Weakness?" Cao Zhiqing frowned. Apart from his occasional rude behavior, Shangguan Xi never discussed any important matters in front of her, and even did not allow her to approach the study, so she knew nothing about his weaknesses.

"Yes, weakness. If we really want to deal with Shangguan Xi, we must find out his weakness. Otherwise, if we make a mistake, we will lose everything. Even if you don't know his weakness, do you know his daily habits or hobbies?"

Jiang Xue repeatedly emphasized "we" in an attempt to make Cao Zhiqing feel that they were partners in the same boat and thus provide useful information.