Double Life: The Sickly Prince Eavesdrops on My Heart

Qianxun replied solemnly: "Yes, Miss, I understand. Even if it costs my life, I will definitely protect you."

Qin Ruhuan looked out the window, as if thinking about something. After a moment, she said, "Qianxun, pay more attention to the movements outside the palace these days. If there are any suspicious people approaching, report it immediately. The situation is tense now, and the slightest negligence may put us in a desperate situation."

Qianxun nodded and said, "Don't worry, young lady. I will act cautiously. But the matter of the assassination of the third prince will not be easily resolved. We still need to make plans early."

"The Third Prince has deep roots in the court and many followers. His followers will not let this assassination go. If we are not careful, they may find a handle on us and use it as an opportunity to attack us."

Qin Ruhuan slowly stood up, folded her hands over her chest, paced back and forth, and said, "The Third Prince is quite powerful in the court. His followers will not let this assassination attempt go. We need to find out their movements to prevent them from plotting against us."

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of birds singing outside the window. Qin Ruhuan looked at it alertly and said, "Qianxun, go and see if there is anything unusual outside. Don't take it lightly, be careful about any small things!"

Qianxun walked quickly to the window, observed carefully, and replied: "Miss, it's just a few flying birds, nothing unusual. But I will increase patrols to ensure your safety."

Qin Ruhuan nodded slightly, sat down again, rubbed her temples gently, and said, "You have worked hard these past few days, go down and have a rest, and report back anytime if there is any situation. Remember, you must be careful and cautious."

Qianxun bowed and said, "Miss, you should take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself." After that, she left the room.

The next morning.

Qianxun hurried to the palace and said in a panic, "Miss, it's bad! The Third Prince's men have found some clues and seem to be approaching us. They are coming in such a fierce manner, I'm afraid they have noticed something."

Qin Ruhuan stood up suddenly and said with a firm look in her eyes: "Don't panic, gather the people first and make preparations. Give orders to everyone to stay alert and not lose their composure. I want to see what they can do to me!"

The sunlight was somewhat dazzling at this time, but it could not dispel the tense and depressing atmosphere outside Prince Jing's Mansion.

A group of guards from the Third Prince's Mansion, led by a stern-looking general, arrived at the gate of Prince Jing's Mansion in a mighty and menacing manner.

The general was wearing armor, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and his tightly pursed lips revealed that he was serious.

The guards behind him were all holding gleaming weapons, their faces were tense and their expressions were highly alert.

The housekeeper of Prince Jing's mansion heard the noise and hurried out to greet them, with confusion and uneasiness on his face, and his forehead was instantly covered with fine beads of sweat.

He quickly bowed and said with an apologetic smile: "My fellow officials, this is probably a misunderstanding. My Jingwang Mansion has always been peaceful."

However, the general ignored the butler's explanation, waved his hand, and rushed straight into the mansion with his guards.

Qin Ruhuan's heart tightened at the commotion outside her mansion, but she quickly adjusted her emotions and remained elegant and calm.

The general stepped forward and bowed slightly, but could not hide the toughness in his tone: "Princess Jing, I am sorry to bother you."

Qin Ruhuan frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashed across her beautiful eyes, and said, "I wonder what you all mean by this? How can you rashly break into my Prince Jing's mansion like this? How disgraceful!"

The general stared at Qin Ruhuan and said in a low voice, "The third prince was assassinated recently. We were ordered to investigate. Someone said that a suspicious figure was seen nearby, and it was similar to the young lady's figure. So we had to come and investigate."

Qin Ruhuan snorted and raised her voice, "This is sheer nonsense. I am a weak woman who usually stays out of the house. How could I have the ability to assassinate the Third Prince? Could it be that someone deliberately framed me in order to stir up trouble?"

At this time, the general suddenly pulled out an exquisite hairpin from his bosom and said loudly: "We found this hairpin near the scene where the third prince was assassinated. Someone recognized it as Miss Qin's."

Qin Ruhuan was startled when she saw the hairpin, but she quickly calmed down and said, "There are many hairpins of the same style. Someone must have deliberately framed her."

The general sneered and said, "Miss Qin, please don't quibble. The pattern on this hairpin is consistent with the style of the jewelry you usually wear."

Qin Ruhuan responded calmly: "There are many similar hairpins. It is far-fetched to identify it as mine based on this alone."

Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, Chunhua, the maidservant beside Qin Ruhuan, suddenly said, "The princess' hairpin was lost when she left the palace the day before yesterday!"

The general turned his eyes to the maid and asked suspiciously, "You said you lost it, do you have any evidence?"

The maid bit her lip and said, "I remember there was a tiny scratch on this hairpin. I made it accidentally."

The general looked carefully and indeed found the scratch, and was hesitant for a moment.

Qin Ruhuan took the opportunity to say, "Sir, this must be a misunderstanding. I hope you can see clearly."

The general was silent for a moment, then looked at Qin Ruhuan carefully. Seeing that she looked calm and did not seem to be pretending, he hesitated a little and said, "Perhaps we made a mistake. We are sorry for the offense. I hope Miss Qin will not blame us." After that, he led his men away from Prince Jing's Mansion.

After saying this, he led his men out of the garden, but continued to monitor secretly outside Prince Jing's mansion.

After they left, Qin Ruhuan returned to the house with a serious look, followed by Qianxun and Feiye.

Qin Ruhuan sat on the chair with a frown on her face. She was the first to break the silence: "This hairpin incident is very strange. Someone must have done it on purpose."

Qianxun echoed, "Miss, this matter is obviously aimed at us. Although it has solved the problem temporarily, I am afraid there will be endless troubles in the future."

Fei Ye looked worried: "If the people from the Third Prince's Mansion delve deeper, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with."

Qin Ruhuan bit her lip and thought for a moment before saying, "Qianxun, quickly find out how this hairpin fell into their hands and whether someone is behind it. Feiye, arrange for people to strengthen the defense of the mansion to prevent them from attacking again."

Chihiro and Feiye responded in unison, "Yes, Miss!"

Qin Ruhuan's eyes were firm: "No matter who is behind this, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must find a way to break the impasse before they find more so-called 'evidence'."

Qianxun frowned: "Miss, could there be a traitor in the mansion?"

Qin Ruhuan's eyes were stern. "It's possible. We need to investigate this matter secretly. We must not alert the enemy."

Fei Ye said: "Don't worry, Miss, I will act carefully."

The few of them discussed countermeasures for a while before dispersing to prepare for the coming storm.