Chen Jishi was naturally romantic and licentious. In total, he had more than a hundred sons and daughters among the princes and princesses.
The Crown Prince, Chen Zeyou, was the eldest among all the princes and princesses.
In the feudal era, great importance was placed on birth order. Chen Zeyou’s birth mother was the Empress, so shortly after he was born, he was established as the heir apparent.
As the first child, Chen Jishi, who was a new father at the time, showed particular fondness for the Crown Prince and gave him whatever he wanted.
Chen Zeyou once used the imperial seal to crack walnuts, and Chen Jishi did not stop him.
It was precisely this kind of indulgence that caused Chen Zeyou to become increasingly arrogant and domineering.
Teasing eunuchs was one thing, but by the age of twelve he had already begun to bully and assault palace maids.
It must be remembered that the palace maids in the rear palace were the Emperor’s exclusive property. Even the Crown Prince was not permitted to touch them.
When the Empress discovered this, she immediately found a pretext to execute that palace maid and also issued a stern warning to Chen Zeyou.
However, Chen Zeyou had tasted the forbidden fruit. Although he promised remorse on the surface, he soon relapsed into his old habits, and the incidents became more frequent, involving an ever-growing number of palace maids.
The Empress had no choice but to cover up the matter as best she could.
In the end, paper cannot contain fire. Chen Jishi eventually found out and flew into a rage, banishing the Crown Prince directly to the Eastern Palace.
After moving to the Eastern Palace, Chen Zeyou began to associate with dissolute young men like Xue Henglu, becoming even more unrestrained. In those early years, he ruined the lives of countless young women, until the incident at the brothel finally forced him to quiet down for a while.
It was not that he had reformed his character. Rather, the affair turned him into the laughingstock of the entire capital. He learned his lesson and thereafter became far more vicious and secretive in his actions.
Although the Ninth Princess had not yet found concrete evidence linking the Prince to the events in Xichuan, such matters do not always require proof. Her mere suspicion was enough.
Therefore, the Ninth Princess felt no goodwill towards the Crown Prince.
Ignoring his sarcastic remarks, she calmly lifted the hem of her skirt, stepped onto the wooden stool, and climbed into the carriage.
Qiner raised the curtain. Just before the Ninth Princess entered the carriage cabin, she suddenly turned her head to look at the Crown Prince. “Chen Zeyou, regarding the matter in Xichuan, this palace advises you to restrain yourself. Otherwise, you will regret it.”
“Chen Wen’er, are you threatening this prince?” the Crown Prince asked with a cold face.
“You may interpret it that way,” the Ninth Princess replied calmly.
For many years the Crown Prince had been suppressed by the Ninth Princess. Now that she had finally fallen from grace, he had come specifically to gloat over her misfortune.
Yet the Ninth Princess remained far too composed, showing none of the dejection expected of someone defeated.
This greatly disappointed the Crown Prince.
If it had ended there, perhaps he could have let it go. But the Ninth Princess had threatened him.
This ignited an inexplicable fury within him. Pointing at the Ninth Princess, he shouted, “Chen Wen’er, you threw yourself at Tubo and even they rejected you. Now you cannot even enter the imperial palace. On what grounds do you threaten this prince?”
“I had thought you had made some progress in the past two years, yet you still lack any composure. A few casual words are enough to make you explode with anger.”
The Ninth Princess shook her head with a bitter smile. “If Great Kang were handed over to you, I fear the dynasty would truly perish.”
“Chen Wen’er, you dare to curse Great Kang!”
The Crown Prince jumped up and down in rage, cursing, “Just wait for this prince. This prince will go to the Clan Mansion right now!”
“At a time like this, you still act like a child running to tattle.”
The Ninth Princess had completely lost any interest in conversing with the Crown Prince. With a sneer, she ducked into the carriage.
As the carriage began to leave, the Ninth Princess still lifted the curtain, looked at the Crown Prince, and sighed. “Chen Zeyou, if you do not wish to see Great Kang torn apart, it would be best to calm down and stop causing trouble, especially in Xichuan.”
With that, she dropped the curtain and departed.
A fierce glint flashed in the Crown Prince’s eyes, yet his brows remained tightly furrowed.
The Ninth Princess always acted decisively and swiftly, but her speech was usually restrained. A situation like today, where she openly threatened the Crown Prince, had never occurred before.
This time, she was truly worried that the Crown Prince had gone too far and might provoke Jin Feng’s anger, so she spoke a few extra words.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince felt no gratitude and did not take the minor baron Jin Feng seriously at all.
He curled his lip in the direction the Ninth Princess’s carriage had gone and muttered, “A homeless stray dog still dares to threaten me. Is it not simply because she wants to protect Qing Xinyao? How could this prince let you succeed?”
The Ninth Princess and the Qing family had always supported the Third Prince. The Crown Prince’s cooperation with powerful nobles was precisely aimed at dealing with Qing Xinyao.
Inside the carriage, the Ninth Princess gathered her thoughts and spoke to Qiner outside. “Qiner, go to Third Brother’s residence. Then send someone back to inform Captain Qin to make preparations. Once I finish discussing matters with Third Brother, we will immediately leave the capital and head to Jinchuan!”
“Your Highness, it will soon be dark. Why not depart tomorrow?” Qiner asked.
“There is no time,” the Ninth Princess shook her head. “We must reach Jinchuan before Sir returns. Otherwise, a great disaster will occur!”
“Yes!” Qiner agreed and immediately sent someone to make arrangements.
That same afternoon, the Ninth Princess held a long discussion with the Third Prince.
After the meeting concluded, she did not even return to the princess residence. Before the city gates closed, she led Qiner, Qin Ming, and the others to swiftly depart the capital.
Just as when she had arrived, the Ninth Princess did not ride in a carriage. Instead, she travelled on horseback alongside Qiner, Qin Ming, and the rest, moving at the fastest possible speed.
They continued until the sky was completely dark and the road could no longer be seen clearly. Only then did they stop to set up camp.
“I only hope there is still time.”
The Ninth Princess looked up at the bright moon and silently prayed in her heart.
By now, Jin Feng had already reached the territory of Ebei, several hundred li closer to Jinchuan than the capital.
The Ninth Princess was deeply worried that she might not arrive in time.
Fortunately, Ebei was mountainous, while the Central Plains had flat roads. She could enter Guanzhong directly, then follow the Jialing River downstream, allowing her to travel faster than Jin Feng.
“I wonder what Sir is doing at this moment.”
Thinking of Jin Feng, the Ninth Princess involuntarily turned her gaze towards the southwest.
Unfortunately, she had no clairvoyance. She could not see Jin Feng, who was a thousand li away. She saw only the hazy night.
A thousand li away, Jin Feng was also standing outside his tent, gazing at the bright moon.
However, he was not thinking of the Ninth Princess. Instead, he was worrying about Jinchuan.
“Husband, dinner is ready!”
Tang Xiaobei came over carrying a tray.
Jin Feng collected his thoughts and helped Tang Xiaobei lift the tent flap.
They were travelling in haste under limited conditions. Inside the tent, apart from bedding, there was only a small foldable wooden table and two small stools.
Tang Xiaobei placed the tray on the table. The husband and wife sat facing each other.
Jin Feng noticed that Tang Xiaobei kept staring at him. He placed a piece of meat in her bowl and smiled. “You are not eating. Why do you keep looking at me? Can staring at me fill your stomach?”
“Husband, you now have more than ten thousand little concubines. I must look carefully. Otherwise, once we return to the village, I may not get the chance to see them easily.”
Tang Xiaobei giggled. “They say the silent ones accomplish great things. Sister Xiaorou is truly bold.”
“She is simply making a mess!”
Jin Feng sighed helplessly. “Is this not ruining the young lady’s reputation? How will she ever marry in the future?”
“She has already married you. What other man would she marry?”
“More than ten thousand concubines. Even if I sleep with one each day, it would take decades!”
“Then sleep with several each day.” Tang Xiaobei raised an eyebrow and teased, “In any case, once married to you, she becomes part of the Jin family and cannot marry anyone else!”
“Xiaorou is being ridiculous, and you are joining in the nonsense!”
