Xiao Quan knew that if he did not intervene today, her only outcome would clearly be death. Since she had just helped him bandage his wound, it was no trouble to return the favor.
Seeing that the man still said nothing, Qiao Rongjin panicked—she was truly panicking now.
“Sir, please…” She stepped forward urgently, almost pleading again. Right now, he was her only hope.
At the same time, she kept glancing at the door, terrified it would suddenly open.
Looking at the woman’s near-desperate expression, Xiao Quan calmly observed her pitiful state for a moment before finally speaking.
“Fine.”
“Huh?”
Qiao Rongjin froze for a second, then immediately understood what he meant. Overcome with gratitude, she bowed deeply at ninety degrees.
“Thank you, sir, for saving my life! Don’t worry, I saw nothing today and heard nothing!”
“Remember what you said,” Xiao Quan replied, glancing at her bow.
Then, in a flash, he grabbed the unconscious “adulterer” and leapt out through the window. His speed was astonishing—he vanished in an instant.
Qiao Rongjin rushed to the window, confirmed he was truly gone, and let out a huge sigh of relief.
Then she quickly—at her fastest speed in her life—straightened her clothes, applied makeup to hide the marks on her neck, and forced herself to ignore the lingering blood smell.
“Bang! Bang!”
The door was violently kicked open from outside.
At the same time, a delicate cry of pain came from inside the room.
“Ouch! It hurts!”
People inside and outside the door stared at each other in silence. The atmosphere froze.
Inside the room, Qiao Rongjin was slumped on the floor, looking disheveled with blood on her forehead. Her expression was dazed and frightened as she looked toward the people at the door—then her gaze locked onto the cold, imposing man at the front.
She immediately recognized him as the Rui Prince, the male lead.
To save her life, she instantly decided to act according to the original owner’s “deeply in love” persona. After all, a man would always feel at least a bit of pity toward a woman who loved him—as long as she did not cross his bottom line. And in this case, Chen’s mother and son were his bottom line.
Having decided her path, she immediately entered character.
“Your Highness, you’ve finally come to see me? I was wrong—I won’t be jealous anymore. Why have you brought so many people today?” she said, perfectly portraying joy, love, and confusion.
The door was wide open; everything in the room could be seen clearly at a glance.
Aside from Qiao Rongjin sitting on the ground, there was nothing else.
Seeing this, the Rui Prince ignored her and turned his cold gaze to the side consort. The meaning was obvious: where is the adulterer?
The Princess Consort also looked at the side consort coldly.
The one who stirred up this matter today was the side consort. Recently, the women in the inner courtyard had been making frequent moves. Both she and the prince were well aware of it. She now understood why the Rui Prince had been angered by Qiao Shi.
Thinking of this, the Princess Consort’s jealousy and anger grew like vines, rapidly spreading.
She had not expected that the prince, who had never taken women to heart, would actually develop feelings for the ordinary Chen Shi. The prince could favor any woman—but he must not become emotionally attached. That was something she could not tolerate, as it threatened her and her children’s position.
Qiao Shi was not her real enemy. The one the prince cared about—Chen Shi—was. The Princess Consort understood this clearly, which was why she did not personally participate in framing Qiao Shi.
After all, Qiao Shi had already fallen from favor; any of the women in the courtyard could easily kill her. There was no need for her to dirty her own hands.
She only came today to go through the motions. She did not expect an accident—and now it seemed the side consort had failed miserably.
The side consort, feeling the prince’s cold gaze, felt her scalp tighten. Impossible—how could there be no man in the room? She had clearly had him thrown in there, and he had even been drugged. There was no way Qiao Shi could have hidden a full-grown man. He couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.
That adulterer must still be inside—she must have hidden him!
“Your Highness, why not search Miss Qiao’s room? After all, such matters cannot always be done in the open. Perhaps he is hidden inside,” the side consort forced herself to remain calm.
The women behind her exchanged glances, sensing the tension. It was clear the side consort was determined to destroy Qiao Shi today.
Truthfully, Qiao Shi deserved it. No one wanted a woman as beautiful as her competing for favor. Though she was foolish, her beauty alone made her a threat. Her family background was also above average among the women in the prince’s household—and she even had a son.
The side consort then ordered, “You two, go search.”
Her maid Mo Qin and another maid immediately entered the room and began searching thoroughly—even under the bed and inside the cabinets.
Qiao Rongjin recognized one of them: Qingyue, her personal maid. She had never expected her own maid to betray her.
After a brief moment of shock, she quickly refocused—she was still acting.
“Stop! Who gave you permission to touch my things? Side Consort, what do you mean by this? What hidden man are you talking about?” she shouted angrily.
Her original personality was arrogant and domineering, so her reaction was completely natural.
While the two maids continued searching, she carefully maintained her expression, watching for any further tricks.
“Your Highness! Are you just going to let the side consort humiliate me like this?” she cried bitterly, her eyes red as she looked at the cold man before her.
Her face was exquisite, and even in disarray, she looked heartbreakingly pitiful.
But this did not include the Rui Prince or the women of the inner courtyard.
Seeing her tearful eyes, the Rui Prince showed a flicker of surprise. Qiao Shi had always been arrogant and never showed weakness. This was the first time he had seen her so fragile—and it did not seem like an act.
However, thinking of her past actions, his expression quickly turned cold again.
He had already lost patience with her after she repeatedly harmed Chen Shi and her child. At this point, he had completely seen through her.
If she truly had no wrongdoing, he would not wrong her. But if she was caught red-handed, there would be no saving her.
He glanced at the side consort, his gaze slightly cold. Even though he disliked Qiao Shi, she was still the mother of his son. He would not allow her to be falsely accused.
Of course, if they truly found evidence on the spot, there would be no defense.
After the two maids searched for a long time without finding anything, everyone realized the side consort had miscalculated. They looked at Qiao Rongjin in surprise—unexpectedly, she had escaped this trap.
The two maids grew increasingly panicked.
There was no one else in the room besides Qiao Shi. How was this possible? They had personally helped arrange the plan, and the man they brought in—where had he gone?
They exchanged alarmed glances, preparing for the next step of their scheme.
In the inner courtyard, survival meant everything. If they failed today, not only would the side consort suffer punishment, but they themselves might be killed on the spot.