Chapter 134: Chapter 134

The Astronomical Bureau, the Crown Prince suspects someone has bribed him.

Otherwise, how could he predict that Jun Ning is a star of disaster, yet cannot distinguish the gender of the star?

It’s obvious he wants to use this to take Jun Ning’s life.

What a cunning Astronomical Bureau!

Hardworking for decades, but now he might end up with a tainted reputation.

"They can be stopped by the emperor and not kill me? Hmph, I don’t believe it," Jun Ning tilted her little head, disdainfully rebutting the Crown Prince’s words.

"If I’m lying, I’m a puppy," the Crown Prince coaxed like a child.

"A puppy?" Jun Ning teased, "Looking at you, so dignified, you don’t seem like a puppy at all? Why don’t you bark twice for me to hear? If it’s really a puppy’s bark, I’ll listen to you and go back with them."

Jun Ning was momentarily in high spirits, teasing the Crown Prince.

She purely found it amusing and didn’t think the Crown Prince would really listen to her and imitate a dog’s bark.

"You..." the Crown Prince said, "I’m the dignified Crown Prince, how can I imitate a dog?"

The Crown Prince’s reaction proved Jun Ning was right, and Jun Ning didn’t force him, saying, "If you won’t bark, then forget it."

Seeing this, the Crown Prince slapped his thigh, "You’re ruthless."

The next moment, "Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof..."

The sound of the Crown Prince imitating a dog bark echoed in the empty room and in Jun Ning’s ears.

The Crown Prince actually imitated a puppy’s bark?

Is there no escape for her? Does she really have to go back to the palace?

Emperor Yongning was handling memorials when he suddenly began to cough, feeling a metallic taste in his throat, hurriedly covering his mouth with a handkerchief.

He coughed for quite a while, feeling as if his lungs would come out. When he finally stopped, he saw two drops of blood on the clean handkerchief.

Too many worrying matters lately, with a huge stone weighing in his heart, his health was not good again.

Noticing Xiao Lizi approaching, he quickly put the handkerchief away, tiredly asking, "How is it? Has the princess been found?"

To find Jun Ning, Emperor Yongning personally supervised the dispatched people every day, unable to sleep at night, unable to eat during the day. He even refused to take the health-boosting medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, with only one thing on his mind - has she been found yet?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, no," Xiao Lizi cautiously reported, adding, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess Consort is here, waiting outside the Imperial Study Room, saying she has urgent matters to discuss."

"I won’t see her," Emperor Yongning refused. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁

Xiao Lizi urged, "Judging by the Crown Princess Consort’s appearance, she doesn’t seem to be lying. She might truly have an urgent matter, Your Majesty should see her."

Emperor Yongning pinched his eyebrows, saying, "What urgent matter could she have? It’s no more than the two children being sick, seeking the best imperial physician in the palace. Or perhaps it’s about the Crown Prince investigating the child disappearance case in the Imperial City, something went wrong, and needs my help."

"They’re not urgent matters; let them solve it themselves."

"Otherwise, always relying on me to step in, when will they be able to fully secure their positions as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort?"

Emperor Yongning not helping the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort was an expression of his high hopes for them.

People must learn to walk on their own to travel farther.

Xiao Lizi told the Crown Princess Consort these words unchanged, and after listening, the Crown Princess Consort argued that it wasn’t because of those matters, she had other things to discuss with His Majesty. But his Majesty still did not see her.

In the end, she had to give the letter that the Crown Prince urgently wrote last night to Xiao Lizi, requesting him to deliver it to Emperor Yongning as soon as possible.

"Please, Mr. Li, present this letter to His Majesty as soon as possible. The Crown Prince’s message to His Majesty is all written inside," the Crown Princess Consort instructed.

Xiao Lizi accepted the letter and sent the Crown Princess Consort away.

"Your Majesty, a letter from the Crown Prince for you."

Xiao Lizi went in and handed the letter to Emperor Yongning, who was busy with the recent memorials from ministers regarding the search for the princess, all mixed up and really had no time to read.

"Put it aside for now!"

Xiao Lizi had to place the letter in a conspicuous place, waiting for Emperor Yongning to have time to read it.

But Emperor Yongning never found the time.

Meanwhile at the inn.

The Crown Prince waited all day for Emperor Yongning to send someone to pick up Jun Ning, but no one came.

As the sky darkened, the black market was about to open, and he had to prepare to continue investigating the child disappearance case. Figuring out how to handle Jun Ning was a problem.

Should he hand her over to the Hidden Guards protecting him in the shadows?

He couldn’t help but wonder.

But he feared those Hidden Guards, always lurking in the shadows, wouldn’t show up unless it was a matter of life and death. Plus, their nature was utterly silent. If his sister got fussy, they might be exposed.

Exposure meant trouble.

After much thought, the Crown Prince ultimately abandoned the idea.

After finishing her meal, Jun Ning said, "Brother, why don’t you take me to the black market? Hmm?"

"You did promise me you would go back to the palace," the Crown Prince reminded.

"I did promise, but no one came to pick me up!" Jun Ning spread her hands helplessly, "Are you expecting me to walk back on my own?"

If she went back alone, the Imperial City was already unsafe, what if something happened?

"Brother, no one came for me today, but surely someone will come tomorrow," Jun Ning said, "Why don’t you take me to the black market today to gather information; we won’t do anything, there’ll be no trouble. When they come for me tomorrow, I’ll just go with them."

The Crown Prince, upon hearing this, gave Jun Ning a strange look.

This little girl, so clever and articulate, didn’t seem like a child just a little over two years old. Anyone who didn’t know better might think she was an adult!

She was more impressive than his Jing Shu. In the future, he should let Jing Shu play more with her, let her lead Jing Shu.

If Jing Shu had her lively nature, that would be great.

"Brother, why are you looking at me like that? Are you plotting something?"

Crown Prince: "......"

Could he not even hide such a minor plot?

This girl, what kind of genius is she, a reincarnated prodigy?

He must send her to the Imperial Study Room to study well, to serve Eastern Chu when she grows up.

In this short moment, Jun Ning’s future fate was already planned.

If Jun Ning knew about this, she would surely regret why she spoke so swiftly today.

The Crown Prince tapped Jun Ning’s forehead, "Alright, stop overthinking, if you want to come with me to the black market again, go change your clothes."

"Change to what clothes?" Jun Ning asked, "Stilt shoes? If I go with you, I won’t have to wear those, right? It’s really tiring."

"No stilt shoes, just change clothes, don’t wear this girls’ outfit anymore..."

Before the Crown Prince finished speaking, Jun Ning interjected, "If not girls’, then what, boys’ clothes?"

The Crown Prince smiled meaningfully, whispered a few instructions to the maid tasked with dressing Jun Ning, and the maid took Jun Ning to get dressed.

What kind of look would Jun Ning end up with?