Upon hearing the words "Crown Princess," Hai Ling's face grew even uglier. If the royal family hadn't used her as a pawn, she would still be the unnoticed Jiang Hai Ling, living a carefree life. But because of their meticulous scheming, she had become a fish on the chopping block, at their mercy. How could she possibly have a good face towards these culprits?
So Hailing immediately snapped: "Alright, stop calling me Crown Princess. I don't have that kind of luck. You should all go back and tell your Crown Prince that I thanked him for his kindness. If he really cares about me, he should ask him to withdraw this decree of marriage. Hailing believes that she is not worthy of His Highness the Crown Prince's noble and majestic body."
After Hai Ling finished speaking, everyone in the hall was stunned. Although everyone thought that the Crown Princess was not good enough for His Highness the Crown Prince, they all thought that she would be overjoyed if the Crown Prince married the third young lady of the Jiang family. No one expected that this woman did not want to marry the Crown Prince at all.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, but heard it from someone else, they would probably have laughed it off. But now that they had heard it with their own ears, they couldn't laugh, and they knew that the Crown Princess really didn't want to marry the Crown Prince.
However, Agu and the others were acting under orders. Regardless of whether the Crown Princess was willing or not, her status could only be that of the Crown Princess, because it was an imperial decree issued by the Emperor.
Agu was the first to kneel down, and everyone around him knelt down as well.
Originally, as people of the Crown Prince's residence, they were somewhat arrogant, but after Hai Ling's stern command, they subconsciously dared not think any further.
If the Crown Princess doesn't keep them here today, they will only face death if they go back.
"Please, Your Highness, do not make things difficult for us. We have no choice but to obey the Crown Prince's orders. If Your Highness does not spare us, we will have no choice but to die."
Agu reported calmly and methodically.
The servants from the Crown Prince's residence beside him cried out in unison, "Please, Your Highness, leave us here."
Chapter 029: Disgusted with Marriage
Hai Ling was speechless. She looked at the people kneeling down and scanned their faces one by one. It was not hard to see that they were really terrified. It seemed that if she said no, they would lose their lives.
Seeing them, Hailing thought of the dozen or so people Jiang Batian had executed last night, and her heart sank slightly. In ancient times, the lives of these servants were as insignificant as ants. As long as they disobeyed their masters' orders, they would lose their heads in the next moment. As a doctor, she could not bear to watch these people be executed, especially since they had not done anything to wrong her. With this thought in mind, Hailing spoke in a deep voice.
"You can stay if you want, but you'd better not cause me any trouble. If I find you here and you do something inappropriate, then I won't care whether you live or die."
As soon as Hai Ling finished speaking, those people finally breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed with gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Crown Princess, thank you, Crown Princess."
The previous feeling of looking down on Hailing was gone. Now, she was cautious. This Crown Princess was no ordinary person. Although she was slightly less beautiful, she was very capable.
"May I have your name?"
Hai Ling pointed at A Gu and asked coldly. She could tell that this person must be an important figure. The people around him were all watching his actions, which showed that he was an important person in the Crown Prince's residence.
Upon hearing this, Agu hurriedly replied respectfully, "My name is Agu, and I am responsible for protecting the Crown Princess's safety."
"Agu, remember this: since your Crown Prince has sent you to protect me, I don't care what other motives you may have, but you'd better not cause me any trouble. If you do, you'd better get back to the Crown Prince's residence immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will remember the Crown Princess's lesson."
Agu was a well-trained subordinate who enjoyed the Crown Prince's deep trust. Since the Crown Prince had ordered him to protect Hailing, he would not allow Hailing to get hurt.
"Well, also, you guards should keep your distance. It's best if I don't see you. Seeing you will annoy me."
The thought of the Crown Prince's men loitering around them made it hard for her to eat.
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
Agu responded and led several guards away.
Inside the main hall, Hailing instructed Yanzhi to lead the people from the Crown Prince's residence out and make proper arrangements. Qinfang Courtyard was now well-stocked with servants, maids, old women, and even cooks.
Rouge led the people out, and the hall quickly quieted down.
Han Liang from the General's Mansion was still standing there, not knowing what to say. Originally, the General had asked him to send some people over to Qin Fang Courtyard, but he didn't expect that last night's events had alarmed the Crown Prince, who had personally sent people over. So there was nothing left for the General's Mansion to do. Moreover, the Crown Prince had even sent out this guard, Agu. Agu was the Crown Prince's personal guard, a fact known to everyone in the capital.
Now there's no need to worry about the Third Miss's safety. Since Agu is acting on orders, he will never allow anyone to harm the Third Miss's life.
"Since the Crown Prince's residence has sent people to serve the Third Miss and the Fourth Madam, then this servant will go and report to the General."
"Alright, please pass on a message, Butler Han."
Hai Ling's face was all smiles, all her previous annoyance towards the people from the Crown Prince's residence had vanished, and now she was all smiles, but her eyes were as cold as ice.
Han Liang dared not look directly at her, feeling a chill in his heart; the Third Miss was truly different from before.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but even someone as shrewd as him dared not look her in the eye, which showed how formidable she was.
"Please give your instructions, Miss Third."
“Tell Daddy that he is a good daddy.”
The last two words were pronounced with particular emphasis, like a thousand pounds weighing down, as if a blunt instrument was grinding against a person's heart, causing a suffocating feeling, making it hard to breathe.
Han Liang was a man of quick wit. Upon hearing the Third Miss's words, his face darkened. Could it be about what happened last night?
He dared not think further. If that were true, the general's heart must be filled with hatred. Even tigers don't eat their cubs. No matter how bad the Third Miss was, she was still his daughter. How could he be so cruel as to kill her? However, this was a matter for his masters, and he had no power to interfere. He thought to himself and replied, "Yes, this servant will certainly convey this message to the general."
After Han Liang finished speaking, he led his men out.
Outside the door, Rouge walked in and respectfully reported, "Miss, the arrangements have been made."
"Okay, keep an eye on them."
Actually, Hai Ling wasn't worried about the people in the Crown Prince's residence, because so far, the Crown Prince wouldn't harm her. She, as a pawn, hadn't even played her role yet, so how could he allow anyone to hurt her? Therefore, using these people was the safest option for now, but she still had to be careful.
"Yes, I understand."
Rouge nodded, looked up and saw the troubled expressions on the faces of her young lady and madam, and couldn't help but comfort them: "Young lady and madam, please relax. The Crown Prince's mansion has sent people over, so it's impossible for us to leave. But if others want to hurt us, it won't be easy either, so there's no danger to our lives for now."
Hailing and Du Caiyue knew that Yanzhi was right; their lives were safe for the moment, so they weren't worried anymore. There was always a way out.
But Du Caiyue wondered, was Ling'er really going to marry into the Crown Prince's mansion?
I've heard that the Crown Prince's residence is filled with beauties, each with powerful backers, and they are the daughters of many prominent officials in the court.