This incident happened a long time ago, before Ji Hanyue died. It can even be said that it was the cause of the conflict between Ji Youran and Pei Luoan.
It was also because of this incident that Ji Youran found an excuse to get together with Pei Luoan.
For Ji Youran, this incident was just a passing cloud. After that, she focused on dealing with Ji Hanyue secretly and had long forgotten about this incident.
But now that the prince mentioned it, this long-ago event appeared clearly in her mind. She realized that she had not forgotten it, but she had told herself again and again that this was the thing she least wanted to think about. This made her feel that His Royal Highness the Prince did not fall in love with her at first sight, and that everything was planned by her.
And in all the days and nights that followed, Ji Youran always felt that the Crown Prince cared about her the most, and that she was the Crown Prince's beloved woman. For her, the Crown Prince could do everything. Of course, she was also willing to do everything for the Crown Prince.
Even if Ji Hanyue is dead, even if the prince showed to outsiders that Ji Hanyue is the one he loves, so what? This is just what the prince wanted to show to others.
From the beginning to the end, she was the woman the prince cared about the most, the woman the prince truly held in his heart.
Love at first sight, from beginning to end!
Ji Hanyue and the prince were engaged at an early date. Seeing that the prince would send some rare things from time to time to please Ji Hanyue, Ji Youran was full of jealousy, which led to the first plan.
When the two were joking, Ji Youran was accidentally pushed into the lotus pond by Ji Hanyue. It was autumn that day, and it was at this time that Ji Hanyue was shocked and hurriedly asked someone to rescue Ji Youran. Although Ji Youran was trembling all over after being rescued, he kept telling Ji Hanyue that it was okay and it was okay.
Wrapped in a cloak, shivering in the wind, but not in a hurry to go back, he was still comforting the frightened Ji Hanyue. This scene happened to be seen by the Crown Prince Pei Luoan who came over. Afterwards, Pei Luoan specially gave Ji Youran a generous gift to calm her down and also expressed his apologies on behalf of Ji Hanyue.
That day, the prince happened to be having dinner at the Ling'an Marquis's mansion. Ji Youran stopped Pei Luoan on his way out of the mansion. Although she did not look well, her face looked pale under the light of the night breeze, yet there was a hint of sickly rosy complexion. In front of the drunk Pei Luoan, her face was like a peach blossom, more beautiful than the flowers.
Such a fragile person returned the prince's generous gift, which shows that she and Ji Hanyue have a deep sisterly love. Even if she was accidentally pushed into the lotus pond by Ji Hanyue, she, as an elder sister, would not care, and would not accept the prince's generous gift. The love between sisters cannot be measured by money.
Please take back the gift, Prince.
At that moment, the fragile Ji Youran just kept on smiling, insisting on showing her calmness. Even though Pei Luoan didn't speak for a long time, she still persisted with her whole body trembling.
Pei Luoan asked Ji Youran to stand up. When Ji Youran stood up, maybe she stepped on the hem of her skirt, or maybe she was really unwell, or maybe she took too long to bow, her body tilted and she fell to one side. Pei Luoan subconsciously reached out and half hugged her, but when he looked down, he saw a pair of eyes full of love and affection...
This was something that two people experienced together.
For this purpose, Ji Youran specially asked someone to cut most of the fence at the pavilion with a dagger, and with a slight bump, it fell into the water.
Everything that followed was a natural progression.
“Your Highness, you…what did you say…I…I don’t understand…” Ji Youran said tremblingly, trying hard to control herself and put on a smile, but this smile not only looked stiff, but also ridiculous.
The question was asked too suddenly, leaving her unable to react in time, and her face was a little flustered.
Pei Luoan stared at Ji Youran's face and sneered, "Sure enough, you planned everything in the beginning, didn't you? You planned Hanyue, and now you're saying that others planned you? Some things can only happen once, don't you think that just because I trust you, you dare to do anything? The incident of the Crown Princess's lantern being scratched just happened!"
"Your Highness, it really has nothing to do with me. It was Fourth Miss Qu... She must have done it on purpose. I couldn't have used that much force. The incident with the Crown Princess was also an accident. I don't blame the Crown Princess." Ji Youran's face turned red with anxiety. She shook her hands rapidly, not daring to admit it.
"Ji Youran, do you think I will still trust you after so many times?" Pei Luoan sneered and looked up, "You don't have to go anywhere anymore, just kneel here and accompany the Crown Princess to atone for your sins."
"Your Highness..."
"Why, you don't want to?" Pei Luoan said coldly.
"Your Highness, how could I not be unwilling? I just ask Your Highness to believe me. I really did not plot against the Crown Princess. Everything I did was for Your Highness. I would do whatever Your Highness asked me to do. As for what happened just now, I really don't know why it turned out like this."
Ji Youran knelt up and cried with tears in her eyes.
Pei Luoan looked at her coldly without being moved, then turned around and strode out of the hall.
Looking at Pei Luoan like this, Ji Youran sat dejectedly on the ground. He sat there blankly for a while, looked up at the spirit tablet above, and suddenly fell to the ground and burst into tears.
She thought that if she defeated Ji Hanyue, she would win everything, so she tried her best to kill Ji Hanyue, but what was the reality? She actually understood some things vaguely after Ji Hanyue died.
However, she has always been unwilling to admit it. Besides, even if the prince had this intention, Ji Hanyue was already dead. There was no way he could crawl out of the ground and settle accounts with her. Everything from now on would be hers.
But what about now? She realized that even though Ji Hanyue was dead, her shadow still existed. The woman in the prince's heart was not herself, but Ji Hanyue.
That's why he cares about Ji Hanyue's cousin, Qu Moying, who is not sure how closely related she is to him.
That's why I put Ji Hanyue's sachet on the desk and look at it from time to time.
That's why Ji Hanyue's old residence was sealed off and no one else was allowed to enter at will. Also, when he went to Ling Anbo's mansion, he would go to the old residence to take a look. Sometimes he would stay there for an hour or two. Obviously, there was no one there, but he could stay there quietly for so long.
When I was in the mansion, I couldn't even see him because he was busy with the East Palace and other places in the palace. But in Ling Anbo's mansion, he could squeeze out so much free time in Ji Hanyue's old residence.
And this lantern, it was just a very simple lantern made by Ji Hanyue, but because of a small scratch, he wanted to punish his mother with a stick. Even though she was his biological mother, he was punished for a dead Ji Hanyue.
Yue, even his own mother was punished with a cane.
Is there anything you don’t understand about all this
And just now, for that very distant event, for the most beautiful understanding between two people, even if he spent a little thought on it, it was nothing, but now, it has become his crime, a crime of blaspheming Ji Hanyue.
Ji Hanyue is dead, but what did I get
At this moment, Ji Youran even felt a little regretful. Ji Hanyue died, her uncle died, the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion fell into decline, and her own identity was no longer what it used to be. So as the legitimate daughter of the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion, she had lost the qualification to compete for the prince's wife. So, everything the prince promised became an empty bubble.
But, isn’t all this for the prince
Why is it all my fault now
Why? Why is everything I have worked so hard to get not mine? I am the one who deserves to be the Crown Princess. Why can Liu Jingyu marry into the East Palace when she has done nothing
Ji Hanyue, Ji Hanyue, she hated Ji Hanyue. It was Ji Hanyue who implicated her. Even if Ji Hanyue died, she would not let her go. She wished that Ji Hanyue's bones would be scattered to ashes. She would not be able to escape the guilt even if Ji Hanyue died a hundred times. It was Ji Hanyue who caused her to fall into such a situation.
A dead person, a woman who died in the prince's scheme, what can she use to compete with me for the position in the prince's heart.
"Empress Concubine, Empress Concubine." Ji Youran heard the maid's terrified cry. She didn't want to look up and continued to lie on the ground crying without any posture. She was afraid that when she saw Ji Hanyue's spirit tablet, she would not be able to help but go forward and smash it.
“Madam Concubine, Madam Concubine, you… you look…” More than one maidservant exclaimed in horror, as if something had frightened them.
Ji Youran slowly knelt up and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, wiping them away one by one. Since the prince was not here, who should she cry for? For these ignorant maids around her? She was the concubine of the Eastern Palace and the only mistress in the Eastern Palace.
Even if Ji Hanyue had fallen in love with the prince, so what? Ji Hanyue was dead, and died as a result of the prince's scheme. If the prince wanted to blame someone, he could only blame himself. What did it have to do with me!
Yes, she had secretly plotted against Ji Hanyue, not just once, but even for the last time, but so what, everything she had done was for the prince, she just wanted to be with the prince forever, the world of three people was too crowded, she only wanted to be with the prince, Ji Hanyue was destined to be the one who was squeezed out, and she was the one who followed the prince with full right.
Even if the prince has Ji Hanyue in his heart, doesn't he have me in his heart? Of course, there must be one.
Ji Youran said this to herself again and again, then she calmed down, slowly raised her red and swollen eyes, and coldly said to the maid beside her: "What's the matter?"
“My Lady Concubine, you… look, this… the memorial tablet above, this… the memorial tablet of the Crown Princess…” The maid was already sitting on the ground in horror, pointing upwards, her face pale without a trace of blood.
Ji Youran turned his head subconsciously and saw Ji Hanyue's spirit tablet in the middle. A faint red color slowly slid down from the spirit tablet, condensing like blood. His eyes suddenly went dark...
The maid's voice came and went: "The Crown Princess's... The Crown Princess's spirit tablet... is dripping with blood..."