She could not forgive the tragedy of her seven months of pregnancy ending in death.

Since Liu Zhen was investigating the real culprit to avenge her, she had to go.

The Crown Prince nodded. “Don’t be in a hurry. I’ll call Feicui over; you can go with her.”

“Alright.”

…

Feicui arrived quickly, within less than fifteen minutes.

When Rongrong saw her, Feicui had changed into a dark red palace dress, which was similar to Liu Li’s usual attire.

“Is everyone at home well?” Rongrong asked.

“In response to the Miss’s question, the old lady is in good health. She buys groceries and cooks with Chunxing every day. The second young master is doing well selling buns at the stall. He has dealt with a few thugs and sent them away one by one.”

“That’s really kind of you.”

Rongrong figured that Xue Xiaoshan, being an honest man, wouldn’t be able to handle the thugs in the capital.

It must have been Feicui or Ming who dealt with them, either openly or covertly.

“It’s a trivial matter, not worth mentioning. Miss, should we go to the water prison now?”

Rongrong immediately straightened up, nodded, and asked, “Are we riding horses or taking a carriage?”

She couldn’t ride a horse, so if they were to go by horse, she would have to ride with Fei Cui and the others.

“Neither. The two criminals were brought back to the East Palace last night and are now locked up in the dungeon.”

“Back to the Easter Palace? Wasn’t the purpose of going to the villa outside the city to avoid attention?” Rongrong was puzzled.

Fei Cui said, “Don’t worry, the spies were cleared out during the banquet at the Eastern Palace.”

Rongrong took a deep breath, feeling a chill.

Indeed, the little eunuch who was working at the pasture had issues.

Yuanbao was playing football right under such a person’s nose every day…

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

Feicui led Rongrong to the flower house in the back garden.

After entering, they went around several large flower pots to reveal an entrance to an underground passage.

The passage was dark and eerie.

As Rongrong peered inside, a light flickered in the tunnel, and someone holding a lantern came out to greet them—it was Liu Li.

“Miss, please.”

Liu Li led Rongrong down the passage.

By the light of the lantern, Rongrong noticed that the tunnel was well constructed.

The steps were neither too high nor too low, similar to ordinary stairs.

After turning a couple of corners, the passage opened up, revealing a dungeon that was twice as spacious as the flower house above ground.

There were tables and chairs where the guards and caretakers evidently rested. To the left were many unsettling torture devices, such as the tiger bench and clamping sticks.

Rongrong glanced at them briefly before quickly looking away.

In the dungeon directly ahead, there was a rack set up, and a man was lying beside it, disheveled with blood on his clothes.

Was that Yu Jingming?

Rongrong felt frightened and wasn’t sure whether to proceed.

Just then, she heard someone say, “You really came?”

Rongrong turned around and noticed another cell on the right.

This cell looked much more comfortable. Instead of straw, it had a small wooden bed with clean-looking quilts and mattress.

A woman with disheveled hair was sitting on the bed, seemingly smiling.

“Why, can’t you recognize me?”

Rongrong took a few steps forward and, from behind the bars, recognized the person inside.

“Mei… Sister Mei.”

Hearing this, the person inside laughed heartily, “Now that I’m a prisoner, don’t call me ‘sister’ anymore. Don’t want to bring bad luck upon yourself.”

Mei Ningxiang was dressed neatly and cleanly.

Her clothes were well-fitted, and her hair was carefully combed.

Although she was a prisoner, she didn’t look as disheveled as one might expect.

Her face, though free of makeup and showing some fine lines, no longer had the radiant beauty of the past.

Yet, she looked as fresh as spring, with a lively expression and vibrant energy, not at all like someone who had been imprisoned for a long time.

“Sister Mei, you look quite well,” Rong Rong remarked.

Mei Ningxiang laughed heartily. “Isn’t that so? The Crown Prince takes care of our food and shelter, so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, with him keeping me and him together, I don’t have to live in constant fear of him escaping. I sleep soundly every night. If I ever run into the Crown Prince, I might even have to kneel and thank him!”

“I’m not always this spirited,” Mei Ningxiang spoke quickly, not giving Rong Rong a chance to respond before sighing. “You know him—he’s the type who wouldn’t say a word even if you beat him with a stick. I do all the talking, and he never responds. It’s a blessing you came, so I can finally have someone to chat with.”

Mei Ningxiang… really was no ordinary person.

Rong Rong had come to visit a prisoner, but Mei Ningxiang’s casual chatter made it feel no different from her previous visits to Mei’s residence.

It was truly admirable.

Mei Ningxiang glanced at Feicui, who was standing beside Rong Rong.

Her eyes flickered with recognition. “Are you from the Eastern Palace?”

“Just a servant, not worth mentioning.”

For some reason, Rong Rong felt that Feicui’s hands were trembling slightly, as if she was very nervous or suppressing something.

But Feicui had met Mei Ningxiang before, so why would she be nervous?

The smile on Mei Ningxiang’s face faded slightly.

She stood up, walked over to the cell door, and looked towards the adjacent cell.

She called out to the person inside, “Hey, I was wrong to blame you.”

The person lying on the ground moved slightly but didn’t respond.

It was only then that Rong Rong realized the person lying there was still alive.

Mei Ningxiang gave a self-deprecating smile, as if explaining to Rong Rong, “Back then, when he suddenly left without a word, I thought he was heartless. But it turns out he wasn’t lying. He ran because the Crown Prince had already set his sights on him.”

Rong Rong felt a mix of emotions.

She had always admired Mei Ningxiang, and even now, she still did—admiring her for being straightforward, for her boldness and bravery.

These were things she could never do with Liu Zhen, no matter what.

Rong Rong didn’t have much to chat about with Mei Ningxiang, so she got straight to the point. “Sister Mei, the Crown Prince said you’re innocent. You can leave.”

“And what about him?” Mei Ningxiang asked.

Mentioning Yu Jingming immediately made Rong Rong angry, “He tried to assassinate the Crown Prince and the Imperial Grandson and is involved in the concubine’s death. Of course, he can’t leave.”

Mei Ningxiang listened to Rong Rong’s accusations without much reaction, “I don’t know about his past. He can be punished for whatever crimes he committed by the Crown Prince.

But this time, he attacked because the Crown Prince captured me first. He was desperate and took a risky step. If there must be punishment, let it be mine.”

Rong Rong looked down in silence.

In her heart, she had always considered Mei Ningxiang and Yu Jingming as friends.

While Yu Jingming might deserve punishment, Mei! Ningxiang…

“Mei Jie, don’t you want to leave here?” Rong Rong asked.

Mei Ningxiang nodded firmly.

“In those days when he left without a word, I realized a lot,” Mei Ningxiang smiled unconsciously as she spoke of the past. “I used to think that as long as I had money, I could live happily. I spent every day thinking about how to make more money, how to turn a hundred taels of silver into a thousand.”

“And now?”

“Money is still important, of course. Without money, you can’t live happily. But now I understand a bit more. As good as money is, it isn’t everything. Some people, no matter how much money I spend, I can’t get them back. Now, being locked up here by the Crown Prince, I may have no money, but I have no worries about food or drink, and I can stay with him, never leaving my sight. If you let me out, I would be living in fear every day, not knowing where his body would be buried if he died. It’s better to stay here and have peace of mind.”

“In that case, I shouldn’t have asked.”

Hearing this, Mei Ningxiang stood up and gave Rong Rong a respectful bow.

“Mei Jie, what are you doing?”

Mei Ningxiang said solemnly, “Rong Rong, we met by chance, and you came to rescue me just because of my plea for help.

I’m very grateful.

Back then, before I was captured, I was terrified of dying and left that letter asking for your help. I didn’t even know if you would come, but you did.”

“When I first left the Marquis’s residence, Mei Jie helped me a lot. It’s only right that I repay you.”

Mei Ningxiang smiled and shook her head, “At that time, I thought I was helping you. Later, I realized you are a person of good fortune. Even without my meddling, someone would have taken care of you properly. If it weren’t for my interference, you would have moved into the Eastern Palace long ago and wouldn’t have had to stay in my cramped courtyard for so long.”

Rong Rong felt a bit embarrassed, but Mei Ningxiang continued, “For you to visit me in such a place shows how much the Crown Prince values you. I suppose I should start calling you ‘Consort’ now?”

“Mei Jie, you must be joking. I’m still just helping out at the Eastern Palace. There’s no talk of being a consort.”

“I think it’s only a matter of time.” Mei Ningxiang was initially surprised that Rong Rong still had no status in the Eastern Palace, but she quickly understood.

In the Eastern Palace, if the Crown Prince wanted to take someone into his service, it could be done with ease.

It was effortless for him to grant titles like Lady of Talent or Beauty.

However, if he wished to bestow a higher status, such as Consort or Secondary Consort, he would need the Empress’s approval.

To Mei Ningxiang, the fact that the Crown Prince had not yet given Rong Rong an official title could only mean one thing: the position he intended to give her was significant—so significant that even as the Crown Prince, he couldn’t confer it in a short amount of time.

With this in mind, Mei Ningxiang’s gaze towards Rong Rong changed subtly.