Imperial Physician Fang took a deep, shaky breath. As if having made a grave decision, he spoke slowly under Li Qinghe’s piercing gaze.
"The... the Eldest Princess is physically afflicted; it is difficult for her to conceive!"
After saying this, the color drained from Imperial Physician Fang’s face entirely. He looked nothing like a man telling a lie. Although Li Qinghe harbored suspicions, seeing the look of impending doom on his face, she ultimately believed him.
"Is what you say true, Imperial Physician Fang?"
Even though she believed him, she wanted to confirm it once more from his own lips.
"I would not dare to lie."
Imperial Physician Fang lowered his head, his hunched back soaked in a cold, relentless sweat. Who could have imagined that he, an Imperial Physician, would one day be reduced to being threatened and used by two Princesses, unable to fight back?
"The Eldest Princess has been taking drugs to suppress her spirit for years. The poison has seeped deep into her marrow, affecting every aspect of her physical health. Even if she had the desire, she would lack the strength."
A tempest raged behind Li Qinghe’s dark, inscrutable eyes. While his words brought her a sense of grim satisfaction, she dared not be the slightest bit careless.
"Imperial Physician Fang..." She paused for a few seconds before continuing, "The antidote to the Soul-Eater Potion—is it still in your possession? Hand it over."
This Soul-Eater Potion required a specific incense to trigger its full effect, but there was no guarantee that something wouldn't go wrong. Only by holding the antidote herself could she truly feel at ease. Since the potion also acted as an aphrodisiac, she wanted to see if her dear sister was truly as incapacitated as the physician claimed.
Imperial Physician Fang did not hesitate; he immediately retrieved the antidote from his robes.
***
After parting ways at the pavilion, Junhe realized something was wrong with his body behind the rockery. His confidant, Changjian, who was by his side, sensed it too.
"Your Highness, what is wrong?" Changjian hurried to support him.
Junhe’s eyes suddenly turned a startling shade of crimson, the corners of his eyes glistening with moisture. "Despicable!"
Veins bulged on his fair hands, revealing the effort he was exerting to maintain control. Changjian looked on in confusion.
Driven by the effects of the drug, Junhe was soon forced to reveal his true form. A massive white snake thrashed wildly behind the rockery, wreaking havoc on the surrounding flowers and trees. Li Xuanyue, who had not yet left the nearby pavilion, naturally sensed the commotion. She frowned slightly.
"It’s bad, Princess! Consort Jun is in rut!" A maid who had scrambled from behind the rockery knelt before Li Xuanyue, breathless and frantic.
The sounds of destruction continued. Li Xuanyue did not sit idly by. She made her way to the rockery in quick, decisive strides, followed closely by Yinxin. Under the influence of the Soul-Eater Potion, Consort Jun had lost his sanity. His colossal snake form thrashed about with deafening force; no one dared to approach.
"Your Highness," Changjian said, spotting Li Xuanyue. Finding a sense of authority, he hurriedly bowed.
Li Xuanyue paid him no mind. She pulled a pill from her sleeve. The moment the serpent reared its head and opened its maw to launch a vicious attack, she flicked the pill, sending it straight into his mouth.
Three, two, one...
In less than a minute, the white snake that had been thrashing in the garden collapsed to the ground with a resounding "thud."
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Changjian rushed forward to call out to him.
In the blink of an eye, the massive serpent transformed back into human form, though his face remained flushed a deep, intoxicating red.
"Do not worry." Li Xuanyue looked down at Changjian and then at the unconscious Junhe, speaking in a measured, ambiguous tone. "He is fine. He just needs to sleep."
Changjian, seemingly oblivious to the subtext, looked up at her and said, "Thank you, Your Highness." He clasped his hands in gratitude.
"Don’t be so quick to thank me," Li Xuanyue replied coolly, refusing the gesture. "First, help me carry him to this Palace’s Fenghe Hall."
"This..." Changjian appeared conflicted.
Li Xuanyue ignored his hesitation. "What? Did you not hear what I said? Or do you want him to die here?"
Changjian’s eyes widened in shock.
"He was drugged with Soul-Eater Potion and forced into a rut, revealing his true form," Li Xuanyue explained. "If he is not treated immediately, the drug will force him into another state of arousal until his body wastes away and he dies."
The pill she had him swallow was merely to induce sleep. While Imperial Physician Fang had provided the antidote, she did not keep it on her at all times—partly to avoid suspicion, and partly because the back garden was teeming with eyes, including those sent by Li Qinghe. To cure Junhe, she had to get him to her own territory, away from prying eyes.
***
"Awake?"
When Junhe regained consciousness, the corners of his eyes were still red and his mind felt hazy. Yet, as his gaze landed on Li Xuanyue standing nearby, vigilance flared in his eyes.
"No need to be nervous." Li Xuanyue had clearly noted his defensiveness. "I am not going to do anything to you." She sat down on the side, unconcerned.
Junhe did not believe her. "You poisoned me with Soul-Eater Potion!" A look of mockery crossed his face, as if to say, "You were the one who poisoned me; why the hypocrisy?"
If the Li Xuanyue of her previous life had seen such ingratitude, she would have flown into a rage. But now, she processed things differently. She realized it was only natural for him to be wary of her. Within the Hundred Clans, who didn’t know of her reputation for being wicked and lecherous? No man she set her sights on had ever escaped her grasp. If not for her bouts of madness, the number of consorts in her palace would far exceed the dozen or so she currently kept.
"Although I did not administer the poison myself, you were targeted because of me," Li Xuanyue stated plainly, offering no excuses, merely presenting the facts. "Of course, I know you don’t believe me."
She hadn't expected him to trust her instantly; she was well aware of how tarnished her reputation was.
"But that is fine. Tonight, I shall sleep here."
Junhe’s eyes widened, and even his handsome face flushed a deep, burning red.