"Rest assured!"
Seeing the face that she had enraged into a deep crimson, how could Li Xuanyue not guess what was on his mind?
"It is strictly for sleeping. This Palace will not do anything to you."
Although Li Xuanyue said this with the intention of putting his mind at ease, for some reason, Junhe felt a flicker of humiliation in his heart. Of course, even if Li Xuanyue did want to do something to him now, given his current physical state, how could he possibly resist?
*
"Consort Jun spent the night with her?"
Inside Langya Palace, when Consort Lang heard this news from his trusted confidant, he was absolutely stunned. Among the five of them, Consort Jun was the most aloof and arrogant. Previously, whenever they walked together, he would always be dismissive and indifferent to them, paying no mind to whatever they said.
He never expected him to be the first to succumb to the lecherous power of Princess Xuanyue. It seemed this Consort Jun was no nobler than the rest of them; he was just as ordinary as anyone else.
"Keep watching!"
He wanted to know what kind of scheme Consort Jun was really concocting. They had all agreed to be on guard against Princess Xuanyue and keep her at a distance. Now, to his frustration, Consort Jun had surrendered to her ahead of everyone else. No matter how he looked at it, it felt unsettling.
"Princess, it is done."
Inside Chaoren Hall, Ruyue looked excited as she immediately reported the findings to Li Qinghe. "The maid who cleaned the bedchambers this morning has already delivered the evidence—the sheet—to Xihe Hall."
"Now, we need only wait and see."
This Soul-Eater Potion was no ordinary poison. Whoever was afflicted with this drug would transmit it to the other party through sexual union. Over time, the person on the receiving end would grow frail until they eventually bled from their seven orifices and died.
"Tell me, if my dear sister’s poison flares up in the future and she discovers the truth, will she regret it?" Li Qinghe muttered to herself in the mirror, her eyes shimmering with anticipation.
"Do the clan elders know yet that my sister is unlikely to conceive?" Li Qinghe asked suddenly, as if struck by a thought.
Ruyue hurriedly lowered her eyes. "Princess, do you need me to do anything?"
Li Qinghe waved her hand. "The Empress must be having a terrible headache dealing with the clan elders while trying to hide the fact that my sister has difficulty bearing heirs." The mere thought made Li Qinghe feel triumphant. "Never mind. We are sisters after all; I shall not be the one to tear away her last shred of dignity."
"Go and fetch Imperial Physician Fang. Tell him I am feeling extremely unwell and that he must come immediately."
At that moment, Imperial Physician Fang, following Li Xuanyue’s instructions, was kneeling in Junhe Hall, not daring to draw a full breath. He was well aware that his life was not only in Li Xuanyue’s hands, but that his entire family was being secretly monitored by her people. He dared not harbor any disloyal thoughts.
"You have done well, Imperial Physician Fang." Looking at the physician kneeling on the ground, not even daring to breathe, a flash of appreciation crossed Li Xuanyue’s eyes. "Although this matter has put you in a difficult position, it is fortunate that you understand the meaning of turning back before it is too late. Rest assured, once this is over, I will send men to escort you out of the palace in secret."
"Then... my family!"
Imperial Physician Fang had not forgotten why he was doing all this. If not for his eighty-year-old mother, his wife, and his children back home, how could he have risked so much to stab the Second Princess in the back? He only wanted a promise from the First Princess that his family would be kept safe.
"Naturally, I will not blame them. Once you have completed your task, I will send people to bring them to reunite with you."
"Very well. Since my dear younger sister has sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to urge you, you should prepare yourself and go now."
To avoid any delays that might arouse suspicion, Li Xuanyue had Yinxin lead the Imperial Physician through a shortcut.
"Consort Jun, can you trust me now and take the antidote?"
From last night until now, he had been tortured to the point of exhaustion by the Soul-Eater Potion, yet he still refused to take the antidote Li Xuanyue held out to his lips. He was clearly afraid she was plotting something.
Many consorts and attendants in this palace had been tricked by Li Xuanyue before. Although Junhe had not been at the Phoenix Clan for long, he had already experienced these same tactics on his wedding night in his previous life. He did not believe for a moment that Li Xuanyue was genuinely kind; otherwise, how could they have been poisoned with the Ten-Fragrance Tendon-Softening Powder and tortured to death in that past life?
"Why are you looking at me with that gaze?"
The hatred in Junhe’s eyes was so clear that Li Xuanyue felt particularly surprised. They had only met in passing a few times, and while they had shared the same palace last night, one slept on the bed and one on the side couch—they had kept to themselves. Why did he hate her?
Junhe looked away. "If Your Highness has nothing further to discuss, please leave." He did not want to see her in Junhe Hall for even a second longer.
Li Xuanyue raised an eyebrow. "Fine!" Since soft words would not convince him to take the antidote, she did not want to waste any more time arguing. "As long as you take this antidote, I will leave immediately. Conversely, if you refuse, I shall take up permanent residence in Junhe Hall."
"You!"
Li Xuanyue’s behavior was no better than that of a scoundrel. Junhe was furious but found himself helpless against her. With no other choice, he tremblingly reached out and took the black pill from her hand, swallowing it with deep resentment.
"Can Your Highness leave now?"
Seeing that he had taken the antidote, Li Xuanyue did not linger. "Get some rest. I have things to attend to."
"Your Highness, what kind of game is Princess Xuanyue playing?" Changjian asked. First staying at Junhe Hall, then summoning Imperial Physician Fang—could this Princess Xuanyue actually have developed feelings for the Prince?
Junhe’s gaze, heavy with pressure, landed on Changjian. "Is this how you protected me last night?" By letting her enter his palace and witness him in such a wretched state? Anyone who didn't know better would think his palace staff were merely decorative objects.
Changjian was rendered speechless by the interrogation. The situation had been urgent, and he had been blocked at the door by Yinxin—what else could he have done? He couldn't just kill the Princess’s trusted aide to force his way in. She was the Princess's confidant; to kill her would be like hacking off one's own arm. As a lowly guard, how could he dare to stir up trouble for the Princess? Was he tired of living?
"Go outside and accept your punishment."
Junhe did not want to see Changjian at all right now. Looking at his spineless behavior, how could he not guess what he was thinking?
"Furthermore, from now on, without my direct order, no one is to enter Junhe Hall." Not even the Princess. He did not care what she wanted or if she was trying to prove something to him.