Not far away, by the lotus pond, Consort Jun and the others frowned in unison as they watched Li Xuanyue emerge from Xihe Hall, accompanied by a tall and imposing man.
*Another new flame?*
The consorts all had the same thought. This Princess Xuanyue of the Phoenix Clan was truly impossible to fathom. She had barely welcomed them into the palace a few days ago, and already there was another boy toy at her side. Who could believe she wasn't wanton?
"Consort Jun, should we go over and take a look?"
Among the group, Consort Junhe held a more prestigious status than the others; he was a prince of the Snake Clan, unlike the rest who were merely sons of noble families. The others looked to him for direction. It wasn't that they were particularly interested in the Princess, but her behavior was simply too disrespectful. They were princes and noble sons in their own right—even if the Princess wanted to take a new lover, couldn't she have waited a while? Bringing someone new into her inner circle so soon was as good as saying they were as good as dead.
Consort Jun glanced in the direction of Li Xuanyue. "How tedious."
He clearly held neither Li Xuanyue nor the man, Xiao Han, at her side in any regard. With those few blunt words, he turned and walked away with his guards.
The other consorts were left speechless.
***
"What did you say? Li Xuanyue kicked Lin Yue out of Fenghe Hall?"
In Chaoren Palace, Li Qinghe received the news from Ruyue. She was shocked. "Doesn't she usually dote on Lin Yue the most? Why would she send him to me?" She narrowed her eyes. "Did you hear wrong, Ruyue?"
She had lived in hiding for so many years; her "good sister" couldn't possibly know her true nature. Or had someone in Xihe Hall whispered in her ear? Otherwise, why would Li Xuanyue suddenly cast Lin Yue aside?
"Princess, the news has already spread throughout the entire Phoenix Clan. How could I have heard it wrong?" Ruyue paused for a few seconds before continuing, "And... it seems Lin Yue was kicked out of Fenghe Hall precisely because of you, Princess."
By the end of the sentence, Ruyue lowered her head. Li Qinghe squinted, the situation becoming clear. Lin Yue had previously told her that he would ask Li Xuanyue to plead for forgiveness from the Phoenix Emperor on his behalf to end her confinement. It seemed he had annoyed her with that request.
After all, who was Li Xuanyue? The eldest princess of the Phoenix Clan, and perhaps the future Crown Princess. She was unimaginably noble. Li Qinghe had bowed her head time and again before Lin Yue just to win a smile from him, yet he had always been dismissive. Now, he was humbling himself before Li Xuanyue for her sake. It was no wonder she was displeased and had thrown him out.
"Princess, what should we do next?" Ruyue was anxious. "Is Consort Lin really going to reside in our Chaoren Hall?"
Everyone in the Phoenix Clan knew Lin Yue belonged to Li Xuanyue. Now that she had sent him to Li Qinghe, wasn't she clearly telling everyone that Li Qinghe was nothing more than a dumping ground for her trash? Who would ever address Li Qinghe as "Second Princess" with respect again?
Li Qinghe’s dark eyes sank. "What are you worried about?" Unlike Ruyue’s frantic concern, Li Qinghe remained calm and composed. "On my sister’s wedding night, didn't her five consorts already ingest the Soul-Eater Potion we planted?"
This was a scheme she had planned long ago. Even if Li Xuanyue had escaped the madness this time and hadn't killed the five consorts as planned, what of it? Their minds would still be clouded by the poison. As long as she pulled the strings from the shadows, wouldn't her dear sister still end up dying at the hands of her own lovers?
"Princess, you mean..." Ruyue’s eyes lit up with realization.
The Soul-Eater Potion did not take effect immediately; it required a specific incense to trigger it. That incense was an extremely rare substance, seldom found among the Phoenix Clan. However, that did not mean Li Qinghe lacked it.
"Find an opportunity to handle this," Li Qinghe said.
Having spelled it out so clearly, Ruyue nodded immediately.
"Also, if Consort Lin arrives, arrange for him to stay in Zhaohua Palace."
A withered flower had no right to live with her. However, considering Lin Yue might still be useful, she couldn't afford to offend him completely. Zhaohua Palace was separated from her Chaoren Palace by only a single wall. It was the perfect arrangement—it made him feel valued while ensuring he wouldn't hold a grudge.
***
"Princess, the Second Princess’s people have already taken Consort Lin away," Yinxin reported to Li Xuanyue in the brightly lit Fenghe Hall.
"She’s certainly impatient," Li Xuanyue sneered. "She didn't even wait for her confinement to end before sending someone to collect him. Very well. Having him here was an eyesore anyway."
Though she was displeased by Li Qinghe's actions, Li Xuanyue knew deep down that Lin Yue was not the right match for her. Rather than keeping him by her side, only for him to team up with Li Qinghe against her as he had in her past life, it was better to send him away early.
Yinxin opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. "Princess, are you... not angry at all?"
Yinxin found it increasingly difficult to understand Li Xuanyue. Li Qinghe’s actions were an obvious provocation. In the past, Li Xuanyue might have ignored it for the sake of their sisterly bond. But regardless, Consort Lin was someone she had once poured her heart into. Could she really just let go without a care?
Li Xuanyue smiled enigmatically, offering no answer.
"Xiao Han," Li Xuanyue said, turning away, "take these portraits and the list I have drawn up. Find these people for me."
Li Xuanyue had not been wasting time in the hall. In her previous life, she had been controlled by Li Qinghe’s drugs for three years. Such a concoction was not something an ordinary person could cure. Only Divine Doctor Liu of the Hundred Herbs Clan could offer a glimmer of hope.
Although she had not been under the drug's influence for three years this time, the toxins had already been working on her body for the past two years. If she wanted to break free from this control, she had to find Divine Doctor Liu. Otherwise, if she continued to ignore it, even without further doses of Li Qinghe’s poison, the toxins already in her system would slowly corrode her nerves, eventually turning her into a bloodthirsty and violent madman.