Chapter 26 Fireflies

Xie Mianmian ran to the Seventh Prince's side and whispered something to him. After a while, the Seventh Prince nodded in agreement.

So the two children hid behind the intricate lampposts, secretly observing Xie Mingyi's surroundings and the cup next to her.

After a while, the child's eyes got tired from staring and he let out a big yawn.

Xie Mianmian suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea.

She clasped her hands together and softly chanted, "Fireflies, fly slowly, help Mianmian find the cup~ Please, fireflies, fly to the cup that has been drugged."

Summoned by some unseen force, the firefly that Xie Mianmian had just praised as the brightest flew leisurely into the room, passing by the clinking glasses of the people, unnoticed by anyone.

A moment later, Xie Mianmian saw a palace maid carrying a wooden tray approaching, one of the cups of which was glowing with a bright light.

"This is a fine wine bestowed by the Imperial Concubine. Please enjoy."

The well-trained palace maid said this, and then brought the wine cup with the glowing light to Xie Mingyi.

Xie Mianmian winked at the Seventh Prince, indicating that they could begin their operation.

The seventh prince walked up to the third prince and chatted with him casually. One sat and the other stood, their small figures blocking the third prince's view.

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, Xie Mianmian took a glass of wine from the tray and swapped it with Xie Mingyi's.

The child squinted happily, having succeeded, and gestured to the Seventh Prince.

The Seventh Prince caught a glimpse of Xie Mianmian waving at him out of the corner of his eye, so he stepped aside and bid farewell to the Third Prince.

The Third Prince chatted with the Seventh Prince for a while for no apparent reason, but thankfully he saw Xie Mingyi drink the wine.

He also picked up his glass and took a sip, then smiled sinisterly, concealing his true intentions.

The Third Prince administered the aphrodisiac. Xie Mingyi is a virtuous woman, isn't she? Hopefully, her performance later won't disappoint him.

He originally intended to keep these noble ladies hanging for a while longer, but Xie Mingyi wants to withdraw. Did the Third Prince agree to this?

He took a leisurely sip of his wine, waiting for Xie Mingyi's medication to take effect and for her to leave the table, after which he would follow her.

Xie Mianmian scratched her head, holding the problematic wine, unsure of what to do. Just then, a palace maid carrying an empty tray passed by.

She placed the wine glass on the tray and said sweetly to the palace maid, "This wine smells bad, please help Mianmian pour it out! Please, please pour it out!"

The palace maid found it amusing and responded softly, "Such fine wine, yet it smells filthy to a child."

However, she could not refuse the order from the young lady of the official family, so the palace maid was about to take the cup of wine away to pour it out.

Lin Ruoxue stepped into the hall, panting. For some reason, the Second Prince was already in his place, but Xie Mingyi was nowhere to be found. She searched several places but couldn't find Xie Mingyi, and even the palace maid she had bribed was gone. She was furious.

Seeing a palace maid carrying a cup of wine, Lin Ruoxue picked it up and drank it down; she was parched after walking such a long way.

"Miss Lin!" the palace maid exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Lin Ruoxue asked impatiently.

"Miss, it's nothing." The maid was terrified and lowered her head timidly. Anyway, there was nothing wrong with the wine; it was just that the child couldn't stand the smell and had to be thrown away. She comforted herself.

"Go down." Lin Ruoxue waved her hand. It's just a cup of wine. She can just get another one. Does she think that a dignified female official of the Imperial Observatory is less important than the person who wants this cup of wine?

Upon entering the hall, Lin Ruoxue immediately spotted Xie Mingyi sitting there. She was startled to find that Xie Mingyi had already changed her clothes and returned without her knowledge. Was her previous plan going to fail again?

Thinking of the Second Prince still waiting in the side room, who must be getting impatient by now, Lin Ruoxue felt a chill.

She summoned a palace maid and asked her to deliver a message to Xie Mingyi: Miss Chu was drunk and was resting temporarily in the east side hall; she was asked to go and take care of her.

Lin Ruoxue put on a confident smile. Miss Chu was Xie Mingyi's best friend, and she wouldn't stand idly by.

As expected, Xie Mingyi hurriedly left after hearing the message relayed by the palace maid.

The Third Prince, who had been keeping a close eye on Xie Mingyi, quietly left the main hall.

The two children followed along without any trouble.

As Lin Ruoxue walked towards the east side hall, she tugged at her collar, feeling extremely hot all over. What was going on? She hadn't drunk the Bixiang wine, nor had she smelled the hibiscus fragrance. How could this be? Ah, she remembered, it was that cup of wine.

Lin Ruoxue gritted her teeth in anger, realizing she had actually stumbled in such a place.

She was almost too weak to walk anymore, her steps faltering. In her hazy state, she realized she couldn't go to the second prince's room, so she randomly picked an empty room and went in, forgetting to lock it in her haste.

The Seventh Prince led Xie Mianmian through a shortcut, running out from behind a rockery, where they bumped into Xie Mingyi.

"Second Sister, come quickly with Mianmian!"

Xie Mianmian pulled her second sister aside and hid behind the artificial hill.

Xie Mingyi was a little confused. "Mianmian, are you wild monkeys, wandering around everywhere?" Why did she have to come and wander around with them? Xie Mingyi was in a hurry to take care of her friends.

A short while later, the Third Prince walked past the artificial hill.

Xie Mingyi: !

Why was the Third Prince following behind her? She suddenly felt a chill of fear. Could it be that he had asked the palace maid to lie to her when she was drunk?

Xie Mingyi felt a pang of regret. Her concern had clouded her judgment; she should have asked the Chu family for clarification before going.

She held Xie Mianmian's small hand and said softly, "Mianmian is smarter than Second Sister, Seventh Prince, let's go back." She still needed to find the Chu family to get to the bottom of things.

On the way back, we passed that dark little garden.

As they walked by, the garden suddenly lit up with twinkling lights, starting with one or two, and then a large patch of fluorescent light appeared, flashing and fluttering in the air.

Xie Mianmian stepped into the garden with a "Wow!" The tiny fluorescent lights, like a gust of wind, eagerly surrounded the child.

Fireflies landed on Xie Mianmian's hair and the hem of her clothes, their yellow-green fluorescence illuminating the child in the darkness.

Xie Mianmian's hands unconsciously chased after the slowly dancing stars, but when she tried to catch them with both hands, she missed.

The child laughed heartily, "This is so much fun! Come and play with us!" Xie Mianmian called out.

The tiny specks of light seemed to shine into the child's smiling eyes, bright and radiant.

Xie Mingyi chuckled as she admired the rare and beautiful scenery before her.

The seventh prince stared intently at the radiant child before him.

On the other side, Lin Ruoxue lay on the bed in the side room, her clothes torn into a mess, and she unconsciously let out suppressed moans.

"Squeak." The unlocked door was pushed open.

A man walked in. There were no candles lit in the room, and it was completely dark except for a sliver of moonlight shining through the crack in the window.

But the visitor didn't care. He rubbed his hands excitedly and walked into the inner room.