Chapter 62 Muddy the Waters

The Yongchang Marquis's residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, indicating that a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet was indeed being held.

Many prominent young men and women from the capital were among those invited, and the garden was bustling with people and filled with laughter.

The Third Princess Ling Xuan sat gracefully on a side seat, her smile gentle, talking to the Marquis of Yongchang, but her gaze kept sweeping towards the entrance.

The sixth princess, Ling Xi, arrived late and looked rather uninterested. She yawned as she greeted everyone, then found a corner to sit down and began to eat her snacks half-heartedly, ignoring the small talk and social interactions around her.

Just then, a maid quietly walked up to Ling Xuan and whispered a few words in his ear.

Ling Xuan picked up his wine glass, using the act of drinking to conceal the deepening smile on his lips. Very good, the fish has been caught in the net.

She put down her wine glass, gracefully walked over to Ling Xi and sat down next to her. She poured her a glass of wine herself and asked affectionately, "Little Six, why are you so listless? Is it because none of the gentlemen here catch your eye?"

Ling Xi didn't even bother to lift her eyelids: "It's boring, I might as well go back to sleep."

Ling Xuan chuckled, leaned closer, and lowered her voice: "I heard you've always envied the beauty of that Yi Consort in Fifth Sister's household?"

Ling Xi lifted her eyelids to look at her: "What do you mean, Third Sister?"

"I found you a similar place," Ling Xuan pushed the wine glass in front of her, her eyes full of meaning. "She's resting in the back room. Do you want to go take a look? Don't worry, I won't force you. It's all up to you."

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi's eyes lit up, and she sat up straight: "Really? He looks like Yi Shao?" Her face revealed undisguised curiosity and eagerness.

Ling Xuan sneered inwardly, but her expression remained gentle: "Of course, when has your sister ever lied to you?"

Ling Xi rubbed her hands together, seemingly tempted, but her gaze remained fixed on the glass of wine in front of her without moving.

Suddenly, out of the blue, she asked, "Third Sister, do you want me to drink this cup of wine?"

Ling Xuan's smile froze for a moment, thinking that she had noticed something. She quickly composed herself and said in a relaxed tone, "It's fine whether you drink it or not, it's just a glass of wine."

Ling Xi stared into her eyes for two seconds, then suddenly grinned and took the wine glass: "Okay, I'll drink it."

She tilted her head back and drank the wine in her glass in one gulp.

Ling Xuan felt relieved. After drinking the spiked wine, she planned to lure Xiao Liu to the prepared room once the drug took effect. Only then would the scandal of "the Sixth Princess and the Fifth Princess's concubine" truly be stirred up.

I've heard that Fifth Sister has already succeeded.

Once news of Ling Wei's death reaches the capital, it will be easier to fish in this murky water.

Ling Xi put down her wine glass, and after a short while, she began rubbing her temples, muttering, "Third Sister... I... I'm a little dizzy..."

Ling Xuan helped her up with concern: "Perhaps the wine is taking effect. Lord Hou, please arrange a quiet room for the Sixth Prince to rest for a while."

Marquis Yongchang understood and immediately summoned two maids: "Quickly, help the Sixth Prince to the East Warm Pavilion to rest, and take good care of him."

Ling Xi was helped to her feet, her steps unsteady. As she passed Ling Xuan, she suddenly stopped, turned to look at her, her eyes unfocused, and asked again, "Third Sister, am I going?"

Ling Xuan assumed she was rambling incoherently due to the effects of the drug and replied softly, "Okay, go ahead and get some rest."

She didn't notice the almost sorrowful blush under Ling Xi's lowered eyelashes as she turned and was helped away.

Inside the East Warm Pavilion, the sweet fragrance grew even stronger. Ling Xi was helped to sit down on the edge of the bed. She waved her hand, her voice muffled, "All...all of you, go down...I'm going to lie down for a while..."

The maids exchanged glances, bowed, and withdrew, gently closing the door behind them.

The moment the door closed, the intoxication in Ling Xi's eyes vanished. She held her breath, quickly slipped a green pill from her sleeve, and put it in her mouth. The cool sensation instantly dispelled the confusion and heat in her mind.

This is an "antidote pill" that her father gave her, saying it could ward off villains. She always carried it with her, and she never expected it to actually come in handy.

Her eyes regained their clarity, and she slowly stood up, walked to the bedside, and curled her lips into a mocking smile.

"Let me see what 'gift' my Third Princess is going to give me, after all this scheming..."

She raised her hand and ripped open the heavy brocade curtains, the sight inside the bed making her eyes widen instantly.

Not only because the person in bed was Yi Shao himself.

Furthermore, the man who should have been unconscious and at the mercy of others was now biting his lower lip hard, blood flowing down the corner of his mouth, and one hand tightly gripping a sharp hairpin, the tip of which was pierced into his own left arm.

Blood stained his sleeves, but the intense pain kept him conscious. His phoenix eyes, with their upturned corners, burned with ruthlessness and determination as he stared intently at the person who had lifted the curtain, as if he were about to pounce on them and fight them to the death.

"Oh my!" Ling Xi was startled by the fierce look in his eyes and the gruesome scene of self-harm. Her hand trembled, and the curtain fell back down. She hurriedly took two steps back, afraid that this person would stab her neck with a hairpin without a care.

"You, you don't get agitated!" She quickly pulled out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and threw it far away on the bed. "This, this, it's an antidote for all poisons, really! I swear I absolutely didn't want to touch you. If I dared to touch Fifth Sister's people, Fifth Sister would skin me alive if she found out! I was really tricked!"

There was a moment of silence in the bed, followed by rustling sounds.

Yi Shao cautiously picked up the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and smelled it. Just by smelling the aroma, he felt a sense of clarity and confirmed that it was a high-quality antidote. Without hesitation, he poured out a pill and swallowed it.

The cooling medicinal properties dissipated, relieving the heat and weakness in his body, and the sharp pain in his arm injury became clear, causing him to groan.

"Thank you...Sixth Prince." His voice was hoarse and weak, trembling with the shock of surviving a disaster.

Ling Xi breathed a sigh of relief and asked anxiously through the curtain, "What exactly happened? How did you get here? Who brought you here?"

Yi Shao briefly recounted how he was impersonated as a messenger and how he was drugged into unconsciousness. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "Sixth Prince, this place is not safe to stay any longer. We must leave immediately."

Ling Xi nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, let's go quickly. My guards are waiting outside. I felt something was wrong when they handed me the wine, so I gave them a signal. They should have taken down the people watching nearby by now." As she spoke, she walked to the window and meowed twice like a cat.

Soon, a response came from outside the window.

Several guards in black silently climbed through the window and were surprised to see what was inside the room.

"Quickly, take Yi Ceqing away," Ling Xi ordered.

The well-trained guards quickly and carefully helped Yi Shao up, and evaded the mansion's patrols by swiftly leaving through a secluded side gate that had been scouted beforehand.