Poison

Those scarlet eyes, like a dying beast, were fixed on Xu Xianyue with the madness of destroying everything.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, saturated with tangible murderous intent, so heavy that it made it impossible to breathe.

Xu Xianyue's fingertips gripped the velvet lotus pod, tightening slightly. Her heart pounded in her chest, but her face remained almost calm and indifferent. She didn't flinch, nor did she argue. She simply met his gaze and slowly lowered her hand holding the velvet flower into her sleeve.

The movement was natural, as if he was just adjusting his sleeves.

"Your Highness," she began, her voice unusually clear in the dead silence of the room, yet still steady, "You are awake."

Xie Wuqi didn't respond. His chest heaved violently, veins popped on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked his temples. The bone-eating, heart-scorching poison raced through his body, tearing at his meridians and burning his sanity. He clenched his hand on the armrest, his joints making a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound, and the veins on the back of his hand were knotted and stained, an ominous purple-black hue.

He stared at Xu Xianyue intently, as if trying hard to identify the woman in the bright red wedding dress in front of him, and as if resisting the primitive urge to tear her to pieces.

Xu Xianyue could smell a faint, yet heart-pounding, sweet, fishy odor mingling with the originally bitter medicinal scent in the air. That was a sign of the poison taking effect.

She stood there, not trying to get closer, nor making any sound that might irritate him. She was trying to decide whether to turn around and leave this dangerous bridal chamber immediately, or...

At this moment, Xie Wuqi suddenly let out an uncontrollable, extremely painful roar from his throat, his body leaned forward uncontrollably, and a mouthful of dark red blood suddenly spurted out, landing on the cold obsidian floor, creating a glaring mess.

He slid off the armchair and curled up on the ground, his body convulsing violently due to extreme pain. In his scarlet eyes, madness and clarity were fighting fiercely.

"Come...someone..." He squeezed out two words from between his teeth, his voice broken and filled with the despair of dying.

Almost at the moment he finished speaking, the door was slammed open by a huge force!

A dark figure swooped in like a ghost, leaving only an afterimage behind. It was a young man in dark, tight-fitting clothes, with a stern face and hawk-like eyes. He wore a strangely shaped short blade at his waist.

"Your Majesty!"

He cried out in surprise, without even looking at Xu Xianyue, and rushed straight to Xie Wuqi. He quickly pressed several acupuncture points on his body, then took out a small white jade bottle from his arms, poured out two vermilion pills, and tried to feed them into Xie Wuqi's mouth.

However, Xie Wuqi's teeth were clenched and his body was convulsing, so he couldn't feed the pill at all.

"Your Highness! Open your mouth!" the stern man shouted urgently, sweat oozing from his forehead.

Xu Xianyue stood a few steps away, observing the scene calmly. She knew this was the legendary leader of Xie Wuqi's shadow guards, Jingzhe. It seemed that Xie Wuqi's loss of control due to the poison was no secret within Prince Jing's mansion; it might even be... the norm.

Jingzhe tried several times but failed. Seeing that Xie Wuqi's breath was getting weaker and weaker, the hostility in his eyes was getting more and more intense, and he was almost losing his mind completely.

The situation is critical.

Xu Xianyue's gaze once again fell on the velvet lotus pod in his sleeve. That extremely faint vibration just now seemed to have indeed triggered a slight fluctuation in the toxins in his body? Was it a coincidence, or...

No time to think about it.

She took a step forward, and in Jingzhe's eyes, which suddenly became alert and almost wanted to stop her, she said calmly: "Let me try."

Jingzhe's eyes were sharp as a knife, filled with undisguised scrutiny and suspicion. What was the new princess's intention in approaching the poisoned prince at this moment?

Xu Xianyue did not explain, but stretched out his hand, not to touch Xie Wuqi, but to hold the hand holding the velvet lotus pod about three inches in front of Xie Wuqi's furrowed brows.

Her fingertips began to move extremely slightly again, not plucking, but simulating a more complex and gentle filigree finger technique, causing the tiny velvet flower to rotate and vibrate extremely slowly at an amplitude that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

No sound.

There was only an invisible, extremely faint rhythm that quietly spread out with the velvet flower as the center.

Jingzhe held his breath, tensed all his muscles, and was ready to take action to control the new princess's strange behavior at any time.

However, the next moment, his pupils suddenly shrank.

Xie Wuqi, curled up and convulsing on the ground, his body trembling violently, actually slowed down slightly at a noticeable speed! His clenched teeth loosened slightly, and the low growl in his throat, like a trapped animal, also weakened. Although still in pain, the edge of complete madness seemed to be pulled back by an invisible force with great difficulty!

Now is the time!

Jingzhe reacted extremely quickly and took the opportunity to stuff the vermilion pill in his hand into Xie Wuqi's mouth, using his internal energy to help him dissipate the power of the medicine.

The drug's effects spread, accompanied by a faint yet strangely soothing rhythm. The toxicity raging within Xie Wuqi's body was finally, barely, suppressed. The mad bloodshot in his crimson eyes faded slightly, replaced by a deep, unfathomable weakness and exhaustion. He gave Xu Xianyue one last, intense look, his gaze incomprehensible, before he sank completely into unconsciousness.

Jingzhe finally breathed a sigh of relief, carefully helped Xie Wuqi up, and put him back on the bed.

After doing all this, he stood up and turned to Xu Xianyue who had been standing quietly beside him. The vigilance in his eyes was still there, but there was a bit of indescribable inquiry and solemnity.

"Princess," he clasped his fists and bowed, his tone still cold, but with a subtle hint of politeness. "Thank you so much for just now."

He saw clearly that if it weren't for the strange, faint rhythm originating from this inconspicuous velvet flower, the prince's poison attack would never have been suppressed so quickly. This was no coincidence.

Xu Xianyue put the velvet flower back into her sleeve, her face calm, "It's just a piece of cake." She paused, looked at Xie Wuqi, who lay unconscious on the bed, his face as pale as paper, and asked, "Does the prince...do this often?"

Jingzhe was silent for a moment, as if weighing his options. Finally, he spoke in a low voice, "The poison the prince has been poisoned with is called 'Burning Heart'. It's extremely toxic. It attacks violently every fifteenth night of the full moon, and occasionally causes madness and pain on other days. The Imperial Hospital is helpless, using only rare drugs to suppress it, but... the poison has already penetrated deep into his lungs, and the medicine's effectiveness is waning."

The fifteenth of every month? Today wasn't the fifteenth. Xu Xianyue recalled that Xie Wuqi had suddenly taken effect due to emotional fluctuations or some other trigger. This poison was so dangerous and difficult to deal with.

"I understand." Xu Xianyue nodded and didn't ask any more questions. She knew that the more she knew, the deeper she would be implicated.

She took a look at the luxurious yet cold bridal chamber, and the man lying on the bed whose brows were furrowed and his expression was filled with endless pain even though he was unconscious.

This place was exactly the dangerous place she had expected.

"Since Jingzhe guards are taking care of this place, I won't bother you anymore." Xu Xianyue said, turning around and preparing to leave. She had no intention of actually sharing a bed with this strange prince who could die of poison at any moment.

"Princess, please stay." Jingzhe spoke out to stop her.

Xu Xianyue turned around.

Jingzhe said with a serious expression: "The matter of the prince being poisoned is a top secret of the palace. Princess, please keep it a secret, otherwise..." He didn't say the rest of the words, but the threat was self-evident.

"I understand." Xu Xianyue said calmly, "I didn't see anything."

Jingzhe looked at her calm face and was speechless for a moment. This new princess was too calm.

Xu Xianyue did not stay any longer and walked straight out of the bridal chamber filled with the smell of blood and medicine.

Outside the door, several maids and servants stood in the corridor, holding their breath, their faces pale. They had obviously heard the noise inside, but they didn't dare to get any closer. When they saw Xu Xianyue coming out, they quickly lowered their heads, their eyes filled with fear.

Xu Xianyue ignored them and said to Jingzhe who followed behind her, "My residence?"

Jingzhe was stunned for a moment, then realized that the princess had no intention of living in the main house. He pondered for a moment and said, "The west wing of Jinglan Courtyard has been tidied up. The princess can stay there temporarily."

Xu Xianyue nodded and walked towards the west wing under the guidance of a maid.

The west wing is equally spacious. Although its furnishings are not as luxurious as those in the main house, they are also elegant and comfortable. More importantly, there is no strong smell of medicine or blood here.

Wan Cui had been waiting inside for a long time. Seeing Xu Xianyue coming back safe and sound, she almost burst into tears: "Miss! Are you okay? Just now... just now inside..."

"I'm fine." Xu Xianyue interrupted her, rubbing his brows tiredly, "Pack up and get some rest."

That night, the east wing of Jinglan Courtyard was brightly lit. The imperial physician was secretly summoned and then quietly left. Meanwhile, in the west wing, Xu Xianyue fell asleep peacefully in an eerie silence.

But next to her pillow was the light green velvet lotus pod that saved her life and perhaps also saved Xie Wuqi's life.

The moonlight shines through the window lattice and falls on the lotus pods, giving off a soft and mysterious luster.

Xu Xianyue knew that from the moment she stepped into Prince Jing's Mansion and intervened when Xie Wuqi was poisoned, she could no longer remain immune.

This small velvet flower may not only be her skill to make a living, but may also become her only amulet and... weapon in this dangerous place.

The next morning, when Xu Xianyue got up, Jinglanyuan had returned to its superficial calm.

The maids helped her wash and dress, their attitude was respectful but distant, and they were observing her carefully.

After breakfast, the butler came to pay a visit and brought the princess's cards and account books. His posture was respectful, but there was a subtle scrutiny in his words, as if testing whether the new princess would be eager to seize power.

Xu Xianyue only glanced at it casually, then pushed it aside and said calmly, "Everything in the mansion remains the same as before. If there is nothing serious, there is no need to report to me."

The butler seemed a little surprised, and after respectfully accepting the request, he left.

Xu Xianyue didn't want power, but peace and quiet. She had a small room cleared out in a secluded part of the courtyard to serve as her workshop, and she laid out the silk and tools she had brought yesterday.

She needed to familiarize herself with the palace as quickly as possible, and also needed to...find out the truth about Ronghua's poison to Xie Wuqi.

Whether it is a blessing or a curse is still unknown.

But the road must be taken step by step.