230. Unbearable

The room was dimly lit, with only a small window letting in a sliver of daylight.

"What on earth happened? How did Dou Shichen become like that? Didn't you say the medicine would definitely work? Now that I'm locked up here, you have to think of something!" Tao Wanbi cursed inwardly for a long time.

Dou Shichen's reaction is a normal side effect of inexpensive love-at-first-sight drugs.

[This drug is inexpensive but lacks stability. Once the illusory goodwill is shattered, it can easily trigger excessive emotional fluctuations, leading to symptoms such as panic and confusion. These symptoms will gradually subside after the drug's effects have completely worn off.]

"Normal side effects?" Tao Wanbi suddenly stood up and paced around the small room, extremely agitated. "I'm being treated like a criminal, and this is normal? What am I supposed to say if they ask me why I impersonated Jin Lanyue and why I instigated Dou Shichen to commit murder? Didn't you say you would help me?"

"It's all your fault! What kind of lousy medicine did you give me! You good-for-nothing!"

[...]

The system had reached its limit.

It had had enough of this stupid and incompetent host.

Forgive my bluntness, but this is all your fault.

"What?! What do you mean?! You gave me that lousy potion and that lousy plan, and now you're saying it's my fault?!"

The medicine itself is fine! As long as you maintain the goodwill, there won't be any side effects!

"So it's my fault? Was it my idea to do this? You were the one who asked for it!"

My plan was flawless! It's you! You've failed time and time again!

I've always tried my best to help you, but what have you done? You're utterly hopeless!

"Why don't you just say you're a complete waste of a system?! Did I ask you to bind to me? Did I have to come here? Aren't you the culprit behind all of this?!"

I've really had enough of you!

"I've had enough of you! You incompetent piece of trash! You damned human trafficker!"

The system didn't reply, and Tao Wanbi continued cursing to herself.

The door was suddenly flung open, and two guards dressed in black entered, carrying thick hemp ropes and thin silver needles, their eyes chillingly cold.

Tao Wanbi froze for a moment, then quickly realized the situation was bad and turned to run away.

But how could she outrun the strong guards? Before she could struggle, two guards stepped forward, pinning her arms down on either side, and thick hemp ropes instantly wrapped around her wrists and ankles, binding her firmly to the chair.

"Speak! What did you say to His Highness the Crown Prince today? Why did the Crown Prince become like that?" A guard picked up a silver needle and took off her shoes.

Tao Wanbi trembled with fear, tears welling up instantly: "I...I didn't say anything...we just...we just chatted a bit..."

She wanted to tell the story about the system, to admit that the system had made her do it, but the words were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say them.

But to the two guards, it immediately came across as stubbornness.

"Still dare to be stubborn! His Highness was perfectly fine, but after seeing you, he turned into this. If you're not the one doing this, then who is? If you don't tell the truth, don't blame us for being impolite!"

The guard holding the silver needles immediately took action.

"Ah—" Tao Wanbi screamed in excruciating pain, cursing the system in her mind: "Come out now! You liar! Useless piece of trash!"

No matter how much she screamed and cursed, the system seemed to disappear, and there was no response.

The silver needles drew blood again and again. Tao Wanbi finally broke down, tears blurring her vision. In her heart, she pleaded, "System, I was wrong. I shouldn't have listened to you... Please save me, I want to get out... Please..."

The system's voice was a warm, masculine tone, with intonation and a strong sense of life.

But now, the voice was exceptionally cold—

This is all your own doing; you should bear the consequences.

Tao Wanbi trembled all over: "I was wrong! I'll never do it again! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west. I'll obey every command! Please save me!"

You should remember this lesson well.

While I can't directly kill you, I have ways to make you wish you were dead.

"I promise I'll obey from now on! You can kill someone if you ask me to! Please!"

You're smart to know what's good for you.

[I've already provided you with a loan to exchange for a sleeping powder pouch and a regular dagger. The sleeping powder pouch will take effect once crushed. Remember, use the sleeping powder pouch to incapacitate the guard first, then use the dagger to finish him off. Don't even think about leaving him alive.]

Tao Wanbi dared not hesitate for a moment.

She suddenly crushed the sleeping sachet, and pale blue smoke instantly filled the air.

The two guards fell straight down.

With trembling hands, Tao Wanbi pulled out a dagger, freed herself from her restraints, and closed her eyes as she stabbed each of the guards in their vital points. Blood splattered onto her skirt, and she was so frightened that she almost collapsed.

[Don't just stand there! Climb over the wall from the backyard and go to the Marquis of Beiding's residence to find the Marquis and Jiang Xiyue. Tell them that the little dumpling is jealous of you and deliberately had the people from the Prince's residence harm you.]

Don't worry about Dou Shichen implicating you. He'll forget what happened once he regains his senses.

Tao Wanbi stumbled and climbed over the wall, her skirt was torn open by the broken porcelain on the wall, and her calves were scraped and bleeding, but she dared not stop and ran towards the Marquis of Beiding's mansion, crying all the way.

-

In the main hall of the Marquis of Beiding's residence, the Marquis of Beiding was looking at official documents, while Jiang Xiyue was arranging embroidery on the side.

Tao Wanbi knelt down with a thud as she entered the room, crying her heart out: "Father! Mother! Save me!"

Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding hurriedly stood up. Seeing that her skirt was stained with blood and her feet were covered in blood, her face immediately changed: "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"It's...it's Jin Lanyue!" Tao Wanbi cried so hard she could barely breathe, clutching the sleeve of the Marquis of Beiding, her voice filled with fear. "I wanted to go out and play today, and when I saw my sister and the Prince of Zhennan's heir enter the Prince's residence, I wanted to go there to find her. But I was caught by the guards as soon as I got to the gate! They said my sister had instructed them to teach me a lesson, saying I shouldn't have tried to steal her thunder!"

She lifted her skirt, revealing bloodied fingernails, a horrifying sight: "They tied me up in the woodshed, stabbed me with silver needles, and said they would kill me and throw me into a mass grave to destroy the evidence! I managed to escape when they weren't looking... How could my sister do this to me? Aren't we best friends?"

Tao Wanbi's wounds were real, and her expression of fear didn't seem fake.

Along the way, many people saw her running back from the Crown Prince's residence crying.

Marquis Beiding frowned, his face darkening: "Such a thing has happened? Yue'er has always been well-behaved, how could she do such a thing?"

"It's true!" Tao Wanbi quickly added, her tears falling even harder. "The guards also said that His Highness the Heir Apparent dislikes me, saying I'm a wild girl from out of town and don't deserve to stay in the Marquis of Beiding's residence! I'm so scared, I'm afraid my sister will harm me again..."

-

"Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince has awakened!"

A servant came to inform them.

The little dumpling immediately followed the servants to the pavilion, where Dou Shichen was sitting on a stone bench, his eyes still somewhat dazed, sipping a calming soup.

Upon seeing the little dumpling, he paused, then asked in confusion, "Princess Fukang? What are you doing here? I... how did I end up sleeping here?"

“Shining Bean Prince, don’t you remember what happened today?” the little dumpling asked hurriedly. “Someone who called herself Yue’er came to see you, and you even chatted for a while.”

Dou Shichen frowned and tried to recall carefully, but only shook his head: "I don't remember... It seems like I had a nightmare in which someone asked me to do bad things, but I can't remember anything else."

At this moment, the doctor also arrived. After taking Dou Shichen's pulse again, he confirmed, "Your Highness's mind has stabilized. He can't remember what happened before, which is probably due to temporary amnesia caused by excessive fright. It's not a big problem for his health. He just needs to rest more."

The little girl breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could say anything more, a servant hurriedly ran to Uncle Li's side and whispered a few words.

Uncle Li's face instantly turned extremely ugly. He suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze fixed on the little dumpling, filled with obvious suspicion.

The servant just said that the two guards in the side room were killed for some unknown reason, and Tao Wanbi has also disappeared.

Li Bo stared at the little dumpling, his eyes almost overflowing with suspicion, but he quickly suppressed it and put on a gentle smile again: "Princess, the young master has just woken up and is not in good spirits yet. Why don't I take you to sit in the front yard? The scenery there is beautiful, and we can also see the flowers in the mansion."

As he spoke, he subtly gave the servant beside him another wink.