Chapter 17 With the east wind blowing in front of her, how could she not lend a hand? ...

A few days later, in the afternoon.

The maidservant was putting a peach blossom hairpin into Cui Yiluo's cloud-like hair.

"Miss, Supervisor Cheng has sent someone to deliver some things."

Lilan came in from outside the door to report.

"Wedding dress? x"

The wedding dress was undeniably simple, and Lilan was not pleased: "Yes, but other things were also brought along. When I looked at them, they were all silks and satins, jade pendants and hairpins, nothing particularly valuable."

Cheng Feng certainly wouldn't offer anything valuable, but it was too strange for him to send someone to apologize today after he had insulted her yesterday and threatened not to let her go after the marriage.

Cui Yilu frowned: "Did they send someone to say anything?"

Lilan's expression was strange: "They said they offended the young lady a few days ago and sent someone to apologize, hoping that the couple can live in harmony after marriage."

The couple lived in harmony. The absurdity made Cui Yilu laugh. Looking at Cheng Feng's reluctant manner as he delivered the gift, her aunt had said yesterday that her uncle would be looking for him; it seemed her uncle had given him a dressing down.

Cui Yiluo glanced at the sky; it was almost time to attend the small banquet at the Duke of Zheng's mansion. She had no mind to think about Cheng Feng's strange behavior anymore. She simply ordered someone to carry the things to the courtyard and then led Lilan and the guards out.

Inside the Duke of Zheng's mansion, the Duke of Zheng was a man of refined taste who loved literature and calligraphy. The artificial hills and landscapes in the mansion were all quite elegant. Amidst the dappled sunlight and shadows of the flowers and willows, many young men and women had already come and gathered in twos and threes.

Hearing that Yuan Ling would also be attending the banquet today, Cui Yiluo thought of taking this opportunity to give him the robe and medicine. Just then, she saw him heading towards the lake, so she followed him with Lilan.

"Commander Yuan."

Yuan Ling was stopped by her. He turned around and saw that it was her. A hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

"Did you bring the things?"

Cui Yiluo glanced at Lilan, who then handed the wooden box containing the outer robe and several packets of sleeping pills to Yuan Ling's attendant.

"Making a deal with Lord Yuan is something I should take seriously. I haven't yet thanked Lord Yuan for his help last time."

Last time in Yue Mountain, Cheng Yi was attacked by a wild beast. He claimed that he had made an appointment with her, which is why he encountered the beast. Yun Yiwei investigated and found that she had never had any contact with Cheng Yi, which cleared her name.

Yuan Ling smiled and said, "It's rare to see Miss Cui being so polite. Don't worry, I know the rules of the transaction." He then lowered his voice and added, "You don't need to worry about your cousin finding out about this."

He glanced at the artificial hill to the east as if it were nothing, and continued, "He seems to be here today as well."

Cui Yiluo did not speak, nor did she look towards the artificial hill.

Whether Jiang Yunjin knew or not, attending the banquet today was meaningless to her at this moment. Ever since the last time at Jixuezhai, she knew that Jiang Yunjin's path was blocked. In the future, they would only be ordinary cousins, or even less, since they were not related by blood.

She didn't want to have a long talk with Yuan Ling: "Lord Yuan, my cousin is still waiting for me, so I'll take my leave now."

"etc."

Cui Yiluo paused in her turn, then turned back, only to see Yuan Ling's hand reaching towards her temple.

She instinctively tried to dodge, but Yuan Ling was faster, withdrawing his hand with a crape myrtle petal between his fingertips. He had noticed a petal had fallen into her hair and was brushing it away for her.

Seeing her strong reaction and strange expression, Yuan Ling couldn't help but chuckle: "Miss Cui is really wary of people."

"Does Lord Yuan not know that one should not advise others to do good if one has not experienced hardship himself?"

Yuan Ling smiled enigmatically: "Miss Cui seems to have experienced quite a lot."

Cui Yiluo slightly raised her lips, but her eyes were devoid of any smile, only icy coldness. "I think Lord Yuan and I are not yet familiar enough to talk about the past."

Without waiting for Yuan Ling's reply, he said goodbye and turned to leave.

Yuan Ling stood there, smiling casually, his slender fingers gently caressing the crape myrtle petal.

"What are you looking at?"

Behind the artificial hill, Xiao Jing watched as the person beside him gazed thoughtfully at the lake. He followed the gaze and happened to see Yuan Ling removing the petals that had fallen into Cui Yiluo's hair. He raised an eyebrow in sudden realization.

"I was wondering why you came to this banquet today."

Jiang Yunjin withdrew his gaze, his voice cold and clear: "Didn't Your Highness order me to ensure the safety of others? I was merely following orders."

Xiao Jing chuckled: "Shenzhi, it is my good fortune to have your help. However, Yue Shan and the others failed last time, and with Madam Jiang here, they should not make another move in the short term. Since you are here for the banquet today, relax and don't worry about official business."

"yes."

"But when did Miss Cui meet Yuan Ling? They seem quite familiar with each other."

Jiang Yunjin replied calmly, "I do not know."

Xiao Jing smiled helplessly, "That's true, I almost forgot, you don't care about girls' affairs."

Sparse light and shadow fell on Jiang Yunjin's snow-white brocade robe. He lifted his eyelids, glanced at the two people who had separated by the lake, and remained silent without answering.

On the other side, Cui Yiluo had reached the corner of the corridor behind the lake when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, and the two almost bumped into each other.

Cui Yiluo took a few steps back before she could see the hurried person in front of her.

"Miss Xie?"

The person who came was Xie Xiyun. She looked anxious and seemed to have something extremely important to do, which is why she didn't even look where she was going and almost bumped into her.

Xie Xiyun grabbed her hand, and Cui Yiluo was startled. She instinctively tried to pull away, but then she heard Xie Xiyun say, "Miss Cui, I have something very important to tell you."

She glanced around. "This place isn't convenient. Let's find a less crowded spot."

Cui Yiluo observed her discreetly, and only after confirming that she was not lying did she agree.

They found a secluded corner surrounded by green bamboo, a quiet place where even the servants of the Duke of Zheng's mansion rarely passed by.

"Miss Xie, what's wrong?"

What could possibly make Xie Xiyun so anxious?

Xie Xiyun spoke rapidly with anxiety: "Miss Cui, you must not touch the wine at today's banquet."

Cui Yilu frowned: "Poisoned?"

Xie Xiyun was surprised that Cui Yiluo did not question her, nor did she show the panic that a naive young lady should have. She was only slightly stunned before she came to her senses, and she couldn't help but admire her in secret.

But another thought popped into her mind: was she being framed, which was why she was so calm? Looking at the girl in front of her, who was as beautiful as a lotus flower in the distance, Xie Xiyun couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

"It's not poison, it's a medicine called 'Bewitching Elixir'."

Cui Yiluo repeated softly, "Bewitching Enchanting Charm."

She had seen the book "Bewitching Enchanting Charm" in Uncle Sui's collection of books.

Uncle Sui was an expert in medicine, but not medicine for saving lives; rather, medicine for tormenting people. The more ruthless the torment, the more proficient he became. Cui Yiluo had borrowed his books since childhood, and she already knew these evil medicines by heart.

Xie Xiyun, assuming she hadn't heard of it, explained, "It's a medicine from the Southern Frontier, or perhaps 'poison' would be a more accurate description. After drinking it, one becomes delirious and must have sexual intercourse with someone to receive the antidote; otherwise, one's heart will burst after an hour. This medicine is extremely difficult to refine and very rare. I don't know how Chu Ke obtained it..."

Clearly, Xie Xiyun only had a general understanding. The wonder of the Bewitching Immortal Technique lies not in the rupture of the heart meridian, but in the fact that it controls not the body, but the mind, and therefore cannot be relieved by masturbation.

The allure of the immortals is so captivating that even deities can be bewitched by it.

Even the most mentally strong person, like Jiang Yunjin, would likely find it difficult to maintain their rationality when faced with the Bewitching Charm.

But upon hearing the last part, she still frowned: "Chu Ke?"

Xie Xiyun's fiancé? How could it be him?

Xie Xiyun's eyes immediately revealed her sorrow and anger: "Just now, I inadvertently passed by the corridor leading to the kitchen and overheard Chu Ke's servant conspiring with a kitchen servant from the Duke of Zheng's mansion behind a latticed window. I gave him the drug and told him to make sure it was put in your wine. Chu Ke and the Duke of Zheng's heir have always been on good terms, and this small banquet was hosted by the Duke of Zheng's heir, which is why he dared to put the drug in the banquet! They are all in cahoots!"

Xie Xiyun's eyes were red with anger: "I used to think he was just a bit playful, but he never caused any trouble. I never thought he could do such a despicable thing!"

The purpose of administering this medicine is self-evident.

After listening to the whole thing, Cui Yiluo felt much clearer-headed.

She nodded: "I understand, Miss Xie, thank you."

Xie Xiyun is Chu Ke's fiancée, and their interests are intertwined. If this matter is exposed, Chu Ke's reputation will be ruined. Although Xie Xiyun is innocent, there will always be despicable people who make up stories. Rumors are the most hurtful.

Xie Xiyun shook her head: "You are my savior, how can I pretend not to know when something happens to you? Why be so formal, let's address each other by our given names."

Cui Yiluo lowered her eyes, avoiding her grateful gaze.

She was clearly pushed into the water, yet she received all of Xie Xiyun's pure gratitude.

"After he did something like this, didn't you ever think about breaking off the engagement?" she suddenly asked.

Cui Yiluo's expression and tone suddenly became somber, as if she had become a different person, which startled Xie Xiyun.

When asked about annulling the engagement, Xie Xiyun hesitated, "I originally planned to discuss it with my family in a while. But Chu Ke..."

"He threatened you?"

“No,” Xie Xiyun shook her head, paused for a moment, and lowered her voice: “He and Yingzhu are seeing each other in private. Yiluo, I really don’t know how to bring this up.”

Compared to her fiancé, the betrayal by her close sister was clearly Xie Xiyun's deepest pain, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

Xie Yingzhu and Chu Ke...

Cui Yiluo instantly understood why Xie Xiyun was in low spirits when they were in Yueshan, and why she usually spent time with Xie Yingzhu, but Xie Yingzhu was rarely seen by her side those two days.

And on the day the sun set, Xie Yingzhu seemed anxious, but in reality, she was delaying Yang Jingling from taking Xie Xiyun's pulse.

"Did she cause your fall into the water?"

Startled by Cui Yiluo's keen insight, Xie Xiyun paused for a moment.

"Yes. Chu Ke came to visit me once after I fell into the water. After he left, I happened to want to get out of bed and walk around, and that's when I bumped into them behind the rockery."

Xie Xiyun said with a bitter smile, "She pushed me into the water. Consort Qiong was begged by Chu Ke to send a palace maid out as a scapegoat, which saved her. But Chu Ke was also ordered to end this illicit relationship, so my second sister risked being discovered to stop Chu Ke behind the artificial hill."

They thought she was seriously ill and never expected her to get out of bed and walk around. In her confusion and passion, she didn't pay attention to her surroundings, which led her to secretly discover everything.

Recalling the coldness and disgust on Xie Yingzhu's face when she mentioned her that day, and the mocking expression on her fiancé's face when he said she had no charm and was just being pretentious, Xie Xiyun felt a surge of grief and indignation. She had misjudged people.

"Are you just going to let them go like this?"

Cui Yiluo's voice, as cold as a spring, rang out. Xie Xiyun's eyes widened slightly, her expression one of astonishment.

Cui Yiluo took in her reaction.

She stopped pretending to be gentle and virtuous, because she was inherently ruthless and unscrupulous. Xie Xiyun trusted her only because she thought she was kind-hearted. Once she discovered the truth, she would be utterly disappointed in her and resent her misplaced trust.

Since I'm going to be disappointed in her sooner or later, I might as well be disappointed sooner.

She added fuel to the fire, her heart hardening: "Chu Ke is a womanizer and absurd, don't you want to get revenge on him?"

His tone was so calm that it seemed as if he were just having a casual chat.

Xie Xiyun was even more astonished.

Next, her attitude will change drastically, and she will accuse her of being cold and heartless.

Cui Yiluo suddenly felt a sense of relief.

But the next moment, Xie Xiyun's clear eyes lit up, and she was moved.

"Yi Luo, you've been so good to me. You're always so gentle and polite to people, but now you're trying to get revenge on them for my sake. Don't worry, I just don't know how to bring it up. After all, Ying Zhu and I were once very close, and we're sisters by blood, but I don't intend to let her go easily."

Cui Yiluo opened her lips, but suddenly couldn't utter a word.

She wanted to say that she wasn't worried about her; she had misunderstood. Always thinking the best of people and being so trusting of others would only hurt her.

Seeing Cui Yiluo's complicated expression, Xie Xiyun assumed she was still worried about her, and quickly said, "Alright, don't worry about me anymore. The Bewitching Elixir is very potent. Why don't you pretend to be sick and go back to your residence first?"

“Pretending to be sick and returning home would be too obvious. They would know that I have been discovered and would not give up easily, lest I spread the word.”

Indeed, there's always another chance if the plan fails, but if word gets out that someone was given a potent drug, it will damage the reputation of both families.

Xie Xiyun hadn't expected this and was somewhat stunned: "Then what should we do?"

"Those who have come today are all scions of prominent families; they can't possibly force me to drink it in front of everyone."

Xie Xiyun was still worried, but she understood her concerns. "Alright, then you must be extra careful."

Cui Yiluo nodded, a smile appearing in her eyes.

It goes without saying who is behind Chu Ke, as they are capable of obtaining such a rare and precious medicine as the Bewitching Elixir.

With the east wind blowing ahead, how can we not lend a hand?

When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path suddenly appears.

The blood in his chest seemed to boil slightly. Jiang Yunjin was as aloof and refined as a banished immortal; what would he be like under the influence of the Bewitching Charm?

A note from the author:

Aro: Plan worked! [shrugs]

Because of her experiences growing up, A Luo finds it difficult to trust others; this is her protective mechanism.