Chapter 22 (He pounced on the couch) (V-entry notice...)
The truth could not be hidden forever; news of He Bailing's return to the capital to treat the Crown Prince's injuries soon reached the ears of those who were interested.
Kunning Palace.
Enraged, the Empress smashed two vases and even knocked over the medicine brought to her by a palace maid. "Go and fetch Chen Yi for me!"
Chen Yi has been having a lot of headaches lately, and the places he least wants to go are Kunning Palace and East Palace.
The Empress was particularly frightened by a corpse that had been delivered to her door recently. The culprit was none other than the one from the Eastern Palace. Now that He Bailing had returned to the capital without a sound, and the Crown Prince's injuries had improved overnight, the Empress was furious.
She naturally couldn't vent her anger on the Crown Prince, so she directed all her fury at the Imperial Hospital and the servants of Kunning Palace.
As soon as Chen Yi entered the hall, he was met with a barrage of curses: "A bunch of useless trash! You can't even kill a terminally ill cripple, what use are you to me!"
Chen Yi was also helpless. The Crown Prince had previously issued a death order: if he could not cure the disease within a month, his family would be raided and he would be beheaded.
Who is the Crown Prince? He is ruthless, cruel, and merciless. Just look at the way he purged the palace servants to know that he is a man of his word. If the Crown Prince wants his head, he will definitely die. This is not just empty talk.
But the Empress was pressing him hard, and he didn't have the means or the courage to poison the Crown Prince, so he could only play along between the two, just trying to survive one day at a time.
Chen Yi simply shifted the blame to Physician Zheng and He Bailing, saying, "Previously, most of the tasks of treating the Crown Prince's injuries and preparing medicine were entrusted to Physician Zheng and his apprentice. I also wanted to get involved, but His Highness the Crown Prince did not trust me. Now that Physician He has returned to the capital, it is even more beyond my ability to stop him..."
The Empress, having slept little for days, now had dark circles under her eyes, and her usual kind demeanor was gone; even her eyes had become sharp. "Since he made an exception and appointed you as the head of the Imperial Physician's Office, why can't you interfere? Can a retired old imperial physician really bypass you? If you had acted sooner, how could the Crown Prince still be alive today!"
Chen Yi thought to himself, "You've been playing tricks on him for twenty years, and he's still alive and well."
The Empress angrily said, "Now that He Bailing has returned, and the Crown Prince is about to recover, what do you suggest we do?!"
Chen Yi lowered his head timidly and replied without any confidence, "This humble subject... will think of another way?"
The Empress sensed the perfunctory tone in his words and angrily threw a porcelain cup at him: "Get out!"
Ignoring his official robes that were soaked by boiling water, Chen Yi hurriedly got up to take his leave.
The Empress was so angry that her chest ached. She looked at Qin Mama, who was waiting to the side, and asked in a cold voice, "That girl still hasn't made a move?"
Granny Qin immediately said, "I'll find an opportunity to go and urge them."
The Empress was still angry, so Qin Mama dared not delay and entered the East Palace in the afternoon under the pretext of giving He Bailing a reward.
After this purge, only the headmistress and Yun Kui remained of the four beauties. The crown prince now suspects that the empress has planted spies in the Eastern Palace. At this critical juncture, Qin Mama dares not openly summon people to Kunning Palace for a talk.
To demonstrate her magnanimity, the Empress specially ordered Granny Qin to fetch a thousand taels of silver and a fox fur cloak from the storeroom as a reward for He Bailing. He Bailing could not refuse and could only express his gratitude.
After rewarding He Bailing, Granny Qin went to the side hall and gave the accountant and Yun Kui each a box of jewelry and four bolts of brocade.
The two personally saw Granny Qin off at the door. Granny Qin told the accountant to go back first, which gave her a chance to speak with Yun Kui alone.
"Why hasn't the secret medicine been used yet?"
Yun Kui knew that Granny Qin had come for this matter, but she dared not openly refuse the Empress's kindness, so she could only say, "Your Highness is cautious and suspicious, and this servant has not yet found an opportunity..."
Granny Qin immediately said, "The Crown Prince is currently investigating spies hidden in the Eastern Palace. Once your secret medicine is discovered, you will inevitably face a brutal interrogation. The Empress is His Highness's mother; at most, she resorted to this tactic out of longing for her grandson, and it won't affect her relationship with the Crown Prince. But you are different. You know His Highness's temperament best. How many people have he dismissed and how many have been beaten to death these past few days? How do you think he will deal with you? Once you enter the Eastern Palace's torture chamber, you will become guilty even if you are innocent. After several rounds of brutal torture, losing an arm or a leg is inevitable. Can your delicate skin withstand it? Or do you also want to end up like those spies, beaten to death with clubs?"
Yun Kui's face was ashen, and the image of palace servants covered in blood being dragged away outside the torture chamber flashed through her mind.
Seeing that she had successfully intimidated her, Granny Qin warned, "Use the secret medicine as soon as possible, and not only will wealth and honor be within your grasp, but the Empress will also back you up. If you don't use it, the Empress can't guarantee that you'll walk out of the torture chamber unscathed."
After Granny Qin left, Yun Kui stood alone in the cold wind for a long time, her eyes stinging from the wind, and her fingers hidden in her sleeves trembling uncontrollably.
Is this a case of being caught in a dilemma?
Either use a secret drug to seduce the crown prince, and then get caught in the act.
Either the secret medicine is discovered, or she is taken to the torture chamber for interrogation.
If all else fails, just throw that damn secret medicine and poisonous lip balm into the furnace to destroy the evidence!
As for the thousand taels of silver notes... although I'm very reluctant to part with them, can money be more important than life?
She should have realized this sooner. Leaving those things in her room for even a moment longer would be dangerous. Even if she buried them under the tree, the Eastern Palace guards would dig them up and find them. It would be better to burn them all and then she could rest easy!
Just as she was about to go back to her room to clean up, a eunuch suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pulled her behind the rockery. Before she could even cry out, her mouth was covered tightly, and a pill the size of a fingernail was forcibly stuffed into her mouth from the man's palm. By the time Yun Kui reacted, the pill had already slid down her throat and into her stomach.
She swallowed with great difficulty, tears welling in her eyes, gasping for breath as she clutched her throat: "Who are you? What did you give me to eat?"
The eunuch's eyes were gleaming white, and his face was fierce. His words were chilling: "You refuse the riches and honors offered by your master, so don't blame your master for being ruthless. You have just taken the Seven-Day Powder. If you can poison the Crown Prince within seven days, your master will provide the antidote. If not, then wait to die with your intestines ruptured!"
"What does your killing of the Crown Prince have to do with me? I have never offended you..."
Yun Kui's face was deathly pale, and tears had already blurred her vision.
The little eunuch finished speaking and then slipped away. She didn't even manage to grab a piece of clothing. She collapsed to the ground, her body weak, and tears streamed down her face.
He pressed his fingers into his throat and kept trying to induce vomiting, even vomiting blood, but nothing came out.
She returned to the side hall in a daze, sat there for a while, and then took out the lip rouge and poison hidden at the bottom of the box.
It's one thing for the Empress to force her, but who are these people?
It's ridiculous. She doesn't even know who their "master" is, yet she's being forced to kill someone who is impossible to kill.
Why does this kind of thing always happen to her? She's never done anything wrong, yet she's about to die...
Seven days to go, seven days to go... Does she only have seven days left to live?
Yun Kui clutched the porcelain bottle tightly in her hand, tears wetting her face.
That night, someone from Chengguang Palace came to deliver a message, asking her to come and serve the emperor.
Yun Kui wiped away her tears, tried her best to compose herself, and made sure she looked normal.
But her red eyes couldn't fool the Crown Prince. Her resentment was like a thousand wronged ghosts floating in the sky above Chengguang Hall, crying out for justice in unison, making the Crown Prince's head ache.
"Waaaaah, I don't want to kill anyone, and I don't want to die. I only have seven days left to live, and I haven't lived enough yet..."
"Who on earth wanted to harm me! I have no grudge against you! I won't even know who I'll seek revenge on after I die..."
"You treacherous scoundrel! You rat! You mud pig and mangy dog! You're covered in mange! You don't dare kill the crown prince yourself, so you make me do it! I'll kill your old mother!"
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
The Crown Prince frowned, unable to contain himself any longer: "Yun Kui!"
Yun Kui was still immersed in resentment when she heard the Crown Prince's angry shout, which brought her back to her senses. "Your Highness, what are your orders?"
The prince pressed his large hand on her waist and commanded in a deep voice, "If you don't sleep, get out of here."
Yun Kui wanted to cry, and tears were already flowing silently. Afraid of wetting the prince's embroidered pillow, she could only gather her hair to her ears and let the tears slide down her temples.
She pressed her lips tightly together, the more she tried to hold back, the more she couldn't help but let out a sob or two.
Since she's going to die anyway, what's the point of crying? Should we execute her?
She was prepared to be scolded, but strangely, the crown prince seemed not to hear her crying. Instead, he turned over and lay flat, perhaps already asleep.
He's actually... so easy to talk to?
Yun Kui opened her eyes in a daze, suddenly remembering the secret medicine the Empress had given her.
Granny Qin said that the secret medicine could make the Crown Prince devoted to her and have her as his only thought. Is that true?
Yun Kui was well aware of her situation. The Crown Prince had always treated her as a source of amusement, a pillow that was comfortable to touch, but it was definitely not something he doted on.
But if she uses that secret medicine, the Crown Prince will fall deeply in love with her, and with the Empress backing her up, she can ask them to find an antidote for the Seven-Day Powder, and there will still be a way out.
Yun Kui slowly stopped sobbing and quickly lost her previous pessimism.
This matter is urgent. Administering the medicine and pleading for mercy both require time, and preparing the antidote will take an unknown amount of time.
But where should we begin to ensure that we can successfully feed the secret medicine to the Crown Prince?
Yun Kui was still deep in thought, unaware that the man beside her was not asleep and had heard her thoughts clearly.
What secret medicine? It's nothing but a charlatan. The Empress has wanted him dead for a long time. Now that his arrow poison has been cured, Kunning Palace is naturally restless. It's not easy for the Empress to let go of such a perfect opportunity when there is a woman who can get close to him.
This little yellow girl already coveted his body, and now she's been given the Seven-Day Powder, her life hanging by a thread. The Empress's secret medicine is indeed her only chance to survive.
The crown prince clenched his fists and slowly closed his phoenix eyes, which could not conceal his murderous intent.
Yun Kui was sad all day, but now that she has found a way out, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, slowly began to settle down.
Let's sleep for now and see what happens tomorrow with the secret medicine.
I didn't sleep well tonight.
She had another dream, in which she herself was the main character.
She saw Granny Qin hand her the secret medicine, and in order to save her life, she secretly put the medicine into the prince's tea. The prince did not suspect anything, took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
Just as she thought the man was about to put away his cold and ruthless expression and look at her with affection, the teacup fell to the ground with a "clatter".
The prince suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face contorted, and he collapsed to the ground dead.
Yun Kui was startled awake, breaking out in a cold sweat.
She actually witnessed herself poisoning the Crown Prince, using a secret medicine given to her by the Empress!
So whose dream is this?
Her mind was in turmoil. She recalled everyone she had met during the day, and after much thought, it seemed that only Granny Qin, or perhaps the Empress whom she had been thinking about before going to sleep, could be the only one.
Could there be something wrong with that secret medicine? It wasn't a drug to lure the crown prince at all; it was poison!
Thinking of the prince's gruesome state in her dream, bleeding from all seven orifices, she felt a chill run down her spine. She carefully turned around, only to find that the prince had woken up at some point and was looking at her with a pair of phoenix eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
"woke up?"
Yun Kui's lips trembled, and she swallowed nervously. "This servant... will help Your Highness wash and change."
The Crown Prince looked at her silently for a moment, then said, "You will stay here and have breakfast with me later."
This is truly an immense blessing.
Yun Kui had no appetite at all, and the sumptuous meal on the table tasted like nothing at all.
At the end of the meal, the prince pushed a small bowl of pear soup towards her: "Drink it."
Yun Kui: "...Your Highness, this servant really can't eat anymore."
The crown prince glanced at her indifferently; even without any expression, he exuded an air of authority without anger.
Normally, Yun Kui would have happily accepted it and drunk it.
But she was about to die, and she was still being forced to drink soup. She couldn't even make her own decisions until the very end. Thinking of this, her eyes welled up with tears again.
The prince watched as she finished the pear soup with tears streaming down her face. The moment he looked away, his dark eyes were as cold as ice.
In the following days, Yun Kui continued to come to serve the emperor as usual.
Although there were only two people in the vast bedchamber, the Crown Prince's ears were filled with the sounds of birds chirping and doves gathering. One moment he was wailing and crying, the next he was using all his knowledge to curse the poisoner and his ancestors for eighteen generations. Then he was thinking about his strong and healthy guards and regretting that he had never been married and had never tasted the pleasures of a man. And then he was crying and sobbing endlessly.
The Crown Prince tolerated her for three days, but finally could not bear it any longer. He would rather suffer from headaches than summon her to his bedchamber again.
On the evening of the seventh day, Yun Kui finally arrived uninvited.
The crown prince sat on the couch waiting for her.
Today is the last day of the seven-day period for the poison to take effect, and the Crown Prince believes she will definitely come.
If she were to poison him in order to save her life, the Crown Prince would not mind giving her the same fate as those assassins.
What good is it if she can alleviate his headaches? He will never keep an unfaithful person by his side.
Cao Yuanlu had already received instructions from the Crown Prince that he should let Yun Kui in as soon as she arrived.
Although this girl was the Empress's person and could very well harm His Highness, Cao Yuanlu couldn't help but feel pity for her when he saw her tear-streaked eyes.
Your Highness is really something, clearly... yet you still insist on teasing people.
When Yun Kui entered, the Crown Prince was sitting on the couch drinking tea. He frowned upon smelling the faint scent of alcohol on her.
Yun Kui stared intently at the person in front of her, her eyes red.
He wore a black robe with gold patterns, the dim candlelight outlining his sharply defined features. He was so handsome that he seemed otherworldly. His broad shoulders supported the crisp robe, exuding a powerful and intimidating aura, making one think of the bulging muscles beneath the robe...
Crown Prince: ...
He just couldn't understand it. She knew she was about to die, yet she still had time to lust after men.
"What are you doing here...?"
Before he could finish speaking, the girl suddenly lunged forward and pinned him down on the couch.
When those soft, sweet lips covered his, the prince took a deep breath and only then did he hear her uninhibited thoughts.
"Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well finish it off quickly! If I can sleep with a prince with a face and body of exceptional beauty before I die, my life will be worthwhile!"
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