Undercurrent
Xu Xianyue's days in Prince Jing's Mansion seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were turbulent inside.
She rarely ventured out, spending most of her time in the west wing or her small workshop, surrounded by vibrant silk and delicate copper wire. As promised, she hadn't taken over the palace's household duties, leaving the shrewd old butler in full charge. Initially, the servants were prying and scrutinizing, but upon realizing she truly had no desire for power, their attitude gradually shifted from awe to a distant respect, with a subtle hint of... contempt. A consort disfavored by the prince, denied even their wedding night, held a truly awkward position within the rigidly hierarchical palace.
Wan Cui complained several times about this, but Xu Xianyue always dismissed her with a calm demeanor. "Isn't peace and quiet good enough?" she would always say. Her filigree movements flowed like flowing water, and a plum blossom, proud of its snow, began to take shape, its petals layered and lifelike. Her technique was even more refined and accomplished than that of the magnolia and lotus pods she had created earlier.
She wasn't truly oblivious to what was happening outside. Through Wan Cui's sporadic conversations with a few seemingly dull but actually simple-minded maids, she had a rough idea of the personnel composition of Jinglan Courtyard and even the palace. Jingzhe was Xie Wuqi's most trusted shadow guard leader, and he was always with her. The old housekeeper, surnamed Yan, was an elder in the palace, in charge of general affairs, and his thoughts were unpredictable. In addition, there were several beauties in the palace, said to be bestowed by the palace, who lived in remote courtyards, practically useless. Xie Wuqi himself had not set foot in the backyard since the night he was poisoned, and seemed to have completely forgotten her, his newly married princess.
This was exactly what Xu Xianyue wanted.
However, the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop.
That afternoon, Xu Xianyue was trying to mix dyes with the newly acquired madder roots and gardenias in the workshop when suddenly a deliberately suppressed argument came from outside the window.
"...The prince's illness keeps coming back, and I don't know if the medicine given by the palace will be of any use..."
"Hush! Keep your voice down! Are you trying to kill yourself? I heard the prince had another attack the day before yesterday, and it was even more dangerous than the last time. Lord Jingzhe stayed on guard all night..."
"Alas, if this continues... those people outside are waiting to see our palace become a laughingstock..."
The voices gradually faded away, and they turned out to be two servants passing by.
Xu Xianyue's grip on the stone mortar paused slightly. Another attack? And even more dangerous? She recalled Xie Wuqi's crimson eyes and the splattering blood that night, and her brows furrowed in a barely perceptible frown. That "Heart-burning" poison was indeed incredibly potent.
She looked down at the vibrant, freshly pounded madder juice in the stone mortar, then glanced at the several finished, diversely shaped velvet flowers placed nearby. A thought had been swirling in her mind for days, and now it became clearer: the velvet lotus's soothing effect on Xie Wuqi's toxin was no accident.
She needs validation.
The opportunity came faster than she expected.
That night, Steward Yan personally came to the West Wing, his expression respectful but with a hint of unconcealed worry: "Princess, the prince... is unwell, and the imperial physician has prescribed a prescription requiring 'Ice Silk' as a medicine, but the storehouse is completely depleted. I've heard that Princess is an expert in this, but I wonder..."
Ice silk? Xu Xianyue's eyes flickered. This was an extremely rare silk, pristine white and icy cold to the touch. Its production was extremely limited, mostly used as tribute to the royal family or for high-quality embroidery. She happened to have some, having had Wancui painstakingly sourced it from outside a few days ago.
"I do have some here." Xu Xianyue put down the charcoal pencil she was using to draw a pattern and said calmly, "I wonder how many Your Highness needs? And how will you use them?"
Steward Yan said hurriedly, "Only three grams are needed. Twist it into a very thin thread and burn it with the other herbs. Use the smoke as medicine."
Incineration? Xu Xianyue was filled with doubts. Although ice silk was cold in nature, she had never heard of it being directly incinerated for medicinal purposes. This seemed more like... a cover-up.
She didn't point it out, but just nodded: "I'll ask Wan Cui to send it over later."
"I dare not trouble the people around the princess," Butler Yan bowed and said, "The prince is in the study now. If the princess is free, could you deliver it in person? Also... to prevent the people below from not understanding and wasting this precious item." He spoke tactfully, but there was a hint of imperceptible pleading and temptation in his eyes.
Xu Xianyue understood instantly. The medicine guide was fake; the real purpose was to use her, perhaps to exploit the unusual ability she had demonstrated that night to calm the poison. Was it Jingzhe's intention? Or was it Xie Wuqi's instruction while he was awake?
She was silent for a moment, then stood up and said, "Lead the way."
What is coming will eventually come. You can’t avoid it by hiding.
The study was located to the east of the main building in Jinglan Courtyard, not far from the bridal chamber. Even before they approached, the familiar, oppressive aroma of medicine and a cold, hostile aura overwhelmed them. Two sharp-eyed guards stood guard outside the study. Upon seeing Butler Yan and Xu Xianyue, they silently bowed and stepped aside.
Pushing open the heavy rosewood door, the first person who caught my eye was Xie Wuqi, seated behind a large desk, forehead propped up on one hand, eyes closed and brow furrowed. His face was paler than on their wedding night, but his lips were an eerie crimson. Even in his comatose sleep, or perhaps even in a state of suppressed pain, an unwavering rage and pain clung to his features. Jingzhe stood in the shadows like a silent shadow. Upon seeing Xu Xianyue, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and he nodded slightly.
The study was brightly lit by candlelight, but the gloomy, dead air could not be dispelled. Military reports and documents were scattered on the desk, and next to it lay a bowl of thick, dark, untouched medicine.
"Princess." Jingzhe spoke in a low voice, breaking the silence.
Xu Xianyue handed over the ice silk wrapped in a brocade box: "This is the medicine that the housekeeper wants."
Jingzhe took it, but did not use it immediately. Instead, he looked at Xie Wuqi and said in a deep voice: "The toxins in the prince's body are restless, making it difficult for him to take the decoction. If you force it in, he will vomit it out... If this continues, it may damage his heart meridians."
His words were addressed to Xu Xianyue, and his meaning was clear.
Xu Xianyue's gaze fell on Xie Wuqi's clenched fist. The back of his hand was bruised and purple, with bulging veins, clearly indicating he was in immense pain. She then glanced at a newly made black plum blossom she had casually pinned in her hair for convenience. The blossom, dyed with deep crimson and black silk thread, held a solitary, cold, and elegant form.
She walked slowly forward, stopping three steps away from the desk. She didn't use the velvet flower to deliberately guide the rhythm like she had last time. She just stood there quietly, her eyes fixed on Xie Wuqi's eyelashes, which were twitching slightly in pain.
Then she raised her hand and gently took out the black plum blossom from her hair.
The movement was very light, almost silent.
However, at the moment when the velvet flower left the bun, the extremely faint rhythm, which was almost the original vibration of the friction between silk and copper wire, seemed to flow out naturally with her movements.
Very faint, very light, like the first snow falling to the ground, silently and without a sound.
But the effect was immediate.
Xie Wuqi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed at a visible speed! His tightly clenched fists loosened slightly. Although his body was still tense, the string that seemed about to break at any moment seemed to be gently supported by an invisible force.
Jingzhe's pupils suddenly contracted, and his grip on the brocade box tightened. Butler Yan even held his breath, his old eyes filled with shock.
Xu Xianyue understood. As expected. It wasn't the specific shape of the velvet flower, but rather the intense concentration she experienced while crafting it, the rhythmic harmony between her mind and fingertips, and the strange vibrations caused by the trembling of the velvet flower's material. It was this that could stimulate, or perhaps even calm, the raging "burning heart" poison within Xie Wuqi's body!
She held the black plum blossom without making any further movement, but looked at Jingzhe calmly: "It seems that this 'medicine guide' is not necessary."
Jingzhe took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Princess...how did you do it?"
"I don't know," Xu Xianyue answered frankly. She truly didn't know the principle, only the result. "Perhaps it has something to do with my craftsmanship in making this thing." She shook the velvet flower in her hand.
At this moment, Xie Wuqi behind the desk uttered a very light, sigh-like mumbling. Although he had not woken up, his breathing was obviously much calmer.
Jingzhe didn't ask any more questions. For some things, knowing the outcome is more important than exploring the cause. His gaze towards Xu Xianyue had completely changed. His previous scrutiny and politeness had now transformed into a kind of heavy... reliance.
"In the future," Jingzhe's voice was low and solemn, "if the prince's poison attacks again and is difficult to control, I'm afraid... I will have to trouble the princess again."
Xu Xianyue remained silent. This meant that she would be completely tied to Xie Wuqi's sinking ship, his life and death inextricably linked. Blessings and disasters often intertwine; this special ability could be a talisman, but it could also be a death warrant.
"I'll try my best." She didn't finish her words and casually placed the black plum blossom in her hand on the corner of the desk. "This may help him sleep more peacefully."
After saying that, she didn't look at Xie Wuqi again, turned around and left the study.
Butler Yan hurried after him to see him off.
In the study, candlelight flickered. Jingzhe looked at the solitary black plum blossom on the desk, then at Xie Wuqi, whose breathing was gradually stabilizing, a complex expression on his stern face.
Xu Xianyue, who had already walked out of the study, looked up at the dark blue night sky, which was cut into four squares by the high walls of the palace, and a lonely waning moon hung in the sky.
She knew that from this moment on, her role in Prince Jing's Mansion was different.
I'm afraid the days of leisure are really gone forever.
The undercurrent has reached her feet. And she must find her own foothold in this vortex. That foothold is the velvet flower at her fingertips, seemingly insignificant but capable of touching countless hearts.
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