He Xingyun waited anxiously.
Before Pei Xuan even arrived, a furious shout came from outside the camp.
"How dare someone take the princess hostage? What are the archers doing? Shoot them on the spot!"
Pei Feng strode in, his face contorted with anger.
He drew his bow with one hand, and the sharp arrow was aimed at Jiang Wan.
"Put down the princess."
Pei Feng narrowed his eyes.
"I learned to use a crossbow at the age of five. Today, let's see whether my arrow is faster or Lady Jiang's knife is faster."
Jiang Wan's heart sank.
Pei Feng was skilled in archery and horsemanship. He was fully capable of piercing Song Tingyue's throat with an arrow before he could injure her.
But she cannot act rashly at this moment.
Song Tingyue is too cunning; she needs to observe the timing to confirm that the antidote is genuine.
Pei Feng had already drawn the bowstring taut, his eyes filled with bloodlust.
It was as if the arrows would whistle out at any moment.
Jiang Wan clenched her fists tightly in her sleeve.
She sensed that Pei Feng seemed to want to kill her more than save Song Tingyue.
At the critical moment, He Xingyun suddenly rushed out from the side and shouted as he pointed to the door.
"Who's there!"
He Xingyun seemed startled. In his panic, he knocked Pei Feng's crossbow to the ground, grabbed his arm, and cried out, "Your Highness, look! There are people outside! They must be Jiang's accomplices! This is outrageous! Guards, seize them!"
Pei Feng turned around and saw a dark figure flash by.
The soldiers rushed out to investigate, but found no one suspicious.
Pei Feng glared angrily at He Xingyun: "Cowardly scholar!"
If this person hadn't been so cowardly and rushed up to cause trouble, he would have already shot Jiang Wan dead!
With this delay, the redness and swelling of Shi Xu's wound gradually subsided, and some color returned to her face.
It seems the medicine is working.
Jiang Wan no longer hesitated and withdrew the dagger from her hand: "Princess, I apologize for the offense."
With her appearing to have confessed and accepted her punishment, Pei Feng had no reason to harm her again, and a hint of regret flashed across his brow.
He Xingyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Guards, take Jiang into custody and hand her over upon returning to the capital..."
"Wait a minute."
Pei Feng suddenly spoke.
"Jiang is a third-rank noblewoman and cannot be disposed of arbitrarily, but he..."
He pointed to the time sequence on the ground, and drew his longsword.
"This servant delayed the princess's treatment and deserves to die. I will execute him on His Majesty's behalf right now..."
A voice suddenly rang out from outside the tent: "Wait a minute."
The newcomer's voice was clear and melodious, yet it carried a hidden pressure that sent a chill down one's spine.
Pei Xuan, dressed in a black, narrow-sleeved python robe and wearing a golden crown, slowly walked in.
Mo Tong stared at Shi Xu's face for a moment, a flash of doubt and shock crossing his eyes.
Then, her expression returned to its usual cool and aloofness.
"Brother, the princess's injuries are serious. Why rush to punish a servant?"
Pei Xuan stepped aside, and a woman carrying a medicine box walked out from behind him.
"I have found a female physician to help the princess detoxify first."
Pei Feng's lips moved, and he glanced at Song Tingyue with a complicated expression, but said nothing.
The female physician moved quickly, first bringing over a screen for privacy, then entering and lifting the handkerchief from Song Tingyue's leg.
Inside the screen, Song Tingyue's expression was somewhat unnatural, and she subconsciously shrank back.
"Your Highness, you've gone to so much trouble. It's late, so the physician can stay. We wouldn't dare disturb Your Highness's rest."
Pei Xuan replied, "It's alright."
He stood still with his hands behind his back, showing no intention of leaving.
"I cannot rest easy until I see that the princess is well."
Jiang Wan blinked, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.
It turns out that Pei Xuan arrived so late because he went to find the physician.
It seems he saw through Song Tingyue's little scheme.
The group stood outside the screen, and before long, the female physician walked out in small steps, her expression very strange.
"Your Highness, the princess is alright."
Pei Jin, standing nearby, asked anxiously, "What do you mean by 'it's alright'? Doesn't Sister Anyang need to take the antidote?"
The female physician frowned: "The princess... has not been poisoned by snake venom."
Pei Jin's eyes widened: "What do you mean, 'not poisoned'?"
He had just heard Song Tingyue's muffled groans of pain outside the tent; they sounded very distressed.
"Do you even know anything about medicine? Brother, let's find a royal physician to take a look. I think this guy is a quack..."
"Second Prince."
The female physician was displeased.
"The princess doesn't even have a single wound. Even if a divine physician came, he wouldn't be able to diagnose anything else."
Pei Jin was stunned.
“Your Highness,” Song Tingyue’s voice came from behind the screen, tinged with apology and unease, “It seems the maids were so frightened by the snake that they mistook it for something else. They were too worried about me and made a mistake.”
The people inside the tent looked at each other and fell into an eerie silence.
The ladies and young women watching outside exchanged glances, their eyes full of unspoken meaning.
With so many people on the mountain suffering from snake venom, the antidote is an extremely precious commodity.
Princess Anyang came to fight for it with great fanfare, and the eldest prince made an even bigger scene, almost costing Lady Jiang her life.
And then what happened?
He brushed it off with a casual "I misread it."
Really...
"It was a false alarm," Song Tingyue said gently. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, Crown Prince."
"It's alright."
Pei Xuan smiled with a hint of deeper meaning.
“Since the princess is not injured, and this servant has not delayed the treatment, there is no need to execute him.”
He glanced at Shi Xu and Jiang Wan, then said to He Xingyun, "Bring these two to my tent. I will interrogate them personally."
Seeing this, Er Gou couldn't help but say, "Your Highness! Madam, he..."
Jiang Wan stopped him with her eyes and shook her head at him.
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