"I save? What do I use to save?"
Wang Xiang was so angry he slapped his chest, his voice trembling.
More and more blood flowed from the coral, covering the pebbles in the flowerpot. It looked as if the red coral had grown from a pool of blood to be so red.
He bent down, gazing at Wang Xuanwu's eyes with affection, then pointed to himself.
"You suspect I poisoned the Eldest Princess?"
"My child, my child." Wang Xuanwu knelt on the ground, clutching Wang Xiang's lapel. "I believe Father didn't do it."
He lowered his head guiltily, his clear eyes holding back tears.
"I truly like the Little Princess and don't wish for anything to happen to her."
"And what about me?" Wang Hong's bloodied hand trembled as he touched his son's face. "I am your father."
He straightened up and closed his eyes. "Now that I can barely protect myself, how can I save your beloved?"
"Father... why?"
"Why?" Wang Xiang sighed. "Wu'er, the Princess's beloved is Song Qingmu."
"I know," Wang Xuanwu's voice was filled with a desolate chill.
"Now that she's making such a scene, it's all for Song Qingmu." Wang Xiang affectionately patted his head. "It's time to give up."
Wang Xiang broke the red coral with a snap.
Holding a broken piece aloft, he said, "Wu'er, don't blame your father."
He struck Wang Xuanwu's injured leg with it, again and again.
With every strike, it felt as if he were striking his own heart.
Wang Xuanwu gritted his teeth and bit his lip, emitting muffled groans. "Father, I'm afraid I will disappoint you..."
He smiled, his lips trembling and pale.
"How could I not like the Little Princess..."
In the end, the color of the fabric on Wang Xuanwu's leg became even more alluring and beautiful than the red coral.
He lay on the ground, motionless, but still murmured "Little Princess."
Wang Xiang's eyes were filled with cloudy tears.
He staggered back, bumping into the partition, causing the red coral to fall to the ground with a bang. The rebounding shards of coral cut his right cheek.
Blood streamed down his cheek, pressing against the shattered red coral.
The scene was undeniably beautiful.
Wang Xiang pursed his lips and leaned against the partition. "Thoroughly investigate everyone in the manor, send people out to capture that poisoned physician, and except for the servants responsible for daily purchases, no one else is to leave the manor unless necessary."
He coughed violently, his chest heaving. He glanced sideways at Wang Xuanwu, who looked like a defeated dog, and threw down the broken piece of red coral.
"No one is to treat the wound on his leg, and he need never appear before me again."
Wang Xiang turned to leave, only to find his hem being grasped tightly. He still cruelly kicked it away.
"Don't blame your father."
My son, only this way can I protect you.
He walked out of the hall and looked up at the dim sky. "It's going to rain..."
The rain indeed began to lash down.
It struck the moving Fang family carriage.
It struck the tiles of the silent Prime Minister's manor.
Li Yanzhu rose from her chaise lounge, her upper body leaning out the window. She rested her chin on her arm, her eyes fixed on the misty bamboo forest opposite.
"Princess, be careful of the chill."
Xiao Cui draped a white cloak over her shoulders.
"Mm, don't forget what I told you."
Li Yanzhu reached out, feeling the rain hitting her arm.
Transparent, crystalline droplets created circles on her fair arm, yet she seemed to feel no chill. She turned her pale face. "What do you think Mumu is doing now?"
Her apricot eyes were clear and bright, but held a mist. "I miss him a little..."
Autumn rains are always hurried,
They fall without any warning.
"Just like a butterfly in the Amazon rainforest, occasionally flapping its wings, can cause a tornado in Texas two weeks later."
Song Qingchao closed the book in her hand with a snap.
"This book is so interesting." Song Qingmu took the book from Song Qingchao, her fingers tracing the words "The Butterfly Effect."
"Does Eldest Sister know about the Battle of Ji and Fu?"
Song Qingchao leaned against the tree trunk, her arms resting on her legs. "The Wu-Chu Hegemony?"
She blinked. "It's rather similar to what this book says."
Song Qingmu smiled. "Attacking at dawn, winning seven with one, warfare is all about deception."
He placed the book back into his small basket. "Therefore, what Eldest Sister did was not wrong."
"You're lecturing me now?"
"How dare I?" Song Qingmu shifted outwards. "Eldest Sister is naturally intelligent and wise."
Song Qingchao lowered her eyelids, her eyelashes trembling incessantly. "You don't blame me for putting Azhu in danger?"
Song Qingmu shook her head. "I know Eldest Sister only wanted Azhu to escalate the conflict between the Wang and Fang families."
He wiped the rain from his forehead and looked at her.
"The development of any matter has its constants and variables. You didn't expect Azhu to choose to drink the poison herself, just as Azhu did not want to miss any opportunity to implicate everyone."
Song Qingchao looked up, meeting his earnest gaze, and couldn't help but smile. "Alright, but from now on, I won't allow you two to mess around like this."
She stretched lazily and leaned against Song Qingmu. "Now that the Wang family is in decline, the Fang family is taking advantage of the situation. While the snipe and clam fight, we benefit. For the future road ahead, I still need to weave straw mats~"
"Eldest Sister," Song Qingmu sighed dotingly. "So, it was deliberate?"
"Hmm? What?" Her voice was lazy.
After the rain, apart from her damp clothes, she loved the smell of grass in the air.
"Wang Xuanwu's broken leg."
"You guessed that?"
Song Qingchao sat up in surprise, then thought about it and leaned back again.
Mumu's intelligence is truly high...
She picked up a rattan nearby and slowly felt it. "I told him, that fellow wanted your hands, it's not excessive for me to want one of his legs."
Song Qingchao sat up abruptly. "It's a loss, a loss. I should have asked for his third leg..."
"Eldest Sister," Song Qingmu called her helplessly, gently placing his hands on Song Qingchao's forehead and turning her back towards his shoulder. "How have you become more and more..."
"Loose-lipped?" Song Qingchao pouted, thinking about it made her feel even more wronged. "The punishment was still too light."
"He was instigated."
Song Qingmu lowered his head, looking at his hand wrapped in white cloth. "There's someone behind him."
"I know, Feng Shaocheng."
This time, it was Song Qingmu's turn to be stunned. "You know?"
Song Qingchao glared at him. "I've always known."
She raised the small pillow she had just woven and said happily to Song Qingmu, "He, no rush, I will return it little by little."
Song Qingchao turned her head, not yet having time to admire her masterpiece, when she was splashed in the face with dirty water.
The muddy, foul smell filled her nostrils.
And she was pulled behind Song Qingmu,
The icy liquid flowing down her face made her whole body numb, unable to open her eyes.
"It was you who taught my child bad ways! You heartless people! Is this water fit for drinking? I think you just want to harm my entire family!"