"Princess!"
Fang Hanzhou anxiously lifted the curtain of the carriage.
Xiaocui pushed him aside and called out to the female soldiers guarding the princess's mansion, "Quick! The princess has fainted!"
The female soldiers at the gate moved swiftly.
One by one, they pushed aside the obstructing Fang Hanzhou and immediately rushed into the carriage, carrying Li Yanzhu out.
Xiaocui held Li Yanzhu's hand, running alongside her, directing personnel.
In an instant, the entire mansion was in a frenzy.
Only Fang Hanzhou stood in front of the mansion, panting heavily.
He grabbed a servant, "How is the princess?"
The servant looked up at his attire and bowed, "My lord, please do not delay my trip to the palace."
He tried to pull away, but his hand was gently pushed down.
"My apologies."
He wanted to enter the princess's mansion but was directly stopped by the guards. No matter how he explained, he couldn't get in.
Shortly after, his own servant caught up with him on horseback.
Seeing the physician following behind the servant, he suddenly realized he had been worrying needlessly.
What did the Grand Princess's mansion lack?
He had been overly concerned.
With this realization, Fang Hanzhou turned and left.
He had to discuss today's events carefully with his father; this fire must not spread to the Fang family.
He entered his home, his robe trailing, and bumped into a servant.
"The eldest young master is back!"
He nodded and walked towards the main hall.
"Young master, the Forget Worry Grass has been found."
Fang Hanzhou stopped abruptly and asked eagerly, "It's found?"
"Yes, it was sent by Master Su this morning."
"Su Weicheng?" Fang Hanzhou grabbed the servant's collar and asked in surprise, "Where did he get it from?"
"He said he acquired it from a merchant caravan," the servant lowered his head, his face filled with fear. "He heard the Fang family was looking for this herb and bought it at a high price, presenting it to my lord."
He swallowed, his gaze shifting evasively, "In order to protect his youngest son, Su Nan Yi..."
"He thinks too highly of himself!"
Fang Hanzhou flicked his robe and strode inside, "Did Father accept it?"
"My lord said he would consider it."
The servant hurried to keep up.
"Alright, I understand."
He waved his hand, entered the door, and respectfully called out, "Father."
The elder in the hall nodded, put down his tea, and gestured for him to sit.
"You met the Grand Princess at the casino?"
Fang Hanzhou did not dare to conceal and replied, "Yes."
Greed and lust were trivial matters compared to losing one's head!
He had just been released from confinement today.
His old man had forbidden him from managing that casino and had confined him for a full month. In the end, he was only released after promising not to go there again.
Surprisingly, his father did not discipline him as usual this time but spoke kindly.
"Why would a respectable Grand Princess go there?" Grand Tutor Fang stood up and paced with his hands behind his back. "And this Forget Worry Grass, we searched for half a year, and Su Weicheng actually got it."
He stopped pacing and turned around, "It's just coincidental that he's asking me for help regarding his illegitimate daughter, Su Yingying."
Grand Tutor Fang walked quickly to Fang Hanzhou, pointed at him viciously, "And the Grand Princess, after leaving the Wang family, happened to run into you, who had just been released from confinement."
His eyes were wide, complementing the lightning flashing outside, like a bronze statue suppressing evil spirits. "And the Grand Princess was fine after playing for so long, why did she spit blood as soon as she spoke to you?"
Fang Hanzhou frowned in confusion, "Father?"
Grand Tutor Fang clapped his hands with a "snap," quickly retreated, and sat back in his chair motionlessly, repeatedly murmuring the sequence of events.
"Father, I didn't know I would meet the Grand Princess today."
"Of course, you didn't!" Grand Tutor Fang slammed his hand on the table. "How could I have given birth to such a fool like you?"
"Father, I!"
"You what?" Grand Tutor Fang sneered. "The Grand Princess came specifically for you today. Do you think you can escape this?"
He rubbed his stubble and turned back, sitting in his chair again. "This is a strategy of sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight..."
"Which tigers?" Fang Hanzhou asked, puzzled.
Grand Tutor Fang glanced at him disdainfully and beckoned to a servant, "Quickly go and chase after Master Su, tell him I agree to this matter."
"Father!" Fang Hanzhou quickly grabbed the servant who was about to leave. "Su Yingying is our only pawn. Moreover, even if we agree, Cousin won't accept it..."
"Cousin?" Grand Tutor Fang questioned sternly, "Is life more important, or is your cousin more important!"
Fang Hanzhou made a gesture at his own neck, "Should I kill her?"
Grand Tutor Fang raised his hand as if to strike, pointing fiercely at Fang Hanzhou, with an expression of disappointment that he couldn't turn into steel.
"Even if our family doesn't act, someone else will. But now someone has a knife to your throat, you fool!"
Fang Hanzhou frowned, looking wronged,
but he said nothing and released the servant's hand.
Grand Tutor Fang strode past him,
"I am going into the palace. You stay in your courtyard and don't cause any more trouble. Also, clean up the casino as soon as possible!"
He held a teacup in one hand, placing it before his chest, and looked up at the gloomy sky. "The weather is changing..."
"This weather is indeed about to change..."
Prime Minister Wang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the red coral partition in front of him. "Grand Princess, you have laid quite a game for this minister."
His hand "bang" smashed onto the red coral.
Blood flowed down the coral branches. The sunlight shining on it made it appear even more swaying.
He was so angry that his beard trembled with his lips, but he still tried to calm himself, closing his eyes to compose himself.
"My lord! My lord, something bad has happened!"
A servant rushed in from outside, out of breath. "The Grand Princess is not well. The imperial physicians say she only has three days left..."
"Three days?" Prime Minister Wang opened his eyes. "Can this poison not be resolved?"
The servant knelt on the ground, trembling. "One crucial ingredient is missing."
He secretly glanced at Prime Minister Wang's expression and swallowed. "Forget Worry Grass."
Forget Worry Grass?
Prime Minister Wang pursed his lips, repeating through gritted teeth, "Forget Worry Grass?"
His head throbbed with anger. He tightened his grip on the hand placed on the coral.
The servant quickly scrambled to stop him, but his body was shaking.
"This is revenge! Revenge!"
Prime Minister Wang grabbed the servant backward. "For the sake of a loved one, she poisoned herself. Very well, very well, truly worthy of being the Grand Princess!"
"Father! Father!"
A mournful wail came through the corridor, and then Wang Xuanyu hobbled in, falling directly onto the hall floor. He quickly got up and knelt properly, but the panic in his expression was as if his father had died.
"What kind of conduct is this!" Prime Minister Wang pointed at him. "What are you doing!"
"Please, Father, save the Grand Princess!"
"I save? What do I have to save with?"
Prime Minister Wang instantly became enraged and began patting his chest, his voice trembling.
More and more blood dripped 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, looking at Wang Xuanyu's eyes with affection, then pointed to himself.
"You suspect I poisoned the Grand Princess?"
"My child, my child." Wang Xuanyu knelt on the ground, pulling at Prime Minister Wang's clothes. "I believe it wasn't Father who did it."
He lowered his head with guilt, his clear eyes holding back tears.
"My child truly likes the little princess and doesn't want anything to happen to her."
"Then what about me?" Prime Minister Wang's blood-stained hand trembled as he touched his face. "I am your father."
He straightened up and closed his eyes. "Now that I can barely save myself, how can I save your beloved?"
"Father... why?"
"Why?" Prime Minister Wang sighed. "Wu'er, the princess's beloved is Song Qingmu."
"I know," Wang Xuanyu's voice was filled with desolation and a hint of sorrow.
"Now that she is making such a fuss, it is all for Song Qingmu," Prime Minister Wang patted his head. "You should give up."
Prime Minister Wang broke the red coral with a "snap."
"The princess will not marry you, and now that she is poisoned, the blame is directed squarely at my Wang family. You are also instigating the Fang family to suppress me. The Emperor will not move against us to maintain stability, but if he is not appeased, the road ahead will be even more difficult."
Holding a broken piece in his hand, he raised it high. "Wu'er, don't blame Father."
He struck Wang Xuanyu's injured leg with it, blow after blow.
Every strike felt like it was hitting his own heart.
Wang Xuanyu gritted his teeth, biting his lip and letting out muffled groans. "Father, I fear I will disappoint you..."
He smiled with his pale, trembling lips.
"How could I not like the little princess..."
Finally, the color of the fabric on Wang Xuanyu's leg became even more alluringly beautiful than the red coral.
He lay on the ground, motionless, but still murmured, "Little princess."
Prime Minister Wang's eyes were filled with murky tears.
He staggered backward, bumping into the partition, causing the red coral to fall to the ground with a "bang." The shattered coral shards cut his right cheek.
Blood flowed down his cheek, resting against the broken red coral.
The sight was undeniably beautiful.
Prime Minister Wang pursed his lips, leaning against the partition. "Apart from the servants who handle daily purchases, no one else is to leave the mansion unless absolutely necessary."
He coughed violently, his chest heaving unevenly. He glanced at Wang Xuanyu, who lay like a drowned dog, and dropped the remaining pieces of red coral.
"No one is to treat the wound on his leg. He also does not need to appear before me again."
Prime Minister Wang turned to leave, only to find his hem being firmly grasped. But he still kicked it away ruthlessly.
"Don't blame your father."
Son, only in this way can I protect you.
He left the hall, looking up at the dark sky. "It's going to rain..."
Indeed, the rain began to lash down.
It struck the advancing Fang family carriage.
It struck the tiles of the silent prime minister's mansion.
Li Yanzhu rose from the chaise lounge, leaning her upper body out of the window, resting her chin on her arm, her eyes fixed on the misty bamboo forest opposite.
"Princess, be careful not to catch a chill."
Xiaocui draped a white cloak over her shoulders.
"Mm, don't forget what I told you."
Li Yanzhu reached out her hand, feeling the rain hitting her arm.
The transparent, crystal-clear liquid formed circles on her fair arm, yet she seemed unaffected by the cold. She turned her pale face, "What do you think Mu Mu is doing now?"
Her apricot eyes were clear and bright, yet filled with a misty haze. "I miss him a little..."