Xiao Man felt as though she had dreamt a very long dream, one that spanned from her past life to her current one. It was as if she had relived countless journeys, yet no matter how many times she traversed them, the end result was always an irreversible path!
Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Perhaps everything had been wrong from the very beginning!
In the darkness, Xiao Man contemplated where the misstep had occurred. When exactly had her heart diverged from Murong Sheng Rui’s? When had manipulation led to drawing swords against each other, culminating in ruined families and shattered lives?
Yet, even if she had abandoned Murong Sheng Rui, he would still have ascended the throne, still have turned his blade against her. Were they fated enemies?
Xiao Man always felt an invisible hand, pushing them forward, guiding her into battles. But no matter how she searched, she could never find the source of this shadowy manipulation.
“Xiao Man, how much longer are you going to sleep?” A worried voice, tinged with a sob, reached her. Who was it? The voice seemed vaguely familiar.
The scene shifted. Xiao Man found herself standing on a battlefield littered with corpses. After a fierce battle, the ground was strewn with the fallen. In war, no one truly emerged victorious.
Faint crying sounds drifted towards her. Xiao Man followed the cries, discovering they originated from a pile of dead bodies. Reaching out, she began to move the corpses aside. She found a face streaked with tears and blood, its original features obscured. However, the dark, bright eyes held a stubborn glint.
“You cry so pathetically.”
The young man lying amidst the dead stared at the woman before him, his tears flowing uncontrollably. It seemed heaven intended his demise, forcing him to fall once more into the hands of this demoness.
Xiao Man pulled him from the heap of bodies and began to staunch his bleeding, bandaging his wounds. Watching him devour the food with a mixture of desperation and wariness, she saw a reflection of her past self. She too had once been innocent and carefree, but after traversing the treacherous path of the deep palace, she was no longer the person she once was.
Xiao Man finally remembered. It was the year she had fought Nangong Yu on the battlefield, severely wounding him. Out of a moment’s softness, her sword had missed its vital point by an inch, appearing fatal but not truly life-threatening. Afterward, she had wanted to see if Nangong Yu could retain his original spirit after enduring such hardship. So, she had helped him establish a foothold in the army.
“Xiao Man, Xiao Man, can you hear me?”
“Cough, cough.” The person on the bed coughed. Nangong Yu’s heart leaped with joy. “Xiao Man, you’re awake.”
To his dismay, Xiao Man opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood. Nangong Yu was thrown into a panic, his hands trembling as he supported her.
“Ye Qing… Ye Qing!”
Ye Qing, who had been resting in the outer room, heard Nangong Yu’s cry and rushed in without even putting on his shoes. He saw Nangong Yu holding Xiao Man, his face a picture of distress.
“She’s spitting blood.”
Ye Qing strode to the bedside, feeling Xiao Man’s pulse. When he found her pulse finally stabilizing, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Your pulse has finally stabilized. Xiao Man, how do you feel?”
“Hungry.”
“What?”
“I’m hungry!” Xiao Man said weakly. “Get someone to bring me something to eat.”
“Oh, oh, oh, wait a moment, I’ll get someone right away.”
Ye Qing didn’t want to cause a stir, especially with Nangong Yu present. He called for Ying Xue instead. Ying Xue hurried to the kitchen, where food was always prepared in case Xiao Man woke up and wanted to eat.
Xiao Man ate two bowls of congee, and only then did she feel somewhat better. “Why are you all here?”
“Do you know how long you slept? Do you know how scared we were that you might die?” Ye Qing gritted his teeth. “And all you say is ‘Why are you all here’?”
“I slept for a long time?”
“You’ve been asleep for ten days! Your father is going mad!”
Xiao Man was shocked. She had slept for ten days. How could this be? “That’s impossible. Why would I sleep for so long?”
“Your pulse was erratic, your internal energy was in chaos, you were almost dead!” Ye Qing, still worried, felt Xiao Man’s pulse again. Only when he was certain she was out of danger did he truly relax. “Aren’t you immune to all poisons? How were you poisoned?”
“I’m not entirely sure about this,” Xiao Man murmured, her brow furrowed in thought. She looked at Ying Xue and asked, “How is the manor?”
“Miss, the General has sent the Old Madam to her ancestral home in Cangzhou. All the people in the Old Madam’s courtyard, except for Nanny Xu who went ahead to Cangzhou to fetch her, have been executed. However, I checked the bodies, and one person is missing.”
“Who is missing?”
“Nanny Cui.”
“Nanny Cui…” Xiao Man thought carefully about this person. Nanny Cui had replaced Nanny Shen. She was usually inconspicuous. Among the nannies in the upper courtyard, only Nanny Xu had seemed particularly noticeable to Xiao Man.
“He Qingyi, any news?” Xiao Man asked slowly. Her poisoning attempt had gone awry. Who had interfered? If not for her unique constitution, she might have truly fallen this time.
“No, our people have been monitoring her. After He Qingyi returned to the manor, she has remained within its walls and hasn’t come out. She also hasn’t spread the news of Miss’s poisoning.”
A strange light flickered in Xiao Man’s eyes. “Has anyone else in the manor shown any unusual behavior?”
“No, neither the Third Miss nor Consort Lin has made any moves. However, the General seems truly enraged this time.”
Xiao Man sighed upon hearing this. If the Old Madam hadn’t harbored killing intent towards her, she wouldn’t have gone along with the plan to ensnare her.
“Alright, I understand. You may go and rest.”
After Ying Xue left, Nangong Yu finally spoke. “Is there a problem with someone close to you?”
Xiao Man raised an eyebrow at Nangong Yu. “Why do you say that?”
“This matter should have been orchestrated by you. Yet, you unexpectedly fell into a coma. Only three people were involved in this: He Qingyi, Old Madam Xiao, and yourself. You would have followed the Old Madam’s plan. Those who knew should only be you and He Qingyi. The key is, He Qingyi is an outsider and cannot reach so far. Therefore, the problem must lie with someone close to you.”
Xiao Man fell silent. The people in her courtyard had long been purged. Those remaining were either her hidden guards or trusted confidantes sent by those she trusted. She was reluctant to suspect them, but Prince Qin was right. The problem must lie within her circle!
“Nong Yue is my person; she wouldn’t harm you. Ying Xue, Chu Xue, and Xiang Xue, these three maids are your hidden guards, right? Can these three be excluded from suspicion?”
Xiao Man nodded. These three came from her personal guard unit; they could never betray her!
“Then only Qiu Tong and Yin Zhu remain.”
“Yin Zhu is my brother’s trusted confidante, specially sent to serve me,” Xiao Man sighed. “As for Qiu Tong, she has been by my side since childhood. She’s the one who has been with me the longest.”
“If you cannot ascertain who it is, then deal with them all. If you cannot do it, I will.”
Xiao Man shook her head. “No need. I will not spare those who betray me, nor will I wrongly accuse those who are loyal. I will handle this matter myself.”