Xue Kun watched Xiao Man, who was speaking sternly, and dared not be presumptuous. He sat down beside her, "Don't worry, someone will notice we're gone soon, and they'll come to rescue us."
Xiao Man remained silent. The Tenth Prince's move was truly ruthless. Not only could it ruin her, but it also created a powerful enemy for the Crown Prince. If she survived this, the Tenth Prince would have no peace from now on!
Xue Kun sat in the corner. He knew very well that this was a scheme targeting the Crown Prince. His desire to marry Xiao Man was merely to vent his anger and suppress her, not out of willingness to take advantage of her misfortune and ruin her reputation.
Xue Kun irritably tugged at his clothes, "Xiao Man, don't you feel hot?"
Xiao Man tightened her grip on the dagger, "No, you must have been drugged."
Xue Kun was startled. He was not inexperienced. At the age of fourteen, his family had arranged concubine maids for him. Later, he often frequented brothels with other dissolute young masters.
"Someone wants to help me?" Xue Kun said with a smile.
"If you want to die, try it," Xiao Man's voice was icy. "Although I can't see, I can still kill you without a problem."
Xue Kun glanced at the cold glint of the dagger in Xiao Man's hand and knew she was telling the truth. He pulled his collar open further, revealing his pale chest.
"Xiao Man, I feel very unwell."
"Endure it. Weigh the discomfort against losing your life," Xiao Man's voice remained sharp.
Xue Kun's gaze involuntarily fell on Xiao Man. Today, Xiao Man wore a cerulean cloud-gauze jacket. She should have had an outer robe, but she had given it to Nangong Qin after she fell into the water. To Xue Kun, Xiao Man was now lethally alluring.
Xue Kun swallowed hard, sweat sliding down his face. He wanted to lunge at her but feared the dagger in her hand. Though he was dissolute, he knew that if he dared to misbehave towards Xiao Man at this moment, she would not hesitate to kill him!
With this thought, Xue Kun fiercely slammed his head against the wall, knocking himself unconscious.
Outside, Ying Xue discovered Xiao Man's disappearance and immediately contacted people from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, searching everywhere for her. Nangong Qin woke up to find herself alone in the side room. Suspecting Xiao Man had knocked her out and gone to meet Wen Mohan, she rushed to find Wen Mohan.
Nangong Yu infiltrated the room where Nangong Qin had changed her clothes. According to the imperial guards, Xiao Man had entered this room and never left. However, there was no one in the room. Nangong Yu searched meticulously and found a jade hairpin, broken in two, under the table. It was unmistakably Xiao Man's hairpin.
Nangong Yu picked up the hairpin, tucked it into his robe, and continued searching.
There must be a hidden mechanism in this room. Xiao Man must have been set up. Who was behind it? Nangong Qin, or Nangong Cheng?
Nangong Yu turned the room upside down but found no clues, feeling suspicious. Was Xiao Man not here? Just as he was about to leave, he heard a faint sound.
Nangong Yu listened carefully and realized there was a faint sound coming from beneath the room. He quickly lay on the ground, tilting his ear to listen. It was a tapping sound against the wall, faint but audible.
"Xiao Man, is that you?"
There was no answer. The tapping continued intermittently. Nangong Yu immediately decided to search the room again. There had to be a mechanism in this room.
Nangong Yu searched again, still finding nothing. He then remembered where the hairpin had fallen. Xiao Man must have been attacked here. He pondered the situation. Given Xiao Man's cautious nature, she would never be unprepared. His hand suddenly touched the corner of the table, where there was a scratch. The chair next to it had also been moved.
Nangong Yu felt around meticulously. He felt for something on the chair, touched a raised part, and pressed it. The floor opened downwards, revealing an entrance.
Nangong Yu's expression shifted, and he immediately jumped down.
Xiao Man was desperately dodging in the secret room, occasionally tapping the wall with her dagger, hoping to attract attention from the outside. Xue Kun had initially knocked himself out, but he underestimated the drug's effect. When he regained consciousness, he had completely lost control.
Xiao Man couldn't see and could only dodge by instinct. She was also afraid of accidentally killing Xue Kun and escalating the conflict between the Duke of Protectorate's mansion and the General's mansion, making her efforts extremely arduous.
Nangong Yu jumped down from above and saw Xue Kun lunging at Xiao Man. He struck with a palm, knocking Xue Kun unconscious, and walked towards Xiao Man. Before he could get close, the dagger in Xiao Man's hand flew out. Nangong Yu seized Xiao Man's wrist.
"It's me."
Hearing Nangong Yu's voice, Xiao Man's hand loosened, the dagger dropped, and she threw herself into Nangong Yu's arms, trembling.
Nangong Yu gently tightened his embrace around Xiao Man's waist, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Xiao Man trembled for a moment before regaining her composure. She stepped out of Nangong Yu's embrace, "Did Your Highness also fall into a trap?"
"I discovered you were missing and came to look for you..." Nangong Yu saw Xiao Man lift her head, and the two lines of blood tears on her face were strikingly visible. "Your eyes..."
"I was poisoned with powder, I can't see for now."
Nangong Yu's killing intent surged, his gaze like a knife, fixed on Xue Kun lying on the ground. Xiao Man seemed to sense Nangong Yu's anger, "It wasn't him. He was also drugged. The person behind this wants to incite conflict between the Protectorate General's mansion and the Crown Prince's faction."
"Let's get out first." Nangong Yu's voice trembled slightly. He immediately carried Xiao Man and leaped out. At this moment, Wen Mohan also arrived with his men. Nangong Qin had gone back to find him alone, so he knew something had happened and quickly summoned his secret guards to search for her, only to see Nangong Yu carrying Xiao Man out of the room.
"Man'er." Wen Mohan immediately rushed forward but was struck as if by lightning upon seeing Xiao Man's bleeding eyes. "What happened?"
"There's someone inside. Have someone bring him out and call for a physician."
Nangong Yu's face was stern, and the coldness in his starry eyes was unfathomable. As the secret guards were about to fetch a physician, they saw many people approaching.
Wen Mohan stepped forward, "Give her to me."
Nangong Yu looked at Wen Mohan coldly. He knew Wen Mohan's intentions very well and also knew how much trouble carrying Xiao Man at this moment would cause her, yet he was unwilling to hand Xiao Man over to anyone else, especially Wen Mohan!
"Your Highness, put me down."
Nangong Yu hesitated for a moment and then put Xiao Man down. At this moment, the courtyard gate was opened, and leading the way was none other than Consort Xian.
It turned out that this courtyard had a unique scenic spot. Consort Xian was bringing the ladies from various families to admire the scenery, and unexpectedly encountered Prince Qin and his entourage here.