When Pei Qianyun was summoned, she was filled with confusion, and seeing the Prince of Qin kneeling on the ground, her unease grew.
"Your subject greets His Majesty, the Empress."
"Pei Qianyun, did you go to the Imperial Garden tonight?"
"Replying to His Majesty, your subject did."
"Did you encounter anyone?"
"I met His Highness the Prince of Qin, and we spoke for a while," Pei Qianyun said shyly. "As your subject praised the golden osmanthus in the Imperial Garden for blooming beautifully, His Highness the Prince of Qin ordered someone to pluck a branch for your subject."
A flicker of doubt crossed the old emperor's eyes. Duke Chen was upright and incorruptible, and his daughter inherited his character, so she would not lie. However, Noble Consort Yu's appearance did not suggest she was lying either.
"Your Majesty, everything I said is true. It was indeed the Prince of Qin..."
"Silence!" The old emperor rebuked Noble Consort Yu. Noble Consort Yu, feeling wronged, shut her mouth and sobbed softly. Pei Qianyun was also intelligent and guessed the general situation, but inwardly she sneered. They were truly going to any lengths to frame the Prince of Qin.
"The Prince of Qin shall return to his mansion to reflect. All his affairs shall be temporarily handled by the Grand Secretariat. Noble Consort Yu is confined and may not leave without my command."
"Your son obeys." Nangong Yu did not object or argue further. He rose and left. As he turned, his steps faltered slightly but he quickly regained his composure and left the imperial harem with measured strides.
Xiao Man clearly felt the atmosphere in the great hall change. The previously lively atmosphere suddenly turned into whispers.
"Father, did something happen?" Xiao Man asked softly.
"I don't know. Not long after His Majesty left, the Prince of Qin was also summoned." Xiao Zhen picked up his wine cup and drank it all, guessing that the Prince of Qin must have done something to anger His Majesty.
Xiao Man's brow furrowed. Tonight was the day the Prince of Qin's poison would flare up. Although she had provided medicine, it could only suppress it until midnight. After midnight, the Prince of Qin would surely suffer from the poison, leaving him defenseless. If someone were to assassinate him then, the Prince of Qin would be in grave danger.
Xiao Man felt a hidden worry. She tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table. Shangguan Jin had been paying attention to Xiao Man since she entered the banquet hall. Seeing her tap her fingers on the table, his eyes moved slightly. He beckoned to a young maid beside him. The maid leaned down, and Shangguan Jin whispered a few words. The maid nodded and quietly left the hall.
As Nangong Yu emerged from Yuqing Palace, his steps began to falter. The poison could no longer be suppressed. He had to leave the imperial palace as quickly as possible. However, just as he left the vicinity of Yuqing Palace, he was ambushed.
Nangong Yu's foot slipped, and he dodged the incoming dark arrows. He stumbled to the ground, and the pain of a thousand ants gnawing at his heart instantly spread through his limbs. The agony was so intense that he almost cried out, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
"Kill!"
Nangong Yu's gaze turned cold. Yuqing Palace was merely a trap, a setup to lure him out alone. His hidden guards had no time to rescue him. At this moment, he was truly without recourse!
Just as Nangong Yu was about to perish, several women disguised as palace maids suddenly appeared, wielding weapons, and engaged the assassins who ambushed Nangong Yu. "Your Highness the Prince of Qin, are you alright?"
Two palace maids helped Nangong Yu up. One of them immediately took out a pill and fed it to Nangong Yu. "Fortunately, Miss was prepared in advance and anticipated something would happen tonight. We'll take the Prince of Qin away first."
Nangong Yu felt unbearable pain, but he clearly heard the woman's words. Miss... The only Miss who could have calculated that something would happen tonight and had the foresight to plant hidden operatives in the palace was Xiao Man.
The young maid beside Shangguan Jin quietly returned to Shangguan Jin's side. Shangguan Jin coughed twice and casually tapped his fingers on the table. Xiao Man listened intently and then breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he was alright.
"Father, daughter is tired."
Xiao Zhen heard this and said, "Since you're tired, let's leave the palace. His Majesty has already left, and the Empress has also left, so this banquet is considered over. Mother, it's getting late, let's leave the palace."
"Very well, my old bones are tired too." The old madam looked weary and walked out with Xiao Ling supporting her.
Everyone was wondering what had happened and if it was related to the Prince of Qin. Unexpectedly, before any revelations, the Xiao family was preparing to depart. Everyone looked doubtful, unsure whether to stay or leave.
"Great General, are you preparing to leave the palace?"
"My mother is old, and my youngest daughter's eye injury has not yet healed, so I cannot stay any longer. Esteemed officials, farewell." Xiao Zhen left with his family. The military faction, seeing Xiao Zhen leave, also began to rise and depart.
Nangong Yi saw this and also stood up. "This Prince is also tired. I shall return to my mansion."
The great hall, which had been bustling with people, was soon deserted.
After leaving the palace gates, everyone boarded their own carriages and departed.
Xiao Man sat in the carriage, her expression grave. She had initially thought tonight's palace banquet was targeting her, but it turned out the real target was the Prince of Qin. Southern Dan Novel Network.
Upon returning to Shuiyue Xiaozhu, Yingxue rushed to greet her and whispered a few words in Xiao Man's ear. Xiao Man immediately entered the room. Lying on her bed was a person, his face contorted in pain, his teeth clenched, and broken moans escaping his lips as he tried desperately to suppress them.
Xiao Man felt her way to the bedside and reached out to feel Nangong Yu's pulse. Nangong Yu seemed to see Xiao Man in his haze. A faint, ethereal fragrance entered his nostrils, relieving the bone-piercing agony.
"Miss, what's wrong with His Highness the Prince of Qin?"
"It's just the poison acting up," Xiao Man said calmly. "Bring me the green bottle from the bottom layer of my medicine chest."
Yingxue quickly opened the medicine chest, took out the medicine, and handed it to Xiao Man. Xiao Man poured out a pill, sniffed it, and confirmed it was correct before feeding it to Nangong Yu. Nangong Yu relied on his profound inner strength to suppress the蠱毒 (gu poison) in his body. However, suppression only prevented him from being killed by the 蠱毒, but it could not stop the poison from eroding his body.
Xiao Man's brows furrowed. Removing Nangong Yu's 蠱毒 had become an urgent matter. However, how easy was it to cure his 蠱毒? It was said that even the Medicine King was helpless against his poison. Currently, all she could do was slow down the erosion of the poison on his body; she could not cure it.
Xiao Man touched her eyes and realized that she could not continue like this.
The Prince of Qin was afflicted with a Western Regions 蠱毒. The method of detoxification was likely only available in the place where the poison originated. After all, all things in nature have their counterparts, and where the poison is produced, there will be the antidote to counteract it!
As Xiao Man thought of this, she sighed again. Now that her father had returned, it was good to have someone to support her, but it would be difficult for her to go out. The Western Regions were far beyond the frontier. A round trip would take at least two months. Two months away from home, given her father's understanding of her, she could not use the excuse of feigning illness to escape.