Wei Yu leaned close to Wang Qingyao's ear and whispered, "Wang Qingyao, from now on, you'll be blind!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Qingyao knew that Wei Yu was behind it all.
She had used her clairvoyant eyes to scan everything in front of and behind her, but had forgotten to look up.
She had fallen right into Wei Yu's trap.
Indeed, there are a thousand ways to catch a thief, but no way to guard against one forever.
Her eyes ached, and she kept them tightly shut, unaware of her surroundings, only hearing a cacophony of noise.
Strangely, she felt no panic or fear.
Even after Wei Yu's words, she didn't succumb to the dread of becoming blind.
She only felt pain in her eyes, as if something sticky was flowing down.
Zhenzhu squeezed through and supported her, her voice trembling, "Your Highness, what's wrong? What happened?"
Although she could accompany Wang Qingyao into the palace, she couldn't serve her personally. When the incident occurred, she had been waiting outside the hall.
Then came the voices of Feng Jiangduo and Zuo Yun.
"Yaoyao, you..."
"Imperial physician, Crown Princess, please summon an imperial physician. The Princess of Ding'an is injured."
Fang Yuan cried out, "Sister Yaoyao, why is your eye bleeding?!"
Ah, so it was blood. No wonder it was sticky and thick, making her face feel uncomfortable.
With the familiar voices of people around her, Wang Qingyao felt a sense of calm.
She calmly explained, "When I looked up in the hall earlier, it seemed something was sprinkled into my eyes."
"Dust?" Fang Yuan chirped, her panicked voice like a little sparrow. "But how can dust make you bleed?"
"Fang Yuan, calm down," Zuo Yun said. "Listen to what the imperial physician says. Don't disturb Yaoyao."
The hall where they had been petting cats had not collapsed. The broken beam had smashed onto the ground, shattering several tables. Ink and paint had spilled everywhere.
Wei Yu led Wang Qingyao to a smaller side hall and ordered palace maids to bring mirrors, basins, cloths, and other grooming items.
In their panic, everyone's makeup was a bit disheveled. They took this opportunity to tidy themselves up in front of the mirrors.
Wang Qingyao sat upright in a chair. Zhenzhu wrung out a cloth and washed the bloodstains from her face. Then, she carefully combed her scattered hair back into her bun.
Soon, the imperial physician arrived.
By this time, the burning sensation in Wang Qingyao's eyes had lessened. Only a throbbing pain remained, which she could bear.
The imperial physician used a specially made medicinal solution to cleanse her eyes, washing them inside and out.
She opened her eyes and saw only a blurry gray haze.
As he washed, the imperial physician asked her questions, such as how her eyes felt and what kind of pain it was.
Wang Qingyao answered truthfully.
After cleansing her eyes, the imperial physician applied a cool ointment to her eyelids. Then, he went to examine the scene of the incident.
After a while, he returned, his expression grave.
Zuo Yun was the first to step forward. "Imperial physician, what exactly is wrong with the Princess of Ding'an's eyes?"
The imperial physician sighed. "At first, I only suspected. After examining the broken beam, I indeed found snake venom there..."
"Snake venom?" everyone exclaimed in unison.
Wei Yu stepped forward, asking doubtfully, "Why is there snake venom within the Eastern Palace? Is someone trying to harm the Crown Prince and me?"
The imperial physician waved his hand. "Replying to the Crown Princess, not exactly. From my observation, the snake venom was coincidental. The venom happened to spray onto the beam, which happened to have accumulated a lot of dust. It happened to break, and it happened that the Princess of Ding'an looked up with her eyes open, and it happened to fall into the Princess's eyes..."
The imperial physician himself sounded unconvinced. His voice gradually lost confidence. "It's truly too coincidental."
Fang Yuan cried out, "How can something like this be a coincidence? Someone must be trying to harm the Princess of Ding'an!"
Wei Yu glanced at her and said indifferently, "Miss Fang speaks reasonably. However, the perpetrator may not necessarily want to harm the Princess of Ding'an. This is the Eastern Palace; it's highly likely they intended to harm the Crown Prince and me."
She put on a look of horror. "The Princess of Ding'an has merely become a scapegoat for the Crown Prince and me! Guards, guards, investigate this matter thoroughly!"
As for how the investigation would proceed, no one knew.
Wei Yu feigned concern and then asked the imperial physician with a face full of guilt, "Imperial physician, what will happen if snake venom enters the eye? If anything happens to the Princess of Ding'an, I will never be at peace."
The imperial physician looked at Wang Qingyao and said with a heavy heart, "Most of the snake venom entered the Princess of Ding'an's eyes. I fear the Princess will be blind from now on..."
"Ah?!" Wei Yu covered her mouth, her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face. "It's all my fault for harming the Princess of Ding'an! If I hadn't held this wretched banquet, the Princess's eyes would be fine!"
"Imperial physician, you must cure the Princess of Ding'an's eyes!" Wei Yu, as if forgetting her status, said urgently to the imperial physician, "Tell me if any medicinal herbs are lacking, and I will find a way."
The imperial physician shook his head. "There is no cure..."
Wei Qing looked at Wei Yu's feigned performance and felt disgusted.
Then, looking at Wang Qingyao, who sat there with a blank expression, she felt pity.
She was so young, having just given birth to two children, and now she would live in darkness for the rest of her life...
Wei Qing found it unbearable just thinking about it.
Although she hadn't caused this, the thought that Wei Yu and the Wei family were responsible weighed on her heart like a stone, making it difficult to breathe.
"Princess of Ding'an," she didn't know what to say to comfort Wang Qingyao, but she couldn't say nothing. She could only say with a flushed face, "There will be a way. There will definitely be a way."
Fang Yuan couldn't help but cry, her low sobs echoing in the small side hall.
"Sister Yaoyao, Sister Yaoyao, what will you do from now on?"
Even as the Princess of Ding'an, once she lost her sight, it would mean she could no longer manage the vast princely estate, could not socialize outside, and could not even raise her children.
For the sake of the Ding'an Princely Estate, the Prince of Ding'an would have to support a concubine to manage the estate.
This might not be much for others, but everyone in Duandu knew that the Prince of Ding'an and the Princess of Ding'an were deeply devoted, their marital love unquestionable, and no one could come between them.
Wang Qingyao's friends present felt heartbroken for her.
Yet, looking at Wang Qingyao, she was the most composed person among them all.
It was as if the person who had gone blind was not her, but someone else.
"Princess of Ding'an, I have already sent someone to inform the Prince of Ding'an. You can rest assured. The Prince is deeply devoted to you; he will certainly not abandon you." Wei Yu curved her lips, a flicker of schadenfreude in her eyes.
The hall fell silent.
Everyone stopped talking.
Wang Qingyao stood up. She still had a cool green ointment on her eyes. The time had come, and the doctor had instructed Zhenzhu to remove it for her.
Wang Qingyao's eyes no longer hurt.
She opened her eyes.