Shen Che said, “You’ve been poisoned with ‘Magpie Bridge Immortal.’ This aphrodisiac is extremely potent and has no antidote. If you don’t engage in intercourse with a man, I can help force all the toxins to your eyes, but you’ll never be able to see again.”
“Right now, I’m using silver needles to temporarily seal your vital points, keeping your mind clear for the moment. However, you’ve been poisoned for too long. Even after the yin-yang union, I’m afraid your eyesight won’t fully recover to its previous state,” Shen Che explained, then stood up without looking at Ji Cheng. “The decision is yours.”
Upon hearing Ji Che’s words, Ji Cheng’s heart sank to the depths. Choosing between her eyes and her chastity was a decision she could make in an instant.
However, at this moment, the thought of voicing her choice to Shen Che made her feel incredibly awkward.
Ji Cheng stood up and walked to the table to pour herself a cup of tea. Her hand trembled slightly, barely able to hold the small teacup, causing water to dampen her collar.
“I choose my eyes,” Ji Cheng forced herself to say calmly as she turned and sat back down on the rosewood five-panel screen marble luohan couch.
In truth, Ji Cheng’s voice would have carried more authority if it hadn’t been shaking.
“Alright,” Shen Che responded. “It’s probably too late to find He Cheng now, but there are young male courtesans at Phoenix Tower who serve guests. If you don’t mind, I can find one for you.”
Male courtesans?
At this moment, even if Ji Cheng hadn’t been drugged with an aphrodisiac, her blood would have boiled with rage. She thought she had been direct enough by coming to Ji Che, and considering she was quite attractive, it was a heavy blow to her ill-timed vanity that someone as unprincipled as Shen Che would scorn such an opportunity presented to him.
However, Ji Cheng quickly calmed down. In reality, although the idea of a male courtesan was a bit revolting, it was safer than Ji Che. She had heard rumors about the secret affairs of noble ladies.
Ji Cheng pinched her palm and said, “Then I’ll trouble Cousin Ji Che. If possible, please find a male courtesan who has never served anyone before.”
This wasn’t a difficult request. Just as brothels always kept untouched courtesans on hand, there would surely be male courtesans who had never served anyone before.
“Alright,” Shen Che walked out the door. Ji Cheng only heard voices outside before Shen Che returned.
“I’ll remove the silver needles for you. Leaving the acupoint-sealing needles in for too long could damage your mind in the future,” Shen Che said softly, then proceeded to remove the silver needles from the vital points on Ji Cheng’s head and neck.
The dark haze before her eyes returned, and Ji Cheng quickly lost her vision. An intense heat engulfed her body once again, this time more fiercely than before. The poison must have reached her bones.
“Blow out the lights,” Ji Cheng managed to say with her last bit of clarity. Then she heard the door open and footsteps entering.
“Young Master, Jue Hua has arrived.”
Ji Cheng sank into darkness, tears falling from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t know if they were tears shed before losing her senses or tears caused by her burning body.
This aphrodisiac was truly vicious, robbing one of their senses and leaving them to act on pure instinct like a wild beast.
Someone in the darkness kissed Ji Cheng’s lips. She had completely forgotten the meaning of shame and only felt thirst. The person’s lips were cool and pleasant, making her want to draw closer.
In the sky, the moon was like an icy plate, its light like a silver skirt.
In the chamber, the rustic gate and the ornate door, layers upon layers, winding through hidden depths, nine turns and eighteen bends, each sound slow and deliberate.
There was the sweet spring of the phoenix and the singing dance of the oriole, gradually fading and swelling, relaxing and tightening.
Chu De was so anxious in the Phoenix Chamber of Phoenix Tower that he wanted to curse. He had no idea where Shen Che had suddenly gone off to. They had worked hard to arrange today’s meeting after learning that the Second Prince of the Xueyantuo, Li Simo, had traveled south in disguise. Now Shen Che had disappeared halfway through.
After waiting for an hour, Li Simo’s expression had become very unpleasant. Even the beautiful dances and alluring dancers of Phoenix Tower couldn’t attract this Xueyantuo prince who harbored great concerns in his heart.
“I’ve long heard that the Second Young Master is romantic and most considerate of beauties. Who would have thought that even at such a time, he couldn’t bear to neglect a beauty? Why bother wading into our muddy waters when he has warm jade and fragrant arms?” Li Simo’s Han Chinese military advisor, Gu Xiaobo, said mockingly.
Chu De could only smile bitterly. “It’s a misunderstanding. I’m sure something important must have come up. Would the Second Prince be interested in playing a game upstairs? If you lose, it’s all on us.” Chu De had no choice but to try to distract everyone with food, drink, women, and gambling. However, the first three had failed, so he could only hope that high-stakes gambling might keep the Second Prince for a while longer.
Gu Xiaobo translated Chu De’s words into Turkic for Li Simo. Li Simo shook his head and replied, “We’re leaving.”
This panicked Chu De, who quickly tried to detain them, but was pushed aside by Li Simo with one hand, nearly falling to the ground.
Fortunately, Shen Che pushed open the door and entered at this moment, or else they wouldn’t have known how to salvage the situation.
As soon as Shen Che entered, he apologized to Li Simo in Turkic. Li Simo was stunned. He had spoken with this Second Young Master earlier but didn’t know he could speak Turkic.
The Xueyantuo tribe had once belonged to the Tiele confederation, and their khanate was located in Western Turkic territory, so many of their people spoke Turkic. However, the East and West Turkic regions were vast, and there were many variations of the Turkic language. Shen Che spoke the authentic Turkic of the Xueyantuo tribe.
This immediately improved Li Simo’s impression of Ji Che. Being able to speak the language of the Xueyantuo tribe showed that he had put effort into understanding them.
Behind closed doors, no one knew what they discussed or decided. When they came out, all traces of anger had disappeared from the Second Prince’s face. On the contrary, he looked at Ji Che, who was seeing him out, with three parts admiration and seven parts warmth.
After seeing off Li Simo and his party, Chu De couldn’t help wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Where on earth did you go just now?”
Shen Che remained silent.
“What did Sister Cheng come to see you about? How did she find this place?” Chu De asked. Although he hadn’t seen Ji Cheng’s face, the presence of Nan Gui by her side was enough to confirm her identity.
“She had a favor to ask,” Shen Che said indifferently as if it were a trivial matter. “Prepare what Li Simo requested as quickly as possible.”
Chu De acknowledged and went off to busy himself.
Shen Che returned to the top floor of the Nine Phoenix Tower. He pushed open the door to find the candles blazing, as bright as day. Looking at the candles on the candlestick, as thick as a child’s arm, they had burned down to less than an inch, clearly never having been blown out as Ji Cheng had requested.
Shen Che unhurriedly replaced the candles before turning his gaze to the woman lying on her side on the luohan couch, looking like a white jade lotus.
The intoxicating scent in the air had not yet dissipated. Fearing that the person on the couch might catch a cold, all the windows in the room were closed, save for one small window left slightly ajar. Occasionally, a breeze would waft in, stirring up the sweet fragrance that filled the room. It was like the sweetness of peaches. Shen Che hadn’t expected Ji Cheng’s body to have such an exquisite scent.
Beautiful as a peach, sweet as a peach. The blanket had slipped from her shoulders, revealing snow-white, sugar-frosted skin. His fingertips seemed to still retain the lingering smoothness from before. Ji Che’s expression darkened as he bent down once more.
Ji Cheng, who was so tired she could have slept for three days and nights, was awakened. She couldn’t open her eyes, but she could feel that the poison in her body had been cleared. At least her eyes no longer hurt. Instead, there was an aching soreness throughout her body. Who had permitted him to serve her so vigorously again?
A great hatred welled up in Ji Cheng’s heart. She felt that she hadn’t hated enough before. As for the male courtesan lying on top of her, no matter what method she used, she would surely kill him today. Only the dead can keep secrets.
Ji Cheng struggled to open her eyes. She thought she had opened them wide, but in reality, it was just a narrow slit. Her physical strength was long gone, now relying solely on sheer determination.
But when Ji Cheng opened her eyes, she didn’t scare the person exerting himself, instead, she frightened herself half to death.
Why was it, Ji Che?!
Downstairs, Chu De was holding a teacup upside down against the ceiling. He was standing on a chair on top of a table to reach the ceiling.
Oh my, the battle upstairs was quite intense. Chu De didn’t find his actions vulgar at all, feeling only smug. He knew there was something fishy going on. Ji Che, the more calm he appeared, the more likely something big was happening.
Oh boy, Chu De could only smirk to himself. He had thought Shen Che could remain a Buddha-like figure his whole life, which would have truly impressed him. But the facts proved that all men were the same under the sun. The one upstairs was either pretending to be pure or became inhuman when he turned fierce.
Chu De could only worry for that delicate and fragile Sister Cheng, who looked as if she could ascend to heaven at any moment. He hoped she wouldn’t be left in ruins.
Thinking of those kitten-like cries from upstairs, Chu De felt a ripple of excitement. No, no, he needed to find a place to relieve himself first.
When Ji Cheng woke up, it was still pitch black outside. The moon hung in the middle of the sky, casting a mysterious blue light. Everything was quiet, with only the wind causing the window to make a “dodo” sound.
Ji Cheng sat up, wrapped in the blanket, her mind a bit sluggish as she looked at Shen Che sitting on the edge of the couch, fully dressed and composed. She had been suddenly awakened by the cold. Shen Che had found a ball of snow from somewhere and placed it on her neck, startling Ji Cheng into scrambling up.
Ji Cheng refused to break the silence first, partly because although she thought she had seen Shen Che for a moment last night, she feared it might have been a hallucination caused by the poison. So at this moment, it was better to remain still than to act.
“Get dressed and go back first. Last night, I had Nan Gui find someone to impersonate you and return to Iron Hat Lane. If you go back now and switch places, no one will suspect anything,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. In her condition yesterday, she hadn’t had the energy to arrange these things. Being absent all night would have been inexcusable. Fortunately, Shen Che had settled everything for her.
By all accounts, Ji Cheng should have said thank you. “What time is it now?” she asked instead.
“The first quarter of the Yin hour,” Shen Che stood up. “I’ll go out. You change your clothes.”
Ji Cheng glanced at the clothes draped over the edge of the couch and reached out to take them. But even this slight movement of her waist caused her to inhale sharply in pain.
It felt as if she had been beaten. Every part of her body ached. Ji Cheng endured the discomfort and put on her clothes. She then cast a glance at the messy state of the luohan couch. Ji Cheng only wished she could have been blind.
As Ji Cheng opened the door, Shen Che said, “I’ll take you back.”
Two people who were familiar but should not engage in intimate behavior suddenly found themselves drawn closer due to certain circumstances. This didn’t naturally lead to intimacy but rather added an indescribable awkwardness. If possible, Ji Cheng wished she would never have to see Shen Che again.
The carriage had already stopped in front of Jiufeng Tower. Descending the nine-story building despite her discomfort had pushed Ji Cheng to her physical limit. She had only rested for an hour or two at most, far from enough to recover her strength. Moreover, there was a burning sensation in her belly, different from the scorching feeling after being poisoned. It was a comfortably warm feeling that made her increasingly drowsy.
The coachman placed the carriage step at Ji Cheng’s feet. As she lifted her leg to step up, the movement caused pain at the base of her thighs, involuntarily eliciting a small whimper. Her face immediately turned as red as the sunset clouds. Not daring to look at anyone, she hurriedly sat down inside the carriage.
The moment Shen Che followed her into the carriage, Ji Cheng had already made up her mind.
As the carriage slowly began to move forward, the sound of horse hooves clop-clopping, Ji Cheng pulled her cloak tighter around herself, wishing she could hide her entire face behind the gray fox fur.
“Cousin Che, thank you for last night,” Ji Cheng said. “I have one more favor to ask.”
“Speak,” Shen Che responded briefly.
“About the young male companion from last night, could Cousin Che handle it on my behalf? Ensure he keeps the secret for life,” Ji Cheng said.
If that young companion was indeed who he claimed to be, given Shen Che’s shrewdness, he would surely understand this meant silencing him permanently.
If not, Ji Cheng knew Shen Che would understand her meaning—she only wished to believe that the person from last night was just a young male companion.
Shen Che stared at Ji Cheng silently.
Ji Cheng didn’t avoid Shen Che’s gaze, looking straight at him, clearly expressing her thoughts.
“Alright. He will keep his mouth shut,” Shen Che said.
“However…”
Ji Cheng’s heart hadn’t had time to feel relief before she heard the word “however,” and she knew that with Shen Che, there were never any favors without strings attached.
“However, your engagement to He Cheng must be called off,” Shen Che said flatly. These words struck Ji Cheng like a bolt from the blue.
“Why?!” Ji Cheng couldn’t help but straighten her neck. “He won’t find out.”
“With Ah Cheng’s skills, He Cheng certainly wouldn’t discover it. However, the Zhou family was once related to our family by marriage. He Cheng is Grand Tutor Zhou’s grandson. I can’t stand by and watch He Cheng be made a cuckold,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng’s chest felt like it was about to burst. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let Shen Che see them. After a long while, when her emotions had calmed and she could steady her voice, she finally spoke: “What Cousin Che says is true. But how shall we refuse this engagement now?”
Ji Cheng tilted her chin up, her posture indicating she was unwilling to handle it herself.
Shen Che tugged at the corner of his mouth, though without a trace of a smile. “I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Then I thank Cousin for his help,” Ji Cheng turned her head away, no longer willing to look at Shen Che’s extremely hateful face.
Weariness showed between Shen Che’s brows as he leaned against the carriage wall, feigning sleep. The carriage returned to its previous stillness, as quiet as dead water.
Ji Cheng, like a deserter, was unwilling to think about the engagement that had been within reach. Regardless, the person who had plotted against her had succeeded.
Ji Cheng mentally went through a list of people she had offended, with the Wang sisters, Fourth Lady Wang and Miss Wang Yue, being the prime suspects. However, Wang Yue was now in the palace, and Ji Cheng doubted her ability to extend her reach outside the palace and harm her so precisely.
Fourth Lady Wang had already set out for the temple to pray for Wang Yue’s son’s well-being, so she shouldn’t have been involved either. But the possibility that she had instigated it couldn’t be ruled out.
Ji Cheng harbored suspicions about Su Yun but felt she might be thinking too negatively of others, as she and Su Yun truly had no major grievances.
This wasn’t Ji Cheng being naive, but rather people tend to judge others by their standards. Ji Cheng felt she and Su Yun had no major conflicts, Su Yun was already engaged, and she was about to be engaged, so there was no competition over Shen Che. Therefore, she couldn’t fathom Su Yun’s motive.
But in reality, there are people in this world who, without any grudge or enmity, perhaps due to an unintentional slight or misunderstanding, would want to destroy you and are capable of anything.
Ji Cheng couldn’t help but curse inwardly. The women of the capital had become so brazen, probably due to their family upbringing. Their deep schemes and ruthless methods were no less than any man’s, making them impossible to guard against. In comparison, the people of their Northern Jin seemed more straightforward. Although known for their fierce temperament, they rarely resorted to such underhanded tactics.
After much consideration, Ji Cheng felt that the problem must have been with the tea she drank. To tamper with the tea at Laifeng Tower, it had to be either one of their group or someone who had bribed the staff at Laifeng Tower.
Ji Cheng thought about having someone investigate Laifeng Tower for any irregularities, and she would need to carefully question Nan Gui and Yu Qian’er to see if they had noticed anything suspicious.
Lost in her thoughts and worries, Ji Cheng’s brows remained furrowed without her even realizing it.
When the carriage arrived at the back gate of Qing Garden, Shen Che gently lifted Ji Cheng’s elbow to help her down. Ji Cheng was to return to the Third House’s small courtyard through the secret passage under Jiuli Court.
Just before she entered the secret passage, she heard Shen Che say, “Although the engagement with the He family won’t work out, you needn’t worry. If necessary, I can arrange a marriage for you.”
Ji Cheng’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, had already clenched into a fist, but her face wore a smile as she replied, “I wouldn’t dare trouble Cousin.”
With her world turned upside down overnight and her precious chastity lost, it was difficult for Ji Cheng not to fall ill. However, her illness had no other symptoms except for excessive drowsiness; she simply couldn’t wake up and would even doze off while eating.
Given that Ji Cheng had been injured during the autumn hunt before the new year and later soaked in ice water, this minor illness didn’t arouse any suspicion.
In her drowsy state, Ji Cheng took four or five days to recover from her injuries. There weren’t injuries, just blue and purple marks all over her body that looked quite frightening. Ji Cheng didn’t even dare let Yu Qian’er attend to her bath. Liu Ye’er would cry while helping her with her toilette, and Ji Cheng scrubbed her skin so hard it almost came off, greatly extending her daily bathing time.
After five or six days, when Ji Cheng finally dared to go out and see people, the engagement with the He family had already been politely declined.
There weren’t many twists and turns to this matter. First, Shen Qin heard Shen Che say privately that Ji Cheng had developed a chronic condition after her injury and falling into the water, making it difficult for her to conceive. Then Shen Qin inadvertently mentioned this to Su Yun, after which He Ning found out, and naturally, Madam He came to know as well.
Despite their fondness for Ji Cheng, which woman would want a daughter-in-law who couldn’t bear children? Not only would Madam He be unwilling, but probably all other ladies would feel the same. It seemed that Ji Cheng’s marriage prospects might indeed have to rely on Shen Che in the future.
When Shen Qin learned about the He family’s refusal, she felt incredibly guilty. She could barely lift her head when seeing Ji Cheng, stammering an apology, at least showing she could take responsibility for her actions.
“Elder Sister Cheng, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know those words would be overheard by Ah Ning,” Shen Qin said with red-rimmed eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ve asked Mother to invite the best gynecologist from the palace, Imperial Physician Liu, to examine you. Elder Sister Cheng, I’m sure your health will improve.” Shen Qin felt particularly guilty, believing that if she had kept her mouth shut, Ji Cheng’s engagement wouldn’t have fallen through.
After Shen Qin finished speaking, Su Yun also chimed in, “It’s not Ah Qin’s fault. It was because of my gossiping that Ah Ning overheard. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
Ji Cheng sighed lightly, “I don’t blame anyone. Marriage is all about fate. It’s my lack of fortune. Even if you hadn’t said anything, had I known about my physical condition, I would never have agreed to marry Young Master He. I couldn’t bear to end his family line.”
Shen Qin sympathetically squeezed Ji Cheng’s palm, and after chatting with her for a while longer and seeing that her mood seemed fine as if nothing was wrong, she finally felt relieved.
While Ji Cheng believed that Shen Qin’s indiscretion was unintentional, as the engagement with the He family had been Shen Qin’s idea in the first place, Su Yun’s “accidental” slip was more questionable.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Ji Cheng thoroughly questioned Nan Gui and Yu Qian’er. Yu Qian’er had been too preoccupied with watching the lantern parade to pay attention to anything else. Although Nan Gui had been observant of her surroundings, she had never suspected the young ladies of the Shen family or Su Yun, so she hadn’t paid much attention to Su Yun and couldn’t provide any useful information.
Ji Cheng first sent Liu Ye’er to Orchid Alley to investigate if any of the waiters at Laifeng Tower had suddenly become wealthy. Then she asked Yu Qian’er to inquire if Su Yun and Fourth Lady Wang had met privately during this time.
Since the aphrodisiac wasn’t easy to obtain, Ji Cheng thought it unlikely that Su Yun would have such a thing. As for Fourth Lady Wang, who was known for her capabilities, it was possible she could have acquired it. Ji Cheng still believed that Su Yun wasn’t capable of such a vicious scheme and that someone must have instigated or encouraged it.
Half a month later, news came from Orchid Alley that no unusual wealth had been observed among the waiters at Laifeng Tower. With Yu Qian’er’s skills and liberal use of silver in her inquiries around the Shen mansion, she discovered that on the day of the Jing’an Marquis’s banquet in the first month, Su Yun and Fourth Lady Wang had spoken privately.
Although Ji Cheng’s suspicions were confirmed, she had no concrete evidence. She was unwilling to wrongly accuse Su Yun, but also unwilling to let the person who had harmed her go free. She had no choice but to seek help from a certain someone.
But before that, as soon as Ji Cheng recovered, she first went to Changchun Hall. Shen Che’s words were a mix of truth and falsehood, and Ji Cheng couldn’t discern whether there was something wrong with her body.