The small pouches in her sleeves and the hidden pocket sewn at her arm both contained deadly poison powder.

Her golden hairpin also contained poison powder.

Moreover, this golden hairpin had another secret mechanism.

However, all of this required the right time and opportunity to be used.

Without time and opportunity, even the most powerful weapons would be useless.

She bent down and shook out her skirt, then saw that familiar purple figure appear behind a large tree. Ziteng nodded at her.

Only then did Qin Shuying lift her feet and walk inside.

There was nothing unusual.

The room indeed displayed various colored dresses for women. Liu Sujiang was changing her skirt while a palace maid crouched on the ground, helping to arrange it for her.

Seeing Qin Shuying enter, the palace maid said, “Seventh Miss Qin, please make your selection first.”

Qin Shuying was slightly startled, nodded, and looked over the dazzling array of dresses. They were all made of fine materials and exquisite designs.

Qin Shuying casually picked one in a color similar to what she had worn before. Liu Sujiang had already finished changing and looked at her with a half-smile, saying, “Sister Shuying, I’m already done changing. I’ll wait for you outside.”

After speaking, she smiled and went out, conveniently closing the door behind her.

To lure her into the trap, Liu Sujiang had even endured severe pain without making a sound. She truly lived up to being from the Liu family.

Qin Shuying placed the dress on a chair and first went to remove her wet skirt. The palace maid stepped forward saying, “Seventh Miss Qin, let this servant help you.”

“Thank you, I can do it myself.”

The palace maid said nothing more and stood to one side.

Qin Shuying removed her skirt. Due to the hot weather, she only had undergarments beneath.

Suddenly, the palace maid quickly stepped forward several paces, smiling, “Seventh Miss Qin, let this servant help you after all!”

Qin Shuying hurriedly retreated several steps, already gripping the poison powder pouch in her hand, “You stop right there!”

The palace maid laughed heartily, “Seventh Miss Qin, with such a graceful figure, this servant is truly blessed today! This servant has long heard of Seventh Miss Qin’s name. I’ve truly admired you for a long time and envied you greatly!”

Thoughts flashed through Qin Shuying’s mind like lightning, and she instantly understood that this palace maid who appeared no different from a woman was actually a short-statured man!

The fake palace maid spoke while slowly unbuttoning his clothes and walking toward Qin Shuying step by step.

Once the buttons were undone, the fake palace maid threw off the palace maid’s robe. He had a cloth bundle bound to his chest to fake breasts. Throwing away that cloth bundle, standing before Qin Shuying was a lean man.

Qin Shuying gripped the poison powder pouch in her hand while pretending to be terrified as she retreated, shouting loudly, “Help! Someone help!”

The fake palace maid laughed heartily, “Seventh Miss Qin, you can scream your throat raw and no one will hear you! So spirited, I love it! Hahaha!”

Qin Shuying showed terror on her face, “You, who exactly are you?”

“Don’t ask who I am. In a moment you’ll know the wonderful feeling!”

The fake palace maid suddenly thought of something, turned around and moved aside a pile of clothes, revealing a person hidden inside. With so many clothes in this room, Qin Shuying hadn’t noticed anything unusual here earlier.

That person was bound with his back to them. Qin Shuying couldn’t see his appearance, but from his build she could tell it was a man, a tall man.

Qin Shuying instantly understood their scheme. They intended for this fake palace maid to first defile her chastity, then remove the bound man’s ropes, creating the false impression that the bound man had defiled her chastity.

One incident, calculated to harm two people.

That bound man, like herself, must have gotten in someone’s way.

Someone wanted to eliminate him quickly, and apparently killing him wasn’t satisfying enough—they also wanted to ruin his reputation.

Taking advantage of the fake palace maid moving the clothes, Qin Shuying hurried toward the main door. But before she could reach it, the fake palace maid gave a sinister laugh, pushed off with both feet, did a hawk’s somersault, and blocked her path.

Qin Shuying’s reaction was also quite quick. She immediately retreated a step, then covered her nose with one hand while throwing the poison powder pouch with the other.

The poison powder pouch was thrown hard by Qin Shuying, hitting the fake palace maid’s body and immediately scattering, with powder dust flying everywhere.

The fake palace maid never expected Qin Shuying to have such a trick. Caught off guard, he inhaled the poison powder and immediately felt dizzy and unsteady, stumbling.

Although Qin Shuying was confident in the poison’s effectiveness, she didn’t dare be careless. Also fearing she might be contaminated by the poison powder, she immediately retreated several steps, grabbed a stick she had noticed earlier, held it in front of her chest, and closely watched the fake palace maid.

After inhaling a few breaths, within moments the fake palace maid began bleeding from the corners of his mouth. Terrified beyond belief, he could hardly believe that this delicate young lady carried deadly poison with her.

“You, you… aconite powder, how do you have…”

The fake palace maid collapsed face-first on the ground, asking with difficulty.

Qin Shuying didn’t answer, watching him tensely.

Getting no answer from Qin Shuying, the fake palace maid only saw the fierce determination in her eyes, and only now began to regret.

When the person who gave him this mission had said that Qin Shuying was eerily formidable and to be careful.

He had seen Qin Shuying from afar—she was just a fourteen-year-old young lady. Though not short in stature, her figure was like a willow branch, while he possessed martial skills. How could he possibly let her escape?

Now he regretted not taking the contact person’s words to heart.

Qin Shuying was indeed eerily formidable!

A great family’s daughter actually carried instantly lethal poison with her at all times. If this wasn’t eerie, what was? Wasn’t she afraid that one careless moment would poison herself to death?

But the fake palace maid had no chance to ask this question.

Because the toxicity of aconite powder was extremely potent. His mouth and nose had already turned dark, and after convulsing for a while, he died within moments.

Qin Shuying stood in place, coldly watching the fake palace maid throughout.

Ever since learning the mystery of Qin Yongzhou’s death, she had become more vigilant, having Nanny Mi buy this aconite powder at high price, always keeping it for protection.

If someday someone tried to control her, she would rather end her own life than let them succeed. She never expected it would come in handy today.

Only after confirming he was definitely dead did she dare approach and observe.

Then she turned back and quickly put on her clothes.

After thinking, she kicked over a row of clothes to the ground. Including her own clothes, many garments were more or less contaminated with scattered aconite powder on the floor.

At this moment, Qin Shuying only needed to open the door and walk out, and everything in this room would have nothing to do with her, Qin Shuying.

But—

She thought for a moment and went to look at the bound man.

Standing behind the man, she hesitated somewhat, not knowing who this person was or whether saving him would benefit or harm her.

What if, once he regained freedom, he meant to harm her? She couldn’t guarantee she’d be as fortunate as she had been just now.

After much consideration, she still decided to save him. She remembered when she was Qin Yaoyao, had Liang Zhe hesitated when saving her? At Princess Yongjia’s mansion, when Liang Zhe saved her again, had he ever hesitated?