Li Xuan’s body had already collapsed to the floor. In her field of vision, bed curtains and screens flashed past as she glimpsed the black-lacquered ceiling beams.

Her vision shifted slightly. Qun Qing’s first action wasn’t to help him up, but to grab the wine cup and sniff the residual liquid inside with extreme tension.

Li Xuan was so angry his qi attacked his heart. His fingers twitched.

The reason was simple—the Crown Prince had drunk wine brought by a palace maid, then collapsed. If the wine was poisoned, forget leaving the palace—Qun Qing would have to be buried alongside the Crown Prince.

The wine had no problem. Qun Qing’s hands trembled as she set down the cup. On the carpet, she saw the Crown Prince with his eyes open, his face already pale as gold paper, his entire body convulsing.

Qun Qing knew that if he continued convulsing, he would very likely bite his tongue and die immediately. She tried to pry open Li Xuan’s jaw, but Li Xuan somehow summoned the strength to shove her away.

Qun Qing lost her balance and fell sitting on the carpet. She tried again to feel for his pulse. Amid the pain, Qun Qing snapped back to awareness and discovered Li Xuan was gripping her wrist in reverse. “Sleeve… sleeve…”

In his sleeve, Qun Qing felt a hard object. This shape… was a sleeve arrow. Her entire body went cold. She immediately stopped moving.

With just a flick of his finger, the sleeve arrow would pierce through her waist and abdomen.

Li Xuan looked at her coldly. His pallid face showed no panic, but carried some distortion—fear and fury. “Dare… speak of this… death without mercy.”

From Li Xuan’s words, Qun Qing determined this wasn’t poisoning but illness—moreover, an old affliction that had occurred many times. He was aware of it.

It was just that as Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, suffering from this kind of illness, it couldn’t be known to outsiders. Otherwise, it wouldn’t only affect his position as heir apparent—with his weakness exposed, it would easily invite assassination attempts.

Li Xuan grabbed Qun Qing’s sleeve and used her strength to barely sit up. Black hair fell against Qun Qing’s neck, ice cold. Qun Qing’s body went rigid. She heard him say with extreme restraint by her ear, “Give me the sachet you’re wearing.”

Sachet?

Qun Qing’s head buzzed.

The sachet she wore was the embroidered ram’s head sachet her mother had given her. Inside were relics of her father and brother—how could she give it to someone else? As she hesitated, Li Xuan was already in extreme discomfort. His hand reached to search. She remembered she had another sachet on her body. She quickly pulled it out, stuffed it in his hand, and scrambled away.

The citrus fragrance dispersed at Qun Qing’s nose.

Qun Qing watched Li Xuan take the sachet Lu Huating had given her, hold it to his nose, and gradually calm down. She felt the scene was extraordinarily bizarre.

Li Xuan’s convulsions eased slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, a crisp clang sounded—the sleeve arrow had flown out and struck the desk.

Several young eunuchs came running in from outside the hall, bowing. Seeing the situation inside, two supported Li Xuan while another twisted Qun Qing’s arms behind her back and dragged her to the outer hall.

Li Xuan tilted his head, but his eyes stared fixedly at Qun Qing. He pointed at her. “Execute… execute her.” After speaking, his eyes rolled back, and he quickly began a second round of violent convulsions. The indigo blue twin-fish sachet fell to the ground. Two young eunuchs brought bowls to pour medicine down his throat, but the medicinal liquid couldn’t enter his mouth. It continuously flowed down his cheeks onto his white inner garment.

The night outside the hall was thick as ink. Everything happening before her eyes seemed bizarre like a dream. Qun Qing knelt on the carpet, feeling all the blood in her body surge to her head.

Because she happened to witness Li Xuan’s illness, she was to be executed? Could it be that she had weathered wind and rain safely, only to capsize in this gutter on this very night?

“Don’t touch me!” Just as the two eunuchs were about to drag her away, Qun Qing struggled to her feet. “Wait, I have a way to save him.”

Over there, the Crown Prince was unconscious, unable even to swallow medicine. The situation was serious. Seeing this, the young eunuchs didn’t forcibly stop her.

Qun Qing had already run to the cabinet and pulled open the compartments storing various spices. She distinguished among the abundant spices for a moment, scooped out a spoonful, and poured it into the enormous purple-gold incense burner in the main hall.

Moments later, a light herbal medicine scent wafted out, quickly filling the hall.

The young eunuchs only bowed tensely watching the Crown Prince’s condition. Li Xuan half-reclined in one person’s arms, breathing rapidly and heavily. Slowly, the convulsions actually lessened.

“Your Highness, Your Highness…” Seeing his consciousness return, one person called softly to him. “Your Highness, just now Your Highness ordered Miss Qing executed…”

“Wait.” Li Xuan opened his eyes slightly. His tone was weak, but his expression gravely frightening. “Ask her—what is this incense? Why does she know…”

Qun Qing prostrated herself. “This slave doesn’t know Your Highness’s symptoms. It was just coincidence that I heard someone say—rosemary from the Western Regions has the effect of relieving headaches…”

Cold sweat continuously emerged from her temples, sliding down her cheeks. Seeing Li Xuan’s condition improve, her heart instead sank to the bottom.

Though Qun Qing had accompanied Imperial Physician Li and Fang Xie on consultations, the time had been very short. Her medical skills were shallow. For convulsions like this, racking her brains, she could only think of two possibilities.

One was what common folk called “epilepsy”—during convulsions, one would foam at the mouth, but the Crown Prince clearly wasn’t like that.

His appearance of saliva flowing backward was more like another possibility.

“Usually lacking energy and suffering from lingering headaches—if anxious fire attacks the heart, one collapses convulsing, saliva flows backward, creating mortal danger…”

This was what Mother had written on paper slips—the poisoning symptoms of “Yearning’s Lure.”

Mother had said Yearning’s Lure could be suppressed with agarwood pills, and relieved with rosemary and turmeric.

Just now she’d used rosemary as a desperate measure, hoping to buy a little time. She hadn’t expected it would truly calm the Crown Prince’s symptoms. Qun Qing recalled the Crown Prince’s action of demanding the sachet.

Inside Lu Huating’s sachet wasn’t some citrus-scented sachet ball… that scent was strong, slightly sweet and pungent—it was turmeric, similar to citrus!

Everything matched. Qun Qing was instantly drenched in sweat.

Li Xuan’s condition was Yearning’s Lure poisoning.

According to logic, only she possessed this poison. For an instant, she even suspected she had accidentally poisoned the Crown Prince.

But in this life, her Yearning’s Lure poison pills were hidden in her bundle, not opened at all.

“Miss Qing, please rise first.” A young eunuch spoke by her ear, interrupting her thoughts.

Qun Qing saw Li Xuan could now drink the medicinal soup himself. She didn’t know what medicine the Crown Prince’s side had prepared. After drinking it, he almost completely recovered, just tormented until his face was deathly pale—in the night he looked like a ghost.

“Today’s events must not leak out,” Li Xuan said after wiping his mouth clean.

“This slave understands the gravity.” Qun Qing said, while looking at him with eyes desperately seeking survival.

Li Xuan looked at her, his eyes still full of scrutiny. After a long while, he said, “Are you a physician?”

Qun Qing was terribly afraid he would ask her to detoxify the poison. She quickly said, “This slave doesn’t know medical arts.”

“You don’t?” Li Xuan said. “If you don’t know medical arts, how did you burn incense just now? If you don’t know medical arts, how did you preserve Han Wanyi’s pregnancy? Just now I spared your life—you should understand the gravity. There’s no room for you to hide your skills.”

“Not knowing means not knowing. Before Your Highness, this slave would never dare harbor intentions to hide skills.” Qun Qing thought for a moment, then said, “Regarding Han Wanyi’s matter—that was because this slave knew Han Wanyi’s pregnancy was originally fake.”

Like a thunderclap, this struck Li Xuan’s brow. He waved his hand to make those young eunuchs retreat farther. “What fake pregnancy? What treasonous words are you speaking?”

“It was Han Wanyi who first committed treason and deception. This slave merely spoke the truth.” Qun Qing looked directly at him. In the night, her eyes were lit by candlelight with the cold gleam of weapons, staring until Li Xuan felt somewhat dizzy.

He said, “Why would Han Wanyi commit treason and deception?”

Qun Qing had long known this question would come. She answered, “If Your Highness wants to know this answer, you might work backward and look at what happened when Han Wanyi’s happy pulse was diagnosed.”

“Three months ago, His Majesty settled accounts with old ministers of the Chu kingdom. The Han clan was among them. Han Wanyi urgently needed a child to preserve her maternal family. She must have used folk remedies for conceiving—though they can create immediate pregnancy, they cannot last until delivery.

“This was His Majesty’s first prince after ascending the throne—it received full attention. Now the Han family is safe, the months are advancing, but Han Wanyi’s child was probably long gone. Unable to explain to His Majesty, she staged this drama. That imperial physician should have been in collusion with her. That day, the blood on Han Wanyi’s skirt was thick and slow to coagulate. This slave grew suspicious, went in to smell it, and confirmed it wasn’t human blood.”

“So that day, under the pretext of performing sorcery, you actually went in to threaten Han Wanyi?” Li Xuan asked.

“She feigned unconsciousness. This slave pinched her awake and wrote the character ‘fake’ in her palm,” Qun Qing said. “Then Han Wanyi, fearing this slave would reveal the truth, was so frightened she held back the dragon heir that was currently miscarrying.”

Li Xuan supported his forehead, momentarily speechless. After a long while, he said, “According to what you say, if Han Wanyi so values the Han family’s interests that she would dare deceive the sovereign, and she and Princess Bao’an come from the same clan, why wouldn’t she help Princess Bao’an become Crown Princess, and instead frame her?”

“Your Highness, it’s the Han clan that hopes Princess Bao’an becomes Crown Princess, but Han Wanyi herself is not a wooden or clay puppet to be manipulated by others,” Qun Qing said.

“Though Han Wanyi bears the Han surname, she was born from a branch line and suffered much cold treatment from the great clan since childhood. When His Majesty attacked Chang’an, the Han clan in their panic couldn’t bear to sacrifice their own noble daughters, so they threw out Han Wanyi, who was already betrothed, to present to His Majesty. Seeing the new dynasty stabilize, they again forced Han Wanyi to curry favor with the sage’s will to rescue the maternal clan. That day when Han Wanyi used medicine, she only wanted to save her own parents—she didn’t want to be a chess piece coerced by the great clan. Therefore, she least hopes Princess Bao’an becomes Crown Princess, least wants to see the Han clan flourish.”

After listening, the way Li Xuan looked at her changed. Noble families were complex, information was jumbled—being able to sort it so clearly wasn’t easy.

Actually, this wasn’t something Qun Qing had just figured out. In her previous life, after being harmed by Han Wanyi and having Linü killed, she had investigated for a year before reaching this conclusion. She hadn’t expected it would be useful after rebirth.

“Your Highness, though this slave comes from the Lateral Courts, I’ve spent over ten years in this palace. I know many secret matters and rumors—for instance, the Han clan’s relationships, and rosemary.” Qun Qing said. “If Your Highness wants to know in the future, this slave can be of help…”

Her eyes practically had “don’t kill me” written in them.

Li Xuan acted as if he hadn’t seen. “This Han Wanyi is quite cunning and receives Father Emperor’s favor. You’ve seen through her secret and coerced her like this—aren’t you afraid she’ll retaliate against you later?”

“Retaliate?” Qun Qing’s thick black lashes were dense and curved, but her gaze was indifferent. “If she retaliates against this slave, this slave is naturally afraid. But if the Eastern Palace stands behind this slave, then this slave isn’t afraid.”

“What do you mean by this?” Li Xuan said sternly. She actually dared use him as a shield! “When did this palace ever instruct you to do anything?”

“Your Highness, the leverage over Han Wanyi in my hands serves no purpose, but if it were in Your Highness’s hands, it has a very great purpose,” Qun Qing said. “If Your Highness wishes to befriend imperial consorts, a new consort like Han Wanyi who doesn’t wish to be manipulated by great clans would be an excellent ally. If she’s unwilling, you threaten her with this matter.”

“Don’t you know it’s a grave crime for princes and imperial consorts to collude?” Li Xuan was astonished that a palace maid dared speak such wildly treasonous words.

Qun Qing naturally knew.

But in the previous life, Han Wanyi and Li Xuan were close. She had whispered in His Majesty’s ear more than once, causing Prince Yan much suffering. She was merely stating in advance what Li Xuan wanted to do in his heart.

“Isn’t this what Your Highness wanted to hear?” She looked calmly at Li Xuan, her palms breaking out in sweat, trying her best to ignore the anger he displayed.

Empty posturing—wanting it in his heart while pretending to be proper. Emperor Chenming and the Crown Prince truly were father and son, even their personalities very similar.

All around, it was as if startling thunder struck, sweeping open the gauze curtains.

The anger on Li Xuan’s face receded, slowly becoming expressionless.

Since words had reached this point, there was no need to dissemble further. He looked deeply at Qun Qing and said, “Go to the inner hall and bring out this palace’s seal.”

Qun Qing held up the white jade seal and had just placed it on the desk when suddenly two eunuchs grabbed her and brought her before Li Xuan.

Li Xuan leaned sideways in his chair, looking at her with dark intensity. “The first time palace maids handle a seal, they all hold the dragon white jade knob on top with one hand and pinch the side with the other, because supporting the bottom would get seal ink on their hands. Dirty hands would easily soil nobles’ garments. Little do they know that carved white jade knob is fragile and easily broken. Only Female Officials who handle seals year-round habitually support the bottom. Have you often stamped seals before? Or have you stamped imperial seals for others?”

Qun Qing glanced at the crimson seal ink on her palm, like bloody marks that made her heart palpitate.

“Qun Qing, at this moment, this palace still has one final doubt.” Li Xuan stared fixedly at her. “Who exactly are you? Who told you to infiltrate this palace’s side? Why did you previously pretend to be crazy and foolish? What are your intentions?”

Qun Qing had already prostrated herself. After a long while, her voice choked with emotion: “This slave… dares not deceive Your Highness: This slave is the daughter of Qun Cang, a fifth-rank remonstrating official of the previous dynasty. When young, I often entered Father’s study to help him stamp seals. During the previous dynasty, Father suffered injustice and was imprisoned, causing this slave to fall from an official family’s noble daughter to the lowest slave. Then I vowed that if there were opportunity, I would certainly climb out of the Lateral Courts no matter what—even if it meant enduring hardships and attaching myself to dragons and phoenixes.

“This slave hates the Chu kingdom’s emperor, so I was unwilling to serve Princess Bao’an. Lady Zheng treats this slave very well—this slave is grateful in her heart. It’s just that this slave discovered she could approach Your Highness and couldn’t help but harbor thoughts. Repeatedly drawing attention, only wanting to emulate Former Dynasty’s Consort Xu Zhao. If I could gain Your Highness’s appreciation, this slave… would have hope of revenge.”

Through tear-blurred eyes, Qun Qing glanced at Li Xuan in the seat above.

His expression remained serious, but his eyes relaxed considerably. Obviously, her breakdown and loss of composure made him feel he’d finally touched upon the truth.

How could a nation’s heir apparent not have some wariness? Wanting him to easily trust someone full of suspicious points was very difficult.

Letting the Crown Prince peel away one layer of suspicion would make him relax his guard and not easily think that beneath lay another layer.

After a long while, Li Xuan gave a look. One eunuch draped an outer robe over him while another brought out memorials from the inner hall.

He tried clenching his right hand. His fingers still couldn’t close. He said to Qun Qing in a low voice, “The illness cannot be known to outsiders. Before dawn, these memorials must be reviewed and approved. This palace has already sorted them. They’ll attend the lamps—you stamp the seals. The rest, just reject.”

Then Qun Qing saw all the memorials she could previously only glimpse from afar pushed entirely before her.

She couldn’t help but look at Li Xuan.

She hadn’t expected Li Xuan would dare let her access Great Chen’s most core state affairs—something she had worked many years toward in her previous life as Records Keeper without ever touching.

“Miss Qing, please.” The young eunuch said respectfully.

—

On the soft couch in the inner hall, Li Xuan could finally recline slightly. Shou Xi attended him, covering him with an outer robe. “Your Highness tests others but needn’t set up schemes using your own body.”

“Recently my headaches have intensified. This palace already sensed I couldn’t escape falling ill today. That Lan Yue is Lady Zheng’s house-born servant girl—this palace didn’t want to beat her to death,” Li Xuan said, looking out the window.

“That still didn’t require using execution to frighten Miss Qing,” Shou Xi said. “If it had been a slightly more timid young lady, she would have fainted long ago.”

Li Xuan coldly laughed. “Between life and death, one sees people’s hearts. This palace suspects people without using them. If she had no ability, she would have died long ago. I just didn’t expect she harbors no ill will toward this palace.”

After speaking, his expression eased. He took the memorial from Shou Xi’s hand to verify the recorded information about Qun Qing’s background—it was indeed exactly as she had said.

“This Qun Cang was punished in the荒 Emperor’s twenty-fifth year for directly remonstrating about aristocratic families. He was imprisoned for many years and is still alive. He’s a jinshi scholar who even placed first. As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes—such a father producing someone foolish and stupid wouldn’t make sense,” Shou Xi said.

Qun Qing’s extraordinary intelligence finally had a reasonable explanation.

“Have the jailers take better care of Qun Cang,” Li Xuan closed the memorial. “When necessary, we’ll still need to use him.”

Shou Xi said, “In the inner palace, we lack a female messenger to act for Your Highness. Miss Qing has neither family background nor political factions. Her father was punished for opposing aristocratic families, so she presumably hates aristocratic clans—perfect for balancing Prime Minister Meng. She’s the best choice. If one day you don’t want to use her, just kill her.”

Li Xuan’s hand trembled slightly.

He didn’t know if it was because of Shou Xi’s words or because Qun Qing had entered the inner hall holding the stamped memorials.

Seeing her pale face, Li Xuan actually laughed. “Worried that after stamping them, this palace will grant you death?”

“This palace is not someone who burns bridges, much less after you saved this palace today.” Li Xuan said slowly. “From now on, your monthly wage equals a sixth-rank Female Official, and can increase further. If you have difficulties, find Shou Xi.”

“You want nobles’ advancement—this palace will advance you.” He turned his eyes to look at Qun Qing. “Is this what you want?”

Given how things stood, Qun Qing could only comply with the flow. “Thank you for Your Highness’s appreciation. Your Highness should rest early to recover your health.”

The good news was that during this period, obtaining information would be much more convenient.

“Prince Yan is unharmed. Chancellor Lu nearly implicated Lady Zheng as well—how can this palace sleep peacefully?” Li Xuan was still concerned about her familiarity with Lu Huating. “Tell me, how should we retaliate?”

So the Crown Prince spoke this directly to his own people.

Qun Qing understood he wanted to test her by having her present a strategy. After thinking, she said, “Your Highness, Prince Yan’s mansion is responsible for managing the ceremony for welcoming the Buddha bone. That ceremony is complex—every step can easily go wrong.”

“Welcoming the Buddha bone is state business. There can be no mistakes,” Li Xuan said.

Obviously this sacrifice concerned foreign affairs and was extremely important for Great Chen winning the people’s hearts. Li Xuan was unwilling to lose the greater for the lesser.

“This slave means that precisely because it’s difficult to manage, every step requires the Chancellor’s supervision—it will certainly be mentally taxing and busy.” Qun Qing was extremely weary. She struggled to maintain herself. Since Lu Huating had harmed her to this extent, there was no reason for him to be leisurely.

“I’ve heard Chancellor Lu rises after noon each day, only able to work half a day. Your Highness could have him attend morning court on Prince Yan’s behalf, occupying that half-day of time. Over the long term, see if he can bear it or not.”

Li Xuan fell silent. He glanced at Shou Xi, not having expected Qun Qing could find an alternative path and think up such a vicious scheme.

“It’s getting late. Go back to sleep,” Li Xuan finally realized it was the middle of the night and spoke warmly.

But Qun Qing still didn’t leave. With slightly greenish circles under her eyes, she looked at the indigo blue twin-fish sachet hanging at his waist. “Your Highness, could you return that sachet to me? To be honest with Your Highness, this item is… is a deceased person’s relic. Inauspicious, unlucky.”

After listening, the smile at Li Xuan’s lips faded. He glanced at the sachet, his face somewhat unable to maintain composure. “If it’s inauspicious, why would you, a young lady, wear it on your person? This palace isn’t afraid. Items given out—how can there be reason to ask for them back? You may leave.”