Chi Qingbo said quietly: “This medicine has limited potency. General Wan only drank one mouthful, so the poison is limited—I estimate it can be cured…”
Tie Ci understood his meaning.
This medicine would be useful for Wan Ji, but for Xiao Xueya it could probably only provide relief.
Naturally it should be given to Wan Ji, but Xiao Xueya’s subordinates couldn’t know, otherwise the relationship that had just improved slightly would be on the verge of breaking again.
So Chi Qingbo had his wife guard the door and only brought out this medicine in private.
Tie Ci accepted this favor, thanked him, and reached out to take the medicine.
But at this moment, Deputy General Zhu came in carrying water. Seeing A’li Fu guarding the door, his expression changed slightly. A’li Fu wasn’t good at disguising, and seeing his expression change, hers changed too. Deputy General Zhu immediately sensed something was wrong, so he simply didn’t announce himself and suddenly stuck his head in, just in time to see Tie Ci about to feed the medicine to Wan Ji.
Deputy General Zhu threw down the water and rushed in: “Your Highness, have you found the antidote!”
He saw there was only one pill with no medicine bottle nearby. He looked at Chi Qingbo, who avoided his gaze, then looked at Xiao Xueya, whose face was ashen with no signs of improvement from taking medicine.
He began to understand, saying quietly: “There’s only one pill?”
Chi Qingbo opened his mouth to speak, but Tie Ci raised her hand to stop him. She withdrew her hand and sat up straight: “Yes.”
“The only antidote, and you’re giving it to Wan Ji instead of our commander?” Deputy General Zhu’s face grew increasingly angry. “Your Highness, I feel wronged for our commander! Do you know what he did for you!”
His voice was loud, immediately attracting the naval officers who hadn’t gone far. The naval officers crowded in, and Tie Ci’s guards immediately followed alertly. In the blink of an eye, another standoff had formed.
The naval soldiers quickly understood the situation and became furious, cursing loudly.
“If we hadn’t arrived in time, she could have secretly killed our commander!”
“Indeed, the imperial family is heartless!”
The Crown Princess’s guards were mostly from the Crown Princess’s Nine Guards and were Wan Ji’s subordinates. They immediately retorted: “People have different relationships, matters have different priorities—what’s wrong with giving Commander Wan the antidote? Shouldn’t it be given to him? If you don’t save your own loyal subordinates, who do you save? What would you do in her place?”
“I would naturally give it to our commander!”
“Then that settles it—we’re also giving it to our commander! Why can you but we can’t?”
Tie Ci sighed.
This reasoning wasn’t wrong.
If you don’t protect your own subordinates, who will risk their lives for you in the future?
But the problem was it wasn’t suitable for her.
She was the Crown Heir—all armies under heaven were her subordinates, all people she should care for. A monarch’s benevolence extends to all quarters, treating the whole world equally.
She couldn’t show favoritism.
At these words, the naval soldiers’ gazes grew colder.
Chi Qingbo stood up: “Everyone, it’s not like that. It’s just that this medicine was formulated through my experimentation and can only neutralize a small amount of Wanxiang Grass poison, so using it on Commander Wan would be more effective…”
Tie Ci sighed again.
This explanation wouldn’t work either.
It would make the naval soldiers feel they were making excuses, and when it came to life-saving hope, one doesn’t distinguish between greater or lesser effects—they would only think: if it’s useful, why can’t he use it?
Sure enough, someone immediately cursed angrily: “You’re just trying to curry favor with the Crown Princess! Otherwise why didn’t you mention having an antidote before, giving it secretly? Since it’s effective, why can’t our commander use it!”
Tie Ci stood up and was about to speak when someone said with a smile: “What’s wrong, what’s wrong? What kind of trouble has started now? Oh my, excuse me, excuse me, let me through—I want to watch the excitement.”
Tie Ci smiled and sat back down.
Naturally this boisterous person was Murong Yi. As he walked over, several black-clothed people followed behind him. These people were completely opposite to his style—flat expressions, emotionless, their faces rigid like black or white porcelain, making people uncomfortable to look at.
Even more uncomfortable was that as these people moved, strange odors wafted faintly—somewhat fishy, somewhat burnt, and seemingly with the meaty smell of internal organs. Many complex and unpleasant scents intertwined, making people instinctively want to avoid them upon smelling them.
So wherever Murong Yi went, paths opened like parting seas.
Murong Yi poked his head in the doorway, understood what was happening after two glances, and said with a grin: “Oh my, Your Highness, this is your fault.”
Tie Ci’s guards were astonished, not understanding why this Crown Princess’s lapdog was suddenly singing a different tune from the Crown Princess.
Tie Ci: “Oh?”
“Good intentions should be explained clearly to everyone first. Otherwise some people with poor brains and crooked hearts always think the worst.” Murong Yi turned to Chi Qingbo: “What kind of medicine is this—did Young Master Chi formulate it himself? What are its effects? What are its properties? Are there any contraindications or conflicts? Do you know all this and have you tested and verified it?”
Chi Qingbo was startled and said shamefully: “I formulated it through experimentation myself, but haven’t had a chance to test it…”
Everyone quieted down somewhat.
“Don’t you all know that Southwest poisons are very complex? It hasn’t even been tested—you don’t even know if it’s useful. Maybe if taken, the medicinal properties will conflict and create new poisons. How did you start fighting over such a dangerous thing?”
This time everyone began discussing among themselves.
Someone said: “That’s not how you put it. There are countless poisons and diseases in the world—you can’t test them all. In urgent situations, even a dead horse can be treated as a living one…”
“Are you saying your commander is a dead horse?”
The speaker was struck dumb.
“Her Highness is just being cautious. Since Commander Wan’s poisoning is mild, using him to test the medicine shouldn’t cause problems.” Murong Yi smiled and pointed with his hand: “Whoever thinks it’s fine can go feed the medicine to your commander. If he’s cured, it’s my credit; if he dies, it’s yours.”
“…”
Murong Yi pointed randomly: “Come on, please, please.”
He pointed at the naval soldiers randomly, and everyone he pointed at seemed stabbed by a blade, instinctively stepping back.
However, Deputy General Zhu, who had been standing at the front, looked at the medicine and gritted his teeth as he was about to step forward. But Murong Yi had already quickly withdrawn his hand and smiled: “So you’re all afraid. Then let Commander Wan test the medicine. Commander Wan is making this sacrifice—remember to thank him later.”
Without waiting for everyone to react, he flicked his finger and shot the pill into Wan Ji’s mouth.
Everyone was caught off guard. After a while they reacted—they wanted to curse but felt they had no justification, yet not cursing felt stifling. Each one’s face turned red with frustration.
Tie Ci’s gaze met Murong Yi’s briefly, then she stood up: “I will definitely cure the Commander’s poison. I guarantee it.”
Deputy General Zhu snorted, received Tie Ci’s gaze, was startled, then waved his hand to dismiss everyone, leaving only naval officers of guard rank and above.
After the soldiers left, Tie Ci said: “I will take the Commander off the ship and personally go to the mountains to seek medicine until the poison is cured.”
Everyone was stunned.
After a long while, Deputy General Zhu found his voice: “…This, this won’t do…”
Wasn’t this treating the Commander as her personal hostage?
Chi Qingbo coughed and said quietly: “It’s like this—the antidote needed for Wanxiang Grass poison requires several herbs to be used within one day, otherwise they lose their medicinal properties. So sending people to find medicine and bring it back won’t work—you must gather and use them immediately…”
“Then we’ll escort you together!”
Chi Qingbo looked at Tie Ci. Tie Ci said flatly: “If you’re worried, you can select two people to follow and also care for your Commander.”
“What use are two people? What if…”
Though unfinished, everyone understood—what if the Crown Princess wanted to act against him? No one could stop her.
Tie Ci laughed.
Murong Yi scoffed: “Is your Commander good to eat or fun to play with when away from the army? Why would the Crown Princess go through all this trouble to take him out and kill him? Does she still want the Nanyue naval forces or not?”
“Only bringing two people…”
“Bring the entire naval force, then? Make a big show, tell Yannan that your Commander is poisoned and the Nanyue naval forces are leaderless—would that be good?” Murong Yi asked gently, making the other person’s face turn purple as he stammered speechlessly.
Tie Ci watched the Nanyue naval officers being forced step by step back by Murong Yi and leaned back comfortably.
Murong Yi smiled: “You’re just worried about the Commander going with the Crown Princess, feeling like he’s become a hostage, right? Then we’ll also leave hostages—look, me, I’ll stay to keep you company, and also those young masters.”
He pointed with his hand. The young masters who had just been released were peeking around the doorway and were thunderstruck at these words.
Just watching some excitement—how did they suddenly become hostages again?
Chang Qianmo’s expression went through countless changes. Initially forced to follow the Crown Princess out of the capital, he later thought it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—following along on this journey would count as merit, and he could find a good position when he returned. They were all young men, and having heard about Rong Pu, Qi Yuansi and others following the Crown Princess to the Western Rong and achieving great merit in conquering the Western Rong, he inevitably hoped to bring glory to his ancestors once.
Who knew it would be a journey of hardship, sleeping in communal quarters, while others in the Western Rong participated in grand strategies with political maneuvering, while he and others were ordered to visit brothels by imperial decree. Now they had simply become hostages…
They looked pitifully at the Crown Princess. Before a plea could leave their lips, they saw Tie Ci nod with deep understanding.
The young masters gritted their teeth with grinding sounds, turning their heads to glare at Murong Yi with sinister expressions.
Femme fatale bringing ruin to the country!
…
Kunzhou, the capital of Yannan, had always been known as “One Pool, Three Towers, and a City Full of Colors.” The pool was Mirror Pool, called the Pearl of the Southwest. The three towers were Kunzhou’s famous scenic tower Yijiang Mingyue Tower for enjoying views, Shugu Tower famed throughout the world for its collection of thousands of books (referring to “narrating without creating, believing in and loving antiquity”), and Yuchuan Tower known for its unique cuisine, famous for its insect feasts and mushroom feasts that specialized in fleecing outsiders. “City full of colors” referred to Kunzhou’s spring-like climate year-round with flowers blooming throughout the city. Because it was sunny most of the year, the flowers were larger and more vibrantly colored than elsewhere, luxuriant and dazzling with beautiful colors filling Kunzhou.
The three towers were arranged in a triangle at Kunzhou’s center, with Mirror Pool winding like a ribbon around them, enclosing this most scenic area. At the center of the triangle was the Prince Wuping’s mansion, the heart of Yannan.
At this moment, the Yannan Prince’s mansion was decorated with flowers, draped in red and festooned with colors. In a city already full of flowers, this place had three times more.
But while the flowers bloomed festively, the atmosphere wasn’t festive.
Palace maids carried various trays and vessels as they walked through layers of corridors and chambers. Their skirts didn’t flutter as they moved, silently guiding a group of women in brocade and fine clothing surrounded by maidservants into the flower hall of Qingyun Palace.
Female officials in the palace smiled as they came forward, familiarly addressing the various ladies and misses.
The young lady walking at the front smiled and said: “We’ve come to add to the Princess’s trousseau today.”
Adding to the trousseau was when a woman about to marry would have her family host relatives and friends, who would give various gifts to add to the bride’s dowry chest as blessings.
As soon as she spoke, the female official’s smile became even more gentle and respectful: “County Princess, this way please.”
You Weiqing, daughter of You Jun, the current Yannan Regional Military Commissioner and niece of Prince Wuping, stepped forward.
She stared at the woman sitting before the dressing table ahead. So many people had entered, yet the woman at the dressing table didn’t move at all.
Several female officials for makeup and hair surrounded her, dressing her hair. The bronze mirror vaguely reflected a palm-sized snow-white face. Despite thick powder for formal makeup, it couldn’t hide her youthful beauty.
A female official picked up a hairpin with a sharp, gleaming tip.
Another female official suddenly looked over.
The official with the hairpin realized her mistake, her expression changing slightly. She immediately put down the hairpin and took a pearl flower set with pearls the size of lotus seeds from the makeup box, saying gently with a smile: “Pearls best match the Princess’s snow-white skin.”
Another female official immediately took the hairpin back to the box and carried it away.
The woman who had spoken earlier smiled and stepped forward, opening the box in her hands to reveal a set of finger-sized ruby ornaments gleaming brilliantly. She took out a ruby glass necklace and gracefully approached, placing the necklace around the neck of the woman being dressed. Without removing her hands, she gently encircled the woman’s neck, examining left and right in the mirror with a smile: “Rubies also suit Princess sister very well—beautiful as a flower, graceful and noble. With the Third Young Master of the Chang family, you’re truly a match made in heaven.”
In the mirror, one sat and one stood, facing each other.
The ruby necklace formed one ring around the snow-white neck, while her soft hands formed a second ring. Her fingertips were sharp, wearing intricately carved gold-inlaid jade finger guards, their tips resting delicately on the slightly raised blue veins of the neck, tapping once, then again.
The sight was somewhat suffocating.
The bronze mirror hazily reflected You Weixuan’s face, expressionless as if wearing a mask.
You Weiqing smiled. Her expression was calm, her posture dignified, even her smile’s curve gentle and elegant.
She bent down and whispered in You Weixuan’s ear: “What a pity, Princess. The Chang Yuan you’re marrying was originally quite a talented young man, worthy of you. But since he went to the capital to take the spring examinations and was rejected, he’s become mad after returning. This is rather unfortunate—your family already has one fool, and now you’re marrying a madman. Will there be any normal person left in uncle’s lineage?”
You Weixuan remained silent, not even a pearl flower on her head trembling.
You Weiqing’s smile didn’t change as she pressed her cheek intimately against You Weixuan’s, looking like extremely close sisters, so much so that the Yannan princely family ladies behind them couldn’t help but gaze at their backs with envy.
“Go in peace,” You Weiqing’s voice was thin as gossamer, only You Weixuan could hear. “After you leave, I’ll live in your palace and care for your brother.”
…
Going north from Qingyun Palace, through three hanging flower gates and layer upon layer of courtyards, there was a remote small courtyard originally used to store various implements and miscellaneous items.
In the past, no one ever came to this small courtyard, but now there were many people—capable guards watching the entire courtyard, night patrol soldiers marching past in formation from time to time, and maidservants shuttling back and forth to deliver meals on schedule.
It was now noon, and someone came out of the courtyard to receive the lunch brought by maidservants. The tray held three plates and six bowls—quite sumptuous.
The servant boy responsible for taking the food looked down at the dishes with joy in his eyes. He took the food back, but didn’t enter the main room, instead going into the west wing.
As he passed the main room, he glanced inside. The door was barely ajar, and he instinctively covered his nose while quickly covering the food tray.
Someone in the wing room took the food, laughing: “What good dishes today?”
The servant boy set down the tray and picked up a pork elbow rich with oil and red sauce, laughing: “Initially thought this was a bitter assignment, but now we’re benefiting from it. I’ve gotten fat all around recently.”
Another servant boy asked: “Ah Qi, what are you leaving for the Young Master today?”
The servant boy poked around in the dishes: “He never eats green vegetables, and doesn’t eat fish, meat, shrimp or crab either. He only eats clear soup and stewed vegetables. Isn’t there taro chunks stewed in this elbow? After we finish eating, we’ll pour out the taro, add some white water and take it in.”
The questioning servant boy looked at him and hid the contempt in his eyes.
He claimed to be the Young Master’s longtime companion, but once the Young Master fell into misfortune, he was more eager than anyone to steal and pilfer. Really disgraceful.
Though cursing his disgrace in his heart, his hands weren’t slow—he picked up a duck leg and smiled as he gnawed on it.
After eating, Ah Qi rubbed his belly and leaned back: “Baochang, you go deliver food to the Young Master.”
Servant boy Baochang stood up and carried the white water and taro to the main room. The window screens from last year hadn’t been changed or cleaned, dimly blocking the light. He unlocked the door, pushed it open a crack, set the bowl on the ground, and glanced at the corner of the room.
Sure enough, still there—northwest corner, bottom facing out, face against the wall, muttering something incoherently. He vaguely heard something about “eight.”
It was fine during the day, but at night this fool was the same, with his voice echoing eerily. Once he encountered it by chance and was nearly scared to death.
Baochang didn’t want to stay long and quickly closed the door.
He didn’t dare speak—orders from above said not to talk to the Young Master, and the Young Master couldn’t say anything coherent anyway.
But he remembered there was a period when it wasn’t like this.
Last year the Young Master went out with the Princess for a trip, and when he returned he had completely changed—he could look at people, could speak, and his behavior was much clearer and more sensible. If you didn’t look carefully, he wasn’t much different from ordinary people.
This silenced those in the You family who had previously opposed the Princess taking the Young Master out to seek medical treatment. Some even began saying that if the Young Master truly recovered, perhaps he could inherit the princedom.
But the good times didn’t last… or rather, once good times appeared, some things didn’t last long.
Baochang sighed but didn’t slow down in locking the door.
Pitiful as it was, he had no further thoughts. There were many pitiful people in this world. A fool born into a princely family who had enjoyed so many years of wealth and honor couldn’t be said to be at a loss.
He hummed a tune as he walked away.
In the room, the person crouched in the corner appeared to be a thin young man with disheveled hair and dirt all over his face. His eyes were very bright, but his gaze was very direct, as if it couldn’t turn.
He crouched there, staring at the peeling wall corner where there was an ant nest, the ants busily working without knowing what they were busy with.
On the ground lay some turnips and radishes stained with soup. The person took a radish toward the ants, but obviously the ants weren’t interested in such food and busily walked away.
Confusion flashed in the young man’s eyes. His gaze seemed to stare at the ants yet also at the void, as he murmured:
“Sister, sister, sister.”
“Eighteen, eighteen, eighteen.”
…