“Why aren’t you drinking?” Xuan Yanyu’s eyes flicked upward.
[Drink what?! Drink nothing!!! Fafa, what do I do?!] Yan Yunning’s ears were ringing.
Fafa: [Mistress, don’t worry. Go ahead and drink it. I’ll purify it out of you.]
[Are you sure?] Yan Yunning was uneasy.
Fafa: [Positive, Mistress. Please trust me.]
Yan Yunning hesitated. She took the bowl from Xuan Yanyu’s hands. Her throat tightened, and she swallowed convulsively.
She gritted her teeth, threw her head back, and drank it down in one go.
[Fafa, Fafa, Fafa!!!] Yan Yunning shut her eyes and drew a long, deep breath.
Fafa: [You’ll be fine, Mistress. Don’t worry.]
Yan Yunning let out a sigh of relief.
“Master Xuan, Miss Yan has come around — she appears to be out of danger.” The physician pushed open the door and came out.
Xuan Yanyu gave a small nod, drew a silver ingot from his sleeve, and placed it into the physician’s hand.
“I’m going to check on A’Jie.” Yan Yunning jogged into the room.
Xuan Yanyu straightened his sleeve.
“Your Highness.” Ye Chen appeared without a sound.
Xuan Yanyu cast him a sideways glance, his tone mild. “Something to report?”
Ye Chen hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice. “Your Highness, Yan Yunning purchased two packets of arsenic at the apothecary.”
“She bought arsenic — what for?” Xuan Yanyu turned the jade archer’s ring on his finger, his expression unchanged.
“She must have swallowed it just now. In roughly a quarter to half a shichen, the poison will begin to take effect. Your Highness, just what is this Yan Yunning — eh? Your Highness?”
Before Ye Chen could finish speaking, Xuan Yanyu’s complexion changed abruptly. In a flash he was gone, darting into the inn.
Ye Chen stood rooted to the spot, utterly bewildered. What had just come over His Highness?
“A’Jie, you have no idea — when you fainted, I was so frightened.” Yan Yunning held Yan Shiyao’s hand, her voice soft and tender.
Yan Shiyao looked at her with a complicated expression. Why did Ningning have to be in love with the Third Prince, of all people?
“Come with me.” Xuan Yanyu threw open the door and seized Yan Yunning’s wrist.
Yan Yunning’s heart dropped. She swallowed. Surely he hadn’t found out?
In her panic, she clutched Yan Shiyao’s hand tightly. “I… I want to stay and keep my A’Jie company.”
“Out.” Xuan Yanyu tightened his grip and hauled her by the arm toward the door.
“A’Jie, A’Jie, help me!” Yan Yunning went pale with fright and struggled with all her might.
“Yuyu brother, let go of Ningning.” Yan Shiyao was frightened as well. She had never seen Yuyu brother act like this before.
“I won’t hurt her.” Xuan Yanyu’s footsteps paused. He turned to look at Yan Shiyao.
“Oh — you could’ve just said that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Yan Yunning let out a slow breath, raising her hand to press against her heaving chest.
“You’re afraid?” Xuan Yanyu gave a cold snort.
Not even of death, and she’d be afraid of him?
Yan Yunning blinked, and with complete composure replied, “Of course I’m afraid.”
Xuan Yanyu shot her a glance and dragged her to his room. He released her wrist, then turned and lifted a bowl of medicinal broth from the table, holding it out to her. “Drink this.”
Yan Yunning wrinkled her nose. She caught a faint, metallic smell, and her stomach turned over. She clapped a hand over her mouth and stepped back. “Take it away. I’m not drinking that.”
Xuan Yanyu stepped forward. One hand gripped her jaw; the other held the bowl, tilting it toward her lips as if to pour it in by force.
Yan Yunning clamped her mouth shut, staring at him in horror.
[Fafa, what is he trying to make me drink? He’s trying to hurt me!!!]
Fafa: [Mistress, it’s raw duck blood. It has some effect on countering poison.]
[He… he knows?] Yan Yunning’s pupils widened slightly.
Fafa: [He knows. Thank goodness you didn’t get him to drink it, Mistress — otherwise you’d already be dead by now.]
Yan Yunning: […]
Xuan Yanyu’s long, well-defined fingers tightened around her jaw.
Yan Yunning shoved him away with all her strength. “You… you, I’m not drinking it.”
The force of it sent her stumbling backward several steps, her back striking the edge of the table.
“You want to die? Then shall I give you a helping hand?” Xuan Yanyu drew a sword and pressed it to her throat.
“I… you can’t kill me. Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t hurt me?” The sharp edge pressed against her skin. With trembling fingers, Yan Yunning reached up inch by inch to push the blade at her throat away.
If her back weren’t braced against the table, she was sure she’d have crumpled to the floor.
“Come here.” Xuan Yanyu flicked his wrist and sheathed the sword.
The man stood in his deep violet robes embroidered with fine, intricate patterns. His striking features carried an edge of cold composure, and his slender, pale fingers moved idly along the sword’s scabbard.
Yan Yunning shivered.
[Fafa, this is all your fault! You egged me on, and now look — is he actually going to make me drink that bowl of… that bowl of raw duck blood?]
Fafa: [Mistress, perhaps you could drink just a little?]
Yan Yunning pressed her lips together tightly. [I refuse!]
Fafa: […]
“Come here.” The man’s brow was drawn tight, his face full of impatience.
Yan Yunning swallowed, and then, with great reluctance, began dragging her feet toward him one slow shuffle at a time.
“Drink it.” He shoved the medicine bowl right up to her lips.
“I… why are you so set on making me drink this?” Yan Yunning’s eyes were full of resistance.
Xuan Yanyu glanced at her, the way one might glance at an irrelevant object. “It wouldn’t matter much if you died, but A’Yao would be heartbroken.”
Yan Yunning sucked in a breath, quietly seething through clenched teeth. [Fafa! This madman knows my A’Jie would be heartbroken, and in the end he still gets rid of me!!!]
Fafa: […]
“Relax, I’m not going to die. Don’t make me drink something that smells this awful.” Her soft cheeks puffed out slightly with indignation, the distaste on her face completely undisguised.
Xuan Yanyu studied her. Her cheeks were flushed a healthy rose, and she showed not a trace of weakness. She didn’t look in the least like someone who had been poisoned.
A pity, then. He had gone to the trouble of preparing the antidote broth, and now there was no one to use it on.
“May I go now?”
“Get out.”
Yan Yunning pursed her lips. Her eye caught a plate of delicate pastries arranged on the round table. She helped herself to one, took a bite, and let the sweet flavor melt across her tongue.
“Hey, these are quite good — where did you buy them?”
“Who gave you permission to eat those?” Xuan Yanyu watched her with an expression that was not quite a smile.
Yan Yunning felt his gaze boring into her, and a small flutter of unease stirred in her chest. “Then I… I won’t eat anymore.” She held the half-eaten pastry out to him.
Xuan Yanyu looked at the pastry being held in front of him — one bite already taken from it — and his brow creased. “Get out.”
“Don’t be angry — if I have to leave, I’ll leave.” With that, she stuffed the pastry in her hand into her mouth, spun on her heel, and ran for the door.
Xuan Yanyu slammed his sword down on the round table with a sharp crack. The blade struck the tabletop, sending the plate of pastries scattering to the floor.
“Your Highness, what’s the matter with this Yan Yunning? I clearly saw her drink it down.” Ye Chen dropped from the ceiling beam.
Xuan Yanyu’s eyes flickered with a flash of irritation. “How would I know?”
Ye Chen’s gaze swept across the pastries tumbled on the floor, and he steeled himself to speak. “Your Highness, shall I go and buy another plateful?”
Xuan Yanyu’s brow furrowed.
“This subordinate pays his respects to His Highness the Third Prince.” The newcomer bowed with impeccable deference.
Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow. Through the window he gazed out at what lay beyond, his tone carrying the faintest note of unconcern. “Qi Qingchen summoned the county magistrate?”
“Your Highness, it was only a matter of time. Qi Qingchen is the favored candidate for Crown Prince in the eyes of the Qilan Kingdom emperor — what county magistrate wouldn’t rush to curry favor?”