Princess Zhenzhen’s visit to the Li residence was very low-key, bringing only her guard Long Ying and one palace maid.

Qiao Zhao received Princess Zhenzhen in the sitting room. Due to blood loss, her complexion had been poor all along, and her gaunt cheeks needed no modification to show a sickly appearance.

“I’m truly ashamed to have troubled Your Highness to come see me.”

Qiao Zhao started to rise, but Princess Zhenzhen stopped her: “Miss Li, please don’t be so formal with me. I… I should have come earlier.”

“I didn’t expect my affairs to reach the palace.” Qiao Zhao smiled meaningfully.

Princess Zhenzhen forced a smile: “Third Miss Li shone brilliantly at the banquet for the Xijiang envoys and is the Marquis Guanjun’s fiancée. You’re naturally a person who attracts the world’s attention, and the palace is no exception.”

“I see. This truly makes me feel ashamed.”

Princess Zhenzhen carefully examined Qiao Zhao’s face. Seeing her pale complexion with not a trace of color, her pointed chin sharp enough to use as an awl, she bit her lip and said: “Miss Li looks much thinner. How is your health now?”

Qiao Zhao smiled gently: “Much better already. A few days ago, I didn’t even have the strength to speak.”

“Then Miss Li must take good care of yourself. I heard that Marquis Guanjun will return in triumph soon. He would surely worry if he saw you like this.”

“Thank you for Your Highness’s concern. I will recuperate well.”

Princess Zhenzhen turned and took a food box from the palace maid’s hands: “These are pastries I made myself, a family recipe from an old nanny in the palace. The pastries are very sweet. If Third Miss doesn’t mind, please try them.”

Qiao Zhao smiled and thanked her.

Princess Zhenzhen didn’t urge Qiao Zhao to eat the pastries immediately. After sitting for a while longer, she suddenly looked up and asked: “Miss Li, do you think… we are friends?”

Qiao Zhao was taken aback by the question.

Princess Zhenzhen lowered her eyes, staring at the blooming irises on her skirt: “Ran Ran and I have played together since childhood, so naturally we became good friends. Thinking about it now, besides Ran Ran, I don’t seem to have interacted much with other girls. The person my age from outside the palace I’ve had the most contact with is Miss Li.”

She gently raised her eyes to meet Qiao Zhao’s gaze, revealing an extremely beautiful smile: “So I don’t know either—do we count as friends?”

Qiao Zhao looked at Princess Zhenzhen and didn’t answer immediately.

Her view of friendship should differ from Princess Zhenzhen’s.

In her opinion, sharing one’s deepest thoughts, entrusting life and death to each other, or having a meeting of minds in gentlemanly friendship—only such relationships could be considered true friendship. She and Princess Zhenzhen hadn’t interacted much, and even those interactions weren’t particularly pleasant memories.

Not receiving an answer from Qiao Zhao, Princess Zhenzhen’s eyes flashed with disappointment as she stood up: “It’s getting late. I should return to the palace.”

Qiao Zhao struggled to sit up.

“Miss Li, please don’t see me out. I came to visit you—it wouldn’t be good to disturb your rest.”

However, Qiao Zhao was unwilling to be discourteous before the princess and forced herself to stand: “I’ll see Your Highness to the courtyard gate. Your Highness can come visit anytime you leave the palace.”

Princess Zhenzhen slowly revealed a smile: “Good.”

She glanced at the pastry box on the table, then walked outside with the palace maid. Passing by the window, her steps paused as she looked outside: “Miss Li, the banana plants outside your window have such beautiful color.”

She didn’t want to return to that cold imperial palace, where every brick and tile emanated a ruthless air, dark and lifeless. How could it compare to the fresh green outside the palace?

“Miss Li, please stop here.”

Qiao Zhao stopped and curtsied slightly: “Your Highness, please go slowly.”

Only after Princess Zhenzhen’s figure disappeared did Qiao Zhao lean against the wall to catch her breath, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat that had seeped from her forehead.

Binglu curled her lip: “How is this visiting the young lady? It’s purely tormenting people.”

“Enough, don’t say more. Help me back inside.”

Seeing her young lady’s pale lips, Binglu was still angry. While carefully supporting Qiao Zhao back inside, she muttered: “Young lady didn’t need to see her out in the first place—you’re a patient.”

The wounds on the young lady’s body were truly frightening. Though they had scabbed over now, any movement caused pain throughout her body. It was truly pitiful.

“She’s a princess.” Qiao Zhao didn’t say more to the little maid. Returning to the room, she looked thoughtfully at the pastry box on the table.

Jiang Yuanchao had specifically sent someone to warn her to be wary of visitors from the palace. Could it mean that Princess Zhenzhen would tamper with this box of pastries?

“Binglu, bring the pastry box over.”

Binglu brought over the pastry box: “Young lady, shall I open it?”

Qiao Zhao nodded.

Binglu opened the pastry box. Inside was a plate of red date cakes shaped like roses. One could see that whoever made these pastries had put great care into them.

“The princess can make such beautiful pastries!” Binglu looked amazed.

Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but smile: “Go get my purse.”

“Young lady, here’s your purse.”

Qiao Zhao took the purse and extracted a silver needle, slowly piercing it into the date cake. After a moment, she withdrew it—the silver needle showed no change whatsoever.

Binglu was startled: “Young lady, what are you doing?”

Qiao Zhao stared at the silver needle, lost in thought.

“Oh, this servant understands now. The young lady is afraid the princess wants to harm you!” Binglu stared at the pastries with extreme disgust. “This servant will throw these pastries away immediately.”

“Don’t move.” Qiao Zhao pinched off a small piece of date cake and brought it to her nose to smell.

Those deadly poisons that killed on contact with blood could almost all be detected by silver needles, but mild drugs like sleeping potions often couldn’t be tested and could only be identified through appearance, color, and taste.

“Young lady!” Seeing Qiao Zhao put the cake crumbs in her mouth, Binglu was alarmed and rushed to stop her.

Qiao Zhao raised her hand to halt Binglu’s movement, tasting carefully. After a moment, she relaxed her brow.

There was no problem with the pastries.

But precisely because there was no problem, Qiao Zhao felt even more confused.

Could it be that Princess Zhenzhen had other schemes? Or perhaps—Jiang Yuanchao’s warning had ulterior motives?

The more Qiao Zhao thought about it, the more tangled her thoughts became.

“Young lady, you should quickly lie down and rest. Your complexion is so poor—when the young master returns and sees you, he’ll surely feel heartbroken.”

“What did you say?” Qiao Zhao was startled.

Binglu blinked: “I said the general will feel heartbroken when he returns and sees your condition. People outside are all spreading rumors that you’re gravely ill. Their mouths are truly foul—if the general knew, how worried he would be.”

Qiao Zhao shuddered, suddenly understanding something.

Now, rumors were spreading outside that she was gravely ill. If something truly happened to her, Marquis Guanjun would once again become the golden son-in-law in the world’s eyes—and one who could move the Son of Heaven’s heart!

For the current emperor, Marquis Guanjun’s identity as the orphan of a condemned minister was disagreeable. What could be more reassuring than having him become one’s son-in-law?

Having figured this out, Qiao Zhao suddenly understood Princess Zhenzhen’s purpose for this visit and Jiang Yuanchao’s veiled warning.

The Emperor wanted to recruit Marquis Guanjun as a prince consort, so how could she, his “gravely ill” fiancée, not step aside early?

However, the Son of Heaven certainly couldn’t act directly, so this matter fell to Princess Zhenzhen.

But these pastries had no problems…

Qiao Zhao’s heart sank.