When You Yuji ran towards the back gate, Mrs. Lin advised her that the back gate was blocked by a wall and that they would need to break through it first to put out the fire, which would take too much time. However, not long after, Mrs. Lin saw the rarely seen Princess Que walking out from a narrow path, instructing people to enter through the back gate to extinguish the fire. She couldn’t help but glance at Si Que a few more times.
When did this princess go to the back gate?
But she was worried about Chen Shunzhi and didn’t have time to think more about it. She hurriedly followed a large group of guards to the back. The path was narrow, and she walked at the rear, letting the guards and servants who were rescuing people and putting out the fire pass first. When she anxiously made her way through, she saw You Yuji carrying the princess out.
“Princess!” Mrs. Lin exclaimed.
Unable to push forward any further, she had to step aside into the snow, clearing the path while anxiously craning her neck to see. Before long, the guards who had rushed in with Chen Shunzhi to rescue people came out carrying the unconscious Chen Anzhi.
Mrs. Lin stood on tiptoe, watching eagerly until she saw the soot-covered Chen Shunzhi carrying Chen Lingyan out. Her eyes welled up, and her legs went weak. The heart that had been hanging finally settled down.
“Quick, go get the doctor!” Mrs. Lin ordered, forcing herself to remain calm.
When Chen Shunzhi approached, she immediately went to meet him, not even considering the state of Chen Lingyan in his arms. She first looked Chen Shunzhi up and down, seeing that a large patch of his hair was singed, feeling a pang of heartache. When she finally turned her gaze to Chen Lingyan’s face, her heart skipped a beat.
She hoped that the burn on Chen Lingyan’s chin wouldn’t leave a scar… This was on a young girl’s face!
—
Prince Jinnan hurried back to the residence, and before he even reached it, he saw the blaze from afar, his heart tightening.
“Faster!” he ordered angrily.
The carriage finally stopped in front of the residence gate, and Prince Jinnan jumped out. Usually composed, he lost his demeanor and ran frantically. Despite the bitter winter cold, his heart was burning.
“How is it? Have the people been rescued?!” he shouted, rushing towards the inferno, his jade crown askew, his steps faltering to the point he almost fell.
The steward, who had been personally fighting the fire, with soot on his hands and several black smudges on his face, hurried to meet Prince Jinnan. Before he could speak, Prince Jinnan grabbed him by the collar.
“Tell me, how are the people?!”
“They’ve… they’ve been rescued!”
Prince Jinnan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, releasing his grip on the steward’s collar.
“But…” the steward swallowed, “the heir and the princess are seriously injured. The heir’s wife has sent someone to the palace to fetch the imperial physician…”
“Quickly, go fetch them!” Prince Jinnan pushed the steward aside and strode forward.
“I’ve already sent someone,” the steward said as he followed Prince Jinnan.
Prince Jinnan paused for a moment and asked, “You said the heir’s wife sent someone to fetch the imperial physician?”
“Yes! It was the heir’s wife who entered through the back gate and personally carried the princess out! The young master also rushed in with the guards to rescue people. He has several burns on his body as well.”
The steward continued slowly, “It’s strange, though. To keep warm, every courtyard’s back gate is bricked up. But for some reason, the back gate of Lady Fang’s house was already dismantled…”
Prince Jinnan had already stopped in his tracks.
The steward quickly fell silent.
Prince Jinnan squinted slightly as he looked towards the direction of the still raging fire. He thought about what Wangjiang had told him and the various suspicious points surrounding this incident.
“My lord?” the steward asked softly.
Prince Jinnan came back to his senses and asked, “Have all the people been rescued?”
The steward looked troubled, “Fang Qingyi is nowhere to be seen.”
Prince Jinnan didn’t ask further questions and hurriedly walked forward. As soon as he entered the courtyard and lifted the curtain, he heard the princess groaning in pain.
“Qingqing!” Prince Jinnan was shocked, taking two steps forward in one stride.
The princess lay on the bed, her scorched clothes and flesh fused together in a horrifying sight.
Prince Jinnan’s pupils contracted sharply.
The imperial physician was still on the way, so the household had first summoned a local doctor. The doctor was in the outer room, frantically writing prescriptions, instructing two maids to find a way to separate the princess’s clothes from her flesh, even if it meant cutting them with a knife.
The princess’s face was covered in sweat, as if she had just been washed. She was in so much pain that she couldn’t say a word. When she saw Prince Jinnan, she could only extend her hand towards him with reddened eyes.
“It will be alright! It will be alright!” Prince Jinnan firmly held her hand, his usually authoritative voice trembling in public.
Gu Momo walked in anxiously, choking up as she spoke, “My lord, the doctor wishes to speak with you.”
Prince Jinnan patted the back of the princess’s hand and quickly went to the outer room.
“When will the princess recover?” Prince Jinnan demanded.
The doctor had just finished writing a prescription but dared not send it off for preparation. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “My lord, the princess is in severe pain and should take pain-relief medication immediately…”
“Then what are you waiting for!”
“It’s just that…” the doctor explained, “the princess is pregnant, and her fetus is already unstable. Excessive medication at this time could affect the child.”
Prince Jinnan was stunned. He recalled the joy they had both felt upon learning of the pregnancy. Swallowing his reluctance, he ordered, “Prepare the medication for the princess! Her safety is the priority!”
With Prince Jinnan’s order, the doctor felt reassured and handed over the prescription.
Prince Jinnan didn’t immediately return to the room but went next door to check on Chen Anzhi.
Chen Anzhi had not yet woken up. Another doctor was treating the wound on his abdomen. When Prince Jinnan stepped over the threshold, the first thing he saw was Chen Shunzhi’s singed hair as he sat by the bed.
“Father,” Chen Shunzhi immediately stood up, “my brother has a stab wound on his abdomen. Although it missed vital organs, he lost a lot of blood. Additionally, his chest and hands are burned.”
Prince Jinnan stood by the bedside, looking at the pale face of Chen Anzhi.
Chen Shunzhi sighed and said, “It was the heir’s wife who arrived first. She said that when she found him, my brother was covering Mother, so his hands were likely burned while trying to extinguish the flames for her.”
Chen Shunzhi frowned and added, “Lingyan’s injuries are the least severe, but her chin is burned. It might leave a scar…”
“Go change your clothes and let the doctor examine you too,” ordered Prince Jinnan.
“Yes,” Chen Shunzhi replied, glancing once more at his brother before turning to leave.
Prince Jinnan stayed by the bedside for a while, watching the doctor treat Chen Anzhi’s wounds, before he turned and walked outside. He stood under the eaves and called, “Chang Ping.”
“I am here.”
“Capture Fang Qingyi and Wangjiang,” Prince Jinnan commanded, his face cold as he repeatedly pounded the doorpost with his clenched fist.
So, a person’s heart could be this dark.
“Yes!” Chang Ping turned and left.
When the fire broke out, the first priority for the guards and servants was to rescue people and put out the fire. In the chaos, other matters were neglected. But once everyone was safe, they recalled that the fire had been highly suspicious.
Fang Qingyi had initially planned to come out through the back gate, shout for help, and dramatically stage a rescue scene to frame Chen Shunzhi, making him the prime suspect with no way to defend himself. But she hadn’t anticipated that Chen Shunzhi would risk his life by rushing into the fire with the servants and guards to save people. Even if she had managed to stage her act, his selfless bravery would likely cast doubt on her story.
Her heart had rotted, blinded by the allure of power, leading her to believe others would fall prey to temptation just as easily.
Fang Qingyi had not expected to encounter Si Que after escaping through the back gate, even before she could discard the blood-stained dagger into the dry well and start calling for help.
Now, she lay powerless on the ground, looking at Si Que seated in a chair. He lounged lazily against the backrest, playing with a string of crystal-clear beads while teasing a black cat on his lap.
Fang Qingyi tried to struggle, but her limbs felt foreign, completely unresponsive. Realizing her desperate plan had failed, she stopped struggling and stared at Si Que.
It seemed that ever since she had met this princess of the Si Kingdom, her heart had changed.
Since meeting this princess, she had awakened to the realization that her cousin, whom she had infatuatedly loved, had only ever seen her as a substitute. The part of her that had harbored naive and beautiful dreams for the future had died at that moment.
Si Que, expressionlessly playing with Baisui, suddenly looked up, his gaze directed towards the entrance. The door to the flower hall was open, and he could see You Yuji returning from outside.
He stood up and went to greet You Yuji.
You Yuji tiredly crossed the threshold, leaning against the doorframe, trying to suppress the dizziness. She saw Fang Qingyi lying on the ground and was about to speak when she couldn’t help but cough intermittently.
Zhenxu and Baohe, who had gone to help put out the fire, were also covered in soot. They looked at Fang Qingyi on the ground and exchanged puzzled glances.
Si Que supported You Yuji, touching her forehead.
— All this commotion had made her fever return.
Si Que lowered his head and lightly pressed his lips to You Yuji’s cold forehead, reproaching her, “Sister shouldn’t have meddled in these affairs.”
You Yuji looked at Fang Qingyi on the ground and tiredly said, “Take her to the prince.”
She had done her best to save the princess and didn’t want to concern herself with other matters.
Fang Qingyi heard You Yuji’s words, and her heart tightened. Fear slowly swept over her, engulfing her darkened heart. Could it be that all her desperate efforts had failed? She had even prepared slow-acting poison for the prince, which she hadn’t had the chance to use. She had planned to poison him subtly while he was in mourning for his wife and son, making it less likely for anyone to suspect.
She had meticulously planned everything, but each step was a risky move. Her status as a concubine had driven her mad, making her willing to pay any price to escape her current plight, leaving no room for retreat. One wrong move, and she would lose everything.
Si Que picked You Yuji up in his arms and instructed Zhenxu and Baohe, who were standing outside the door, “Prepare hot bath water for your mistress and brew some ginger tea to ward off the cold.”
He carried You Yuji out of the flower hall and into the neighboring room. The maids, seeing Si Que carrying You Yuji, couldn’t help but marvel silently: The princess, who always looked so frail, could still carry an adult!
The maid opened the door, and before Si Que could step in, Baisui darted inside, quickly leaping onto the divan and curling into a ball.
Si Que carried You Yuji into the room. He didn’t put her down but sat on the divan under the window with her still in his arms. You Yuji was utterly exhausted, her illness making her feel dizzy and weak. When she went to the Anxiang Court earlier, she hadn’t felt too uncomfortable, but now that it was over, she felt completely drained. She didn’t resist being held on Si Que’s lap.
Zhenxu led the maids in and out of the washroom, bringing in water. They couldn’t help but notice the overly intimate behavior of the two on the divan, muttering silently to themselves and quickly lowering their heads.
You Yuji knew this was inappropriate but didn’t move. She even let Si Que carry her into the washroom, undress her, and help her into the hot water. She needed to rest well because the prince might summon her for questioning later tonight when everyone woke up.
Soaking in the hot water and inhaling the familiar incense, You Yuji felt her physical discomfort ease significantly.
“The medicine still hasn’t taken effect,” Si Que said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
You Yuji opened her eyes and looked at Si Que, who was undressing. She spoke, her voice still hoarse, “Si Que, did you really drug me?”
Si Que’s hand paused as he untied his belt, then continued. He removed his clothes, brushed You Yuji’s wet arm, and stepped into the tub, sitting opposite her. The narrow tub couldn’t hold both of them comfortably, causing the water to ripple and spill over.
You Yuji stared into his eyes, waiting for his answer.
After a moment of silence, Si Que frowned and mumbled, “Sister, I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.”
He leaned in, resting his wet chin on You Yuji’s shoulder.
You Yuji glanced down at him and slowly leaned closer to his ear, whispering softly with a hint of a smile, “Isn’t the master of the Poison Pavilion immune to all poisons?”
