Before I could speak, from behind the screen at the back of the main hall an extremely soft, extremely cold chuckle suddenly came. That laughter seemed to drift from the deepest depths of the netherworld, carrying a spine-chilling coldness.
Shen Biwei shuddered all over and whipped her head around to look. The screen was kicked open from the inside, shattering into pieces. Xiao Jingyan sat in his wheelchair, his black robe dark as ink, with a palpable murderous intent swirling in his deep eyes, as he slowly appeared in our line of sight.
"Poisoning me." He casually spun the archer's ring on his thumb, his gaze like that of a man looking at a corpse as it fell on Shen Biwei's face, which had turned pale with terror. "Does the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang's household, and a dog under the Crown Prince, only have these low-class methods to show?"
"P-Prince." Shen Biwei's legs went weak, and with a thud she fell to her knees on the ground. She had never expected in her wildest dreams that the rumored living Yama, who allegedly couldn't even get out of bed, would actually still have the strength to kick and shatter the screen — and that he had overheard everything she just said. "Don't do anything reckless. I am the daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang. My husband is the Crown Prince's favorite."
Although she was shaking with fear, she was still trying to bluff by bringing up her backing.
Xiao Jingyan did not even spare her a glance. He merely wheeled himself over and came straight to my side. His slender, cold fingers casually picked up the paper packet of poison on the table, then suddenly brought it close to my lips.
"My beloved consort, if we make him drink this himself, how do you think he will die?"
His voice was soft, like a lover's whisper, yet it carried a danger that made one's blood run cold.
I looked at Xiao Jingyan's handsome, demon-like profile without the slightest hint of fear. I raised my hand, placed it over his hand holding the packet of poison, and gently pushed it away. Then I turned my head and gave a slight smile to the shivering Shen Biwei kneeling on the floor.
"What are you saying, sister? The prince's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. How could I have the heart to poison him?"
I deliberately emphasized the words as heavy as a mountain, satisfied to see Shen Biwei's face instantly turn pale with shock. I stood up, walked over to her, and looked down at her from above.
"Since His Highness the Crown Prince thinks so highly of me, I will certainly keep this medicine safe."
I turned to look at Xiao Jingyan, a flash of understanding and ruthlessness passing between us that only the two of us could comprehend. A cruel smile curled up the corner of Xiao Jingyan's mouth. He understood what I meant.
"Banxia." I suddenly called out to the outside. "Escort the eldest young mistress out of the manor. Remember, take her out through the back gate. Don't let anyone see her."
As if granted a massive amnesty, Shen Biwei scrambled to her feet, even forgetting to take the packet of poison, and fled stumbling out of the front hall.
Only when her figure had completely disappeared did Xiao Jingyan withdraw his gaze. He casually tossed the packet of poison into the nearby charcoal brazier. The white powder was instantly devoured by the flames, turning into a wisp of blue smoke.
"You're going to let her leave like that?" He looked at me with a half smile.
"Of course not." I turned around and met his unfathomable eyes. "Since my sister came to deliver a gift, if I don't return an even grander one, won't it make our Prince Qi's manor look ungrateful?"
I walked over to the charcoal brazier, looked at the dancing flames, and said slowly, "Now that Lu Yanzhu has entered the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince will surely find a way to help him gain some merit. The fifth of next month is the Crown Prince's birthday feast. It is said that the flooding in Jiangnan is severe this year, and the imperial court is short on funds for disaster relief. If the Crown Prince proposes during the feast that all officials donate, this will not only be an opportunity to amass wealth, but also the perfect time to eliminate his political opponents."
I paused, turning to look into Xiao Jingyan's eyes, which had narrowed slightly because of my words.
"Your Highness, if I am not mistaken, the plan of the Crown Prince and Lu Yanzhu is not as simple as just poisoning you. What they truly want is to strike during the birthday feast, framing you for embezzling disaster relief funds, or even plotting treason."
The smile on Xiao Jingyan's face vanished completely, replaced instead by an aura of absolute, freezing cold hostility. His hands, which had been resting on the armrests of his wheelchair, suddenly tightened, the veins on the backs of his hands bulging.
In the next second, without anyone supporting him, he actually stood up steadily from his wheelchair.
The legendary living King of Hell, who reportedly hadn't set foot on the ground for three years, and whose legs were dead, like withered wood. The crippled prince who was treated as a dying man in everyone's conspiracies and schemes. At this moment, his posture was as straight as an arrow as he stood tall before me, like a god of war emerging from a slaughterhouse.
"Since they are tired of living — as for this whetstone, this prince shall accept it."
He walked over to me step by step, looking down at me from his towering height. His deep voice sounded like war drums on the eve of a thunderstorm.
"Shen Nanzhao, at the beginning of next month, for the Crown Prince's birthday banquet at the Eastern Palace, you will accompany me. We are going to reel in the net."