As the palace banquet was about to begin.
Liu Chan was warmly seated by Chun’er next to Jing Guifei’s seat.
Jing Guifei was positioned close to the Emperor, and since Liu Chan was seated very near Jing Guifei, she effectively found herself in proximity to the Emperor as well.
Amidst the high-pitched announcements of the eunuchs, Xiao Lin and Jing Guifei escorted the Empress Dowager into the grand hall, supporting her on either side.
The attendees hurriedly rose to pay their respects.
On such occasions, Xiao Lin naturally demonstrated utmost filial piety, carefully assisting the Empress Dowager step by step to her elevated seat. Only after ensuring she was comfortably settled did he calmly take his own seat.
This display inevitably drew praises from those below.
When Liu Chan glanced toward Xiao Lin, she noticed his gaze sweep across the hall, pausing briefly on her before quickly shifting away.
It seemed her previous “intervention” hadn’t been in vain.
Everything today revolved around the Empress Dowager—even the banquet’s preferences were tailored to her tastes. Consort Zhao, in charge of the event, had invited the most renowned opera troupe from the capital and arranged for a stage to be set up.
Liu Chan occasionally glanced at Jing Guifei beside her, let her gaze linger on the Empress Dowager, or turned it toward Xiao Lin.
A faint smile curled her lips—the relationship between these three was indeed unusual.
Had she not learned in her previous life from Xiao Lin’s own words that Jing Guifei was not a biological daughter of the Liu family but rather a “stand-in for his white moonlight” specially arranged by the Empress Dowager, she, as a biological (though illegitimate) daughter of the Liu family, would never have known. She had always thought Jing Guifei was her true elder sister.
It showed how tightly the secret had been kept.
She marveled at how Xiao Lin managed to both remain wary of the Empress Dowager and bestow such lavish favor upon Jing Guifei.
Midway through the banquet, the eunuchs recited toasts, and everyone raised their glasses in celebration.
As Liu Chan brought her cup to her lips, she noticed Jing Guifei glancing in her direction. She paused, instinctively scanning the hall.
Sure enough, her eyes met those of Meng Xun, seated not far from her.
Meng Xun smiled and raised his cup to her from a distance.
A thought crossed Liu Chan’s mind. Sensing another gaze watching her from nearby, she feigned just the right amount of shyness and downed the wine in one go.
Then, she beckoned Xiao Cui over and, with a composed expression, whispered a few instructions.
Xiao Cui nodded and went to fetch some mung bean cake, placing it before her.
“Do you want mung bean cake?” Jing Guifei asked with a doting expression. “Chun’er, come, give her my portion as well.”
Liu Chan thanked her somewhat sheepishly.
Before long, she began to support her head with her hand, her eyes gradually growing dazed.
Jing Guifei shot a glance at Chun’er, who was attending nearby. Understanding immediately, Chun’er stepped to Liu Chan’s side and said, “Miss Liu seems a bit intoxicated. Let me take you to rest.”
Without waiting for a response, she took hold of Liu Chan’s arm.
Xiao Cui hurried over, but Chun’er nudged her aside with an elbow. “Stay here and keep watch. I’ll escort Miss Liu.”
With that, she led Liu Chan out.
Behind them, Xiao Cui’s eyes flickered with anxiety. Gritting her teeth, she slipped away from Jing Guifei’s line of sight and quickly approached Huang Jiu.
Meanwhile, Liu Chan was taken to a side room in Shou’an Palace to rest.
“Miss Liu, are you feeling unwell?” Chun’er asked softly as she helped her onto the bed.
Liu Chan drowsily tore at her clothes while murmuring, “So hot… so hot…”
“Please wait here for a while. After the palace banquet ends, this servant will send someone to fetch you,” Chun’er said softly, gazing at her.
As she spoke these words, her sympathetic eyes swept over Liu Chan’s form before she sighed and stepped out.
After she exited, the sound of a lock clicking into place came from the door.
On the bed, Liu Chan abruptly opened her eyes and sat up, all traces of her previous discomfort gone.
She got off the bed and hurried to the door.
Finding no one outside, she turned back and retrieved the incense she had kept earlier from her bosom. After lighting it, she tossed it beneath a concealed cabinet.
The Ylang-ylang pollen that worked in tandem with it had already been carefully applied to her collar earlier. Mixed with the scent of the incense, Liu Chan soon began to feel her throat parched and dry.
She quickly returned to bed.
Yes, she was gambling—gambling that Xiao Lin would discover Jing Guifei’s scheme, gambling that Xiao Cui would inform Huang Jiu about her being drugged.
And most importantly, gambling that Xiao Lin would rescue her before Meng Xun could attempt to violate her!
Today, she had deliberately inserted a sharp silver hairpin into her coiled hair and prepared for the possibility that Xiao Lin might arrive late. Even if he couldn’t save her, she could still save herself.
The sensation of burning heat throughout her body grew increasingly intense. While her mind remained clear, Liu Chan gripped the hairpin in her hand.
Just then, sounds of unlocking came from the door.
The door was pushed open, then closed again, accompanied by the rustling of a man removing his clothes and his approaching footsteps.
Liu Chan bit her tongue hard and cracked her eyes open to catch a glimpse of Meng Xun’s unsteady figure before pretending to be asleep again.
“Little Chan’er, though I’ve found new lovers and no longer wish to marry you, I can’t bear to let someone else have such a pretty face,” Meng Xun chuckled drunkenly, staggering toward the bed. “Since that’s the case, how about after I enjoy you, I take you into my rear courtyard as a concubine?”
If Liu Chan’s purity was compromised before the wedding, how could she still have the face to marry into the Marquis’s household as the legitimate wife?
A mere commoner from the Liu family—how could she be worthy?!
If not for his family pressuring him relentlessly, why would he have pretended in front of Liu Chan? He originally thought Jing Guifei would take care of Liu Chan in the palace, never expecting he’d have to handle it personally in the end!
Meng Xun stumbled to the bedside and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Liu Chan’s face.
“Beauty~”
His clothes were already mostly removed, leaving only his undergarments. Seeing Liu Chan’s drugged, charming appearance, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer and eagerly began tearing at her clothes.
But just as his fingers touched her collar, the woman on the bed suddenly opened her eyes.
Liu Chan curved her lips into a smile, exuding an alluring, delicate beauty.
“My beautiful girl,” Meng Xun froze momentarily.
In that split second, Liu Chan swiftly brought up the silver hairpin from below and without hesitation stabbed fiercely toward Meng Xun’s chest.
However, her body had already grown extremely weak, and this strike relied entirely on the temporary strength gained from biting her tongue hard.
She wanted to anger Meng Xun while simultaneously showing Xiao Lin her resistance!
Only then would it stir a man’s protective instincts.
As the silver hairpin pierced Meng Xun’s left chest, he instinctively looked down.
Blood quickly seeped out along the hairpin, staining his clothes.
“You wretch!” Meng Xun’s eyes turned crimson.
He abruptly raised his hand and slapped Liu Chan hard across the face, sending her stumbling backward uncontrollably.
Then, gritting his teeth, he yanked out the silver hairpin and flung it aside.
“You little slut! Today, I’ll make you taste the consequences of provoking a man!” He lunged at Liu Chan, tearing at her clothes like a ravenous wolf.