Kunning Palace.
The Empress was so enraged that she shattered two vases, even overturning the medicine brought by her maid. "Summon Chen Yi to me at once!"
Chen Yi had been plagued with headaches lately, with Kunning Palace and the Eastern Palace being the last places he wished to visit.
Especially since the Empress had recently been frightened by a corpse delivered to her doorstep—the mastermind behind it being none other than the Crown Prince from the Eastern Palace. Now, with He Bailing quietly returning to the capital and the Crown Prince's condition improving overnight, the Empress was even more furious.
Naturally, she could not vent her anger on the Crown Prince, so all her wrath fell upon the Imperial Hospital and the servants of Kunning Palace.
The moment Chen Yi entered the hall, he was met with a torrent of abuse: "Useless fools! You can't even finish off a half-dead invalid! What use do I have for you?"
Chen Yi was equally helpless. The Crown Prince had previously issued a strict order: if he wasn't cured within a month, Chen Yi would be executed and his family property confiscated.
Who was the Crown Prince? Ruthless and merciless, his cruelty was evident from the way he purged the palace staff. If the Crown Prince wanted his head, he would surely die—it was no empty threat.
Yet the Empress pressed him relentlessly. Without the means or courage to poison the Crown Prince, Chen Yi could only vacillate between the two, surviving one day at a time.
Chen Yi decided to shift the blame onto Imperial Physician Zheng and He Bailing. "Previously, most of the duties related to treating and preparing medicine for the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace were handled by Old Doctor Zheng and his apprentice. I wished to intervene, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not trust me. Now that Military Doctor He has returned to the capital, it is even less within my power to stop him…"
Due to many sleepless nights, the Empress had dark circles under her eyes, her usual gentle demeanor replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze. "He exceptionally appointed you as the head of the Imperial Hospital—why can't you intervene? How could a retired old physician outrank you? If you had acted sooner, how could the Crown Prince have survived to this day!"
Chen Yi inwardly scoffed: You've been setting traps for him for twenty years, and he's still alive and well.
The Empress fumed, "Now that He Bailing is back, the Crown Prince is on the verge of recovery. What do you propose we do?"
Chen Yi cowered, bowing his head as he replied with no confidence, "This humble official… will try to think of a way?"
Hearing the insincerity in his words, the Empress, beside herself with rage, hurled a porcelain cup at him. "Get out!"
Ignoring his official robe soaked with hot water, Chen Yi hastily rose and retreated.
Fuming with anger, the Empress turned to Mama Qin, who was waiting nearby, and asked coldly, "Has that girl made any move yet?"
Mama Qin immediately replied, "This servant will find an opportunity to urge her."
Still seething, Mama Qin dared not delay. That afternoon, she entered the Eastern Palace under the pretext of presenting rewards to He Bailing.
After the recent purge, only Si Zhang and Yun Kui remained of the four beauties. With the Crown Prince now suspecting the Empress of planting spies in the Eastern Palace, Mama Qin did not dare to openly summon them to Kunning Palace for a talk.
To showcase her magnanimity, the Empress specifically instructed Mama Qin to retrieve a thousand taels of silver and a fox-fur cloak from the treasury as rewards for He Bailing. Unable to refuse, He Bailing had no choice but to express his gratitude.
After rewarding He Bailing, Mama Qin proceeded to the side hall, presenting Si Zhang and Yun Kui each with a box of jewelry and four bolts of brocade.
The two personally escorted Mama Qin to the door. Mama Qin asked Si Zhang to return first, finally seizing the opportunity to speak with Yun Kui alone.
"Why has that secret medicine not been used yet?"
Yun Kui had known Mama Qin came for this matter, yet dared not openly refuse the Empress's "kindness." She could only say, "His Highness is cautious and suspicious. This servant hasn't found the right opportunity…"
Mama Qin immediately retorted, "The Crown Prince is currently investigating hidden spies in the Eastern Palace. If that secret medicine of yours is discovered during a search, you'll inevitably face brutal interrogation in the punishment chamber. Her Majesty the Empress is His Highness's mother—she merely resorted to this desperate measure out of eagerness for a grandson. It won't affect their mother-son relationship. But you're different. You know His Highness's temperament best. How many has he dismissed these past few days? How many beaten to death? How do you think he'll deal with you? Once you enter the Eastern Palace's punishment chamber, even the innocent are deemed guilty. After enduring several rounds of severe torture, losing limbs is inevitable. With your delicate skin and tender flesh, could you withstand it? Or do you also wish to end up like those spies—beaten to death by random sticks?"
Yun Kui's face turned as pale as paper, her mind already conjuring images of blood-soaked palace maids being dragged away from the punishment chamber.
Seeing she had successfully intimidated her, Mama Qin issued a final warning: "Use the secret medicine soon, and not only will glory and wealth be within easy reach, but Her Majesty will also back you up. If you don't, Her Majesty cannot guarantee you'll emerge from the punishment chamber unscathed."
After Mama Qin left, Yun Kui stood alone in the cold wind for a long time, her eyes stinging from the wind, her fingers hidden in her sleeves trembling uncontrollably.
Was she caught between a rock and a hard place now?
Either use the secret medicine to seduce the Crown Prince and be caught red-handed.
Or have the secret medicine discovered during a search and be taken to the punishment chamber for interrogation.
If all else failed, she might as well toss that wretched secret medicine and poisoned lip rouge into the furnace and destroy the evidence!
As for that thousand-tael silver note… though she was loath to part with it, could money be more important than her life?
She should have realized it sooner—keeping those things in her room even a moment longer was dangerous. Burying them under a tree would only lead to the Eastern Palace guards digging three feet deep to find them. Better to burn them all to ashes and rest easy from then on!
Just as she prepared to return to her room to dispose of everything, a eunuch emerged from nowhere, pulling her behind the rockery. Before she could cry out, her mouth was firmly covered, and a pill the size of a fingernail was forced from his palm into her mouth. By the time Yun Kui realized what was happening, the pill had already slid down her throat into her stomach.
She swallowed with great difficulty, tears welling in her eyes, clutching her throat as she gasped for air. "Who are you? What did you give me?"
The eunuch had a fierce look with white showing around his irises, his voice icy as he spoke: "Our master offered you wealth and honor, but you refused. Don't blame him for being ruthless. You've just taken the Seven-Day Powder. If you poison the Crown Prince within seven days, our master will personally deliver the antidote. If you fail, then await death by intestinal rupture."
"What does the Crown Prince's assassination have to do with me? I've never offended any of you…"
Yun Kui's face was deathly pale, her vision blurred by tears.
The young eunuch vanished after speaking, leaving without even a trace of his sleeve for her to grasp. She collapsed to the ground, drained of strength, tears falling in large drops.
She pressed her fingers against her throat, repeatedly trying to induce vomiting, even bringing up traces of blood, but nothing came out.
In a daze, she returned to the side hall, sat blankly for a while, then dug out the lip rouge and poison hidden at the bottom of her chest.
It was bad enough that the Empress was pressuring her, but who were these people?
How absurd—she didn't even know who their "master" was, yet she was being forced to kill someone who was fundamentally impossible to assassinate.
Why did such misfortune befall her? She had done nothing wrong, yet she was going to die…
Seven-Day Powder, Seven-Day Powder… Did she really only have seven days left to live?
Yun Kui clutched the porcelain vial tightly in her hand, tears soaking her face.
That evening, Cheng Guang Hall sent someone to summon her to attend the Crown Prince.
Yun Kui dried her tears, forced herself to compose her emotions, and tried to appear as normal as possible.
But her red-rimmed eyes couldn't deceive the Crown Prince, and her overwhelming resentment hung over Cheng Guang Hall like thousands of wronged souls crying out in unison, their clamor giving him a splitting headache.
"Wuwuwu… I don't want to kill anyone, and I don't want to die. With only seven days left, I haven't lived enough…"
"Who wants to harm me? I have no grudge against you! I don't even know who to seek vengeance from after I die…"
"Coward! Vermin! Filthy swine! May you be covered in scabies! You don't dare kill the Crown Prince yourself, so you make me do it! I'll kill your mother!"
"I hate you all! I hate you all! I hate you all!"
The Crown Prince's brow furrowed tightly, unable to bear it any longer: "Yun Kui!"
Still lost in her resentment, Yun Kui was jolted back to reality by the Crown Prince's angry shout. "Y-Your Highness, what are your orders?"
The Crown Prince pressed his large hand against her waist and commanded in a deep voice, "If you don't sleep, get out of my sight."
Yun Kui wanted to cry. Tears had already begun to flow silently, but she was afraid of wetting the Crown Prince's embroidered pillow. She could only tuck her hair behind her ears, letting the tears slide down her temples.
She pressed her lips together tightly, but the more she tried to hold back, the harder it became. She couldn't help but let out a few sobs.
What did it matter if she cried? She was going to die anyway. Would they execute her for it?
She braced herself for a scolding, but strangely, the Crown Prince seemed not to hear her crying. Instead, he turned over and lay flat on his back, perhaps already asleep.
Was he… actually this accommodating?
Yun Kui opened her eyes in a daze, suddenly remembering the secret medicine the Empress had given her.
Mama Qin said that the secret medicine could make the Crown Prince utterly devoted to her, with his heart and eyes filled only with her. Was it true?
Yun Kui was well aware of her situation. The Crown Prince had only ever treated her as an amusing plaything, a pillow that felt somewhat comfortable to hold—far from any form of affection.
But if she used that secret medicine, and the Crown Prince became deeply attached to her, with the Empress backing her up, she could then beg them to find an antidote for the Seven-Day Powder. There might still be a glimmer of hope.
Yun Kui gradually stopped sobbing, her earlier pessimism fading quickly.
This matter was urgent. Administering the medicine and pleading for mercy would both take time, and who knew how long it would take to prepare an antidote?
But where should she start to successfully feed the secret medicine to the Crown Prince?
Yun Kui was still lost in thought, unaware that the man beside her was not asleep but had heard her thoughts clearly.
What secret medicine? It was nothing but a trick. The Empress had wanted him dead for a long time. Now that his arrow poison had been cured, Kunning Palace could no longer sit still. With a woman who could get close to him, how could the Empress let such a perfect opportunity slip?
This foolish girl had always coveted his body, and now she had been fed the Seven-Day Powder, her life hanging by a thread. The Empress's secret medicine was indeed her only chance at survival.
The Crown Prince clenched his fist, slowly closing his phoenix eyes that could not conceal his murderous intent.
Yun Kui had been distraught all day, but now that she had found a glimmer of hope, her anxious heart slowly settled.
For today, she would sleep. Tomorrow, she would bring the secret medicine and act according to the situation.
But that night, she slept restlessly.
She had another dream, and this time she was the protagonist.
She saw Mama Qin handing her the secret medicine, and in order to survive, she stealthily slipped it into the Crown Prince's tea. Without suspicion, the Crown Prince took the teacup and drank it all in one go.
Just as she thought the man would finally shed his cold, sinister expression and gaze at her with tenderness, the teacup shattered with a sharp crack.
The Crown Prince suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood, his face contorted, and he collapsed dead on the spot.
Yun Kui was jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat from the fright.
She had actually seen herself poisoning the Crown Prince, using the secret medicine given by the Empress!
Whose dream was this, then?
Her mind was in turmoil as she recalled everyone she had encountered during the day. After much thought, it seemed only Mama Qin—or perhaps the Empress, whom she had been thinking about before falling asleep—could be involved.
Could the secret medicine be problematic? What if it wasn’t a potion to attract the Crown Prince but poison instead?
The thought of the Crown Prince bleeding from all orifices in her dream sent chills down her spine. Cautiously, she turned over, only to find the Crown Prince awake, his phoenix eyes gazing at her with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Awake?"
Yun Kui’s lips trembled, and she swallowed nervously. "This humble maid… will attend to Your Highness for washing and dressing."
The Crown Prince watched her silently for a moment before saying, "Stay later and join me for breakfast."
What a tremendous honor.
But Yun Kui had no appetite. The lavish spread on the table tasted like wax in her mouth.
As the meal concluded, the Crown Prince pushed a small bowl of pear soup toward her. "Drink it."
Yun Kui: "…Your Highness, I truly cannot eat another bite."
The Crown Prince glanced at her indifferently. Even without any particular expression, he exuded an aura of authority.
Under normal circumstances, Yun Kui would have eagerly taken the bowl and drunk it without hesitation.
But she was about to die, and even then, she was being forced to drink soup—denied agency until her last breath. The thought brought a fresh wave of bitterness to her eyes.
As she tearfully finished the pear soup, the Crown Prince withdrew his gaze, his dark eyes as cold as frost.
In the following days, Yun Kui continued to be summoned to attend the Crown Prince as usual.
Though the vast bedchamber held only the two of them, the Crown Prince’s ears were filled with a cacophony—one moment, she was weeping and wailing as if mourning a tragedy; the next, she was cursing the poisoner’s ancestors for eighteen generations with every insult she had ever learned. Then she would reminisce about the strong, robust guards, lamenting that she had never married or experienced the touch of a man, only to dissolve into endless sobbing again.
The Crown Prince endured it for three days before he could take no more. He would rather suffer the torment of his head ailment than summon her again.
On the evening of the seventh day, Yun Kui finally came uninvited.
The Crown Prince was seated on the couch, waiting for her.
Today was the final day for the seven-day poison to take effect. The Crown Prince was certain she would come.
If she intended to poison him to save her own life, he would not hesitate to give her the same fate as the other assassins.
What did it matter if she could alleviate his head ailment? He would never tolerate disloyalty by his side.
Cao Yuanlu had already received the Crown Prince’s orders: if Yun Kui came, she was to be allowed entry.
Although this girl was the Empress’s person and highly likely to attempt an attack on His Highness, Cao Yuanlu couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity when he saw her tear-streaked, pitiful eyes.
His Highness was truly something—clearly… yet he insisted on toying with her.
When Yun Kui entered, the Crown Prince was seated on the couch, sipping tea. Noticing the faint scent of alcohol on her, he frowned slightly.
Yun Kui, her eyes red, stared intently at the man before her.
Clad in a black python robe embroidered with golden patterns, his sharply defined features were outlined by the dim candlelight, so handsome he seemed otherworldly. His broad shoulders filled the tailored garment, radiating an intimidating strength that hinted at the powerful musculature beneath the fabric…
The Crown Prince:…
He couldn't comprehend it – even knowing death was imminent, she still found time to lust after him?
"What are you…"
Before he could finish, the young woman suddenly pounced, pressing him down onto the couch.
When her warm, soft lips covered his, the Crown Prince's breath hitched, only then belatedly hearing her unrestrained inner thoughts.
"Since I'm doomed anyway, I might as well have one last indulgence! Getting to sleep with a crown prince whose face and body are both perfection before I die – this lifetime is worth it!"