A faint pulse traveled beneath her fingertips—weak, erratic, sometimes present, sometimes gone. One touch was enough to tell: he was poisoned.
For Xiao Moyuan to be so frail now, could it be that after the assassination attempt, only the surface wounds were treated, but the poison was never purged? Or was someone deliberately poisoning him?
“What are you doing?”
The displeased voice shattered Jun Ning’s thoughts. Xiao Yunjie glared furiously at the sight of their skin touching, his face flushed red with anger.
Jun Ning was destined to be his, Xiao Yunjie thought. How could she be so intimate with another man? It was utterly disgraceful!
“As Your Highness can see.” Jun Ning refused to explain a single word, not even sparing Xiao Yunjie a glance. She simply supported Xiao Moyuan by the wrist and guided him inside. Xiao Moyuan, finding resistance futile, relaxed and let her lead.
Xiao Yunjie watched helplessly as Jun Ning treated Xiao Moyuan with such care, his eyes nearly spitting fire—yet he could do nothing to either of them.
As soon as she helped Xiao Moyuan sit down, Madam Lou and Jun Qingnian offered a perfunctory bow. Then Jun Qingnian’s irritating mouth could not stay shut.
“Please don’t blame Second Sister, Prince Jing. She is kind by nature—she treats even kittens and puppies this way.”
Prince Jing cast her a glance, but before he could speak, the Fourth Prince—who rarely concerned himself with such matters—suddenly spoke.
“Miss Jun, by saying this, are you implying that I am worth less than a kitten or a puppy?” Xiao Moyuan’s voice was neither loud nor soft, without any trace of emotion. Yet Jun Qingnian felt a chill surge up from the soles of her feet, making her scalp prickle.
“Your Highness Prince Xuan is noble and exalted. I did not mean that. I only meant to say that my younger sister is kind-hearted, not at all as Your Highness imagined…” Jun Qingnian stammered in panic, but the more she explained, the more muddled her words became.
Jun Ning raised her brows. This Prince Xuan, without showing any emotion, could still inspire fear in others. It seemed she would have to retract her earlier thought of him being easily handled.
“So it seems I was being petty.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…” Jun Qingnian wanted to explain further, but Madam Lou, seeing things turn unfavorable, quickly interjected: “Prince Xuan, forgive us. Nian’er is still young and did not think carefully before speaking. I apologize on her behalf.”
The room fell into a long silence. Jun Ning looked up and saw Xiao Moyuan resting his head on one hand, eyes closed, as if weary.
Madam Lou’s words fell flat, leaving her face burning with embarrassment, leaving the situation awkward.
Jun Ning quickly lowered her head, hiding half her face behind her wide sleeve, nearly laughing aloud.
Cang Ying glared coldly at Jun Qingnian and snorted: “My lord cannot be bothered to argue with you. Hurry and give thanks for his grace!”
Jun Qingnian reluctantly gave thanks, her heart filled with resentment. A blind man, putting on airs as a prince—how far beneath Prince Jing he was!
“Madam Lou, have you found the one who poisoned you?”
At the mention of poison, Xiao Yunjie immediately looked at Jun Ning with concern, speaking quickly: “Poison? Ah Ning, you’ve been poisoned? Who would dare such a thing?!”
Jun Ning’s complexion had not looked good earlier, and now it was even paler, making her appear truly poisoned.
“Your Highness Prince Jing misunderstands. The one poisoned was Madam Lou. She suspects that I ordered it.”
“Ah! A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!” Madam Lou tried to stop the words, but it was too late. She could only add a few hurried “misunderstandings.”
“Ning’er, I was deceived by others, and so I wrongly accused you. That was truly my fault.” Madam Lou forced a smile, then turned sharply: “Bring her up!”
Before long, a maid was dragged forward. Her body was covered in blood and filth, her hair disheveled, head hanging low. She was barely breathing, more air going out than coming in.
“It wasn’t me…” The weak voice broke off intermittently. Suddenly, Jun Ning’s attention was caught by a birthmark near the maid’s ear—stretching from the side of her ear down to her chin. Jun Ning could never mistake it. Her breath tightened. In a few quick steps, she brushed aside the tangled, withered hair covering the maid’s face.
A familiar face appeared before her eyes. Even after living another lifetime, Jun Ning still remembered her. Back then, when she had been gravely wounded saving Xiao Yunjie, she had shaken off her pursuers and stumbled into a household. It was the daughter of that family who had saved her. But that daughter should have been in Ruyang—how could she be here, reduced to a servant?
As Jun Ning puzzled over this, Jun Qingnian spoke again.
“Could it be that Second Sister knows this person? Her name is Qing Tao.”
“Last night, Steward Kang found a packet of powder hidden beneath her bedding. Those around her have confessed to Qing Tao’s involvement. With both witnesses and evidence, Second Sister, how do you intend to deal with her?”
Jun Qingnian had noticed Jun Ning’s unusual reaction toward the maid, and her heart instantly felt delighted. She wanted to see whether Jun Ning would protect Qing Tao—or cast her aside without mercy.
Out of Jun Qingnian’s sight, a dangerous glint flashed in Jun Ning’s eyes. If she hadn’t already known that this poisoning was staged by that mother and daughter themselves, she might have believed Jun Qingnian’s lies.
Jun Ning straightened. Before anyone could react, she had already drawn the sword from Cang Ying’s hand. The blade flashed, and in the next instant, it pierced Qing Tao’s chest.
The sword was withdrawn without a drop of blood, slid back into its scabbard as Qing Tao collapsed to the ground.
It all happened too suddenly. Not even the sword’s owner had time to react, nor did Xiao Yunjie, despite his years of martial training.
“Ah!”
Jun Qingnian’s face turned deathly pale. She was, after all, a sheltered young lady. Though she schemed within the inner residence, she had never witnessed such a scene. Seeing it unfold before her eyes, she could not help but scream in fright.
Xiao Yunjie and Cang Ying exchanged complex looks, both staring at Jun Ning. That such a young woman could move with such speed was beyond anything they had imagined.
As for Xiao Moyuan, he merely lifted his eyelids slightly, his ears twitching before settling back into calm—as though he could not smell the blood at all.
Jun Ning looked coldly at Madam Lou and her daughter. “The girl is already dead. As for the beating I suffered, why not let my half-sister take it in my place?”
At these words, Jun Qingnian finally understood what fear was. Jun Ning dared to kill someone right in front of two princes—she was mad.
“You… what are you trying to do?”
Jun Ning stepped toward her, one pace at a time. Jun Qingnian stumbled backward in panic until Madam Lou stiffened her neck and blocked the way. Only then did Jun Ning stop.
“Nian’er has done nothing wrong. If Second Miss insists on blaming someone, then blame me instead.”
“You?” Jun Ning’s gaze swept over Madam Lou, sizing her up. Then she said, “Yesterday you nearly suffered poisoning, yet nothing came of it. Father immediately branded me the culprit and had me flogged. If I punish you again, won’t Father simply kill me outright?”