The assassination attempt during the last wedding ceremony failed, so today they’re resorting to poison?
The servant nodded. “We were preparing His Highness’s dinner as usual, but the Princess Consort suddenly appeared in the kitchen and gave each chef two taels of silver to take the day off.”
“Off, off, off—day off?” Qingxuan was dumbfounded.
So, there wasn’t a single chef left in the kitchen!
His Highness could only eat this?!
Ye Feimo’s cold gaze fell upon the steaming red pot before him, his eyes filled with resistance. If not for the mask hiding his expression, everyone would have seen his darkened face.
“Summon her.” He gritted his teeth slightly, and with a sharp crack, snapped the chopsticks in his hand.
The servant, frightened, hurried off to fetch her.
Before long, Yun Qingge arrived at the dining hall. Even before she approached the table, she could feel the storm clouds gathering around Ye Feimo.
She glanced at the steaming hotpot on the table and swallowed nervously. She had prepared a pot of her favorite food for him—wasn’t this all to win his favor?
Why… did he not look pleased?
“Your Highness, does this meal not suit your taste?”
Ye Feimo cast her a cold sidelong glance, and after a long pause, finally muttered stiffly: “This prince does not eat spicy food.”
“Ah?” Yun Qingge was secretly annoyed. “You don’t eat spicy? Then forget it, I’ll have this pot myself.”
If she’d known, she wouldn’t have made it for him. Not eating spicy—what a waste of her efforts.
Ye Feimo: “…”
Qingxuan watched the veins bulging on Ye Feimo’s forehead and had to ask: “Where did the Princess Consort go this afternoon? Why did you return to the residence so late?”
Yun Qingge raised an eyebrow.
She knew they would ask. She had sensed someone following her when she left the residence and had barely managed to shake them off. It had been a wise decision to have Jixiang purchase the ingredients—this way, she had a legitimate reason for going out.
That man Ye Feimo was naturally suspicious by nature. She would need to be even more careful.
She smiled and said: “I went to buy ingredients for Your Highness! The ingredients in the residence couldn’t make this meal!”
Ye Feimo pressed his lips together, saying nothing, and a low-pressure atmosphere continued to permeate the room.
Yun Qingge then said: “Then Your Highness… shall I take this hotpot back to Beiyuan to eat?”
Since he wouldn’t eat it, let him go hungry!
Anyway, all the chefs were off duty.
Ye Feimo let out a cold snort and said with disgust: “Take it away.”
Qingxuan’s lips twitched, wanting to remind his master that there were no chefs in the kitchen and he might end up going hungry…
However, Yun Qingge happily carried her hotpot away.
…
Back at Beiyuan, Yun Qingge set up a fire in the courtyard, placed the hotpot over the flames to warm it up, and began eating with delight.
Jixiang sidled over. Though the pot was red with oil and spice, the aroma was irresistible, and she kept swallowing her saliva.
“Come and eat too.”
Jixiang didn’t dare. She could only say: “This servant will go prepare hot water for the Princess Consort.”
No servant dared to share a meal with their master. She knew her place and wouldn’t overstep.
Yun Qingge pouted. She was just picking up a piece of tripe when Jixiang, who had just left, came rushing back with an indescribably excited expression.
“Princess Consort, Princess Consort, wonderful news!”
For some reason, those three words “wonderful news” made Yun Qingge’s scalp tingle.
The piece of tripe she had picked up slipped and fell back into the pot. She turned to look at Jixiang and asked: “What wonderful news?”
“The steward just came by and said the Princess Consort is to go attend to His Highness tonight.” Jixiang still wore a smile, as if this were truly wonderful news.
Yun Qingge nearly choked on the spicy broth at those words, coughing violently.
“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!”
Her? Attend to him? Was he serious?
Had Can Wang suddenly lost his mind and asked her to share his bed?
Jixiang blinked and nodded. “Yes, this servant will help the Princess Consort freshen up and dress.”
“I—” Yun Qingge barely got out one word before she was being dragged inside by this maid, still holding her chopsticks without even a chance to put them down.
After a thorough washing and grooming, Yun Qingge was dressed by Jixiang in a strange, sheer gauze gown and sent to Dongyuan.
This gown left Yun Qingge at a loss for words.
Jixiang explained helplessly: “Princess Consort… this was Steward Liu’s instruction. This servant had no choice but to comply.”
Yun Qingge rolled her eyes speechlessly, thinking that Ye Feimo surely couldn’t genuinely want her to attend to him. So what did he want?
Qingxuan, standing guard at the door, let his gaze fall on her attire, his face flushing red as he quickly opened the door for her.
This matter of attending to him… even he, as a subordinate, found it shocking.
He never expected His Highness to suddenly want a woman to share his bed. Their master had kept himself pure for twenty-four years and had never touched a woman. And now…
Yun Qingge glanced into the room. Faint candlelight flickered, and in the vast bedchamber, she couldn’t see where Ye Feimo was.
“Princess Consort, please.” Seeing Yun Qingge still hesitating at the door, Qingxuan urged her.
Yun Qingge stepped into the room, and the door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.
This situation… made her feel rather awkward.
“Your Highness?” She parted the bed curtains and finally saw the man seated before the chess table.
The faint candlelight flickered across his exquisite mask, making his features seem even more mysterious and lending him a hint of allure.
She was momentarily distracted, carefully observing him.
Ye Feimo slowly lifted his gaze and swept a glance over her, then his eyes suddenly fixed on her sheer gauze dress. He frowned almost imperceptibly.
Catching the disgust in his eyes, Yun Qingge felt relieved.
Clearly, he hadn’t truly summoned her to share his bed.
Since she’d confirmed this man had no interest in her, could she properly communicate with this prince? About the matter of cooperation…
So she stepped closer to Ye Feimo and said in a soft voice, “Your Highness, it’s late. Shall we retire for the night?”
Ye Feimo stared at her face with a strange expression and said, “Come here. Push me to the bedside.”
Yun Qingge hesitated for a moment, then pushed his wheelchair to the edge of the bed and stood there.
“Your Highness, then I…”
A glint of cunning light flashed in her eyes as she quickly reached out to help him undress. After all, since he was a disabled person with limited mobility, helping him remove his clothes shouldn’t be difficult.
But unexpectedly, her wrist suddenly grew heavy—Ye Feimo had grabbed hold of it. The man’s palm was slightly cool.
Her instinct was to shake him off, but thinking of how pitiful this fellow was, she forcibly suppressed the urge.
“Your Highness… what are you—” She blinked.
Ye Feimo, however, held her wrist and examined it carefully for a moment—though only for a brief instant before he tossed it away with a look of disdain on his face.
“Help me onto the bed,” he said.
Yun Qingge gritted her teeth, suppressing the anger in her heart, and went over to help him up.
Perhaps it was true that this man’s legs had no strength, for he seemed to put all his weight onto her. Her small frame simply couldn’t support his body, and in the end, the two of them collapsed onto the bed together, her chin landing hard against his chest.
“Ow… are you made of stone, you? That hurt like hell.” Yun Qingge cursed, then suddenly froze.
He had grabbed her hand again, and this time, a strange powdery substance fell into her palm.
She quickly raised her hand to look, and her pupils abruptly contracted.