“Why is the Can Wang still alive and well?” Yun Wanyue’s delicate brows were tightly furrowed as she stared at Yun Qingge, her gaze pressing for an answer.
Yun Qingge tilted her head, looking utterly confused: “Huh? Third Sister, what are you talking about? What jade pendant? What truth?”
Playing dumb.
Her reaction added a hint of depth to Yun Wanyue’s eyes. “Fourth Sister, have you lost your memory?”
Yun Wanyue thought to herself—could it be that her Cui Mian Shu had left aftereffects on Yun Qingge?
If she had lost her memory, that would be fine. Then she wouldn’t want to confess the truth to Ye Tianjue…
Yun Qingge continued looking bewildered: “Third Sister, you must be confused. How could I have lost my memory? Are you feeling unwell, Third Sister? You’re speaking such nonsense.”
Yun Wanyue narrowed her eyes slightly, gradually meeting Yun Qingge’s gaze directly.
Meeting her eyes, Yun Qingge’s heart gave a jolt.
Sure enough, she clearly saw Yun Wanyue’s originally dark pupils slowly shift into a dark crimson, like an abyss paved with molten lava.
This was her Cui Mian Shu!
But even after staring for a while, Yun Qingge remained perfectly calm.
The original novel had mentioned that the female lead, Yun Wanyue, had a Waigua as a hypnotist. Hypnotists were a common profession in Yun Wanyue’s modern world, with twelve levels total, and Yun Wanyue had reached the twelfth level, able to hypnotize others using her pupils.
It was just a Waigua, so she hadn’t taken it to heart.
Now suddenly using it on her made Yun Qingge inwardly annoyed.
Gradually, the dark crimson faded from Yun Wanyue’s eyes, and she commanded once more: “Tonight, kill the Can Wang.”
However…
Yun Qingge’s mind remained perfectly clear.
She suspected it might be because she wasn’t the original Yun Qingge anymore, so the Cui Mian Shu had no effect on her?
Yun Wanyue also noticed that her eyes were completely lucid—not at all like someone under hypnosis.
“How can you…”
“Ah?” Yun Qingge pretended to just wake from a dream, stepping back a few paces, and asked, “Third Sister, why do you want to kill the Can Wang? And you want me to assassinate the prince? Aren’t you afraid…”
Yun Wanyue’s brow twitched violently several times.
How could it not work? Where was the problem? But looking at her, she really did seem to have lost her memory.
Something was wrong, very wrong!
Yun Qingge said, “Oh dear, my prince can’t wait too long. Third Sister, if you still have matters to discuss, we can talk about it when I return to visit the family.”
With that, she left.
Yun Wanyue’s heart lurched, and she immediately grabbed Yun Qingge’s sleeve: “Wait, you can’t leave!”
This damned girl—she still looked like the same foolish Yun Qingge, yet she felt something was off.
“Third Sister, don’t worry. I know you were just joking to scare me just now. Let’s not mess around. My husband is very fierce, you know.” Yun Qingge casually freed herself from her grip.
As she spoke, Yun Qingge walked toward the carriage to ensure her own safety.
She couldn’t let Yun Wanyue notice anything wrong with her, but she also didn’t want to see this woman’s smug expression when she thought she could control her.
Using her as a pawn—after all, everyone knew she could never actually kill the Can Wang, and would only die at his hands!
If she failed to kill him, the Can Wang wouldn’t spare her either. And if she kept a backup plan to have her wet nurse kill her, she could then frame the Can Wang for it.
Either outcome would benefit them.
If she were to feign agreement with Yun Wanyue right now, Yun Wanyue would definitely turn around and bite her back, accusing her before the Emperor and Empress of plotting to assassinate the Can Wang.
After all, Yun Wanyue knew that if the original host confessed the truth to Ye Tianjue and revealed her true appearance, her position as the prospective Taizifei might no longer be secure. Not to mention that once Ye Tianjue discovered the woman he had been longing for wasn’t her…
…
Watching Yun Qingge’s retreating figure, Yun Wanyue slowly clenched her fist, her gaze cold and sinister as she watched Yun Qingge head toward the carriage.
She couldn’t understand how such a meticulously laid plan had failed to kill Yun Qingge!
She absolutely could not let Jue-gege discover the truth!
This plan had failed—she couldn’t frame the Can Wang, nor could she reclaim the military power in his hands.
“Miss, shall we return to the mansion?” the maidservant sidled over and whispered.
Yun Wanyue gave a light snort and said, “Let’s return.”
The maidservant added cheerfully, “This time during the tea ceremony, the Emperor didn’t even drink their tea. Miss needn’t worry anymore.”
Yun Wanyue’s gaze deepened, but she said nothing.
Though the Emperor had been cold to the Can Wang during the tea ceremony, in truth, he still hoped the Can Wang could rise from his wheelchair and lead troops into battle.
Otherwise… he wouldn’t have secretly searched the realm for physicians to heal the Can Wang’s legs.
…
Yun Qingge climbed into the carriage and let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
That Cui Mian Shu was truly a bit unsettling.
After she sat down, the man beside her subtly observed her.
She glanced at him too, seeing him holding a book and pretending to read, as if he truly cared nothing about the outside world.
His hand—with its clearly defined knuckles—was truly beautiful.
It was a pity this man’s face was disfigured. With hands like those and a voice like that, it was hard for someone like her, who was a three-control person, not to be drawn in.
Three-control referred to being controlled by looks, hands, and voice.
“Thank you, Prince, for waiting for me.” She raised her head and smiled at Ye Feimo.
She had to put on an act in front of Yun Wanyue, and she had to put on an act in front of this man too. How exhausting.
Truly, life is but a play, and a play is but life.
Ye Feimo let out a cold snort before giving the order, “Qingxuan, return to the mansion.”
Upon returning to the Wangfu, Yun Qingge obediently retreated to Beiyuan.
Reflecting on today’s events at the imperial palace, she felt increasingly aggrieved and indignant on Ye Feimo’s behalf.
The royal family truly had no regard for kinship. When Ye Feimo could lead troops into battle and earn merit, the Emperor valued him; now that he was crippled, the Emperor treated him with cold indifference. How heartless.
And as for Ye Tianjue and Yun Wanyue, neither of them was a simple character.
If she wanted to help him, it seemed she would have to start with the poison.
As for matters of the court, she would do her best.
“Wangfei, you’ve returned?” Jixiang greeted her warmly the moment she entered the room, her voice soft and gentle.
Yun Qingge did not know whether this maidservant was loyal, so she merely responded with a cold, faint hum of acknowledgment.
“Wangfei, today Lord Qingxuan searched all the women of the mansion. I wonder if it has anything to do with the assassin from last night.”
Hearing this, Yun Qingge suddenly turned her head to look at her.
Jixiang was startled by her gaze and quickly stepped back several paces.
“Did they find anything?” Yun Qingge, realizing her reaction had been too suspicious, quickly lowered her eyes and asked.
Jixiang shook her head. “This servant did not dare to inquire further, for fear of inviting trouble.”
Yun Qingge pinched her chin.
Her cover could not be blown, so she had to play her part well.
But she needed to cure Ye Feimo of his poison without anyone knowing… Moreover, this world was different from the modern world she came from—the names of medicines were completely different, after all, this was a fictional world created by someone else.
She needed to go to the study to find a copy of this world’s “Complete Collection of Medicinal Herbs.”
She looked at Jixiang and asked, “Does the Wangye often stay in the study? When is he not in the study?”
Jixiang let out an “ah” before replying in a low voice, “Wangfei, when the Wangye is not in the study, he is in his bedchamber. He rarely leaves the mansion.”
Especially after what happened five months ago—after his disfigurement and the crippling of his legs—the Wangye became even more reluctant to leave the mansion.
Yun Qingge furrowed her brows.
If he was always in the study, how was she supposed to get the book?