Sun Ningning had already returned to the Grand Secretary’s mansion by the time she regained consciousness.
A few hours earlier, the pain had truly overwhelmed her senses.
She could feel the wound bubbling, her muscle tissues twitching uncontrollably.
For the first few seconds after being stabbed, she hadn’t even registered the pain?
But within a minute, it became excruciating!
So painful she lost consciousness immediately!
So unbearable she wished she’d never wake up again!
Now lying on the soft bed of her fragrant boudoir, Sun Ningning rested on a medicinal cushion.
Fortunately, the bleeding had been stopped in time. Combined with some mysterious ancient martial world remedy, the wound had gone completely numb.
“Hiss~”
Sun Ningning drew a sharp breath.
Actually, as long as she didn’t move, lying prone like this was quite manageable.
She could even sleep, but staying completely still was impossible.
The moment Xing’er saw Sun Ningning attempting to turn over, she immediately approached with a dark expression and red-rimmed eyes.
“Dear miss! Please stop moving! You’re going to scare Xing’er to death!”
“Why did you have to take that knife for Prince Qin, sob… miss! Why don’t you value yourself more! Prince Qin he…”
Tears streamed down Xing’er’s chubby, doll-like face, making Sun Ningning quickly settle back down without moving.
“Alright, alright, stop crying now. I’m fine, see? Quite energetic actually!”
Xing’er held a plate of medicinal pills, sobbing as she picked up the bitter black pellets and offered them coaxingly:
“Miss, please take your medicine first.”
Sun Ningning obediently swallowed five pills like they were chocolate malt balls.
Then she drank a large bowl of supposedly pain-relieving herbal soup.
Urgh!
She burped, and a disgusting taste resembling sewer water soaked in wormwood and wrapped in coptis flooded her mouth.
“Tch… so disgusting, get me some honey-preserved hawthorn balls.”
Xing’er immediately stuffed several dried fruit pieces into Sun Ningning’s mouth, filling it completely before speaking mournfully:
“Miss, how could you fall for Prince Qin! I heard everything from Xiaoyue…”
“The moment you and Xiaoyue left, I went to gather information. Prince Qin is a murderous god, miss… please don’t like Prince Qin anymore, okay?”
Sun Ningning chewed the mouthful of sweet dried fruit that diluted the bitterness, mumbling vaguely: “What do you mean?”
What’s this about Xiao Ze being a murderous god?
What strange gossip had she been hearing?
The System had been about to “ding” and say something, but upon hearing the maid speaking, it immediately went silent.
It had accumulated Points for a hundred years!
Should it try to matchmake the Host with this world’s Bai Ze sooner? So it could leave earlier?
But, ah, this was too unethical!
This world’s Bai Ze didn’t even look easy to get along with – that cold face made his handsomeness worthless.
Never mind aristocratic manners.
Facing a noble young lady who could be considered his cousin and had taken a knife for him, he’d tossed her onto the couch like garbage?
Not to mention his method and speed when removing the knife and stopping the bleeding!
So fast and ruthless, as if dealing with a servant whose life meant nothing?
And when he heard the Host’s love confession in her sleep, his expression actually worsened?
Seriously, this martial-art-less weak woman had just risked her life to save you, at least sparing you from taking that knife yourself!
And you actually looked annoyed?
Having handled many missions, the System had seen plenty of fierce deities and yanderes…
But this was the first time it encountered a male lead whose attitude worsened after being saved!
Even if you saved some ruffian or bandit, the heartless ones would at most offer verbal thanks before running off;
The more sentimental ones might acknowledge you as a sworn sibling or find ways to repay you.
Switched to this Prince Qin? He truly has “paranoia” and “indifference” carved into his bones!
Throwing the Host to his subordinates to deal with, then sending a chest of jewels an hour ago without leaving a single word of concern.
The System speculates this is probably still because of the Host’s high status?
Did Bai Ze make a token gesture out of respect for the Sun family’s generations of loyal service?
So disheartening…
Sun Ningning quietly listened to the news Xing’er had gathered, her frown deepening with each revelation.
His Highness Prince Qin had his disloyal subordinates skinned and hung on the city walls?
His Highness Prince Qin killed a civil official in the imperial court right in front of the Emperor?
That Prince Qin’s mansion needs to be flushed with water for three days every now and then? Because the stench of blood becomes overwhelming?
And no matter how many atrocities Prince Qin commits that outrage both gods and men, the Emperor, Empress, and even the Crown Prince always cover up for him and clean up his mess?
Sun Ningning felt the sedative effects of her medicine completely vanish as she listened.
“Xing’er, are these just rumors people spread?”
Xing’er, speaking indignantly, nodded, “Yes, we’ve only just arrived, how could we have heard such things? I specifically went around asking everyone in the mansion, and they all know about this.”
“No, miss, I should say, who in Wangjing City doesn’t know of Prince Qin’s notorious reputation!”
“…It’s just that our Jinling City is thousands of miles away. Any unpleasant rumors that reached us were just idle gossip in tea houses that we never paid attention to!”
Creak~
Xiaoyue entered the inner chamber carrying freshly prepared medicinal cuisine.
Hearing her younger sister passionately condemning Prince Qin, Xiaoyue sighed, lowered her head as she approached, her eyes still swollen.
“Miss, could you please stop liking Prince Qin?”