“Hm?” Qin Ye leaned back in his chair and asked calmly, “What is it?”
Yun Si slowly bent forward. A strand of dark hair slipped from her shoulder and brushed lightly across the back of Qin Ye’s hand, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance.
Qin Ye’s body stiffened. His gaze settled on Yun Si’s soft, alluring face. Beneath his dark eyes, a heated undercurrent stirred.
Her red lips parted slightly as she called his name in a gentle voice. “Qin Ye…”
“Brother Fu Ye!” Suddenly, another anxious voice rang out.
Yun Si immediately felt the atmosphere around Qin Ye turn cold. The tender mood that had been building vanished in an instant.
Without drawing attention, she stepped back half a pace, her fingertips lightly brushing the back of Qin Ye’s hand as she shot him a meaningful look.
The door burst open.
Lin Shuyan hurried inside, her face full of concern. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and traces of dirt stained her clothes, making her appear somewhat bedraggled. “Fu—” She barely spoke the first syllable before meeting Qin Ye’s dark gaze. Her expression stiffened. She lowered her eyes and corrected herself. “Your Highness.”
Yun Si’s gaze fell on the bruises visible on Lin Shuyan’s wrist. With concern, she asked, “Shuyan, what happened to you?”
Lin Shuyan turned toward Yun Si, offered a respectful curtsy, and replied, “I was in such a hurry on my way here that I accidentally fell. I’m sorry. I didn’t know Sister Yun was here, either. Otherwise, I would never have dared interrupt your meal with His Highness.”
The corners of Yun Si’s lips curved upward. She smiled but said nothing.
Qin Ye’s gaze swept briefly across Lin Shuyan before he asked evenly, “You came to see me in such a hurry. Has something happened?”
Lin Shuyan bit her lip. A trace of grievance appeared on her face. Yet she controlled it perfectly. It was noticeable enough to evoke sympathy, but not so obvious as to become irritating. “Your Highness, something has happened to Nanny Qian!”
“What happened to Nanny Qian?”
Yun Si asked, “What happened to Nanny Qian?”
She had seen Nanny Qian standing nearby not long ago, looking somewhat troubled. How could something have happened in such a short time?
“I don’t know either. She suddenly collapsed and hit her head on the stone pavement. There was so much blood. I… I rushed off to find help, so…”
Nanny Qian was one of the people Qin Ye had brought with him from Jinzhou and held a very high position in the residence.
Hearing this, Qin Ye immediately asked, “When did this happen? Has Physician Ji been called?”
“Just now. I didn’t know where Physician Ji lives,” Lin Shuyan replied. “But please don’t worry, Your Highness. I ran into Eunuch Decai at the gate, and he’s already gone to fetch him.”
Qin Ye rose and headed outside.
Yun Si quickly caught hold of him. “I’ll go with you.”
He lowered his gaze to her worried face and nodded. “Alright.”
The two left together, completely ignoring Lin Shuyan.
Once they had gone some distance away, every trace of expression disappeared from Lin Shuyan’s face, leaving only cold severity behind.
Yun Si.
“You’ve been reborn too, haven’t you?” She murmured under her breath, her eyes gradually filling with calculation and malice.
So what if Yun Si had been reborn? So what if she had returned to Prince Xiao’s residence? In her previous life, Yun Si had known nothing about what truly happened. Even with a second chance, how much could she really change?
On the surface, Lin Shuyan remained calm and composed. Inside, however, she was brimming with confidence. Because she was different, she knew countless things from her previous life. With that foreknowledge, she could help Qin Ye reach that supreme position far sooner. Even if Qin Ye did not love her, those achievements would earn his trust and dependence. Qin Ye would be hers. The position of Empress would be hers, too. In this life, no one would be allowed to stand in her way.
In the main room of the side courtyard, Nanny Qian lay pale-faced on the bed. A large gash had been opened on the back of her head, and blood continued to flow from the wound.
By the time Qin Ye and Yun Si arrived, Physician Ji had hurried over as well. “Has Prince Xiao’s residence offended some unlucky star lately?” he grumbled. “Why is everyone getting injured one after another?”
Though he complained, his hands never stopped moving, cleaning the wound, stopping the bleeding, and bandaging it.
The treatment was completed quickly. Yet Nanny Qian remained unconscious, showing no sign of waking up.
Yun Si had been quietly observing the entire time. Seeing the situation develop this way, her heart sank slightly.
“How is Nanny Qian’s condition?” Qin Ye asked.
Physician Ji’s expression grew serious as he took her pulse. Time passed little by little. After checking her pulse repeatedly, he finally announced his conclusion in a heavy voice.
“Nanny Qian has been poisoned.”
Yun Si wasn’t surprised in the slightest. A faint scent clung to Nanny Qian’s body. She didn’t know whether anyone else had noticed it, but the moment she entered the room, she sensed something unusual. She was certain this scent had never been on Nanny Qian before. Her complexion was deathly pale, yet her lips remained unnaturally rosy. They looked parched.
“How could she have been poisoned inside the residence?” Qin Ye asked.
Qin Ye frowned, suspicion flashing in his eyes. Looking at Physician Ji, he asked in a deep voice, “Is there a way to cure the poison?”
Physician Ji shook his head with a grim expression. “No.” He considered his medical skills excellent for treating illnesses and injuries, but he still lacked when it came to poisons.
Moreover, the poison in Nanny Qian’s body was extremely strange. At times her pulse seemed steady, and at other times it became weak, making it difficult to determine how dangerous the poison really was or whether her life was in immediate danger.
“How could this happen?” Lin Shuyan entered the room just in time to hear Physician Ji say that Nanny Qian had been poisoned. Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears fell at once.
Walking over to the bedside, she looked at Nanny Qian and said through restrained tears, “Nanny’s complexion is so pale. Physician Ji, please save her. I beg you. No matter what it takes, you must save her!”
“The paleness is due to excessive blood loss,” Physician Ji explained. “It has nothing to do with the poison.” He then looked at Lin Shuyan and said expressionlessly, “You don’t need to beg me. As long as there is even the slightest chance, I will do everything in my power to cure Nanny.”
With that, he turned to Qin Ye. “Your Highness, I’ll return and consult my medical texts to see whether I can find any similar cases. Let Chun Tao and Chun Mei remain here to watch over Nanny. If her condition worsens in any way, send for me immediately.”
“Physician Ji, Your Highness.” Lin Shuyan quickly spoke up. “Let me stay instead. I want to keep watch over Nanny.”
Physician Ji didn’t care either way. With a shrug, he turned and left.
Qin Ye pondered for a moment before speaking in a cool voice. “Shuyan, it’s late. Nanny doesn’t need you here. Go back and rest.”
Tears still lingered in the corners of Lin Shuyan’s eyes. Hearing that, she looked up at Qin Ye. A trace of unwillingness flickered across her face, but in the end she only bowed and said, “Then Shuyan shall take her leave.”
As she passed Yun Si, her sleeve accidentally brushed against her.
Yun Si acted as though she hadn’t noticed. Instead, she watched Lin Shuyan’s retreating figure and fell into thought.
“Yun Si.” Qin Ye’s deep voice sounded beside her.
“Let’s go. You should head back as well.”
“What about you?” Yun Si turned to look at him.
“Would you like to come sit in Qiwu Courtyard for a while?”
“You want me to go?” Qin Ye’s eyes darkened.
Before she could answer, he added, “Then I’ll come.”
Yun Si had expected him to refuse. His agreement caught her by surprise. Then she immediately broke into a delighted smile. “Then wait for me a moment.” With that, she walked over to the bed and began carefully examining Nanny Qian.
Qin Ye silently watched. He saw her methodically inspect Nanny Qian’s arms, hands, both sides of her neck, and even behind her ears. He couldn’t tell what she was looking for.
Only when her attention settled on the back of Nanny Qian’s neck, and her fingertips began lightly feeling the skin there, did he finally ask, “What are you doing?”
Yun Si adjusted Nanny Qian’s collar back into place and turned to face him. A faint glimmer flashed in her eyes.
“I’m checking to see whether Nanny has any other injuries. Physician Ji is a man, after all. There are places he couldn’t comfortably examine. I was worried something might have been overlooked.”
“Mm.” Qin Ye nodded.
The two left side by side and headed toward Qiwu Courtyard.
The night grew deeper. The lanterns beneath the corridor eaves flickered in the darkness.
From the corner of her eye, Yun Si noticed the tension still lingering along Qin Ye’s jawline. She knew Nanny Qian’s poisoning remained heavily on his mind. So she spoke softly. “Don’t worry. Physician Ji will definitely find a way to cure Nanny’s poison.”
Qin Ye’s steps slowed slightly. He turned his head to look at her; the emotions surging in his eyes were impossible to make out in the darkness.
“You don’t seem surprised that Nanny Qian was poisoned.”
Before she could answer, he caught her wrist and gently pressed her against a corridor pillar. His warm breath brushed across her trembling eyelashes. “Yun Si, are you hiding something from me?”
“No.”
She still hadn’t confirmed everything.
Yun Si didn’t want him worrying unnecessarily, and she didn’t want to alert the enemy. Once she understood the situation and had proof, it wouldn’t be too late to tell him. Otherwise, if things went wrong, the relationship they had worked so hard to rebuild might return to where it had started. She didn’t want that.
Looking up into Qin Ye’s deep eyes, Yun Si said softly, “I just think it’s suspicious that Nanny Qian was poisoned inside the residence. I want to be cautious.” Her fingertips lightly brushed his sleeve. “If Your Highness doesn’t trust me, you can always assign people to keep an eye on Qiwu Courtyard.”
A flicker passed through Qin Ye’s eyes. The hand resting at her waist tightened unconsciously. “This prince… doesn’t distrust you.”
The night breeze swept by, carrying a strand of Yun Si’s hair against Qin Ye’s robe.
Just then, Yun Si suddenly felt a sharp sting at the back of her neck, as though something had bitten her skin. Her body stiffened. She forcibly kept herself from reacting.
But Qin Ye still noticed something was wrong. Taking her hand in his, he asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? Are you cold?”
It was already May, yet the night wind still carried a lingering chill.
Yun Si’s hands were ice-cold. Even her breathing had become somewhat uneven.
“Your Highness…” She looked up at him. “I don’t feel very well. Carry me back.”
Without hesitation, Yun Si immediately wrapped her arms around Qin Ye’s neck.
Qin Ye didn’t understand what was going on, but he still swiftly scooped her up in a princess carry and strode towards Xiwu Courtyard.
Yun Si buried her face into the crook of his neck, her fingertips quietly reaching toward the nape of his neck. Sure enough, she felt a tiny mark. “Qin Ye,” her voice trembled, her breathing growing faster and more ragged. “Hurry…”
Qin Ye paused mid-stride and looked down to see faint beads of sweat forming on her forehead. “What on earth is wrong?”
Yun Si bit her lip without answering, only curling her body even tighter against him.
Qin Ye’s eyes darkened, and he quickened his pace.
Just as their figures disappeared around the corner, Lin Shuyan slowly stepped out of the shadows. Confusion crossed her face. Why did it flare up early?
Lin Shuyan inwardly annoyed herself for her impatience. In this state, Yun Si—that foolish woman—was no threat, but Qin Ye was sharp. If he started suspecting her… She could never afford to lose Qin Ye’s trust.
Lin Shuyan rushed back to dispose of everything on her person and in her room, leaving no trace.
On the other side.
When Qin Ye carried Yun Si back to the room, Lan Xin and Lu Yu froze in shock at the sight.
With Yun Si’s face buried in Qin Ye’s chest, neither of them noticed anything amiss. Once the initial shock wore off, they couldn’t help but feel secretly overjoyed. Were Mistress and His Highness finally going to consummate their love? This was wonderful!
“Lan Xin, let’s hurry and get hot water ready! Who knows how many times they’ll call for water tonight—we need to prepare plenty!”