Mei'er and the other girls were momentarily stunned. The daughter mentioned by Prince Qin—could it be the widely gossiped-about Princess Fu'an?
Song Yu pulled out a gold ingot from his sleeve. "Whoever can help this prince figure out the reason gets this."
At the sight of the gold ingot, the girls could hardly sit still. Even the two who had been cozying up to Shen Qingping quietly edged closer to Song Yu.
"Did Your Highness offend the princess?"
"Perhaps the princess simply doesn’t want to cling to Your Highness too much."
......
"A young girl surely wants companionship. This humble one thinks the princess merely pretends not to cling to Your Highness, but secretly, her heart aches!"
Out of over twenty guesses, Song Yu zeroed in on this one.
"You sound the most plausible. This gold ingot is yours." With that, Song Yu stood to leave, but Shen Qingping quickly stopped him. "Mei'er is about to dance on the lake pavilion soon."
"This prince is returning to the manor."
"Wait, don’t go!" Shen Qingping chased after him. "If I go back now, my father will catch me red-handed. It’s safer to return in another hour."
Song Yu halted and turned to look at him.
"Why are you staring? You’ve been acting strange all day." Shen Qingping felt a pang of sadness. He and the prince had always been thick as thieves—why was he being abandoned today?
"Speaking of your father, there’s something only you can handle for this prince."
Fifteen minutes later, Shen Qingping stood in the wind, clutching a copy of Records of the Grand Historian, utterly bewildered.
"Young Master, let this servant hold the book for you." A nearby attendant, knowing Shen Qingping’s disdain for reading, cautiously tried to take it from him.
"Did you hear what the prince just said?"
Shen Qingping sounded utterly drained. "He actually wants me to consult my father, then go to his manor and explain this damned book to him?" His voice cracked.
"Well... Young Master, perhaps reconsider. His Highness... the payment is simply too generous."
Shen Qingping glanced at the contents of the money pouch.
"Let’s go. Time to consult my father."
The gleam of gold was worth half a year’s allowance.
......
Meanwhile, back at the manor.
"Princess, your medicine is ready." The nanny brought over the decoction. "Imperial Physician Mei said you should start sitting up occasionally in a few days."
"Good. Lying in bed all day is making my back ache."
Song Shihuan’s voice carried a lazy tone as Yingchun gently massaged her spine. The scent of incense wafted through the room.
"Yingchun, help me up."
Yingchun assisted her and took the medicine bowl from the nanny.
But the next moment, Yingchun’s brow furrowed.
"What’s wrong?" Song Shihuan’s heart skipped a beat. "Is there something wrong with the medicine?"
"Princess, the incense in the room is too strong. Let me take the medicine outside to smell it properly." As Yingchun turned to leave, Song Shihuan grabbed her wrist.
"Nanny, extinguish the incense and open the windows."
Song Shihuan’s eyes darkened. "Walls have ears. Smell it here."
It seemed someone was getting impatient.
She had only been back for two days.
Half an hour later, Yingchun confirmed the medicine was tampered with. "Princess, this isn’t the usual prescription. There’s an extra ingredient—mizui, a hallucinogenic drug."
"Hallucinogenic?" Song Shihuan’s voice turned icy.
"Those who ingest it lose their senses, behaving like madmen. There was once a case where someone stripped naked in public after taking it." Yingchun’s words sent a chill down everyone’s spines. "The Great Qi banned it for its indecency."
"Trying to turn this princess into a lunatic?"
A cold, bloodthirsty smile curled on Song Shihuan’s lips.
......
Upon returning, Song Yu sensed an odd tension in the manor.
But seeing Song Shihuan sipping her medicine quietly, he couldn’t pinpoint the source.
"Good, I caught you before you finished. Here—I bought candied fruits from South Street." Song Yu handed her the package. "Sweeten your mouth after drinking."
With the candied fruit in her mouth, Song Shihuan’s cold aura softened.
"Didn’t Father say you’d return late?"
"Couldn’t stop worrying about you, so I hurried back." Convinced she must have been secretly upset after he left, Song Yu gazed at her with even more tenderness. "From now on, this prince will go out on odd days and stay with Ahuan on even days. How does that sound?"
"Perfect."
Still unsettled by the poisoning attempt, Song Shihuan’s mood remained subdued.
Song Yu blamed himself and racked his brain to cheer her up.
Only after making her laugh did he finally leave the courtyard.
Watching his retreating figure, Song Shihuan drifted into thought.
When she had chosen Song Yu that day, she never expected him to treat her so well.
Reborn with hatred, even her blood had run cold.
But now, she felt a warm current near her heart.
......
"Princess, should we ask His Highness to report this to the Emperor and have him investigate?" Baoxia, ever blunt, spoke before Yingchun could stop her.
"No."
Song Shihuan lowered her gaze. Baoxia’s suggestion was sound—simple and effective.
"Father has a fiery temper. He’d cause chaos before the truth came out, and he’d be the one suffering." She couldn’t take that risk. "Wasn’t that why he got caned in Kunning Palace last time?"
She, Song Shihuan, wasn’t as heartless as the Eastern Palace.
If Song Yu treated her with sincerity, she would repay him a hundredfold.
"Then what does the Princess plan to do?" Yingchun’s eyes flickered with worry. "We’re outnumbered. If we investigate, we’ll alert the enemy immediately."
"Who said anything about investigating?"
Song Shihuan’s words left Yingchun and Baoxia baffled.
"I don’t intend to investigate this thoroughly."
"Princess..." Baoxia grew anxious.
Song Shihuan curled her fingers slightly. Despite a month of recuperation in Zichen Hall, her face remained gaunt—so much so that Baoxia felt she could lift her with one hand.
She knew full well that investigations were futile. The Chang family was proof enough.
"This manor is crawling with spies—too many to count. But there’s no sense in guarding against thieves forever." Her tone dripped with mockery. "Better to topple the board and become the one holding the pieces."
"Start a new game and purge every traitor in this manor."
Only by clearing out all the spies and turning the manor into an impenetrable fortress could she rest easy.
