Yun Shimo’s face was grim. He immediately gave Bingyi some antidote powder which could counteract some of the aphrodisiac effects of the laced soup.
Bingyi took it and gradually, the energy racing around his body finally calmed down.
Yun Shimo poured out a bowl of soup and dipped his fingertips into it. He brought it to his nose and sniffed. Then he sneered. “Aphrodisiac Powder—what a powerful drug. But… Qianyang shouldn’t be this sort of a person.”
Bingyi’s forehead was breaking out in cold sweat. Although he had taken the antidote powder. its effects would only be felt gradually. Right now, he had to bear with the pain.
“Your Highness… I don’t understand… wasn’t you in love with Princess Jinghua? Why… have you fallen for Princess Qianyang so suddenly? And you trust her so much. Why… ”
Yun Shimo was rendered momentarily speechless by Bingyi. He shook his head. “Bingyi, for some things, you don’t need to ask so much.”
Bingyi pouted. He felt grief on Hua Qiyue’s behalf and also pitied her.
He used not to like Hua Qiyue. But now, he felt that Princess Qianyang was very obnoxious. She had come so wilfully between Hua Qiyue and Prince Nan.
Yun Shimo remembered that woman Hongyi and turned his head to instruct the incoming Qingtong. “After we get out of the capital, pay close attention to Hongyi. Don’t allow her to poison Hua’s Mansion.”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Qingtong answered. He and Bingyi stared at each other. They both felt this to be quite incredible.
Hadn’t the Prince fallen for someone else? Why was he still protecting the Huas?
—
The Crown Prince, Huangfu Shenglin, strolled into the imperial library.
He did not like to be accompanied. He had walked into the library alone.
However, just after his entrance, he heard a voice saying, “Your Majesty, we will hold our divination session at noon tomorrow. Allow me to go back first and prepare.”
“Yes. Remember, don’t let the Crown Prince know about this session.”
“Yes, sire!”
Huangfu Shenglin heard this and was greatly astounded. He immediately retreated from the library and left with his guard hurriedly. He had left so quickly that the divination master exiting after him did not see him.
“Your Royal Highness, what happened?”
The guard asked in a whisper.
Huangfu Shenglin glanced at the guard, his confidante. “Go back with me to my palace. I have something to discuss with you.”
The guard did not dare to ask more. He followed Huangfu Shenglin and they returned hurriedly to his palace. After all, most in the Prince’s palace were the Prince’s men. They would be much safer.
Only after entering his library did Huangfu Shenglin say, “Go quickly to Hua’s Mansion and ask from Her Highness the message spiritual stone. Say that the Crown Prince needs it.”
The guard widened his eyes. The message spiritual stone was something that the Crown Prince loved dearly. He would not even allow most people a glance.
Yet he had given the message spiritual stone to Hua Qiyue. It showed how highly he had regarded her.
The guard acqueisced. He let another less inconspicuous guard visit Hua’s Mansion instead.
That guard was not from the Prince’s palace. He was a highly-skilled spy Huangfu Shenglin had planted at the Emperor’s side. His Qi Art was high and he would not be easily discovered if he stole into Hua’s Mansion at night.
One hour later, that guard returned. He was about to hand the message spiritual stone to that confidante guard.
“Chonglin, by order of the Crown Prince, place this message spiritual stone secretly in a corner on the divination platform. When His Majesty ask you to leave, knock on the stone. That will do the job.”
Chonglin was the Emperor’s highly trusted confidante. Each time he embarked on an expedition, the Emperor would bring these people along.
Chonglin knew the magical effect of the stone. He only wondered why the Crown Prince had placed such importance on the divination session.
At noon the next day.
The Emperor, a few guards who were his confidantes, and the divination master went up the divination platform. Before going off, Chonglin secretly kicked the stone with a foot.
At midnight that day, Huangfu Shenglin was in the library, anxiously waiting for something.
After 15 minutes, his confidante guard, Shao Yu, brought the message spiritual stone to him. “Your Royal Highness, the stone’s here.”
Huangfu Shenglin carefully took the stone in his hands, then gave it a cautious knock. There was no noise, because it was the ending knock.
He gave it another knock and soon heard the divination master’s voice.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He had recorded this conversation down…
“Your Majesty, we’ve begun.”
“Yes.”
After another 15 minutes, he heard the divination master’s extremely exhausted voice. “Your Majesty, I’ve got a message from the divination… ”
“What is it? You still can’t see it clearly?”
The Emperor’s anxious voice resounded.
Huangfu Shenglin started. He had rarely heard his father, the Emperor, spoke in such a voice. It seemed that something momentous had happened.
The Changlong Emperor was extremely superst.i.tious. He also loved divination. In the palace, there was a divination master whom he trusted very much—Min Yang, who enjoyed much prestige and rare treatment. Even some of the Emperor’s beloved concubines had not had the same treatment he received.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I… still failed to divine Hua Qiyue’s future. Her fortune dish’s still a complete blank… ”
“What?”
That was the Emperor’s astounded voice. Both Huangfu Shenglin and the guard were stunned.
Hua Qiyue’s fortune dish, a complete blank?
“Your Majesty, this woman has great fortune. Although her dish registers a complete blank, but… from the looks of things, she isn’t too ambitious.”
“Not ambitious now. But what about in the future?” came the Emperor’s deep and somber voice. It made Huangfu Shenglin’s back break out in cold sweat.
His later words made Huangfu Shenglin’s face turn more ashen. He sat there, stupefied, unable to believe all he had heard.
“Don’t reveal… anything you heard tonight,” Huangfu Shenglin muttered in a weak voice.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness… I’ll be loyal to the Crown Prince always!” Shao Yu said in a low voice.
“But… the Princess is Your Royal Highness’s beloved. What should we do?”
Shao Yu asked cautiously.
Huangfu Shenglin’s face was extremely solemn. It was no trivial matter. In his opinion, Hua Qiyue’s fate was intertwined with the Changjing Kingdom’s. After all, the Gnawing Devils Sect was no small problem.
But even if they triumphed over the Gnawing Devils Sect, Hua Qiyue would still get badly injured. Then…
“I have my plans!” Huangfu Shenglin’s countenance turned grim. He clenched his fists tightly and the look in his eyes was extremely complicated.
Shao Yu silently retreated to one side. He would no longer disturb his master.
—
Hua Qiyue could not sleep that night.
Huangfu Shenglin had suddenly got someone to fetch his message spiritual stone in the night. Something must have happened, or he would not have taken back the stone.
Huangfu Shenglin was a well-respected Crown Prince. His claim to the throne had been supported by many. Hua Qiyue also felt that he had a fine character, but she must still guard against him.
After she left Hua’s Mansion, she must still protect all her kin there.
At this moment, someone knocked gently on her window.
Hua Qiyue opened the window. She saw a man in the uniform of the Divine Eyes Organization standing there, his eyes as quiet as still water.
This man was not the same man as the last time. Hua Qiyue had managed to locate the Divine Eyes Organization a few days ago. After all, she was now extremely famous. She could locate this organization through a larger auction house or such.
“Your Highness, my respects to you,” The man said quietly. His att.i.tude was so much better than the previous man’s.
“Found him?”
Hua Qiyue asked quietly.
“Yes. But the person who’d shattered Your Highness’s meridians had died long ago. His whole family had been slaughtered…. After investigating the people he had come into contact with, I found them to be all fellows of the martial arts fraternity… no one very special at all.”
The man said rather respectfully.
“You mean you can’t trace the mastermind.”
“I’m sorry. I did my best.”
The man said in a whisper. Hua Qiyue gazed at his face, masked in black. His eyes were shining brightly in the night.
“Forget it. One fine day, that man will emerge on his own,” Hua Qiyue said quietly.
The man started. He had not expected Hua Qiyue to let him off so easily. They had after all accepted her payment of two Ginsengs with Nine Souls!
“Your Highness… ” The man was about to speak, but hesitated again.
Hua Qiyue observed his hesitant eyes and she put her head out without any wariness.
The man saw Hua Qiyue’s charming face, full of allure, and his heart missed a beat. Then, he advanced and whispered into her ears.
Hua Qiyue immediately started to laugh lightly. “Thank you for your kindness. So, your name’s Qingyao. But I’m not interested in romance now… ”
The man’s face started to blush, his eyes looking somewhat baffled. Soon, however, he gave a wry smile. “Thank you, Your Highness… But I will always have you in my heart.”
Saying this, Qingyao soared away in a leap, leaving Hua’s Mansion.
Hua Qiyue had deliberately reduced the powers of the mansion’s array these few days. Now that she had received her required information, she could add more crystals to the array.
Caiqing and Caining watched Hua Qiyue’s busy figure from a distance and they sighed. “The Princess’s still not in bed. It’s already so late.”
“I wonder what she is investigating now.”
“Never mind. Our duty’s to protect Tianci.”
Caiqing answered quietly. As he watched her captivating silhoeutte disappear, he suddenly felt an impulse to possess Hua Qiyue.
But it was just still an impulse.
She was so far above him. Even if they were of the same status, Hua Qiyue… would not fall for another man so easily, would she?
A few days later, Hua Qiyue made arrangements for Qi Artists to protect Hua’s Mansion. Two days ago, she had spent much money recruiting a dozen high-level Qi Artists, as well as setting up the most powerful Protection Array.
Hua Qiyue also pulled out all the Long Reds in the mansion. She did not want anyone to covet anything in Hua’s Mansion.
“Tianci, go with Brothers Caining and Caiqing to your G.o.dfather’s tower. Wait for Mom there, understand?”
Although she had made all the arrangements, Hua Qiyue was still worried for Tianci. She decided to take him to the tower at Prince Nan’s mansion.
After all, if Prince Nan wasn’t around, no one could enter the tower. Besides, there was Yun Xuan too, a superior at the Great Completeness of Moon Eclipse.
Therefore, no one could harm Tianci there.
“Alright, Mom. How long will you be gone this time?”
Tianci was reluctant to let her go, but still quite obedient.
Hua Qiyue kissed his forehead gently and smiled. “Not very long. Just wait for Mom in the tower.”
Hua Qiyue’s gentleness made Tianci nod, but his eyes were red.
Tianci was still young, but everyone was panicking in the capital. News of the Gnawing Devils Sect had spread everywhere.
Of course, he knew a little about it. This time, Tianci tightly grabbed Hua Qiyue’s hand. “Mom, you must be back!”
Hua Qiyue nodded heavily. Old Madame Hua and Hua Liting, who were sending Hua Qiyue off, both felt a little sad.
“Qiyue, survival’s the most important thing. You understand?” The Old Madame declared solemnly. Hua Qiyue stood up and gave her a big embrace.
“Grandma, Qiyue understands. You and Father must take care of yourselves too! Listen to me: if you can stay indoors when I’m not around, do so…. If His Majesty asks for your presences, you must refuse… on the excuse of grave illness!” Hua Qiyue said in a low voice.
A complex light flashed across the Old Madame’s eyes.