Song Lianhe took a deep breath, composed herself, and tried her best to appear calm and calculating.
"Prince Qing, this has nothing to do with Xuan i. I forced her to do it!"
’Prince Qing?’
Heh.
Zhou Cangyan tilted his head, looking her up and down. "Co now, tell . How exactly did you force her?"
Xuan i frowned and was about to speak, but he cut her off coldly, "You, shut up."
Xuan i bit her lip and lowered her head.
"I..." Song Lianhe said imdiately, "I’m a physician. I know how to use poison!"
"Oh? So, you poisoned her, and you just so happen to be the only one with the antidote."
"...Yes!"
She nodded vigorously.
’Based on how the plot is developing, that’s the only logical explanation.’
"The antidote, then?"
He held out his hand, beckoning with his fingers.
"The antidote..."
She felt for her satchel, planning to pull out a few random herbs to fool him.
But to her surprise, when she felt inside, she discovered that Da Xi, afraid she would go hungry, had stuffed her small satchel full of flatbread and dried at, and even sweet snacks like preserved fruits and candied plums...
Just no dicine!
’What is she going to say now? Zhou Cangyan is already suspicious by nature. She can’t just pull out a piece of dried fruit and claim it’s the antidote, can she?’
"You don’t have it?"
Zhou Cangyan let out a stunned laugh and advanced on her step by step. "Is she really poisoned? Or are you trying to deceive this prince?"
"Of course not! How would I dare?"
"So you’re saying, if Xuan i were poisoned, that would be one thing. But if she isn’t, it ans she was following your orders and has betrayed this prince!"
"..."
Song Lianhe’s expression changed. "I..."
"Shadow Guard! Test for poison!"
"Yes, sir!"
Song Lianhe broke out in a cold sweat, frantic. "I... I... I was wrong!"
She grabbed Zhou Cangyan’s sleeve and said pitifully, "I was wrong, Your Highness, please forgive ..."
Seeing this, Xuan i tried to take all the bla, but she was stopped by a Shadow Guard.
He shot her a look and dragged her away without another word.
’Does His Lordship truly care for the Young Madam?!’
Only after those two had also been led away did Song Lianhe realize that besides the horses and carriages, there wasn’t another person in sight.
She asked blankly, "Where is everyone else?"
Zhou Cangyan sneered. "Did you want everyone to see you crawl out of that carriage, covered in dust?"
Song Lianhe was stunned. ’I can’t believe he actually spared my dignity...’
eting his bone-chilling gaze, Song Lianhe deflated in an instant.
"Fine. I wanted to secretly follow you back to Ling’an City. And I did force Xuan i! It’s because... last ti at the Prince Qing Mansion, she hid the truth from , which made mistakenly think I’d been abandoned. She’s felt guilty about it ever since, which is why she agreed to help this ti." Her biggest fear was implicating Xuan i, so she quickly added, "Xuan i didn’t just abandon her principles to help ! She only helped because she knew I just want to go ho and have no intention of harming you! She is completely loyal to you and would never, ever betray you!"
Seeing her explain so desperately on Xuan i’s behalf, as if the other woman’s safety was more important than her own, made Zhou Cangyan’s expression turn even fouler.
He turned, glanced at the carriage she’d been hiding in, and snorted grimly. "Hiding in there... what were you thinking? Weren’t you afraid you’d suffocate?"
"Oh, no need to worry about that. Da Xi chiseled a few holes in the bottom for ventilation a while ago."
"Then what was all that just now?"
"Er... I-I was eating and choked, and then I realized I didn’t bring a waterskin..."
’It’s pretty embarrassing to admit. Of all the ways to die, choking to death is just...’
Vaguely, in a daze, she noticed that with every word she spoke, the chill emanating from him intensified.
Zhou Cangyan rarely lost control and beca this enraged.
Even when betrayed by his own n or caught in an enemy trap, finding himself in peril, his resolve never wavered.
Because those outcos were caused by human nature, by strength, by fate.
Not by one’s own stupid actions!
"Heh heh." He looked down, chuckled softly, and began to clap. "So you were choking... My Princess Consort is truly impressive!"
Song Lianhe was so ashad she wished the ground would swallow her whole.
’That was definitely not a complint. She heard the sarcasm loud and clear!’
Song Lianhe narrowed her beautiful eyes. Was she soone who could be humiliated so casually? Did he really think her Villainess persona was just for show?!
She imdiately lifted her chin, crossed her arms, and adopted an arrogant air. "I just wanted to go back to Ling’an! And I did sneak out to follow you! Do whatever you want, Prince. I’ll take whatever you dish out, no complaints!"
Zhou Cangyan’s cold eyes stared at her for a long mont. Song Lianhe kept her neck stiffly raised until he suddenly lifted his hand...
Song Lianhe reacted almost instinctively, ducking to the ground with her hands over her head. "Ah! Don’t hit !"
His hand, which had been about to pluck a fallen leaf from her hair, froze in mid-air.
Zhou Cangyan was both amused and angry. He just stared at the person cowering on the ground, raising his hand several tis as if to touch her head, only to clench it into a fist and give up.
He flicked his sleeve and turned away. "Move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Shadow Guards appeared as if from nowhere, like phantoms.
Song Lianhe heard footsteps departing and cautiously lowered her hands from her head, a look of confusion on her face.
’That’s it?’
’He didn’t even say he was going to send away?’
Just then, Xuan i ca forward and helped her up.
People gradually reappeared all around, erging from who-knows-where. No one gave her—this living, breathing person who had suddenly materialized—so much as a second glance, all of them busy with their own tasks.
"This carriage is hard and bumpy! How is anyone supposed to sit in it?!"
A man in black martial attire pushed open the carriage door, fuming, and abandoned the carriage to ride a horse instead.
Song Lianhe didn’t dare to breathe.
A Shadow Guard approached silently and said in a low voice, "Young Madam, please board the carriage."
Song Lianhe had a headache from the incense and needed a ride anyway, so she followed him up without much thought.
It wasn’t until she was inside and seated that she discovered the seat was covered with a thick, long-piled fur blanket. It was soft to sit on; how could it possibly be bumpy?
There were also pastries and tea on the table, the tea steaming hot.
Song Lianhe’s stomach rumbled.
She had only eaten the flatbread earlier because she was hungry, but one bite had nearly been the end of her. Now, seeing real food made her even hungrier, and she grabbed a pastry and stuffed it into her mouth.
’Fragrant and chewy! Now *this* is food fit for a human!’
Her throat was still a little sore and needed so tea to soothe it.
She picked up the teacup and was about to gulp it down when she suddenly stopped. She glanced at the tea in her hand; it was llow and sweet, with the fresh scent of fruit.
Song Lianhe guessed what was going on. She pressed her lips together to hide a smile and began to sip the tea delicately.
Zhou Cangyan didn’t have a sweet tooth, let alone for sweet tea.
So it was obvious who this had been prepared for.
She gently pushed open the carriage window, looked at the man riding ahead, cupped a hand to her mouth, and whispered, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The man up front gave no sign of hearing, his attention seemingly fixed on surveying their surroundings.
Her voice was tiny, and she closed the window right after saying her thanks.
Zhou Cangyan’s face remained expressionless, but the corners of his lips were turning up slightly...
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