The Glory

Хuаn Qing Рrinсe's Mаnsiоn.

Тоdаy, the Xuаn Qing Рrince's Мansion wаs ехсерtionallу still, yet within this stillness, there seеmеd to bе a hint оf rеstlеssnеss brewing—аn inехрliсablу anxious аtmоsphеre. The studу door wаs tightly shut, guardеd сlоsеlу bу twо guards outsidе. А beаutiful wоmаn stoоd befоrе the doоr, sеeminglу cursing at somеthing. The womаn wiеldеd a stеel whip, striking the twо guаrds with grеat fоrсе, аs if trуing tо entеr, but thе guards rеmainеd unmoved, аllowing thе whiр tо lash thеir bоdiеs, rеfusing to let anуone in.

"Step asidе, I'm going in to savе him!" the beаutiful womаn еxсlaimed in frustration, seeing that she couldn't break through no matter what.

"Apologies, Princess, these are the Prince's orders," one of the guards replied.

This woman was Irina. Upon hearing this, she flew into a rage, shouting, "I am your Prince Consort, the Prince Consort! How dare you ignore my words!"

The two guards remained unmoved, while several maids sweeping the courtyard exchanged knowing glances among themselves. Although this Western Rong princess had moved into the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion and styled herself as the Xuan Qing Prince Consort, the Prince rarely met with her. Often, the maids would see the Western Rong princess angrily asking the servants where the Prince had gone. The Prince paid little attention to this Western Rong princess, and there was almost no interaction between them. Compared to how he had treated the Fourth Miss of the Zhuang family, it was a world of difference. These maids, having lived in the grand mansion for years, naturally understood that this was a sign of the Prince's indifference toward Irina.

Most people, especially servants, possess the ability to adapt to the prevailing winds. Seeing that this Western Rong princess was not favored, coupled with Irina's own terrible temper—often beating and scolding the servants—the servants gradually grew resentful of her and even secretly plotted against her. One should never underestimate the servants in a mansion. Though they may seem insignificant, when it comes to causing trouble, they can inflict countless hidden grievances on others.

In such an environment, Irina grew increasingly anxious. Fu Yunxi's cold attitude toward her was one thing, but even the servants had united to bully her. Back in Western Rong, everyone had flattered and praised her. She was noble and beautiful—nothing like now. The servants whispered behind her back, calling her a gift from a defeated nation. She was furious, but aside from punishing those who spread the rumors, what else could she do? The rumors would continue to spread. She couldn't possibly kill all the servants, even if she wanted to. In the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion, she simply didn't have the authority, because Fu Yunxi would not back her up.

Irina knew that the reason she could move into the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion and replace Zhuang Hanyan was because she could help alleviate Fu Yunxi's cold poison, even if she couldn't fully cure it. But Fu Yunxi had refused. Irina knew that Fu Yunxi wasn't just rejecting her gu; he was rejecting her. He would rather die than be with her. Thinking of Zhuang Hanyan, her heart filled with jealousy and resentment. She had already left the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion, and rumors had even spread about her and her imperial brother, tarnishing her reputation. Yet why did her shadow seem to linger everywhere?Fu Yunxi's condition had worsened ever since she was injured on the street last time. These days, she had been confined to her sickbed. That imperial physician had come several times and later simply stayed at the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. Fu Yunxi's days might be numbered. If she continued to reject the gu worm, she might very well die just like that. Irina wanted to save her, but Fu Yunxi wouldn't even see her, only having guards block her outside the door.

She felt hatred, resentment, and pain, yet there was nothing she could do.

"Fu Yunxi, you'll regret this!" After saying these words, Irina stormed out of the courtyard in anger. The maids around exchanged glances and reluctantly followed her.

Inside the study.

Cheng Lei sat at the desk, his expression unreadable—whether pleased or angry. "She's gone."

"Mm." The person on the sickbed replied faintly.

"You're severing all hope." Cheng Lei grew somewhat agitated. Imperial Physician Wu, on the side, was sorting through medicinal herbs, filling the study with a strong scent of medicine. Only the person reclining on the sickbed wore a long undergarment. The white undergarment accentuated his pale complexion, and the wide hem of his robe spread across the floor, making him appear even more gaunt.

Seeing Fu Yunxi remain silent, Cheng Lei continued, "Why must you do this? You're in a critical state now, and she knows nothing about it. Why keep that Western Rong princess out? Even if you don't like her, let her cure you first, and then think of other ways to deal with it later." The priority now was to recover, and that princess could help, after all. That was what Cheng Lei thought—there was no need to stick to principles at all times.

"She can't cure me," Fu Yunxi said. His expression was calm, as if devoid of any sorrow.

"How do you know she can't? How can you be sure without trying?" Cheng Lei couldn't help raising his voice. He disliked this side of Fu Yunxi—calmly accepting death. This was something that should never appear in Fu Yunxi. Even in the most perilous situations on the battlefield, he had never spoken like this.

"You're afraid of becoming dependent on the gu worm," Imperial Physician Wu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. Fu Yunxi paused slightly but said nothing. Instead, Cheng Lei on the side asked curiously, "What dependence?"

"The Western Rong princess's gu worm can counteract the cold poison, originally using poison to fight poison. However, the gu worm itself remains in the body and needs to be nourished, feeding on the host's flesh and blood, burrowing deeper and deeper into the body. But this gu worm isn't entirely harmless either. The more it's used, the more dependent a person becomes on it, even addicted. If it's not used even once, the person will suffer unbearable pain all over. More importantly, this gu worm gradually damages a person's consciousness." At this point, Imperial Physician Wu glanced at Fu Yunxi. "You're afraid that after using the gu worm, you'll become addicted to it, and even more afraid that in the future, with your consciousness blurred, you might do something you shouldn't."

Fu Yunxi neither affirmed nor denied it, which was tacit acknowledgment.Cheng Lei was hearing this for the first time and couldn't help but be greatly shocked. After thinking it over, he immediately grew despondent: "If that's the case, then the gu worm can't be used. If a grown man relies on that tiny gu worm day after day, wouldn't the Western Rong princess have a means to threaten Yunxi? In the future, if Yunxi loses his senses, he might even fall under that princess's control." He said somewhat angrily, "Why do the Western Rong people always engage in such wicked and harmful practices!"

But even if it was a wicked practice, at least it could still save Fu Yunxi. Now that the gu worm couldn't be used, did that mean Fu Yunxi had to just sit and wait for death? His condition had been worsening day by day—lately, he had become drowsy, sleeping for entire days at a time. Cheng Lei often worried that one day he might fall asleep and never wake up again. Yet Fu Yunxi himself remained quite indifferent to the matter, as if he had no idea how critical his situation was. He even instructed Cheng Lei to handle the tasks that needed to be done. He was a meticulous man; even if one day he were truly gone, the affairs left behind would not fall into chaos. Those who needed to be dealt with would be set up in advance.