The beauty lay ravaged, soft as jade and crushed like a flower, with a glimmer of residual tears at the corners of her eyes, nestling weakly in Pei You'an's arms, motionless.
"Did I hurt you just now?" Pei You'an asked softly.
Jiafu tightly shut her eyes, letting out a sob as if aggrieved, yet shook her head.
Pei You'an kissed her sweaty forehead apologetically and held her close.
After a moment, Jiafu slowly opened her eyes, the flush on her face still lingering, but she buried her head deeper into his embrace and clung to his arm, murmuring softly, "Cousin, what are you thinking about?"
"How did the Crown Princess suddenly go mad? Tell me everything you saw in detail, leaving out no minor details."
Jiafu tilted her face slightly upward, seeing his gaze fixed on her, bit her lip, and whispered, "I was seated at the same table with her. At first, she was fine, drank two cups of wine, then suddenly went mad—first cursing the opera performers for talking nonsense, then babbling incoherently herself, impossible to stop..."
Pei You'an frowned slightly. "Why were you at the same table with her?"
"She insisted I sit with her. I tried to decline but couldn't..."
"Why? What exactly happened?"
Jiafu felt a pang of guilt and lowered her eyes.
Pei You'an lifted her chin with one hand, making her look at him. "Don't hide anything from me."
"Cousin, if I did something bad, would you get angry and scold me like before?" Jiafu finally asked.
Pei You'an was taken aback, as if reminded of past events, and smiled, his expression softening. "I won't be angry, and I won't scold you. If it's truly wrong, I'll teach you, so you won't do it again."
Jiafu finally felt slightly reassured and said, "Then I'll tell you, but you must keep your word. The Crown Princess went mad... because she drank medicated wine..."
She watched his expression, seeing his surprise, and quickly added, "She put the drug in the wine herself! It had nothing to do with me!"
Pei You'an sat up from the pillow. "What exactly happened?" His expression grew extremely serious.
Having come this far, Jiafu dared not hide anything further. She sat up as well and recounted the entire incident truthfully, only slightly altering the part about the palace maid pouring wine for her.
"...The palace maid poured wine into my cup, and I accidentally noticed her unusual grip on the flask—her thumb pressed a part of the handle, which moved slightly downward. Then I remembered how the Crown Princess had clearly been offended by me in Wuding, yet she had been so insistent on seating me with her. So I became cautious and secretly poured out that cup of wine. Seeing I was unharmed, she tried to force more wine on me, but I managed to refuse. Later, when His Majesty's decree arrived, I... I..."
Jiafu hesitated.
"You switched the wine with hers?" Pei You'an raised his brows, looking utterly astonished.
"Cousin, you promised not to be angry—she bullied me too much, wanting to humiliate me publicly. If I were humiliated, wouldn't it shame you too? In a fit of anger, I took advantage of the moment and switched the cups..."
Jiafu grew flustered and, without further ado, clung to him, pressing herself tightly against his chest.
Pei You'an's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he held her shoulders and waist, preventing her from burrowing further into him. "I'm not angry. Stop squirming and speak properly."
Only then did Jiafu relax a little. "Oh," she said, releasing him."She didn't know I'd switched the wine. She drank it and then... started raving nonsense..."
"Cousin, I truly regret it. Had I known she'd say those things, I would've endured any humiliation rather than let this happen. Now you've been shamed because of me, and my heart aches..."
Jiafu hung her head, motionless.
For a long moment, he remained silent.
Gradually, sadness welled up in Jiafu's heart. She wanted to cry but forced herself to hold back.
"Come here."
Suddenly, she heard him speak, his voice gentle.
Jiafu raised her eyes to see him opening his arms toward her, as if to embrace her. Finally, she completely relaxed.
He truly wasn't angry with her.
"Cousin!"
She immediately threw herself at him. Caught off guard, Pei You'an was knocked backward onto the pillows, with Jiafu sprawled across his chest.
"Cousin, you're so good." Jiafu kissed him, her eyes sparkling, her voice soft and sweet.
For a fleeting moment, Pei You'an's heart melted completely.
This girl—ever since that moment at Wuding Post Station when she'd desperately run to him and clung to his waist without letting go, he'd felt her utter trust in him. As if he were her entire world.
Truthfully, Pei You'an himself didn't quite understand why she trusted him so. Their interactions had been limited to a handful of childhood encounters and last year's meeting at his grandmother's birthday celebration—none of which had been particularly pleasant.
Yet she'd latched onto him, impossible to shake off or let go of.
Tonight, he'd gone to fetch her, only to unexpectedly learn what had happened in the banquet hall. He had indeed been furious. After bringing her home, Madam Xin's words to him had stoked his anger further.
But none of it was for himself—it was all for her.
He'd long been aware of the Crown Prince's designs on her. She'd repeatedly emphasized this to him before, seeking his protection. Yet he'd still been careless, allowing her to be humiliated today because of one woman's jealousy.
The world would only brand her as a temptress, blind to how her very innocence made her a target.
This girl trusted him with her whole heart, believing that marrying him meant all worries were behind her. But tonight, had she not been alert enough to evade this trap, he couldn't imagine what harm might have befallen her had she drunk that medicated wine!
His momentarily softened heart instantly hardened again.
"You were a bit mischievous. But that woman was truly vicious—switching the wine doesn't matter as long as you're unharmed. Perhaps this isn't entirely bad; it might mark the beginning of better things."
Pei You'an spoke.
Jiafu's eyes widened.
"You mean, with the Crown Prince's murderous intent and the Crown Princess's public outburst, they're headed for serious trouble?"
"Serious trouble may not come immediately—they won't sit idle. But they'll certainly become more restrained from now on. What happened to that wine flask? Was it taken away?"
"When the Crown Princess went mad, she knocked over dishes and utensils on the table. The flask was smashed."
Pei You'an pondered this.
Suddenly, Jiafu remembered.
"Oh! That's right! The first cup the palace maid poured for me, I spilled on my sleeve. Worried you'd scold me for causing trouble, I deliberately set it aside after changing for my bath tonight—didn't let Tanxiang take it for washing. I thought it might serve as evidence."Pei You'an raised his brows in apparent surprise, pinched her cheek, and said, "You little rascal! Aren't you going to show me?"
...
Eastern Palace.
With a splash, a bucket of water mixed with half-melted ice was poured over Zhang Fengtong, who lay on the ground.
She shivered violently as her consciousness gradually cleared. Forcing her eyes open, she found herself disoriented, soaked to the bone, and suffering from an excruciating headache.
Her memory lingered on the banquet earlier that evening.
She vaguely recalled Zhen drinking the medicated wine, yet apart from dizziness and drunkenness, there was none of the expected reaction she had anticipated.
Once resolved, she would never easily give up. It was precisely this extraordinary determination that had propelled her step by step to her current status.
Had it not been for this, how could she have endured the hardship of solitary study as a child while her sisters played with flowers and grass, swung on swings, and laughed merrily? How could she have forced herself to do things she had no interest in but which earned her reputation?
She lacked beauty, yet refused to be ordinary. It was only by being ruthless with herself that she had reached this point.
Before deciding to act, she had hesitated repeatedly. But Cao Shi's death had served as a dire warning.
Previously, she had believed she could ignore Xiao Yintang's favor toward other women.
In the eyes of men, women in this world served only two purposes.
The first was to honor the ancestors and continue the lineage—this was the role of the principal wife.
The rest existed solely to serve men and satisfy their desires—nothing more.
She would be the former to Xiao Yintang, while that Zhen woman was merely flesh and allure. Surely, once Xiao Yintang had his fill, his interest would naturally fade.
But now, she was growing restless.
Xiao Yintang's attentiveness to Zhen far exceeded her initial expectations.
Cao Shi had been with Xiao Yintang for years and was considered one of his favored women. Yet merely for uttering a single remark related to Zhen, she had been strangled to death—without a trace of remorse from Xiao Yintang afterward.
This unsettled Zhang Fengtong somewhat.
Human nature being what it is, the more unattainable something is, the more one obsesses over it.
She had crossed paths with Zhen several times. In their verbal exchanges, she had gained no advantage, proving the woman was far from as meek as she appeared.
What was even more puzzling was that, to her knowledge, Zhen had once been entangled with Pei Xiuzhi. Given her background, how had she managed to marry Pei You'an—the emperor's most favored official—so swiftly?
Zhang Fengtong had long understood exactly what kind of man Pei You'an was, ever since their days in Wuding.
She was certain that without extraordinary means, such a feat would have been impossible.
A profound sense of crisis gripped her.
Once Xiao Yintang gained unrestrained power in the future, who could guarantee he wouldn’t try to elevate this cunning woman to her position and then depose her?
Elevating a former minister's wife might seem absurd, but if the emperor willed it, a way could always be found.
Rather than wait helplessly for the inevitable, it was better to strike first while Xiao Yintang was still constrained—to destroy Zhen in secret.
The secret drug she had slipped into the wine came from the Ü-Tsang esoteric sect. It was peculiar and potent, inducing a drunken stupor upon ingestion, though its effects varied from person to person.Those with violent natures would kill on the spot.
Those with seductive tendencies would debauch in public.
Zhang Fengtong was convinced that this Zhen woman was cunning and seductive. Once she drank the medicated wine, she would disgrace herself in front of everyone, utterly ruining her reputation. Not only would Pei You'an be humiliated, but Zhang Fengtong refused to believe Xiao Yintang would still care for her afterward. Once the evidence was destroyed, who could suspect her? Everyone would simply assume Zhen had gotten drunk on her own, lacking virtue and discipline, thus exposing her shameful behavior.
But later, things seemed to take an unexpected turn...
She remembered her body growing increasingly feverish, her mind foggy, and her hatred for the clamorous actors on stage intensifying.
What had she actually done?
Her head throbbed with unbearable pain as she struggled to rise from the damp ground. A groan escaped her lips before a sharp, stinging pain exploded across her face— "Slap!" —a heavy blow sent her reeling sideways, collapsing back onto the floor. Her cheek burned as if drenched in blood.
"You vile wretch! How dare you slander me in public like this? Have you grown tired of living?"
A cold voice hissed in her ear.
Finally, she regained full consciousness. Blinking her eyes open, she turned her head and saw Xiao Yintang glaring down at her, his expression filled with murderous disgust.
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