As the footsteps faded into the distance, Lin Qinghe feigned a pained expression, pinching her brow. Soon after, she heard a familiar voice.
"Lin Qinghe, wake up… wake up…"
Lin Qinghe feigned weakness, cracking open an eye. It was the same masked man from last time.
Didn't they even bother to switch people? Was Consort Duan that trusting of him? Or did Consort Duan have too few people?
Lost in her own thoughts, Lin Qinghe was startled by the masked man's words. "Lin Qinghe, are you alright? You…" The masked man paused, surveying the mess in the room with a hint of disdain. "What exactly happened here?"
Lin Qinghe quickly got into character, struggling to sit up from the bed. She clutched the masked man's clothes tightly and said with a choked sob, "You… Brother, you've finally come. Did Noble Consort send you to save this lowly servant? Ever since the Crown Prince was unfettered, he's hated me to the bone. Every day, he tries to find ways to humiliate me. The dogs and servants in the Eastern Palace! They're all opportunistic and try to humiliate me. *Wuwu*… Look at them, what have they done to me…"
Lin Qinghe raised her head. Under the dim candlelight, her bruised and swollen face stunned the masked man.
The masked man frowned, ignoring Lin Qinghe's tearful lament.
Seeing Lin Qinghe's battered state, the information he received should be true. After the Crown Prince regained power, he indeed hated Lin Qinghe and tormented her in every possible way.
The masked man pondered for a moment, then helped Lin Qinghe to sit up. He asked, "If the Crown Prince treats you like this, can you still find an opportunity to poison him every day?"
Lin Qinghe put on a show of gritting her teeth in hatred. "This lowly servant naturally can! To torture me, the Crown Prince makes me do all sorts of arduous and tiring work in the kitchen every day. Who would have thought this would give me an opportunity? While no one was paying attention, I’ve been poisoning his meals every day, wishing for the day he dies from the poison!"
In the dimness, Lin Qinghe caught the change in the masked man's eyes.
The masked man soothed her, "That's good. Don't worry, although the Crown Prince humiliates you now, he knows you are Consort Duan's person. He'll still be wary of Consort Duan and won't dare to kill you. You just need to endure the humiliation in the Eastern Palace for a while. When the Crown Prince dies in the future and the Third Prince ascends the throne, he will surely make you the Crown Princess."
Lin Qinghe rolled her eyes internally.
She was being fed more empty promises. If Consort Duan were alive today, she would be a master of pyramid schemes.
On the surface, Lin Qinghe put on a show of joy, tears welling up. "Is that true? That's wonderful… This lowly servant remembers Noble Consort's instructions and will complete them even if it means dying!"
A cold glint flashed in the masked man's eyes. He took out a white porcelain bottle from his怀. "Noble Consort anticipated that the Crown Prince would torture you and decided to hasten his end. Therefore, she has prepared a different poison. Remember, you must put this poison into the Crown Prince's meals within these two days."
Lin Qinghe took the porcelain bottle, her eyes flickering slightly. "This… after the Crown Prince takes this poison, what will be the reaction? This lowly servant worries that if he reacts immediately, the Crown Prince will suspect me at once…"
"There will be no reaction. As long as the Crown Prince consumes this poison, he will die silently after a month. No one will suspect you." After speaking, the masked man did not forget to reiterate his instructions: "Remember! You must put it into the Crown Prince's meals within these two days."
Lin Qinghe's thoughts stirred.
Seeing You Rong actively engaging in court politics and beginning to win over various court factions, Consort Duan was anxious to act sooner. She could understand that, but the masked man's repeated warnings to administer the poison within two days to You Rong's meals… was there a reason for it?
Lin Qinghe couldn't fathom it, but outwardly she still agreed obediently, "Yes, this lowly servant remembers. Please rest assured, Noble Consort."
The masked man hummed with satisfaction, spoke a few more words of comfort to Lin Qinghe, then leaped out the window and disappeared into the night.
Inside the room.
Lin Qinghe got off the bed, holding the white porcelain bottle, her brow furrowed, her expression solemn.
Was this poison truly as the masked man described?
It had to be administered to You Rong's meals within two days. What were Consort Duan's intentions?
After much thought, Lin Qinghe couldn't figure it out. She decided to open the door and find Zhu Hong, ordering her to fetch a live fowl from the kitchen.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Hong arrived with a chicken. "Sister Qinghe, look, is this chicken alright? It's the only live one left in the kitchen."
Lin Qinghe: "It's fine."
Lin Qinghe turned, picked up a teacup from the ground, poured out the poison given by the masked man, added some water, swirled it, and handed it over.
"Zhu Hong, feed this live chicken."
"Yes, Sister Qinghe."
Zhu Hong fed the chicken all the water from the teacup. After a full half-hour, the chicken was still lively and jumping around.
Zhu Hong asked curiously, "Sister Qinghe, what did you pour into the teacup just now? This live chicken hasn't shown any problems. It doesn't look like poison."
Lin Qinghe also found it strange.
Could what the masked man said be true?
Consort Duan couldn't wait and had switched to a slower-acting poison with a quicker effect?
Lin Qinghe still felt something was amiss.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Qinghe said, "It's getting late. You take this chicken out first. Tomorrow, feed it the same thing again and observe it closely for two days."
"Alright, I'll take my leave then. Sister Qinghe, you should rest early."
"Mhm."
After Zhu Hong left, Lin Qinghe remained immersed in her thoughts, pondering the events of the past hour. She was so engrossed that she didn't fall asleep until dawn, finally succumbing to her exhaustion.
Lin Qinghe was asleep, but the mess in the room remained untouched, and she had forgotten to wash off the injuries drawn on her with rouge and powder.
-------------------------------------
You Rong's sleeping quarters.
You Rong, who had tossed and turned all night, woke up. Wang Gongyang and Xiao Yuzi came in with water for him to wash.
You Rong looked in the direction of the palace grounds and asked in a deep voice, "Lin Qinghe said she caught a cold yesterday. Is she any better now?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Gongyang grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What time is it now? She should have been here to serve Your Highness the Crown Prince for his ablutions long ago, but she's still nowhere to be seen. She claims to be unwell every two or three days. In this servant's opinion, she's clearly slacking off…"
You Rong threw the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands onto Wang Gongyang. His expression was one of extreme displeasure. Only then did Wang Gongyang quickly shut his mouth.
He had forgotten that the Crown Prince was so infatuated with Lin Qinghe now that he wouldn't listen to anything he said.
You Rong's expression was thoughtful. After a moment, he stood up and walked out.
Wang Gongyang quickly followed. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, where are you going? You haven't had your breakfast yet. Are you going to the study to wait for the Grand Tutor?"
"I'm going to see Lin Qinghe."
You Rong left him with those words, walked out of the sleeping quarters, and strode towards the room where Lin Qinghe was staying.