Lin Qinghe's eyes flashed with cunning, a smile curling upwards at the corners of her lips. "Go back? Why wouldn't I go back!"
Zhu Hong looked confused. "Sister Qinghe means..."
"Fetch me brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. I'll tell you how to respond."
Though still puzzled, Zhu Hong obeyed Lin Qinghe's words and fetched the writing materials.
Lin Qinghe cleared her throat. "Ahem... you will reply to her, stating that after the Crown Prince was released from confinement, he harbored long-held resentment towards me, constantly badgering and often beating me. He spared my life only to torment me daily to vent his anger. Because of this, I came to hate the Crown Prince to my very core, and I have been devising ways to continue poisoning the Crown Prince every single day without fail."
Having finished, Lin Qinghe winked at Zhu Hong with a smile. "Understand?"
Zhu Hong's eyes lit up with realization. "Sister Qinghe is truly brilliant. This servant understands. I will write it down as you said and send it back to Noble Consort Duan."
Lin Qinghe nodded with satisfaction. "Yes, write it."
She believed that this would make Noble Consort Duan significantly lower her guard against You Rong. After all, no matter how powerful You Rong was now, if he was poisoned, he would ultimately face death.
Zhu Hong wrote the note according to Lin Qinghe's instructions and went out to deliver it to Noble Consort Duan.
Being interrupted like this, Lin Qinghe remembered something.
The original body had already been poisoning You Rong for three months. Although You Rong didn't seem poisoned now, it was a slow-acting poison with a gradual onset. Was You Rong's body... alright?
Lin Qinghe became worried about this.
Should she tell You Rong and have him find a physician?
If she told him, would You Rong's nascent trust in her disappear? But if she didn't say anything, and You Rong's health deteriorated in the future, what then?
Lin Qinghe went to bed, her mind preoccupied with this matter. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Meanwhile.
In the study.
You Rong was flipping through books. As he read, for some reason, the corners of his lips curved upwards slightly.
He recalled Lin Qinghe's flustered little face in the sleeping quarters earlier, and for some reason, he felt an urge to chuckle inwardly.
She didn't know that he had deliberately remained silent and acted aloof, all to see her worry.
The next day.
After breakfast, You Rong went to the study early to attend his lessons with the Grand Tutor. Lin Qinghe went to the sleeping quarters in the morning only to find it empty; she didn't see You Rong.
It wasn't until lunch that she saw You Rong.
Lin Qinghe served You Rong his meal, accidentally dropping her chopsticks several times. Her distracted and hesitant demeanor did not escape You Rong's notice.
You Rong's brows furrowed slightly. "Do you have something you wish to tell me?"
"Crown Prince, this servant, this servant..." Lin Qinghe stammered. "Crown Prince, this servant does have something to tell you, but before I do, can you promise me that you won't be angry with this servant after hearing it?"
You Rong frowned. "What is it?"
Lin Qinghe shook her head. "If the Crown Prince doesn't promise, this servant cannot speak."
Given You Rong's vengeful nature, if she told him, he would definitely be angry. Without a guarantee, she would never speak!
You Rong gazed at Lin Qinghe for a long moment. Seeing that she remained silent, he sighed with a hint of helplessness and said, "Speak. No matter what it is, I will not hold it against you."
Lin Qinghe felt as if she had taken a stabilizing pill. Her eyes flickered, and she said guiltily, "Have you felt unwell recently, Crown Prince?"
"No."
"Crown Prince, think carefully. Truly, nothing? Like a headache, dizziness, or chest pain?"
"No."
Seeing Lin Qinghe's continued hesitation, You Rong became impatient. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"It's, it's..." Lin Qinghe gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and decided to go all in. "Crown Prince, this servant was instructed by Noble Consort Duan to administer a slow-acting poison in your meals for three months. But this servant now knows her mistake and has not given you any more poison. This servant was worried that something might be wrong with your health, so I wanted to ask... would you like to have a physician examine you?"
Lin Qinghe felt somewhat apprehensive, fearing that You Rong would suddenly turn cold and have her dragged out and beaten to death.
But to her surprise, You Rong looked at her calmly. "You wish to tell me about this matter?"
Lin Qinghe blinked in surprise.
You Rong's reaction was so subdued? It was as if he were listening to her say that today's meal tasted good.
"Crown Prince, you are..."
You Rong said, "I knew long ago that you were poisoning me. I knew it from the very first day you came to the Eastern Palace."
Lin Qinghe was astonished. "Crown Prince, you knew all along that this servant was poisoning you?"
"Mm."
"Then why did you still..."
"Then why did I still eat the poisoned meals?" You Rong preempted Lin Qinghe's question.
Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong with complex emotions and nodded.
You Rong curved his lips upwards, his demeanor confident. "If I dared to eat it, naturally I am not afraid of its poison!"
He then lowered his gaze to Lin Qinghe and added, "You don't need to take it to heart. Those poisons will not cause any harm to my body."
Whether it was Lin Qinghe's imagination or not, she felt that You Rong's tone had softened when he said this.
Lin Qinghe shook her head, dismissing the strange thought that had appeared out of nowhere. She feigned relief and said, "If it won't cause any harm to the Crown Prince's health, then that's good, that's good... This servant was so worried. If anything were to happen to the Crown Prince's health, this servant would die without regret to atone!"
Lin Qinghe secretly marveled. You Rong was You Rong indeed. Even after losing his consciousness, he had altered the original plot. In the original plot, You Rong was poisoned by the original body and suffered from excruciating heart pain for half a year after the poison took effect.
You Rong frowned. "Noble Consort Duan has been having you poison me all this time. What about the remaining poison?"
Caught off guard by the question, Lin Qinghe paused for a moment and casually replied, "The remaining poison, to avoid discovery, I had to dispose of it myself. I ate it..."
"What did you say!" You Rong's expression drastically changed. He grabbed Lin Qinghe's wrist and took her pulse.
Lin Qinghe was stunned again. After she reacted, she quickly explained, "Crown Prince, this servant was joking. Why would this servant eat poison? I hid it in my room."
Lin Qinghe tried to pull her hand away, but You Rong held on tightly until he finished checking her pulse. Seeing that her pulse was steady and showed no signs of poisoning, he visibly relaxed.
However, after only a moment, his expression turned grim again. He flung Lin Qinghe's hand away with such force that Lin Qinghe let out a pained groan.
Lin Qinghe rubbed her wrist, still trying to comprehend what had happened. Before she could react, You Rong had already stood up and left without a word.
Lin Qinghe stood there, bewildered.
"What is You Rong playing at! His mood changes faster than the weather. He said he wouldn't be angry, and now he's stormed off in a rage..."