You Rong arrived outside Lin Qinghe's room. Zhu Hong, upon seeing him, quickly curtsied and paid her respects, "This servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Rise," You Rong said. "Has Lin Qinghe not yet woken?"
"Uh, this..."
You Rong knitted his brows. "Is her illness not yet healed?"
Zhu Hong quickly explained, "No, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Sister Qinghe is not yet awake. This servant will go and wake her now."
You Rong thought to himself: Not yet awake? Is she feeling too unwell?
Wang Gongyang, standing behind You Rong, held a completely different opinion. He snorted inwardly, saying she was unwell. At this hour, she was still in bed. In his eyes, Lin Qinghe was clearly shirking her duties, and the Crown Prince was being deceived by her!
Zhu Hong knocked on the door. "Sister Qinghe? Sister Qinghe... are you awake? Sister Qinghe..."
Lin Qinghe, still in a dream, frowned and mumbled. Woken up, she groggily rose from her bed, annoyed by the disturbance, and walked towards the door.
She flung the door open, Lin Qinghe grumbled indignantly, "What's all the noise early in the morning? Can't a person sleep?!"
The next moment, Lin Qinghe's shoulders were gripped tightly, and a voice, chillingly cold, boomed from above her.
"Who? Who injured you?!"
Lin Qinghe froze, her senses fully returning. Looking up, she met You Rong's furious gaze.
Why had You Rong come?
You Rong turned, glaring coldly at Wang Gongyang, and thundered, "Wang Gongyang! Did you dare to inflict torture on her without authorization?!"
Wang Gongyang's face turned ashen. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice on the verge of tears, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, I am wrongly accused! This servant, this servant... even if this servant were a hundred times bolder, I would not dare to inflict torture under your very nose!"
You Rong's eyes were dark and menacing. He looked at Lin Qinghe, her clothes stained with blood and her body covered in wounds, his expression one of intense rage.
Who dared to inflict such injuries upon her?
Was it Duan Guifei's people?!
Lin Qinghe shivered at the ferocity emanating from You Rong, her senses completely restored. She quickly explained, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, you misunderstand. These are not wounds on this servant's body. This... this is all..."
The injuries painted on with rouge and powder were too realistic. Lin Qinghe, wanting to explain, didn't know where to begin.
Finally, she gritted her teeth, and without further ado, pulled You Rong into the room. She went to the stand with the washbasin, took a damp cloth, and vigorously wiped her face a few times, revealing her fair, clean skin. She then turned back to You Rong and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, look, these are not wounds on this servant's body; they were painted on!"
You Rong's anger subsided by half. He lowered his gaze to examine Lin Qinghe. "What about the bloodstains on your clothes?"
"Oh... this," she replied, "is chicken blood that I asked Zhu Hong to fetch. It's not my blood, Your Highness the Crown Prince. You need not worry."
You Rong's heart, which had been pounding in his throat, finally settled. He glanced at Lin Qinghe's disheveled room, his brows furrowing even deeper. "You... what is the meaning of this?"
"It's difficult to explain in a few words, Your Highness. Someone from Duan Guifei's faction came looking for this servant last night. To prevent them from knowing that I have abandoned the dark and embraced the light, and to facilitate our plan, I created a small illusion."
Hearing this, You Rong's heart tightened again. "You... are you injured?"
Lin Qinghe shook her head. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please rest assured, this servant is not injured. They did not suspect me at all and still believe I am loyal to them. Why would they harm me?"
However, the truth could not be hidden forever. If she was no longer taking orders from Duan Guifei, Duan Guifei would eventually find out, and she would be in danger then.
It seemed he would have to order the defenses of the Eastern Palace to be made more rigorous.
Seeing You Rong's ever-changing expression, Lin Qinghe couldn't guess his thoughts and tentatively asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, why have you suddenly come to this servant's room? Do you have something to command this servant?"
You Rong's gaze swept across Lin Qinghe's messy room, his lips pursed. He answered without addressing her question directly, "From this day forward, you will move to the side hall next to my sleeping quarters."
Lin Qinghe was taken aback. "This servant is living quite well here? Why must I suddenly move to the side hall next to Your Highness the Crown Prince's sleeping quarters?"
Before You Rong could reply, Wang Gongyang, still kneeling, couldn't help but interject with dissatisfaction, "Does a mere palace maid like you have the right to question the Crown Prince's decision?! If His Highness the Crown Prince says you are to move, you move! Otherwise, you are guilty of the capital offense of disobeying your master!"
Lin Qinghe had no choice but to comply with her doubts, saying, "Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince. This servant will move to the side hall next to yours later."
You Rong gave a grunt and turned to leave.
Wang Gongyang, seeing this, cast a resentful glance at Lin Qinghe and scurried after him, leaving Lin Qinghe bewildered and standing alone.
What was You Rong playing at?
Could it be that he hadn't trusted her despite her words? Was he worried that she was in league with Duan Guifei, and by making her move to the side hall, he intended to monitor her more easily?
The more she thought about it, the more likely this possibility seemed. Lin Qinghe couldn't help but curse inwardly, *Bastard! Judging a gentleman by a villain's standards!*
You Rong returned to his sleeping quarters and calmed himself down, feeling that he had behaved very strangely just now.
Why had he been so anxious when he mistakenly believed Lin Qinghe was injured?
Time passed quickly, and two days went by.
Lin Qinghe took a shallow sip of the hot tea in her cup and asked calmly, "Zhu Hong, are the chickens you fed those things to still alive?"
Zhu Hong replied, "Sister Qinghe, the chickens are still alive, but they have become somewhat strange."
Lin Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"The chickens still eat normally every day, but this servant feels that they have become listless, swaying as they walk."
Swaying as they walked? Could it be, as the man in black had said, another kind of slow-acting poison?
Lin Qinghe looked thoughtful. Was Duan Guifei still trying to poison You Rong discreetly?
As Lin Qinghe was lost in thought, Zhu Hong suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, Sister Qinghe. The day after tomorrow, His Highness the Crown Prince will be accompanying His Majesty on a winter hunt. He will be gone for several days, so we should prepare his luggage in advance."
Lin Qinghe's eyes suddenly lit up. "Winter hunt? His Highness the Crown Prince is going on a winter hunt with His Majesty?!"
"Yes, Sister Qinghe, is there something wrong?"
Lin Qinghe remained silent, her doubts suddenly becoming clear.
Since ancient times, whether for seizing power or assassination, the winter hunt had always been a prime opportunity. Duan Guifei had repeatedly instructed her to poison You Rong within these two days. It must be related to the winter hunt.
Duan Guifei was very likely to make a move against You Rong during the winter hunt!
With her understanding clear, Lin Qinghe asked Zhu Hong to go and prepare the travel luggage and went to You Rong's study herself.
Lin Qinghe knocked on the door. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, this servant has brought some ginseng soup. Would you like some?"
You Rong's voice came from within the room. "Enter."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Lin Qinghe responded and pushed the door open.