Lin Yuxin didn’t bother deciphering the cryptic exchange between the two people.

Instead, she went straight to her two older brothers, took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve, and handed it to her second brother, saying,

“Second Brother, go detoxify the Emperor. Third Brother, watch over me.”

Lin Yuxin felt a deep ache in her heart as she took out the antidote pill.

Though it wasn’t made from particularly rare ingredients, it was the first pill she had ever refined—she had an emotional attachment to it!

Well, to be honest, there was one very expensive ingredient in the pill.

Even though she had plenty of it in her personal space, it was still hers!

She didn’t mind giving it to her family, but giving it to outsiders made her heart bleed—especially when she had already used several of them tonight.

She really wanted to just give up and let everything fall apart, but she couldn’t.

She had an entire family to protect.

Accepting her fate, she found a concealed spot and signaled her third brother to guard her. Then, she started playing the Qingling Melody on her flute.

The poison wasn’t lethal, but it would leave people in a state of nerve paralysis for a long time. If they didn’t take the antidote soon, they could become permanently impaired.

However, there wasn’t enough of her antidote to go around.

That was why she had initially played the Qingling Melody—to counteract the poison’s effects.

But before she could finish, she had been interrupted.

Now, if she wanted to neutralize the poison completely, she would need to play even longer—without interruption.

The entire hall echoed with the sound of Lin Yuxin’s flute.

Lin Shaoyang, her second brother, had no time to think.

He took the medicine bottle and rushed to the Emperor’s side, immediately feeding him a pill.

Thanks to the antidote and the Qingling Melody, the Emperor quickly regained consciousness.

Upon waking up, he rubbed his temples and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He turned to Lin Shaoyang and asked,

“What’s going on?”

“Your Majesty, you were poisoned. In fact, the entire hall was poisoned,” Lin Shaoyang respectfully whispered.

“Poisoned? Good! Let’s see who has the audacity to poison my banquet!”

The Emperor was truly enraged this time.

Someone dared to poison people right under his nose?

He wanted to see just how many lives they thought they had to spare!

As the ruler of the nation, he was no fool.

Among all the people present, only Li Xiaocheng and his men, along with a few envoys from Qi Kingdom, were unaffected.

If he still couldn’t tell this had something to do with Qi Kingdom, then he might as well abdicate the throne.

This was Xia Kingdom’s national banquet. If there hadn’t been an insider, it wouldn’t have been so easy for a foreign nation to execute a poisoning scheme.

Meanwhile, Jun Chenxi also noticed that something was amiss.

The Emperor had clearly regained his senses, and controlling him again would be difficult.

She decided to take a desperate gamble.

She swiftly drew a dagger she had hidden in her sleeve and lunged at the Emperor.

If she could capture the Xia Emperor alive, they would have a chance to escape.

As long as they made it out, the spies from Qi Kingdom stationed in Xia Kingdom would ensure their safe passage.

At this moment, most of the people around the Emperor were still incapacitated.

Only Lin Shaoyang—a man with no combat ability—stood in her way.

This was the perfect opportunity. If she could seize the Emperor, they could get away unscathed.

Jun Chenxi was overconfident.

She actually believed she could single-handedly overturn the Xia Kingdom’s palace.

“Guards! Protect His Majesty!”

Lin Shaoyang shouted the moment he saw Jun Chenxi rushing at the Emperor.

He quickly moved to shield the Emperor with his own body.

The commotion snapped Qu Shubai back to his senses.

He cursed inwardly—this woman actually intended to assassinate the Emperor!

Things were now beyond salvaging.

He never should have listened to Jun Chenxi’s nonsense about being able to manipulate the Emperor and forcing Li Xiaocheng to marry her.

He must have lost his mind to agree to this plan.

Now, not only was the situation spiraling out of control, but his own life was also at risk.

Qu Shubai’s face darkened.

Outside the hall, the Imperial Guards heard the commotion and stormed in, instantly surrounding the hall with swords pointed directly at Qu Shubai and Jun Chenxi.

Qu Shubai turned even paler at the sight of the armed soldiers.

Jun Chenxi, however, had already reached Lin Shaoyang.

She kicked him hard, sending him flying a meter away.

He collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

Lin Yuxin, still playing her flute, saw her second brother get kicked and felt a pang of distress. But she couldn’t stop playing.

[Second Brother, hang in there! As long as you’re alive, I can save you. It’s just one kick—it’s fine.]

Lin Shaoyang, clutching his chest in pain: You really are my dear sister, huh?!

With Lin Shaoyang out of the way, the Emperor was completely exposed.

Jun Chenxi flipped her dagger and thrust it toward him.

But before she could strike, Li Xiaocheng flashed in front of the Emperor, swiftly deflecting her dagger with a flick of his sword.

Realizing she couldn’t harm the Emperor, Jun Chenxi turned her attacks on Li Xiaocheng instead.

“Li Xiaocheng, why won’t you marry me? I love you so much! Why won’t you accept me?”

She had lost her composure, screaming as she fought him.

“I have no interest in you. Whether you love me or not has nothing to do with me,” Li Xiaocheng replied coldly.

With a swift motion, he twirled his sword and slashed Jun Chenxi, leaving a wound on her.

Though Jun Chenxi was skilled in martial arts, she was no match for Li Xiaocheng. Within a few moves, he had completely subdued her.

Pressing his sword against her throat, he immobilized her.

Jun Chenxi looked at him with sorrow and desperation, saying,

“Five years ago, you saved me in Qi Kingdom. From that moment on, I fell deeply in love with you. Every day, I dreamed of becoming your wife. I worked hard in Qi Kingdom, climbing the ranks to reach my current status, all so I could be worthy of you. Li Xiaocheng, is it wrong for me to love you?”

“I don’t love you,” Li Xiaocheng responded, his brows furrowing in irritation.

[Wow, Li Xiaocheng is really clueless when it comes to romance. This princess has both status and beauty, plus she’s skilled in martial arts. Sure, she’s a little crazy, but overall, she’s still top-tier. And he’s still not interested? Does he… prefer men?]

Lin Yuxin thought to herself as she continued playing.

The people who heard her thoughts had mixed expressions.

Even the Emperor, who had been furious moments ago, found his anger dissipating slightly, caught between amusement and exasperation.

Meanwhile, Li Xiaocheng clenched his jaw. This woman really lets her imagination run wild.

“You don’t love me? Then do you love her?”

Jun Chenxi suddenly pointed toward Lin Yuxin’s direction.

However, since Lin Shixiao was partially blocking her, it looked like she was pointing at him instead.

The people who heard her were stunned.

Even Lin Shixiao himself stiffened, goosebumps rising on his skin.

But he couldn’t step aside.

His sister had told him not to move or interrupt her, so he had no choice but to stand his ground and endure the awkward stares.

Without responding, Li Xiaocheng simply knocked Jun Chenxi unconscious with the hilt of his sword. Too much nonsense.

By now, Lin Yuxin had been playing the Qingling Melody for quite some time. Many people were starting to regain consciousness.

“What’s going on?”

“Why are the Imperial Guards here?”

“Shh! Something major must’ve happened!”

“Why is everyone staring at Lord Lin?”

The atmosphere remained tense, but curiosity momentarily distracted everyone.

Lin Yuxin struggled to hold back laughter—she almost played the wrong note.

Finally, seeing that most people were awake, she stopped playing and stepped out from behind Lin Shixiao.

Under everyone’s gaze, she walked over to Lin Shaoyang and, after checking his condition, breathed a sigh of relief—he was fine.