Chapter 72

“It seems Nian’er still prefers Gu Ci more.” Xiao Nanxi withdrew her gaze and regretfully shook her head. “Clearly, Lord Pei is also excellent.” She turned her head, her bright, watery eyes filled with confusion. “I thought Nianxi would prefer someone as steady and reserved as Lord Pei… Yan Qing, if you were to choose, who would you pick?”

Yan Qing, his chiseled features perpetually stoic, showed a hint of helplessness in his eyes as he looked at the whimsical young princess before him. “I am a man.”

“And what of it? A man can like another man, too. Aren’t there stories in the books where two men live happily together?” The little princess asserted her point confidently. “Besides, Gu Ci and the others don’t like you in that way, so don’t overthink it.”

“…Yes.”

“Well then, who would you choose?”

“…I do not know.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t know how to choose either. Both of them seem so wonderful. According to this princess’s perspective, Nian’er should just have them both. Wouldn’t that bring double the happiness?”

“I wonder, what does it feel like to talk about love with a man? I really want to experience it, too.” Xiao Nanxi propped her chin in her hands, her tone filled with longing. “Poor me, a young lady in the prime of her life, and yet I’ve never even held a man’s hand or kissed a man’s lips…”

“Princess, mind your words,” Yan Qing said with a slightly stern face, his voice colder than usual. However, his naturally stoic expression made it difficult to discern.

“I know, I know!” Xiao Nanxi puffed up her cheeks, looking as indignant as a little pufferfish. “I don’t even meet anyone all day long, so what’s there to mind?”

Yan Qing fell silent for a moment. “Her Majesty only means well for you, Princess.”

Xiao Nanxi stood up abruptly, speaking as she moved. “If we delay any longer, the autumn hunt will be over. I must seize the opportunity. Let’s head to the hunting grounds and look around. This princess refuses to believe that among thousands of soldiers, there isn’t one suitable man!”

“Yan Qing, let us go!”

Yan Qing followed her without a word, as dutiful and professional as ever.

Meanwhile, Gu Ci had calmed down. Catching a faint scent of alcohol on Nianxi, he chuckled lightly. “You always forbid others to drink, but look at you—covered in the smell of wine in broad daylight.”

Nianxi glanced at Gu Ci, then stood on her tiptoes, leaning closer to him.

Gu Ci had no idea why she took the initiative, but as her delicate, lotus-like face drew closer, he followed his instincts and closed his eyes. However, after waiting for a moment, all he felt was her gently blowing a breath onto his face—nothing more.

Opening his eyes, he saw her almond-shaped eyes glimmering with a teasing smile. Realizing he had misunderstood her intentions, he felt a mix of sweetness and embarrassment. “You little trickster, you’ve grown naughtier—learning to tease me now.”

Just as he was about to reach out to catch her, intending to assert his presence as a man, Nianxi suddenly straightened her posture and asked, “What did you smell?”

Gu Ci froze, puzzled.

When she had exhaled earlier, her breath had a faint orchid-like fragrance, enveloping him in a familiar scent. There was nothing unusual about it. Just as he was about to question her further, a flash of insight struck him like lightning. “You didn’t drink alcohol?”

“Then why do you smell so strongly of wine?”

“It’s all because of your dear cousin,” Nianxi replied. She hadn’t thought much of it earlier, but now, meeting Gu Ci’s concerned gaze, a wave of unexplainable grievance washed over her. Raising her right hand for him to see, she said softly, “If not for Princess Wen Shu’s protection, you wouldn’t even have seen me today.”

At this point, recalling Jiang Yuan’s earlier wild and irrational behavior in the crowd, Nianxi’s face still turned pale.

Gu Ci held her right hand, noticing the dampness of her sleeve. As he brought it closer to his nose, the strong scent of alcohol hit him. His mind worked quickly, and in an instant, he understood. “Someone drugged your wine?!”

Gu Ci, who usually maintained a gentle demeanor in front of Nianxi, was not without his sharp edges. Born into the prestigious Duke Zhen’s household and raised as a favored son of heaven, even princes treated him with respect. How could his nature lack strength?

“Are you alright? Besides the wine, did you eat anything else? The imperial entourage includes the court physicians and chief medical officers. Go back and change out of these clothes, and I’ll immediately fetch a physician to examine you.”

Nianxi stopped him and recounted everything that had happened at the banquet. When she mentioned the effects of the secret drug, designed to induce uncontrollable desires, Gu Ci’s expression turned beyond grim.

If not for Fu Ling’s vigilance and Nianxi’s quick wit, he couldn’t bear to imagine the harm she might have suffered today. How could those people dare to treat her this way?

Nianxi narrowly avoided disaster, thanks to heaven’s protection and her habit of being kind to others, while the evil received the retribution they deserved, not a fraction less.

Gu Ci clenched his fists tightly, his whole body tense, anger blazing fiercely within him and spreading uncontrollably.

“This is my fault. You were frightened today,” Gu Ci said as he gently stroked Nianxi’s head, suppressing the overwhelming fury within him. “Go back now, change out of your damp clothes, and have something to eat. I’ll come find you later.”

Nianxi had never seen Gu Ci like this before. Feeling a bit worried, she asked, “What are you going to do?”

Gu Ci, filled with guilt, replied, “The matter with Jiang Yuan is my mistake. I still regarded her as the little sister who used to follow behind me, never imagining her capable of such malice. Her actions against you have left me both shocked and terrified.”

Nianxi said slowly, “But she’s already lost face and been punished.”

Gu Ci’s smile was cold, not reaching his eyes. “My foolish Nian’er, that’s just her suffering the consequences of her own actions, not a punishment.”

…

The situation involving Jiang Yuan and Han Gaojie had already caused an uproar.

Marquis Anjing, Han Ling, heard about the incident and returned early from the hunting grounds. Upon seeing his son, he immediately took out a horsewhip and began to beat him without a word.

The Grand Princess was not present this time, and Han Gaojie had no one to protect him. He was chased around the hall by Marquis Anjing, constantly pleading for mercy: “Father, please stop hitting me! I was wrong; I won’t dare to do it again. If any woman approaches me in the future, I will sternly refuse and never fall into such a trap again. Father, you must stand up for me! I am naive and thought that such filthy things couldn’t happen in broad daylight. I am the one who has been defamed…”

He wailed and howled, wishing everyone in the palace could hear him, “A woman who comes to me, I just played with her. Who knew she was so cunning and admired me, trying to frame me! Father, I am wronged…”

Jiang Yuan slowly regained consciousness and, upon hearing the commotion in the front hall, almost fainted again from anger.

A man as vulgar as Han Gaojie, she wouldn’t even let him touch her shoes, and now he was everywhere, claiming that she had approached him, seduced him?

Jiang Yuan’s face turned pale, and she grabbed her maid’s hand. Her long nails were stained with henna juice, and she was digging deep into the maid’s flesh. “Where is the Princess?”

Her voice was hoarse, her face full of urgency, “Where is Princess Xinchang?”