The crisp sound of her voice broke through the still air. His gaze first landed on the edge of her jade-green skirt. His expression darkened, and without a word, he pulled his arm free from her grip, shielding his injured arm as he staggered to his feet. Liu Yin observed him carefully—his frame was alarmingly thin, and though his face was smudged with dirt, it still bore delicate features. Only the scar on his forehead marred his otherwise handsome appearance.

“When I was a child, I burned my hand and got a scar,” Liu Yin said matter-of-factly. “But I used some Snow Essence Balm, and it healed quickly. Yours may be older, but it might still fade with the right treatment. I’ll bring some for you next time I visit my family.”

She studied his face seriously before continuing. “You’re actually quite good-looking—better looking than Xia Yi.”

Her voice was soft, her expression warm. The sunlight illuminated her smiling face, her clear eyes reflecting the shadow of someone battered and filthy. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze, and silently walked away, his steps faltering as if he carried a great weight.

Watching his retreating figure, the Sixth Princess huffed in frustration. “What a rude person! Cousin, you’re too soft-hearted.”

Liu Yin turned and walked straight down the cobblestone path to the left, her tone calm but pointed. “The tutor said that kindness to others is kindness to yourself. How can you not understand something so simple?”

Besides, having more allies was always better than making more enemies. She couldn’t help but recall the demeanor of that hostage—reserved and icy, yet unbroken by years of mistreatment. Clearly, he wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

“Cousin, you’re becoming more like the tutor every day. Always preaching about this and that,” the Sixth Princess grumbled, covering her ears as she walked ahead.

Liu Yin laughed and playfully tugged at the strands of her cousin’s hair. “Are you calling me naggy?”

“Ah! Stop!” The Sixth Princess immediately clutched her hair in mock distress, her face scrunched with exaggerated grievance as she darted forward. “You’re bullying me! I’m going to tell Mother.”

Behind them, Liu Yin’s maidservants, Xiyun and the others, covered their mouths, struggling to stifle their giggles. Amused yet defiant, Liu Yin chased after her cousin. “You stop right there!”

The two darted through the winding garden paths, their laughter ringing out like silver bells in the quiet of the morning. Neither of them noticed the eunuch lurking in the shadow of an artificial rock nearby. With a sinister gleam in his eyes, he pulled a long bamboo tube from his robe, uncapped it, and tipped out a brown snake. The creature uncoiled itself lazily, flicking its tongue as it slid silently into the underbrush, its direction unknown.

Despite her pampered upbringing, the Sixth Princess was no match for Liu Yin’s vigor. It wasn’t long before Liu Yin caught up, slinging an arm over her cousin’s shoulders, adopting a playful, mock-menacing tone. “You’re going to snitch on me, huh? Well then, I’ll tell your mother about someone secretly reading those, ahem, risqué storybooks.”

In their circle, storybooks might as well have been code for explicit literature.

“You… You…” The Sixth Princess’s cheeks flared red with embarrassment, her words fumbling as she realized her cousin had uncovered her secret. She opened her mouth to retort but froze mid-sentence. Her peripheral vision caught sight of something moving in the underbrush—a brown snake slithering through the grass.

Her face turned as pale as a sheet. She stammered in terror, “S-snake… SNAKE!”

“You’re not fooling me, there’s no way there’s a snake in the palace—” Liu Yin suddenly felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She looked down and saw the snake coiling in the grass, its tongue flicking as it stared ominously in her direction.

Her pupils dilated in shock. The color drained from her face, turning as pale as death. To make matters worse, she had been bitten. Behind her, Xiyun and the others screamed in terror but still rushed to find rocks and sticks to try to fend off the snake.

“Cousin!” The Sixth Princess quickly steadied her, her eyes red as she took cautious steps backward. But the snake seemed unbothered, lingering close, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Has the source of the equine plague been identified yet?” Qin Yan asked, glancing over his shoulder at the people around him.

The middle-aged man in court attire, who had been walking beside him with his head lowered, immediately replied respectfully. “I’ve already ordered a thorough investigation, Your Highness.”

Upon hearing this, the man’s brow furrowed slightly. “I don’t want to hear nonsense,” he said, his tone sharp.

The middle-aged man lowered his head, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or something else, but he stammered, “I— I… Your Highness…”

“I’ll give you three days.”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness,” the middle-aged man quickly nodded in agreement.

As they moved forward, the surrounding palace attendants hurried ahead, and Qin Yan’s gaze swept the area. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a group of people on a nearby path, their movements stiff and frantic.

Despite the growing number of palace attendants gathering, the snake still lingered in the grass. The crowd had yet to capture it, and Liu Yin was sitting on the ground, her face pale as she clutched her injured ankle, wondering whether the snake’s bite was poisonous.

“Your Highness!”

At the sight of the approaching figure, the Sixth Princess immediately brightened, her eyes red with worry as she hurriedly exclaimed. “Cousin has been bitten by a snake! What if it’s poisonous?”

A snake?

Xiao Luzi peered into the grass and, indeed, spotted the faint outline of a brown shape. However, the palace regularly sprinkled powders to repel snakes, insects, and rodents. How could there be a snake here? And despite so many people chasing it, the snake wasn’t fleeing.

“A snake in the palace? That’s very strange,” the official remarked, his expression puzzled.

Taking a few steps forward, Qin Yan looked at the woman sitting on the ground with a pale face. His gaze then shifted to the depths of the bushes and suddenly, he reached out and pulled a silver hairpin from his temple. While the other were still searching for the snake, in the blink of an eye, the brown serpent was pinned through its vital spot with the hairpin writhing and struggling in place.

“The venom isn’t severe,” he glanced at the scene, then turned to leave. “Take her back to the palace and summon the imperial physician.”

“But… the sedan chair hasn’t arrived yet…” The Sixth Princess, on the verge of tears, glared at the palace maids nearby. “Why haven’t you gone to hurry them?”

“Your Highness, I’ll go now.” Hong’er quickly ran ahead.

Upon hearing the word “poison,” Liu Yin’s heart sank. What kind of bad luck had she run into today?

“Your Highness… should we investigate this?” Xiao Luzi asked in a low voice.

Hearing the commotion from the palace maids behind him, the man paused. He glanced over at the woman with a pale face, his expression unreadable. Lowering his eyelids, he suddenly turned around and, before anyone could react, bent down and swept her into his arms, carrying her away as the onlookers watched in surprise.

>>>