Chapter 24

After stepping through this door, a slow sense of fear of the unknown began to creep over Sang Yao. The young eunuch asked, “Did the young lady bathe before coming?”

To ease this fear, Sang Yao squeezed her palms and nodded.

The young eunuch smiled knowingly, and the wooden door was immediately tightly closed.

The sun was almost setting, the light was dim, and smoke wafted from the windows, incense spreading with a strong, stifling smell.

It smelled like musk mixed with something else, making Sang Yao unconsciously furrow her brows. She didn’t like the smell.

She stood by the door for a while, then turned to glance around the room before casually finding a place to sit.

Even now, her spirits were not very good. She probably realized belatedly what the young eunuch meant by “preparation,” but she felt she had nothing to prepare.

Originally, coming here to beg for help was already embarrassing enough. Further preparations would only make her seem more eager. Besides, she was resistant to this kind of thing and had been comforting herself the whole way here.

Occasional footsteps outside made Sang Yao nervous each time.

She was both afraid of seeing Lu Ting and randomly thinking about whether Lu Ting would be angry because she was late. He was such a petty person; it wouldn’t be surprising.

Her sister had told her before that there were few good men in the world, but at that time, Sang Yao didn’t feel much about it.

But as she grew older, she realized that was the case. Most men were hypocritical and lecherous, beyond redemption.

Take Lu Ting, for example. He had been educated by a great scholar since childhood, was knowledgeable, and had a good reputation, but he was still a mess.

So, she really didn’t care who she would end up marrying, whether she would be a concubine or a legal wife, and whether that person liked her or not. It was a matter of complete indifference to her.

After all, birds of a feather flock together. If she could, she would rather be alone for the rest of her life, but she couldn’t.

But even so, she felt uncomfortable at the thought of getting intimate with a big green worm later.

Thinking of this, she suddenly understood why everyone liked Xie Yun. Among the soldiers, he was like a general. At least Xie Yun, while having a perfect skin, wasn’t so hypocritical.

Because he was consistently Unreasonable, Insensitive and Annoying in speech and action.

“Your Highness, here is the place.”

The wooden door opened, and with a creak, Lu Ting, dressed in a brocade robe, walked in from outside. Sang Yao instinctively recoiled, unable to see his expression as he was against the light.

The wooden door was closed again, making the room suddenly feel much smaller.

In silence, Sang Yao quickly stood up, lowered her head, and greeted Lu Ting softly.

But she waited for a long time without hearing the man speak.

The silence made her even more anxious. She thought, could it be that he’s really angry? Her mind raced with thoughts at this moment.

If this man showed any sign of not acknowledging her, she would have to escape quickly. If he tried to capture her, she would shout and scream to make him lose face. If she couldn’t thwart his plans, she would spread rumors about the Fifth Prince’s misdeeds when she returned to the capital.

In any case, she couldn’t come here for nothing.

Sang Yao cautiously raised her head, and a gloomy face came into view.

Lu Ting was staring at her with a gaze that carried a hint of cruelty.

Sang Yao’s heart skipped a beat. Did this man hold grudges to this extent, to still be angry now?

Trembling, she mentioned her father’s matter straightforwardly: “Your Highness, last time my father…”

Before she could finish speaking, a deep question came from above her head: “Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

Sang Yao was taken aback, her mind racing. She then fabricated a reason: “I… I wasn’t feeling well yesterday.”

Was he really angry about this? But didn’t he say within three days? She wasn’t late today, right?

The man chuckled lightly. At that moment, there were only the two of them in the room. Lu Ting’s face no longer had the usual gentle facade, the contradiction between his gentle face and the malicious look on top of it was extreme.

Sang Yao didn’t dare to look directly at him, only praying that he wouldn’t be angry anymore and would clear her father’s name soon.

But his laughter almost made Sang Yao shiver with fear.

He asked again, “What did you do yesterday?”

Sang Yao didn’t know why he was so fixated on this question, but she couldn’t say that she had gone to beg Xie Yun yesterday, so she had to continue with a brave face:

“It rained yesterday, and I wasn’t feeling well, so… I rested for a while. Your Highness, I thought today would be fine.”

Lu Ting half-closed his eyes and said, “So you knew I was waiting for you.”

She wasn’t a fool; she naturally saw that.

“Your Highness, then you—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the man suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her chin.

His grip was not light, and Sang Yao cried out in pain. She was forced to tilt her head back, her eyes reddened from the pain.

He stared into her eyes. “You went to find Xie Yun.”

There was a hint of hatred on the man’s fair face, and his eyes were bloodshot. He hadn’t been doing well these days.

It started with the Crown Prince, who had always been obedient, suddenly changing his attitude, not paying attention to him, and even refusing to see him. Then, the ministers he had been trying so hard to win over for months all began to distance themselves from him.

That would have been fine, but these days, the Ministry of Justice inexplicably began investigating Li Mai, the Governor of Langshan.

Langshan was located in the west, abundant in water and grass, with strong war horses. It also bordered the barbarians to the south, making it a strategic military route. Li Mai had been in this position for ten years and had embezzled a full thirty thousand taels of silver over the years. Recently, because he was about to be promoted, there were discrepancies in the accounts during the handover, and in his panic, he sought help from him.

Because Li Mai’s promise was too generous, and because he was about to go to the capital, it was both to help him and to hold him accountable. He took the risk to resolve the matter.

The current Deputy Minister of Justice, Xie Yan from the Xie family, was in charge of the case. He found it hard not to think too much about it.

But strangely, he had already vaguely sensed something wrong through this matter, but he didn’t know how Xie Yun would retaliate, let alone how to deal with it.

He had lowered his face to see him, but the man didn’t give him any face and directly refused.

This was the world of the Lu family, and he was a prince, with Lu family blood in his veins. Xie Yun was just a subject, a lackey of the Lu family. What right did he have to be so arrogant?

Unable to win him over or intimidate him, this person Xie Yun had always looked down on him from the beginning and didn’t intend to let him off now.

He and Xie Yun were originally the same age, always compared, he stole the glory that belonged to him and the attention of the masses. Obviously, he could achieve the same results as Xie Yun, but even so, he was still not as good as him in the eyes of the public.

It was ridiculous. He was a prince, why should he compete with a lackey?

Including the woman in front of him.

Clearly, he had taken a fancy to her first and even allowed her to be his concubine, but she still disdainfully turned to Xie Yun.

He asked expressionlessly, “What, did Xie Yun not help you, so you thought of me now?”

Sang Yao’s chin was almost broken by him. She was so painful that tears blurred her vision, and she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t help but raise her hand and grab Lu Ting’s She cried as she touched her chin, wishing she could break Lu Ting’s chin and make him taste the same pain. Faced with Lu Ting’s inquiry, she didn’t want to answer at all.

It wasn’t until Lu Ting reminded her, “Have you forgotten about Sang Yin’s situation?”

Sang Yao pursed her lips and, feeling very aggrieved, said, “I’m sorry, Your Highness…”

Lu Ting burst into laughter. The girl in front of him was soft and weak. He couldn’t do anything to Xie Yun, but when it came to Sang Yao, just moving his finger could threaten her.

But then he suddenly realized that he shouldn’t vent his anger at Xie Yun onto a young girl. It made him feel powerless and undignified.

He slowly said, “It’s okay. This time, this palace will forgive you.”

“The wild cat is hard to train. This is your last chance.”

Seizing the opportunity, Sang Yao said, “What happened last time was because my father was too reckless. Your Highness, please don’t hold a grudge against the innocent.”

Lu Ting snorted, “But I saw your father act quite skillfully.”

Sang Yao thought resentfully, Of course he acted skillfully! Why didn’t he kill you, you scoundrel?

Sang Yao bit her lip and whispered, “My father has realized his mistake.”

Lu Ting didn’t say anything more and naturally took off his outer robe in front of her.

The robe fell slowly to the ground, and Sang Yao tightened her fist, knowing what this meant.

She had anticipated these things happening when she came today. Dignity or so-called chastity, she didn’t really care about either. There were very few things that she cared about.

At this moment, it wasn’t about despair, just fear.

Fear, resistance, the desire to escape.

The Lu Ting in front of her seemed to have truly become a big caterpillar in silk clothes.

Thinking this, she was about to cry again. In her life, she really hated big caterpillars the most.

Lu Ting slowly opened his arms, staring at her, and said slowly, “Do you know how to serve—”

Just then, a rapid knocking sound suddenly rang out, accompanied by the urgent call of a eunuch, “Your Highness! Something’s happened!”

Lu Ting’s face darkened, then he picked up his outer robe and walked out quickly without even looking at Sang Yao.

The wooden door slammed shut, leaving only a gust of wind blowing in, dispersing the suffocating incense.

Sang Yao was still standing there in a daze. All of this had happened in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, she had not yet realized how serious the incident was. She thought it was just an accident involving Lu Ting and that he would come back after things were sorted out.

The room was empty, with only her left.

Her mission was incomplete, but she breathed a sigh of relief as if celebrating.

She was somewhat grateful for this “incident,” which gave her a moment to catch her breath. But she also understood in her heart that she couldn’t escape the consequences of her actions.

Since she chose to seek him out, she was destined to pay a price.

Sang Yao rubbed her chin and stood up straight.

But a sudden dizziness made her stagger.

By now, dusk had faded, and the room was dimly lit. There were no lights on inside, adding to the gloom.

She still wasn’t used to the incense.

Sang Yao sat back down and regulated her breathing. She held her head, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

When she first came in, she was just feeling mentally exhausted and didn’t feel anything special. Later, when Lu Ting came in, her emotions were tense, but she didn’t feel anything unusual.

It wasn’t until now that the feeling became obvious. She held her head, half-closing her eyes. Light smoke rose from the incense burner in front of her, almost in a straight line, before dispersing in the air.

Sang Yao’s sluggish mind suddenly had a flash of insight.

Her heart raced, and in disbelief, she grabbed onto something nearby to stand up, then walked to the stove.

She might be slow in arguments, unable to respond quickly, but it didn’t mean she was stupid.

Even if she hadn’t experienced such matters between men and women, she knew there was something called an aphrodisiac.

Even in the books, this thing had a place.

She suddenly remembered what the eunuch had said.

“If you don’t want to prepare, you don’t have to.”

…So that’s how it is! Everything became clear.

They clearly had made preparations, no wonder.

The eunuch had asked her if she wanted to bathe before locking her in.

Moreover, this was something that Lu Ting, that big caterpillar, could do. He knew she had been rejected by Xie Yun and that she would come today.

Sang Yao’s breathing became rapid, and the scent of the incense filled her exhales. She trembled as she picked up the teapot, poured water over the incense, extinguishing it. The light smoke finally stopped rising.

Fortunately, she was smart and discovered it in time. If she had delayed any longer, who knows what would have happened. But her situation didn’t improve from this discovery.

Her limbs were weak, and she couldn’t exert any strength. Her head was spinning, and she touched her cheeks, feeling hot. She was hot all over, with chills. It seemed that the drug had taken effect on her.

Sang Yao sat up straight, intending to keep herself awake.

She had never smelled an aphrodisiac before, but now, her body’s reaction was almost exactly like the descriptions in the books she had read.

Her usual habit of reading books now proved to be beneficial. Sang Yao became more and more convinced that she had been drugged with an aphrodisiac.

She began to try to feel if there were any other strange sensations in her body.

There should be, it’s just not very obvious yet. But it must be because it hasn’t fully taken effect.

The fear of being controlled by drugs continued to gnaw at her. She hated this feeling of losing control and rationality. Sang Yao walked to the door to open it, but found that it was locked from the outside.

She tried to shout, but no one answered her. And now, the noise outside was getting louder.

It wasn’t just ordinary noise. The sounds indicated that something serious had happened—heavy footsteps, solemn shouts, and occasionally fast footsteps passing by her.

Sang Yao felt a headache.

Her mind was chaotic, making it difficult for her to think properly.

Why did this have to happen to her…

She panicked, thinking, was she going to become one of those people who only knew one thing and couldn’t do anything else? She could seek Lu Ting’s help, but she didn’t like these disgusting tactics.

After mentally cursing Lu Ting, in a sea of ​​fear and helplessness, a very small thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

Why does the effect of this so-called aphrodisiac feel like when she had a fever as a child?

That’s not important.

Sang Yao pounded on the door, painfully thinking, why was she so unlucky, why was this big caterpillar even worse than she imagined.

She had come here, only to encounter this monstrous thing.

Meanwhile…

Xie Yun, the Left Envoy of the Ministry of Rites, was now in front of the main hall of this branch courtyard, where one of his subordinates came to report, saying, “Sir, the branch courtyard has been sealed off, and the Fifth Prince has been detained. He is now clamoring to see you.”

Xie Yun nodded and said, “Let him clamor.”

Standing calmly beside him, feeling relieved, he thought, “Sang Yao, your trouble has been resolved. Look at my master, he really loves you.”

He even advanced his plan, it must be for you. Who wouldn’t envy such love?

“Oh, by the way, master, there’s one more.”

Xie Yun glanced at him, showing impatience.

He felt a sudden tightness in his heart and quickly said, “Sir, I heard that there is another person locked up in this mansion, a woman, who seems to be Lady Sang’s younger daughter.”

There was a moment of silence in the air.

Jing Lian stood still, unable to react.

What did he mean? Why was Miss Sang locked up in Lu Ting’s private garden? No, they had torn their faces and it didn’t matter anymore. Jing Lian’s mind was in turmoil. He knew that Lu Ting had some feelings for Sang Yao, but later, because of the rift between Sang Yao and Lu Ting, he hadn’t paid much attention. The only possible reason for Sang Yao to appear in Lu Ting’s private garden was to beg him to spare Sang Yin. Because his master had rejected her yesterday.

Jing Lian dared not think further. He wanted to remind his master to go and see, but he didn’t know how to bring it up.

Because he knew these things by chance, while his master was busy with thousands of affairs and wouldn’t pay attention to these irrelevant matters of the Xie family. This included Lu Ting’s past intentions toward Sang Yao and Sang Yao’s almost becoming Lu Ting’s concubine.

The subordinate asked again, “Sir, should we rescue her?”

There was no emotion on Xie Yun’s face. The only difference from before was his silence. But then, he spoke, “Where is she?”

Sang Yao squatted by the door, feeling hot all over, her head throbbing, her eyes blurry.

She felt that she was about to be completely overtaken by the aphrodisiac, and based on the usual progression, now that she had reached this point, her mind should be filled with thoughts of men.

But strangely, she didn’t have a particularly strong desire at the moment.

She guessed it was because there were no men in the room. Once a man appeared, the drug would be triggered.

Fortunately, fortunately, no one had come in yet.

Suddenly, the lock on the outer door clicked, and a voice came in, “Sir, it’s here.”

The wooden door opened, and moonlight streamed in. Sang Yao looked up in despair and saw Xie Yun’s familiar cold face.

He didn’t look very happy, but he always looked like this.

Xie Yun looked down at Sang Yao in front of him.

Although she was sitting on the ground, her clothes were tidy, except for a small but glaring red mark on her chin, there didn’t seem to be any other injuries. She was now looking up at him pitifully.

Her cheeks were red, as if she had a fever. She had become the apple girl again.

Before he could speak, the apple girl leaned against his leg and whispered, “Kneel down.”

Xie Yun’s lips tightened. This was a disrespectful request.

He knelt down, and the girl approached him. The familiar scent of jasmine invaded his senses again. She cried softly in his ear, “I…I’ve been drugged, please save me.”

It took a moment for Sang Yao to recognize who it was.

Her mind was unclear, but she remembered that her first reaction was “It’s over, a man is coming, I might pounce on him.” Her second reaction was somewhat strange—she actually thought, “Fortunately, it’s Xie Yun.”