Prince Ning, upon hearing the words, instinctively became guarded, but quickly, he dismissed the speculation, "Did you really poison me? However, I’m afraid you will be disappointed, for I did not eat your Fresh Flower Cakes!"
Gu Jiao sighed softly, "It’s just as well you didn’t eat them, you’re about to feel unwell."
Prince Ning frowned.
Before he could ask her what she meant, he suddenly felt an odd sensation sweep through him, his chest growing anxious.
He swiftly tried to sink his breath into his Elixir Field, planning to suppress the odd sensation with his internal strength, only to find that his internal strength seemed to have significantly weakened.
From his experience, internal strength wouldn’t diminish in an instant, most likely, it had been dissipating for a while, but he hadn’t noticed because he hadn’t been using his martial arts.
His gaze toward her turned colder, "What have you done to me!"
"Drugged you, of course," said Gu Jiao nonchalantly.
Prince Ning said, "Impossible... I didn’t swallow anything you gave me!"
He didn’t ask why the Emperor and the Crown Prince, who also ate the Fresh Flower Cakes, were fine. After all, the poison didn’t necessarily have to be in all of them; she had handed the cakes to him, so she could have easily poisoned only the one given to him, or perhaps, on the cutlery he used.
Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows slightly, "What did I just say?"
You just said—
Prince Ning carefully recalled Gu Jiao’s words—"It’s just as well you didn’t eat them, you’re about to feel unwell."
Prince Ning’s complexion changed, "You..."
Gu Jiao turned her head to look at him, "Figured it out?"
Prince Ning was about to explode from anger and shock; he hadn’t anticipated that this girl’s mind could be so circuitous and that she’d have the audacity to poison everyone in Huaqing Palace!
Correct, not only was he poisoned, but the Crown Prince and his father were as well!
However, she had placed the Antidote in the Fresh Flower Cakes in advance, so those who ate them would remain unharmed—the Crown Prince had devoured several plates, so it was clear as day he’d be full of vitality now!
And he, because he’d been wary of her, or rather, because she had induced him to be wary, had skipped the Antidote successfully, due to her intentionally provocative words.
"Very good... Gu Jiao... you’ve done very well!"
Prince Ning never thought he would fall into the hands of the same person twice; moreover, losing to her in terms of strategy was a plain humiliation compared to getting beaten up physically!
"Qi Fei!" he bellowed furiously.
No response.
"Stop shouting, your men have all been knocked out," Gu Jiao pointed to the tightly closed carriage curtains, "but hey, the coachman is yours, so you could have him stop the carriage."
What good would stopping do?
Was it the drugged him who could beat Gu Jiao, or his coachman?
Prince Ning said coldly, "What drug did you use on me?"
"Paralysis Medicine," Gu Jiao replied.
Frankly, Prince Ning had managed to resist until now, which was much longer than she had expected, showing that his internal cultivation was profound.
Hmm, she too wanted internal strength.
Prince Ning squinted at her, "What do you plan to do with me?"
Gu Jiao blinked, "Guess?"
Prince Ning stared at her deeply, and after a moment, he laughed coldly, his previous rage and unease seeming to evaporate in an instant, leaving him arrogant and contemptuous.
Prince Ning said, "Gu Jiao, you don’t really think I wouldn’t see through your trivial tricks, do you? Do you think I’ve just been resting at my residence all this time?"
Gu Jiao said, "Oh, you’ve been investigating me, what did you find out?"
"What you’re most worried about is exactly what I found out," Prince Ning’s lips twisted into a smirk, "I know what you’re up to. You wanted to drug me so that I would commit an unforgivable act against the Crown Prince’s wife, and then be caught by the Crown Prince in the act."
"Heh," he scoffed, "how naive, Doctor Gu. Did you really think my subordinates would be knocked out that easily by you?"
Gu Jiao looked up at him.
Prince Ning pointed at himself, "I am the eldest royal son, having grown up in the immense vortex of imperial power. What do you think has kept me alive until now? And how have I become the most beloved and valued son of the Emperor? Is it merely because of an eldest son’s status? Doctor Gu, I’ve told you before you’re still young, there’s still much you don’t understand. Competing with me, you are simply too green."
Gu Jiao frowned.
His torrent of nonsense was making her ears hurt; summing it up, it just meant a few words—I’ve countered your plot.
Is speaking plainly that difficult?
Gu Jiao looked at him with particular disdain and pulled out the syringe she had prepared from her wide sleeve. In front of him, she removed the needle cap and pushed the plunger a bit.
Upon seeing this object, Prince Ning felt a fundamental fear of being governed by needles surge through him!
The last time, it was this kind of Hidden Weapon that had paralyzed his body instantly; the poison used in this weapon was unknown, but its effects were even more rapid than Paralysis Medicine and anesthetic!
She sat up, looking intently at the sleeping Xiao Liulang, "Ahen, is that you?"
Xiao Liulang didn’t respond to her.
"It is you, isn’t it? You really came back... You came back for me."
"Why are you not speaking? Are you angry with me?"
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was very sad after you left..."
"Seeing you again made me realize that you are the one in my heart; I regret so much that I couldn’t marry you."
"Don’t love anyone else, don’t love her; she’s not worthy of you."
The Crown Princess whispered tenderly, affectionately stroking Xiao Liulang’s cheek, "It’s so good to be able to look at you like this, never leave me again."
Xiao Liulang’s eyes had been open for a while, but his expression was vacant, seemingly not hearing a single word the Crown Princess said.
With a gentle smile filled with the shyness of a young girl, the Crown Princess pulled open his arm and lay gently in his embrace.
Her hands wrapped around his sturdy waist, sweetly calling, "Can we never be apart again? Let’s live well together from now on, shall we?"
Xiao Liulang finally reacted, holding her tightly in his arms and dully agreeing, "Okay."
The Crown Princess smiled blissfully.
Xiao Liulang called out a name, which she didn’t quite catch, but at the moment, she seemed not to mind.
As long as Ahen was with her, with her forever, she didn’t care about anything else.
Ahen is hers.
Ahen pressed her beneath him.
However, in that instant, the door was violently kicked open!
The Crown Prince stormed in with a dark face!
The loud noise startled the Crown Princess from her illusion; she sharply woke up to see the furious Crown Prince standing at the door and Xiao Liulang--whom she was tightly embracing.
Wait a minute.
This wasn’t Xiao Liulang!
It was King Ning!
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