“Miss Mu the Second, you’ve arrived just in time. I was waiting to ask you a few things before reporting back to Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness Prince Xiu.”
Seeing Wanqing approach, Leng Mingye couldn’t help but recall what she had done to him the previous night. He was so furious that he wished he could strangle her on the spot. Instead, he set down his teacup and forced a smile as he spoke to her.
“Oh? What does Brother Shizi wish to ask Qing’er? Qing’er has been dutifully staying at home, tending to Father and observing all the rules. How could I possibly have anything to do with His Highness Prince Xiu?”
Noticing the barely concealed rage beneath his forced smile, Wanqing raised an eyebrow slightly and countered with a question of her own. She knew she had only ever wronged Leng Mingye or offended him—unless it was about that Sun Changshun. But why would the Empress and Prince Xiu be involved?
She had nothing to do with that so-called prince, so she couldn’t care less.
“I recall Miss Mu the Second personally telling me that you visited Chunxiang Tower on the eighth night of last month. Might you know anything about the assassination attempt on Prince Xiu? I’ve heard reports that you were seen speaking with the assassin. Would you care to enlighten me with some details so I can help His Highness uncover the true culprit?”
Wanqing’s indifference only deepened Leng Mingye’s cold, calculating gaze. He smirked as he questioned her, though his tone and expression made it seem as though he already believed she was the one who had harmed Prince Xiu.
“Such a thing? I did visit Chunxiang Tower, but when did I ever speak to any assassin? Brother Shizi, you must have the wrong person.”
Hearing his baseless accusation, Wanqing suddenly remembered something—the injured and poisoned Qingfeng she had encountered in the alley after leaving Chunxiang Tower. His wary demeanor at the time suggested he had just fled from the tower and was being pursued.
Though her heart skipped a beat at Leng Mingye’s probing, she feigned ignorance.
“My investigations are never wrong. There were witnesses who saw you speaking with a man—a black-clad assassin, wounded and poisoned by Prince Xiu’s men. Are you telling me you have no recollection of this?”
Leng Mingye smirked, recounting the details he had heard from Prince Xiu as a pointed reminder.
“No, I’ve never seen any man in black. The only man I encountered was at Chunxiang Tower’s lake—”
Recalling the situation, Wanqing knew that despite her weakened state after detoxifying, she would have sensed if someone had been following her. Qingfeng’s cautious demeanor had also indicated he was aware of being pursued.
Uncertain how much Leng Mingye truly knew, she maintained her act of ignorance, giving him a teasing look that only the two of them could decipher.
“If Miss Mu claims she never saw that man, then where did you acquire such exceptional medical skills, including acupuncture? The assassin was severely injured and poisoned yet managed to escape. The only explanation is that he was either a master of poison or an extraordinary physician. Unless you can prove the origins of your medical knowledge, you remain implicated in this matter.”
Hearing her evasion, Leng Mingye clenched his fists, recalling his own ordeal in the lake. The woman before him seemed more detestable by the second. How had he ever pitied her, seeing in her a reflection of his younger self?
Realizing he couldn’t corner her with words alone, he shifted tactics, questioning the source of her medical expertise.
Truthfully, he had no solid evidence to accuse her of being a skilled physician. But after arriving at the Marquis’s residence and hearing Mu Zhenfeng’s remarks about her unusual abilities, he seized the opportunity to press her further.
“Haha, what if I told you I learned medicine from books? Even if I were exceptionally talented, do you think Her Majesty and Prince Xiu would believe I mastered such advanced skills in such a short time?”
Wanqing sighed inwardly at his pettiness. Though she knew her father’s presence would prevent Leng Mingye from acting rashly, she didn’t want to escalate tensions.
With a light laugh, she turned the question back on him. Seeing his disbelief, she glanced at her father, who nodded before being escorted away by her maids, Lian’er and the others. She then stepped closer to Leng Mingye.
“Father, please return to your chambers. There are some things I need to discuss privately with Brother Shizi. I know why you’re here. Say what you must—after all, I owe you. But if you’ve come to demand my submission or humiliation, you’ll be disappointed.”
Her tone was icy, her smile defiant as she met his gaze.
“Is that so? Then let’s see just how capable you are. No one dares to cross me—you’re the first. Since you admit your wrongdoing, you must face the consequences.”
Wanqing’s queenly arrogance infuriated him. As a high-ranking noble, even the Emperor treated him with respect. Yet this girl, who had humiliated him, remained unrepentant. Worse, she was toying with him despite knowing full well what he was investigating.
His pride wounded, Leng Mingye’s voice turned frigid. In a flash, he lunged at her, striking with lethal precision.
“Do you truly hate me so much that you’d kill me?”
Wanqing dodged instinctively. His fingers hooked like claws, aimed at her throat, while her silver needles glinted in her hands—one set poised against his strike, the other restrained as he seized her wrist.
Meeting his furious gaze, she blinked, tears glistening in her eyes as she asked with feigned sorrow.
Her words and expression gave him pause. Despite knowing her cunning, the sight of her tears stirred something in him, reminding him of their past interactions.
“Distraction is fatal in battle. I won’t kill you, but I felt your murderous intent clearly. I show no mercy to those who seek my life. The poison now in your veins will weaken you soon enough. If you continue this fight, you’ll only humiliate yourself. Leave. Honglian, see him out.”
Seizing his moment of hesitation, Wanqing drove a needle into his hand. As Leng Mingye recoiled, she kicked him back and stepped away, watching as his face darkened with rage and his hand turned black from the poison.
Her voice was calm as she ordered her maid to escort him out.
(To be continued.)
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