Volume 3, Chapter 397 – She Is Still Pretending

“So, the reason you suddenly applied rouge on me earlier was because of Cheng Yinyin?”

Chi Xiyan furrowed her brow.

However, she could be certain that there had been nothing wrong with the rouge Little Xue’er had applied on her.

An alchemist had to be well versed in medicinal properties, and just as well versed in poisons.

Of course, the reason Chi Xiyan had not recognized the Snow Serpent Silk was also because the thing was not a medicinal material to begin with.

If the rouge truly contained poison, unless the person who formulated it had reached a level of skill in poison craft that was nothing short of divine, there was no way it could have completely escaped Chi Xiyan’s notice.

After all, a minor clan like the Cheng family could not possibly produce something as far beyond Chi Xiyan’s knowledge as an ancient demonic drug.

Suddenly, Chi Xiyan thought of something. She turned her head and looked at Lu Zhuxin with a face full of surprise.

Chi Xiyan, how could you be so foolish. Something this obvious, and only now did you see it.

The reason the rouge showed nothing unusual was because it had already been swapped out by Muxue.

That was why Cheng Yinyin had become so furious.

Thinking of this, Chi Xiyan’s gaze grew somewhat complicated.

Muxue had approached Cheng Yinyin just to deal with her.

The earlier distance between them had also been to earn Cheng Yinyin’s trust.

But… I never needed her to do any of this.

Chi Xiyan could not quite tell what she was feeling inside.

Seeing the rouge box in Lu Zhuxin’s hand, the corner of Cheng Yinyin’s eye twitched violently.

At a time like this, she could not admit to anything, no matter what.

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“Cheng Lixue! How can a person be this shameless!” Cheng Yinyin scolded angrily, “I kindly gave you rouge, gave you a dress, and this is how you treat me!”

“Noble Consort!” Cheng Yinyin turned to Wei Ziqing again. “Cheng Lixue keeps insisting there is something wrong with this rouge. But if there truly were something wrong with it, why is Cheng Lixia perfectly fine?”

Wei Ziqing said nothing. Instead, he looked at Lu Zhuxin.

“Noble Consort.” Lu Zhuxin said, “Since I already knew there was a problem with the rouge, naturally I would not really let my sister use it.”

“As for whether there truly is a problem with this rouge, it will be clear the moment you have someone test it.”

Cheng Yinyin’s eyes lit up, and she immediately spoke up, “Please have someone test it, Noble Consort. Restore this lowly woman’s innocence.”

Wei Ziqing laughed.

It was a laugh born of exasperation.

He had waited so long, wanting to see how this girl would break the deadlock.

He had not expected it to unfold like this in the end.

Cheng Yinyin’s reaction had already said it all. The rouge’s properties needed a special method to activate them. A simple test would find nothing.

Cheng Lixue, are you not playing right into Cheng Yinyin’s hands by doing this?

Thinking of this, Wei Ziqing even began to doubt whether his eye for women had gone wrong.

Was this girl, Cheng Lixue, perhaps really just an ordinary little girl?

Did she really not have that much scheming and cunning in her after all?

No. That was not right.

My eye for women could not possibly be wrong.

This girl was definitely not as simple as she appeared.

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Wei Ziqing narrowed his eyes, staring at Lu Zhuxin.

What if this girl’s scheming ran even deeper than he thought.

Cheng Lixue, was she certain he would be able to find the problem in the rouge for her?

But even if she was certain he had the ability to help her, how could she be so sure he would actually be willing to?

Lu Zhuxin was quite certain that Wei Ziqing would definitely notice something was wrong with the rouge.

This man was a male lead she had personally designed. Lu Zhuxin knew exactly what he was made of, down to the last ounce.

As for whether Wei Ziqing would help her, that answer did not even need any thought at all.

Just now, while Chi Xiyan had been refining pills, Wei Ziqing’s eyes had practically been glued to that pill.

On one side was a young lady from a family with no background whatsoever. On the other was an alchemist capable of refining a Three Pattern Dragon Phoenix Scarlet Sun Pill.

Even a fool could make that choice.

Wei Ziqing beckoned, and an official brought the rouge box in Lu Zhuxin’s hand forward.

Wei Ziqing opened the box. A thick fragrance drifted out, showing nothing unusual.

He turned the box gently in his hands, while his mind spoke to the person in the ring. “Immortal elder sister… what do you think I should do?”

The ring trembled slightly, and a voice came through, “What do you mean, what should you do? What is inside this rouge is clearly a compound poison. It needs a specific flower fragrance to activate its properties.”

“If you do not want to check it yourself, let that little alchemist girl down there check it. The result will come out the same either way.”

The corner of Wei Ziqing’s mouth twitched.

How could he possibly let another involved party investigate it herself.

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Besides, that was not even what he wanted to ask.

“If this really is a question that girl set for me, then it seems I truly have no choice in the matter.”

“This is an open scheme.”

The person in the ring sounded confused, “What?”

Click.

Wei Ziqing gently snapped the rouge box shut in his hand.

“Cheng Yinyin, do you know your crime?”

Cheng Yinyin’s pupils shrank abruptly, and she looked at Wei Ziqing with a face full of terror.

“Noble Consort, what crime has this lowly woman committed?”

“All of this was framed onto this lowly woman by Cheng Lixia and Cheng Lixue!”

“Still trying to talk your way out of it.” Wei Ziqing’s expression turned cold. He slammed the rouge box down hard in front of Cheng Yinyin.

“Did you truly think me so easy to fool?”

Cheng Yinyin’s body trembled violently, cold sweat soaking through the back of her clothes. “This lowly woman… this lowly woman would not dare.”

Wei Ziqing continued, “The Southern Border’s Seven Day Orchid that dissolves Snow Serpent Silk was hidden among the very plants you catalyzed with your spell earlier.”

“Though those plants have already been cleared away, with so many eyes watching here, I can have people bring in illustrated reference books of the Southern Border’s Seven Day Orchid and let everyone identify it for you.”

“By the same reasoning, the other ingredient needed to activate the poison in this rouge was also hidden among those same plants using the same method, was it not?”

“Do you need me to have every one of those plants brought here, one by one, and have them verified for you in front of everyone?”

Hearing this, Cheng Yinyin’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

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She collapsed to the ground, her expression blank, unable to say a word.

It was over. Everything was over.

Mother. Your daughter has done wrong.

That was the only thought left in her mind.

Wei Ziqing waved his hand and said, “Take her down. Once the consort selection concludes, hand her over to His Majesty for judgment.”

Several officials from the Huayue Court stepped forward and led away Cheng Yinyin, her face ashen as death.

Wei Ziqing then looked at Chi Xiyan and Lu Zhuxin.

“As for Cheng Lixia, considering that you had good reason and acted out of urgency to save your sister, I will set aside your offense for now.”

Chi Xiyan bowed slightly. “Thank you, Noble Consort.”

With that, the whole farce was swiftly settled by Wei Ziqing.

He looked over at Lu Zhuxin, who had been hiding beside Chi Xiyan the entire time.

The girl’s face showed little expression, clearly not surprised by how things had been resolved.

Suddenly, the girl seemed to notice Wei Ziqing’s gaze.

She raised her eyes and met his for a moment, a bashful smile on her face.

Then, like a timid little cat, she shrank back a step further behind Chi Xiyan.

Wei Ziqing found himself laughing out of sheer exasperation once more.

Still pretending, are you.