Chapter 173: Self-Destruction

Chapter 173: Self-Destruction

Upon entering the main house, Xiachan lit the candlestick and first checked the wooden rack by the dressing table, whispering, "This set hanging here is already prepared for the princess to wear tomorrow."

Sujin discreetly withdrew her gaze that had been surveying the surroundings and glanced at the light purple brocade dress on the rack, asking, "Shall I take this set then?"

"Yes, take it. I'll go with you, and we need to bring the princess's jewelry as well."

Xiachan nodded, took the key from around her neck, unlocked the jewelry box, and took out several velvet flowers, a pair of jade bracelets, and a necklace. Princess Huaiqing, just over ten years old, didn't need such extravagant jewelry yet.

By then, Sujin had also taken the brocade dress, and the two, accompanied by a maid who hurried over from the cloakroom, headed to the Second Princess's courtyard.

Upon arrival, Xiachan courteously said, "Thank you for your concern, Yishunyi. You should head back now, it's getting late."

Su Jin exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking the young maid back to Yi Shun Yi’s courtyard.

She asked in a low voice, "How did it go?"

The young maid also replied quietly, "Sister Su Jin, I checked, and everyone matched up. There were no strangers."

"None?"

Frowning, Su Jin asked further, "Did you check the rest of the courtyard?"

"After you left, I sneaked around and checked. There really was no one else."

Su Jin responded, "Alright, you can go and rest."

Su Jin entered the room and repeated the young maid's words to Yi Shun Yi, then softly added, "I also checked the main house. All the possible hiding places were quietly inspected, and indeed, there was no one else."

Yi Shun Yi, still combing her hair in front of the mirror, furrowed her brows, "No one?"

She muttered to herself, "We're leaving tomorrow. Did I guess wrong? Is Princess Huai Qing not planning to help her? Or is it that..."

Suddenly, Yi Shun Yi asked, "Has His Majesty been settled?"

Su Jin promptly replied, "The banquet ended a while ago; he should have been settled by now."

Yi Shun Yi relaxed her brows, threw the comb on the dressing table, and stood up, "Let's rest as well."

"My lady?" Su Jin was puzzled, "If the Countess of Gui Ren indeed harbors such intentions, she might try to sneak into His Majesty's quarters tonight. Are you... going to rest now?"

Yi Shun Yi, aware of her maid's concerns, explained with a smile, "His Majesty is heavily guarded; it’s not easy to approach him. I thought Princess Huai Qing might provide an opportunity, but as you saw, she has no intention to assist."

Su Jin understood and, after helping Yi Shun Yi to bed, refrained from further conversation.

In the adjacent Second Princess’s quarters, Xia Chan and the other night-serving maids lingered in the smaller room, not hurrying to attend to Princess Huai Qing.

Gazing at the dim moonlight through the window, Xia Chan suddenly remembered how the deposed Queen Wang had made a fateful decision under the moonlight that led to her family’s downfall. And it was on that night that Xia Chan herself harbored thoughts of betrayal.

"Princess," she silently said, "forgive me for not heeding your words."

"I know you made your decision after much deliberation. Tomorrow morning, when you and the Second Princess fall ill, His Majesty will surely visit and delay in Xiu Rong County for a few more days. That will give the Countess of Gui Ren, hidden in your quarters, a better chance."

"She sneaked in on her own, coinciding with your illness. Everyone will be too busy caring for you to notice her, making it plausible. Even if His Majesty doesn’t favor the Countess, it won’t affect you."

"After all, it's just a coincidence that you fell ill, along with the Second Princess, providing the Countess with an opportunity."

"But I know too well, if you do this, even without any evidence, your father-daughter relationship with His Majesty can never return to what it once was. Regardless of His Majesty's attitude towards the Countess, as a princess, you shouldn’t and can't meddle in His Majesty's harem matters."

"His Majesty is your ultimate and most powerful support. I can’t watch you make a mistake."

Xia Chan exhaled softly, stood up with the bedding, nodded to the Second Princess’s night-serving maids, and quietly entered the main room. She covered the princesses with the kicked-aside blankets, lowered the bed curtains, and gently lit a dim candle.

Soon, the soft breathing of Princess Huai Qing indicated she had fallen asleep.

Xia Chan lay down quietly by the foot of the bed, alert to any movement from the Second Princess, while thinking, "Princess, I’ve driven her out of the courtyard and instructed the eunuch to guard the door but didn’t inform Eunuch An Jing. This is her last chance before we set off tomorrow. Whether she succeeds depends on her. If not, it won’t implicate you."

*

Song Ran, dressed as a maid, clung to the shadows along the wall and took a deep breath.

Princess Huai Qing was willing to give her a chance, but it was disrupted by Xia Chan!

However, getting angry now was pointless; she needed to focus on her next steps.

Initially, she intended to remain passive, confident that her favored status with the Empress Dowager and the deposed Queen Wang, along with skills she secretly learned over the years, would captivate the Emperor with her appearance.

But she had miscalculated the Emperor's character. He was not like the men she had encountered, easily swayed by charm.

What could she do now?

The Emperor intended to let her "die young." Rather than waiting to die in the mansion, she chose to risk everything. Having escaped the Song residence, she knew she wouldn’t get far on her own. With Princess Huai Qing unable to help, she had to rely on herself, discarding her earlier gradual approach.

Song Ran pulled out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve, gripping it tightly. If being passive wouldn’t work, she’d take the initiative.

It was impossible to have the Emperor ingest the love potion, as his food was meticulously inspected. Sneaking close to him would be challenging with his protection. But if she took the potion herself, her face, combined with the drug's effects, would make it hard for the Emperor to turn her away.

His reluctance would be her opportunity.

Resolute, Song Ran continued along the wall, remembering Princess Huai Qing’s directions to the Emperor’s quarters.

As expected, after consuming the love potion, her cheeks flushed, and she headed straight for the Emperor’s room, unobstructed by guards or servants.

She heard noises around her, but the tall figure in her blurred vision drew nearer.

Finally, she saw the Emperor's dark robe, his sharp brows and eyes, and—

—and the jade-decorated sword hanging from his waist, engraved with a dragon pattern.

The intense pain in her chest abruptly brought her back to reality. She looked down at the sword blade piercing through her, then slowly raised her head. Words failed her, but her gaze shifted from the Emperor’s calm face to the wide-open door behind him, finally resting on the desk by the window.

Her breathing was rapid, and her vision should have been blurred, yet it was unnaturally clear, clear enough for her to distinctly see the chiwen candleholder with a silk-shaded lamp, the well-worn writing brush on the rack, the opened envelope, and the half-written reply…

A reply…

The Emperor was writing a letter…

The sword was withdrawn from her chest, and as blood gushed out, her vision finally blurred.

She was dead.