Chapter 118: Poisonous Scheme

Chapter 118: A Venomous Plot

"What idea do you have?" Prince Jing asked with a grim expression.

Shen Qiuyu let out a coquettish laugh. "Your greatest challenge now is your inability to meet Lady Xie. Only by meeting her can the plan proceed, so the most urgent task is to lure her out first."

The Crown Prince had sent the young imperial grandson to the general's residence to learn martial arts, and they both knew what he was really after.

They were already a step behind, so this time, they had to ensure absolute success.

"And then? How do we lure her out?"

Prince Jing was on edge. If a marriage proposal wouldn’t get him kicked out, he wouldn’t have to resort to such underhanded tactics.

"I’ve learned that Lady Xie’s *Su* Embroidery Workshop is about to open soon. She will surely be there that day. If Your Highness has doubts, you could disguise yourself as a major patron. Buy all the embroidery from her shop and request to meet her—she would have no reason to refuse."

With so many embroidery workshops in the capital, it wouldn’t be easy for A Yuan to stand out.

If Prince Jing purchased all the embroidery in her shop, not only would he be giving her business, but it would also be an opportunity for her workshop to quickly gain fame.

As long as A Yuan wasn’t foolish, she wouldn’t refuse.

"Good! We’ll proceed as you say!"

Prince Jing made the decision, and the plan quietly began to unfold.

At the Office of the Capital Administrator, Chang Yuan rushed into Wei Xun’s office with a secret letter in hand.

"My lord, Prince Jing has made his move!"

The people from the Capital Magistrate's office and the Marquis' residence were closely watching him, so as soon as there was news, Chang Yuan knew about it.

Wei Xun took the secret letter, opened it, and read through it, his brow remaining furrowed the whole time.

Prince Jing actually planned to force A Yuan on the day of the embroidery workshop's opening. He had calculated that with the large crowd that day, if anything happened to A Yuan, the gossip alone could destroy her.

"My lord, should you inform Mistress Xie?"

Prince Jing's intentions were vicious, so Mistress Xie should be forewarned.

Wei Xun shook his head. "Not for now."

A Yuan was timid, and knowing would only cause her needless anxiety.

"Have this letter delivered to the General's residence. Young General Xie will know how to stop her."

Though it stung to admit, he had to concede that Xie Zheng held a place in A Yuan's heart that he could never match.

"Yes," Chang Yuan acknowledged the order.

Once the man left, Wei Xun lowered his gaze and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

Prince Jing's scheme was vile this time, but it also showed he was desperate.

Moreover, his repeated attempts to covet A Yuan all had Shen Qiuyu pulling the strings behind the scenes.

A flicker of disgust crossed Wei Xun's eyes. He had once felt a trace of guilt toward Shen Qiuyu, but now it had been worn away by her schemes.

If they wanted to scheme against A Yuan, then they should get a taste of their own medicine.

As his mind raced, Wei Xun had already come up with a plan.

Upon receiving the secret letter, Xie Zheng flew into a rage—Prince Jing’s actions had crossed a line.

His sister wouldn’t endure another slight. For Prince Jing to think he could win him over by targeting his sister was pure wishful thinking!

Xie Zheng sneered, his expression thunderous as he flung the letter into the fire.

“Find a man of similar stature to A Yuan—preferably one from a brothel.”

“…Understood.”

Xie Yi nodded in acknowledgment, his stoic mask slipping for a moment.

He never expected the general’s solution to be like this.

Genius! Pure genius!

On the day of Su Embroidery Workshop’s opening, A Yuan had originally planned to go early in the morning. But an elderly servant from Xie Zheng’s courtyard suddenly informed her that Xie Zheng had gotten food poisoning and was begging for her porridge.

Though the embroidery workshop was important, her brother came first. Naturally, A Yuan wouldn’t refuse.

Front courtyard.

Xie Zheng was sprawled weakly in bed, playing the invalid when A Yuan entered, coughing violently.

“A Yuan, you’re here… *cough*!”

A towering man like Xie Zheng, who could fight through enemy lines even with an arrow lodged in his thigh, found it quite difficult to act frail.

“Brother, have you taken your medicine?”

A Yuan set the porridge beside him, a flicker of doubt in her eyes as she noticed his unusually pale face.

This whiteness… almost like he’d applied too much powder.

“*Cough*!”

Afraid his sister would notice something amiss, Xie Zheng turned away to cough.

The powder on his face had been applied by Xie Yi—two clueless men fumbling through this for the first time, unaware they’d overdone it.

“I… I have.”

He avoided her eyes, guilt written all over him. But since his face was turned away, A Yuan couldn’t see, and he got away with it.

“Good. I made chicken porridge—give it a taste. If it’s not to your liking, I’ll make something else.”

This chicken porridge was a recipe taught to her by their mother. When they were young and too sick to eat, their mother would make them a bowl of it.

The rice, soft and sticky, cooked to perfection, fragrant shredded chicken, garnished with bright green scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil—the smell alone made your mouth water.

In truth, he wasn’t much older than A Yuan. When he first ventured into the military camp alone, he was still a child.

In the barracks, strength ruled. Xie Zheng, the youngest and skinniest, took his fair share of beatings when he first arrived.

Every time he was injured or ill, he craved his mother's chicken congee.

But the slaughter of Xie Village's hundreds, the memory of his parents lying in pools of blood, kept dragging him back to reality.

He no longer had a home.

With his parents brutally killed and his sister abducted, he couldn't drown in sorrow forever—he had to seek vengeance.

From then on, Xie Zheng clawed his way up from being the barracks' weakest soldier to a formidable general, all through sheer blood-and-sweat determination.

Xie Zheng blinked back wetness in his eyes, raising the bowl to mask his glassy eyes.

"It's perfect. It tastes just like Mother’s."

"Then have more, Brother. There’s plenty in the kitchen." A Yuan exhaled in relief.

"Mm." Xie Zheng nodded.

Originally, he had only meant to find an excuse to delay his sister, but after tasting this bowl of chicken congee, a sudden ache gripped his chest.

His sister had suffered so much in the past, and now that she was finally back, he'd still almost let her slip through his fingers.

At the thought of Prince Jing’s intentions, Xie Zheng’s fingers tightened abruptly, nearly shattering the porcelain.

Today, he would make Prince Jing pay!

......

The inauguration of Su Embroidery Workshop pulled in half the capital.

Some were old patrons like Lin Qingshuang, while others sought to curry favor with A Yuan.

Seated in the tavern across the street, Prince Jing watched the comings and goings of guests, his temper fraying.

"Didn’t you say Lady Xie would definitely come today? Where is she?"

Shen Qiuyu was sweating bullets. Prince Jing’s temper had become increasingly erratic lately, and even with the finest medicine to soothe his wounds, she hardly took his lashings anymore.

"Your Highness, please wait a little longer. She should arrive soon."

Xie Yi stood hidden around the corner, keeping tabs on the duo. As the workshop grew busier and Prince Jing’s patience wore thin, he gave the male courtesan beside him a push. "Go."

Dressed in a water-red embroidered jacket and a spiraled updo, the male courtesan bat his eyelashes, giving bedroom eyes, his movements coy and suggestive.

"Must you be so rough, my lord? You’ve hurt me."

Xie Yi recoiled like he'd touched poison, quickly stepping back several paces. Even the hand that had pushed the man now itched for a scrub.

"Hurry up!"

"Hmph! How uncouth!"

With a flick of his sleeve, the male courtesan put extra swing in his hips, making a show of sashaying to the workshop’s back door.