Chapter 32: with translation of chapter title

The next evening, Yangzheng Pavilion was lit up for the first time, the gates thrown open, the guards armed and armored, securing inside and out tightly.

As Xiao Yuanhua stepped in, he felt something off; his steps hesitated, he paused, turned his head intending to leave, but Xiao Er appeared before him, blocking his way: "Second Lord, please."

Xiao Yuanhua gave an embarrassed smile: "All right, all right."

Following Xiao Er, he unexpectedly discovered that instead of heading to the inner chambers as usual, he had come to the main hall.

"Second Lord, please sit." Xiao Yuanhua nodded, sat down nervously, his heart pounding: "How did I end up here?"

Xiao Er brought hot tea, courteously: "Second Lord, please calm yourself, have some tea."

Xiao Yuanhua, helpless, could only sit down and drink tea honestly, his unease growing.

Could it be that the prince knows something? But the medicine is still in my hand, he hasn't taken it, what can he do to me? Steady, steady, probably nothing's happened; it's just the Princess Consort bluffing, trying to scare me.

Thinking this, he sat up straight, putting on a calm, composed appearance.

After a while, Guo Taiyi followed behind Cheng Ru'an as they emerged from the inner chambers.

The Princess Consort sat at the head: "Master Guo, please sit; though it's late, you've come to the Prince's Mansion, thank you for your trouble."

Guo Taiyi hastily bowed: "It's my duty, Princess Consort, no need for courtesy."

Cheng Ru'an looked at Xiao Yuanhua: "Second Lord, please produce the medicine for Master Guo to examine."

Xiao Yuanhua felt relieved; indeed he hadn't guessed wrong—this Princess Consort just likes to put on the airs of the Prince's Mansion's main consort; it seems Qingyan has often suffered at her hands.

He produced the white jade bottle, holding it with both hands, and carefully handed it to Guo Taiyi: "Master Guo, please hold it well; this is the only one in the world, extremely precious."

Guo Taiyi steadily took it, opened the porcelain bottle, and poured the pill into his palm.

After examining it closely, he said: "Bring a bowl of clear water."

The servant immediately brought a bowl of clear water and placed it on the table beside him.

Without hesitation, he placed the pill into the clear water.

Xiao Yuanhua sprang to his feet: "Guo Taiyi, you!"

Guo Taiyi ignored him, continuing to watch the pill in the water, seeing its outer coating gradually soak through and crack slightly.

He produced a small copper bell from his bosom, placed it on the bowl's rim, and began to shake it gently.

Xiao Yuanhua's face filled with doubt: "What is this old man doing? Has he gone mad? Shaking a bell over a bowl of water?"

After a moment, Guo Taiyi said: "Please look, both of you."

As the bell rang continuously, a thin black shadow gradually emerged from the pill, identical to the one that had crawled out of Xiao Yuanhang's hand last time, only thicker, darker, and more terrifying.

The black shadow crawled out of the pill's crack, freed from its restraint, rolling and twisting in the water, its ends constantly opening and closing as if straining to tear and bite.

Xiao Yuanhua's face drained of color, his thoughts racing, he fell to his knees with a thud: "Princess Consort! It turns out I was deceived by a villain! Thanks to Master Guo's superb medical skill, he saw through the deceit, preventing a grave mistake."

"I'll go now, capture that villain, and hand him over to the Princess Consort for judgment!"

Cheng Ru'an ignored him, saying to Guo Taiyi: "Thank you for your trouble, Master Guo; since it's late, please stay overnight in a guest room of the mansion and return tomorrow. Someone, escort Master Guo to the side wing."

"Thank you, Princess Consort." Guo Taiyi bowed: "I am fortunate to have studied this path and solved this medicine, all thanks to the little miss's treasure; please, Princess Consort, return it to the little miss. I take my leave." Having said that, he set the bell on the table and departed.

Cheng Ru'an gazed at the bell, thinking of his daughter; his heart warmed. Without Tuan Tuan, this tangled mess in the mansion would truly have no hope of resolution.

After Guo Taiyi left, Cheng Ru'an glanced at Xiao Yuanhua: "Xiao Er."

Xiao Er stepped forward: "Second Lord, I personally saw that this pill was given to you by the concubine the day before yesterday when she visited your residence."

Xiao Yuanhua's face turned ashen, realizing the matter was completely exposed; at this point he no longer cared about Qingyan's life or death, only saving his own life mattered: "Princess Consort! It was she who seduced me! She lured me into offering this medicine to the prince!"

She claimed it was given to her by an old servant of the Fang household, and she bewitched me with her beauty so I would obey her; it wasn't that I sought it out to harm the prince intentionally! Princess Consort, if you don't believe me, let her come and confront me face to face!

I didn't mean to harm the elder brother! Princess Consort!

If you hadn't long coveted the Prince's Mansion and sought to replace me, the elder brother, how could she have colluded with you? Xiao Yuanhang entered.

Seeing his sturdy build, ruddy complexion, and steady steps, Xiao Yuanhua understood completely: he had indeed fully recovered.

To plot against the elder brother, to scheme for power—what a grave crime; if Xiao Yuanhang handed me over to the authorities for legal punishment, what awaited me would be death by a thousand cuts.

He crawled and scrambled over, clutching Xiao Yuanhang's legs: "Elder brother! I was wrong; considering our blood ties and brotherhood, elder brother, please spare me."

"What do you say?" Xiao Yuanhang sat steadily, then asked Fang Qingyan, who had just been brought in by servants.

Fang Qingyan had heard every word of Xiao Yuanhua's earlier remarks from the doorway.

Her face turned ashen as she looked down on Xiao Yuanhua: "You spineless, vulgar wretch! You're base and shameless, greedy for power, begging me to help you, and now that the plot's exposed you dump everything on me!"

Xiao Yuanhua didn't look at her, only clung desperately to Xiao Yuanhang's legs, pleading: "Elder brother! Don't believe her! It was she! She herself seduced me into this! Please spare me, your younger brother!"

Xiao Yuanhang waved his hand; Xiao Er withdrew, and moments later a man was dragged in—Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan's attire was in disarray, his body covered in wounds, his face streaked with blood.

Fang Qingyan's breath caught, her heart sinking to the depths.

Xiao Er threw Jiang Yuan to the ground: "Speak! Repeat everything you confessed today!"

Jiang Yuan slowly lifted his head, glanced around; his gaze lingered on Fang Qingyan's face for a moment before averting.

Xiao Er had subjected him to a day of torture; now his whole body burned with pain, his courage long shattered.

He kowtowed continuously on the ground, spilling everything: "I, I am the concubine's maternal cousin; we grew up together. She, after marrying into the Prince's Mansion, often said she ought to have been the principal wife, yet now she is merely a concubine, inferior to others."

Therefore, she, she seduced me into an illicit affair, urging me to obtain poison to secretly harm the prince.

She promised me, saying that once the prince died, the Second Lord would inherit the mansion, then she would deal with him in the same way, and then, then she would let me, let me take over the Prince's Mansion's merchant house.

From then on, I would manage the merchant house, she would hold sway over the inner quarters, and the Prince's Mansion's wealth and status would all belong to her.

I, too, could come and go freely in the Prince's Mansion, openly with her, sharing bed and nest.

Prince! Please consider—if she hadn't told me, how would I know anything about the Prince's Mansion!

Prince! I was merely lured and deceived by her, and she threatened me with the daughter she bore me, held in her hands, so I had no choice but to obey!

At this point Jiang Yuan had given up; whether he fled or not, he was doomed, so the more he blamed Fang Qingyan, the lighter his own guilt—money, status, women meant nothing compared to his life.

He suddenly pointed at Fang Qingyan: "It's her! She plotted everything! Prince! She is a concubine of the Prince's Mansion, I am merely a commoner—how could I defy her? I only followed orders, Prince!"

I beg the Prince to see clearly! I beg the Prince to spare my life!