Chapter 394

Xiao Yin was sent back to Rui Wang Fu, and the stream of visitors coming to see him was endless, but Rui Wang Fu's people blocked them outside.

Opinions were divided.

Some said Xiao Yin had been poisoned, and this time the odds were grim.

Others said the poison was administered by Bei Di Princess Yuan Qing.

Before, Xiao Yin and Bei Di were often at war, and every member of Bei Di's royal family had been beaten by Xiao Yin until they lost their teeth; now Princess Yuan Qing seeks revenge on Xiao Yin.

Others thought these rumors were baseless, that Xiao Yin and Princess Yuan Qing were meant to be married in an alliance.

Bei Di now seeks an alliance with Southern Qi to jointly counter the rising Western Rong.

Under these circumstances, how could Princess Yuan Qing poison her future husband?

Moreover, gossip has it that Princess Yuan Qing has always liked Xiao Yin.

On multiple occasions, when the two armies faced off, she expressed her feelings to Xiao Yin, only to be firmly rejected.

If he is the man she favors, how could she poison him? It simply makes no sense.

Emperor Longqing sent Eunuch Wang to inquire almost every day.

He sent Imperial Physician Zhang from the Imperial Medical Institute to personally treat Xiao Yin at Rui Wang Fu.

Strangely, Xiao Yin fell into a coma, yet no cause of poisoning could be found, nor an antidote.

Yet even if he had been poisoned, his condition did not continue to deteriorate.

It was as if he had taken a sedative: he was drowsy, slept for three full days, and showed no sign of waking.

Now Emperor Longqing is somewhat frantic; if Xiao Yin were to die from the poison, that would be one thing.

But instead he ended up in a state of neither dead nor alive, and with Xiao Yin like this he could not marry Princess Yuan Qing to him, leaving him caught between a rock and a hard place.

For several days straight, no news came from Rui Wang Fu that Xiao Yin had died of poison.

Given this, the Imperial Secret Guard could not keep detaining Princess Yuan Qing at Bei Di Yi Guan indefinitely.

Finally, Princess Yuan Qing left Bei Di Yi Guan and rode straight to Rui Wang Fu in a carriage.

He got out of the carriage and walked up to the steps of Rui Wang Fu's gate, while the guards beside Princess Yuan Qing stepped forward and pounded hard on the door.

A servant of Rui Wang Fu hurriedly opened the door; before he could speak, Princess Yuan Qing walked straight into the courtyard.

Rui Wang Fu's steward hurried out and stepped in front of Princess Yuan Qing.

Before he could speak, Princess Yuan Qing shoved him aside roughly.

"Get out of my way! Where is your lord? I demand to see your lord!"

The more Princess Yuan Qing thought about it, the more she felt something was off; she herself knew best whether she had administered the poison.

She herself poured the wine, even drank from the same jug all night; how could she have poisoned it?

These three days she was nearly sick with worry, anxiously awaiting news of Xiao Yin, only to find him alive and well, merely asleep.

At this, Princess Yuan Qing suddenly realized.

Last time she came to Shang Jing in Southern Qi, that wretch Gu Jiu Ling gave her a thorough beating, and now she harbors some apprehension toward Prince Rui as well.

Now, pondering carefully, her scalp tingled—could this not be another of Xiao Yin's schemes?

Whether this man lives or dies, she must see him.

Unwilling to let her sent agents' inquiries be blocked outside Wangfu by Rui Wang Fu's people, she could no longer sit still; waiting for the Southern Qi secret guards to relax their surveillance, she burst out of Bei Di Yi Guan and headed toward Rui Wang Fu.

How could the steward stop the arrogant and domineering Princess Yuan Qing? She shoved him, causing him to stagger.

Suddenly a group of sturdy-clad men appeared before them; at a glance their insignia marked them as different from ordinary Wangfu guards.

At their head was Ling Feng, Xiao Yin's chief personal guard.

Ling Feng's sword flashed from its sheath, blocking Princess Yuan Qing's path.

"Your Highness, please halt; my lord is in the inner courtyard detoxifying and recuperating, and Imperial Physician Zhang says he must not be disturbed, lest it endanger his health; please withdraw, Princess."

Princess Yuan Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and she gave a cold smile.

"What is there to avoid? I am an old acquaintance of your lord, formerly a friend; I wish to see him, and I have brought many medicinal herbs, a large portion of them local remedies that might help him."

Standing before her was Xiao Yin's most capable aide.

Princess Yuan Qing ought to give him some face and avoid violence, but Ling Feng would not budge, standing firmly in her way with no intention to yield.

Princess Yuanqing's face darkened slightly; she abruptly drew her whip, pointing the handle at Ling Feng before her.

This princess speaking kindly to you is because I think highly of you; get lost, I want to see the Prince.

Sorry, the Prince's safety comes above all; no one is allowed to approach.

Even the Emperor of Southern Qi now pities his own brother, preferring not to disturb the scene, so he only sent an imperial physician to have a look.

Your Highness…… just what sort of person are you?

You…… what do you mean?

Princess Yuanqing's face darkened slightly; she hadn't expected Xiao Yin's guard to have such a foul temper, and her expression shifted dramatically, somewhat beyond her control.

Ling Feng stared at her without yielding, slightly turning his sword hilt; the blade flashed out, and looking at Princess Yuanqing before him, he said, 'Let me say something unpleasant.'

This time, my Prince's major mishap is inseparable from you, Princess Yuanqing.

It was you, Princess Yuanqing, who toasted my Prince, causing his death by poison.

You, Princess Yuanqing, know best what poison my Prince was given; now you're being so pushy, do you really want to come here and kill him again yourself?

Although our Prince Rui's residence has declined to this state, we will certainly protect the Prince fully; Your Highness, if you can withstand this move, please draw your sword.

The atmosphere instantly grew solemn; Princess Yuanqing also hadn't expected Xiao Yin's entourage to be in a desperate stance.

He is capable of serving as a female general of Bei Di; his martial skill is indeed not bad, but Ling Feng's martial skill is almost second only to Xiao Yin's.

Back then, that was a heaven-defying existence; her measly three-legged cat kung fu is nowhere near enough to look at in front of Xiao Yin.

Even if they fought with real weapons, she might not necessarily win; moreover, this is in Southern Qi, not her homeland.

She also cannot mobilize troops to level this mansion, and also wants to capture Xiao Yin to question him clearly; it's quite obvious.

Now Xiao Yin splashed a bucket of dirty water on him, leaving him unable to defend himself no matter how many mouths he had.

If anything goes wrong now in her dispute with the people around Xiao Yin, her royal older brother could scold her to death.

Thinking of this, she coldly stared at Ling Feng before her: "Fine, fine, I'll wait for you."

"However, I can clearly tell you that the one who killed your master is not me; you had better deal with it yourselves, and don't frame an innocent person."

Princess Yuan Qing. At this moment there really is no way to break into Xiao Yin's residence.

She turned and left through the east gate, her face showing a hint of anxiety and worry, along with a strong killing intent.

Originally she could have married Xiao Yin; even if Xiao Yin was unwilling to take her, under pressure from the royalty of the two states, Xiao Yin had no choice but to take her as his wife into the Wangfu.

When she first heard this news from her own royal older brother, she was overjoyed beyond expectation, never imagining that Emperor Longqing would actually decide to grant her marriage to Xiao Yin.