Chapter 413: with translation of chapter title

Cheng Ming gave Lin Ru Jun, who stood frozen to the side, a cold glance; though he was clearly worried to death inside, his face was full of mockery.

Cheng Ming slowly walked toward Lin Ru Jun, but as he passed her he muttered a curse.

「Stupid! 」

Lin Ru Jun instantly bristled; the goodwill she had just felt toward him vanished in an instant. She was about to curse him, but Cheng Ming completely ignored her, striding past her to stand before the maid.

「How dare you be so rude! 」 Princess Yuan Qing flew into a rage.

Everyone thought she was easy to bully, but before she could finish speaking, Cheng Ming bent over and hauled up the maid who had collapsed sitting on the ground.

The maid, frightened, let out a sharp scream, but Cheng Ming gripped her wrist tightly.

This arm had already been pierced by an arrow from Cheng Ming; this pull and yank made blood pour out, hurting her so much she nearly fainted.

Cheng Ming showed no pity, coldly staring at the Bei Di maid, raising her hand high and then pulling a blade fragment from between her fingers.

This blade fragment was a willow-leaf dagger, a specialty of Bei Di.

Thin as a cicada's wing, it is a deadly weapon hidden in the finger gaps, impossible to detect.

This time the willow-leaf dagger had been soaked in the Bei Di maid's own blood and was now held by Cheng Ming; everyone could see it clearly.

Gasps rang out all around; fortunately, Young Lord Cheng arrived in time to put an end to the farce.

If left to develop, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This wasn't a slap; it was clearly meant to slash Lin Ru Jun's face with a knife, ruining her appearance.

How could her heart be so vicious?

A Bei Di princess dares to behave so arrogantly on Southern Qi soil, her insolence knows no bounds.

Everyone's gaze toward Princess Yuan Qing turned icy; for the first time, the noble ladies of Southern Qi united against a common enemy.

At this moment, no one cared about rank or propriety; they all began to blame Princess Yuan Qing.

It wasn't just one person offending her now, but a crowd; they wished to beat her to vent their anger.

Princess Fu Qing's expression also turned cold; she stared coldly at the visibly flustered Princess Yuan Qing.

「Your Highness, the eldest Miss Lin misspoke; offending the hierarchy was her fault, a light punishment would suffice. 」

「What does this mean now? 」

Princess Fu Qing rarely lost her temper, but this time she exuded an unfamiliar, austere aura.

Even the arrogant Princess Yuan Qing felt a twinge of apprehension when facing Princess Fu Qing like this.

But she had always been domineering and never thought it was her fault.

She sneered, 「My maid's lack of manners is not for you Southern Qi people to discipline. 」

「Seize her! Take her away! 」

Princess Yuan Qing realized that staying longer would bring no good; she had intended to give Lin Ru Jun, a close friend of Gu Jiu Ling, a lesson, but never expected that Cheng Ming would appear midway.

If she stayed longer, she would only be boring herself.

Following Princess Yuan Qing's order, two Bei Di guards lifted the maid, already soaked in blood and unconscious from pain, and dragged her aside.

Cheng Ming's eyes flickered as he watched Princess Yuan Qing walk toward the flower hall doorway, and he called out loudly, 「Someday we'll meet on the battlefield; although I never strike women, you'd better watch yourself, Young Master. 」

「Unless Bei Di never sets foot in Southern Qi, I will twist off the heads of your Bei Di people! 」

Princess Yuan Qing halted her steps, turned, and fixed a fierce stare on Young Lord Cheng Ming, who appeared even more arrogant than she.

「What a big mouth! We'll see about that! Humph! 」

Princess Yuan Qing turned and left, her retreating figure looking somewhat flustered.

What should have been a splendid flower-viewing banquet was ruined by this disturbance, leaving everyone bored.

Everyone had to disperse and head home; Cheng Ming, with his guards, walked out from the woods along the path, not expecting to see Lin Ru Jun waiting at the intersection.

Cheng Ming glanced left and right, and his attendants fled without a trace.

Cheng Ming unconsciously adjusted his cuffs, collar, tugged at his front, and even raised a hand to straighten the black jade crown on his head.

Only then did he walk toward Lin Ru Jun, who was leaning against a tree in a daze, lost in thought, unaware of his approach.

Cheng Ming had to cough; Lin Ru Jun jumped, quickly turned, and looked at him.

A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she composed herself and walked toward Cheng Ming.

Cheng Ming stopped, his expression showing a hint of indifference.

He gave a cold chuckle: 「What, are you waiting for me, Young Master? 」

「Actually, you don't need to thank me; just keep your wits about you from now on. 」

「A perfectly fine young woman, yet you lack sense, causing you to suffer treachery everywhere—how will you ever get by? 」

Lin Ru Jun truly felt grateful to Cheng Ming; she never imagined that the vile Princess Yuan Qing would harbor such malicious intent.

She had merely offended her with words, yet the princess immediately ruined her appearance.

She had wanted to thank Cheng Ming, but as soon as he spoke, she no longer felt like thanking him.

Lin Ru Jun couldn't help but coldly laugh at his mouth: 「Thanks for the reminder, Young Master; I'm just a clumsy, ignorant rustic, nowhere near as refined as those lovely ladies, so I naturally wouldn't catch your eye. 」

「Still, I should thank you; earlier I sewed a sachet containing a hundred-poison pill, which wards off evil and detoxifies—a gift from the late Princess Consort of Rui. 」

「Take it if you want; if not, toss it—up to you. 」 Lin Ru Jun produced the sachet from her sleeve, threw it into Cheng Ming's hand, and then strode away.

Her steps gave the impression of a hasty retreat.

Cheng Ming stared blankly at the sachet, snorted coldly, and muttered, 「What a ugly little sachet, stitched so poorly! 」

He paused, then added, 「It's just too ugly. 」

Young Lord Cheng, while cursing the ugliness, carefully tucked the sachet into his bosom, pressing it down lest he lose that ugly thing.

Not far from the woods stood an ordinary carriage, its curtain half-open.

Xiao Wei, sitting in the carriage, witnessed the scene at the forest entrance; beside him, Duan Yun chuckled softly, 「Who would have thought Cheng Ming is also a lovestruck fool who can't walk away when he sees a lady—I thought he was different. 」

「Though this kid has risen quickly in the military, …」

Duan Yun's expression grew a bit hesitant: "This person has a very close relationship with Xiao Yin; if the two of them join forces, the Duan family army will be in trouble."

"Now we just need to see whether Xiao Wei is truly poisoned or merely acting; logically, the Imperial Physician Zhang in the palace is one of ours, so there shouldn't be any mistake."

"But I don't know if there's any way to test it."

Duan Yun muttered to himself, Xiao Wei's eyes flickered, his gaze locked onto Cheng Ming not far away, still immersed in joy, and he let out a soft laugh.

"There is actually a method."