Xie Jing impatiently sheathed his sword, his refined face showing clear displeasure at having been disturbed.
He returned the longsword to its scabbard and tossed it onto the stone table, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Gu Zhizhuo’s veiled face.
Just earlier, Imperial Physician Liu had reported that the medicine had been applied to her, and within three days, even a god couldn’t save her.
Xie Jing curled his thin lips and condescended to ask, “Your face—it’s alright now?”
“Imperial Physician Liu has taken a look,” Gu Zhizhuo said as she took out a fine, sky-blue porcelain medicine jar. “He said…this was from you.”
Xie Jing nodded: “Yes.”
“What is this?”
Xie Jing replied casually, “The finest healing ointment in the palace—called All-Healing Treasure Ointment. It’s worth a fortune and hard to come by.”
She pressured further, “Is it really that good?”
Xie Jing nodded again, swearing confidently, “Of course. Even if your flesh is torn or your head is bleeding, using it will stop the bleeding instantly. It not only heals wounds; it can save lives! If you don’t want to leave a scar, just follow Imperial Physician Liu’s instructions and apply it daily.”
“I’ll remember that.” Gu Zhizhuo put the medicine jar away and said with a smile, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
She gave a slight curtsy, then pulled Xie Danling to sit down with her, clapping her hands in praise: “This dance was good, and Sixth Young Master Zhou’s flute playing was equally fine—neither too fierce nor too cold, melodious like the wind, elegant like ink.”
Sixth Young Master Zhou held his flute and gave an awkward smile.
Xie Danling asked the palace attendant to bring a cup of fruit drink, leaned against the beauty, and smiled lazily, “Cousin’s right. I think it was quite interesting.”
“This is Miss Ji, right? Come on, dance for this princess again.”
Xie Danling said teasingly, “Let me see how it compares to that new Flying Catkins Dance from the Imperial Music Bureau.”
Dancing with the sword to music was originally a most elegant affair.
But from Xie Danling’s mouth, it made Ji Nanke sound like a mere courtesan dancer.
Ji Nanke’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She understood clearly that Xie Danling was belittling her for someone else’s sake and sighed inwardly.
Whether it was Cousin Zhuo or the Fifth Princess, they were no different from ordinary women in the world—only knowing how to make things difficult for other women, getting petty and jealous over their own little patch of ground.
The vein on Xie Jing’s forehead bulged, and he scolded displeasedly, “Danling, mind your words!”
“You, a dignified princess, speaking so rudely to a court official’s daughter—shouldn’t you apologize to Miss Ji?”
“Court official’s daughter?” Xie Danling sipped her fruit drink and replied contemptuously, “Isn’t her dear father just a juzi[mfn]举子 (jǔzǐ) refers to a candidate who has passed the imperial examination at the provincial level in ancient China.[/mfn]? Since when did mere juzi count as important officials of the country?”
“Or perhaps, just because an orphaned girl lives in the Duke Zhenguo’s manor, she now thinks of herself as the daughter of the Duke Zhenguo’s manor?”
“Even palace maids and eunuchs live in the palace—they don’t think they’re masters.”
Ji Nanke’s pupils suddenly contracted.
She was always proud and lofty; how could she tolerate such sarcasm?
Suddenly she smiled. Before Xie Jing could speak to defend her, she said coolly, “This sword dance always feels a bit lacking when performed alone. I wonder if the Fifth Princess would do me the honor…”
She held her sword and made an inviting gesture toward Xie Danling.
Xie Danling raised an eyebrow.
She stared at Ji Nanke’s fair and delicate face, thinking of her little cousin’s red and swollen cheek; her anger flared up.
Obviously, that pot’s arrow was aimed at Ji Nanke.
Obviously, it shouldn’t have been Yaoyao who got hurt!
Xie Danling downed the fruit drink in one gulp and was about to pick up the sword to challenge when Gu Zhizhuo gently squeezed her hand.
The two cousins had played together since they were little and shared a silent understanding. Xie Danling pursed her lips and swallowed back her words.
“If Cousin Danling wants to see a sword dance, just watch me!”
Gu Zhizhuo smiled softly, stood up, and picked up the gem- and jade-inlaid longsword from the stone table.
The sword left its sheath, and Gu Zhizhuo ran her fingers lightly along the blade.
This sword hadn’t been sharpened yet.
She twirled it into a beautiful sword flower and smiled lightly: “Cousin Ke, please!”
Sixth Young Master Zhou glanced hesitantly at Xie Jing, and seeing him give a nod, he raised the jade flute to his lips.
As the music began, Ji Nanke raised her sword—each move like a wave of flowing sleeves, every gesture innately graceful and alluring.
Swordplay[mfn]舞剑 (wǔ jiàn) means to perform a sword dance or to wield a sword in a dance-like way.
舞剑 = To Perform a Sword Dance (verb phrase)
Focuses on the action of dancing with a sword.[/mfn]—she knew well.
As for sword dance[mfn]剑舞 (jiàn wǔ) refers to a sword dance — a graceful and artistic performance that combines swordplay with dance-like movements.
剑舞 = Sword Dance (noun)
Refers to the performance itself — a sword dance.[/mfn]— never learned it!
Her momentum was fierce, and within just a few moves, she disrupted Ji Nanke’s dance steps and rhythm. The sound of two swords clashing rang out again and again, startling the flute into constant pause. Sixth Young Master Zhou was sweating profusely, nearly forgetting what tune he was supposed to be playing next.
Xie Jing’s brows furrowed deeply, his face displeased.
Gu Zhizhuo dared to bully Ke’er like this right in front of him, which showed how difficult Ke’er’s life was in the Duke Zhenguo’s manor.
The flute faltered once more as Gu Zhizhuo knocked the sword out of Ji Nanke’s hand. The sword’s tip vibrated with ‘buzzing,’ and the sharp force of the sword brought her an overwhelming pressure.
Ji Nanke’s eyes dimmed slightly, and her steps grew light as she gracefully retreated.
Her figure remained light and graceful.
Gu Zhizhou’s gaze fixed on the red lacquered railing behind Ji Nanke, her eyes darkening.
In her previous life, to save himself, Sixth Young Master Zhou had revealed everything he knew without holding back.
By then, Ji Nanke had already become the Crown Princess of Da Qi. Sixth Young Master Zhou had said, “After the Fifth Princess provoked the Crown Princess, the Crown Princess was magnanimous and didn’t get angry. She even took the initiative to invite her to dance. The Fifth Princess agreed. Maybe the Fifth Princess was in a bad mood—every strike of her sword aimed for the Crown Princess’s face. Later, the Crown Princess was forced into the railing, and who would’ve thought that the railing suddenly broke?”
“The Crown Princess was about to fall, but fortunately the Crown Prince grabbed her in time. In a rage, he turned around and pushed the Fifth Princess down instead.”
Amid the sound of the flute, Gu Zhizhuo pointed her sword’s tip from a distance. Ji Nanke first grabbed the railing beside her and then thrust her delicate body backward.
With a faint, almost inaudible ‘crack,’ the railing snapped.
“Ke’er!”
Xie Jing rushed over in panic and grabbed Ji Nanke tightly.
Ji Nanke clutched his lapels, her beautiful face filled with lingering fear.
Xie Jing was still reeling from fear, enraged at Gu Zhizhuo—the culprit behind all this. Without thinking, he reached out to grab Gu Zhizhuo beside him, wanting her to experience the same fright Ke’er had just endured.
Gu Zhizhuo had been waiting for this, and she calmly stepped half a pace back, so Xie Jing’s grasp caught nothing.
His movement was too sudden, and the force hadn’t yet dissipated, causing his body to fall involuntarily toward the broken railing.
The corner of Gu Zhizhuo’s lips curved slightly as she raised her hand and gave Xie Jing’s back a gentle push.
Xie Jing’s footing was still unsteady, and with that push, he completely lost his balance and fell straight out of the pavilion.
The veil concealed the smile at the corners of Gu Zhizhuo’s lips as she watched Xie Jing fall face-first to the ground with a heavy thud. In an instant, blood splattered in tiny bursts around him.
All of it happened in just a few breaths.
Gu Zhizhuo used her body to block the others’ line of sight, so no one saw clearly how he had fallen.
“Your Highness!”
She feigned panic and cried out, “Even if you were trying to save someone, you shouldn’t have disregarded your own safety!”
The stunned crowd finally snapped out of it.
One by one, their faces turned pale—some cried out “Your Highness,” some stood frozen in fear, and some quickly scrambled over the pavilion’s railing, rushing to Xie Jing’s side.
“You…”
Ji Nanke’s face was full of shock. She stared hard at Gu Zhizhuo and blurted out, “What did you do?”
“Miss Ji,” Xie Danling scoffed coldly, “Everyone saw it. My Third Prince Brother fell trying to save you. What, now you want to shift the blame?”
Ji Nanke was confused and in doubt. She had only seen Xie Jing trying to grab Gu Zhizhuo but missed.
“Yaoyao, let’s go see the…” The word “spectacle” nearly came out of Xie Danling’s mouth before she changed it to “…Third Prince Brother! Third Prince Brother fell like that—I’m truly, truly worried sick.”
She lifted her sleeve to cover her face and pretended to sob.
Gu Zhizhuo casually tossed the sword onto the stone table and followed Xie Danling out of the pavilion with light steps.
Xie Danling faced and made eyes at Gu Zhizhuo: You push him?
Gu Zhizhuo caressed the loose strands at her temple and bent her index finger twice.
Xie Danling’s phoenix eyes lit up, and she quickly lowered her head to hide the smile on her lips.
Xie Jing struggled to sit up.
The pavilion wasn’t high, but when he fell, his head and face struck a stone. The surface of the stone was sharp; it tore a long, deep gash on his forehead, and blood now seeped out through his fingers.
He felt pain all over his body every time he moved, and he couldn’t stand up at all.
His personal attendant, Xiao Yunzi, had never witnessed such a scene before. Terrified, he flailed in panic—sending people to fetch the imperial physician, another for a soft sedan chair, running around everywhere.
Gu Zhizhuo walked over slowly, looking down at his blood-covered face from above, very satisfied.
Though satisfied in her heart, she didn’t forget concern with her words: “Your Highness, you’re seriously injured.”
Xie Jing’s expression suddenly changed.
Just a moment ago, he had clearly almost regained his balance, but someone had pushed him!
“It was you…”
The accusatory words hadn’t even left his mouth when he saw Gu Zhizhuo reach into her sleeve and pull out the sky-blue porcelain medicine jar.
She said with relief, “Thank goodness, I still have the medicine here. You can apply some for now.”
Xie Jing’s breath suddenly filled the whole room.
Gu Zhizhuo stepped forward, her graceful figure casting a shadow over him. He heard her say, “This All-Healing Treasure Ointment is worth a fortune and hard to come by. Even if your flesh is torn and your head is bleeding, it can stop the bleeding immediately. It heals wounds—and can even save lives!”
Every word was what Xie Jing had said himself earlier.
Xie Jing stared fixedly at the porcelain medicine jar in her hand, his back tensing up as if he had seen a severe flood and savage beast[mfn]洪水猛兽 (hóng shuǐ měng shòu) literally means “floods and savage beasts”.
Figuratively, it’s used to describe something as extremely frightening or dangerous, often exaggeratedly so. It can also be used sarcastically when someone treats something harmless like it’s terrifying.[/mfn].
But what made his heart pound even harder was that one line——
“Your Highness, please use it quickly!”
Xie Jing knew all too well what was in that seemingly ordinary little jar.
He had instructed Imperial Physician Liu to make sure that Gu Zhizhuo’s face would be severely disfigured, leaving no room for recovery.
Imperial Physician Liu had assured him that the medicine was extremely potent.
“No need.” Xie Jing shuddered, covering his wound, and refused, “This medicine is too precious. I’m not badly injured, so I won’t use it. The imperial physician should be here soon.”
Gu Zhizhuo advised, “You’re seriously injured. We don’t know when the imperial physician will arrive, and if you bleed too much, you will die. We can’t afford it.”
Xie Danling skillfully played along with her, lifting her fair, delicate finger to point at each person one by one, arrogantly declaring, “If anything happens to Third Prince Brother, Empress Mother will never forgive you all!”
Hearing those words made the others anxious as well.
That’s right! If anything were to happen to the Third Prince right under their noses, no one would be able to escape the Emperor and Empress’s wrath.
Second Young Master Zheng quickly chimed in, “I’ve heard of the All-Healing Treasure Ointment too. Concubine Ning once gifted a jar to my eldest brother. Later, when he injured his head, it was that very medicine that saved his life.”
As soon as Second Young Master Zheng said this, a chorus of voices chimed in, everyone talking over one another in agreement.
Gu Zhizhuo took another step forward, and now she was only one step away from him. Xie Jing could even clearly smell the strong medicinal scent.
Xie Jing shrank back slightly and shouted, “I said I won’t use it! Step back!”
Gu Zhizhuo raised her voice, “Your Highness the Third Prince, you refused in every way—could it be that this medicine…”
She bit down on the two words: “Was poisonous?”
Xie Jing’s eyes widened in shock: “No…”
Gu Zhizhuo’s tone suddenly turned icy cold, her presence overwhelming: “You ordered the imperial physician to poison me!”
