"My Lord..."
"Your Highness..."
"You speak first." Nangong Yu saw Xiao Man about to speak and said immediately.
"May I have some of Your Highness's blood?" Xiao Man asked tentatively.
Nangong Yu was poisoned by a蛊 (gu), the poison having entered his six viscera. Although he had suppressed it with his profound inner strength, this was not a solution. If the poison was no longer suppressed and erupted, Nangong Yu would surely die.
If Nangong Yu died, her revenge plan would be indefinitely postponed. Therefore, she absolutely could not let Nangong Yu die.
Nangong Yu extended his hand to Xiao Man: "Take as much as you need."
Xiao Man took out a small porcelain bottle, cut Nangong Yu's palm with a dagger, and dripped his blood into the bottle. "Since the蛊 poison is usually undetectable within the Prince's body, I will need to collect some of Your Highness's blood again the next time the poison attacks. Does Your Highness's poison always flare up on the fifteenth?"
"Yes."
"Then on the fifteenth of next month, this humble subject will come to the Prince's mansion to find Your Highness."
"Good."
Seeing that the blood in the porcelain bottle was almost full, Xiao Man immediately closed the stopper. She took out a box of ointment from her怀 (huai - bosom/pocket) and picked a little with her fingertip, applying it to the wound on Nangong Yu's palm. The bleeding stopped immediately.
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man's delicate, fair, and beautiful hand holding his, his heart rippling slightly.
For some reason, he thought again of the intoxicating charm of that night at Qingfeng Courtyard. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he subtly turned his head, averting his gaze. He found that his self-control, which he prided himself on, was completely shattered in front of Xiao Man.
"This Prince has had the Tianji Pavilion investigate Jiuyulou. The person who paid for assassins to kill you is..."
"The Yan family." Xiao Man said slowly.
If there was one person in the mansion who desperately wanted her dead, it would be the Yan family. While the Yan family dared not act within the mansion, once outside, she would do anything to kill her.
"You already know?"
"One can figure it out with a little thought," Xiao Man said calmly. "After all, if I am to cooperate with His Highness Qin, this humble subject must show some capability. Otherwise, how would I be qualified to cooperate with Your Highness?"
Nangong Yu lowered his brows and smiled, his mood greatly improved. "Since this Prince has chosen you, it means you have the qualifications."
"In that case, this humble subject thanks Your Highness for your favor."
"Does Your Highness wish for me to help you deal with this person?"
"Thank you for Your Highness's kind offer, but it is not necessary. Matters of the General's mansion are family affairs, and this humble subject will handle them herself." Xiao Man pushed the tea towards Nangong Yu. "What Your Highness needs to do is see your enemies clearly."
Nangong Yu picked up the teacup. "You are almost sixteen, aren't you?"
Xiao Man was taken aback, not understanding why the Prince of Qin asked about her age. She was two years older than Xiao Ling and was born on the ninth day of the ninth month. She would turn sixteen in just over two months.
"Yes."
"Once you turn sixteen, various powers outside the mansion will be watching your marriage. Do you have any plans?" Nangong Yu asked in a calm tone, though heavens knew how nervous he was as he spoke these words.
"I have no intention of marrying early."
"Sometimes, what you want is not enough. The Emperor will not allow it, nor will those who covet the General's mansion. Furthermore, someone has already set their sights on you. Don't tell me you don't know." Nangong Yu said slowly. The Liang Zichu incident was precisely about Xiao Man's marriage!
Xiao Man certainly knew. "Your Highness can rest assured. If I am forced to marry, this humble subject will certainly not choose someone who is detrimental to Your Highness."
Nangong Yu wanted to ask Xiao Man if she was willing to be the mistress of the Prince of Qin's mansion, but before the words left his lips, he heard Qiu Tong's voice outside the door.
"Miss, your young master has arrived and requests an audience."
Xiao Man's expression shifted slightly. She had thought that after Xiao Xiang met Ling Xuan, Ling Xuan would come to break off the engagement the next day. But this person had been patient and only came today, with the wedding only a few days away.
Xiao Man's gaze turned to the Prince of Qin. "Your Highness..."
"This Prince will take his leave." Nangong Yu moved, and his figure was already outside the door. In an instant, he leaped over the wall and disappeared without a trace.
Xiao Man had someone clear away the teacups and went to the reception hall, where Ling Xuan was already waiting.
"Eldest Miss." Ling Xuan stood up as soon as he saw Xiao Man walk in, but he did not bow. His gaze was as cold as a venomous snake, ready to strike and take a life at any moment.
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged as she walked to the main seat and sat down elegantly. "The wedding day is only a few days away. It seems rather irregular for Young Master Ling to come to the General's mansion to see this humble subject at this time."
Ling Xuan did not answer immediately but stared intently at Xiao Man.
He had investigated the matter of Xiao Xiang. The monks at Gan'ye Temple knew nothing about it. Those who did were all people from the General's mansion. The person before him was also one of those who knew. Yet, this person had a very good relationship with Xiao Xiang, but he had received news that this was all a pretense. The one who ruined Xiao Xiang's purity was Xiao Man!
Furthermore, he had learned that Xiao Man had openly bullied Xiao Xiang multiple times. At a small banquet in the Prime Minister's mansion, she had even thrown Xiao Xiang into a lake, intending to drown her!
"I have come to the General's mansion merely to tell Eldest Miss one thing."
"If Constable Ling has something to say, speak plainly." Xiao Man tapped the tabletop lightly with her fingers, her posture casual.
"I will not break off the engagement!"
Xiao Man raised an eyebrow to look at Ling Xuan. "You should be telling this to the Madam, not to me."
"I will marry the Second Miss, no matter what," Ling Xuan said coldly. "I don't care what happened before, but there is one thing I hope Eldest Miss remembers: from now on, the Second Miss Xiao Xiang will be the young madam of my Ling family. No one can bully her arbitrarily."
Xiao Man's lips curved slightly upon hearing this. "Does the Ling family have the capability to contend with the General's mansion?"
Ling Xuan's expression changed, and his gaze towards Xiao Man became even more hostile. "Is Eldest Miss determined to bully others?"
Xiao Man sighed. She had thought Ling Xuan was intelligent, but he turned out to be so foolish. It seemed that Xiao Xiang marrying him might not be a good thing. Sudan Novel Network.
"Allow me to ask, for what reason does Young Master Ling intend to marry my second sister?"
"Naturally, it is the will of the parents and the arrangement of the matchmaker."
Xiao Man was increasingly disappointed upon hearing this.
If Ling Xuan had said that he truly loved Xiao Xiang, then she would have been willing to play the villain. But Ling Xuan was not like that. "The General's mansion will come to break off the engagement soon. Young Master Ling need not marry my second sister due to the will of parents and the arrangement of the matchmaker."
Ling Xuan looked at Xiao Man in bewilderment. "What does Eldest Miss mean?"
"Steward Lu, please escort our guest out."
Xiao Man stood up to leave, and Ling Xuan, in a panic, reached out and grabbed Xiao Man's arm. "On what grounds are you breaking off the engagement?"
"On the grounds that I am the Eldest Miss of the General's mansion, and on the grounds that my words carry weight with my father. With a single word from me, Father will not marry his second daughter into the Ling family." Xiao Man brushed away Ling Xuan's hand, causing Ling Xuan to stumble back several steps before regaining his balance.