Ye Jiao felt unbearably hot. It was not a heat that lingered on the surface of her skin, but one that burned from her core—her chest, her waist, her legs, even her breath seemed to scorch.
Qingfeng immediately guessed the cause."It must be because the floor dragon is burning too fiercely," he said, crouching to touch the floor. "You know, Your Excellency, our Prince always fears the cold."
Li Ce feared the cold. He adored basking in the sun year-round, and in winter, the floor heating was always kept blazing.
"Then open the windows," Ye Jiao ordered. "Open them all. Does Prince Chu not also fear the dark?"
"Only you understand our Prince so well," Qingfeng flattered with a smile, reaching to push open a window.
But the moment he did, Ye Jiao's breath hitched into a ragged gasp.
Her right arm braced against the table, her delicate head bowed low, nearly collapsing beneath it.
"Your Excellency, are you alright?" Qingfeng rushed over.
Ye Jiao slowly raised her head and forced out a whisper. "Leave. Now."
"But—Your Excellency…" Qingfeng hesitated, confused and alarmed.
"Out!" Ye Jiao suddenly snapped. She struggled to stand, as though fighting against some overwhelming force, her expression twisted in torment.
Frightened, Qingfeng bolted outside. The door slammed behind him with a heavy thud, followed by the sound of the bolt sliding shut.
He turned back, puzzled, scratching his head at the closed door."But the Prince isn't even inside… why lock the door?"
Ye Jiao felt as though her entire body were set ablaze. It wasn't just fever—this kind of heat was tormenting. She must have been poisoned.
She tore off her shawl. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed at her neck until the skin turned crimson.
Endure it. She couldn't lose face here.
She rose, trying to leave Prince Zhao's residence. But when she reached for the door bolt, her limbs trembled with weakness. Her burning hands couldn't pull it free.
Someone was tugging at the latch from outside. A familiar voice followed:
"Jiao Jiao! What's wrong?"
Ye Jiao steadied herself against the door, trying to collect her thoughts—when that man climbed in through the window.
His dark blue robes billowed like drifting clouds, and his eyes, deep as frozen ponds, brimmed with concern.
"Sisi…" Ye Jiao took a shaky step forward, clutching Li Ce's arm.
"Sisi, I'm so tired of holding back. It hurts… I'm so afraid…"
She collapsed into his arms, her head pounding as if it might split open.
"Then don't hold back any longer," Li Ce said urgently. "Tell me what you've taken—was it medicine? Are there any wounds? Did you smell any strange scents?"
Qingfeng had come for him, saying the Marshal seemed unwell. Li Ce had left the Prince of Jin and Prince Zhao in haste, and at a glance, he saw Ye Jiao must have been poisoned.
"No more holding back?" Ye Jiao's tear-filled eyes suddenly lit with clarity, as if she had been granted absolution—or perhaps as if she had surrendered something she once clung to. A faint smile bloomed on her lips.
"Alright."
With a snap, Ye Jiao undid Li Ce's belt. It fell to the ground.
Li Ce froze, his body going rigid. He caught her wrist.
His gaze swept across the room to the table. The dishes had been touched—she had eaten. But the food from Prince Zhao's residence shouldn't be poisoned.
What was it?
He supported Ye Jiao as they moved to the table. A bowl of medicine sat there—one he'd never seen before.
One arm still held Ye Jiao close while the other lifted the bowl to his nose.
This wasn't his usual prescription. What was this?
"Sisi." Ye Jiao, delirious, tried to raise her face for a kiss.
"Don't move," Li Ce said lowly. "You've been poisoned. Let me find out what kind of poison, and then we'll deal with it."
"I'm not poisoned," Ye Jiao muttered dreamily, suddenly springing forward. "I want to eat you."
I want to eat you.A line that could melt hearts in sweeter moments.But right now, Li Ce was anxious, worried, furious.
Where had this poison come from? Could it harm her body? Was there an antidote?
He turned to the door and shouted, "Qingfeng! Qingfeng! Get in here, now!"
But instead of Qingfeng, he summoned the Prince of Jin and Prince Zhao.
Qingfeng had spoken too vaguely. All he'd said was: "Your Highness, the Marshal isn't well!"
Li Ce had rushed off. Prince Li Jing sat uneasy. Unwell? That woman could wrestle a tiger—what kind of "unwell" was this?
But with Prince Jin present, Li Jing couldn't move.
Prince Jin had made a surprise visit today. Before any proper conversation could begin, Li Ce had run off. If Li Jing followed suit, Prince Jin would surely be offended.
Unexpectedly, Prince Jin furrowed his brows in contemplation, then turned to Li Jing."The Marshal is, after all, responsible for the capital's defense. If something's wrong, we should check."
Prince Jin offering to pay a visit was an honor of the highest degree.
Li Jing immediately followed, assuming they'd find Ye Jiao lying behind a curtain with a physician checking her pulse.
Instead, upon pushing open the courtyard gate, they saw—through the half-opened door—Ye Jiao clinging to Li Ce, her lovely chin tilted up as she tried to kiss him.
Her hands were busy too—one slipped beneath his robe, the other tugged open his collar, revealing his chiseled collarbone.
His foolish little brother, Xiao Jiu, was trying desperately to resist.
Prince Jin turned away in a flash, stunned. Li Jing froze for a moment before remembering to avert his eyes.
But his heart began to pound.
Could it be…? No—this is bad.
"Fifth Brother!" Li Ce clearly saw them now. His voice was steady but urgent."Please ask the kitchen where the medicine on the table came from. Jiao Jiao has been poisoned."
He was careful to say it was poison, to protect her reputation. He also left the door open—to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
Li Jing understood at once what had happened and bolted away.
At last, Qingfeng returned with the court physician in tow.
Li Ce simply scooped Ye Jiao into his arms and laid her on the bed behind the screen.
Ye Jiao turned her head, as if seeking to bite something. Li Ce offered his wrist.
She bit down, hard. Her teeth were sharp, and a shiver ran through him as her bite drew blood.
Through the burning pain, his blood flowed into her mouth.
The physician placed a silk cloth on Ye Jiao's wrist, taking her pulse.
"She has indeed been poisoned," the physician frowned. "What did the Marshal eat?"
Qingfeng brought over the bowl."This was delivered by Prince Zhao," he said, biting out the name through clenched teeth. His fury was barely restrained.
The physician took a spoonful and tasted it cautiously.
"It is indeed a tonic," he said with grave seriousness. "It's something His Highness and Princess Consort have taken regularly. Though called a tonic, its main purpose is to nourish yin and stimulate essence. The Prince has taken it for years to beget an heir. But this dosage—this is far stronger than usual."
"Just a stronger dose—how could it affect her like this?" Li Ce demanded coldly.
Ye Jiao had quieted. Exhausted, her forehead was slick with sweat. She drank his blood with a faint smile, like someone drunk.
"Because it contains…" The physician hesitated, then bowed his head in embarrassment under Li Ce's sharp gaze."…a small amount of aphrodisiac."
Aphrodisiac.
No wonder she'd lost control.
The physician scrambled up. "I shall prepare the antidote immediately!"
"Hurry," Qingfeng snapped, itching to kick him.
Li Ce gently brushed Ye Jiao's damp bangs behind her ear."Sleep, Jiao Jiao," he whispered. "Sleep, and all will be well."
Ye Jiao let out a soft sigh, released his wrist, and slowly closed her eyes.
It seemed, even without the antidote, she would recover once the poison had run its course.
But what torment she had endured.
At least he had been there.
No—if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have come here at all, wouldn't have been poisoned.
Guilt twisted in Li Ce's chest. He clasped Ye Jiao's hand in his own, rested his brow against her fingers. His expression shifted like storm clouds, and a chilling light flickered in his half-lowered gaze.
"Xiao Jiu… Xiao Jiu…" came Li Jing's voice outside the door, soft with uncharacteristic gentleness.
"How is the Marshal now?"
This time, he did not call her a 'she-devil.'
Li Ce did not respond.
"Xiao Jiu," Li Jing continued, "do you remember the year the Empress Dowager passed, and we kept vigil together…"