Chapter 35

There were no scars on the slender snow-white wrist like He Qing Ning had imagined. There was only a faint pale scar on her wrist. It looked like she made a small cut not long ago, and then it healed and faded away.

“Princess, what are you doing?” Shen Wan wanted to withdraw her hand, but unexpectedly, He Qing Ning’s grip was very strong. She was afraid that if she used her strength to pull back her hand, it might hurt He Qing Ning, so she did not move.

[E/N: nothing to say here…. just girlfriends worrying for each other, so tender!! 😭]

He Qing Ning’s gaze moved from her wrist to her pale little face. They were very close. You could even say too close. Time seemed to stretch as He Qingning stared at Shen Wan’s face. There was something strange with how she looked.

Shen Wan was a little dazed by He Qing Ning’s gradually changing gaze.

The intense eyes of Her Royal Highness really made her a little nervous.

[188: “Do you know what you look like right now? Like a little animal that cannot tell the difference between left or right.”]

Shen Wan : “I have no time to talk to you, she is looking so seriously at me. I should not break away from her gaze.”

Is that so? Well, good for you!!

(T/N: Uh… is 188 experiencing the pains of being single XD)

188 fell silent. He should think about it carefully, whether his mysterious host is here to do the task or to pick up little sisters, there was something strange about his host. He did not know everything about her. He had to slowly unravel the mystery of his host.

He Qing Ning let go of Shen Wan’s wrist and raised her hand to caress Shen Wan’s cheek.

Shen Wan: Princess, isn’t our progress a bit fast? First time readers will definitely think our relationship developed too quickly. Take our time, let’s take our time, let’s not be anxious, no hurries.

He Qing Ning touched Shen Wan’s face, then retracted her fingers. She stared at the tips of her index and middle fingers, looked at the white powder on it, and squinted gently, “How much cream did you put on your face? Hmm?”

What?

Shen Wan was a little dumbfounded, so Her Royal Highness touched her face… to prove how much powder she put on her face? No way, she thought Her Royal Highness thought that she was good looking and cute, and that is why she couldn’t help but touch her, maybe even kiss her. But in the end, it was the powder on her face that robbed her of her attention.

“Her Royal Highness, why do you ask about this?” Shen Wan said embarrassedly, “Which woman doesn’t love beauty and applying some powder? Is it wrong?”

He Qing Ning snorted, “It’s right for women to apply powder in drama troupes, but I haven’t seen any woman in this palace who would, for the sake of beauty, paint her face so pale with powder. It’s like…” At this point, He Qing Ning’s voice stopped abruptly. She didn’t want to compare the other person to a dead person, or a ghost, so she didn’t finish her sentence.

“Like what?” Shen Wan asked.

He Qing Ning took out the handkerchief, wiped Shen Wan’s cheek a little harder, and then handed the handkerchief to Shen Wan, “It’s like sprinkling a bowl of flour on your face. Don’t you think it will fall off after two steps? Is there some powder on the ground?”

“That’s because I can’t see it clearly through the bronze mirror, so I didn’t pay attention.” Shen Wan opened her eyes and said some nonsense to shift the blame. She pulled a bronze mirror in front of He Qing Ning, pointed at it and said, “Princess, look. The bronze mirror is bronze yellow, it isn’t very clear. No matter how much powder I applied, I couldn’t actually see it properly. That is why I couldn’t notice any difference. Isn’t it reasonable?”

Cunning!

He Qing Ning didn’t understand.

She gazed at Shen Wan’s wrist, quickly pulled it, and lifted it up, “Why do you want to wrap a white silk on your good wrist? Why is there a bright red blood stain on the white silk? The white mark, if I didn’t guess wrong, should have been caused by a cut from a knife. Can you explain to me what is going on?”

Shen Wan looked at He Qing Ning blankly, and suddenly a look of panic appeared in her eyes. He Qing Ning was somewhat satisfied. This kind of expression is right. When the secret is about to be discovered, she can’t remain so calm and unreasonable.

“Princess, this is my secret, I can’t tell other people.”

“Oh. So I am other people?”

Shen Wan: I know, I said, I can’t tell other people, but I didn’t say that I can’t tell you. I will speak.

188: I smell the breath of love.

“Your Royal Highness, you are embarrassing me.”

He Qing Ning raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly, and exposed a slight smile. Shen Wan was at a loss, her face showed her panic. She was a little bit pleased, “Bengong needs to be sure that what you are doing will not threaten Xiyun Country.”

Shen Wan : Oh ho… you’re bringing up the Xiyun Kingdom already. Princess is very capable.

“Let’s talk, if it’s not a major event, this princess will help you keep this secret.”

Shen Wan fidgeted with her fingers a few times and then said, “Princess, let’s close the door, lest anyone break in and hear us.”

He Qing Ning did not stop her, and waited patiently. After Shen Wan closed the door, she became alert, her eyes had not moved away from Shen Wan for a moment.

Shen Wan walked towards He Qing Ning, brought a small stool, and sat in front of her. Seeing her trembling and pitiful, He Qing Ning’s eyes flashed with a trace of joy. In fact, this woman was not that annoying, she was different from those coquettish tramps outside.

“Her Royal Highness, where should I start?”

“Speaking of the medicine Wang Fei went to deliver, this princess discovered that the medicine is not medicine, but blood. Do you think that this princess would not recognize it? What is that blood? Whose blood is it, and why is Wang Fei sending that bowl of blood to the third brother?”

[T/N: Wang fei – the wife of the prince]

“It’s blood, but it’s also medicine. At least everyone who knows it, thinks it’s medicine.” Shen Wan honestly explained, “As for why it is sent to the prince, it’s because the prince said that he was poisoned and he wanted blood to detoxify it. The doctor said that one time is not enough, and you have to take it for forty-nine days.”

He Qing Ning frowned. Now, she knew for sure that this situation was very unusual.

“You haven’t said yet, what kind of blood is that blood and whose blood it is…”

“Pig…pig’s blood,” Shen Wan still confessed, “There is a street behind the palace. In the streets and alleys, there is a pig killer, who had pig blood. They got it from there. They kill pigs very early every day, and I paid a lot of money and he promised to keep me a bowl of the freshest blood.”

He Qing Ning: “…” Pig blood? ? ?

“Third brother is poisoned?” He Qing Ning reacted, but when she asked, she was not so worried. Since he was poisoned, why didn’t the news come out and why didn’t he go and see the doctor before? This entire matter seemed extremely fishy.

“Since the third brother is poisoned, why don’t you ask someone to go to the palace for an imperial physician and then use pig blood to detoxify his poison?”

Shen Wan: Here comes the focus.

“Of course it’s not like that.”

He Qing Ning naturally understood, and the inside story was definitely not the case. “Tell me what the truth is.”

“Shortly after Princess left that day, the prince suddenly vomited blood and fell to the ground. We called the doctor, and the doctor said that the prince was poisoned and could not last over an hour. At a critical moment, I thought of my secret. In order to save the prince, I could only use this method.”

188: This truth is made up.

“Her Royal Highness, you have to keep a secret for me. My life will be tied to you.”

He Qing Ning suddenly felt a heavy feeling on her shoulders. What did Shen Wan say? To tie her life to her? But, she is not a good person. She is a princess who has experienced all kinds of battles ever since she was a child. Once she has grasped someone’s lifeline, that person will never be able to get rid of her in the future, and can only do their best for her. Otherwise, their ending will not be good.

She is so stupid!

Shen Wan: I just want to show Princess my stupidity.

“Then tell me, what’s the secret?”

Shen Wan hesitated for a while, and whispered, “My blood can cure hundreds of poisons. Ordinary toxins will not affect me too much. This toxin can be removed by pouring out half a bowl worth of blood every day for forty-nine days. But if I do that I will not be able to bear it, and my body will become very weak. Even if my body is a bit special, if I really give so much blood, then I will be so weak in the future, that even a gust of wind will blow me down.”

“You didn’t want to detoxify the third brother, so you used pig blood?”

“It’s not like that.” Of course I did not want to.

“Then since you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the third brother, why use pig blood again?” He Qing Ning’s voice became colder, and she herself couldn’t figure out why. Why she was not happy if the other party was willing.

Shen Wan whispered, “I suspect that the prince is not poisoned at all, and he is pretending to be.”

“What did you find?” He Qing Ning said with certainty, “You must have found something, right?”

“Princess is wise, I saw through everything, and I did find something that was distressing.” Shen Wan looked really sad. He Qing Ning pursed her lips lightly, feeling a little alert. “What did you find?”

“It turns out that the prince pretended to be poisoned because of my second younger sister.”

He Qing Ning instantly understood when she mentioned Shen Shi. It is said that this Shen Shi is weak and sickly, but in fact very few people know that she was poisoned from her mother’s womb. Those who didn’t know would definitely think that it was the wife of the General who framed Shen Shi’s mother, and He Qing Ning, who was familiar with the General’s wife, did not think that was the case. Although the General’s wife’s background was mysterious, she is a very righteous woman, and she absolutely disdained that kind of thing.

“You mean, third brother pretended to be poisoned in order to help Shen Shi detoxify the poison in her blood, forcing you indirectly to give your blood to him?” He Qing Ning’s voice was filled with a little anger, “Third brother is actually doing such a thing! It’s disappointing.”

“You applied powder to make your face pale, so as not to make people suspect?”

Shen Wan : “I accidentally powdered a bit more.”

“Don’t fool me by lying. Now I know your little secret. Your life is also in my hands. Do you dare to lie to me?”

“Okay, Princess is right. I put more powder on my face to let my face look pale. It was so that people wouldn’t be doubtful that I didn’t give my blood to him. Sure enough, when my secret is known by others, it really makes me feel insecure.”

He Qing Ning was amused, she looked down and thought for a while, “I will help you safeguard your secret.”

“Thank you, Princess. You are really a good person.”

The corners of He Qing Ning’s lips lifted slightly. She stood up, her eyes darkened, and she said “No, this princess is not a good person. If you can hold a person’s secrets, you can control that person. One day, this person can be used by me, and they are tied to my boat for the rest of my life. There is no way back.”

Shen Wan: I didn’t even think about going back.

“If Shen Shi is delayed in recovering, your strategy will fail sooner or later, and the third brother will be more ruthless than you think. The one who is favored by him, and the one who he cares in the palm of his hand, is naturally his treasure. If he is not attracted to you, then it’s just useless. You can be thrown away at any time. Shen Wan, you give your heart to the wrong person, but fortunately your mind is still clear.”

Shen Wan: No, she has never given a scumbag her heart. She had already given it to someone with sincerity.

“It’s true that I have also thought of a countermeasure.”

He Qingning should have been surprised by Shen Wan’s declaration, but somehow she was not. It’s as if she already knew that the other woman would have prepared this.

“Then I want to see how you survive this catastrophe.”

“As long as Princess doesn’t leave me.”

He Qing Ning smiled lightly, planning to go to see He Xiyan but as if thinking of something, she suddenly turned back, almost making Shen Wan stumble into her. She held Shen Wan, and did not let go of her. She asked her directly, “Are you really infatuated with the third brother?”

“What is the point of being infatuated with His Highness?” Shen Wan smiled. Looking at He Qing Ning, “Princess, I just want to be healthy and live peacefully because I promised my mother not to be hurt by others. This is what I want to do.”

He Qing Ning was taken aback for a while. It made people feel sad. Yes, what’s the point of being infatuated? Regardless of whether Shen Wan is obsessed with the third brother or not, she can only be third brother’s wang fei in this life, and she has no other choice. If the third brother likes her, then she is lucky. If the third brother does not want to see her, her life is bad.

He Qing Ning let go of Shen Wan, and suddenly didn’t like the word “fate”. Shen Wan’s fate was really bad. Her father died of battle and her mother died of illness. Although she is his third wang fei, she is destined to be never loved by him.

“I’m going to see how third brother is doing. Oh and, I will find out some news about Shen Shi. I will help you keep your secret.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

He Qing Ning stopped and turned back, “Remember what you said. You have to stay alive and don’t let yourself be hurt by people.”

Seeing He Qing Ning’s back disappear, Shen Wan collapsed on the bed, “Damn, 188, was the little princess really touched by me just now?”

【 188: So you just pretended to be sad? ]

Because of his host’s acting, he had just pitied her. But turns out she was just faking it??

“It doesn’t count, I just brought out the emotions of the original owner. She can’t live well and was always hurt by others, so let me help her express her feelings. Even if it is a novel character, I want a different ending for them. I don’t feel sorry for her. I just feel that there are so many unworthy people in the world.”

[188: Wan Wan, you said this, but didn’t you just pretend? ]

The host is full of lies. How would he believe which sentence was true and which was false? He felt a bit scared.

“Get lost.”

The system secretly observed Shen Wan’s expression and smiled. It seemed that he didn’t feel the heaviness he had felt before. Iit was just like how it was in the previous worlds. So, what is she going to do to the little princess? That’s right, he was already quite sure that when Shen Wan saw He Qing Ning, she planned to be with the princess in this world.

He Qing Ning visited He Xiyan. Of course, He Xiyan only said that he was uncomfortable recently, and he didn’t talk about the poisoning. He also said that fortunately, there was medicine left by the princess’s mother to help him regulate his body, so he refused to go to the palace to ask for an imperial doctor.

“The third brother should take care of yourself,” He Qing Ning said again, “I just saw the wang fei, her face looks very pale. Is she too tired because of taking care of the third brother recently?”

“Wang Fei has been working really hard for a while. I will remind wang fei to rest more, and to not ignore her body because of me.”

He Qing Ning looked at He Xiyan’s face and suddenly felt a little sick. Using the excuse of his own poisoning to deceive Shen Wan. Going so far as to ask for a small bowl of blood every day from his wife. If he was really poisoned, then it was okay.. But he only came up with this method for the sake of Shen Shi.

She knows He Xiyan too well, if Shen Wan really refuses, she is afraid he will use a more extreme method. For example, making the third princess disappear directly and lock her up for blood. Things may be a little more troublesome, but he can still do it.

“Then, third brother, take care of yourself, I will see you again tomorrow.”

Shen Shi had been brought to the palace by He Xiyan and placed in a small, secluded courtyard. It was guarded and no one was allowed to enter without his permission. At Shen Wan’s side, except for Hong Zhu, who is Shen Wan’s servant, everyone else took orders from He Xiyan. It would be impossible for her to find out. He Xiyan was confident and not afraid of Shen Wan doubting anything. But he didn’t know that the blood he fed Shen Shi was blood from the butcher in the alley behind the street which was freshly procured every day.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed and Shen Shi, who gritted her teeth and drank the blood, did not get better. He Xiyan looked at the situation and felt something was wrong, so he called the doctor to check. After the doctor took the pulse, he discovered that the toxins in Shen Shi’s body had reduced a little. After talking about this situation with He Xiyan, the doctor thought that he could observe for another two days. If there is still no progress, then you have to find out what the problem is.

After a few days, the toxins in Shen Shi’s body remained silent. It happened that the blood that day was not drunk, He Xiyan asked the doctor to see if there was a problem with the blood.

After the doctor saw it, he knelt in fright, “Wang Ye, this blood has no detoxification effect at all.”

“How is it possible?”

He Xiyan said with a sullen face, “Go, tell wang fei that this prince’s condition is serious again. The princess should boil another packet of medicine.” At the same time, he sent someone to follow her secretly, intending to see with his own eyes whether Shen Wan had really put her own blood.

At this time, He Qing Ning was with Shen Wan in the garden. When she heard the stewards’ words, her expression remained the same.

“Then I’m going to boil medicine.” Shen Wan stood up and turned to enter the house.

He Qing Ning caught her and said to the steward, “Go and see what happened to the third brother. If he is really sick, ask someone to go to the palace and ask for a doctor.”

After the steward left, He Qing Ning followed Shen Wan into her room. “He…”

“Her Royal Highness, I’m going to make medicine. You are so honorable, so please don’t follow inside, okay?” Shen Wan held He Qing Ning’s hand, hooked her finger in her palm, and pulled her finger, pointing outside.

He Qing Ning’s itchy palms were hooked, and she was taken aback by this action. She pressed the corners of her lips. She was negligent. Maybe she was too used to the peace recently… If the third brother had already suspected, he would definitely send someone to follow.

So, is she going to cut herself this time?

He Qing Ning leaned in Shen Wan’s ear and whispered, “You are not allowed to cut yourself.”

“Her Royal Highness, you…”

“Like what your mother said, protect yourself from being hurt by others.”

Shen Wan: Her Royal Highness finally worried about her!

“If you cut your hand, this princess will expose your little secret.”

Shen Wan: Isn’t she so cute? She must expose her little secret at every turn!