Chapter 18: Something Is Off About This Room
Li Rushi’s complexion fluctuated between pale and flushed, uncertain and changing. She glanced at Peach Blossom’s expressionless face, then at Qingfeng Mingyue standing before Xie Ning, and finally at the vigilant guards of the Princess Dowager’s residence surrounding them.
She knew that today, it was impossible for her to take Xie Ning away.
She lacked the strength to forcibly snatch him.
Yet, to retreat in such a dejected manner was unbearable.
As the noble princess of the Jing Prince’s mansion, when had she ever endured such humiliation?
“Xie Ning!”
At last, she unleashed all her fury upon him.
“Just wait, Your Highness! I’ve taken note of this debt today. Don’t think that having the Princess Dowager’s protection means you can rest easy.”
“One day, I will make you kneel before me and beg for my forgiveness.”
Having spoken, she glared fiercely at Xie Ning, then reluctantly waved her hand.
“Let’s go!”
The hundred or so guards of the Jing Prince’s mansion, as if granted amnesty, escorted the furious Li Rushi away in a grand procession.
A conflict on the verge of erupting thus fizzled out abruptly.
With the crisis averted, Peach Blossom bowed once more to Xie Ning.
“Young Master, the carriage awaits outside. Please, this way.”
“Thank you.”
Xie Ning nodded.
Turning his head, he called out to Qingfeng, who was busy in the kitchen.
“Start simmering the chicken soup; I’ll drink it when I return.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Qingfeng’s voice came from the kitchen, calm and steady as ever.
Only then did Xie Ning step forward, following Peach Blossom toward the main gate of the Marquis’s residence.
Jia Yibo watched his retreating figure, lips moving as if to say something, but in the end, no words came forth.
The Princess Dowager’s carriage was more splendid than the last time they had met.
Upon boarding, Xie Ning found not only Peach Blossom but also a familiar face.
It was Nurse Rong.
“Your Highness.”
Nurse Rong nodded in greeting.
Her expression was grave.
Xie Ning frowned slightly. With both Peach Blossom and Nurse Rong present, there was no doubt that Princess Li Qingning was in trouble.
“Nurse, is the Princess...?”
Nurse Rong sighed and nodded.
“Her Highness has suffered another relapse.”
“This time, the condition is more severe than ever.”
“The imperial physicians in the palace are at a loss, so Her Highness sent me to ask you to come and see her.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Ning’s brow furrowed tightly.
A relapse?
More dangerous than before?
That should not be.
The last time he treated Li Qingning, although he couldn’t completely eradicate the dark energy within her, he had at least alleviated much of it.
In theory, she should not have relapsed in such a short span.
Unless there was external interference.
At this thought, a heavy weight settled in Xie Ning’s heart.
He realized the matter might be far more complicated than he had imagined.
The carriage sped swiftly, soon arriving at the separate villa.
Xie Ning looked up.
Qinglin Cottage.
As soon as he dismounted, an unusual oppressive atmosphere enveloped him.
The maids and guards of the villa wore tense expressions and hurried about; the entire courtyard was shrouded in a gloomy pall.
Nurse Rong led him briskly through the garden to an elegant bedroom.
“Her Highness is inside.”
Nurse Rong pushed open the door, and a strong medicinal scent mixed with an unusual incense wafted out.
At the smell, Xie Ning’s expression changed.
He did not rush inside but stood at the doorway, his gaze sharp as lightning as it swept across the room.
Though the room appeared serene and refined, strange, inexplicable eeriness pervaded every corner.
Whether in the arrangement of the furniture or the choice of items, the room resonated with a sinister, malevolent pattern.
“Who arranged this room?” Xie Ning turned and asked in a deep voice.
Nurse Rong was momentarily taken aback, clearly not expecting the question.
After some thought, she replied, “A palace maid named Xiao Lian, who serves Her Highness. She said the Princess is weak and needs tranquility, so she took it upon herself to redecorate the room. Her Highness saw her good intentions and allowed it.”
“Xiao Lian?”
Xie Ning’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Where is she?”
“She’s inside, attending to Her Highness.”
Xie Ning nodded and did not press further, stepping into the room.
He immediately saw Li Qingning lying on the bed, her face as pale as paper, eyes tightly shut, breathing faintly as if on the verge of death.
Several imperial physicians clustered around the bedside, each wearing troubled expressions, helpless.
A delicate-looking palace maid knelt by the bed, dabbing cold sweat from Li Qingning’s forehead with a handkerchief.
That must be Xiao Lian.
Xie Ning’s gaze swept over her, then fixed sharply on a certain corner beneath the bed.
His eyes instantly grew piercing.
“There seems to be something there.”
His voice was low, but in the silent room where one could hear a pin drop, it rang out clearly.
All eyes followed the direction he indicated, turning to the dark corner under the bed.
It was empty, save for a few strands of dust.
“Young Master, what did you say?”
An elderly imperial physician asked cautiously, suspecting the young man’s nerves might be playing tricks on him.
Xie Ning did not answer.
Instead, he strode to the bedside and, to everyone’s astonishment, knelt down, half his body slipping under the bed.
“Your Highness, what are you doing?”
Nurse Rong was shocked and hurried forward to pull him back.
“Don’t move!”
Xie Ning’s low command carried an unmistakable authority.
Nurse Rong’s hand froze mid-air.
Everyone in the room held their breath, bewildered by his actions.
Only the maid named Xiao Lian trembled imperceptibly the moment Xie Ning knelt, a flicker of panic flashing deep in her eyes.
After a moment of searching beneath the bed, Xie Ning frowned deeply.
Then, he stood up, holding something in his hand.
It was a small sachet stitched from red brocade, exquisitely made, embroidered with a pair of lifelike mandarin ducks.
“What is this?”
Nurse Rong looked at the sachet, puzzled.
“I have served Her Highness for many years and have never seen such an item.”
“You haven’t seen it because it should never have been here,” Xie Ning sneered.
He brought the sachet to his nose and inhaled gently.
A faint scent, mingled with earthy, musty undertones, filled his nostrils.
It was this scent.
Exactly the same as the peculiar incense he had smelled at the door.
“Xiao Lian.”
Xie Ning turned, his gaze sharp as a blade, directly piercing the kneeling maid by the bed.
“You placed this here, didn’t you?”