"Don't worry about me. Stay quiet. We mustn't be discovered," Cheng Xiran said as she pulled Helian Duo along and turned towards the window. Seeing that the candles inside had been blown out, she assumed the people inside had fallen asleep.
Then, Cheng Xiran opened the window and carefully poured all the snakes from the basket into the room. The hissing sounds reached their ears, and just listening to them was terrifying.
Cheng Xiran suddenly crouched down. Seeing Helian Duo still standing, she quickly pulled him down with her. The proud smile on her lips was hard to conceal.
Helian Duo had never seen her act so furtively and playfully before. It was also the first time he had done such a thing, and he found it rather interesting.
After a short while, shrill screams came from the room!
"Ah! There are snakes! Cuilian, quickly drive them away!" Ren Ning'er cried out as she huddled in the innermost part of the bed. However, several snakes still quietly slithered onto the bed.
A snake with a triangular head spat out its forked tongue and slowly approached Ren Ning'er. Ren Ning'er trembled in fear, her eyes red and on the verge of tears.
The next second, the snake quickly bit Ren Ning'er on the arm. Cuilian immediately rushed forward and knocked the snake off. "Miss! Are you okay?"
Before Ren Ning'er could say a word, she felt weak all over and collapsed limply on the bed. Cuilian was panicked. "Someone! Help! There are snakes!"
The scream echoed through the sky, waking everyone in Prime Minister Cheng's Mansion. The servants quickly caught the snakes. Old Lady Ren looked extremely worried as she saw Ren Ning'er lying unconscious on the bed.
Cheng Xiran, who had been hiding outside the window, took a peek inside. Seeing the wound on Ren Ning'er's arm oozing black blood, her face suddenly darkened. She quickly pulled Helian Duo and ran all the way back to their courtyard.
Zhuque, who was still tidying up, was surprised to see Cheng Xiran pulling Helian Duo. "Miss, Your Highness? Why are you coming back together?"
Cheng Xiran grabbed Zhuque and pulled her into the room. She lowered her voice and asked, "I asked you to find non-venomous snakes. I just wanted to scare her. How could she be poisoned?"
"Poisoned?" Zhuque was stunned for a moment before she realized what was going on. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's impossible. I bought the snakes from a restaurant, and I specifically told the shopkeeper to pick only non-venomous ones."
Just carrying such a big basket of snakes had scared her half to death. How would she dare to buy venomous ones?
Her expression seemed sincere, and Cheng Xiran couldn't help but hesitate. "Could the shopkeeper have made a mistake?"
"I don't think so..." Zhuque shivered. Only then did she think of something. "Miss, is it possible that Miss Ren was bitten by a snake and then poisoned?"
"Shh!" Cheng Xiran immediately covered her mouth. "Keep your voice down!"
If they attracted the people in the mansion, things would get troublesome. However, thinking of Ren Ning'er's wound, she felt a bit guilty. After all, she just wanted to scare her, and she never intended to harm anyone's life.
Cheng Xiran pursed her lips and looked up at Helian Duo. "Your Highness, do you have any doctors in your mansion who are proficient in snake venom? Can I borrow one?"
"You want to save her?" Helian Duo frowned imperceptibly.
Cheng Xiran nodded. "After all, it was my mistake. If she really dies from the snakebite, it will be a sin." To put it selfishly, she didn't want to be held responsible for Ren Ning'er's death.
"The snake that bit her is not the one you bought," Helian Duo said. "You don't have to feel guilty."
Without waiting for Cheng Xiran to ask, he continued to explain, "Zuo Yan happened to see your little maid buying snakes today. I was worried about your safety, so I specifically asked him to check each snake. All of them are non-venomous."
Hearing this, Cheng Xiran was stunned. "Are you sure?"