Listening to Jing Yao's words, Yun Xi couldn't help but find it both funny and exasperating. She couldn't help but sigh at Jing Yao's tenacious vitality. It seemed that the always violent Qi Rong had finally met his match!
Meeting Jing Yao's expectant gaze, she then nodded and said,
"Okay. Let's go now. I'm hungry and I want to go for a meal."
As Yun Xi spoke, she walked towards the outside of the mansion. Jing Yao followed closely behind, turning his head and smiling as he asked,
"To Full Fortune Tower?"
Yun Xi shook her head. Since she knew that Full Fortune Tower belonged to Qi Rong, she couldn't help but feel a bit resistant at the moment.
"No, I'll take you to a better place!"
The Eighteen Streets in the capital boasted a wide variety of delicacies from all over the Liu Kingdom. With such a rich selection, she just wanted to indulge herself there!
Following Yun Xi's steps, Jing Yao stared intently at Yun Xi's face, his mouth almost splitting from ear to ear:
"Anywhere is good as long as Xi'er is there!"
Jing Yao instinctively wanted to hold Yun Xi's arm as usual, but Yun Xi quickly dodged. Seeing Jing Yao's instant disappointment, she explained awkwardly with a blushing face:
"I'm not quite used to it."
After saying that, Yun Xi ignored Qi Rong behind her and left the mansion with Jing Yao, chatting and laughing all the way.
Qi Rong stared fixedly at Yun Xi's departing back until she disappeared behind the door. She never once looked back at him.
"Your Highness, do you want this subordinate to follow them?"
Nightingale stepped out from the side, her eyes filled with worry as she looked in the direction where Yun Xi had left. She never expected that the always tough Highness would just let Yun Xi leave with another man like this.
Qi Rong stood still on the spot, his expression dark and inscrutable. After a long while, he slowly said,
"No need."
There had always been his men secretly protecting Yun Xi. The moment she left the mansion, someone had already followed her.
Thinking of the fleeting hatred in Yun Xi's eyes just now, Qi Rong suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was as if he was talking to himself and also asking Nightingale:
"Did this king make a mistake from the very beginning?"
He couldn't tolerate Yun Xi belonging to anyone else. Whether it was her person or her heart, he wanted to possess them all.
So he had resorted to all kinds of means, without asking for her wishes and regardless of whether it would put her in danger, just to tie her firmly by his side!
Due to various reasons, he couldn't dote on her openly. He couldn't even give her the title of princess consort.
Letting her be a concubine, being looked down upon and laughed at by others, yet he could only watch helplessly. There was very little he could do for her.
It was only natural for Yun Xi to hate him!
Qi Rong had always been decisive in handling matters, never asking about the consequences. No one had ever seen him doubt his own decisions.
Hearing Qi Rong's words, Nightingale and Zhan Feng couldn't help but glance at each other. They both saw surprise in each other's eyes. Nightingale pondered for a moment and then carefully said,
"Your Highness did all this to protect the safety of the lady. One day, the lady will surely understand your good intentions!"
Listening to Nightingale's words, Qi Rong couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh:
"I hope so... Pfft!"
Before Qi Rong could finish his words, his expression darkened and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood!
"My lord!"
"Your Highness!"
The two of them suddenly changed color, looking at Qi Rong spitting blood in front of them in shock.
Zhan Feng quickly stepped forward to support Qi Rong and handed him a handkerchief to cover the bloodstains on his lips. Nightingale stared warily around, covering the bloodstains on the ground with soil!
The two of them escorted Qi Rong and quickly helped the pale - faced Qi Rong into his bedroom. Zhan Feng then dismissed the guards around the courtyard and personally went to the side room to boil the medicinal soup.
Nightingale stayed in the room, watching Qi Rong lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Her expression was anxious:
"Your Highness, weren't all the toxins in your body completely removed when you were in Lingchuan? Why is this still happening?"
Qi Rong had always been in good health. Even when he was seriously injured, he rarely showed such a defeated appearance, let alone spitting blood!
Judging from this situation, his condition was already very serious. However, before this, he had shown no signs at all.
Maybe even if there were signs, he had suppressed them with his strong willpower!
Qi Rong closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. His breath gradually stabilized. He slowly opened his eyes, and a faint cold light glinted in his deep black eyes:
"The toxins haven't been completely removed. It was the incense on Qi Wan'er's body that triggered the illness."
Qi Rong's tone was so certain that Nightingale couldn't help but be shocked.
"Wasn't the poison on Your Highness put there by the Li family? Why would the Eighth Princess have... Could it be that the Eighth Princess was also bought by the Li family and wanted to harm Your Highness?"
Nightingale was puzzled.
Although the Eighth Princess was a bit arrogant, she didn't seem like a malicious person.
Moreover, she had only just arrived in the capital not long ago. What good would it do her to get involved?
Qi Rong gently shook his head. His gaze fell on the hairpin on the dressing table in the room. His expression was cold as he said,
"The person who poisoned this king is not the Li family, but that old hag in the Kunning Palace!"
Before he went to Lingchuan from the capital, he had already been poisoned. But because he had his own plan and wanted to find out the mastermind behind it, he had always hidden this secret.
In order not to let others notice anything strange, even though he coughed up blood secretly, in front of everyone, he still pretended to be a normal person.
Even that time when Yun Xi was ambushed on the way to the dragon farm, he had just survived the most painful few days and cleared most of the toxins.
Because of the interruption of the treatment at that time, a small amount of toxins remained in his body until today.
"Last time, this king asked Yang Cheng to follow the clues from Qiu Daoji to find the Li family. But through today's events, this king can already conclude!"
The poison was given to him through Qiu Daoji's hands, but the Li family had played a big part in it. It was precisely because of this that Qi Rong knew about Qiu Daoji's betrayal.
It was just because of his early plan that he had let Qiu Daoji live a few more days!
Today, Qi Wan'er came to the mansion. On the surface, it seemed that she was helping Qi Yu cut off his obsession with Yun Xi for the next step of the alliance with the Princess of Kekqin.
In fact, it was that old hag's intention to let Qi Wan'er verify whether he had recovered or not!
Speaking of this, Qi Rong's black eyes darkened and his face became gloomy as he said,
"Keep a close eye on the lady's situation recently to prevent her from being used by those people and getting into danger!"
Since that old hag had made a move, her intention must not be simple!
After listening, Nightingale couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat and quickly nodded:
"This subordinate remembers!"
"Fortunately, there was no one else around to see it. Otherwise, there would be another storm in the Xian Prince's Mansion!"
Back then, the Crown Prince had also been secretly poisoned before the accident. Otherwise, with the Crown Prince's martial arts, he wouldn't have been easily killed!
Those people's dirty tricks were far more unexpected than they had imagined.
As long as they showed any flaws in front of them, they would surely be firmly grasped by the other side until they died!
Nightingale couldn't help but sigh:
"No wonder Your Highness has wronged the lady so much. Once she is targeted by those snakes, her situation will be extremely dangerous."
So at this moment, she fully understood the Seventh Prince's actions.
Because compared to the title, Yun Xi's life was more important than anything else!