Within the dim and crumbling temple, the lighting was too poor to discern much at a glance. Had Ah Ku not entered with a certain suspicion already in mind, he might not have noticed the frail little girl bound behind Tang Xinhua. The child was so small, she appeared no older than ten.
Perhaps this was part of the Eldest Prince's original scheme. By now, the Crown Princess was supposed to have rushed in defenseless, hastily untying Tang Xinhua, only to realize too late that another child—stricken with smallpox—had been hidden behind her.
Ah Ku drew his sword. In a flash of cold steel, the ropes binding the two captives fell away.
The moment her mouth was free, Tang Xinhua spat out the cloth gag and gasped, her voice urgent.
"Quick, someone tell Her Highness to leave immediately! That child is—"
"Her Highness is already aware."
Ah Ku answered coolly. He glanced down at the sickly girl, debating whether to bring her along to the estate where the medicinal trials were being conducted.
But before he could decide, the child suddenly scrambled upright and fell to her knees before him, knocking her head to the ground over and over.
"Please don't kill me! I'm getting better! I swear I can survive this. Please... I'm begging you!"
Getting better?
Ah Ku thought back to the recent efforts their mistress had ordered—the medicines, the research—and, for once, asked a few questions himself.
"Did any physician prescribe you treatment?
Or, how did you contract the smallpox?"
"I..." The girl faltered.
Ah Ku was hardly a comforting presence. As a member of the Dragon Shadow Guard, intimidation came with the territory. Wearing a fearsome bronze mask only made it worse. One accidental glance into his cold, expressionless eyes froze the child mid-sentence.
Fortunately, Tang Xinhua was still there.
The initial terror she'd felt upon realizing she might have caught smallpox had gradually faded. Hearing the girl claim she was nearly recovered sparked a flicker of hope within her.
"Don't be afraid. Speak slowly. He is the Crown Princess's guard. He came to rescue us. He won't harm you. Just answer his questions honestly."
"...Alright."
The girl found reassurance in Tang Xinhua's gentle voice. Compared to the masked warrior, she was far less terrifying.
"My family... we're poor. No one ever gave me medicine.
I used to herd cattle for the village head. Then one day, someone in the village caught smallpox. After that, more and more people got sick.
Even the cattle caught it.
I lived in the cowshed, so not long after the animals fell ill, I started showing signs too.
But... but my symptoms weren't that bad. So many people died, but I'm still alive. And I really feel much better these past two days. I'm sure I'll recover.
Those people who kidnapped me... I don't know them. I swear I wasn't part of any of this, so I..."
"It's alright, we believe you."
Tang Xinhua gently patted the girl's bony back, her voice soft and soothing.
Outside the ruined temple, Ah Ku relayed everything the child had said to Yun Shu, who was standing at a distance with a grim expression.
Upon learning that the girl had likely caught smallpox from the cattle and that her condition was already improving, Yun Shu finally allowed herself a breath of relief.
If that were the case, then her cousin might still be safe.
"Easy, easy... hey, brother, can't we talk this over—"
Thud!
A dark figure was flung violently to the ground at Yun Shu's feet.
It was the man in black who had escaped earlier. He now clutched his bruised backside, face twisted in pain as he cried out.
"Crown Princess, you're the heir to the throne! How could you go back on your word like this?"
"When did This Princess ever promise to release you?"
The man opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Indeed, she had never made such a promise.
But she hadn't refused either!
In her own stories for the Capital Weekly, didn't she write that silence meant consent? Wasn't this blatant double standards?
"I helped you, didn't I—"
He tried to plead his case, but Yun Shu cut him off coldly.
"If you hadn't tied my cousin up with a child infected with smallpox, perhaps This Princess might have spared you. But now..."
Her gaze shifted to Ah Ku.
"Take him to the estate as well. Let him be part of the trial."
"Understood."
Ah Ku, expressionless, struck the man's mute point and moved swiftly to escort Tang Xinhua and the others toward the treatment site.
As for Yun Shu—
"Return to the capital."
She had let the Eldest Prince dance in the shadows for long enough. Now it was time to settle accounts.
She had departed in a storm of fury, worried sick about Tang Xinhua's safety.
Even now, that fury had yet to subside.
Her first stop upon returning to the capital was none other than the Eldest Prince's manor.
"Cr... Crown Princess!"
The guards at the gate were mere foot soldiers. They had no idea about the Eldest Prince's schemes against the Crown Princess.
But for the heir apparent to appear without warning, brimming with rage—
And with her reputation for decisive, often brutal action—
Panic surged in their hearts.
Fortunately for them, Yun Shu had not come for small fry.
She did not waste a single breath on pleasantries.
"Tell your master to crawl out and face This Princess!"
"...At once!"
Heavens help them. This was going to end in blood.
The guard dared not delay. He turned and bolted for the inner residence as though flames licked at his heels.
"What did you say? The Crown Princess is here?!"
"The Crown Princess? Thank the heavens!"
In the rear courtyard of the manor, two voices rang out in near unison—the Eldest Prince's and the Third Prince's—though their tones could not have been more different.
The Third Prince was well known for his incompetence, but he was no fool.
He caught the shock and panic in the Eldest Prince's voice and narrowed his eyes.
They had little contact on ordinary days, yet the Eldest Prince had invited him over today under the pretext of admiring chrysanthemums...
He studied the Eldest Prince more closely.
"Who would have expected Her Highness to appear unannounced?"
Sensing the shift in the Third Prince's gaze, the Eldest Prince quickly composed himself. He turned and offered a seemingly casual smile.
"Her Highness is not like you or me.
She would never visit this manor without reason."
Having said this, he turned back to the guard and asked, as though it were a passing thought,
"Did Her Highness come from the palace? Did she say what brought her here?"
The guard hesitated.
Should he say it?
Should he tell the Eldest Prince that while the Crown Princess had not stated her reason, she had very clearly demanded he 'crawl out' to meet her?