Yue Heng then brought the medicine to Cao Lan’er’s lips, but she resisted, refusing to open her mouth. Yue Heng coaxed her, "Mother, drink it. Only then will you recover." His gentle voice carried a hint of persuasion, or perhaps deception.
The Crown Prince, who had been watching from the side, was shocked to see Yue Heng drink the poison without any ill effects. He stepped forward to intervene, instructing the palace maid to take the medicine away and prepare a new dose.
He then invited Yue Heng to sit and drink tea. The tea in the Cold Palace was of poor quality, beneath the Crown Prince’s standards, but tea was better than plain water for masking certain tastes.
Yue Heng drank it, playing along perfectly. After finishing, he smiled at the Crown Prince under his expectant gaze.
"Your Highness seems to be hoping for something to happen."
It was a statement, not a question.
The Crown Prince frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. "You knew I planned to poison you and took an antidote beforehand?"
He immediately dismissed the idea. "Impossible. There is no antidote for this poison in the world. She wouldn’t dare lie to me," the Crown Prince declared with certainty.
Yue Heng chuckled softly. Having feigned illness for years, Yue Heng had cultivated a frail demeanor. However, after entering the court, his health seemed to improve gradually, and he now appeared refined and amiable. His smile was radiant, like flowers blooming in a room.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince had no appreciation for it. He glared at Yue Heng as if he wanted to devour him. "What trick did you play?"
Yue Heng pulled out the small packet of poison. "Whether an antidote exists, I cannot say. But this poison is indeed potent."
The Crown Prince stared in disbelief. "How did the poison end up in your hands? When did you steal it from me?"
Yue Heng unfolded the packet. "Your Highness seems to have mistaken the priorities. How the poison came into my possession is unimportant. What matters is that the poison meant for me will now be consumed by Your Highness. Are you afraid?"
His tone was gentle, but his words sent a chill down the Crown Prince’s spine.
"You dare!"
Cao Lan’er, who had been pretending to be ill, could no longer lie still. She sat up and berated Yue Heng, "Bastard! If you dare do anything today, don’t think you’ll leave the Cold Palace alive!"
Hearing Cao Lan’er’s address, Yue Heng was unsurprised. He had overheard it countless times in secret, this was merely the first time she had said it to his face.
Yue Heng smiled. "The Deposed Empress can’t even keep up the act? How impetuous."
He stood, fanning himself with a folding fan he drew from his sleeve. "Even if I do nothing, you had no intention of letting me leave the Cold Palace alive. In that case, wouldn’t it be more entertaining if we all died together?"
He pointed the fan at the poison on the table and said playfully, "With just a light wave of this fan, we can all go to the Yellow Springs together. Isn’t that a wonderful proposal?"
[下黄泉 (xià huáng quán): lit. go to the Yellow Springs (afterlife); fig. to die.]
Whether the proposal was wonderful or not, the Crown Prince and Cao Lan’er had no mind to consider it. At this moment, Yue Heng seemed like a devil, using the gentlest tone to utter the most vicious words.
The Crown Prince even instinctively reached for the poison, but Yue Heng barked, "Don’t move!"
"Your Highness, you provided this poison. Surely you know its effects? Aren’t you afraid you’ll die the moment you touch it?"
Frightened by Yue Heng’s warning, the Crown Prince froze.
Cao Lan’er glared coldly at Yue Heng. "What do you want? I warn you, everyone in the Cold Palace is loyal to me and the Crown Prince. Don’t get ahead of yourself."
Yue Heng shook his head. "Deposed Empress, you’re mistaken. It’s not about what I want to do. You were the ones who invited me here. You were the ones who wanted to do something."
"Moreover, as you said, everyone here is loyal to you. What could I possibly do?"
He stared at them with a strange expression. "If anything, I should be the one who’s afraid. Why are you two so frightened?"
Yue Heng’s words were not incorrect, and the Crown Prince and Cao Lan’er had indeed thought the same. Yet instinct made them wary and fearful of Yue Heng, as if he could kill them with ease.
Yue Heng sighed softly and sat back down, repacking the poison and tucking it into his robes. "Deposed Empress, Crown Prince, don’t be afraid. I won’t let you die, at least... not now."
He tapped the fan lightly on the table. "Our accounts must be settled slowly, one by one, until everything is clear."
With that, Yue Heng stood and walked out.
The guards at the door, having received no orders, were unsure whether to stop him. The Crown Prince wanted to intervene, but Cao Lan’er shook her head, signaling him to let Yue Heng leave.
Only now, gripped by fear, did Cao Lan’er realize how deeply Yue Heng had concealed his true nature.
After Yue Heng left the Cold Palace unscathed, Cao Lan’er said, "He knows about what happened back then."
Yue Heng’s lack of reaction to being called a bastard confirmed it. The Crown Prince, however, was more concerned with another matter. "Why didn’t he act just now?" The poison was in his hands. If he had made them inhale it, they would have died instantly. Yet Yue Heng hadn’t done so, which struck the Crown Prince as odd.
"Because he has greater ambitions," Cao Lan’er said. Killing them would only be revenge, it wouldn’t clear Concubine Li’s (Yue Heng's biological mother) name. Thus, Yue Heng wouldn’t let them die yet.
She warned the Crown Prince, "My son, while he’s still waiting for the right moment, we must seize this opportunity. You must eliminate him as quickly as possible, by any means necessary. Don't let him expose what happened back then."
The Crown Prince’s expression hardened. "Rest assured, Mother. I will return and make arrangements immediately. I will ensure he is eradicated in one stroke."
Today’s events had been far simpler than he had anticipated. He hadn’t accounted for the possibility of the poison being swapped, resulting not only in Yue Heng’s survival but also placing them in a precarious position.
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