After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

Inside the side room of the Taoist temple.

Zhao Yuan held the lid of the teacup, gently skimmed off the tea foam, and took a sip.

"I've heard that you, Daoist Master, are renowned for your uncanny wisdom. I wonder if you could divine whether my elder sister harbors any rebellious intentions?"

The Taoist priest stopped moving the prayer beads in his hand, his head still bowed, not bothering to check the emperor's expression.

He didn't want to get involved in such royal secrets.

He said sincerely, "Your Majesty and His Highness's destinies are beyond the comprehension of someone as lowly as this old Taoist priest. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan chuckled and tapped his finger on the table.

"This is my order. I tell you to look, so look. What, I am the ruler of a nation, and you don't even obey my orders?"

The Taoist priest quickly stood up. He wasn't flustered, but instead knelt on the ground and prostrated himself, saying, "Your Majesty..."

Zhao Yuan didn't want to listen to his convoluted theories, so he reached out and flicked his sleeve, leaning back in his chair.

"Speak if you can, otherwise I'll tear down your Taoist temple."

"You don't really think I came here today to pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being, do you?"

Zhao Yuan's suspicions grew stronger, and around nightfall, he received a message from the Imperial Guards who had come up the mountain to deliver it to him.

He wanted to see what "good stuff" his dear elder sister had hidden in her residence.

If the princess he wanted has been secretly kept by him, then he shouldn't blame him for being impolite.

The Taoist sighed and had no choice but to accept his fate.

Revealing heavenly secrets will surely incur divine retribution.

But if the Taoist temple is destroyed, the lineage of the masters will all be lost in his hands. How can he face the patriarch?

He might as well find a pillar and kill himself.

"Please... allow Your Majesty to wait a moment."

"The old Taoist priest will go and fetch the divination tools."

Before he could even get up, the imperial guards, dressed in heavy armor, who were standing outside the door, came over.

Zhao Yuan's nonchalant demeanor vanished completely. He beckoned to the imperial guards and listened intently.

"Your Majesty, something seems amiss with the princess. Should we send reinforcements?"

Hearing this satisfactory answer, Zhao Yuan propped himself up on the table and stood up.

"Summon all the guards; I will personally accompany you."

Imperial Guard: "Yes, Your Majesty."

As Zhao Yuan approached the Taoist priest, he glanced down at him and sternly rebuked him: "I will settle accounts with you when I return. If you cannot settle accounts, then this day next year will be your death anniversary."

...

Carrying a broom, Yin Huaixi returned the way she came.

When Yin Huaixi didn't see Sang Che at the agreed-upon location, she panicked.

Sang Che is never late, especially when it comes to his promises to her; he always keeps them.

It's just the right amount, neither too much nor too little.

If Sang Che is going to break his promise, there's only one possibility: he's been arrested!

Knowing that Sang Che's fate after being arrested would likely be even worse than Jia Wan's, Yin Huaixi gripped the broom tightly and wanted to go back to find Zhao Huining.

But as soon as she took a step in the opposite direction, a ghostly figure blocked Yin Huaixi's path.

Soaked to the bone by the rain, Sang Che resembled a small animal with wet fur, her eyes also filled with a wildness like a beast's pupils.

"Huaixi, where are you going?"

"Didn't you just finish talking to her? Why are you turning back to look at her like that again?"

"Huaixi...do you know how envious I am? I feel like...you're lying to me again, hiding things from me."

Sang Che's tone was extremely resentful.

It's like a wife who has married into the family being left alone in the bedroom, watching helplessly as her husband makes love with someone else, unable to do anything but glare at him as he returns to the bedroom under the cover of night with her gloomy eyes.

"Ah Che..."

"How long have you been standing here?"

"You...saw it all?"

Panic flickered in Yin Huaixi's eyes, and she unconsciously took a step back until she reached the wall made of bluestone.

The cracks in the brickwork were soaked by rainwater, and the place felt eerie and cold against one's back, making one want to move away.

However, Sang Che, who was pressing closer, had no intention of letting Yin Huaixi escape her sight. She let the water droplets slide down her cheeks and let her clothes be soaked and wrapped around her body, in order to force Yin Huaixi to look up at her.

Their eyes met, and when Yin Huaixi saw Sang Che's expression, her heart ached as if it were being stabbed.

The love potion throbbed in her heart, and Yin Huaixi tried her best to suppress these emotions. She didn't want to be controlled by Sang Che anymore, nor did she want to be affected by the love potion.

Zhao Huining had already agreed to her request.

If she could obtain the antidote to the love potion, she could leave Sang Che's side forever.

He regained his freedom.

How could she possibly fall in love with this person because of a love potion...?

Even if she really has feelings for Sang Che, it's most likely that it's the love potion at work.

She had no choice in the matter.

She doesn't love the person in front of her.

Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes, and a single, glistening tear rolled down her cheek, making Yin Huaixi's eyes red and swollen.

Seeing her like this, Sang Che laughed freely, letting the rain cover up the truth of her tears.

"Yin Huaixi, I told you long ago that I can tolerate anything and accept anything, but I will never allow you to leave my side."

"If you have such thoughts, such ideas..."

"Even if the gods came to persuade me, I would never give up."

The sinister glint in Sang Che's eyes grew even more pronounced; for a fleeting moment, he truly wanted to kill Zhao Huining.

She's always been like this: if she's unhappy about something, she'll just kill that annoying and irritating person. What's the big deal?

So what if she is a princess of a country?

Anyone who harbors inappropriate thoughts about Huaixi must die.

Death brings peace.

If he dies, he won't disturb her and Huaixi.

Forced into a corner, Yin Huaixi decided to stand up and fight back. She lifted her back off the cold, damp wall and pushed against Sang Che's shoulder.

He remained relatively calm and said, "A-Che, calm down. If you get angry with me now, you won't be able to take A-Shui out of the house."

"If you really want to argue with me and question me, at least wait until Ah Shui leaves before we settle the score."

"May I?"

Sang Che had seen Yin Huaixi begging like this many times. Even though he knew that the person in front of him was just lying, Sang Che couldn't help but take those words to heart.

She would hold the kite string tightly and cut off any hands that tried to snatch the kite.

"Yin Huaixi, do you know that I can always tell when you lie?"

Sang Che was not pushed away by Yin Huaixi; instead, she moved closer and closer, staring intently at Yin Huaixi.

"You lied to me... but I'm happy to accept it."

"Huaixi, sometimes I wish you would talk to me a little more."

"Because you are mine, the gods said you will be mine for the rest of your life."

Sang Che's dark eyebrows and eyelashes were completely soaked by the torrential rain, and her pitiful face looked like a wet puppy's eyes.

They say the most sinister, terrifying, and frightening things.

"Ah Che, don't do this."

"I don't want to argue with you..."

Sang Che, however, persisted. She simply reached out and grabbed Yin Huaixi's hand, pressing it against her face.

"Huaixi, why can't you have more pity for me... more love for me..."

"If you say that to me a few more times, I will not mention that princess in front of you again."

"OK?"