After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

When Afu went to Luoqi Garden in the evening, she felt calmer than ever before.

She tucked the handkerchief in her sleeve; it was soaked in a sleeping potion she had scavenged from Granny Wang—colorless and odorless, causing immediate incapacitation upon contact.

Tomorrow is the fifteenth of June, the night of the full moon.

She was punctual as always, moved a stool, and silently massaged Tao Yao's wrists.

Tao Yao seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today. Leaning against the headboard, she was even more talkative than usual.

"Sister Afu's cooking skills are truly superb. It's a pity that I won't be able to enjoy it after today." She said with a double meaning, her eyes almost overflowing with pride.

Afu kept moving her hands, as if she hadn't understood what she meant.

Half an hour passed quickly. Afu got up and was about to take her leave when Taoyao suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and frowned.

"I don't know why, but my wrist hurts more than usual tonight," Tao Yao said, rubbing her wrist with a delicate expression. "Sister Afu, could I trouble you to stay here tonight? If the pain gets too bad during the night, you can massage it for me. The nanny has already prepared a room for you, it's right next door."

Afu sneered inwardly; what a lame excuse.

She raised her eyes, her face showing just the right amount of flattery and embarrassment, and finally obediently curtsied: "I am very happy to be able to share your burdens, Miss."

Seeing that she agreed so easily, Tao Yao and Granny Wen, who was waiting nearby, exchanged a glance, a hint of contempt and surprise flashing in each other's eyes.

They thought they would have to use their words again, and they almost didn't even have to use the sedative handkerchiefs they had prepared.

Granny Wen smiled and winked at a maid beside her, "Xiao Mei, hurry up and take Miss Afu to her room to rest."

Afu followed the maid named Xiaomei to the next room. The room was indeed very clean, and the bed and bedding were all new.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and waited quietly.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there was a gentle knock on the door.

A timid voice came from outside the door: "Sister, it's me."

Afu opened the door, and Yunxi, with a swollen face, lowered her head and slipped in sideways.

"Has Miss Taoyao gone to sleep?" Afu asked.

"Not yet," Yun happy glanced at her quickly, then lowered her head again, "I...I'll go see her right away."

Afu didn't ask any more questions, she just nodded.

Yunxi took a deep breath and turned to go to Taoyao's room.

Tao Yao was sitting at her dressing table, letting Granny Wen remove the hairpins from her hair. Seeing Yun happy enter, she glanced at her in the mirror, her face full of disdain: "Who are you looking at with that long face? How did things go?"

Yunxi knelt down with a thud, her voice still trembling with tears: "Miss, when I was cleaning Sister Afu's room today, I found... I found that she hid a small bundle under her bed, with several written letters inside, as if they were going to be mailed."

"Oh?" Tao Yao immediately became interested and turned around. "Where's the letter? Did you bring it?"

"This servant wouldn't dare," Yunxi lowered her head even further, "The bundle is hidden very well, and this servant is afraid that Sister Afu will find it, so I dare not move it. If she finds out, she will definitely beat this servant to death."

"Useless thing!" Tao Yao scolded, then curled her lips into a calculating smile. "What are you afraid of? Go get it now. She won't find out."

Yunxi looked up, puzzled. "Why?"

Tao Yao's tone carried a smug air of complete control. "After tonight, she'll be leaving the manor. What trouble can a maid who's been kicked out cause?"

Granny Wen chimed in, "Yes, Yunxi, this is your chance to prove your loyalty. Go quickly."

Yunxi said "Oh," her face showing a mixture of realization and lingering fear. She quickly kowtowed and left.

Watching Yunxi take her leave, Taoyao picked up a sharp knife from the table and held it against her smooth wrist, seemingly searching for the right spot to strike.

Granny Wen said with heartache, "My child, bear with it, just make a small cut, don't make it too deep."

Just as Tao Yao was about to make her move, Yun happy peeked in again and whispered, "Miss, since Sister Afu is about to leave the manor, no one will come to check your wound anymore. Why put yourself through this? It would be so unsightly if it left a scar."

Tao Yao paused in her movements.

Granny Wen also said, "My child, don't suffer like this, it breaks my heart."

She hesitated. Yunxi was right; Afu was about to leave anyway, so who would bother to verify the truth?

"You're quite clever." Tao Yao pondered for a moment, put down the knife, and said to Granny Wen, "Mother, then let's just wrap it with gauze."

Granny Wen took some clean gauze and wrapped it around her wrist layer by layer to make it look like she was injured.

The night grew deeper.

Afu sat cross-legged in the side room, listening to every sound.

She took a small black pill sealed with wax from her sleeve and put it under her tongue.

The pill melted instantly in her mouth, and a bitter, cool sensation rushed to her head, making her already clear mind even sharper.

Just after midnight, the noise from next door finally stopped.

After waiting for about half an hour, Afu heard a very light footstep stop outside her door. Then, there was a slight sound of the window paper being torn, and a faint sweet fragrance wafted in through the tear.

It's a drug.

Afu held her breath, slowly lay down on the bed, and pretended to be fast asleep.

The door creaked open, and Granny Wen appeared in the doorway. She held a handkerchief soaked in medicine in her hand and walked step by step toward the bedside.

In the front hall, Doctor Lu was already waiting. On the table in front of him was an empty bowl, and a pot of medicine was warming on a small stove beside him. Every now and then, he would frown and glance at the door, as if he was waiting for something.

Granny Wen walked to the bedside, looked at the "unconscious" Afu, and a sinister smile appeared on her face. She took out a sharp shard of porcelain from her bosom and was about to slash Afu's wrist.

In that instant, Afu, who had been lying down, suddenly opened her eyes and moved with lightning speed, pressing another handkerchief that she had prepared in her sleeve tightly over Wen Mama's mouth and nose!

Before Granny Wen could even utter a cry of alarm, she felt a strong, exotic fragrance enter her nostrils, her vision went black, and she collapsed softly to the ground.

Afu didn't even glance at her, quickly got up, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, and walked straight out of the room.

Without the slightest hesitation, she walked towards the brightly lit front hall.

Doctor Lu was growing impatient when he looked up and saw Afu walk in alone. He paused, surprised. "Miss Afu? Where's Granny Wen? Did you bring the medicinal ingredients?"

Afu walked up to him, picked up the razor blade on the table, aimed at the old scar on her fair wrist that had not yet fully healed, and slashed it down without hesitation!

Fresh blood gushed out instantly.

She stretched her bleeding wrist over the white porcelain bowl, and drops of crimson blood fell into the bowl.

Doctor Lu jumped to his feet in shock, his face changing drastically: "What are you doing! The prince's antidote cannot be changed; it can only be made with one person's blood!"

Afu raised her head, her gaze clear and firm, looking directly into his terrified eyes.

"What I've always used is my blood."