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

The air in the study seemed to freeze.

All eyes were focused on Tao Yao's right wrist, which was being tightly covered, and on the glaring scars on Afu's arm.

One desperately tries to cover it up, while the other openly displays it; this silent contrast is more impactful than any words.

"Brother Prince, I...I'm tired, I want to go back and rest." Tao Yao's voice was trembling with tears, her eyes darting away, not daring to look at Xie Xun.

She just wanted to escape this place where she had nowhere to hide, so she lifted her skirt and stumbled as she tried to run away.

"Stop." Xie Xun's voice wasn't loud, but it was like an invisible wall, blocking her way.

He didn't look at Tao Yao again, but turned his gaze to Doctor Lu, who had remained silent to the side, and said in his usual calm tone: "Doctor Lu."

Dr. Lu immediately understood, picked up his medicine box and stepped forward, his face showing the seriousness characteristic of a doctor:

"Miss Taoyao, you used quite a bit of force with that palm strike just now, which must have aggravated the wound on your wrist. Let me take a look at it to prevent the injury from worsening."

"No, I said no!" Tao Yao hid her hands behind her back, her face full of resistance and fear.

Doctor Lu's graying brows furrowed even more deeply.

He said no more, but taking advantage of Tao Yao's retreat and confusion, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Tao Yao's right wrist with an agility that was beyond his years.

Tao Yao screamed and struggled desperately, but Doctor Lu's grip was so strong that she couldn't break free for a moment.

The more she struggled, the more clearly her wrist was exposed to everyone.

There are no wounds.

There wasn't even a shallow scratch, let alone a deep, bone-revealing knife wound.

Doctor Lu looked at the flawless wrist, took two steps back, looked at Xie Xun, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Young Master, I was mistaken. Miss Tao Yao's wrist... is completely free of any injury."

He stroked his beard, feigning amazement as he shook his head: "To cut your wrist and draw blood, and it heals so quickly, without even a scar! I wonder what miraculous medicine you used, young lady? If you could introduce it to me, it would truly be a blessing for the people of our Great Zhou Dynasty!"

These words, every single one, sounded like praise, but to Tao Yao, they were nothing short of resounding slaps in the face.

Her face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, her mind went blank, and all that remained was an instinctive attempt to deny it: "It was...it was the Crown Prince who gave me the wound-healing ointment! Imperial medicine from the palace, of course it's good!"

"Oh—" Doctor Lu drawled, nodding in sudden understanding. He then turned to Xie Xun and said sincerely, "Since the young lady is unharmed, I will not disturb you any longer. Young Master, please rest well. I will take my leave."

After saying that, he actually picked up his medicine box, turned around and walked out, looking like he had accomplished his mission and was determined not to meddle in other people's business.

"Dr. Lu!" Tao Yao panicked completely. She knew that once Dr. Lu left, she would have no way to turn things around.

Just then, Changsong walked in from outside the door, followed by a trembling old woman.

"Master," Changsong bowed respectfully, his voice even, "Old Wang from the Buddhist temple has something to say to you."

As soon as Granny Wang entered the door, she knelt down with a thud and kowtowed heavily in Xie Xun's direction.

"Your Highness, spare me! This old servant deserves to die!" She raised her head, her face streaked with tears and remorse. "It was this old servant... it was this old servant and her companion who took Afu's blood while she was unconscious!"

"But all of this was instigated by Granny Wen and Miss Taoyao," she said, pointing at Taoyao as if she had nothing to lose.

"They're threatening me with my daughter's future, saying they'll get her a good job in the household if I do this. This old servant shouldn't have acted so foolishly; I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"

Xie Xun's gaze slowly moved from the weeping Granny Wang on the ground to the ashen-faced Tao Yao, and finally settled on the figure who had been standing quietly to the side the whole time.

Afu stood there, her face bearing clear five-finger marks, her wrist bandage stained with blood, and her arms covered in old scars and new marks. Yet she neither cried nor made a fuss.

She simply watched quietly, like an outsider observing a farce that had nothing to do with her.

This unusual calmness made Xie Xun's heart inexplicably clench, and he felt a strange, indescribable unease.

"Brother Crown Prince, I didn't mean to! I really didn't mean to!"

Tao Yao finally broke down. She crawled to Xie Xun's feet, clutching his clothes tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, "Let me explain!"

Xie Xun lowered his eyes and looked at her, his gaze devoid of any warmth.

Tao Yao trembled under his gaze and could only cry as she explained:

"It's...it's because my cold yin constitution was cured by Lu Dao long ago, and my blood can no longer be used as a medicinal ingredient. But with the full moon approaching, I was afraid something might happen to my brother, the young master, so in my desperation, I came up with this idea!"

"I heard that Afu's blood is more suitable as a medicinal ingredient than mine. I'm doing this for your own good, Your Highness. I'm doing all this for you!"

"For me?"

Xie Xun's lips curled into a cold smile. He slowly raised his foot and freed his clothes from Tao Yao's grasp.

"Claiming favors, framing the innocent, and harming others. Tao Yao, when did you become like this?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Granny Wen rushed in from outside, knelt down on the ground as soon as she entered, and burst into tears.

"Young Master! It's all this old servant's fault! It was all my idea, it has nothing to do with Yao'er!"

She cried as she banged her head heavily against the cold floor tiles, making dull thuds.

"It was this old servant! It was this old servant who saw how much Yao'er liked you and was afraid you'd be bewitched by some other vixen, so I came up with this foolish plan! If you want to punish someone, punish this old servant alone. Yao'er is still young; she doesn't know anything!"

Granny Wen cried her heart out, then turned and kowtowed in Afu's direction: "Afu, I'm so sorry! If you want to hit or scold me, do it all to this old woman!"

She was old and had been Xie Xun's wet nurse since he was a child. Her current state of kowtowing and blaming herself was truly heartbreaking.

For a moment, only her sobs and pleas filled the study.

Xie Xun silently watched the two people crying on the ground. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Tall pine trees".

"exist."

"Send Granny Wen to her estate in the outskirts of the capital to recuperate for a while."

Granny Wen's crying stopped abruptly.

Xie Xun didn't look at her again, but turned his gaze to Tao Yao, who had already collapsed to the ground, his tone as cold as ice.

"Tao Yao, you are confined to Luo Qi Garden. Without my order, you are not to step out of your room even once."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the still-present handprint on Afu's face, and his voice deepened.

"Stay inside and reflect on your actions."