Chapter 02
"How about the baby?"
"Nothing to worry about. Only a little bit has gone inside the body"
"It's the cake. I think someone must have put nuts in it" Lady Zhao pointed towards the desserts.
"Didn't the servants in the manor not know Lady Zhao is allergic to peanuts" Xiao Feng looked at Weining.
"Was there a cake with nuts on the menu?" Weining shook her head and at the time the third prince pointed her hand downwards as many assassinations came inside and in a second everyone was fighting. Weining was hiding behind Linlin and Linlin took her sword out guarding her miss and others. Xiao Feng looked around and the fourth prince was protecting her Second sister so Xiao Feng quickly looked at the Second prince who was scared and was hugging her older sister on the floor.
"Linlin take my Second sister out of here with Weining. I am going to 1st sister. Second prince doesn't know how to fight" Xiao Feng said to Linlin.
"But Ms. You?" Linlin asked out of worry Ms. Xiao Feng took a sword from a dead person on the ground.
"I can protect myself" Linlin nodded and walk towards the fourth prince with Weining. Xiao Feng also ran toward the Second prince and her older sister.
"Sister, brother-in-law. Let me take you both out of here" They both look at each other and nodded. Xiao Feng led them out of the fight and the third prince saw it and signal to an assassin, he nod and signal something as a few assassins chased after them.
They were in the corridor when they encounter with the assassins and Xiao Feng was fighting the next moment one was going to stab the Second prince but he stopped in the middle and split blood from his mouth. Xiao Feng had stabbed the assassin.
Xiao Feng went to the other side and a sword slightly slashed her arm making her older sister gasps.
"Sister, go" The second princess consort was frustrated but still ran away with the Second prince as Xiao Feng blocked the way. The couple was running when two assassins came towards them as they froze in the same place. They turn back to go to the other side and there were another two.
They were going to attack them when something came slashing one's neck and that person fell dead. The remaining assassins look around and another one fell dead and the other two were stabbed one after another. Xiao Feng and Linlin both came to the scene.
"Are you okay?" Xiao Feng asked. They both nodded together and they took the Second prince to the room where her Second sister was also kept. Xiao Feng just entered there when her second sister came to Xiao Feng and grabbed her shoulder. Xiao Feng hissed because of the slashed wound in her arm.
"Xiao Feng, the fourth prince, is he alright?"
"Don't worry sister. He knows how to protect himself" Xiao Feng answered.
"But will you check, please for me? He is my husband"
"Ms. Are you hurt?" Linlin asked.
"No. It's not my blood. I will check" Xiao Feng said patting the second sister's hand.
"Linlin, protect them at any cost" Xiao Feng said making Linlin nod.
"Xiao Feng, I'm 3 months pregnant. I don't want my child to be fatherless" Xiao Feng looked at her sister and smiled then nodded going away.
The fight was going on. There wasn't Zhao Ming in the scene but a fighting Prince Jing. the fourth prince was injured a little and Xiao Feng just step as a small metal weapon hit the timber wall behind her as she looks at it. Xiao Feng went toward the fourth prince to help him.
"Is your sister, okay? She is pregnant" the Fourth prince asked.
"She is" Xiao Feng answered.
"Rescue will come, we have to hold just a few minutes," the Fourth prince said fighting.
"I see" Xiao Feng kicked the one who was going to attack from behind but to her surprise her hand with the sword got a cut making her sword fall from her grip.
Same time soldiers came in surrounding the place a sigh escape her mouth as assassins were going to the runway but 3 of them send 3 needles as she spots it and she look at the fourth prince who was out of focus and she hadn't any option but to meddle in it as it hit her and she hissed.
"Sister-in-law, are you okay," the Fourth prince asked holding her shoulder to help her stand up.
Xiao Feng looks at her waist which had a struck weapon. She took it out and throw it to the ground and turn to the other side. The other needles were for Prince Jing and he had easily blocked them.
General who came as the reinforcement report for the princes and apologized for the lateness and Xiao Feng tapped the fourth prince's hand and she mumbled.
"I will take you to the sister" He nodded following her Prince Jing had seen it and he furrowed. Soldiers start checking the bodies.
On the other side, the second sister was sobbing while the eldest sister comforting her. The second prince was walking here and there and Linlin was guarding the entrance. Weining was just standing by the side. The door opened revealing Xiao Feng and the fourth prince. The fourth prince and Second sister hugged each other and the Second prince went toward Xiao Feng
"Is everything okay?" The second prince asked. It was the last thing she heard as she fell unconscious.
"Xiao Feng!" "MS!" "Your highness!"
Xiao Feng was laying in bed.
"She is poisoned. The weapon had poison on it. The other cuts are not that deep but for the poison, we have to find a cure for it. I'm sorry" the Physician answered after checking Xiao Feng.
"What do you mean? Are you even a physician, Xiao Feng is strong. It's you who can't do anything" the Second princess consort shouted to the physician. The second prince try to calm down her wife and the fourth prince sighed.
"I'm sorry. It was all my fault. She took it for me" Fourth prince was guilty.
"It's my fault. Not yours. I shouldn't have begged her to go back. She was smiling. Xiao Feng, wake up. You're the only little aunty my child will have. Please, wake up" the Fourth princess consort cried.
"Where's the fifth royal brother?" The second prince asked making her wife glare at him.
"Don't even mention him" She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.
"Why? He is her husband!" The second prince answered back making her wife scoff.
"Husband? If it's not for the empress dowager's last wish, Xiao Feng wouldn't be lying here like a dead, nor she would be in a prison in Jing manor, nor she will become like this. She is a carefree girl. No one dare to hurt her before but your so-called brother did everything to hurt her in many ways. Loving his concubine. Did you know your brother hasn't spent a single night with my sister not even on the wedding night? Her veil wasn't even taken off" Xiao Qi, second princess consort sighed.
The second prince embraces her wife since she was on the edge of crying. But she looks at the Second prince and glared.
"Don't even think about taking a concubine?" Xiao Qi said making the second prince stunned but he nodded anyway making others in the room chuckle.
Prince Jing was interrogating a servant in the main hall of the manor.
"Your highness, it was princess consort. This maid remind her about Lady Zhao's allergy but she asked me to shut my mouth" The servant answered while bowing her head down.
Prince Jing slammed the table in front of him.
"Take her maids here!" Prince Jing commanded and after a few minutes of waiting Weining and Linlin were kneeling in the main hall.
"Was it Xiao Feng who added nuts to the cakes?" Prince Jing asked.
"No, your highness. There wasn't nut cake on the list. I still have the list in me" Weining answered.
"Seem like you came prepared. Scheming just like your master" Prince Jing gritted his teeth.
"Calm down your highness. You shouldn't give sister Xiao a harsh punishment, after all, she is poisoned and our baby is alright" Zhao Ming said entering the main hall and sitting beside prince Jing. Prince Jing patted her hand.
"You're too kind Ming'er"
"Your highness, when the doctor said it's the cause of a nut cake princess asked me if there was nut cake on the list since there wasn't. Princess consort asks me to keep the list in case of emergency" Weining answered.
"Your highness, we found this list in Weining's room" A servant exclaimed with a list in his hand. Lady Zhao smiled a little.
"What do you mean by this? Give the list in your hand" Prince Jing ordered Weining. Weining gave two lists to Prince Jing making him look at her confused.
"Harem or backyard is always a dangerous place because of the jealousy between women," Weining said instead of answering prince Jing.
"You mean I'm jealous of-" Lady Zhao stopped herself.
"Lady Zhao calm down. I am saying that women are filled with jealousy and the people there should always be cautious. The two lists in my hand are, one was written by me and taken for checking and the other one is written by the princess consort, which was the first written list. I copied that list. Your Highness, you can check the handwriting" Weining answered.
"Two is the same, how can this prove your master is innocence?" Prince Jing asked again.
"Your highness the one who wants to frame princess has copied my handwriting since no one knows it wasn't princess handwriting but mine" Weining answered.
"Copy this list right in here" Prince Jing ordered. She copied the list and right at the time empress came in even without an announcement.
"Royal mother, why are you here?" Prince Jing asked.
"You asking me to stay calm in the palace knowing what is happening here" Empress exclaimed and sat in the main seat.
Before the trial, Weining wrote something in a paper and ask a maid to bring it to the empress and in the first place she was taking time for the empress to come since of course mare handwriting can't prove someone's innocent. She knew since her master is unconscious, she has to take it this way.
"Nanny Shu" Empress looked at nanny Shu and nanny Shu ordered palace maids to torture the servant who claim it was the princess who added nuts to the cake.
"I, I will tell" The servant finally confessed it was lady Zhao's maid who threaten her with her family. Lady Zhao's maid knelt down
"Your majesty, your highness, it wasn't me. I'm framed" The servant bowed her head shivering. Still, the empress asks to take her down.
"So now Xiao Feng's name is cleared" Empress stands up to go but lady Zhao knelt in front of the empress.
"Royal mother I don't know why you're biased to help the princess consort. But royal mother how about the poison that was in the calming incense she gifted me" lady Zhao said mastering up her courage.
Empress went near lady Zhao and grab her by the chin making Prince Jing panic.
"You know what happened to it right? Don't do the same mistake if not your baby in the belly will go for your own stupid mistakes. Do you think I am a fool to believe that a servant act on her own without her master's order"
Lady Zhao was startled but soon she starts to continuously bow down.
"Empress please spare me and my child"
"You!!" Empress looks at lady Zhao unbelieving.
"That enough. Royal mother, you should go back" Prince Jing said saluting the empress.
"I came here to visit Xiao Feng and you can take your lady Zhao to the feast on the day after tomorrow"
Prince Jing quickly nodded thanking and lady Zhao also smiled. It was the evening and Xiao Feng woke up and no one tell her about the poisoning. She was taking a soup and an aggressive Prince Jing came inside the room the maid who was feeding the soup went to a side as Prince Jing slapped Xiao Feng hard Xiao Feng split blood and start coughing and everyone inside the room knelt.
"You got everything you want. Household, title but still you're trying to harm Ming'er and my child"
"Your highness calm down, princess consort has already proved innocent" Weining answered.
"I'm talking about incense!!"