Some smiles aren't meant to charm—but to conceal the poison-tipped needle aimed at the heart.
⸻
The next morning, the air in the imperial palace was unseasonably clear.
The sky was cloudless, and the sunlight far too warm for the season.
Xianlan knew well—nature might shift with the winds of time,
but those who hide schemes behind a gentle smile never change.
While she was arranging herbal remedies for the court maids' colds,
a young eunuch from Noble Consort Su's quarters appeared,
his voice honeyed with false goodwill.
"Her Highness the Noble Consort wishes to invite Princess Xianlan for tea in the plum garden…
she heard that Your Highness favors that place."
Xianlan placed her brush softly onto the ink tray.
She knew well—this invitation… was only the beginning.
⸻
The plum garden was adorned with sheer silk curtains and exquisite brocade carpets.
The air was filled with the soft scent of tea and the gentle plucking of a guqin.
Su Mengyu sat in the center of the pavilion, dressed in shimmering white-silver silk,
smiling with the grace of a goddess from a painting.
"Xiao Lan, you've arrived… I simply wished to reminisce with you.
Nothing more, I assure you."
Xianlan offered a faint smile.
"I have never thought the Noble Consort's invitations were without intent…
but I am always willing to listen."
Her voice remained calm,
but her mind raised its defenses to the highest.
She knew—
today, the trap would begin to spring.
⸻
Su Zhen arrived shortly after, her tone warm and motherly.
"I only wish for you to speak with the Crown Prince's fiancée…
They grew up together, and surely she has many fond stories to share with you."
The words were gentle—but every sentence carried hidden barbs.
Xianlan slowly lifted her teacup and replied flatly,
"Such as the story of the poisoning…
or perhaps the iron box beneath the plum tree?"
Su Zhen paused,
and Su Mengyu's smile remained—but her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I merely hope everyone in the palace can live in peace,
not dredge up the past and stir the whole realm."
"One person's past,"Xianlan replied softly,
"can be the future of many others."
⸻
Their conversation flowed like refined poetry—
but every word was laced with chill.
At last, a eunuch from Su Zhen's quarters arrived,
carrying an ornate box of cosmetics.
"Her Highness the Noble Consort offers Princess Xianlan a gift…
cosmetics imported from the Dongling Kingdom, favored by many concubines."
Xianlan smiled—but did not touch it.
"Things that are too beautiful…
I fear they may erase the scars that remind me of what I've endured.
I prefer to keep those reminders close."
For a moment, Su Mengyu found herself unable to smile back.
⸻
On her way back from the plum garden,
Xianlan unexpectedly crossed paths with Wen Yichen in the southern corridor.
He handed her a basket of herbs and asked with concern,
"You look pale… has the trap begun to close?"
Xianlan nodded slightly.
"Yes. But I'm still inside its jaws—
not yet at its throat."
Wen Yichen chuckled softly, then handed her a folded paper envelope.
"This is the formula used to convert 'Zi Gui Lan' into a compound that triggers heart failure.
I found it in my mentor's old records—
she once worked for Noble Consort Su's palace."
Xianlan looked down at it, voice steady.
"Today's 'gift'…
may not have been mere cosmetics after all."
⸻
That evening, Xianlan sent the gift from the Noble Consort to the herbal examination room.
The results nearly took her breath away.
A banned substance: Jian Su Lan—a fine, colorless, odorless powder
that seeps into the bloodstream through skin contact
and ruptures capillaries within seven days.
She stared at the box in silence.
⸻
Later that night, Feng Yuhan appeared at the gates of Xianyan Palace.
His expression was somber.
"I heard you were poisoned through a gift."
Xianlan looked up at him, her sharp eyes as calm as still waters.
"This time… I won't hide, won't run,
and I will not die so easily.
You gave your word to walk beside me.
So now—I ask you to help me erase every last trap beneath our feet."
Feng Yuhan nodded.
"You entrusted your life to me.
This time… I will place my life in your hands as well."