The Poisoned Dagger
Dewdrops glistened on the leaves, and the cheerful chirping of birds announced the arrival of morning.
It was a peaceful morning, but not for TanTan.
She woke with a terrible start after having a horrible nightmare. In her dream, she had become little Hua MuTan again, clutching her beloved doll, XiaoMei, while running desperately from a pack of wolves chasing her.
It seems all my stress has turned into this nightmare... Auch... auch... auch... My body...
TanTan groaned as pain spread throughout her body.
It feels as though all my muscles have been torn apart...
She tried to sit up in bed, only to notice that XiaoRue had fallen asleep beside her after staying up all night to watch over her.
TanTan felt grateful to have such a faithful servant.
She must be exhausted after staying awake all night...
Not wanting to wake XiaoRue, TanTan tried to move slowly and climb out of bed. Unfortunately, her movements disturbed XiaoRue, who immediately woke up.
"Sorry, XiaoRue... I didn't mean to wake you..."
"XiaoJie..."
To TanTan's surprise, XiaoRue suddenly knelt down and bowed her head as though she had committed some terrible mistake.
"XiaoJie, please punish XiaoRue!"
"What? Why? What did you do wrong to deserve punishment?"
Seriously... What happened while I was sleeping?
TanTan remembered that after she, Prince Li, and ManQi had returned to Li Mansion the previous night, she had ignored everyone and gone straight to her room, throwing herself onto the bed.
"XiaoRue is not a good servant... I let myself get distracted by the lanterns, and because of that, XiaoJie had to go through such a terrible experience. You were almost killed!"
That's nonsense! If XiaoRue isn't a good servant, then I don't know what a good servant is supposed to be.
"Get up, XiaoRue. This wasn't your fault at all. In fact, it's better that you weren't with me at the time. Otherwise, you might have been hurt too."
TanTan tried to comfort her, but it didn't work. XiaoRue remained kneeling, looking terribly worried.
TanTan began to wonder.
Maybe Hua MuTan always blamed XiaoRue whenever something unfortunate happened to her in the past. If that's true, what a terrible woman she was... Just like Prince Li always says...
Ah, that's right! Prince Li! How is he?
Suddenly, TanTan remembered that Prince Li had been wounded while protecting her the previous night.
"XiaoRue, how is Prince Li? Is he all right?"
"Prince Li... He..."
TanTan noticed XiaoRue hesitating. Her heart sank as she began imagining the worst.
"What is it, XiaoRue? Did something bad happen to Prince Li? Is he...?"
"No... Prince Li is fine. XiaoJie doesn't need to worry. Last night, Physician Huang gave him medicine to save his life. Prince Li is resting in his room now."
"Phew! You scared me, XiaoRue..."
TanTan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, come on. Stand up already! Why are you so worried?"
But XiaoRue still didn't move. Her real concern wasn't simply the incident she had mentioned. She was afraid that TanTan would explode in anger if she found out who had stayed beside Prince Li all night.
"If you insist on not telling me, I'll really have to punish you..."
TanTan stood up and began changing her clothes by herself.
Of course, she didn't mean what she said. Her mind was occupied with other concerns.
If Prince Li is all right, should I go and visit him? ShuangAi must have been the one who called Physician Huang... Did ShuangAi manage to return home safely with her father? And what about FangFang? I should check on her too, just to make sure everyone is all right.
Yes! I'll check on Prince Li first.
"Stop worrying, XiaoRue. I want to see Prince Li right now."
"NOOO, XiaoJie! You can't...!"
TanTan stared at XiaoRue in confusion.
"Why not?"
"Well... It's... It's because..."
"Because ShuangAi Mei is with Qi WangGe right now. You can't disturb them!"
A young woman suddenly appeared at the open doorway. She stared at TanTan with a smug smile.
TanTan examined the unexpected guest. She was a beautiful young lady wearing a purple dress, adorned with expensive accessories. A golden hairpin decorated her long, curly hair. She carried herself with a royal air, and she had just referred to Prince Li as Qi WangGe.
Could this young lady be...?
As if confirming TanTan's guess, XiaoRue immediately bowed and greeted her formally.
"This servant greets Princess XiXi."
"Rise."
So this is Princess XiXi, the younger sister of the Third Prince? Doesn't that make her Hua MuTan's royal cousin?
Princess XiXi made herself comfortable by sitting in a chair beside the table. She picked up an empty teacup and gestured for XiaoRue to pour tea.
XiaoRue immediately obeyed.
Princess XiXi calmly took a sip.
Wow... She acts as though she's the mistress of this room. How arrogant! But perhaps she can behave that way because she's a princess.
TanTan didn't bother reacting to her attitude. Instead, she thought about the information she had just received.
ShuangAi is accompanying Prince Li right now? Ah, so that's why XiaoRue looks so worried. She must think I'll become jealous and throw a tantrum as soon as I hear about ShuangAi. Well, the old Hua MuTan might have done that... Poor XiaoRue.
Meanwhile, Princess XiXi was confused by TanTan's calm reaction. She had expected her to become angry, so she repeated herself.
"Hey! Didn't you hear what I said? I said that Prince Li is..."
"...Being accompanied by ShuangAi Mei right now. Yes, I heard you clearly. Thank you for telling me, Princess."
TanTan answered calmly.
Her response surprised both Princess XiXi and XiaoRue. XiaoRue, in particular, felt relieved that the outburst she had feared never came.
Princess XiXi widened her eyes and left her mouth hanging open. Her expression looked rather funny and even a little cute. Seeing it, TanTan couldn't help smiling.
"You... You're not angry after hearing that?"
"Why should I be? I'm glad ShuangAi Mei can accompany Prince Li. He's wounded and needs someone to take care of him..."
TanTan was genuinely happy that ShuangAi could look after Prince Li. At least this was one way to make up for the guilt she felt about his injuries.
But Princess XiXi wasn't satisfied with her answer. She wanted desperately to provoke TanTan, so she decided to lie.
"Oh, really? But I heard that Qi WangGe asked her to stay with him all night. He didn't even want to let her leave!"
TanTan could clearly see what Princess XiXi was trying to do.
It's obvious this princess hates Hua MuTan too. But is it because of Prince Li, or does she have some personal grudge against her? Oh, Hua MuTan... Just how many people in this world hate you? It seems almost everyone I've met here is your enemy.
TanTan sighed. She had no intention of arguing with the princess any further.
Then she remembered something much more important.
The dagger!
The previous night, when she was exhausted, she had placed the poisoned dagger on the table before going to sleep. But now she realized it was gone!
"Of course ShuangAi Jie can take care of Qi WangGe much, much better than you can!"
Princess XiXi continued talking, but TanTan had already approached XiaoRue.
"XiaoRue, did you see the dagger on the table last night? The one wrapped in cloth?"
"A dagger? Of course! It was still on the table when I came to watch over you, XiaoJie. It was right over there!"
XiaoRue pointed toward the table. But the dagger was no longer there.
"It's gone? XiaoJie... I didn't know..."
The worried expression returned to XiaoRue's face.
Where did the dagger go? Did someone take it while we were sleeping? Or perhaps this morning?
Princess XiXi became irritated at being completely ignored by the two of them.
"Hey! Stop ignoring me! What's wrong with everyone this morning? Even FangFang ignored me and ran away just like that! Listen, Hua MuTan..."
FangFang...?
TanTan and XiaoRue exchanged a glance. It seemed they had both reached the same conclusion.
It can't be...!
TanTan turned toward Princess XiXi and asked in a suddenly serious voice.
"When did you see FangFang?"
"What do you mean, when did I see her?" Princess XiXi frowned, annoyed by the question.
"Tell me quickly!"
TanTan's sharp tone startled her.
"Just now, when I was coming here. I bumped into her on the way. She seemed to be hiding something behind her back, and then she ran away without even apologizing! How rude of that child!"
It was FangFang... She was the one who took the dagger! Oh my God! That dagger is still poisonous! FangFang...!
TanTan rushed out of the room, followed immediately by XiaoRue, who seemed to understand what was going through her young mistress's mind.
"Hey! Wait! I'm not finished talking to you! Hey! Where are you going? Are you going to Qi WangGe to disturb them?!"
Princess XiXi grew even more irritated. She chased after TanTan and grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Hua MuTan! I won't allow you to go and see Qi WangGe! Hey! Listen to me! LISTEN!"
Princess XiXi shouted so loudly that several servants cleaning the residence turned to look at them in confusion.
"XiMei! Why are you shouting so loudly in someone else's residence? A princess shouldn't behave like that!"
A man's voice interrupted them.
TanTan noticed that Princess XiXi immediately became more conscious of her behavior in front of him.
The man also carried a royal air. Seeing XiaoRue greet him formally and hearing the way Princess XiXi addressed him, TanTan guessed that he must be Prince Li FengEr, the Third Prince and Princess XiXi's elder brother.
"San WangGe! It's Hua MuTan's fault! She ignored me while I was talking to her. Isn't that impolite?!"
Princess XiXi immediately sought support from her brother.
TanTan wondered whether he would be just like his sister and hate Hua MuTan too.
If that's the case, I really don't have time for this...
"Silly girl! How can you call Hua MuTan by her name? You should call her MuTan Jie. She's older than you, and she's also your sister-in-law."
To TanTan's surprise, Prince FengEr scolded his sister. He then turned toward TanTan, nodded politely, and smiled.
"Huh! I will never call her that! I only acknowledge ShuangAi Mei as my sister-in-law, not her!"
"XiXi!"
Prince FengEr scolded her again before turning back to TanTan.
"I'm sorry for my sister's impolite behavior, MuTan Mei. I hope you won't take her words to heart."
Prince FengEr smiled at her once again.
He was indeed handsome when he smiled. In fact, his entire appearance was strikingly good-looking. But this was hardly the right moment for TanTan to admire a handsome prince. She needed to find FangFang immediately!
"It's fine. I won't take it seriously. Now, if you'll excuse us..."
TanTan was about to leave, but Princess XiXi stubbornly blocked her way.
"I won't let you go to Qi WangGe!"
"Please step aside, Princess!"
Prince FengEr pulled his sister away and cleared the path for TanTan. However, he was also curious about her anxious expression.
"MuTan Mei, why are you in such a hurry? Are you really going to see Qi WangDi?"
"I'm not! I want to check on FangFang!"
FangFang? Since when does Hua MuTan care about her stepdaughter?
The same thought crossed both Prince FengEr's and Princess XiXi's minds. They exchanged confused glances.
"Your reason for wanting to see FangFang must be anything but good. Let me come with you!"
"Do as you please," TanTan answered as politely as she could.
Whatever. I don't care...
The four of them hurried toward FangFang's room.
As TanTan approached, she noticed a piece of cloth lying on the floor near the doorway. It was the same cloth that had been wrapped around the dagger.
Her heart sank.
She rushed into the room and froze in shock.
FangFang was lying on the floor, with the dagger beside her. It seemed she had accidentally cut her own finger with it.
"FANGFANG!!!"
TanTan immediately rushed to her side. She tried to clean the wound and remove as much of the contaminated blood as possible, hoping the poison hadn't spread too deeply.
FangFang was unconscious, but she was still breathing.
Prince FengEr immediately understood the situation. He took out a small bottle containing medicinal liquid and carefully made FangFang drink it.
"What is that?" TanTan asked, looking at the bottle curiously.
"It's all right. It's an antidote. She'll be fine," he assured her.
He then carried FangFang onto the bed.
Only after seeing that FangFang was being taken care of did TanTan finally feel her strength leaving her. Relieved but exhausted, she sat down on a chair beside the table.
XiaoRue entered the room shortly afterward. She immediately checked FangFang and covered her with a blanket.
Princess XiXi was the last to enter. She noticed the dagger on the floor, then looked at FangFang lying on the bed.
"Is that a dagger?"
She bent down as if to pick it up and examine it, but TanTan immediately stopped her.
"Don't touch it! It's poisonous!"
"Poison?"
TanTan quickly instructed XiaoRue to wrap the dagger in cloth again and keep it safely in her room. XiaoRue immediately obeyed.
Seeing what had happened, Princess XiXi began drawing her own conclusions.
"What is this?! A poisoned dagger? FangFang?! Hua MuTan, how evil can you be? You tried to poison FangFang again, didn't you?! San WangGe, we must arrest her immediately!"
"What?! What are you talking about? I came here to save FangFang!"
TanTan was exhausted, and being accused without any reason made her furious.
"You deliberately made FangFang take the dagger from your room so that it would look as though she had hurt herself! How cunning of you!"
Princess XiXi continued her accusations.
TanTan stood up angrily.
"RIDICULOUS! IF THAT'S TRUE, WHY WOULD I COME HERE TO SAVE FANGFANG?!"
"BECAUSE I KNOW YOUR TRICKS! You planned everything so that no one would discover what you had done! Unfortunately for you, I saw FangFang taking the dagger from your room! Your little act of pretending to be innocent has failed! San WangGe, what are you waiting for?! Arrest her!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH, XIXI!"
Princess XiXi was startled. Her brother wasn't defending her at all. Instead...
"But... San WangGe..."
"Didn't you see how worried MuTan Mei was? Didn't you see how quickly she rushed here and how desperately she tried to save FangFang?!"
Her own brother was defending Hua MuTan instead of her!
How humiliating!
"Fine! We'll see about that! Hua MuTan, just wait until Qi WangGe hears about all this!"
Princess XiXi stormed out of the room in anger, leaving TanTan alone with Prince FengEr.
"I'm sorry, MuTan Mei. XiMei wasn't thinking clearly. I'll explain everything to her later. Please don't worry about her."
Prince FengEr sat down and poured a cup of tea for TanTan, gesturing for her to sit and rest.
TanTan looked at him gratefully.
This is the first time someone has actually defended me. Perhaps I can trust this person and consider him a friend?
"Thank you... for defending me."
"It's nothing. I simply said what I saw. I know you weren't trying to poison FangFang. That dagger..."
"It was just an accident... But it was still my fault. I should have kept the dagger somewhere safer."
TanTan looked deeply regretful as she glanced at FangFang, who was now sleeping peacefully.
"But why do you have a poisoned dagger? Did you use it against someone?"
Prince FengEr asked casually, almost as if he were joking.
"Oh, no! No... It's not even mine. It belonged to the assassins who tried to kill me!"
"The assassins?"
Prince FengEr's expression suddenly became more serious.
"That's interesting... Can you tell me the whole story?"
He now looked at TanTan with sharp interest. He genuinely wanted to know what lay behind the poisoned dagger—and perhaps what had happened to his Seventh Brother as well.
TanTan took a deep breath before answering.
"Of course..."
She then recounted everything that had happened during her journey to Li Mansion, as well as the events of the previous night at the Moon Festival.
Prince FengEr listened carefully. His attentiveness made TanTan feel more at ease. For the first time, she felt that she could share her troubles with someone who was willing to listen.
After hearing the entire story, Prince FengEr offered his conclusion.
"So... Someone is trying to kill you by sending these assassins, and the dagger might contain a clue about their identity?"
"Yes. That's all I have for now. Oh, right! You just gave FangFang an antidote for the poison. Are you familiar with the poison on this dagger?"
"Hmm... The poison on the dagger is quite deadly, but it's not particularly rare. Fortunately, I happened to have the right antidote with me."
"...FangFang is very lucky. Do you still have some? You should give it to Prince Li immediately."
"You're right. I think it's time for me to visit Qi WangDi. I should also stop XiMei from bothering him. Would you like to come with me?"
I'm not sure Prince Li would be happy to see me right now...
TanTan slowly shook her head.
"No. Perhaps later. I'd like to stay here and look after FangFang for a while."
"Very well. Ah... MuTan Mei, perhaps you could entrust the dagger to me? I might be able to find some information about the assassins. Besides, wouldn't it be safer with me than leaving it here in the residence?"
TanTan stared at Prince FengEr, carefully considering his suggestion.
Can I trust him? He has an antidote. Doesn't that mean he might also have access to the poison? But he seemed sincere when he helped me earlier...
From her experience as a law student, TanTan knew that she needed to be cautious, especially in a situation like this. She couldn't afford to trust someone too easily.
She shook her head once again.
"I can't give you the dagger, but I can make a drawing of it and give you a copy. Could you help me investigate it that way?"
Prince FengEr was slightly surprised by her answer. He hadn't expected Hua MuTan to be so cautious with him.
Nevertheless, he smiled.
"Very well. Give me a drawing of the dagger, and I'll help you find out who it belongs to."
"Thank you. I'll send it to you as soon as I can."
Prince FengEr politely excused himself and left the room.
Before passing through the doorway, he glanced back at Hua MuTan and smiled to himself.
This Hua MuTan is very interesting...
With that thought, he finally walked away.