"Right, right! Detoxify them," someone whispered. "The law - enforcement female official has said she won't pursue it. You're being too greedy."
"This has nothing to do with me. I want to see the queen," I insisted.
But the law - enforcement female official said, "There's no need to report this to the queen."
Hearing this, I wanted to leave, but Ao Qing blocked my way. "You won't leave here today unless you detoxify them."
I realized they were trying to trap me here.
Everyone was watching me as if they were watching a show.
Looking at the faces of the people in the palace, I felt a chill in my heart. I suddenly understood how terrifying people's hearts could be. If I didn't cure them today, I was afraid I would be labeled as the murderer who tried to harm the female archers tomorrow. Not to mention seeking help from the queen, I couldn't even leave this place. I had no choice but to yield. I should find a way to get out first.
Everyone was looking at me. I glanced at the poison on the female archers' faces and reluctantly took out the red pills that my mother gave me, which could cure all poisons. I asked indifferently, "How many people were poisoned?"
"Nine," a woman who looked like a medical attendant replied.
I poured out nine pills and handed them to the palace servant.
But Ao Qing shouted, "Wait. How do I know if these are not poison?"
I sneered. "If you don't trust me, you can choose not to take them. Then let's just wait."
At this time, there were only two pills left in my bottle. The law - enforcement female official said, "Since Princess Xi He has provided the antidote, she has admitted her mistake. Everyone can leave."
But Ao Qing said, "But she hasn't apologized to the elder sisters in the female archer team!"
I immediately stopped the palace servant who was about to deliver the pills. I said to Ao Qing, "I'm not wrong in the first place. I won't admit this. I'm just showing the benevolence of a doctor by providing the antidote."
The law - enforcement female official slowly shook her head at Ao Qing. Ao Qing pouted but said nothing.
Finally, the antidotes were taken one by one in front of me. I glanced at the law - enforcement female official and left angrily.
Who would have thought that just as I reached the door, I bumped into a hard chest. I looked up, about to curse, when I heard Yu Chi Cheng's familiar and worried voice, "Xi He, why are you here? I heard that you were summoned here."
Looking at his travel - worn appearance, I knew he must have just come back from handling affairs. For some reason, a surge of resentment welled up in my heart. I pushed him hard and walked away from him.
But he followed me worriedly and said nervously, "Xi He!"
This time, Ao Qing's loud crying came from behind.
"Don't follow me!" I frowned irritably and walked towards my residence.
I was sure I didn't use the needles wrongly, because if I had, they wouldn't have just suffered from skin ulcers. They would have died on the spot. So, this must be Ao Qing's plot to frame me!
When I got back to my place, I sat on the bed thinking about this. Suddenly, I felt extremely aggrieved.
I thought I could have a good time in the Northern Cold Region when I came here, but I didn't expect to encounter this just after I arrived!
...
That night, Yu Chi Cheng came to see me after he understood the whole situation, but I refused to see him.
"Xi He, open the door. Open it, please!"
I said angrily inside the room, "By now, you know the truth. You'd better not see a vicious princess like me." But he disagreed. "Even if everyone thinks it was you, I know it wasn't."
To be honest, it was hard not to be touched when I heard this at this moment. But for some reason, I still thought he was just comforting me. So I said, "You talk nicer than you sing. You say you know it wasn't me, but do you have any evidence?"
Yu Chi Cheng was silent for a moment and then said slowly, "I've remembered the Princess of Dayong who took the blame voluntarily for a long time. If this was really your doing, you would have taken the blame without hesitation. For you, any excuse would be an insult."
I leaned against the door and laughed. I didn't expect that the person who understood me best in the end was him.
"Open the door. Let me see you."
I was silent.
He said again, "I'll leave when you open the door. If you don't open it all night, I won't leave either."
Was this a threat? I hated being threatened the most. So I casually blew out the lamp in the room and said, "Then wait all night."
In bed, I fell asleep early because I was exhausted.
As a result, I forgot about this the next day. After washing and dressing, I just planned to go out for a meal. But I was shocked to see Yu Chi Cheng standing outside my door, covered in dew. "Why are you still here?"
Yu Chi Cheng smiled at me. "I knew you would come out eventually."
At that time, the morning light was just breaking. There was still the fatigue of the previous day's journey on his face. I watched him walk towards me. He reached out his hand to me and tried his best to smile. Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat. I reached out my hand to him. Unexpectedly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms. Then his gentle voice whispered in my ear, "Xi He, I'm sorry. I made you suffer. I've taken the substances from their faces. I will definitely find out the truth for you."
His words made me forget the shock of being hugged by him.
...
After this incident, I not only became the vicious princess that everyone in the Northern Cold Palace feared, but also a scheming and charming vixen.
Many years later, I asked Yu Chi Cheng if he did it on purpose. Yu Chi Cheng said, "Only in this way can everyone know that you're the one I've taken a fancy to. They can't bully you casually."
I was very angry at that time, so I poked him hard. "But do you know that the more you do this, the harder it will be for me in the Northern Cold Region!"
Yu Chi Cheng said nothing. He just hugged my head and said softly, "I'm sorry I made you suffer in the Northern Cold Region. It's my fault."
Seeing him like this, I was very frustrated. I just said, "Forget it. Even if I become a vixen for you, I'll accept it."
...
When Ao Qing heard that Yu Chi Cheng had stood outside my door all night to ask for my forgiveness, she was so angry that her nose was crooked. Yu Chi Cheng even showed in front of everyone that he was willing to do so and always blamed himself for not being by my side when the incident happened. Otherwise, he would never have let things turn out like this.
Afterwards, I found him and said, "Brother Yu Chi, if you say such things in front of everyone, won't it make others misunderstand our relationship?"
But Yu Chi Cheng said, "With your Brother Yu Chi standing up for you, they won't make things difficult for you anymore. And is there any relationship between us that can be misunderstood?"
His rhetorical question left me speechless. So I said, "Forget it. Anyway, I won't stay in the Northern Cold Region for long. The innocent will prove their innocence." I couldn't live in fear because of others' opinions of me all day. That was their business. It had nothing to do with me. I just needed to be myself.
But Yu Chi Cheng said, "Xi He, if you suffer any more grievances in the future, you can tell me. I'll always listen."
I said indifferently, "Just think of this as a training. One must be strong enough not to be bullied."
Yu Chi Cheng stared at me and said, "Our Xi He is truly the best woman in the world."
I saw the tenderness in his eyes, and my heart skipped another beat. Only then did I realize for the first time that Yu Chi Cheng had sword - like eyebrows, starry eyes, and a straight nose. He was so good - looking. Maybe I had really ignored him too many times before.