Chapter 70 Falling For The Trap

Yun Shang replied with a tender smile, "Sure." Yun Shang thought to herself, 'He hasn't changed a bit. Still so competitive.' All of a sudden, Hua Jing's face flashed through her mind. She remembered how clearly she could see people's expressions and movements through the mist when she first stepped into the pavilion. Somehow, she had a really bad feeling. If she was right, Hua Jing was alone in the pavilion when she and Mo Jingran left.

"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?" Mo Jingran leaned forward and asked with a gentle smile. His handsome face softened as he stared at Yun Shang.

"Not much. I was just thinking about how marvelous the Qianxin Tower is. We had the perfect view from the pavilion, yet we can hardly see anything along the lakeside." As Yun Shang replied, she secretly held and squeezed Qian Yin's hand as a warning.

Mo Jingran didn't see what she had done in the thick fog. He simply led the way, "Your Highness, this way, please. I came from this path earlier, and I saw a parchment hidden in the rockery alongside the gravel."

Yun Shang followed Mo Jingran quietly towards where he estimated the hidden parchment to be. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Yun Shang noticed that something was wrong. She could smell a faint but sweet fragrance that wafted through the air.

"Mister Mo, have you noticed? The scent..." Yun Shang decided to ask Mo Jingran.

Mo Jingran stopped and looked around before taking a deep breath. He then agreed with a slight nod, "Right, I can smell it too. But I saw some flowers blooming over there. Perhaps it is just coming from those flowers?"

Yun Shang stared at Mo Jingran as he tried to explain. She couldn't help but notice how his hands shook even though he was hiding them behind his back. They had been married for many years in her previous life, and it had been long enough for her to be familiar with some of his habits. She knew his hands shook when he lied. Earlier, Yun Shang didn't have the opportunity to see his hands because he had been following her when they left the pavilion. Now that Mo Jingran wanted to show her the parchment and was leading the way, Yun Shang finally had the chance to notice this detail.

Why was Mo Jingran lying to her? Perhaps something was wrong with the scent.

Anxious but unsure, Yun Shang frowned and wondered what could be wrong. She thought she was quite familiar with common poisons. Yet, she had no idea what kind of poison the fragrance might have been extracted from. Yun Shang stepped forward cautiously. Perhaps the fragrance was, as he said, only the nearby flowers. But things could not be as simple as they looked. Besides, it seemed that she and Mo Jingran were the only souls wandering in the area at the moment.

The only souls?

Yun Shang stopped abruptly at the thought. She didn't need to look back, as she could feel that there was nobody behind them. Where were Qin Yi and Qian Yin? She couldn't be more certain that, just a moment ago, Qian Yin was standing near her.

Yun Shang tried to sort things out in her mind. The only thing she knew for sure was that she could not look back. Hua Jing was still in the pavilion, and she could see everything. Once she turned around, Hua Jing would know that Yun Shang had noticed something was wrong. She couldn't risk alarming her sister until she found out what Hua Jing was up to. She

pe the sweat off her forehead, but she was too weak to lift her arms. Yun Shang took a few deep breaths before she finally found her voice. Then she spoke hoarsely, "There is a strange scent in the mist near the rockery, and I think it's an aphrodisiac. My maids disappeared. Mo Jingran passed out behind the rockery."

Prince Jing frowned but stayed quiet. He sat Yun Shang up and was about to take her away when Yun Shang grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Uncle, do you have any antidote with you?"

Prince Jing thought for a second before pulling out a pill and slipping it into Yun Shang's mouth. "It works for common aphrodisiacs. I don't know what kind of poison you have been given, so I'm not sure whether it will help or not. Let's see how it works."

Yun Shang nodded, "You have been here for a while. I suppose Hua Jing might be getting suspicious about what you are doing here. Can Mister Wang find a way to distract Hua Jing? I need to deal with the aphrodisiac first. After all, the show is not yet over and I can't just leave."

Yun Shang looked up at Prince Jing again and said, "I've been here before. I know there's a small spring not far from here. Can you take me there?"

Wang Jinhuan glanced at Prince Jing and Yun Shang before sighing heavily and walking away. He looked around and then pulled up his robe as if he was about to pee. Surprised by how he was planning to distract Hua Jing, Yun Shang looked away. Wang Jinhuan casually unhooked his pants. Seizing the opportunity, Prince Jing carried Yun Shang towards the spring she mentioned.

It didn't take Prince Jing long to find the spring. Though the pool had frozen, there was still a small jet of water gushing out of the ice. Yun Shang hurried forward and knelt down before the spring. She scooped a handful of icy water and splashed it over her face. The fire burning inside her settled a bit. Yun Shang took a piece of ice and slipped it through her collar and into her clothes. She shivered as the cold spread through her body. The change in temperature helped her sober up.

"What is your plan? Let me help you." Prince Jing stood behind the Princess and asked calmly. Yun Shang slipped another piece of ice into her clothes before turning to Prince Jing, "I will make her suffer."