The daughter of the Marquis is too delicate, the abstinent prince pinches her waist and loves her

Chapter 170 When did it happen?

Mu Jiyue raised her chin slightly, her gaze towards Sheng Yunqing filled with provocation, and her snorting voice trembled: "Sheng Yunqing, you'd better come to the wedding next month."

After saying that, she walked into the inner room and said coldly to the boatman, "Let's go."

As the pleasure boat sailed away, Sheng Yunqing's face darkened: "When did this happen?"

Ye Jinchen turned her around and hugged her, noticing her trembling body. His heart leaped into his throat: "Qing'er? Let me explain."

Sheng Yunqing suddenly broke free from Ye Jinchen's embrace, her fingertips digging into her palm.

With her back to him, her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice was as cold as ice: "Your Majesty is quite capable. You want to marry Princess Qinxue, but why are you provoking me?"

Ye Jinchen forcefully turned her body around, only to find that her eyes were red-rimmed.

This eldest daughter of the Sheng family, who was known for her sharp tongue in court and never backed down in her debates with court officials, was now biting her lips so hard they turned white, trying to hold back her tears. She looked extremely aggrieved.

"Qing'er, don't cry." Ye Jinchen felt a pang of heartache looking at her and raised his hand to gently wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Don't call me!" Sheng Yunqing raised her hand to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist.

Ye Jinchen grabbed her hand and pressed it to his chest, saying, "Mu Jiyue told Mother about the love potion. Mother used it to blackmail me into marrying her, but I didn't agree!"

Sheng Yunqing shook off his hand: "So, the engagement is real?"

Ye Jinchen remained silent for a moment. Sheng Yunqing gritted her teeth, then suddenly grabbed the wine pot on the table and smashed it into the lake outside the window: "Ye Jinchen! You!"

At that moment, she really wished she could throw him into that pitch-black lake as well.

She was furious, but looking at the wound on his neck, she couldn't utter a single word.

Mu Jiyue actually dared to tell the Empress Dowager about using a curse on Ye Jinchen...

Even more outrageous, the Empress Dowager actually agreed to their marriage because of this?!

She was so angry at this absurd decision that she laughed. Mu Jiyue's witchcraft was so incredibly skillful that even the Empress Dowager had been fooled into this state...

Before Sheng Yunqing could react, Ye Jinchen picked her up and pressed her against the soft couch beside him. He took out a secret edict from a hidden compartment next to the couch and said, "The Empress Dowager's decree is here. Before the wedding, I will send her back to the Western Shu Kingdom."

He pointed to the words "provisional marriage contract" written in red ink and said, "Did you see that clearly?"

Sheng Yunqing held the imperial edict and examined it carefully, her brows furrowing slightly: "The Empress Dowager... already knows?"

Ye Jinchen stroked her face, his fingertips still warm from her earlier anger, and said with a gentle smile, "Are you not angry anymore?"

Sheng Yunqing pouted and gave a soft hum, then turned her face away haughtily.

As her previously violently heaving chest gradually calmed down, Ye Jinchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Mu Jiyue staggered ashore, her yellowed skirt still dripping water, leaving a water stain on the bluestone slab.

She clenched her trembling fingers, her mind filled with Ye Jinchen's icy demeanor.

"How could a princess of the mighty Western Shu Kingdom have fallen so low?"

A voice, tinged with a teasing laugh and a hint of its usual wickedness, drifted from beneath the willows on the riverbank.

Mu Jiyue looked up abruptly and saw Ye Jingnian leaning against the willow tree, his eyes, filled with a dangerous smile, staring at her, his fingertips leisurely turning the white jade thumb ring on his thumb.

She snorted coldly and was about to turn away when she stopped for a moment as she passed by Ye Jingnian's side.

Ye Jingnian had never given her a kind look since their first meeting, so why would he take the initiative to speak to her now? She raised her beautiful eyebrows, tilted her head slightly, and the silver bell on her forehead jingled: "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

Ye Jingnian took out an exquisite jade pendant from his bosom. Mu Jiyue saw the starlight shimmering in the jade pendant and her eyes lit up: "Starlight Jade Pendant?"

She instinctively reached out to grab it, but Ye Jingnian immediately grabbed it tightly. Yan Chuan moved in front of Ye Jingnian, defensively blocking Mu Jiyue.

Mu Jiyue narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Was it given to His Highness by Miss Xie?"

Ye Jingnian glanced at her and said, "I don't want to have anything to do with the Mu family anymore. The jade pendant is with me. If you have the guts, come and take it. Don't bother Miss Xie anymore."

Mu Jiyue narrowed her eyes slightly, then raised her beautiful lips and said, "Your Highness, you must take good care of it. I feel much more at ease now that the jade pendant is in Your Highness's hands."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingnian frowned in a complicated manner. Her purpose was not simply to obtain the jade pendant, but rather... she was afraid that it would fall into the hands of someone.
Yan Chuan looked at the corpses of a few black Gu worms lying on the ground. They had fallen from Mu Jiyue's body earlier and seemed to have been corroded by something, causing them to fall to the ground and die.

Seeing these insects, he couldn't help but recall the scene in the courtyard after Ye Jingnian's death when the Gu worm burst from the woman's belly. He clenched his fist and said to Ye Jingnian, "Your Highness, Princess Qinxue is very capable. Perhaps she knows how to cure the love Gu."

Ye Jingnian took out a yellow talisman from his pocket. The cinnabar on it had faded and the edges showed signs of damage.

The talisman that Master Qingming gave him could only protect him from the Gu poison for a short time.

A Gu worm that wasn't quite dead yet suddenly sensed something and quickly crawled towards Ye Jingnian's direction.

Ye Jingnian's eyes were filled with a sinister glint as he crushed the Gu worm with one foot. The sound of its shell breaking mixed with a viscous liquid, and a pungent smell spread out.

"Making a deal with Mu Jiyue is too risky. Unless absolutely necessary, we should avoid contact with people from the Western Shu Kingdom."

"Yes."

As Ye Jingnian gazed at the shimmering lake, watching the magnificent painted boat recede into the distance, she said, "I suspect that Seventh Imperial Uncle has also been afflicted by the love potion."

Yan Chuan was shocked and said, "If that's true, then is Prince Ye also searching for a way to induce the use of Gu poison?"

His fingertips traced the patterns on the star-patterned jade pendant, his gaze deep and thoughtful: "Eight more months. Let's wait and see."

"Yes."

The embassy attic.

"My Gu! My Gu!" Mu Jiyue cried out in alarm as she looked at the Gu worms scurrying around the room. "My darlings, what's wrong with you?"

Several worms crawled onto her skirt, but soon lost their strength and collapsed to the ground, dead.

Furthermore, numerous restless insects were gnawing at the tables, chairs, doors, and windows, and some even flew onto her face, attempting to bite her cheeks.

"Ah!" Mu Jiyue exclaimed, shaking the bell in her hand. The Gu worms, which were usually obedient, had now completely lost control and ignored the sound of the bell.

Mu Jiyue suddenly realized something, frowned, pinched the hem of her skirt, and brought it to her nose to sniff. She was annoyed by the pungent smell.

It's realgar!
She gritted her teeth and slammed the things on the table to the ground.

"It must have been Sheng Yunqing who did it! That despicable Sheng Yunqing, when did she come into contact with that glass of wine?!"

Or perhaps... she ambushed her when her ship arrived?

"Princess! What's wrong, Princess?" Two maids opened the door at the sound of the commotion, only to be startled by the frenzied attack of the Gu worms and scream in terror.

The panicked girls could only pick up the candles on the table and use the light to drive away the Gu worms.

The attic was destined to be anything but peaceful that night.