After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

The animal hides on the ground were indeed soft, but Zhao Huining closed her eyes, feeling that the humiliation of being confined to someone's bed was nothing compared to this.

Fortunately, the black bear skin is warm; it's cozy and not chilly when you lie down on it.

It was late at night.

This inevitably causes concern.

Zhao Huining lay awake, listening to the breathing of the person on the bed, her mind full of worries, unable to fall asleep no matter what she did.

After my grandfather's great victory, the barbarian tribes on the border remained obedient and did not launch any attacks for more than ten years, and the country was peaceful and prosperous.

Upon assuming the throne, the new emperor naturally turned his attention to the Miao region and the ancient Dian Kingdom, which were subordinate to the imperial court.

In accordance with the late emperor's last wishes, the Great Wall, which was needed to defend against foreign invasions, was being repaired, and this was not something that could be done overnight.

The new emperor, eager to make his mark, wanted to renovate the capital and embark on a massive construction project.

Jiangnan has contributed a great deal of manpower and financial resources, and simply cannot afford to support them.

No matter how much His Majesty instructed them, they couldn't come up with a single penny.

However, the new emperor was unwilling to take money from the wealthy clans of Jiangnan, as that would compromise the imperial dignity and invite criticism.

This would also unintentionally displease the clans with whom he had intermarried, causing him to lose prestige in court—a situation the new emperor was extremely unwilling to see.

Think about it.

This idea naturally fell on others, namely the friction between the imperial court and the Miao and ancient Dian regions.

It wasn't something that happened overnight.

Despite the emperor's repeated summons, the King of Dian remained relatively friendly, refraining from open hostility and allowing the new emperor to dictate terms.

They were pushed to the limit.

The King of Dian only said that the people of Dawn had a poor harvest and begged His Majesty for forgiveness.

However, the Miao king repeatedly made excuses to avoid going to the court to pay homage to the emperor.

What does this mean? How could the new emperor not know?

He was so angry he gritted his teeth. No matter how domineering the King of Dian was, he still gave him face and didn't want him to lose face in front of the civil and military officials in the court.

What was the Miao King's attitude?!

The new emperor might even dare to sit on the dragon throne himself!

He originally intended to find a pretext to launch an invasion of Miao territory, to teach the Miao king a lesson, and make him kneel down and beg for mercy in utter disarray.

The new emperor also took into consideration what the imperial advisor had said: the Miao people were skilled in using Gu poison and were adept at casting Gu spells.

If the Miao King holds a grudge, there truly are descendants of Chi You in Miao territory who control Gu worms.

Perhaps... the emperor and his ministers will all become puppets.

The new emperor couldn't trust anyone about investigating whether there truly was a "Gu King" in Miao territory or whether there were any descendants of Chi You.

Since taking office, he has been suspicious and paranoid, like the sound of a candle or an axe.

He feared that someone would seize power and try to remove his crown.

The new emperor didn't even trust the Imperial Guards, so he handed the matter over to Zhao Huining, asking her to investigate it personally.

But as soon as Zhao Huining reached the border between the Miao and Han people at Yinyue River, he was ambushed, tied up, and imprisoned there for an unknown period of time.

He turned over, his mind heavy with thoughts.

Zhao Huining glanced upwards, staring at Jia Wan's undulating body through the bed curtains.

Being captured by this woman was indeed humiliating, but it was still better than being trapped in that dark and secluded cave where no light could be seen.

At least, she managed to get quite a bit of information out of him tonight.

It seems that this Miao woman, being in a high position and having everything done for her, has had little interaction with the outside world.

Otherwise, this naivety and romanticism would have been enough to kill her.

...

A chaotic and terrible night.

When Yin Huaixi opened her eyes, she looked utterly dejected, devoid of any tenderness or affection. On the contrary, she felt that if the two of them continued like this, they would die on the bed.

How many hours did you sleep?

I didn't get to sleep for more than a few hours.

Yin Huaixi couldn't count them all. She turned her head and carefully stared at the person sleeping next to her. Sang Che's lips were bluish-black.

She doesn't look very well.

Whether it was the effect of the cold poison or his complete madness last night, Sang Che looked so haggard.

The loose hair at her temples almost covered half of Sang Che's profile, and even a few strands of hair on the bridge of her nose were blown by her breath.

Yin Huaixi reached out her finger, intending to tidy up Sang Che's hair, but then hesitated.

This person... is so weak, yet he still insisted on doing *that* kind of thing yesterday.

Isn't this something they brought upon themselves?

Why should she pity Sang Che?

She's used to taking advantage of her, and then... Sang Che won't even bother asking anymore, she'll just pounce on her and do whatever she wants.

Do whatever you want.

His fingertips hesitated, just about to withdraw.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yin Huaixi caught sight of the small, emerald-green jar that Sang Che had placed at the foot of the bed.

Since she started spending more time by Sang Che's side, she has put away all the various dishes and utensils that Sang Che used to hang on his waist.

Even the little red snake that was always thinking that she would compete with it for favor was forbidden by Sang Che to come near it.

This little jar was the only thing Sang Che never parted with, and when he had nothing to do, he would touch and play with it.

Curiosity compelled Yin Huaixi to reach out and touch the small jar. There should be a Gu worm inside. Could it be the mother Gu that Sang Che released to act as his eyes and ears?

I cherish it so much that I keep it with me.

I suppose it's because they're afraid something bad will happen.

There shouldn't be a second one like Sang Che.

If we can find a way to kill this mother Gu, it will be much easier for her to contact people outside in the future.

With a slight hook of his finger, he pondered.

Without anyone noticing, Sang Che reached out and placed his hand on Yin Huaixi's wrist, pressing her palm down to cover her heart.

"Huaixi, why are you holding your hand out like that?"

"Is something... bothering you?"

Caught red-handed, Yin Huaixi coughed twice guiltily and quickly looked away.

She denied it.

"No, I just wanted to tuck you in. Oh, by the way... what's in that jar? If it's bugs, they'll be scary if they come out at night."

"Maybe we shouldn't put it on the bed anymore?"

To retreat in order to advance.

Yin Huaixi pretended to be stupid, trying to get some information out of Sang Che to find out what was in the jar.

After listening, Sang Che seemed to be deep in thought.

She chuckled softly and turned around.

"Huaixi, sometimes it's best not to be too curious. You don't want to know what's in here."

"I'm not telling you for your own good..."

Following Yin Huaixi's gesture of extending his hand, Sang Che placed his fingertips on Yin Huaixi's face, gently pressing to sense Yin Huaixi's physical features.

"When you find out, you will understand that there is not a single wrong word I have said."

After saying that, Sang Che rubbed Yin Huaixi's cheeks for a while, leaving Yin Huaixi wondering in her heart what this "secret" that could not be told to others was.

Why can't she know?

...

Another hour passed, and Sang Che, still holding Yin Huaixi, remained in bed, refusing to get up.

Just then, a maidservant's anxious urging sounded from outside the door.

"Holy Maiden, the High Priest's servant has arrived, saying he has important business to discuss with you!"

The look of annoyance on Sang Che's face vanished in an instant. She lazily got up, leaving only her smooth back for Yin Huaixi to see.

"Yes, I understand."

"I'll go see him after I change my clothes."

The high priest would only come to her for two reasons: either to discuss the progress of the prescription, or to mention Yin Huaixi.

However... it may also be related to the imperial court.

Sang Che's obsession with the Miao King's creation of the Gu King was not very deep.

However, in this vast Miao region, the Miao King could not find anyone to help him, so he had to humble himself and send people to find her and the High Priest time and time again.

She reached out and caught a stray strand of hair, smoothing it back.

Sang Che turned to Yin Huaixi and whispered, "Huaixi, I'll come to see you again this afternoon. You should get some sleep first."

Yin Huaixi deliberately acted obediently to avoid arousing suspicion, and said, "Okay, A-Che, I'll wait for you."

Sleep what?

Having finally escaped Sang Che's watchful eyes and regained some space to move around, she naturally had to seize this opportunity to... contact the imperial court and find a way to escape.