Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 94 Spring Bitterness Powder

Xiao Hengzhi's gaze fell heavily on her face, his thoughts unreadable.

After a moment, he asked casually, "If I don't turn back, where do you plan to go?"

Jiang Mian raised her chin: "Naturally, we'll return to the Prince's residence."

"Aren't you going to find Ning Zhi?"

"Your Highness is in the palace, so even if I wanted to go, I couldn't."

"So, if he's not in the palace, you're going to go look for him?"

Jiang Wan frowned slightly: "Your Highness's words are really barbed. Are you forcing me to say this? I just want to go see His Highness."

She feigned anger, but inwardly she realized that Xiao Hengzhi was being far too wary of Ning Zhi. She hadn't mentioned Ning Zhi for the past few days, but he still wouldn't let it go.

Xiao Hengzhi's expression turned cold. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke, "Ning Zhi is not a good person..."

Jiang Mian pursed her lips and did not reply.

He added, "I suspect that he was behind the Drunken Sound Pavilion incident, sending One-Eyed Zhang to kidnap you, and then rescuing you to coerce the Jiang family into submitting to his faction."

"Threat?" Jiang Wan tilted her head and said, "But His Highness didn't say anything threatening to Father. Besides, I investigated the matter of Zuiyin Tower. After the Third Prince was thoroughly investigated by the Emperor, Zuiyin Tower was closed. I think..."

“He didn’t know you at all before that. Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence that he appeared on the river and happened to save you?” Xiao Hengzhi interrupted her.

"Didn't you also 'coincidentally' appear at Moon Bamboo Ridge?"

She retorted without holding back.

Xiao Hengzhi paused for a moment, his chest sinking slightly: "I appeared by chance to steal the horse, so how can you be sure that he appeared by chance without any ulterior motives?"

"Your Highness and I have been husband and wife for many years. Your Highness is not like you..."

As she blurted out those words, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Hengzhi's face darken, revealing a hint of anger.

So she explained, "What I mean is, Your Highness has always loved fishing, so it's perfectly normal for you to go to the river."

"You just believe him like that?"

Jiang Wan nodded without hesitation.

"But you must understand, he is the Crown Prince, and Duan Zhi'an is behind him. If there were no benefit to him, why would he save you? At that time, his power was comparable to that of the Third Prince. By getting involved with you and saving his life, he could gain control of the Jiang family. What a huge benefit that would be! Have you thought about these things?"

Jiang Wan frowned slightly: "All I know is that in my past life, even after the Jiang family was destroyed, His Highness was still willing to bring me into the palace. His heart was entirely with me, and he went to great lengths to protect me, even going against the Grand Tutor and the Emperor. His Highness respects me, loves me, and has never hurt me. Should I doubt him based on just a few guesses from the Prince?"

Her tone carried a hint of sharpness and dissatisfaction, making no attempt to conceal her bias and trust in Ning Zhi.

Xiao Hengzhi froze, his gaze fixed intently on her: "You only remember his kindness to you until now, what about me?"

His voice was low and hoarse, as if emotions that had been suppressed for too long were finally being released: "Do you still remember even a little bit about me?"

Jiang Mian lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and her lips pressed tightly together.

It's not that she doesn't remember.

Xiao Hengzhi used to treat her extremely well. But what happened later?

Her humiliation and pain had long since washed away all traces of tenderness.

Xiao Hengzhi is now a malignant tumor in her heart; she will never have peace until the tumor is removed.

Thinking of this, she calmed down.

She hadn't forgotten what she needed to do; having come this far, she couldn't afford to fail now.

After a moment, she raised her head, her expression returning to its docile state: "I naturally remember the kindness Your Highness has shown me. So now, isn't it my wish to stay by Your Highness's side?"

She smiled sweetly, but there was not a trace of affection in her eyes.

Looking at her feigned tenderness, Xiao Hengzhi felt a sudden, sharp pang in his heart.

"Are you sure you really want to stay by my side?"

He clenched his fist, speaking slowly, as if giving her a chance to change her mind, or as if forcing her to stay.

Jiang Mian's heart suddenly raced, and she felt as if her chest was being gripped tightly by a pair of large hands, giving rise to a sense of inexplicable fear.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm: "I'm sure..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a scorching heat approaching.

Xiao Hengzhi turned to the side and approached her little by little, his aura pressing down on her until their noses were almost touching, making it impossible for her to see his face clearly.

But she held on tightly and did not dodge.

He raised his hand, his cool fingertips gently touching the back of her neck, causing her to tremble slightly.

"I will ask you one more time: are you truly willing to stay by my side?"

His voice was deep and carried a certain authority; when he spoke, it lightly touched her lips.

Jiang Mian clenched her fists, knowing that she could not back down now.

"Yes, I'm willing."

As she finished speaking, Xiao Hengzhi's breath became heavy, and he slowly pressed his lips to hers.

It was an extremely gentle kiss, unhurried and slow, yet bitter and fishy.

It was like pouring cow's blood into strong tea that had been brewing for too long; the bitter and pungent taste was almost sour, hitting her heart like a thorny arrow, piercing her nerves inch by inch.

Jiang Mian was overwhelmed by that bitterness and could hardly breathe.

Fortunately, I had eaten some candy beforehand, and the sweetness somewhat masked the bitterness, but that little bit of sweetness made it even more pungent.

But Xiao Hengzhi didn't seem to intend to let her go. Every time she relaxed or tilted her head slightly, he would pinch her chin, gently force her to open her mouth, and pass on more bitterness to her.

They only released her when the carriage stopped at the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Jiang Mian's face was flushed, her breathing was uneven, and her mouth was still full of bitterness.

She bit off the last bit of the cat ear from the sugar figurine, barely suppressing the surging discomfort in her heart.

Xiao Hengzhi took her hand and escorted her back to her room.

Remarkably, he did nothing more.

But he stood outside the door with a complicated expression, and only slowly turned and left after the lights inside were completely turned off.

After returning to his room, he opened the letter in his pocket and read it again.

I only saw the first three characters – "Respect for Grand Tutor".

He closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer, his chest heaving slightly.

"Why the long face? Can't accept that your sweetheart is teaming up with someone else to kill you?"

A voice drifted in from the doorway, carrying a hint of laziness and mockery.

Xiao Hengzhi looked up and saw Gui Ye, dressed in a black outfit, walking in with a nonchalant air.

He was probably the only person in the Prince's mansion who dared to freely enter and leave his room.

No one in the manor knew of his existence, including Jiang Mian, who had never seen him.

So when she deliberately distracted Xiao Hengzhi in front of the shop, she didn't know that Gui Ye was standing right next to her, mixed in with the crowd, watching her every move.

She gave the letter to the little boy, and he took it back and gave it to Xiao Hengzhi right afterward.

The words in the letter felt like they had run over his heart, filling him with both anger and pain. Yet, he still hoped that if Jiang Wan called him, he would return.

But she didn't follow the carriage or call out to him; instead, she walked in another direction.

The night was cold and indifferent, and her small figure stood on the side of the street, making his eyes tighten.

In the end, he was the one who chose to leave, but he was also the one who turned back...

Gui Ye casually picked up a glass bead and toyed with it nonchalantly: "If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time on women. If women had any feelings, why would they throw us into the animal farm after giving birth to us?"

"Shut up."

Xiao Hengzhi said coldly, and casually grabbed a glass cup and threw it at him.

He tilted his head, reached out and caught it, chuckling softly, "This is good too, it can fetch a good price."

Xiao Hengzhi picked up the letter, rubbed his forehead, and said in a hoarse voice, "Send this letter to Duming Garden tomorrow, and don't let her suspect anything."

Guiye put away the glass beads and cups, walked closer and asked, "Why does your voice sound so strange?"

As he approached, he saw that Xiao Hengzhi's eyes were bloodshot, his neck was covered in bulging veins, and even his face showed many purple veins.

His eyes changed instantly: "This sign...you, you wouldn't have taken the antidote for the Spring Bitterness Powder...?"

Xiao Hengzhi did not answer, and his breathing became heavier as he closed his eyes.

Guiye hurriedly pressed, "Each dose of the antidote for Spring Bitterness Powder is unique. You took the antidote, but what about the Spring Bitterness Powder? Who did it?"

Xiao Hengzhi remained silent.

Seeing that he didn't react, Guiye immediately realized what was going on, glanced in the direction of Jiang Mian's house, and chuckled.

"Could it be that you took the antidote yourself and let her take the Spring Bitter Powder instead?"

Xiao Hengzhi raised his eyes, and a sharp look from him silenced him.

"Tsk tsk, let's not even talk about the Spring Bitter Powder... just take this antidote. After taking it, the blood flows backward, and most ordinary people die from ruptured meridians. That's why no one dares to use it. Even if you can survive, you'll suffer for several days... You really will stop at nothing to keep her alive."

After saying that, he hissed softly, "However, Spring Bitter Powder is a poison that requires human blood as a catalyst. It is said to be so bitter that it makes you want to vomit, yet she was willing to take it?"

Xiao Hengzhi wanted to speak, but his blood was pounding and his heart felt like it was going to explode. He could only take deep breaths to calm himself down.

Guiye noticed that his symptoms were getting worse, and he paced back and forth in the room while making jokes.

"It seems she didn't know what Spring Bitter Powder was, which is why you took action..."

"However..." he counted on his fingers, "The Spring Bitterness Powder is administered on the 15th of each month, and today is already the sixth. Tsk tsk..."

"You planted a curse on her, and then made medicine for her... Do you think she'll hate you or be grateful to you when she finds out?"

Xiao Hengzhi clenched his fists tightly, almost squeezing out the words through gritted teeth: "If she finds out, I'll kill you..."

"Looking like this, you still want to kill me?" Guiye laughed heartily.

He picked up the letter from the table, sauntered out, and said without looking back, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in your little secrets, but I am very interested in the gold and silver jewelry in your mansion."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "When the Spring Bitterness flares up, the pain is unbearable. If you die, she will have no antidote. The group of assassins she sent will probably still try to kill you. Good luck."