The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 40.2

Furthermore, it was followed by “obtain her and the world shall be at peace.” This prophecy directly pushed the Song family’s status to a point where it rose like the tide.

Song Yaozi thus became even more prominent in the eyes of the princes, becoming a popular candidate for the position of Prince’s Consort.

But up until now, the princes were only planning in the shadows; not one of them dared to directly ask Emperor Ningjing for a decree—

After all, wouldn’t that be a direct exposure of their own ambition to the Emperor?

No emperor liked his sons coveting his position while he was still alive.

To seize the throne, He Zhige’s target was also placed on Song Yaozi.

To take a step ahead, he had already begun to plot in the shadows.

This palace banquet was the beginning of all of Song Yaozi’s misfortunes.

“Does Imperial Sister also care about the Song family’s young lady?”

By her ear, He Zhige’s smiling voice rang out.

You Ting raised an eyebrow: “Also?”

He Zhige didn’t explain, only looked at You Ting, his deep black pupils seemingly flashing with an unusual light.

He said very lightly once more, “This time when I returned, it was a narrow escape from death, yet Imperial Sister hasn’t even looked at me once.”

You Ting again said nothing.

The corner of He Zhige’s lips pulled into a slight arc, his smile slightly bitter: “Does Imperial Sister… no longer like Azhi?”

You Ting paused for a moment.

She suddenly remembered many years ago, when He Zhige was still living in the palace, he had asked the same question.

At that time, You Ting was still trying to correct his thinking, instilling in him great principles of light, greatness, and uprightness every day.

As a result, one day, she stumbled upon He Zhige straddling another prince with incomparable ferocity, throwing punch after punch at the person’s face.

Unknowingly, he had already grown from the thin and weak child he once was into a tall and slender youth.

That appearance didn’t look at all like the well-behaved and sensible boy he was in front of her.

His gaze was ruthless, like a wolf cub going wild on the grassland, tearing and biting at the prey beneath him.

At that time, You Ting understood that what she had done was but the light of a firefly, completely useless.

The male lead is the male lead; he cannot be changed, he will not change.

He will always be He Zhige.

After seeing her, He Zhige immediately retracted his hand in a panic.

He ran over to You Ting and called out nervously: “Imperial Sister.”

This time, You Ting ignored him and brushed past him to leave.

He Zhige followed behind, trailing neither too far nor too close.

He followed all the way to Duanyang Palace. When You Ting went inside to sleep, He Zhige was still standing outside the door.

He waited for an entire night.

When You Ting opened the door the next day, He Zhige was so weak he was almost about to faint.

He dragged his staggering steps to You Ting’s front and asked in a low, fragile voice: “Does Imperial Sister… no longer like Azhi?”

“Yesterday, I didn’t hit him on purpose. It was because he insulted me first.”

A trace of disappointment flashed in You Ting’s eyes. She shook her head. “I already had Qing Su go and investigate.”

“Yesterday, it was clearly you who tried to snatch the Thirteenth’s fan pendant first. When he wouldn’t give it, you resorted to violence.”

“Even now, you still want to come and lie to me?”

He Zhige pursed his lips tightly. “Imperial Sister, I’m sorry…”

You Ting asked sternly: “Why did you insist on snatching his fan pendant?”

The youth looked up at her, his eyes churning with emotions that were hard to describe.

“That fan pendant matches Imperial Sister very well; I wanted to give it to Imperial Sister.”

You Ting turned her gaze away.

“He Zhige.” She called his name with great solemnity.

“You call me Imperial Sister once, and I shall treat you as a younger brother.”

“I teach you principles because I hope you can become an upright gentleman of character, not so that you can become a vicious, two-faced villain who resorts to violence.”

He Zhige seemed to realize something, his face turning pale as snow in an instant.

At the end of that day, You Ting said: “You go. The doors of Duanyang Palace will never be open to you again.”

Since then, You Ting had not seen He Zhige even once.

Right up until he moved out of the palace.

At that time, He Zhige’s gaze was no different from how it was now—like a puppy that had been abandoned.

But You Ting knew clearly.

This was a wolf cub that would bite. Except for her, he was heartless and ruthless, capable of attacking anyone.

Over these years, to climb step by step to his current position, He Zhige’s hands had been stained with a lot of blood that couldn’t see the light of day.

His heart was as cold as iron, solely wanting to break through the shackles of worldly norms and completely imprison her.

He said he regarded her as a goddess, yet he had never once asked if You Ting was willing.

Just like that fan pendant he fought for—it never belonged to him in the first place.

But he liked it, so he would think of every way to get it.

“He Zhige,” You Ting did not answer his question, but instead spoke lightly, “sometimes I often wonder if saving you back then was a mistake.”

The smile in He Zhige’s eyes faded away bit by bit. He pursed his lips, his expression panicked.

After a long while, he returned to his usual appearance.

“Does Imperial Sister regret it?”

He gave a slight laugh. “But even if you regret it, it’s useless.”

He was the god of war who won a hundred battles; a target he had set his sights on was destined to be unable to escape!

You Ting raised her wine cup and took a small sip of fruit wine.

She said softly: “Is that so? Then let’s see.”

Let’s see, in this war without gunpowder, who will ultimately be the winner and who the loser.

As the palace banquet approached its end, Emperor Ningjing waved his hand and ordered the tribute fine wine from another country to be served.

Rows of palace attendants carried wine jugs, placing them down beside each seat.

You Ting’s gaze sharpened, falling upon the attendant pouring wine for Song Yaozi.

The main event was just about to begin.

Emperor Ningjing was in high spirits as he raised his cup: “My dear ministers! Today, Zhen is extremely happy in his heart. Come, let everyone raise their cups and drink together!”

The people at the banquet stood up and raised their cups.

Taking advantage of this gap, You Ting pretended to accidentally drop the jade pendant at her waist.

The jade pendant clinked and happened to roll to the feet of Song Yaozi nearby.

Under the guise of picking up the jade pendant, You Ting took two steps toward Song Yaozi’s side.

Song Yaozi happened to look down and saw the jade pendant at her feet.

You Ting was a princess after all. Even if she was an unfavored princess, she was still a princess.

There was no reason for a princess to bend down in front of her.

Song Yaozi hesitated for a moment and smiled slightly at You Ting: “Your Highness, wait a moment; let this subject’s daughter do it.”

You Ting nodded in thanks: “Thank you, Miss Song.”

While Song Yaozi bent down to pick up the jade pendant, You Ting acted quickly, swapping her own wine cup with the one on Song Yaozi’s table.

Her movements were very fast and went unnoticed.

After receiving the jade pendant, You Ting returned to her position.

She glanced at He Zhige beside her.

At this time, the Emperor was speaking to He Zhige, praising him loudly.

He Zhige also had to face Emperor Ningjing’s direction and reply respectfully, his attention temporarily diverted from You Ting.

Seizing this golden opportunity, You Ting poured the wine she had just swapped into her sleeve and refilled it with wine from the jug on the table.

Once Emperor Ningjing finished his rambling, everyone finally raised their cups and drank together.

Seeing that this palace banquet was about to end, You Ting felt a sense of relief in her heart.

It seemed that this plot point could be changed.

She shot a “dagger-like” glare at He Zhige beside her out of the corner of her eye, unable to help but doubt her life.

He had been by her side and meticulously raised by her for a period of time.

How did he grow so crooked that he would actually use such underhanded methods to harm Song Yaozi’s purity!

He truly was an eyesore to look at.

She slowly retracted her gaze, planning to have Qing Su help her back to Duanyang Palace in a while.

But she didn’t know if it was because she had drunk too much today, but she started to feel dizzy.

Her body also mysteriously began to heat up, making her pull uncomfortably at her collar.

He Zhige’s gaze darkened beside her, and he asked in a low voice: “Does Imperial Sister have somewhere that feels uncomfortable? Shall Azhi send you back to Duanyang Palace?”

You Ting raised her eyes and met He Zhige’s deep black eyes.

The intense desire within those eyes was something she was all too familiar with.

In an instant, alarm bells rang loudly in You Ting’s mind.

Something was wrong!

Something was definitely wrong!

A heart-eating itch gradually spread from every part of her skin, from the inside out.

You Ting could clearly feel that her body temperature was constantly rising.

This feeling was clearly that she had been hit by some kind of medicine she shouldn’t have been!

You Ting instantly looked to her side.

Song Yaozi, not far from her, also had an unnatural flush blooming on her originally pale and sickly face.

Song Yaozi covered her forehead, her thin body swaying as if she were dizzy and weak.

This reaction was exactly the same as You Ting’s.

In a flash of realization, You Ting instantly understood everything.

She couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

This wolf cub, He Zhige, didn’t know what kind of madness he had fallen into. He hadn’t put the medicine in Song Yaozi’s wine as in the original plot.

Instead, he had put it in You Ting’s wine!

She had originally wanted to ward off this disaster for Song Yaozi, but instead, she had dragged Song Yaozi into this undeserved catastrophe as well.

You Ting glared hatefully at He Zhige, “Get lost!”

She wanted to curse He Zhige out, but seeing that the medicine was taking effect faster and faster, she had to leave this place first.

…And she had to take Song Yaozi with her.

At the very top, Emperor Ningjing had rambled for a long time before finally ordering the dancers to enter the stage to perform, which also signaled the end of the palace banquet.

It was also You Ting’s best opportunity.

She gave a cold laugh at He Zhige and suddenly spoke up loudly: “Imperial Father, the Third Prince is valiant and heroic, a renowned god of war.”

“But all the ministers present have not been able to have a glimpse of the scenes on the border battlefield.”

She suggested: “Why not let the Third Prince perform a sword dance for Imperial Father, so that all the ministers can properly feel a bit of the aura of slaughter.”

The last four words were practically forced out through You Ting’s gritted teeth.

This damn He Zhige, she didn’t know what kind of medicine he used; it was burning her reason to the point of collapse.

Emperor Ningjing had drunk a lot and for a moment thought this was a very good suggestion, so he readily agreed.

“Azhi, since it’s like this, you should properly display the demeanor of a military commander!”

He Zhige frowned, then looked again at You Ting, whose breathing was unsteady.

A great opportunity was being wasted; he let out a sigh of regret.

“This son receives the command.”

After he agreed, he gave You Ting a slight smile and said with a touch of emotion: “Imperial Sister truly is as wise as always.”

“However,” he brushed past You Ting and said in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, “our time is long.”

You Ting couldn’t be bothered with him. Once He Zhige left, she leaned on the arm of Qing Su behind her.

“I’m going back to Duanyang Palace first,” she said with an unsteady voice.

“If anyone asks, just say I felt the hall was stuffy and hot and went out for some air.”

Qing Su asked in surprise: “Your Highness, what’s wrong? Are you drunk?”

“Don’t ask anymore,” You Ting turned her head and glanced at Song Yaozi, who was also in an abnormal state. She bit her lip and said, “Tell the Miss Song’s maid to bring them back to Duanyang Palace as well.”

This time, Qing Su was truly at a bit of a loss: “Huh?”

You Ting frowned: “Do as I say!”

Though Qing Su didn’t understand, she was loyal. Since it was You Ting’s command, she braced herself and walked toward the master and servant pair of Song Yaozi.

“My mistress saw that Miss Song seemed to be a bit unwell and invites Miss Song to Duanyang Palace to rest for a while.”

Song Yaozi was already weak by nature and was now being tormented by the medicine to the point where she didn’t have a shred of strength left.

If her willpower weren’t still somewhat strong, she probably would have been unable to hold on.

She bit her lip, thinking about her current state; if she stayed any longer or left abruptly, who knew what might happen.

Song Yaozi was not familiar with Princess Shun’an, but right now, this was indeed the best choice.

She nodded and spoke in a weak voice: “Thank you for Your Highness’s concern.”

You Ting left Qing Su to lead the way for Song Yaozi’s master and servant pair, while she herself rushed back toward Duanyang Palace alone first.

The effect of the medicine was tormenting her every second, with a heat that was difficult to relieve continuously being transmitted.

She didn’t know if He Zhige had any backup plans, so she could only grit her teeth and run toward Duanyang Palace with all her might.

As soon as she saw the gate of Duanyang Palace, You Ting couldn’t wait to rush in. She headed straight for the lotus pond and jumped in without hesitation.

The night was slightly cool, and the icy water was even more bone-chillingly cold, temporarily suppressing the evil fire in her heart.

You Ting couldn’t help but shiver.

At this moment, she was in a wretched state, her collar disarrayed and her long hair draped loosely, looking like a water ghost that had crawled out of a lotus pond.

She blamed this entire debt on He Zhige.

If she had known this would happen, she should have looked straight ahead and let that wolf cub die!

By the time she stood up, Qing Su had arrived with the floating-stepped Song Yaozi.

Upon seeing You Ting’s soaking wet appearance, Qing Su was stunned for a moment and hurriedly ran over, “Your Highness, what happened to you? Did you fall into the water? This servant will go find some fresh clothes for you right away!”

“Wait,” You Ting stopped her, then pointed at Song Yaozi’s maid, “You all go down. Miss Song and I have some matters to discuss.”

Song Yaozi’s maid showed a look of hesitation. Finally, after seeing her own mistress nod, she followed Qing Su and retreated.

Without anyone’s support, Song Yaozi almost failed to stand steady and fell to the ground.

You Ting stepped forward and gripped her wrist.

“Time is short,” she said concisely. “Both you and I have been drugged. As for what kind of medicine it is, Miss Song is wise and should have some suspicion.”

Hearing this, the flush on Song Yaozi’s already crimson face deepened by a few more shades.

Although she was still in her maiden days, the Grand Preceptor required her to be widely read.

She had read about certain obscure matters in books.

Though she had never experienced it, the abnormalities appearing in her body right now were almost the same as the symptoms recorded.

Song Yaozi furrowed her delicate brows: “Just who would dare to strike at a palace banquet, and why would they do such a thing?”

You Ting felt a bit guilty.

After all, she also hadn’t expected that this matter, when traced back to the root, was because of her that Song Yaozi had been dragged into it.

She gave a light cough, and the temperature that had just dropped upon entering the water seemed to start rising again.

“Let’s not talk about those matters for now. What’s most important right now is,” You Ting said with some difficulty, “how to get through tonight.”

The two gazes collided and then hurriedly shifted away.

Song Yaozi squeezed her fingers, trying to find a trace of remaining reason amidst her chaotic thoughts.

“Can Your Highness summon an Imperial Physician?”

You Ting gave a slight scoff, “On the way here, Miss Song should have seen how remote and desolate Duanyang Palace is, right?”

“The Imperial Physician will not come.”

“Furthermore, in Miss Song’s state, can you truly allow an Imperial Physician to treat you?”

Song Yaozi had taken the Grand Preceptor as her benchmark all her life, strictly demanding herself to maintain the demeanor of a young lady from a prestigious family.

Such a disgraceful thing would definitely not be allowed to be known by others.

Much less by a strange man.

If the Imperial Physician came, this matter would definitely become a big deal and would spread to everyone’s ears.

Song Yaozi would not let such a thing happen, which was why she had agreed to come to Duanyang Palace at that time.

In the original plot, He Zhige also seized upon this mentality of Song Yaozi’s to take advantage of the situation.

Her gaze fell upon You Ting’s wet dress, then followed to the lotus pond nearby.

Her long eyelashes trembled as she asked in confusion: “…Is this the only way to neutralize the medicine?”

You Ting paused for a moment, “No, it can only provide temporary relief.”

“This is not just a medicine, it’s also a poison,” she found it somewhat difficult to say. “It can only be… released. Otherwise, one will die from their body exploding.”

It was extremely unscientific, but that’s how the original plot was arranged.

If anyone was to be blamed, it could only be that bastard He Zhige!

Song Yaozi was greatly shocked, her eyes filling with a few points of tears, “Don’t tell me… don’t tell me we must find a man for… intercourse?”

When the last word was spoken, her face was already pale as ash, and she almost fainted.

Song Yaozi’s elegant face had lost its color; her figure was thin, looking fragile and pitiful.

The gaze she directed at You Ting was sorrowful.

You Ting only felt the blood in her body boiling even more fiercely. She turned her gaze away with difficulty, her throat bobbing.

“Actually…”

Her voice was light and ethereal, “There is more than one way to make a woman happy; it doesn’t necessarily require a man.”

You Ting closed her eyes and said in a slow voice: “I can help you.”