Life at the Jingbei Prince’s Residence was leisurely. There was no lack of food, clothing, or any other necessities. It was said that every year, the palace allocated a significant sum of money for the Jingbei Prince to spend as he pleased. Thinking back to the Emperor's expression when he saw Murong Jing He, and comparing it to the luxurious treatment he received, left Mei Lin puzzled.
But these were not things for her to worry about. On her first night there, she followed the instructions in her silk pouch to sift through and summarize the various pieces of information she had gathered, then sent them out. The antidote she received in return only started to take effect a full day after the poison had begun acting in her system.
The best antidote would take effect immediately upon the onset of the poison, leaving the person free from any pain. The next best would take effect within two hours, followed by four hours, eight hours, and finally a full day. From this, it was clear that the information she had worked hard to compile was of little value. On that day, fearing she might frighten others, she found an excuse to lock herself in her room until the effects of the poison subsided. But by the next day, after a full meal, she was lively again, feeling no remorse for her half-hearted efforts.
It wasn’t that she had any fondness for Murong Jing He or was too scared to target him; she just felt that the pain, though severe, was bearable and not worth the risk. Perhaps her high tolerance for pain was what made her an anomaly among those trained to be thoughtless death warriors.
Mei Lin thought she could continue living like this until the mission was complete or until her superiors grew impatient. But reality often doesn’t go as one wishes. No matter how carefully she tried to stay out of sight and out of mind, she eventually caught someone's attention.
The person who noticed her was none other than Muyi Luo Mei.
After that day, the two had not crossed paths again, and Luo Mei had forgotten about her. However, during a banquet back in the capital, Luo Mei ran into Murong Xuan Lie, who casually mentioned that day in the forest. Only then did Luo Mei learn that the seemingly defenseless woman had somehow managed to make it out of the forest unscathed, piquing her interest. She seized an opportunity to ask for Mei Lin while Murong Jing He was attempting to curry favor with her. Since Mei Lin was of no real importance, Murong Jing He had no reason to refuse and immediately sent Qing Yan to fetch her.
To be honest, Murong Jing He couldn’t even remember who Luo Mei was asking for; it was only Qing Yan who recalled her clearly. Otherwise, it might have taken more effort to find her.
Qing Yan was a trusted servant of Murong Jing He, and there were few in the residence who didn’t know him. When he walked into Shuanglin Courtyard, the nearby courtyards were abuzz with speculation about the purpose of his visit.
Mei Lin was hiding in her room, engrossed in an old medical book she had somehow acquired. She couldn’t leave the residence, nor did she have the money to hire someone to detoxify her body, not that ordinary people could deal with the kind of poison her organization used. So, she could only rely on herself. Of course, she knew that it was practically impossible for someone with no medical knowledge to succeed, but since the outcome couldn’t be worse, she figured it was worth a try.
It wasn’t until Qing Yan coughed twice at the door that she noticed him. When she looked up and saw the fair and refined young man, she furrowed her brow slightly, then smiled and stood up to greet him.
"Greetings, Steward," she said. Despite Qing Yan’s sharp tongue and haughty demeanor, Mei Lin actually had a certain fondness for him. But having a favorable opinion of someone didn’t mean she was happy to see him appear. After all, as someone close to Murong Jing He, he wouldn’t visit a woman of no standing in the rear courtyard without a reason.
It had to be said that after years of being trained as a death warrior, Mei Lin had developed an unusually sharp sense of her surroundings.
Qing Yan glanced at the book in her hand and then looked around at the simple, tidy room before slowly saying, "Pack your things and come with me."
Mei Lin was taken aback and wanted to ask questions, but seeing his downcast eyes and the expression that said he had no intention of explaining further, she held back. She returned to her room, packed two changes of clothes and the book, gave one last lingering glance at the peach branches outside the window, and then resolutely turned away and walked out.
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