Chapter 36: Counterattack 2

"You—"

"I will give you one last chance. Are you leaving or not?"

Lin Wanrou’s expression shifted slightly. "Wanrou is here today to seek forgiveness."

Yu Qingyan let out a cold huff, turned, and walked to the door, calling out, "Magpie!"

The door opened instantly. Without a hint of hesitation, Yu Qingyan drove Lin Wanrou’s hairpin into her own arm.

"Your Highness!"

Yu Qingyan leaned into Magpie’s embrace. Magpie was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

"This—isn't this Lady Rou's hairpin..."

The scene outside turned chaotic. Yu Qingyan simply closed her eyes. This was what they called giving someone a taste of their own medicine. She knew exactly what she was doing when she struck herself—it was just enough to draw some blood. However, in the eyes of the women in the backyard, it looked entirely different. Her arm was pierced by Lin Wanrou’s actual hairpin, and looking at Lin Wanrou’s terrified expression—well, things were about to get interesting.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Magpie shouted, looking toward Meixiang and Lüju outside the room. "Hurry, come and help!"

Lin Wanrou began to panic, her composure crumbling as the situation spiraled out of control. Whispers broke out among the crowd gathering outside the Bamboo Garden; she didn't need to ask to know they weren't saying anything kind.

A quarter of an hour later, Yu Qingyan sat on her bed, a white-clad figure seated at its edge.

"I’m really fine..."

Gu Jinshi wore a stern face. "You call this fine? Is all this blood not yours?"

"..."

At the main entrance of the Prince’s estate, Chu Yuchuan walked in and immediately spotted Lin Wanrou.

"Rou'er? What are you doing? Get up."

Lin Wanrou looked up, her face streaked with tears. "My Lord, Rou'er truly did not do it."

"What exactly happened? Get up first!"

Zuo Xuan had already left as soon as Lin Wanrou appeared, grabbing a servant to ask about the situation.

"My Lord, it's the Princess..."

Chu Yuchuan’s expression soured. "What has she done now?"

"...She is injured."

Chu Yuchuan’s entire body stiffened. The tension he had been holding for half a month snapped instantly.

Lin Wanrou watched the figure vanish before her eyes, feeling as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.

"My Lady, please mind your health..."

"It really is different," Lin Wanrou murmured, a bitter smile touching her lips.

Chu Yuchuan arrived outside the Bamboo Garden in a flash, his brow furrowed, wondering why he felt so anxious.

"My Lord?" Zuo Xuan prompted from the side. Why had he stopped at the door and not entered, looking so conflicted?

"Zuo Xuan, you go in and check."

"...Yes." Zuo Xuan glanced cautiously at his master, thinking to himself that this was the strangest order he had ever received.

Yu Qingyan was glaring at Gu Jinshi with a dark expression.

"I’m injured in the arm, not the leg. Why won't you let me get out of bed?"

Gu Jinshi glared back at her. "I am the doctor and you are the patient. Stay put."

"Then let Cui'er come in."

"Tell me what you need, and I will get it for you."

"..."

Zuo Xuan gave Cui'er a warning look at the door before quietly slipping away from the Bamboo Garden.

"How is it?"

Zuo Xuan reported exactly what he had heard at the door to his master.

"A man and a woman alone in a room—what kind of scandal is this?!"

"..." Zuo Xuan followed Chu Yuchuan into the Bamboo Garden in silence.

With a loud bang, the door was thrown open. Yu Qingyan choked on the pastry she was eating, only saved by the cup of tea Gu Jinshi quickly pressed into her hand.

"Zuo Xuan, escort Young Master Gu back at once!"

"Yes!"

Gu Jinshi set the cup down. Yu Qingyan frowned. "Jinshi, you go back first."

"Very well."