Early morning, just before dawn. The palace was already bustling with activity, but unlike the usual lively scenes. Only one place remained eerily silent. When Murong Qiufeng woke up, Shangguan Ye was already gone. After taking his medicine and changing his bandages, he remembered An Lanxin from the previous night.
“By the way, what happened to Consort An?” he asked.
Youxiang’s lips curled into a cryptic smile, her white teeth flashing with an eerie glint. “Of course, she was handed over to His Majesty for punishment.”
Murong Qiufeng nodded but couldn’t ignore the strange look on Youxiang’s face, as though she were stifling laughter. Suspicion rose in his heart. “You… you didn’t do something weird to her, did you?”
“Heh-heh. Just a little harmless punishment. Don’t worry, no broken bones. When she was handed over, she was still intact,” Youxiang said, waving her hand nonchalantly. The memory of the chaos at dawn made her grin with satisfaction.
Canyang strolled in, his baby face carrying an enigmatic expression. He looked at Murong Qiufeng seriously and said, “Young Master, here’s a word of advice: it’s better to offend a petty man than a woman, especially a cunning one.” He cast a wary glance at Youxiang as he spoke.
“Oh? Who are you referring to, Little Sunshine?” Youxiang arched an eyebrow.
Canyang shivered at her predatory smile and quickly backtracked. “Of course, I meant that lunatic An Lanxin!”
“Tsk, tsk. Little Youyou, with your personality, who would dare marry you?” Qian Baihuan walked in, yawning and stretching. His flamboyant crimson robe accentuated his lazy, seductive demeanor.
“Hmph. If anyone dares marry me, I’ll make sure their family line ends right there,” Youxiang sneered. Then she squinted at Qian Baihuan, her lips twitching. “You look exhausted. What, out stealing yang energy last night? Or did someone drain you? Careful, you know overindulgence leads to premature aging.”
Her glance shifted to Canyang, whose smug grin only grew.
Qian Baihuan rolled his eyes and shifted closer to Murong Qiufeng, slumping bonelessly into a chair. “Young Master, how did you and the prince meet? Childhood friends? Star-crossed lovers? I’ve heard of love at first sight, but the prince never struck me as the type.”
Murong Qiufeng froze. He recalled Shangguan Ye’s claim about him ‘stirring trouble.’ Their first encounter had been on the street when he killed their horse for blocking the road. Could that trivial incident really have caused all this?
Seeing his confusion, the others grew more curious. After all, the prince’s courtship was notoriously direct. Their first meeting nearly ended with Murong Qiufeng as a scapegoat. Later, he’d saved the prince, only to entangle himself further.
“Forget it,” Qiufeng said, brushing it off. “You were talking about something earlier. Did something happen?”
Qian Baihuan wrinkled his nose. “Ugh. I’d rather not think about it. Just remembering makes me nauseous.”
That morning, they’d gone to watch the spectacle. By the fourth watch, An Lanxin had woken up in the side hall, the aphrodisiac taking full effect. The sounds that followed left little to the imagination.
By the fifth watch, officials began arriving for court. The hall’s poor soundproofing ensured everyone heard the escalating noises—moans and crashes echoing like a sordid performance.
The officials assumed the emperor was indulging himself. Mortified, they hesitated to approach. Only when the chief eunuch arrived to summon them did they realize the emperor was already waiting in the main hall.
Enraged by the impropriety, the officials stormed into the side hall. Inside, they found An Lanxin in a state of frenzied self-abuse, her legs bloodied and her expression one of grotesque pleasure. The sight left them aghast.
Before they could react, she lunged at the nearest official, ripping at his robes, her nails clawing into his skin. The man screamed, his face contorted in terror.
A military officer kicked her away, but she scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the cold, inviting breeze outside. The crowd scattered, shouting about an intruder.
At that moment, the emperor arrived and froze in shock. The guards surrounded the woman, and the chief eunuch gasped in horror. “That’s Consort An!”
Her swollen lips and flushed skin were unrecognizable at first, but there was no mistaking her face. The entire court stood in appalled silence as reality sank in.
