Days flew by and soon weeks followed. The summer festival was now only three days away and Shi Chen was still unable to locate the poison Zhen. Famous for being tasteless and odorless, Shi Chen knew she needed something that would not be easily caught. As the hours flew by with no leads, Shi Chen could only sit in her room and drink her frustrations away. Just as she thought everything was hopeless, her personal maid Ah Yi walks in with a small white jade bottle.
"My lady, stop drinking already."
"Ah Yi, what's that?"
"The Zhen poison you wanted."
"What?"
Shi Chen quickly sits up from her chair and grabs the small bottle that was on the table. Slowly opening the top, Shi Chen pours a drop onto a piece of paper. To her surprise the small drop left a black like stain.
"It's the real thing! How did you get your hands on it? I searched for weeks for the maker of it!"
"I had to do some diggings, and I have my connections. Is it alright if I take a bath, my lady? I feel gross after being touched by that old man."
"Do I even want to know what you did in exchange for this poison?"
"Probably not."
After thirty minutes, Ah Yi comes back and explains more in depth to Shi Chen about how she was able to get the poison maker to make her a bottle of the Zhen poison. The making of it was illegal and any trading of the sort could lead to execution.
"The summer festival is three days. I need you to somehow infiltrate the kitchen and poison anything the empress is consuming. Such a simple task is easy for someone like you who used to train with the generals before you were banished for stealing secret scrolls. The food is served separately per each person, so you better not mess this up. Once I'm empress I'll grant anything you desire."
"Yes, my lady. You can count on me."
Meanwhile, Ying Yue had other plans. After Jianyu had informed her of Shi Chen's visit with Duan Da; Ying Yue knew Shi Chen was not the type to sit quietly and accept defeat. With the summer festival taking place in the palace and with all the nobles invited, Ying Yue knew Shi Chen was bound to use this opportunity to plan something against her. Instead of wasting her days away, Ying Yue made sure to prepare herself for anything Shi Chen may try. Ying Yue was sitting and writing her plans silently in her bedroom until there was a sudden knock on her bedroom door.
"Knock Knock."
"Ying Yue, it's me."
"Come in, Jianyu."
Jianyu walks in with one lotus flower that he had plucked from the garden lake. Lightly placing it onto the table where Ying Yue was, he seats himself across from her and stares at her as she continues to write.
"What are you doing, Ying Yue?"
"I'm just preparing myself for the worse. I found out something interesting from Fu Jia yesterday."
"Oh? Like what?"
"I had Fu Jia do some digging for me. I know he just came back from Yuanjing, but apparently the personal maid named Ah Yi who is serving Shi Chen; she used to be someone who trained with them when they were still under the head priest."
"And?"
"And, there's a chance I might fight her at the festival. Shi Chen wouldn't be able to do anything to me if she didn't have someone, she can trust to protect her. Now that she's lost Zi Tai's help, she can only really rely on this Ah Yi."
"That makes sense, what else did you come up with?"
"Think about it. What's a method to kill someone without exposing yourself?"
"Poison?"
"Exactly, there's a chance she may try to poison me. Jianyu can you inform the kitchen staff to make sure everyone uses only silver plates, silver cups and silver chopsticks only during the festival? That way, no matter what kind of poison she uses I'll be able to expose it."
"Where did you hear this?"
"Basic training when I was still a general. We only used silverware whenever we ate at the palace and I used it when I was at war. You can never trust anyone."
"Alright, I'll send out an order to make sure everything is silver. If it'll put you at ease."
"Of course, if she doesn't do anything, I'll let her be. But if she tries anything, I will catch her this time and I won't be as lenient as you."
"Oh, your talk is getting me riled up here."
Jianyu moves closer to Ying Yue and sweeps her off her feet. Carrying her in a princess style, he slowly lays her on her bed.
"Jianyu! What are you doing?"
"What, you don't want to do it? It's been two weeks already and Junjei is with mother."
"I was in the middle of something..."
"That can wait."
Jianyu didn't even wait to hear Ying Yue's reply before stripping her clothing off. Layer by layer, and soon only leaving her undergarments. Ying Yue finally gives in and decides to cut Jianyu some slack as he's been working hard lately.
After a long passionate night; Ying Yue couldn't even remember when she fell asleep. Realizing she was sleeping on Jianyu's arm, she quickly sits up and moves around him to try and not wake him up. Making her way down the bed, Ying Yue grabs her clothes that was tossed on the floor by Jianyu.
"Knock Knock."
"Your highness, are you awake?"
"Ah! Just a moment!"
Ying Yue quickly throws her clothing on and runs to open the door. Shen An had come to check on Ying Yue and brough back Junjei.
"Oh, was he crying?"
"Yes, madam Bai Shun said he must be hungry."
"Alright, I will feed him. The emperor is still sleeping, so let's stay in the main hall."
Shen An follows Ying Yue to the main hall. Once they were seated and Junjei was fed, Ying Yue filled Shen An on her plans against Shi Chen.
"My lady, you think she's going to plan something?"
"I don't think, I know. My gut feeling is telling me she won't admit defeat so easily. I will be busy tending to the guests with his majesty. I will be leaving Junjei in your care and you can ask Li An to keep you company as well."
"You don't plan on showing crown prince Junjei to the other nobles?"
"Maybe when he is older. For now, I don't want anyone knowing what he looks like. I want him to stay out of the spotlight just for a while longer."
"Very well, your highness. I promise to protect the prince with my life."
Another day passes and it was now the day of the summer festival. The whole kingdom was in celebration as the royal palace was busy preparing for the event. Jianyu spent the whole morning and afternoon doing paperwork and assigning tasks as Ying Yue tended to the decorations, food and presents for the guests. After working nonstop for the past six hours, Ying Yue was finally able to catch a break. Ying Yue makes her way back to her bedroom where Shen An and Li An were as they were watching over Junjei.
"Sigh....I never thought it would be so hectic."
"Your highness, would you like a bath?"
"Yeah, I think I'll take one. I've been sweating running around making sure everything was perfect."
Shen An hands over the sleeping Junjei to Li An and runs off to prepare the bath for Ying Yue. After ten minutes of lying in bed, Shen An returns and motions for Ying Yue to head off to the baths.
"I think I'll take Junjei too."
Ying Yue grabs Junjei and unwraps him; waking him up from his sleep. Quickly making her way towards the baths, Ying Yue washes Junjei first before cleaning herself up. After twenty minutes, Ying Yue motions for the twin sisters to help her get ready as the sun was already setting.
"Oh goddess! We don't have time left. I didn't realize how late it was getting!"
Ying Yue and everyone quickly ran back to her residence to get her ready. As Junjei was asleep, Shen An and Li An helped dressed Ying Yue and a light, yet elegant outfit. It was a pale and creamy pink color with white embroidery of a peacock on the back and front of the dress. To show off her pale skin, the sisters, braided and rolled Ying Yue's hair up. To make sure she stood out, the sisters clipped in hairpins and jewelry.
"Your highness, how would you like your makeup?"
"Something light and easy on the eyes."
Taking Ying Yue's words into consideration, the sisters painted light blush and added a tint of pink to her lips. Feeling satisfied from the results, Ying Yue reminds the sisters to take care of Junjei as she heads off to find Jianyu.
"I will be back. If anything happens, come and find me."
Just as she was about to leave, Ying Yue walks back and grabs her sword that was hidden under her pillows. Even when it was summer, the nights were often cold. Quickly attaching her sword to her waist, Ying Yue throws on a long light pink shawl and heads out.