He Yuan trembled as he stood up and approached the carriage with his dirty bag clutched in his hands. Once he stepped in, he sat on the floor of the luxurious carriage and looked around in fear and awe.
There was a servant by Wei Yun'er's side and she stared at He Yuan with a fierce, condescending, look. She was exactly the maid from the Wei family that had accompanied Wei Yun'er to the isolated courtyard.
Behind the veil, Wei Yun'er's lips arched as she took in He Yuan's look of awe. "What are you called?"
He Yuan hadn't really prepared a name beforehand so he lowered his head timidly and slowly spoke, "This lowly one is called Bai Hong."
"Which family's child are you?"
"The commoner Bai family from the neighbouring nation." He shivered and choked out, "My father was a foot soldier and was killed on his first trip to war against Xin nation. My uncles took everything and chased my mother and I away. My mother died on the way during an ambush but I managed to escape and soon arrived here."
He wasn't really scared that she would investigate. The neighbouring country was months away from the capital and by the time her secret guards must have made the round trip, he would have already escaped with the Wei family.
Wei Yun'er pulled off her veil and the maid by her side made a move to speak but was quickly silenced with a wave.
He Yuan, on the other hand, gave a lost expression like a youngster infatuated by beauty. It wasn't really hard as Wei Yun'er was truly a top notch beauty but deep down he knew he wasn't mesmerized.
Wei Yun'er smirked and He Yuan quickly looked down like he was caught committing a crime. Wei Yun'er's smirk increased. Whether it was in modern or ancient times, which lady did not enjoy being the recipient of admiration?
He Yuan meekly peeked at her again like he couldn't resist and then, he blushed. "M..my lady. This lowly one does not deserve the honour of seeing your face."
"Good thing you know your place." The maid scoffed.
Wei Yun'er eyed the maid without any sign of threat in her eyes and looked back to He Yuan. "If I say you can see it, who would stop me? From the moment I called you into this carriage, I've already decided to accept you as one of my persons. I don't doubt who I use and I don't use who I doubt but, if someday, you betray me~" She let her blood thirsty smirk finish her words.
He Yuan inwardly cringed and rolled his eyes at her words and actions. How pathetic, he knew very well she was going to swallow her words in the near future.
Outwardly, he shivered and stared at her with watery eyes. He tried to cry but it didn't work so she would have to make do with this. "I would never. Thank you for your grace milady."
Wei Yun'er waved dismissively and they all kept silent as the carriage drove towards the imperial palace. The maid on the side kept casting warning glares at He Yuan. One wrong move towards her eldest Miss and she was going to smack him to death.
Just remembering his look of infatuation as he stared at her eldest Miss made her so angry. A mere street urchin like him dared to admire her mistress. He really lacked self awareness. How foolish.
Her eldest Miss was so amazing only great men, like the soon to be emperor, deserved her.
They soon arrived at the imperial palace and Xian Taiwen met them at the gate. The surrounding servants, bodyguards and eunuchs, everyone in short, bowed in greetings except Wei Yun'er.
He Yuan observed the man from his position on the carriage floor. He was everything the rumours described.
Tall, handsome, elegant with the intimidating aura of a well seasoned general polished through countless battles. Even as he helped Wei Yun'er down the carriage, his aura didn't diminish at all rather he seemed to give off the bearings of a noble gentleman.
He Yuan nodded, quite befitting of an emperor. Too bad he was an idiot through and through. He had the aura of an emperor but not the brains and tact to go with it. What a waste.
"Taiwen." Wei Yun'er looked up at Xian Taiwen with a smile and gently stroked his chest.
He Yuan froze and looked around in shock. The servants, body guards and eunuchs around all had their head down as they bowed, acting Like they had heard nothing. She just called a royal prince, soon to be emperor, of ancient times by his name in public! Was this really okay?
Xian Taiwen laughed softly and held her naughty hand. How audacious! She dared to call out his name and tempt him as such in public. She'd see how he would punish her tonight!
He Yuan was too ashamed to keep on looking at their shameful display. He was looking from a low vantage point so he could clearly see Xian Taiwen's reaction poking furiously at his princely robes!
Xian Taiwen directly turned away holding Wei Yun'er's hands and ignoring everyone else. He didn't even give them leave to stand up! When he was far enough, they all stood up and He Yuan let out a sigh of relief as he got down the carriage with sore legs.
"You!" Wei Yun'er's personal maid pointed at He Yuan. "Come with me."
After yammering endlessly and pushing her weight around. Dishing out threats and enticing words on equal amounts, the personal maid finally left the mentally exhausted He Yuan alone in a room in the servant courtyard.
He Yuan flopped on the bed like a dead fish. Just the first encounter with the 'special ones' and he was already physically and mentally drained beyond measure. That damned system never told him the task would be this hard.
After mulling over his misfortune for a while more, he cleaned up and changed into a different set of old, but cleaner, robes. He pulled open one of the poison vials. He thought over the use and details in his mind repeatedly.
When he was fairly confident in it's effects from Wei Luo's memories, he decided to try it out. But not now though, when he was more familiar with the imperial palace.
What he wanted to do with the poison was not huge and didn't require much effort. It was also not a harmful kind of poison and was only marked as poison because it caused a sort of temporary memory loss after it's effects wore off.
The recipient would gain back their memory though, but this was still good enough for He Yuan. The main effect of the poison was mild hallucination and drowsiness.