"Shut up! The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets! Is this something you should be discussing? Have you no shame?" Xie Xiao became even angrier when his wife agreed.
Lady Ye pouted reluctantly, "Since we can't go down that path, we need to focus on Changsun Chiyin. We could give her a bowl of safflower tea to make her infertile, or disfigure her face so that the prince finds her repulsive. Or we could..."
As she continued to list malicious plans, a maid announced that Master Xie Yong had arrived. Xie Xiao scolded, "Shut up! You're embarrassing us."
Xie Yong entered and greeted them before saying, "Father, I've taken care of Mr. Luo. I dared not send the provisions immediately and came to ask about the situation. Last night..." Seeing the awkward expressions on Lady Ye and his sister, he understood, "We'll hold off on sending the provisions until the prince comes to you for them."
Xie Xiao nodded approvingly, "Well done. Although the prince is still the prince, here in Xuanzhou, he has to listen to us. As long as we withhold the food supplies, he will eventually consummate his marriage with Yuchan. Otherwise, his eight thousand soldiers will starve to death."
Lady Ye felt bitter hearing her husband praise Xie Yong, "Master Yong is indeed clever. But what about Changsun Chiyin? Do you have any plans to deal with her?"
Xie Yong, accustomed to his stepmother's sarcasm, remained calm, "Stepmother arranged for the prince and Changsun Chiyin to sleep separately, which has already upset him. If we do anything under his nose, even if he doesn't retaliate now, he will surely take it out on Yuchan once we reach Ganzhou. By then, Father and Stepmother won't be able to help, and it will only backfire."
"So you're saying there's nothing we can do?" Lady Ye protested.
"There are ways, but I doubt Stepmother can handle them."
Lady Ye rolled her eyes, "Yuchan is my beloved daughter. For her sake, what wouldn't I do? Tell me."
Xie Yong bowed, "If Stepmother insists, then we just need to follow this plan..."
After lunch, Chiyin bathed her daughter, wrapped her tightly in swaddling clothes, and placed her on an old quilt. She used a cloth tiger sewn by Xiaqiu to entertain her. Little Cui Xian, only four months old, couldn't crawl yet but would turn her head to follow her mother's voice and movements. She especially loved the cloth tiger and always laughed happily when Chiyin played with her.
Moyue took the dishes to the kitchen, and Xiaqiu went to wash diapers in the next courtyard. Chiyin was alone with her daughter when a servant entered, followed by four or five strong-looking maidservants, "Our mistress wants you to come with us."
Chiyin looked at them suspiciously. Living in the Xie household for so long, Lady Ye had never summoned her. What was happening today?
"Why does Lady Ye want to see me?" she asked.
The servant ignored her question, "Stop asking so many questions and get out of bed. Do you want us to carry you?"
The tone was menacing, and Chiyin sensed something bad was coming. "I'll come shortly," she said, hoping to wait for Xiaqiu or Moyue to return to watch over her child. She dared not leave her daughter alone.
The servant grew angry, "The mistress wants you now. Stop stalling!" With a nod, the maidservants rushed forward, dragging Chiyin off the bed.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Chiyin struggled fiercely, but one maid twisted her waist, causing her to nearly kick over the charcoal stove.
The servant walked to the bed, picked up the swaddled baby, and Chiyin turned pale, "Don't touch my child!"
"If you cooperate, I won't hurt her," the servant sneered, holding the swaddling above the stove. "If you don't, I'll throw her into the fire."
Chiyin almost collapsed, gasping for breath. Weakly, she pleaded, "Don't hurt her. I'll go with you. I'll go!"
Satisfied, the servant carried the baby out, "Take her. Let's go."
With her daughter in their hands, Chiyin had no choice but to comply. She was dragged to the courtyard where Lady Ye lived. Just as she was about to step through the threshold, a maid pushed her from behind, causing her to fall hard onto the ground.
Lady Ye sat on a couch, setting down her teacup and taking the baby from the servant. She peeled back the swaddling and traced the infant's cheek with her red nails, "This little face is pretty. Who knows who she'll seduce when she grows up."
Chiyin was furious, "Little Xian is just a baby. Why speak so cruelly, Lady Ye? Even though I'm not from a noble family, Little Xian is the prince's child and the emperor's granddaughter. If you look down on me, fine, but do you dare disrespect the emperor?"
Lady Ye hadn't expected such a sharp retort and struggled to respond, "You—" She wanted to throw the swaddling down but remembered Xie Yong's plan and restrained herself. "You really care for her. It's true that women become strong for their children. We're alike in that way."
"No, we're not!" Chiyin thought angrily.
"I called you here for a simple reason," Lady Ye traced the baby's cheek with her nails, making Chiyin tremble, "I want you to leave the prince, as far away as possible."
Chiyin struggled against the maidservants, "Jealousy is a vice. Haven't you learned proper behavior? To monopolize the prince's affection, you resort to such threats? Do you think he'll favor your daughter if you drive me away?"
Lady Ye laughed arrogantly, "Do you think the prince will love you forever? Better to cherish those near you. Yuchan is the one who will stay with him for life. You're just a wildflower by the roadside. How long can you last?"
Chiyin laughed bitterly, "Without me, there will be others. Can you guard against all the girls in the world? If the prince liked your daughter, I wouldn't be here. Why should I endure looking at your hideous face?"
Lady Ye was enraged, shaking violently. "Shut up! Shut up! Your sharp tongue won't save you! You must leave today, or I'll strangle this girl in front of you!" She squeezed the baby's neck, making her cry loudly.
"Don't hurt my child!" Chiyin struggled desperately, "I agree! I'll leave! Please let her go!"
Satisfied, Lady Ye released the baby and ordered, "Bring ink and paper."
Two servants brought a low table, and a maid set up ink and paper. Chiyin knelt on the floor, numbly asking, "What do you want me to write?"
"Write a letter to the prince, saying you married him as an inside agent and now that your mission is complete, you no longer need to stay."
Chiyin knelt before the table, and the maid forced a pen into her trembling hand. The sound of her daughter's cries pierced her heart. Finally, she wrote eight lines of poetry. The maid presented the letter to Lady Ye, who read it and found it satisfactory. She sealed the letter and sent it to the main hall.
Chiyin remained on the floor as Lady Ye pretended to be compassionate, "You look pitiful. I'm not heartless. Here's thirty taels of silver and some food and necessities. Take them. A carriage will take you and your daughter out of town."
"Should I thank you?" Chiyin asked sarcastically.
Lady Ye handed the crying baby back to Chiyin, who hugged her tightly, whispering, "Be good, Xian. Mama will take you away. No one will bully you anymore."
Outside the Xie mansion, a carriage awaited. Chiyin climbed in with her daughter, and the coachman drove them toward an uncertain future.
In the evening, Cui Yi returned from the military camp and saw the letter Chiyin left. He vomited blood and fainted, frightening Xie Yuchan and the maidservants. They hurriedly put him to bed and sent for doctors, causing chaos.
Xiaqiu and Moyue returned to their room and felt uneasy upon finding it empty. Hearing that the prince had fainted after reading the letter, they suspected something terrible had happened. They tried to visit the main hall but were stopped. They decided to seek advice from Baili Zan.
"Madam is missing?" Baili Zan was shocked, "How could she be missing? Didn't you live together?"
Xiaqiu tearfully explained, "I went to wash diapers, and Moyue went to the kitchen. We were only gone for a short while. When we returned, Madam and the baby were gone. No one knew where they went."
Baili Zan frowned, "Did the Xie family take her? Xie Xiao wouldn't be so foolish. If anything happens to Madam, the prince won't spare him."
Moyue paced anxiously, "Now the prince is ill, and we can't see him. What should we do?"
Baili Zan thought for a moment, "Let me see the prince. We need to understand the situation first."
"But the Xie family won't let us see him!" Xiaqiu reminded him.
Baili Zan smiled confidently, "Don't worry. I'll find a way."
The two maidservants reluctantly agreed to wait while Baili Zan went to the main hall. The guards refused to let him in, but he calmly explained, "The prince had a serious illness last year in the capital. Although treated by famous doctors, he hasn't fully recovered. This condition is rare, and ordinary doctors might not know how to treat it. I need to see him to ensure it's not a relapse."
The guard hesitated but allowed him to enter. Inside, the prince lay pale and weak. Baili Zan approached and asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Before Cui Yi could answer, Xie Yong handed him the letter, "See for yourself."
Baili Zan read the messy handwriting and recognized Chiyin's script.
The letter said:
I am a noblewoman who once loved the prince.
But my heart was never truly his; I hid a knife behind my smile.
Now my mission is complete, and our love fades away.
Meeting again will only bring sorrow and regret.
Baili Zan's eyes widened, "Did Madam write this?"
"She certainly did!" Xie Yuchan sobbed, "How could Yingrong brother trust someone like her? She betrayed him and left him when he was down. How could she be so heartless?"
Baili Zan turned to Xie Yuchan, "Was the prince alone when he read the letter? Can you describe what happened?"
Xie Yuchan wiped her tears, "When Yingrong brother read the letter, he vomited blood and fainted. I was terrified. If anything happens to him, I won't live either." She started crying again.
Baili Zan nodded understandingly and addressed the others, "The prince's condition is due to extreme emotional distress. He needs peace and quiet to recover. Only one or two maidservants should attend to him. Too many people will disturb him."
Lady Ye hesitated, "Would two maidservants be enough?"
"Just do as I suggest," Cui Yi sighed, "Follow Mr. Baili's instructions."
Xie Yuchan agreed, "Yingrong brother's health is most important. Let's do as suggested."
Xie Xiao considered and nodded, "If His Highness thinks it's best, we'll do it." He dismissed everyone, including the doctors.
Xie Yong watched Baili Zan thoughtfully, "I didn't know you were skilled in medicine."
Baili Zan smiled, "I learned a few tricks from Mrs. Cheng. It's good to have a trusted doctor when traveling."
Xie Yong looked grim but didn't press further. After Xie Yuchan urged him, he left.
Clearing most of the main hall, Baili Zan made excuses to dismiss the remaining maidservants and spoke privately to the prince, "Your Highness, Madam was forced to write this letter. The Xie family must have pressured her."
Cui Yi looked despondent, "How do you know?"
"Look at the first character of each line," Baili Zan showed him the letter. Cui Yi scanned it and his expression changed. Before he could speak, Xie Yuchan returned, and he changed his words, "Can you cure me?"
Xie Yuchan was startled, "Of course you can be cured! You'll be fine!"
Cui Yi ignored her and focused on Baili Zan, who replied, "Your condition isn't incurable, but treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause may lead to recurrence. The most important ingredient is very rare. You must be patient."
Xie Yuchan eagerly asked, "What is it? Where can we find it?"
Baili Zan looked at her, "The umbilical cord blood of a newborn girl born between the hours of 7 PM and 11 PM on the day of Lesser Fullness (Xiaoman). Do you have such a thing?"
Xie Yuchan was speechless, "Is there such a medicine?"
Cui Yi helped cover the lie, "Mrs. Cheng is a disciple of a divine doctor. If she says it exists, it must. We'll find it eventually."
His voice was filled with bitterness. As a father, he remembered his daughter Cui Xian was born on May 22nd during the hour of Hai. Baili Zan's words confirmed that both Chiyin and Cui Xian had been driven away.
In the vast world, searching for Chiyin and Cui Xian seemed impossible. Cui Yi sank into despair. Meanwhile, Chiyin and her daughter had been driven hundreds of miles away by the Xie family's carriage.
The carriage raced along the road, and Chiyin, unfamiliar with the northern terrain, felt lost. Several times she tried to talk to the driver but was ignored.
Night fell, and there was no sign of a town ahead. Chiyin grew anxious. Were the Xie family planning to kill her in a remote place?
To confirm her fears, the carriage veered off the main road onto a bumpy path. Chiyin gathered her courage and asked the driver to stop so she could relieve herself. She tied the baby to her chest and got out of the carriage, pretending to look for a suitable spot.
The driver followed closely. Chiyin turned and snapped, "Why are you following me?"
"The master told me to take you out of Xuanzhou and dispose of you quietly," the driver grinned wickedly, "If you don't want to die, lie down and satisfy me, and I'll let you go."
Chiyin was horrified and ran, but the driver chased after her, "Trying to escape? Not so easy!"
Miss Jin, one was a crude and vulgar man who sold his strength to make a living. His pace could not be compared with hers at all. Moreover, Miss Chi was holding a child in her arms and was in a state of extreme panic. Her steps were wobbly, and she couldn't run fast no matter how hard she tried. As the coachman got closer and closer, she screamed in desperation: "Help! Is there anyone? Save me!"
The whistling wind carried her cries for help far away, but there was no response.
The coachman caught up with three steps in one stride, grabbing her shoulder. Miss Chi tripped and fell, tearing her clothes, exposing her white jade-like shoulder to the cold wind, instantly covered with goosebumps.
"Help! Save me!" Miss Chi cried out desperately while struggling to push the man off her. The coachman only needed one hand to subdue her, using the other to undo his belt, leering: "This place is deserted; you might as well let me have my way. Hehe, the daughter of an official's family really smells good." He leaned in close.
Miss Chi was protecting the child in her arms and couldn't break free. Seeing that disgusting face getting closer and closer, she almost fainted from fear.
At this moment, she saw a black shadow dart across the night sky. Then, a flash of white light appeared, accompanied by the faint sound of a weapon being drawn. The coachman's lecherous laughter stopped abruptly, his expression frozen on his face as his head flew off with it.
The hot blood spurted over her, scaring Miss Chi into a daze.