The sun shone brightly over Xiyue, its golden rays spilling across the palace courtyards as maids hurried on their duties. Guards kept their steady watch. Inside the healing house, Mimi was tending to an old woman when the doors burst open.
Lianyi stormed in, his face flushed with anger and disappointment. The sharpness in his eyes made Mimi's heart sink at once—something was terribly wrong.
"Your Highness," she began softly, rising halfway, "what's the matter? Did someth—"
Before she could finish, he strode across the room and seized her by the hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Mimi, you have to tell me," his voice was tight, trembling with suppressed fury. "Do I really seem like a toy to you?"
Her brows knitted in confusion. "I don't understand…" She said trying to ease her hand from his harsh grip.
"You don't?" His words cracked like thunder. With a sharp motion, he drew something from his sleeve—the delicate hair pin, the one his mother gave him to give her. He held it up between them.
"Then explain this!" His eyes burned into hers. "Why would you give this to that man you visit almost every day claiming it's for treatment? Is he so important to you that you would offer him the Empress's gift of acceptance? Tell me—was I a fool all along?"
Mimi's breath caught. Her chest tightened painfully as her gaze fell on the hair pin. But she knew—she knew she had locked it away carefully, as if guarding a fragile egg. How could it be in his hand now?
Her eyes welled with tears, hot and stinging. The way he shouted at her—it pierced her heart deeper than any blade.
"Lianyi… please, calm down," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Let us talk this through, I—"
"Calm down?" he cut her off, his tone sharp as steel. "After I gave you all of my heart, after I trusted you—this is how you repay me? Tell me, Mimi… do you like him?"
Her lips trembled, words forming but never leaving her mouth. Before she could speak, he turned away, shaking his head in bitter disappointment.
"I can't even look at you now," he muttered, and stormed out, his footsteps echoing in the silence he left behind.
Mimi stood frozen, her body trembling. She could endure cruelty from anyone else—but not from him. Tears slipped freely down her cheeks, each one burning.
What in Heaven's name was happening?
Outside the Healing House, Yue Rong stood with her arms folded, her lips curling into a satisfied smile. This was what she wanted.
Who would have thought that a simple hair pin could unravel so much? Indeed, her plan was nothing short of exquisite. It was simple but yet effective. All she had to do was to put someone in between them.
Flashback
That morning, a maid, Cai Fen had hurried into her chambers, bowing deeply before speaking in a hushed but eager tone.
"My lady! You sent for me."
"Yes?" Yue Rong said, eyes darkening and mischiefs cooking in her mind.
"I told you to watch closely. Have you noticed any sign of the king's closeness towards the healer.... Or any discussion between them?" She asked.
Cai Fen shifted uneasily. "No, My lady.... But, I am worried about it. If the King accepts her as well as the queen did, then… there may be nothing more to do. Forgive me, my lady, but__"
"Silence!" Yue Rong snapped, her voice cutting like a blade. She rose gracefully, though her fury trembled beneath her calm mask. "Do not speak of impossibilities in my presence. Lianyi belongs to me and me alone. That little witch will soon be erased from his thoughts__I'll make certain of it."
Her smirk returned, sharp and cruel. "And I know what to do"
From the table beside her, she lifted a pouch heavy with silver taels and tossed it to her.
"You will earn this and more if you can steal the gift the Queen has given her."
Cai Fen's eyes gleamed greedily at the weight of the pouch. She clutched it to her chest, bowing low.?
"Yes, my lady. By evening, it will be in your hands I promise. Before running off.
As Mimi went to the healing house, cai fen, steak into her room. She search her jewels box and found the treasure there. she took it wrapped it with a cloth and quickly ran off to the general house.
By dusk, the hair pin glittered in Yue Rong's palm. She studied it, then carefully wrapped it in silk before sliding a folded note beneath the ribbon. The message was simple.
'From Mimi'. She didn't leave out the heart that expressed love.
Her smile deepened as she handed the parcel to one of her maids to deliver it to a man who lingered often in the Healing House__the young patient Wei Shen, whom she had observed closely for weeks. Mimi had attended to him with kindness, and Yue Rong had not missed the way his eyes lingered on the healer longer than necessary.
Perfect.
If the hair pin appeared in his possession, and if Lianyi happened to see it… no further words would be needed. The seed of betrayal would already be planted.
So Yue Rong arranged the moment. The following afternoon, she deliberately sent Wei Shen into the palace gardens where Lianyi often passed. She instructed Cai Fen to make certain His Highness was drawn that way__and when Lianyi's gaze caught the shimmer of the hair pinned, as she hand over it to Wei Shen. the snare closed around his heart.
"Where did you get this"? He thundered. " Is for Mimi, she said I should give it to Wei Shen as a token of there love." She lied.
Out of rage, Lianyi slapped Wei Shen. Before storming out of there .
Present
The image of that moment still lingered sweetly in Yue Rong's mind. Lianyi's expression__shock, pain, disbelief__had been worth every effort.
She was still savoring it when a maid walked past, carrying a bucket of steaming bathwater and scented oils.
"Where are you going?" Yue Rong asked coolly.
The maid bowed. "His Highness requested a bath prepared in his chamber."
Yue Rong's lips curved in satisfaction. She seized the tray without hesitation.
"I will take it from here."
The maid hesitated. "But… my lady, I__"
Yue Rong's gaze turned sharp as ice. "Are you certain you wish to defy me? Do you value your tongue… or your life?"
The maid paled and immediately lowered her head. "Forgive me, my lady."
Without another word, Yue Rong swept away. She crossed paths with Mimi, heading to her room . Her eyes were swollen from tears, her steps heavy. Yue Rong shot her a mocking glance before knocking once and entering Lianyi's chamber.
The sight that greeted her was almost intoxicating. Lianyi sat on the edge of his bed, the hair pin clutched tightly in his hand. His shoulders were tense, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Though he fought to keep them from falling, his anguish was plain.
Yue Rong's heart was thrilled by the sight. The trap had worked perfectly