After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

The Xie brothers were shocked when they heard Xie Xing's heartfelt words.

Xie Yuze subconsciously looked at Xie Xing.

But her eyes were full of disappointment, and the smile and liveliness in her eyes were gone. She had returned to the indifferent look she had when she first entered the manor.

Xie Yuze felt a pang of pain in his heart.

It has to be said that Xie Xing's heartfelt words just now completely hurt him.

Of all the people Xie Xing had spent time with during that period, Xie Xing was closest to Xie Yuze.

But Xie Xing's goodwill towards him plummeted to rock bottom because of these misunderstandings, and he even thought that Xie Xing and Xie Tongchen were birds of a feather.

Xie Yuze felt wronged no matter what.

That incident on the ship was a misunderstanding. Why should Xie Tongchen's actions be blamed on him?

and also--

Is a famine coming?!

What famine!

Where did the famine come from?

Although Xie Yuhe's kind expression remained unchanged from before, the slight trembling of his fingertips hidden in his sleeve betrayed his true feelings.

Seeing that he couldn't leave the manor, Xie Xing gave up.

She said, "In that case, I'd appreciate it if Father could send more people to guard outside my courtyard. After tonight's events, I'm afraid I won't be able to rest easy every night."

As Xie Xing spoke, her face paled, and she clutched her chest.

Xie Ansheng said, "Of course, Xing'er, don't worry."

Xie Xing then bowed to Xie An and said, "Thank you, Father. I'll be going now."

With that, Xie Xing turned and left.

Madam Xie stayed behind to look after the old lady. As for Xie Ansheng, Xie Yuhe, and Xie Yuze, since Xie Xing had just revealed some more information, the two of them planned to tell Xie Ansheng what they had heard.

Xie Ansheng was greatly shocked upon hearing this.

"Famine?!"

"Is Yuhe's death imminent?"

“How could this be…” Xie Ansheng murmured.

A sense of terror welled up inside him.

When Xie Yuze said that Xie Xing was now completely disappointed with the Xie family and would not help even if he knew all this, intending to watch the Xie family die, Xie Ansheng's face showed another surge of anger.

He couldn't help but curse, "That unfilial son, he's good for nothing and good for nothing!"

The probability of getting accurate information by simply eavesdropping on Xie Xing's thoughts is not high.

Moreover, they couldn't be by Xie Xing's side all the time.

Today's unexpected situation has already caught Xie Xing's attention.

What should we do next?

No matter how much they eavesdropped, it wouldn't be as accurate as Xie Xing telling them the whole story from beginning to end.

One thing after another, nothing goes right.

Xie Ansheng looked more than ten years older.

He sighed and said, "Now that things have come to this, the most important thing is how to make up for Xie Xing's goodwill towards you."

"If what you say is true, and the world we live in is a storybook, and Xie Xing is the one who has read all the storybooks, then if she doesn't want us to die, she must have a way to avoid it."

Xie Yuhe and Xie Yuze both fell silent.

Xie Ansheng said, "From now on, at least one of you brothers must stay by her side every day to ensure that no one is missed."

The two brothers nodded.

"Let's call it a day." Xie Ansheng was utterly exhausted.

Tonight, another sleepless night.

……

That night.

The study of Prince Jin's residence.

Jun Lanjin was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, his hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and he wore a jade crown. At that moment, he lazily rested one hand on his forehead, and held a booklet in the other hand, his slender fingers pointing slowly.

"Even if the Half-Month Poison is cured, it will still harm your health." Ximen Zhu sat on the desk in Jun Lanjin's study with his arms crossed.

He looked at Jun Lanjin curiously: "Are you really interested in that girl?"

"I heard you even went so far as to have the emperor annul her engagement?"

Jun Lanjin's gaze fell on some oddly placed trinkets on the table, and he casually said, "It's to my advantage if she doesn't get married."

Ximen Zhu chuckled: "Is that so?"

"The fifteenth is almost here, and the Half-Moon Poison is acting up. What do you think will happen to her?"

"After the poison takes effect, he'll probably immediately start groveling before that Seventh Prince, right?"

Jun Lanjin curled his thin lips: "She won't."

Ximen Zhu grunted twice, about to say something, when a guard entered through the window, knelt on the ground, and held a piece of paper in his hand.

Jun Lanjin stood up, his robes fluttering, and walked to the guard, picking up the piece of paper with his fingers.

The full moon hung in the night sky, its cool light falling on Jun Lanjin's robes, casting a soft glow on him.

After a moment, his narrow eyes narrowed slightly.

"what happened?"

Ximen Zhu sensed that something was wrong with his demeanor and stepped forward to look at the note in Jun Lanjin's hand.

Junlan let him look at it.

After reading the contents of the note, Ximen Zhu raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Xie Tongchen wants to kill his own sister?"

"Has he gone mad?"

To be honest, Ximen Zhu found it utterly unbelievable no matter how he thought about it.

The Xie family treated their own flesh and blood indifferently, not caring about them at all. They didn't even know that their own daughter had been poisoned for half a month and almost became someone else's pawn, but they treated their daughter, who came from who-knows-where, as a treasure.

Now he's even going so far as to kill his own sister; that's truly bizarre.

Ximen Zhu recalled Xie Xing, that little girl. While she wasn't exactly likable, she wasn't exactly annoying either.

Why can't they tolerate this?

Jun Lanjin scoffed, "Who knows about them?"

"You even sent people to monitor her?" Ximen Zhu looked at Jun Lanjin strangely.

As for what?

That girl looked like an ordinary girl no matter how you looked at her.

Jun Lanjin lowered his eyes and, without changing his expression, tore the note in his hand to shreds and threw it away.

"Is the antidote for the Half-Moon Poison ready?"

Ximen Zhu rolled his eyes: "It can't be that fast."

"That Half-Moon Poison is an incurable poison. Master said it can only be suppressed, not completely eradicated."

"It's not impossible to eradicate it completely, but once the poison is neutralized, one will lose most of their life and won't live long."

Jun Lanjin lowered her eyelashes, and upon hearing this, chuckled softly: "Is that so?"

"Can you outlive me?"

Ximen Zhu's expression changed slightly: "Don't talk nonsense. The poison in your body can be cured as long as we find that medicinal herb!"

Jun Lanjin did not reply.

Just then, a servant's voice came from outside the study: "Your Highness!"

"The princess has something to discuss with you."

Ximen Zhu frowned: "What does she want from you in the middle of the night?"

To be honest, Ximen Zhu was extremely shocked when he learned that the poison in Jun Lanjin's body was administered by the old princess.

You know, the old princess doted on Jun Lanjin as if he were her lifeblood, so why would she put such a vicious, slow-acting poison on him?

If Jun Lanjin hadn't been so unguarded with her, how could she have been so unsuspectingly poisoned?

Jun Lanjin's expression softened somewhat.

A thin layer of frost appeared in his dark pupils as he said in a calm voice, "I understand."

Ximen Zhu looked at Jun Lanjin with concern: "You absolutely must not eat anything she gives you again."