The prince is fierce: Who dares to steal my woman?

Upon hearing this, Guan Lingxuan's face paled, her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to refute, but didn't know where to begin. Her eyes flickered uncertainly in the night, finally settling into a soft sigh: "But..."

“But what?” Green Pearl’s tone grew increasingly stern as she interrupted her. “Following orders means obeying, not questioning!”

Guan Lingxuan lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her inner struggle surging like a tide: "I just feel that Xiao Jinyan... shouldn't die yet."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet it reached Green Pearl's ears clearly.

Upon hearing this, Green Pearl's expression changed drastically, a hint of shock and anger flashing in her eyes: "Zi Xuan, what did you say? Do you intend to disobey orders? Do you... have fallen in love with Xiao Jin Yan, and that's why you can't bring yourself to do it?"

Her voice was sharp, like a cold wind in winter, piercing straight to the heart.

Guan Lingxuan looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with panic and denial: "No, no, I didn't!"

Green Pearl's lips curled into a cold smile, her tone laced with mockery and sarcasm: "Zi Xuan, don't think that just because Xiao Jin Yan said a few sweet words to you, you can forget your identity and mission. Remember, you belong to the princess, and your loyalty can only belong to the princess alone."

With a hint of unwavering resolve in her eyes, Guan Lingxuan said resolutely, "My loyalty to the princess is as firm as a rock, unshakable by wind or rain."

Upon hearing this, Green Pearl's lips curled into a cold smile, a smile that concealed sharp suspicion and disdain. She suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Guan Lingxuan's slender wrist, as if trying to seize the other's secrets: "Have you and Xiao Jinyan truly had physical intimacy?"

Green Pearl's words were like ice, striking right at the heart of the matter.

A complex expression flashed across Guan Lingxuan's face, a mixture of bitterness and helplessness. She gently shook her head, her voice barely audible: "No, he tried to force me, but I refused to yield. My innocence is not something to be easily lost."

Green Pearl's gaze was piercing as she scrutinized Guan Lingxuan's wrist with unwavering certainty. The cinnabar birthmark that should have been there was nowhere to be seen. This discovery ignited a fire of rage within her, causing her voice to tremble as she almost roared, "You're lying! The loss of the cinnabar birthmark proves you're no longer a virgin. There must have been something going on between you and Xiao Jinyan!"

Guan Lingxuan's eyes reddened slightly. She took a deep breath, as if recalling a painful past: "Green Pearl, you don't know this, but I once had a mission. In order to complete the mission, I did not hesitate to seduce people and kill my enemies. That cinnabar mole disappeared quietly when I was on the verge of life and death countless times. It has absolutely nothing to do with Xiao Jinyan."

Green Pearl frowned, clearly disbelieving, her eyes flashing with a resolute light: "Hmph, stop trying to fool me with those clumsy lies. If you weren't hiding something, why did you show mercy to Xiao Jinyan and refuse to carry out the princess's secret order to kill him? You've clearly been bewitched by his sweet words!"

Guan Lingxuan's tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back: "Green Pearl, I really didn't. My loyalty to the princess has never changed. As for Xiao Jinyan, he may treat me differently, but in my heart, only the princess's will is supreme. Please believe me, everything I have done is for the princess's grand plan."

Green Pearl sneered, her eyes filled with indifference and disdain: "Zi Xuan, don't think that just because Xiao Jin Yan cherishes you, you're truly unique in his heart. In his eyes, you're nothing more than one of his many playthings. Men, especially men like Xiao Jin Yan, have no true feelings in their hearts, only power and desire."

Guan Lingxuan hesitated for a moment, then parted her lips slightly and said, "I know, I will carry out the princess's orders."

Green Pearl's face was cold and stern, her eyes flashing with a complex light, as if she had deep doubts about Guan Lingxuan's words: "How can I believe you?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Lingxuan took a step forward, trying to move the other person with her sincerity: "How can you make me believe me?"

"Unless... you become my tool completely."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Green Pearl's lips as she slowly pulled a delicate little bottle from her sleeve. Inside lay a pill emitting an eerie blue light. Her movements were decisive and swift; without a word, she forcefully shoved the pill into Guan Lingxuan's mouth.

Caught off guard, Guan Lingxuan felt a cold sensation slide into her throat. Instantly, an indescribable itching erupted from the depths of her bone marrow, as if a million ants were gnawing at her, causing her body to convulse violently and she collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and tension and unease filled the air.

After a long while, Guan Lingxuan's pain gradually subsided. She struggled to sit up, her face as pale as paper, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

"How does it feel? Not good, is it?" Green Pearl's voice was as cold as ice, without the slightest sympathy.

Guan Lingxuan was still panting, but her eyes revealed a defiant spirit: "What did you feed me?"

Her voice was weak, but it carried a hint of stubbornness.

Green Pearl smiled smugly: "That's a rare poison from the Western Regions—Fluorescent Powder. Without an antidote, you will suffer like this every day."

A surge of anger and despair welled up in Guan Lingxuan's heart: "Green Pearl, why did you harm me? We both served the princess, why must we kill each other?"

Green Pearl's expression became complicated. She approached Guan Lingxuan and whispered, "I was just afraid you wouldn't listen to me... Zixuan, if you listen to me and carry out the order to poison Xiao Jinyan, I will give you the antidote. This is your only way to live. Otherwise, the pain of this fluorescent powder will accompany you through every day and night until the end of your life."

Her tone carried an undeniable threat, as if she were issuing Guan Lingxuan a final ultimatum.

Guan Lingxuan gazed at Lüzhu, a flash of determination and hatred in her eyes. She knew she was caught in a life-or-death struggle, and behind this struggle lay the most turbulent undercurrents in Jiankang City. She had to find a way out, not only to cure herself but also to protect innocent people from being implicated.

"Green Pearl, you are despicable and shameless!"

Guan Lingxuan gritted her teeth and cursed.

Green Pearl curled her lips into a cold smile and said disdainfully, "Heh... This is the only way to deal with a little slut like you who only thinks about men!"

Guan Lingxuan sneered and said, "Green Pearl, have you never thought about men? Really, not even for a day? You pathetic person, you'll never understand the joy of something you haven't experienced."

Green Pearl scoffed, "A shameless woman is just being pretentious. I, Green Pearl, am only thinking about the great cause of becoming a princess, and I never think about men!"

Guan Lingxuan's lips curled into a playful smile: "Hehe...then you've really wasted your life, squandering your beautiful face and figure. You probably will never understand the pleasures of love between men and women!"

In the darkness of night, the wind in the bamboo forest seemed to grow even colder and more biting, as if it were slowly eroding Guan Lingxuan's body and Green Pearl's heart.