A Deal
Wu Qinyang was looking out from the window. Deep frowns could be seen on her forehead as she was thinking about something when she heard the opening of the door. She immediately hid the tiny porcelain bottle inside her long narrow sleeves and turned to look at who came in. She lowered her eyes as she saw Lei Wanxi.
"Forgive me for barging in suddenly, but I forgot something to check," Lei Wanxi asserted. Wu Qinyang gulped in nervousness. "Did he find out?" Wu Qinyang thought when she saw Lei Wanxi seated around the table on a chair.
This confused Wu Qinyang when Lei Wanxi gestured her to take a sit. Wu Qinyang pulled out a chair for herself and sat on it. "Miss Wu, I learned earlier from your respected father that you have exceptional acupuncture skills and you are also good at medicine," Lei Wanxi asserted.
"Yes, your highness," Wu Qinyang replied.
Lei Wanxi stood up from the chair and opened his fan. He went towards the door and closed it from inside, which panicked Wu Qinyang, but she did not let it show on her face. It was calm as an ocean. Lei Wanxi walked towards Wu Qinyang; his left hand was behind his back while using his right hand he was moving the fan slowly.
He stopped right behind the chair on which Wu Qinyang was sitting. She pressed her fingers against each other when Lei Wanxi closed his fan. Wu Qinyang did not get intimidated and kept her cool. Lei Wanxi bent slightly, his face came closer to the left face of Wu Qinyang's and he grabbed both her hands with his left hand.
Wu Qinyang tilted her head slightly to peer at Lei Wanxi who was not smiling any longer. "Miss Wu, I have the eyes of Eagle. Even though I am not good at military tactics, I can see through a person really quickly," Wu Qinyang heard Lei Wanxi as he took out the white porcelain bottle from inside the left sleeve of Wu Qinyang's dress.
He was going to stand straight when Wu Qinyang directed her fist towards the Prince. Lei Wanxi quickly dropped the fan in his right hand and grabbed Wu Qinyang's fist. They both glared at each other when Wu Qinyang used her other hand and hit Lei Wanxi's chest that was pushed back.
Wu Qinyang curled her lips up. She was going to drink the poison from the ring she was wearing when Lei Wanxi grabbed her hand. "You are not the daughter of the Governor of Wu. How dare you fool us and attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince?" Lei Wanxi asked
Wu Qinyang kicked Lei Wanxi's leg and he lost his grip on her. He fell on the floor. Wu Qinyang took the opportunity to drink the poison when Lei Wanxi grabbed the fan swiftly and threw it towards Wu Qinyang. It hit her hand, and taking that chance Lei Wanxi quickly got a hold of her. Lei Wanxi pinned Wu Qinyang against the table who tried to get released from his grip.
"There is no use struggling. Why did you do this? Indeed, there are many guests here but how dare you take the fake identity of a person who is already dead? Not only this, you poisoned the Crown Prince! Tell me who gave you the orders to do this?" Lei Wanxi had a stern expression on his face.
"I did not poison the Crown Prince," Wu Qinyang affirmed. Hearing that, Lei Wanxi got angry.
"Do not fool with me. Do you know what will happen if I take you to the Crown Prince?!" Lei Wanxi questioned her. She seemed not to be scared at all by him.
"I will be dead. One day or the other I have to die, so be it today," Wu Qinyang replied with a stern look.
"Young lady, being brave is good but not at the time when death is in front of you. The death of a traitor is difficult. Do you want a bloodbath in Wu province?" Lei Wanxi asked. "Tell me on whose orders you are doing this?" Lei Wanxi questioned, tightening his grip on Wu Qinyang's hands, which were behind her back.
"I did not poison the Crown Prince. If the Prince does not believe me, then he can check that bottle. It is not poison that was to be fed to the Crown Prince," Wu Qinyang proclaimed. Lei Wanxi slightly laughed upon hearing that.
"Then, may I ask what is that?" Lei Wanxi raised his one brow.
"I cannot tell," Wu Qinyang replied.
"Young lady, this stubbornness does not suit you well. It seems you want to go to the Punishment House," Lei Wanxi said in a threatening tone. "And, if it is not poison then why did you try to kill yourself by taking the poison from your ring?" Lei Wanxi asked her.
"I am the adopted daughter of the Governor of Wu. I wanted to take revenge for my two brothers' death from the Crown Prince by feeding him that drug so that his highness could be paralyzed." Wu Qinyang accepted her crime.
Lei Wanxi knitted his brows when Wu Qinyang further spoke. "Punish me for the crime I was going to do. I stopped because of my father. He gave me the name of his late daughter who died two years ago and my two brothers died last year thanks to the Ruthless Crown Prince of the Han Kingdom."
"You told me the truth so easily. You were going to do something foolish which could have caused the death of the Governor of Wu Province," Lei Wanxi asserted and observed the expression on Wu Qinyang's face.
Wu Qinyang by then had lowered her eyes. "I had planned to do that, but then I stopped myself because revenge is not the answer every time," Wu Qinyang proclaimed.
Lei Wanxi smiled a bit and said, "Miss Wu, I apologize for your loss but you know your father had started the war against Han and in a war the deaths are inevitable. One side loses but the blood baths happen on both sides. Even I lost my two dear friends who were killed mercilessly by your brothers. It does not mean I will plan to kill the Governor of Wu and the people because that would only increase resentment on both sides. Wu Province is a part of Han and now its people are the people of Han as well. The past has gone and we should work for a better future."
Wu Qinyang was dumbfounded to hear such words from a Prince. Lei Wanxi released the hands of Wu Qinyang and took out the ring from her index finger, which had poison inside it. "If you had died by taking this poison, then your father would have been in danger along with the entire Wu Province. You shall thank me that I saved you," Lei Wanxi stated with a cheerful smile which confused Wu Qinyang.
"Will I not be punished? I did wrong by…"
"Let's make a deal, Miss Wu," Lei Wanxi cut the words of Wu Qinyang in the middle. "I will not tell this incident to anyone, but instead, I need something from you. Not you… you are not the type of woman I desire." Lei Wanxi offered a deal to Wu Qinyang and waited for her response.