Chapter 3: Vicious Threat

A stinging pain spread across her cheek, yet Hua Ruomo merely knit her brows slightly before lifting her eyes once more to look coldly at the woman before her. That gaze caused Chai Ruorong’s heart to palpitate; she suddenly remembered that the girl was an evil and wicked person, and wondered if this slap would bring her misfortune. Overcome with sudden fear, she hurriedly retreated back to Hua Kunqing’s side.

"Hua Ruomo, don't even think about playing any tricks. Hand over the antidote as soon as possible, lest you bring bad luck upon our entire Prime Minister's Manor!"

"Father, I think it would be better if Father released my maid first. After all, compared to Xiaoyu, it seems my younger sister is much more precious. If those clumsy servants were to hurt my maid, then I truly don't know what my sister might look like tomorrow. In any case, I only have Xiaoyu left here; if anything happens to her, I wouldn't mind letting my sister serve as a scapegoat."

"You!" Hua Kunqing raised his hand high, but when he met the cold mockery within Hua Ruomo's deep, dark eyes, his hand simply could not strike down. In the end, he changed his palm strike into a wave of his hand, ordering the servants to release the little maid.

Seeing that Xiaoyu was safe and sound, Hua Ruomo felt slightly relieved. The little maid had never experienced such intimidation; once released, she ran toward Hua Ruomo, her eyes brimming with tears that she suppressed from falling in front of everyone to avoid shaming her lady.

However, before Xiaoyu could even touch the hem of Hua Ruomo's clothes, she was seized by a house servant.

"My dear daughter, until you hand over the antidote, this lowly wench will stay in the West Courtyard. Father guarantees that as long as you are obedient, she will be fine—at least, her life will not be in danger. However, Father does not have that much patience, so..." Hua Kunqing gave a cold snort. He was no fool; how could he possibly return such a bargaining chip to Hua Ruomo's side?

Though Hua Ruomo was furious, she was also helpless. She knew all too well what kind of place the West Courtyard was.

This move was truly ruthless!

Hua Kunqing glared fiercely at Hua Ruomo, as if warning her not to attempt any tricks.

Even though Father had treated her this way for the past dozen years, every time Hua Ruomo faced Hua Kunqing's unjust treatment, a small sense of loss would still stir in her heart.

She was clearly the legitimate daughter. However, this status was nothing more than a laughingstock in the Hua Manor. Forget Hua Ru嫣 and Chai Ruorong's mother-daughter duo; even the lowliest servants looked down upon her as the legitimate eldest miss. Nevertheless, aside from Chai Ruorong and her daughter, no one dared to openly provoke Hua Ruomo, because everyone in the Hua Manor knew that the eldest miss possessed extraordinary arts—she was skilled in medicine and equally skilled in poison. If one were to accidentally anger her, life would certainly not be easy for a while.

"Take me to see Hua Ru嫣." Hua Ruomo suppressed the loneliness in her eyes and sighed softly in her heart, ultimately relenting.

Until now, she still didn't know what the situation was with her younger sister. For this period of time, she had been buried in researching a new poison and had no leisure to pay attention to Hua Ru嫣's movements. It was likely that this restless younger sister had broken into the Medicine Pavilion while she was away and meddled with her things, which resulted in the poisoning.

Hua Ruomo had always been an extremely low-profile person in the Hua Manor, not because she was naturally weak, but because she had reached an agreement with Hua Kunqing.

She did not seek prosperity or wealth, nor did she seek imperial favor; her only request was for Hua Kunqing to establish a Medicine Pavilion for her within the Hua Manor, where she could practice her medical and poisonous arts. However, this pavilion was located in a rather remote part of the manor, much like her "boudoir"—two rooms, one at the far east and one at the far west, occupying the two most dilapidated locations in the Hua Manor.

But Hua Ruomo didn't mind; being remote was actually more beneficial to her. The curse of the "Lone Star of Calamity" upon her body meant she could not have much contact with others anyway. She just didn't know why her concubine-born younger sister, the second miss of the Hua Manor, Hua Ru嫣, seemed to have her greatest hobby in finding every possible way to drive her out of the Hua Manor.

In truth, she also wanted to get away from here, but... now was not the time, because there was something very important to accomplish tonight—something that had weighed heavily on her heart for thousands of days and nights.