After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 86

The results of the palace selection were reduced to a thin sheet of paper and presented to Meng Guangshen.

Meng Guanlou saw the solemn expression on his father’s face. He stood up and snatched the paper to read it. 

Meng Guangshen said, “Eight candidates advanced to the second round. Out of eighteen people, only three were selected. The remaining five spots will be chosen from the six brought by Prince Yan.”

Who would have thought that after all their planning, they had only paved the way for others?

Meng Guanlou panicked. “Father, I have spent endless effort in Songyang planning for this. I haven’t dared to slack off for a single day. I invested countless resources to befriend these people. Our candidates must make it through the second round. Otherwise, all our efforts—our manpower and wealth—will be completely wasted…”

Meng Guangshen silenced him with a firm palm. Only then did Meng Guanlou realize his father disliked seeing him flustered. Meng Guangshen’s rough, cold hand briefly touched his face, his dark eyes calm and unwavering. 

“I understand. I will handle it.”

A flicker of emotion crossed Meng Guanlou’s weary, handsome face. 

“Father, I… and Cui Ying, we are just making each other miserable. We can’t…”

“The engagement cannot be broken.” Meng Guangshen’s voice was firm. “The Cui family has already been executed and exiled. Cui Ying is the only one left. If you abandon her now, what will the Emperor think of the Meng family?”

Meng Guanlou opened his mouth, but Meng Guangshen’s gaze turned cold. 

“Jiu Lang, you were born into wealth and privilege, yet you cannot endure even the slightest setback. If I had been like you, I would have died a hundred, a thousand times over by now.”

“You think I don’t know you’re still taking those calming powders? Stay at home. Do not step outside.” Meng Guangshen turned and left, ignoring Meng Guanlou’s look of disappointment. “Guards, keep an eye on him.”

Meng Guanlou stared at the list in his hands. “No. I must win… Call Yumei here.”

The medical hall was bustling with patients.

The sting on Qun Qing’s neck had swollen painfully after a bee sting. She had no experience treating it, so she quickly got up to find Physician Li.

Only those who have died once know how precious life is—she couldn’t afford to take any risks.

As she slowly moved forward in the queue, she sensed someone shifting behind her. A faint scent of yellow vanilla reached her nose. Without turning around, she knew who was standing behind her.

She recognized Jian Su’s voice. “Have you taken all three doses of medicine today?”

Lu Huating said nothing. He merely lowered his gaze and lightly lifted Qun Qing’s veil with the handle of his fan. Her pale skin made the swollen red sting stand out starkly—it looked painful.

He stared at it for a moment before letting the veil fall back into place.

She was clearly on that side—why was she still helping those six people?

“Have you seen enough?” Qun Qing asked.

Lu Huating said, “If you don’t remove the stinger, you’ll have a fever for three days.”

His words were sharp, but the medical hall was noisy, and Qun Qing did not reply.

Suddenly, a few sharp barks rang out. The people ahead hurriedly backed away, pushing the line backward. Someone shouted, “A mad dog is biting people!”

Qun Qing broke free from the queue and rushed forward. The crowd had cleared a small space, revealing a limping black dog from Physician Li’s backyard. It had broken free from its leash and was baring its teeth, growling as it tugged at a woman’s skirt. The woman was so frightened that her legs went weak.

Xiao Song was at a loss for what to do. Qun Qing grabbed the leash from his hands, looped it twice, and waited for the right moment to slip it around the dog’s neck. She pulled hard, commanding, 

“Be obedient.”

Qun Qing’s strength was considerable, but she hadn’t expected the dog to resist with such force. It snapped the leash, breaking free.

She looked down at the severed leash in her hand, then at the fresh bl00d dripping onto the ground. She was startled.

She had fed this old dog often when she was at the clinic. It was aging and barely able to move. What had possessed it today?

She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the dog’s ribs, but it turned and snapped at her. Its eyes were bloodshot.

Jian Su struck its neck with the sheath of his sword, knocking it unconscious. The dog collapsed in Qun Qing’s arms, still twitching, its eyes glaring.

Feeling responsible for maintaining order at the clinic, Qun Qing carried the dog to the backyard and reassured the patients, “It’s fine now. Please continue with your treatments.”

Lu Huating signaled Jian Su to wait in line and followed her.

Qun Qing noticed a blackened bowl beside the dog’s bedding. A faintly familiar scent lingered in the air. She turned to Xiao Song. “What did you feed it?”

Xiao Song replied, “It wasn’t me. A few days ago, it was barely breathing. It looked like it wouldn’t survive, so Master cut a piece of Yufei pill you brought and fed it to the dog.”

Qun Qing’s expression darkened.

Not long after, Physician Li arrived. He felt the dog’s pulse and sighed. Qun Qing asked, “Master, did you give the dog the Yufei pill?”

Physician Li frowned. “I’ve been studying the box of Yufei pills you gave me. When used in small amounts, it speeds up bl00d circulation and increases body heat. Seeing the dog on the verge of death, I thought I’d try it.”

Lu Huating narrowed his eyes. “Is this thing the same source as the talcum powder banned by the previous dynasty?”

“It’s not the same,” Physician Li said. “The main ingredient in Yufei pills should be young leaves of the hemp on the Beirong Plateau. The scent is unmistakable. Hemp doesn’t grow in Zhongzhou, making it rare and expensive. It’s even harder to find than Five-Stone Powder.”

Qun Qing looked at the black dog’s bloodshot eyes and asked, “So it took too much of the medicine, which is why it’s acting crazy?”

Physician Li furrowed his brows in thought. ““When I was young, I knew a traveling physician from Beirong. He told me about unripe hemp. It’s said that Beirong warriors would harvest large quantities of hemp leaves before going into battle, grind them into powder, and make cakes from it. They could then fight with the ferocity of tigers and wolves. Thinking back, if consumed excessively, it would likely cause people to become aggressive, bloodthirsty, impervious to reason, and unafraid of death or injury.”

Impervious to reason, unafraid of death or injury…

Lu Huating noticed Qun Qing’s sudden change in expression.

A vivid memory surfaced in Qun Qing’s mind.

That day in Qingjing Temple.

A figure on horseback, Prince Yan with his ghostly pale face and bl00d-red eyes. No matter how she pleaded, no matter how she explained that she was Princess Bao’an, he remained completely unresponsive. In the end, he ran a long sword straight through her chest.

She had a strong feeling—the man that day had likely taken a large amount of unripe hemp before the attack.

Qun Qing lifted her gaze. “Master, if someone had taken a large dose of unripe hemp before, is there a way to test it?”

Physician Li shook his head. “That, I’m not sure. If you must find out, take a Yufei Pill from Yufu Hall. If the person has only taken it once, they might feel uncomfortable, but if they’re used to it, they won’t feel a thing.”

Qun Qing nodded without saying more. She took her medicine from Physician Li and hurried away.

Someone quickly caught up from behind. Lu Huating grabbed her wrist, his voice sounding close to her ear, carrying a warning beneath his amused tone. 

“You want to test Prince Yan? The Yufei Pill is poisonous. I advise you not to try it so carelessly.”

Without her saying a word, he had already guessed what she intended to do.

Qun Qing abruptly turned her head. They were standing too close—his lips, a deep crimson, were right in front of her eyes. She lowered her gaze, remembering how Lu Huating disliked being near others. Deliberately leaning in, she saw him instinctively shift back just a little.

Only then did she feel satisfied. She lifted her lashes and looked at him. 

“Try to see if you can stop me”

She turned and left.

Lu Huating paused for a moment. The bustling crowd passed before him, and the lingering warmth in the air finally dissipated.

Perhaps he was too used to conflict. Facing such a blatant provocation, he felt no resentment—just clarity, as if doused in cold water.

When the preliminary results came in, Qun Qing was summoned into the palace by Li Xuan.

She saw him leaning on his hand, looking as if he had a headache. Without a word, she added a spoonful of rosemary into the incense burner. After a pause, she also placed a small piece of the Yufei Pill inside.

Not only was she testing Prince Yan, but she was testing the Crown Prince as well.

The scent filled the air, and Li Xuan opened his eyes, his sharp gaze locking onto Qun Qing. “Do you remember your place?”

Meng Guangshen had already reported the preliminary results to him. 

“In the past, Your Highness always shielded Lady Qing. But this time, she’s deliberately siding with those six candidates. No matter how you look at it, she has crossed the line.”

But Qun Qing’s expression remained calm. “Which identity is Your Highness referring to? As an examiner, my duty is to uphold the fairness of the selection process. Allowing Prince Zhao to disrupt the examination would be my failure.”

“If Your Highness means my status as a palace maid, I have never dared to forget it. Without Your Highness’s favor, I would not be here today. That is exactly why I must consider what is best for you. Those six candidates arrived in a hurry—it’s unlikely Prince Yan had time to win them over. Your Highness is the Crown Prince, while Prince Yan is merely a prince. If they are truly talented, they will naturally gravitate toward Your Highness after passing the exam, just as I have. Why be so wary during the examination and lose your composure?”

Her voice was steady, neither servile nor overbearing. Before she could finish, Li Xuan coughed violently, veins bulging at his temples. He forced out three words between breaths: 

“Very well. So, according to you, I’m the one who is impatient and insecure?”

Was his coughing from anger—or was it a reaction to the Yufei Pill?

Qun Qing couldn’t be sure. She pressed her lips together and said, “There is only one thing Your Highness lacks confidence in—Prince Yan’s wife is already pregnant, while Your Highness has yet to produce an heir…”

“Get out.”

Li Xuan finally caught his breath, his face dark with rage as he pointed toward the door.

Through the lingering incense smoke, Qun Qing’s slender, solitary figure moved toward the exit.

For a fleeting moment, Li Xuan was reminded of the silhouette atop Tonghua Terrace. But he quickly dismissed the thought—she could not be the same.

She was willful, disobedient, and ignorant of her place. From a purely strategic standpoint, she was a liability.

“You only understand palace affairs and have read a few books. The world is not as simple as you think,” Li Xuan said coldly. “I have already warned Erlang. In the next round, do not try to be clever.”

Qun Qing paused briefly at the threshold, acknowledging his words before stepping out.

If only it were as simple as Li Xuan claimed.

Had Li Pan not provoked her, she would not have stirred trouble. But with both Li Pan and the Meng family targeting her, she had no choice but to be prepared.

That night, as Qun Qing reviewed the remaining spies Xu Lin had left behind, a wax-sealed message arrived.  

Inside was a single word: “Kill.”

The message came from an elderly palace maid, now working as a sweeper in the Hanlin Academy. Qun Qing had instructed her to wait at Yimei Pavilion and keep a close watch on the candidates’ every move. Now, she had sent word back.  

Under the cover of darkness, a young man had slipped into the candidates’ quarters. From her hiding spot in the shadows, she recognized him— Yu Mei, Meng Guanlou’s personal attendant.

Yu Mei had stayed just long enough for a stick of incense to burn. He had not left behind a single written word; instead, he had dictated the upcoming exam questions to three select candidates. Any ink traces had been deliberately burned—only a single charred scrap remained.  

Qun Qing ran her fingers over the scorched paper, her expression unreadable. Then, without hesitation, she stood, pulled on her coat, and stepped into the night.

T/L notes: Hello, readers! You may have noticed that some parts of this chapter had similar content from the previous one. After reviewing both chapters, I found that the original author had indeed written them twice. Since Chapter 77 was revised, some of its content overlaps with this chapter. The author has not yet updated this section, but if they do, I will make the necessary revisions as well. Thank you for your understanding!