"Your Highness, the Emperor clearly knows that the Empress has harmed you. Why doesn't he hold her accountable for her actions?" asked Ye Jiuge.

She felt that the situation was strange. It would be understandable if Dongfang Que were merely a Prince who had fallen out of favor with Emperor Xuanwu. However, he was the son of the Emperor's beloved companion, and his maternal relatives were valorous. Emperor Xuanwu's actions went too far.

"Father has his concerns. We cannot casually guess at his intentions," Dongfang Que said distantly, as though he were used to it.

Ye Jiuge understood at once. This former genius endures a disreputable Father, just like she does.

Emperor Xuanwu must have been suspicious of his son because of the Bai Clan's valor. Even though Dongfang Que was handicapped, he would not let him off easily.

Sure enough, the family of Emperors was the most ruthless!

Dongfang Que did not want to discuss the issue any further. He said, "I have nothing else to repay the kindness that Eldest Miss Ye has shown me by saving my life. I hope that you will like this gift."

Then, he retrieved a small, embroidered red box from a secret compartment in the study. He placed it in front of Ye Jiuge and said, "Open it and take a look."

Ye Jiuge opened the embroidered box and was surprised to see a three-inch-long silver snake inside. When she took a closer look, Ye Jiuge realized that the silver snake was not a living creature, but an exquisitely crafted soft whip. A soft whip was usually made up of either seven or nine sections. The one in front of her only had three, making it resemble a small snake.

"This is a second-grade spiritual weapon: the Lightning Snake Magical Whip. My grandfather found it unexpectedly while fighting off the Demon Clan. Although it was damaged, leaving it with only three sections, it is still superior to an ordinary spiritual weapon. Furthermore, it is the most suitable weapon for Lightning Elemental Spiritual Pract.i.tioners," explained Dongfang Que.

Although he looked calm, the Dongling Prince felt apprehensive. The Crown Prince had racked his brain to try and find a way to obtain the whip from Dongfang Que, but he had refused to part with it. He did not know if Ye Jiuge would like it.

A spiritual weapon? Ye Jiuge was instantly excited. These last years, obtaining a spiritual weapon hadn't been easy. Not only was a collection of materials with an abundance of spiritual power required, but a reliable weaponsmith with an advanced level of cultivation also had to be found to forge such a weapon.

This particular spiritual weapon appeared to be a little bit damaged, but it still glowed with a bright light. The manufacturing process had been perfect. It was clearly expensive.

Someone else would have declined the gift. However, Ye Jiuge felt that she had used up much of her energy while saving Dongfang Que's life, so it was not a big deal to accept a Lightning Snake Magical Whip from him. She grinned and said, "The Dongling Prince is so considerate. It would be impolite to refuse your gift."

Dongfang Que smiled. He liked Ye Jiuge's straightforward personality.

Immediately after Ye Jiuge accepted the embroidered box, Lei Peng's respectful voice came from outside the door. "Your Highness, there is a Mama from the Ye Clan waiting outside. She says that she wishes to see the Eldest Miss."

"It must be Qing Mama," Ye Jiuge exclaimed with quiet alarm; she had forgotten to inform Qing Mama when leaving the palace.

She must have waited outside the palace for a long time before finally finding this place.

"In that case, I shall not keep you any longer," Dongfang Que said tactfully. "Lei Peng, escort out Eldest Miss Ye!"

"Yes." Lei Peng nodded then said respectfully to Ye Jiuge, "Eldest Miss Ye, this way, please."

"I shall take my leave now," Ye Jiuge informed Dongfang Que then left with Lei Peng.

As Dongfang Que looked at Ye Jiuge's departing form, the expression on his handsome but gloomy face changed repeatedly. He seemed to be thinking about something.

Suddenly, a voice rang outside the study windows, "Your Highness!"

"Come in!" Dongfang Que collected himself and said.

A man in a black garment opened the window and climbed in. It was Ye Jiuge's old friend, Bai Songling.

"Why have you come here?" Dongfang Que asked.

"I was anxious when I heard that you fell into the Empress's trap in the palace, so I came to have a look. Are you alright?" Bai Songling said then casually took a seat.

It was easy to see that he was very close to Dongfang Que. They interacted as though they were friends or brothers instead of subordinate and superior.

"I am fine." Dongfang Que shook his head and said, "It's all thanks to Ye Jiuge; she saved my life."

"I said before that you could take this opportunity to save Ye Jiuge so that she would owe you a favor. I did not expect that we would owe her the favor instead." 

Bai Songling was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. This Ye Jiuge was practically a lucky star; every time, she was able to avert disaster. When they had accompanied Ye Jiuge to save Ye Ruyi, they had only escaped the fire thanks to her.

"She is indeed a lucky star." Dongfang Que agreed wholeheartedly.

If only this lucky star belonged to him.

Bai Songling was unaware that Dongfang Que had become interested in Ye Jiuge. He questioned further, "Oh, didn't you go to the palace today for an audience with the Emperor? How did you fall into the Empress's trap?"

"The Empress has become so brazen that she laid hands on me in front of Father." Dongfang Que's expression immediately darkened.

Emperor Xuanwu had recently received a pot of spiritual wine that could fortify cultivation. He'd wanted to share it with his sons, and the pot of spiritual wine was poured for each prince in order of seniority. As the Eldest Prince had died young, the Crown Prince was served first. When the wine reached Dongfang Que, he vaguely felt that something was wrong. Secretly, he used a silver needle to test the wine but did not find anything amiss. As everyone received wine from the same cup, he could not refuse it without evidence. So, he drank. 

Soon after, Dongfang Que had realized that he was under the effects of an aphrodisiac. He had wanted to go to the Jinxiu Palace to seek Lady Hongxiu's help before the aphrodisiac flared up. He had not expected to meet Ye Jiuge there.

"The Empress's behavior has been presumptuous recently, and yet the Emperor turns a blind eye." Bai Songling frowned.

The Empress was mad to have struck in front of the Emperor. However, the craziest thing of all was that the Emperor had tolerated it.

"I have not been able to understand Father's actions in recent years." Dongfang Que looked out the window. His gloomy black pupils were as deep as the lake and reflected profound worry.

While his mother was still alive, his father had shown genuine care for him. But after she died, his father had changed completely. His care for his son was feigned, an act for others.

"I feel that you should avoid entering the palace. The Empress has obtained all kinds of strange and rare poisons from the Su Clan in these recent years. You may be able to dodge her for the present, but not forever!" Bai Songling said worriedly.

"Okay, I will be more careful next time." 

Dongfang Que understood that Bai Songling was worried about him. He too felt that it was becoming more and more difficult to defend himself against the Empress. The cup of spiritual wine was only one example. Dongfang Que did not know how the Empress had found a way to mask the Lingering Affection Herb's distinctly sweet and unctuous smell. 

Not only had Dongfang Que's silver needle been unable to detect it, but when he drank, he had not tasted anything strange. He had not even realized that he was under the sway of the Lingering Affection Herb until the poison was active in his body.