WBSGVS Chapter 186 V1

Xiling had locked the door tightly—clearly, she’d been badly frightened.

But this was the Cold Palace. The place was so run-down that the royal craftsmen couldn’t even be bothered to fix it. There were always gaps and holes somewhere, like rat holes.

Qingli had eaten her fill. Although her body was still weak, she had regained a bit of strength. It didn’t take her long to find a hole. Once she did, she pulled out the snake and stuffed it in.

Afterward, she cleaned up any traces that might raise suspicion and quietly sat by the door, staring blankly up at the vast, star-filled sky.

Xiling had fallen asleep.

She’d been scared stiff earlier, and now she curled up tightly. Even though it was late at night and a normal body radiates a lot of heat, she was wrapped in a thick quilt and drenched in sweat. But instinctively, she didn’t dare pull it back at all. Even a slight opening, she feared, might let a ghost sneak in.

She endured like this until the middle of the night before she finally drifted off.

But while she slept, a sudden cold, slippery sensation brushed against her skin. Half-asleep, she reached out and touched it instinctively.

Her body had overheated, so it made sense that it sought out something cool in her sleep. But as her fingers continued to feel around, she gradually woke up… and realized something wasn’t right.

Why was this thing moving?

Xiling became increasingly alert and thought she could hear a soft “hiss hiss hiss…” sound. Images of what happened that afternoon when she brought the food flashed through her mind. She suddenly opened her eyes wide. The windows were shut, and everything was pitch black, so she couldn’t see a thing—but her other senses sharpened, and she knew—

“Ahhhhhh! A snake! There’s a snake!” she screamed in terror, tumbling out of bed, flailing wildly to get the snake wrapped around her arm off. But the snake, startled as well, had been calmly coiling around its prey—until now. With a jolt, it bit down hard.

“AHHHHH—!” Her scream shattered the stillness of the night.

Xiling began jumping and thrashing wildly on the floor, trying to shake it off.

But the snake was starving. It clamped down on her arm and refused to let go. With no other choice, she ran out screaming, “Baizhu! Help me! There’s a snake!”

She was a senior palace maid and had once been second-rank. She’d never had to deal with anything like this, especially not since her hard labor days. Instinctively, she cried out for help.

Baizhu had been woken by the commotion and rushed out. She wasn’t afraid and immediately grabbed the snake by its neck, just behind the head. With a forceful squeeze, the snake let go. As she pulled it off, she reassured her, “It’s okay, it’s okay. The snake’s pretty big, but it’s not venomous. We can even eat it!”

“Eat my ass!” Xiling snapped, mortified and furious, clutching her bleeding arm. Her face was pale, her chest still heaving from shock.

She was terrified.

A real snake—there has been a snake!

But she’d made sure the windows and doors were tightly shut!

Unless…

A chill crept down her back. Cold sweat clung to her skin, and with the night wind blowing, she shivered so hard her teeth chattered. And right at that moment, Baizhu suddenly asked, “Princess? What are you doing out here?”

Xiling whipped around, panic flaring in her eyes like she was expecting some terrifying ghost to appear behind her. There was moonlight outside—dim, but just enough to see.

When she looked closely, her heart nearly exploded.

“What are you doing out here?!” she yelled in a panic, her voice cracking.

Qingli answered innocently, “I’m waiting for my mom. She said she went to give you a gift. After that, I can go back to bed.” She then turned to a space beside her and smiled sweetly—the kind of pure, happy smile she hadn’t shown since her mother died. Then, like a drifting spirit, she walked off into the night.

Xiling, who had witnessed the entire thing: “!!!”

Even Baizhu felt a shiver run through her. “P-P-Princess… what just happened?”

Xiling couldn’t say a word. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away.

No doubt about it—Concubine Bai must’ve found out she was abusing her child and crawled back from hell to teach her a lesson!

The next morning, Qingli had a normal breakfast.

Xiling’s eyes were bloodshot, the skin around them dark, her face pale, and her expression cautious. The moment she got her hands on the meal box, she rushed back and set the food down in front of Qingli.

The food in the Cold Palace wasn’t anything fancy, but at least since she came back quickly, it was still hot. There was some thin congee, a few steamed buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

Qingli ate contentedly while Xiling asked nervously, “Princess, the palace gates have opened. May this servant go to the Imperial Medical Office now?”

“Mhm.” Qingli nodded. “Make sure the physician brings plenty of medicine for cold injuries. That way, we won’t have to keep making trips back and forth.”

Xiling nodded, forcing a smile. She shrank her neck and glanced nervously around. The room now seemed haunting to her. But worried that what happened last night might happen again, she had no choice but to come in. She hesitated, then asked, “Princess… is Her Ladyship still here?”

Baizhu, who was feeding Sima Yan on the bed, paused mid-motion. She too felt a sudden chill.

Qingli said softly, “Mother said she couldn’t stay long. She went back.”

Good. Good! She’s gone!

Xiling wiped the cold sweat off her forehead and hurried out to fetch the physician.

She rushed down the corridor, not doubting a thing. After all, she had spent the past half-year bullying these two children. They were on the verge of death, and she hadn’t even poisoned them. Once they died, she could leave the Cold Palace, return to her master’s side, and even earn credit.

As for the snake, how could it be them? The sixth princess was a timid little girl, and the fourth prince was half-dead. No way they pulled this off.

Especially since it had never happened before—and then suddenly did, right when Sima Yan was nearing death!

Concubine Bai couldn’t take it anymore. She’d crawled up from the depths of hell to teach her a lesson.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. In a panic to save her life, she no longer cared about her master’s orders and dashed off like the wind.