Bait for the Serpent King - Chapter 4

“Don’t!”

“Were you dreaming, miss?”

I jolted awake to find myself lying in an ornate bed.

Everything in the room was made for imperial use.

There was no great serpent anywhere.

“You fainted beside the secluded spring. Fortunately, the maids found you in time.”

The voice was clear and gentle.

“You are under my roof. No one can hurt you here.”

Had it all been a dream?

I focused on the handsome man in black seated beside the bed.

My rescuer, Crown Prince Xuan Rong.

The crown prince himself was caring for an ordinary woman from outside the palace.

He had even put me in his own bedchamber?

Never mind the scandal if word got out. The breach of etiquette alone could cost me my head eight hundred times over.

He helped me sit up through the covers, then took a warm bowl of medicinal broth from a maid.

“Here. Drink some of this. It will drive out the chill and warm your stomach.”

He was… going to feed me himself?

Petrified, I tumbled straight out of bed.

I bowed low, palms pressed together, not daring to raise my head.

“Forgive my lack of manners, Your Highness.”

Outside the palace, I could pretend not to know his identity and take a few liberties.

But the room was full of physicians afraid to speak, maids afraid to look, and eunuchs afraid to comment. An entire roomful of living witnesses!

I could hardly pretend to be blind.

A helpless chuckle came from overhead.

Xuan Rong bent down and helped me up.

“Have I frightened you, Niaoniao?”

I shook like a leaf, unable to look up.

With a sigh, he dismissed everyone before speaking again.

“There is something I must ask you to help me confirm.”

He said it might be somewhat improper.

I was stunned.

What could a crown prince possibly need my permission to do?

Seeing my blank look, he said no more.

He gently removed my outer robe and asked me to turn around.

Then, with a jade fan, he carefully lifted the hem of my undergarment…

Cool air brushed my back.

I could feel only the heat of his gaze moving over my lower back.

There was a strange birthmark in the hollow of my waist.

When I was little, Mother had hired a fortune-teller to examine it.

He pronounced me ill-omened. Though my own life would go smoothly, I would drain the good fortune of everyone around me.

From then on, Mother and my sister never looked at me the same way.

The Sang family had raised a curse upon others. Their younger daughter brought misfortune…

Rumors like those spread everywhere.

We were forced to move several times.

Eventually, we met a man reputed to possess immortal wisdom. He pointed to a mountain wreathed in blue mist and directed us to settle nearby.

It was Mount Cang, under Yao Yuan’s rule.

We lived there for eight years.

Mother always said my sister was born for wealth and greatness, a dragon or phoenix among ordinary people. The whole family would depend on her rise.

I, on the other hand, was merely a coarse little wild thing. At the slightest fault, she whipped and scolded me, warning me not to disgrace my sister.

By now, my sister must have reached the serpent palace. I wondered whether she had obtained what she wanted.

She was beautiful, and the king was lustful. Perhaps they would take a liking to each other.

Imagining how that cold, seemingly heartless man might torment my delicate, fair-skinned sister, I could not help a mocking smile.

How many days would the palace’s riches help her endure?

“What are you smiling at, miss?”

“I’m ticklish…”

My thoughts snapped back. Realizing the prince was trying to straighten my clothes, I instinctively moved away.

His ears were bright red. He coughed twice.

“Forgive the impropriety. That birthmark of yours—”

Grrr…

My stomach chose that moment to rumble.

He broke off and smiled apologetically. “How thoughtless of me. You should eat first.”

Eat?

Wonderful!

I hurriedly bowed to thank him.

“There is no need to be so formal with me, Niaoniao.”

All I could think about was what delicacies awaited me. I missed the intimacy in his words entirely.

I never imagined that this meal would very nearly cost me the life I had only just recovered.

The maids began laying out the dishes.

I sat straight-backed and proper, brimming with anticipation.

Beside me, Xuan Rong sipped tea and watched me indulgently.

First came exquisite little appetizers, followed by renowned dishes painstakingly prepared by the imperial cooks.

Named after classical lyric tunes, they offered a feast of color, fragrance, and flavor, so beautifully arranged that I almost could not bear to touch them.

Just as I was about to roll up my sleeves and attack, Xuan Rong held down my hand.

“Not so fast. Have some hot soup first.”

Several maids carried in a large stewing pot together.

Steam rose from it. The smell…

Why was it so horribly fishy?

It shot straight up my nose and into my skull. I nearly gagged on the spot.

The maid beside us seemed unaffected. She simply asked whether she should serve the soup now.

Apparently, I was the only person in the room who could smell it.

The lid came off.

The fishy stench instantly filled the room.

My stomach heaved uncontrollably. Gripping the table, I could hold it back no longer and began to retch.

Xuan Rong looked over in concern.

I struggled upright and peered inside.

Within the great carved pot, beneath a thin sheen of oil, expensive medicinal ingredients had been stewed until tender.

And the main ingredient was unmistakably a white snake!

Its head had been cut off. Its body was chopped into pieces.