A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 699: Chapter 699 Ruin

He was so oblivious he didn’t even know when a maid who served tea and water had appeared in his study. He thought Manxue must have arranged it!

Chun Xing’s seduction had no effect on him whatsoever, and she was getting anxious.

The Marquis is a young and vigorous man; he can’t possibly be uninterested!

It must be that my approach is wrong!

After much thought, Chun Xing decided to risk it all for her future and make a bold move!

That day happened to be Xia Tingfeng’s turn for duty. His shift was in the first half of the night, so it was already the latter half when he returned from the palace.

Manxue was pregnant and feeling unwell. Visiting her at this time would inevitably disturb her rest, so he decided to make do with staying in his study for the night.

Since this wasn’t the first time, the bed in his study was fully equipped with bedding and covers. The room was warmed by a charcoal brazier, so it wasn’t cold. Moreover, as a martial artist, he wasn’t afraid of the cold.

Thus, after bathing and changing, he lay down and quickly fell into a deep sleep. But this dream... seemed rather strange.

Xia Tingfeng first noticed an intriguing fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but smelling it made his whole body feel refreshed. He instinctively took several deep breaths, but then the fragrance vanished. Strange!

Having served for years at the Emperor’s side, he possessed extremely keen alertness. In his dream, Xia Tingfeng immediately sensed that something was amiss.

He tried to wake up to investigate the situation, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t awaken.

In his dream, he was alone, drawing his sword and warily scanning his surroundings. In reality, however, he was merely twitching his limbs slightly and emitting muted grunts.

Chun Xing sat on the edge of the bed, gently caressing Xia Tingfeng’s handsome and dashing face. Her expression was one of smug triumph. ”Marquis,” she murmured, her gaze then shifting to the teacup.

After a moment, she smiled faintly. ”To think you are a General who has fought on battlefields, the Commander at the Emperor’s side. Yet look at you now—defeated by me!”

Indeed, the tea Xia Tingfeng had unwittingly consumed upon his return was tainted. Chun Xing couldn’t procure any sophisticated poisons; it was merely some Bewitching powder mixed with a few hallucinogenic substances. The powder was cheap, and its effects were short-lived. She didn’t have much time!

Chun Xing glanced outside, then began to undress, one piece of clothing at a time.

”Marquis...” she called out softly, even as she tore her own clothes to shreds. ”Hmph! Dong’er, just you wait!”

Having said that, she had almost completely stripped. She then stealthily climbed onto the bed, not daring to get under the Marquis’s quilt for fear of awakening him. Thus, she could only lie down on the edge of the bed, outside the covers.

Once successfully in place, Chun Xing’s face radiated smugness. Some things don’t need to actually happen, she thought. What’s important is making others believe they did! Whatever the method, as long as the goal is achieved, it’s a good method. Dong’er, this concubine’s position is as good as mine.

This thought filled Chun Xing with joy; after all, he was the Marquis. Closing her eyes, she could almost see the Marquis doting on her, with Madam unable to do anything to her. Madam has a gentle nature, she mused. If I can also gain the Marquis’s favor, why worry about not having good days ahead? In the future, if I give birth to a son or even a daughter, I’ll be a concubine with solid backing. A lifetime of glory and wealth is beckoning me! Chun Xing thought triumphantly. Only a fool would refuse such an opportunity!

What she didn’t know was that the man beside her had opened his eyes soon after she lay down. His eyes, like lustrous black gems, emanated waves of cold light in the darkness. He was like an old fox that had been lying in wait for a long time, just waiting for the prey to take the bait—unmoving, quietly biding his time.

The moment soon arrived because Chun Xing fell asleep. To be exact, she didn’t fall asleep on her own; he had pressed her Sleeping Acupoint.

Then, Xia Tingfeng threw her out. He didn’t throw her out of the courtyard, though—that would have been too embarrassing, wouldn’t it? Instead, he found another place for her. She was still asleep, just in a different location.

There ought to be a good show tomorrow morning,

Xia Tingfeng thought. Before finally succumbing to sleep himself, he ordered the study to be cleaned and then secured the door tightly. After that, he passed out.He had indeed drunk the drugged tea. However, as he was a martial artist with a strong constitution, the drug’s effects were delayed. By the time he realized he had been drugged, it was already too late to expel it, so he could only play along and turn the situation to his advantage.

The drug’s effects indeed didn’t last long. Before dawn, Xia Tingfeng regained consciousness and even managed to get some more sleep.

Until—a scream, like that of a slaughtered pig, echoed from the courtyard. The early morning shriek woke up many people; there was quite a commotion outside.

Xia Tingfeng rose swiftly, dressed, and went to the courtyard, summoning his attendants. He asked, feigning ignorance, ”What’s going on? Can’t one have any peace this early in the morning?”

This was the front courtyard. No matter how noisy it got, it wouldn’t disturb the back courtyard, so Xia Tingfeng wasn’t worried that Manxue’s ears would be sullied.

An attendant, disheveled and pale-faced, knelt before Xia Tingfeng. ”Sir!”

Xia Tingfeng frowned and snapped, ”What in the world happened?!”

The attendant shivered as he recounted the whole story. Essentially, they had all been sleeping soundly, but when they woke up, there was a naked girl beside them—not wearing a stitch of clothing, stripped completely bare. And she was lying right there in their communal bed!

Upon closer examination, they recognized her as Miss Chun Xing, the maid who personally served the Marquis! Heavens, this could be the death of them! She was someone who served the Marquis so closely; they wouldn’t dare offend her.

”So...” the attendant continued, ”that’s when those earlier screams occurred. The cries weren’t just from Chun Xing, but from us attendants too! We were frightened! This was... this was... a grave breach of propriety!”

”Sir! Your servants are wronged! We don’t know why Miss Chun Xing would be in our room!”

”Sir! We only returned late in the night, washed up, and went straight to sleep. We wouldn’t dare do such a thing!”

”Sir, it really wasn’t us! You must believe us!”

The attendants were almost in tears. They had worked so hard to become the Marquis’s trusted confidants; who would want their future ruined so inexplicably over a woman? No one would stand for it!

Xia Tingfeng, having heard their explanations, still wore an expression of fury. ”Hmph, so you lot still dare to lie? She’s a young lady; how could she end up in your room without you knowing!” he roared. ”As my personal attendants, you actually committed such an immoral and indecent act! Men, take them all away for interrogation!”

”Yes, Sir!” other attendants responded, swarming forward with clasped fists to surround the kneeling group.

”Sir!” the servant boys cried out, shocked and terrified. Does the Marquis intend to pin the crime of sexual assault on us? How can this be?

Xia Tingfeng, however, paid them no heed and simply ordered them to be taken away for interrogation. Those unaware might have really thought he was biased towards the woman.

But... the truth would always be the truth.

The results of the interrogation came out quickly: it was the maid Chun Xing who, unable to bear her loneliness, had seduced the Marquis’s attendants. It was said that in a room where the communal bed was full of sleeping men, she alone—a woman—was stark naked.