Chapter 146: Trapped in the Scheme (Part 4)

The gatekeeper dared not offend Su Nanxing and stammered, "Young Master Su, you joke. Please wait while I go inside to announce your arrival."

Su Nanxing snorted coldly and strode through the gate. Not daring to stop him, the gatekeeper had no choice but to call a maid to lead Su Nanxing and his companion toward the lotus pond.

Su Nanxing was burning with anxiety, yet Ding Hongchang kept stopping to admire the scenery and offer critiques as they walked. Su Nanxing had to force himself to endure the idle chatter. By the time they reached the lotus pond, nearly two quarters of an hour had passed. Su Nanxing thought to himself that it was fortunate he was still within the time frame he had agreed upon with Tao Ming.

Qiao Qingyao had received word long ago but pretended to be ignorant, sitting in the pavilion with her back toward the direction from which they were approaching. Su Nanxing scanned the pavilion while exchanging pleasantries with Ding Hongchang, but there were many people seated inside, and he could not spot Tao Ming. When he finally reached the pavilion and searched carefully, he realized that neither Tao Ming nor the Seventh Prince was there. A wave of panic washed over him—had something happened to Tao Ming?

A maid guarding the pavilion reported, "Your Highness, the seventeenth young master of the Su family and the ninth young master of the Ding family have come to pay their respects."

Only then did Qiao Qingyao stand up. She looked at Su Nanxing and said softly, "Cousin, why have you come?"

Su Nanxing smiled. "Cousin, I have come to find my wife."

Hearing the word "wife," Qiao Qingyao felt a surge of secret hatred, yet she remained pleasant. "You truly dote on your wife, cousin."

Su Feng stepped to Su Nanxing’s side and whispered, "The Seventh Prince and Tao Ming spilled tea on themselves and went to change; they haven't returned yet."

Su Nanxing nodded slightly and looked around. "Why is my wife not here?"

Qiao Qingyao smiled. "Miss Tao has gone to change. Why don't you sit and wait a moment, cousin?"

"My wife is with child, and I am truly worried. Could you trouble yourself to send someone to help me find her?" Su Nanxing had no intention of waiting here.

Qiao Qingyao was shocked. Tao Ming was pregnant? Would this lead to a catastrophe? She kept the smile on her face. "I was unaware that Miss Tao was pregnant. Perhaps I should lead you there myself."

"That would be fine." Su Nanxing scanned his surroundings, wondering where Tao Ming could possibly be.

Qiao Qingyao turned to Ding Hongchang and said, "Young Master Ding, please wait here."

Knowing it was best not to get involved in this affair, Ding Hongchang replied, "Please, Your Highness, do as you please."

Qiao Qingyao stepped out of the pavilion. "Cousin, follow me."

Su Nanxing followed behind Qiao Qingyao. Su Xi hesitated for a moment before following as well, while Su Feng returned to the pavilion to sit. Qiao Qingyao did not walk fast, and Su Nanxing kept a distance of three feet from her. Su Xi leaned in close to Su Nanxing and whispered, "Seventeenth brother, the Hu sisters went with Tao Ming as well; nothing should have happened."

Su Nanxing glanced at her. "How much did you have to do with this?"

Su Xi panicked. "What are you talking about?"

Su Nanxing’s voice was icy. "If anything happens to Mingming, you know my temper."

"Seventeenth brother, I have no intention of harming her," Su Xi thought to herself, *Wait until you see her entangled with another man; let's see if you can stay calm then.*

Qiao Qingyao led them to a small cabin in the woods. Seeing Ruo Liu guarding the door, she exchanged a subtle gesture. After receiving a signal back, she felt assured and smiled. "Cousin, Miss Tao and the Hu sisters are inside."

Su Nanxing pushed the door open in a few swift strides. He immediately saw the Hu sisters lying in the center of the room, bound with ropes and their eyes tightly shut. Then, he spotted Tao Ming curled into a ball in the corner, the floor beneath her stained red with blood.

Su Nanxing’s mind went blank. He rushed to Tao Ming’s side and said urgently, "Wife, I’m here. Don’t be afraid."

He saw that the ropes on Tao Ming’s arms and legs had rubbed the skin raw and bloody. With trembling hands, he untied the ropes and lifted her up. Seeing her face flushed, her eyes unfocused, and the red eye on her forehead flickering, he was struck with dread. "All of you, get out!"

Qiao Qingyao saw the blood on Tao Ming’s legs and trembled, thinking, *It’s over, a catastrophe has occurred.*

Su Xi saw the Seventh Prince bound on the other side and her eyes widened. Why was the Seventh Prince here? This was not what had been agreed upon!

Su Nanxing’s roar rang in their ears: "Get out, all of you!"

Qiao Qingyao said anxiously, "Cousin, saving her is the priority."

Su Nanxing’s eyes were bloodshot as he turned to glare at Qiao Qingyao. "Get out!"

Qiao Qingyao had never seen Su Nanxing look like this. She opened her mouth, but then turned and left. Su Xi’s legs went weak, and she collapsed to the floor. Su Nanxing grabbed Su Xi, threw her out the door, and slammed it shut. "You An, have you administered the antidote?"

You An appeared. "Young Master, I have given the Young Mistress the antidote, but for some reason, it has not taken effect."

The Seventh Prince, lying in the corner, spoke up. "Brother-in-law, tell that person to leave."

Su Nanxing ordered, "You An, you leave first."

You An acknowledged and vanished through the window. The Seventh Prince rolled over, his lips bitten raw and bleeding. "Mingming and I share a unique bloodline. The aphrodisiac we were given has no antidote. There are only two ways: endure it, or release it."

Su Nanxing looked at the red eye on the Seventh Prince’s forehead, identical to Tao Ming’s, and was stunned. "Who exactly are you?"

"It’s a long story. You only need to know that I will not harm Mingming." The Seventh Prince looked at Tao Ming with eyes full of agony. "It is fortunate that Mingming happens to be pregnant, but the child cannot be saved, and Mingming herself will be left hanging by a thread."

Su Nanxing picked Tao Ming up, seeing blood dripping from her skirts. He reached for her pulse and found it intermittent and faint. Trembling, he asked, "What should I do?"

The Seventh Prince closed his eyes. "It depends on her."

Su Nanxing placed Tao Ming on the ground and tried to feed her various precious pills, but her teeth were clenched tight. He tried to pry them open but feared hurting her, and he was frantic with worry.

The Seventh Prince said gloomily, "It’s useless. Wait a while longer; the eyes on our foreheads will fade. When that happens, untie my ropes."

Su Nanxing held Tao Ming and looked at her in silence. A quarter of an hour passed in an instant. Su Nanxing untied the Seventh Prince, noting the rope burns on his hands and feet and his bleeding lips. "Qiao Kongqing, no matter who you are, because of what you did today, I recognize you as a friend."

The Seventh Prince punched Su Nanxing to the ground. "Every time she gets hurt, it’s because of you! Why are you always by her side?"

Su Nanxing muttered in a daze, "It’s all my fault. I was too careless."

The Seventh Prince struck him again. "If I weren't afraid of causing her grief, I would kill you."

Suppressing his rage, the Seventh Prince walked to the Hu sisters, channeled red light from his palm into their nostrils, and then pulled them into a storage bag. He turned to Su Nanxing. "Pick up Mingming and return to the Qin residence."

Su Nanxing seemed not to hear, sitting blankly on the floor. The Seventh Prince walked over and kicked him hard in the waist. "Are you even a man?"

A sharp pain surged in Su Nanxing’s waist, bringing him back to his senses. He looked up at the Seventh Prince, who was looming over him, and said in a low voice, "This is the last time."

He then picked up Tao Ming and followed the Seventh Prince out the door. Qiao Qingyao was standing at the entrance, anxious. Seeing Su Nanxing emerge, she stepped forward. "Cousin..."

Su Nanxing looked at her with disgust and walked straight ahead.