Yes or no?
Lady Min desperately wanted to say no, but she knew that if she lied now and Prince Nolan found out, her fate would be even worse.
With no other choice, Lady Min could only admit: "There is a wet nurse by your son's side who is indeed my person, but I never ordered her to do anything, much less to harm your son."
At this moment, killing Prince Nolan's son would bring her no benefit at all. There was no reason for her to do something so self-destructive. Lady Min's style was never to go down with the ship.
"If she's your person, that makes things easier." Prince Nolan leaned back, his tension easing and the murderous pressure receding. But Lady Min grew more uneasy; she'd rather he raged than stayed this cold and calm.
Lady Min spoke urgently: "Nolan Dongling, did you not hear me? I told you, I never ordered anyone to poison your son. Asking me is useless."
"Whether you gave the order doesn't matter. As long as she's your person, I'll hold you accountable." Prince Nolan's words made it clear he wouldn't let Lady Min off, regardless of who gave the order.
"What do you mean? I told you, I did nothing. Your son's poisoning has nothing to do with me. You can't just pin the blame on me and let the real culprit go free." Lady Min tried to explain, but Prince Nolan simply replied coldly, "I can." As Emperor, his word is law.
Lady Min nearly coughed up blood in anger: "Don't you want to find the real culprit?"
"That's my concern, not yours." Prince Nolan gave Lady Min a cold glance, closed his eyes, and waited for Jason Lan's son to be brought in...
The waiting was pure torment. Lady Min had no idea what Prince Nolan intended to do, and she couldn't bring herself to beg or grovel. All she could do was suppress her fear and try to find some opening in his demeanor. But...
Prince Nolan's face showed no emotion. The lamplight split his features in two, half shadow and half light, like a mask of yin and yang. The chilling aura of murder that surrounded him made it impossible to meet his gaze; Lady Min felt cold to her core.
Clara Phoenixfield had been standing there in a daze since entering, silent and unmoving. The more terrified Lady Min became, the harder she tried to appear calm—even her breathing was barely audible.
The room was deathly quiet until the commander of the Imperial Guards carried in Jason Lan's son, shattering the eerie silence. Clara Phoenixfield suddenly sprang to life, lunging forward like a madwoman: "Little Treasure, Little Treasure... Give me back my Little Treasure!"
The commander, a former shadow guard, had no patience for hysterical women. As Clara Phoenixfield rushed forward, he reflexively raised his arm and kicked her aside.
Clara screamed, crashing hard into a pillar and collapsing to the floor. Blood gushed from her mouth, staining the ground red.
He hit her too hard!
The commander glanced at her, then ignored her, handing Jason Lan's son over to Prince Nolan.
To keep the child quiet, the commander had fed him a mild sedative—just enough to calm him, but not enough to cause harm.
"Good. Bring the others up." Prince Nolan nodded and gave another order.
Lady Min's anxiety peaked as Jason Lan's son appeared. She looked at Prince Nolan in terror and shrieked, "Nolan Dongling, what are you planning to do? If you have a problem, take it out on me! He's just a child—he knows nothing!"
"A child? So he's a child, but my son isn't?" Prince Nolan's eyes went cold as he glared at Lady Min. "Take it out on you? My son was poisoned by your agent and now his life hangs in the balance. Tell me, what should I do?"
Though Lady Min had suspected Prince Nolan's son might be dying, hearing him say it out loud still made her secretly rejoice. Yet she was also worried and couldn't help but ask, "How is he?"
"Don't be so happy. My son is protected by the True Dragon—nothing will happen to him." The fact that Lady Min's first reaction to her own grandson being poisoned was secret delight chilled Prince Nolan, even though he had long since given up hope for her.
His mother kept redefining the limits of his understanding. Just when he thought she'd reached the height of cruelty, she revealed an even more ruthless side.
He's fine?
Lady Min felt both let down and relieved. "If he's fine, why are you still holding it against a child? I told you, I never ordered anyone to poison him."
Prince Nolan let out a cold laugh. "You think I won't pursue this just because my son survived? How naive you are, Mother."
Lady Min's face went pale, her anger surging. "Then what do you want?"
"It's simple. Whatever poison your agent gave my son, I'll give this child double." Prince Nolan spoke lightly, but Lady Min was horrified, shaking her head over and over. "No, you can't! He's just a child—he knows nothing. If you want revenge, take it out on me, not him..."
"I am the Emperor. There is nothing in this world I cannot do." As soon as Prince Nolan finished speaking, the eunuch brought in the wet nurse who had poisoned his son. She was covered in blood, a rag stuffed in her mouth and stained with filth—clearly she had tried, and failed, to bite her tongue and kill herself.
The moment the wet nurse entered, she tried to shout through the gag, her eyes full of regret as she looked at Lady Min, then burning with hatred at Prince Nolan, as if she wanted to devour him.
"Such loyalty between master and servant," Prince Nolan sneered, signaling the eunuch to bring the poison. "Feed it to him."
"No, no... please, I'm begging you, let him go!" Lady Min's composure shattered as she rushed forward to snatch Jason Lan's son, but with so many people in the study, she was immediately restrained.
"Nolan Dongling, let him go! Let him go! I'll drink it, I'll drink it instead—don't you want my life? Take it! Take it now!" Lady Min could do nothing but cry and plead, but Prince Nolan was unmoved. Her tears meant nothing to him. He gave the cold order: "Feed him."
The eunuch dared not disobey. He took the small bottle of poison, pried open Jason Lan's son's mouth, and poured it in.
"You're not human, Nolan Dongling, you're not human!" Lady Min screamed, her hatred overflowing. "I regret ever giving birth to you! You're not human, you're a beast... a beast!"
Lady Min's hatred was boundless, but no matter how much she raged or resented, she couldn't change reality. All she could do was watch as the eunuch forced the poison down Jason Lan's son's throat...