Chapter 11 A Plot Against Her The riverboat brimmed with nobles and guests, but the Eldest Princess had wisely secured one spacious enough to accommodate all. Ma Ting ignored the curious gazes that followed her. She sat with Ding Jie in silence, her eyes quietly studying those around her. Ding Jie leaned closer and whispered with caution, "Ms. Ting, Master Han has been watching us without pause. Shall we switch seats?" Following her words, Ma Ting turned her gaze across the room. There sat Li Han, drinking with quiet reserve. To the uninformed, it might seem as though she had wronged him. "Very well." Ma Ting rose and walked with calm steps toward the back of the vessel. She had learned from Madam Ping, the princess' attendant, that a viewing deck awaited in the rear cabin. The scenery there would surely bring peace. This was meant to be an outing, and she refused to let bitterness spoil her day. Yet as she moved, a flustered maidservant stumbled toward her, nearly colliding with her. "I beg your forgiveness for bumping into you, my lady!" The girl held a teacup in trembling hands, then sank to her knees in alarm. Her frantic expression narrowed Ma Ting's eyes. Her gaze fell upon the stain on her own robes. "It is fine. Return to your work." The maid hesitated, then stammered nervously, "But, my lady, I have dirtied your clothing. Please allow me to take you to the guest room so you may change." Hosts often prepared spare gowns for the heiresses during banquets, lest such accidents occur. Such was a common custom. But to attempt such a ruse against her was far too crude. Ding Jie was about to rebuke the maid, but Ma Ting tugged lightly at her sleeve, bidding her remain silent. "In that case, I will go. Ding Jie, return to the Eldest Princess and inform her of this matter." The servant's shoulders sagged in relief, and Ma Ting nearly laughed at her foolishness. Once Ding Jie departed, Ma Ting followed the girl with measured calm. At the same time, she slipped a golden hairpin from her hair and concealed it firmly in her palm. "This way, my lady. Please step inside." An ordinary guest chamber awaited ahead. Ma Ting did not enter at once. Instead, she studied the maid's shaking fingers with faint amusement. "Is this truly the room?" 1/4 The girl bit her lip and nodded, her hesitation only betraying the truth. With a small smile, Ma Ting stepped within. At once, the door slammed shut, and the bolt slid across from the outside. She turned sharply and saw the girl's shadow lingering on the other side before hurrying away. "Who hides there?" A rustle stirred behind her. Ma Ting's voice grew cold, and she thrust her hairpin toward the approaching figure. But her wrist was caught with swift strength, and in the same moment, a hand seized her waist and pulled her firmly into an embrace. "So, it is you, Ms. Ma." The voice was rough and strained, lacking the careless ease it usually carried. Ma Ting froze. His breath burned against her neck, sending a flush across her face. She tried to retreat, but his hold only tightened. In a single heartbeat, their bodies pressed close, and she felt the rapid thrum of his heart against her chest. For an instant, she faltered. When clarity returned, she pushed him back, her cheeks blazing. "Lord Zhu, you must restrain yourself!" He staggered slightly but forced the fire within him down. His vision cleared, though desire still burned in his eyes. Then a smile broke across his lips. "It seems you and I think alike at times, Ms. Ma. Even our attire mirrors one another." When he pointed it out, Ma Ting finally noticed that they were both dressed in pale lavender that day. If they appeared together like this, it would only spark needless gossip. "Lord Zhu, please refrain from idle talk. Our matching attire is nothing more than a coincidence." Her brow furrowed as she gave her explanation, unwilling for him to assume otherwise. Yet in that instant, the sunlight seemed to dim, and when she lifted her gaze, she fell straight into the dark depths of his eyes. Something flickered there, fleeting and ungraspable. "Ma Ting." His voice was unhurried, the two words carrying no discernible weight. But to her, it felt as though a stone had been dropped into a still lake, sending ripples coursing through her chest. "Your Highness, have you been drinking?" Her lips trembled as she spoke, while she turned her head away to hide the warmth blooming across her cheeks. Qi Rong saw the scarlet tips of her ears, and a low, amused laugh slipped from him, resonating warmly in the air between them. 2/4 "I shall stop toying with you." He leaned back and sank into his seat once more, and only then did the charged warmth of the moment begin to fade. Yet Ma Ting kept her head turned, too wary to meet his eyes. She feared that once her heartbeat calmed, he would only set it racing again. "Lord Zhu, what brings you here?" Her thoughts flashed to the maid who had tricked her into coming. That girl had intended for another man inside to ruin her name, but why was it Qi Rong she encountered instead? At that very moment, a sultry voice rang out from the next room. "Lord Zhu!" The sound made her ears burn with shame. Now she understood why Qi Rong was here. Lowering her hand, she looked at him seated on the step. "I have misjudged you, Lord Zhu." Qi Rong arched his brow and rose, advancing toward her. A dark, commanding light flashed in his gaze. "So, in your eyes, I am nothing more than a base libertine?" His piercing stare made her falter, and she instinctively turned her face aside. "I never believed that." "Yet sometimes, I find myself tempted to act the libertine." His voice fell from above her, rich with teasing. Her temper flared. "Rather than indulge in such thoughts, Your Highness, you would do better to consider how we shall leave this place. "If someone enters and finds us missing, we will have no defense." Qi Rong studied the way she strained to shift the subject, his gaze sinking into deeper shadow. At last, he forced himself a step back. "There is a way." Ma Ting followed the motion of his hand, and when she saw him point toward the window, she understood. She turned, prepared to slip out that way. Before she reached it, his hand extended toward her. She hesitated, unsure of his meaning. After a pause, she laid the golden hairpin in his broad palm. The brush of their fingertips sent a shiver through both of them. She became aware of the quickening of his breath. "Given the circumstances, I shall escort you myself." Still, she hesitated, but the sound of footsteps scraping outside betrayed that the maid had returned with others. 3/4 She parted her lips to speak, but suddenly his arm drew her in against him. The familiar fragrance of orchids enveloped her. "Lower your head." She had no time to dwell on the closeness, but at his command, she instinctively clutched his robe and pressed her face against his chest. The next heartbeat lifted her weightless, and with two swift rolls, he bore her across the ground in his arms. Meng Ding, who had been waiting outside with Ding Jie, hudged the maid sharply from her daze. "Well? Go aid your mistress!" Jolted awake, Ding Jie rushed forward. Ma Ting reeled from the dizzying escape. When she finally stood, she glanced back toward the window they had emerged from, realizing it was two stories high. Had Qi Rong not held her, she would have plummeted to the ground and broken her leg at the least. "Your Highness, I am indebted to you. I will repay you one day." She adjusted her garments and lifted her eyes, filled with gratitude. "Then, I shall await your repayment." His untroubled answer left her next words caught unspoken in her throat. Just as Ma Ting faltered for words, Ding Jie tugged at her sleeve with desperate urgency. "Ms. Ting, I saw Master Han storm upstairs with that maidservant. We must change quickly and hurry there." Ma Ting's eyes turned cold as ice. She excused herself from Qi Rong with composed courtesy. She swept Ding Jie into another chamber to change, determined to play her part with flawless precision. Qi Rong, however, remained behind. He watched her departure in silence before taking the antidote pill that Meng Ding offered. Only then did the fire within his veins begin to recede. Yet when he thought of the audacity of someone daring to drug him, his voice turned as sharp as a blade. "Who was responsible for this?" "My lord, it was Cai Yunyun, the second daughter of the Cai family." 4/4