Her father rushed to his love to support her frail body back to her chair. She was weak with worry for Hui Shan. Hui Shan was only slightly sick when she went out with Wang Wei and Zhang Yong came for a meal together. However, she soon began feeling very ill halfway through their meal so Wang Wei brought an imperial physician to her house to treat Hui Shan. 

It was reported that it was a poison that would be masked as a very bad cold and would have killed Hui Shan if she really treated it like a normal cold. This kind of insidious ploys were more commonly seen in the back palace. That was how the imperial physician had the experience to quickly identify the real problem. 

The poison was made by feeding a person an strong inedible herb that was supposed to be used for making salves instead. The exact same herb that Xinyi was still experimenting on. 

Zi Yao forcibly held back the smirk threatening to form on her lips then pretended to wonder aloud, "Could it be... Xinyi jiejie, you've really done something to Hui Shan jiejie? I know you've said before that you were jealous of Hui Shan jiejie because Zhang Yong paid a lot of attention to her but I didn't expect that you'd really do something in the end..."

"Pardon me, but I really do not understand what all of you are saying." Xinyi continued to be calm as if she had not been slapped so hard that a red hand imprint was left on her face.

"You're still pretending to be innocent?! What's with everything in the back of your courtyard?!" Her father yelled out.

"A stove and my garden. What's wrong with them? Hui Shan meimei has her own private kitchen too, isn't it? Mine's not even a kitchen but a mere stove."

"Xinyi jiejie... You don't have to act anymore... All the evidence has been found. You're growing the herb used to harm Hui Shan jiejie and your pot still had traces of it. Your stove was still warm too."

Xinyi inwardly sighed. Is everyone here stupid? Which culprit will leave such evidence lying about waiting to be found? She could not fathom how everyone's minds worked so simply. Just simple book characters acting out their roles...

Suddenly Xinyi remembered someone who had seemed a little like an oddball. She looked straight at Zhang Yong and they made eye contact. However, his eyes held doubt. I told you, BaoBao, to never rely on a book's character.

Not yet! He'd probably say something to defend you! BaoBao did not want to give up hope yet.

"Prove it to me, bring me to all the supposed evidence against me." Xinyi requested.

"You! Impudent!" Her father yelled.

"Let's just do as she says. I'd like to see how she defends herself. The more she defends herself, the harsher the punishment should be if she's the culprit in the end." Wang Wei suddenly spoke up with a dark look in his eyes.

The group headed to the back of her courtyard. She saw her plants that were still being experimented on untouched. They still needed 1 more month before reaching full maturation. However, there was new hole in her plot of edible herbs. Her stove was indeed used and still had burnt wood in it. For anyone not acting according to the script, it was obvious these were all planted evidences. 

He knows the garden only has edible herbs! He should defend you now! You're his BaoBei after all! BaoBao was already looking forward to seeing the true culprits getting dragged out. 

I don't need him to know who are the culprits. It's Zi Yao making use of the first concubine's daughter. Also, I'll bet that Zhang Yong will be the one to deal the final blow and exact punishment like how the story would usually progress. 

No way! BaoBao insistently said.

Let me trigger the next part of the story then and prove it to you. Xinyi turned around to look directly at Zhang Yong. He felt slightly surprised to see her clear eyes on him. He had been feeling indignant when he saw all the evidence in front of him again, but her clear eyes seemed to be clearing his mind of a fog. 

"Xinyi jiejie... Are you still having hopes for Zhang Yong? Why're you looking at him?" Zi Yao tried to add oil to the fire. 

"He should know the truth." Xinyi easily replied. Everyone turned to Zhang Yong at her words.

"What do you have to say about all these evidences against you?" Zhang Yong slowly said.

"What do you think? I feel like you might know this garden quite well."

After a long while of thinking, he finally sighed and said, "I can't seem to remember if there was any inedible plants growing there or not, and there is no way to prove it." 

Zhang Yong was being honest. He somehow felt like a fog was suppressing the image of the garden he was supposed to be very familiar with. He felt like he may have missed seeing an inedible plant growing among the edible ones and that would not be weird considering how he lowered his guard completely around Xinyi. 

"You can't possibly have really started thinking I felt anything for you just because I treasured your hard working and persevering nature? You know who I really love..." Then it was as if it all finally clicked. She knew! That was why she decided to harm Hui Shan! So that she could get a chance to be with me! Zhang Yong felt like he finally figured everything out and his rage could be seen on his darkening expression. 

"You should give her the harshest punishment for harboring such impure thoughts about me." He left everyone with that judgement to head back to Hui Shan's side. Wang Wei was satisfied with the development and left with him.

BaoBao felt like everything Zhang Yong said was directed at him. Xinyi... How... How can this be...? 

However, Xinyi remained silent. It strangely still stung a little. She calmly looked at his back as he walked away. We were too friendly. I was too careless. I can't believe I began to unconsciously hold some form of expectations even with the lack of a relationship with him.

Xinyi... I'm sorry... BaoBao did not know that it was possible for a system to feel this sad. He felt like he let Xinyi down. She had reminded him so many times before, perhaps it was him who inadvertently raised her hopes only for her to get hurt. His resolve to be the one to bring her happiness slowly grew stronger.

"Flog her 50 times!" Her father yelled out his order.

Alarms blared in BaoBao's system, new information rushed in and he relayed it to Xinyi. This was the crucial development we were supposed to try avoid! The original soul did help Zi Yao scheme in the end and was a scapegoat! In her weakened state, the flogging crippled her and made her more useless!

Xinyi knew that with her strength now, she would at least avoid becoming crippled, but she would still want to avoid pain if possible. "Father, I'd only take the flogging if you can explain to me why I would leave all these evidence around for you to find and charge me with?"

"How impudent can you get?! Obviously you were too overconfident! Flog her 60 times for impudence!"

Xinyi gritted her teeth and bit out. "I have never been in love with Commander Zhang, nor will I ever be in love with him! He's just a commander that belongs to my sister. I request for you to re-investigate this matter and bring out the true culprit."

"Stuff cloth into her mouth to stop rubbish from spewing out anymore! What a disgusting last struggle she is putting up. Flog her 80 times! I don't care if such a useless yet heartless daughter dies!" The servants immediately carried out his orders and went to restrain her. However, she smacked away the ones who wanted to gag her. 

"I'll keep my mouth shut myself." Looks like there is no way to escape this. I can only avoid becoming crippled. 

The servants remembered that they were not strong enough to restrain her so reported it to the master. He ordered for the bodyguards to hold her down by the arms instead. They pressed her flat against the floor while two servants stood on each side of her. Everyone stayed on to watch in vengeance while Hui Shan's mother left the scene when the first hit landed. 

Back in Hui Shan's room, Wang Wei noticed that Zhang Yong could not stop frowning. He lightly laughed and said, "The matter's settled now and Hui Shan's life is not in danger. What are you still so bothered by?"

Zhang Yong kept quiet. His heart had been so sure when he left Xinyi's courtyard. However, the further away he got from the courtyard, the more flustered and unsettled he felt. His heart felt unease. Everything was telling him that something was wrong. He thought that it had to do with Hui Shan so he had rushed here only to find her steadily regaining colour in her cheeks. He could not figure out what was bugging him so badly. 

"I really don't know." He admitted to Wang Wei in a soft voice.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about now. She was really overconfident. It was so easy to catch her. Someone with such an insidious ploy yet so careless. How arrogant she must be."

Zhang Yong's eyes widened in realisation. Arrogant? Was she arrogant? Confident? Somehow Zhang Yong felt that he could not describe her that way. She works and trains hard with exceptional discipline. Her attacks during sparring were always desperate, not confident. She may be rude but it was never due to arrogance. She was more nonchalant. When was there any ever sign of her warming up to me? He thought back to the times when he would try to hold a conversation with her during meals and after that but she would always give him short and curt replies. It was as if she could not bear to interact with anyone. Like she did not want to form any kind of relationship with anyone. Like she could up and disappear without a trace one day... How is it possible that she would love me? Zhang Yong stood up so quickly that he knocked over the chair he was sitting on.

Wang Wei rushed out of the room with Zhang Yong. "Zhang Yong!"

"I made a mistake!!" Zhang Yong said in agony. The both of them ran all the way back to Xinyi's courtyard. 

When Zhang Yong and Wang Wei heard no screams from the courtyard even as they got closer to it, they thought that the punishment was carried out elsewhere. However, Zhang Yong's sensitive nose eventually caught the familiar scent of blood. He knew that they had to be in the courtyard. He began dreading the scene that they would be greeted with.

It was halfway through the flogging. Blood was spilling freely from her wounds. How did the original soul not die from blood loss first? Xinyi made fun of her situation.

Xinyi... Is this the time for this...? BaoBao said worriedly. He knew she had to be intense pain.

What else can I do? It's boring. I already found out a way to clear my name but I would need to be freed first. 

When blood first started appearing, she noticed Mei Ruo, the first concubine's daughter, hiding at the back of the crowd, shivering like a leaf and trying to hide her fingers. She was secretly still trying to pick out the dirt in her fingernails but everything was clear for Xinyi to see.

Sorry I'm of no help... BaoBao felt very sad.

Nonsense. Thanks for accompanying me and chatting with me now. It takes my mind off the pain. Looks like you found a new function, you're a painkiller too. BaoBao felt that she indeed was the chattiest she has ever been with him.

Besides chatting with BaoBao, she had been cultivating her energy in her body and going into a hibernation-like state to minimise bleeding. To everyone, it looked as if she passed out or was asleep. They only knew that wasn't the case because her lips was kept tightly pursed together. Everyone felt that her strong will to not let out a single scream was getting a little eerie. How could someone tolerate such great pain and not let out a sound? Everyone had the same thought. Even Zi Yao who was filled with glee at the sight started to feel disturbed. The place was only filled with the sound of wet flesh being beaten. This sound coupled with the sight of bloodied flesh began to make everyone imagine they were the ones being hit, tempting them cry out in pain in her stead.