The bowl of medicine was brewed with unknown herbs, its taste extraordinarily bitter and pungent.
Two young eunuchs held Shen Yinning down and forced the concoction into her without giving her any chance to resist.
Shen Yinning struggled desperately, but still ended up drinking most of it.
The porcelain bowl shattered into fragments as it hit the ground, and she shoved the two eunuchs away before stumbling back a few steps to regain her footing.
She raised her sleeve to wipe away the brownish medicinal residue from her lips, her reddened eyes fixed on Lu Ying.
She remembered her youth, how Lu Ying had always been cold and taciturn, his reserved demeanor contrasting sharply with her lively and outgoing nature, making them unlikely companions. Yet, whenever they attended banquets or ventured out together, he would quietly mind her feelings.
