Chapter 72: Not Extinguished at the Third Watch
Since Xue Ji entered the mansion, the Old Madam had only summoned her once.
It was on the second day after she entered the mansion, and she still remembered the dissatisfaction and disgust in the Old Madam’s eyes at the time.
Upon hearing the news, she was extremely nervous, constantly tidying her clothes, afraid of any slight wrinkle, and repeatedly touched her face, asking cautiously…
“May I ask, Aunt, why does the Old Madam wish to see me?”
Jinshu was beaming, but it was inconvenient to let her know that Xue Liu had played a part in arranging this, making it seem as if the Xue family valued her and it was the Old Madam’s grace.
“My lady, rest assured, it is a good thing. Just come with me.”
Xue Sui gave Xue Ji an encouraging look.
“Mother, go. Perhaps the Old Madam has some reward?”
Xue Ji nervously followed Jinshu. Xue Sui then went to the inner chamber to see Tianshu, instructing Xiao Zhao to guard outside.
–
Hua Yi Palace.
Spring insects chirped low, and the night seemed to freeze.
It was late at night, and Princess Ping Le lay in bed, utterly weak from exhaustion.
Her current state was far more severe than Li Zhao’s understated words.
This pampered body was nowhere near as healthy as Xue Sui had thought. Especially after giving birth to two children, her qi and blood were deficient, and her constitution had greatly declined. Her resistance was already weak, and once the poison invaded her body, she rapidly deteriorated.
Her body itched unbearably…
She had taken countless medicinal soups, but they had no effect.
The next day, patches of red rashes appeared on her body, which could only recede through yin-yang harmony with a man. After taking the medicinal soup and resting slightly, she would have nightmares in her daze, as if her soul were leaving her body in a semi-conscious state…
And then it repeated…
More dense, variously shaped red rashes continued to appear.
She continued to take the medicinal soup and sleep…
But it only provided relief, not a complete cure…
The itch felt as if it were etched into her marrow; the slightest thought would make it feel like thousands of small insects gnawing at her.
And that uncontrollable longing made her feel utterly ashamed.
She had never desired a man so much before…
Desiring him to the point of agony.
Waking up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, she screamed and stared blankly at the lamp.
“Imperial Physician Hu, you can no longer cure me, can you?”
Imperial Physician Hu immediately knelt on the ground, his body trembling like a sieve.
“Your Highness, please forgive me, it is my incompetence…”
Ping Le hated him to the core.
She wished she could cut him into a thousand pieces immediately.
But at this moment, she had no choice but to rely on him. She could only suppress her anger, gesturing for the head maid, Hong Xing, to help her up. She sat up weakly and looked at the Imperial Son-in-law, Lu You’an, who was sitting beside her.
“Husband, go check on Tong Tong. She has been restless at night lately and kicks off her blankets. The wet nurse is careless; if she dozes off tonight and Tong Tong catches a chill…”
On the day of the Spring Flower Banquet, the wet nurse had been vague about why she fell into the lotus pond, sometimes saying it felt like someone pushed her from behind, and other times saying she kicked a stone. In any case, she was shirking responsibility.
Ping Le was unable to look after herself at the moment, and the little princess depended on this wet nurse since childhood and couldn’t be without her, so she couldn’t simply have her executed.
Lu You’an was also worried. Hearing this, he nodded and tucked the corner of the blanket for Ping Le.
“I’ll be right back.”
He glanced at Imperial Physician Hu again.
“Don’t make things difficult for the Imperial Physician. Let’s think of a solution slowly; there will surely be a prescription to eradicate this strange illness.”
Ping Le forced a smile.
After Lu You’an left, her expression instantly changed. She grabbed the bowl on the table and hurled it at Imperial Physician Hu. Unfortunately, her body was too weak, and the bowl didn’t hit him, rolling a few times on the footrest without breaking.
Ping Le became even more enraged upon seeing this.
“What exactly is going on? I don’t want to hear your perfunctory excuses anymore. Tell me, is it Xue Liu’s blood that has a problem? What kind of devilish things are those medicines you gave me? Are you trying to harm me?”
Imperial Physician Hu’s back was soaked with cold sweat, which dripped down his cheeks.
“Your Highness, please see clearly, this minister has absolutely no intention of deceiving or being negligent. Currently, the Princess’s pulse is disordered, and her count is weak. It is likely that the Love Silk Lure, mixed with the sleeping potion, has triggered other symptoms, coupled with the Princess’s existing qi and blood deficiency…”
He dared not directly say that the Princess had been ruthless and had taken too strong a dose of the medicine.
He only said: “Illness comes like a mountain, and goes like drawing silk. The Princess needs to calm her mind and spirit now. She must not worry or get angry, lest it disturb her qi and blood, causing the illness to recur and become difficult to cure. My prescription can alleviate the symptoms for now. Please grant me some more time, and I will surely find a way to detoxify it…”
“Time, time! Three days have passed, and I am still not better. What use are you? What use are you? You fool!”
Ping Le was very angry, but her heart was restless, and she didn’t even have the strength to scold. Every word she spoke left her breathless.
Imperial Physician Hu dared not make a sound.
He was actually more afraid than Ping Le.
He feared that someone in the Imperial Hospital would instigate trouble and expose him.
Because that sleeping potion was a “miracle formula” he had developed himself. He had mentioned it to colleagues to show off, so it wasn’t something others were unaware of. As for the “Love Silk Lure,” he had used an intermediary to buy it from the Ghost Market in the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
He only got that one bottle for twenty taels of gold, which was very precious.
He had not expected Ping Le to be so ruthless, pouring the entire bottle of medicine into Li Zhao and Xue Sui’s wine…
That’s why when those two were detoxified, he and Ping Le both suspected they had already been intimate.
Ping Le was so angry she was almost driven mad.
Yet she had no other recourse.
Imperial Physician Hu could become the Dean of the Imperial Hospital not just because he was good at flattering, but because he had some real skills. He also knew many of her secrets, so she could only rely on him and could not easily fall out with him.
Ping Le weakly beckoned to Hong Xing.
“Tomorrow morning, go find my Imperial Brother. Tell him I have something important to discuss. That Xue Liu, an unclean woman, is not fit to be married…”
Hong Xing took her orders.
She went to Prince Duan’s Mansion early the next morning.
When she returned, she was stammering, speaking nervously.
“Your Highness has important matters and has gone out of the capital. He is not at the mansion and we don’t know when he will return. Princess Consort Duan sent some nourishing medicinal materials, instructing Your Highness to rest well, and said that when Prince Duan returns, they will visit together…”
Princess Ping Le was furious but had nowhere to vent her anger. She could only bury her face in the pillow, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
“Imperial Son-in-law, summon the Imperial Son-in-law…”
–
At night.
Scouts from the Eastern Palace scurried back and forth on the rooftops of the Xue Mansion.
“Report to His Highness that the lights in Li Xiang Courtyard have been on past midnight.”
The next night.
The scout’s back ached from being on the rooftop.
“Report to His Highness that the lights in Li Xiang Courtyard have been on past midnight.”
The third night.
One scout asked another.
“What exactly does His Highness want us to observe for anomalies? We’ve been watching for so long, and we haven’t seen anything strange about Sixth Miss Xue.”
The scout shook his head. “The lights in the Crown Prince’s bedchamber have also been on past midnight recently.”
Both scouts shook their heads, unable to understand.
If it was because the Crown Prince was concerned about Sixth Miss Xue being injured, then every time he mentioned Sixth Miss Xue, the Crown Prince would grit his teeth as if he had a deep-seated hatred for her, wishing to kill her.
If you said the Crown Prince wasn’t concerned, he insisted on monitoring the Xue Mansion’s movements for twelve hours a day, reporting every action, and especially ensuring no one harmed her life. To put it bluntly, he wasn’t as attentive to his own mother.
At this moment, the Eastern Palace was shrouded in deep night.
Eunuch Lai Fu entered the inner hall holding a lamp, looking at the Crown Prince who was staying up late writing. He harbored the same confusion.
“Your Highness, it is late. You should rest.”
Li Zhao was wearing a dark brocade robe, with hidden dragon patterns embroidered on it that seemed to be coiled and ready to rise under the lamplight. His stern face appeared as calm as water, yet it was also unfathomable.
“Your Highness…”
Lai Fu felt distressed and hesitated to speak.
Li Zhao glanced at him and continued to hold his brush.
“I will write for a while longer.”
Lai Fu peeked.
The paper was densely filled with names.
The names of countless people.
He didn’t know where this strange habit came from…
Ever since that day at the Spring Flower Banquet, His Highness had become very peculiar.
Sometimes he was lost in thought, sometimes he gritted his teeth. Lai Fu and Guan Ya had privately discussed whether His Highness had been possessed by a flower spirit and if they should find a Daoist priest to exorcise the evil.
As a result, when he subtly mentioned it to the Crown Prince, Li Zhao coldly asked him.
“Daoist Ling Xu?”
Lai Fu was so scared that he slapped himself and dared not speak further.
The Crown Prince’s behavior remained abnormal, especially in the inner chambers of his bedchamber. Now, even Lai Fu, his personal attendant, could not enter freely; he had to report before entering.
And he drank Zhang Huaicheng’s “calming, sleep-aiding, and qi-regulating” medicinal soups three times a day, yet still found it difficult to sleep soundly, feeling restless and impatient…
This made Lai Fu ponder.
Could the Crown Prince be… lovesick?
Otherwise, why would he write “Beside the flowers, wild spring thoughts are chaotic; medicinal soup offers no relief, nature is wild and untamed” to Sixth Miss Xue?
He just didn’t know if that Sixth Miss understood it.
Delivered at midnight, thank you, sisters, for your support~ Sending a heart…
