“Madam Shen is truly multi-talented – she can examine corpses, solve cases, and even use illusions.”
“No wonder the Commander cherishes her so much.”
Pleased by these compliments, Zhu Yan waved her hand and said modestly, “Actually, illusions aren’t as mystical as you might think. Once you understand the principles, you can learn them too.”
This statement sounded simple, but judging by everyone’s expressions, they didn’t seem to believe it.
Zhu Yan pursed her lips and remained silent. She instructed Jing Lin to bring a few items and then lit some powders. As flames rose, she took a mouthful of water from a bowl and spat it onto the fire.
“Poof!”
The flames didn’t diminish but grew stronger. Zhu Yan then had Jing Lin bring a black cloth to cover the light from the eaves. Half of the flames were in light, half in darkness, appearing unremarkable.
Suddenly, Zhu Yan snapped her fingers and called out, “Everyone, please look!”
Jing Lin manipulated the black cloth, changing its angle. The scene before everyone’s eyes transformed. Where there had been flames, now there appeared an image of beauties emerging from bathing – some plump, some slender, partially concealed, and seemingly about to speak…
“Wow!”
The young men, full of vigor, could hardly resist such a scene. Some drooled, others wiped nosebleeds, all staring wide-eyed without blinking.
Even Jing Lin was mesmerized, inexplicably feeling hot all over.
Seeing this reaction, Zhu Yan shook her head and laughed. But her laughter quickly froze on her face – Shen Du was standing not far away in the corridor, watching her.
Zhu Yan’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. She hurried over and tried to cover Shen Du’s eyes, but she wasn’t tall enough to reach. Realizing there was another way, she quickly turned back and snapped her fingers again.
The illusion vanished, and the sky cleared.
The soldiers came to their senses as if waking from a beautiful dream. They looked at each other in shock, realizing the beautiful women they had been entangled with moments ago were now burly men. Immediately disgusted, they shook themselves and stepped away from each other. Yet they were all amazed and looked around for Zhu Yan to seek an explanation. Instead, they saw her standing before Shen Du with her head lowered and brows furrowed, awaiting a reprimand.
This…
Jing Lin brazenly jumped down from the eaves and called out to her, “Madam, what exactly happened? It made my whole body feel hot. I must tell the Commander – it’s not fair for him to be the only one with a wife. I want a wife too.”
Ignoring the gestures of the other soldiers, he turned and saw Shen Du’s dark face as he stood tall, narrowing his eyes at him. Jing Lin shuddered, hiding the black cloth behind his back. He chuckled awkwardly, his old face turning red, but still remembered to ask, “Is the Commander feeling better?”
These were just flesh wounds, nothing significant for men like them.
Shen Du was furious. He reached out to knock Zhu Yan on the head but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he kicked Jing Lin in the waist and pointed at the soldiers. After a long pause, he squeezed out a single word:
“Good!”
Fearing Shen Du’s anger would hinder his recovery, Zhu Yan quickly grasped his outstretched finger and took the initiative to apologize:
“Husband, don’t blame them. It was my idea to play around. I originally intended to create an illusion of small animals, but on a whim, I conjured beautiful women to tease them. Everyone has been working so hard lately…”
At this point, Zhu Yan couldn’t continue her fabrication.
Shen Du stared at Zhu Yan’s small hands wrapping around his finger, soft and smooth as if boneless. Recalling the scene he had just witnessed, he looked at Zhu Yan again – her delicate neck, rouge lips, distant mountain eyebrows, affectionate eyes, and graceful figure…
He cleared his throat, “Alright, I’ll let it go this time. But if there’s a next time, remember the military rules.”
In warfare, indulgence in pleasure was strictly forbidden. Jing Lin was the first to lower his head and admit fault: “This subordinate acknowledges his mistake.”
The soldiers also bowed their heads: “We acknowledge our mistakes.”
Zhu Yan quickly followed suit: “I also acknowledge my mistake.”
Shen Du narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, the corners of his mouth curving slightly before pressing together again. He grasped her hand and walked towards the other end of the corridor.
Zhu Yan asked curiously, “Where are we going?”
“To see Pan Chi!”
Oh, Zhu Yan lowered her head and smiled. Shen Du had decided not to dwell on the matter.
Jing Lin hurried to follow, and the soldiers finally breathed sighs of relief. They smacked their lips, somewhat nostalgic for the illusion they had just experienced, but more amazed by Zhu Yan’s ability to create illusions.
Indeed, the saying that “a woman without talent is virtuous” was nonsense. How wonderful it was to have talent – one could play with illusions for fun. In the future, they would seek wives like this.
Zhu Yan had no idea that her playful act had shattered many men’s views on choosing a spouse.
Pan Chi was still unconscious, but after taking the medicine, the silk that had cocooned him had receded, revealing his entire body. However, due to being poisoned and weakened for many days without food or water, his body was extremely depleted. Thus, he remained in a deep sleep. The physician said this sleep would help his body recover quickly.
Seeing this, everyone relaxed. Shen Du and Zhu Yan exchanged smiles, and Zhu Yan said softly, “Thank you!”
Shen Du’s face darkened. He disliked it most when Zhu Yan said “thank you.” But before he could correct her, he suddenly felt a tightness in his lower abdomen, followed by a sweet taste in his throat. He coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
Zhu Yan’s face turned pale as she struggled to support Shen Du’s body. She anxiously asked, “Shen Du, what’s wrong?”
She reached out to feel Shen Du’s pulse and her heart chilled. “Jing Lin, quickly, call the physician!”
She regretted not studying medicine alongside her forensic skills. Now she couldn’t be of any help.
Soon, Shen Du was taken back to his room. The physician, who had been staying at the yamen due to Pan Chi’s condition, arrived quickly. After checking Shen Du’s pulse, the physician stroked his beard with a furrowed brow: “The Commander has been poisoned by a strange toxin.”
“Is there an antidote?”
The physician shook his head and sighed lightly, standing up to bow: “My medical skills are limited. I cannot identify the poison, so how can I cure it?”
Unable to identify the poison?
Jing Lin and Zhu Yan immediately thought of Lai Luofu: “Could it be the ‘Breaking Cocoon Becoming Butterfly’ poison?”
Zhu Yan shook her head: “If it were ‘Breaking Cocoon Becoming Butterfly,’ Shen Du should be covered in white silk by now.”
But Shen Du only had a bluish complexion, purple lips, and a rigid body, with no white silk appearing.
Jing Lin angrily wiped away tears and drew his sword, rushing towards the door: “These villains, always inventing these strange poisons to harm people. I must destroy their lair!”
Zhu Yan grabbed him with one hand, her beautiful eyes cold and stern: “Saving the Commander is more urgent.”
“Think carefully, how did he get poisoned?”
Finding the source was crucial.
Jing Lin bit down on his white teeth, suppressing his impulse, and thought carefully for a moment. Only one thing seemed odd: “It must be the poison in the porcelain bottle,” fearing Zhu Yan wouldn’t understand, he added, “The antidote Lai Luofu gave to Pan Chi was in a porcelain bottle.”
Nothing else seemed unusual.
But Jing Lin quickly realized: “I also handled the porcelain bottle and had no issues.”
Implying that the bottle itself couldn’t have caused the poisoning.
At this moment, the physician spoke up: “I’ve heard of some poisons that are harmless to ordinary people upon contact, but if they come into contact with an open wound, or when combined with other substances, they become effective.”
After speaking, the physician went to check Shen Du’s pulse again and nodded, as if confirming his thoughts: “That’s it. This poison must have entered the Commander’s bloodstream through an open wound, then circulated throughout his body, spreading the poison everywhere.”
A wave of grief surged into Zhu Yan’s heart. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm and bowed to the physician: “I implore you to save my husband.”
The physician sighed again and wrote out several prescriptions. Jing Lin took them, and Zhu Yan calmly said, “Jing Lin, please escort the physician out. Make sure to pay him generously for the consultation.”
“Yes!” Jing Lin’s voice trembled. Seeing Zhu Yan so composed, he felt ashamed. He led the physician out to prepare and decoct the medicine.
If Madam could remain calm, he had even less reason to panic.