Steward Lin had just obtained a prescription from Xia Qing and was instructing servants to fetch the medicine when he saw Prince Jinying’s carriage racing back. Puzzled about why they had returned so early, he discovered the curtain being lifted from inside as Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi half-supported, half-carried someone out. Taking a closer look, who else could it be but Jiang Ruan?

Though Old Lin was over fifty, his eyes were sharp. He immediately noticed the bloodstains at the corner of Jiang Ruan’s mouth, his heart skipping a beat. Seeing that Xiao Shao was not present, he immediately trotted forward, asking, “What happened? What’s wrong with the Young Mistress?”

“The Young Mistress fainted,” Bai Zhi said anxiously. “Quickly call a physician. Steward Lin, please have someone help carry the Young Mistress back inside.”

Steward Lin became frantic upon hearing this. How could such a scene occur on the first day after the wedding? Remembering that the neighboring estate had a ready physician, he immediately sent someone to invite Xia Qing over. After helping Jiang Ruan to lie down in the room, Steward Lin bombarded Lian Qiao with questions: “How could the Young Mistress faint when she was perfectly fine? How have you been taking care of her?”

Lu Zhu and Tian Zhu also rushed over upon hearing the news. Jiang Ruan had no other injuries, so it didn’t appear she had been harmed by anyone. Lian Qiao blamed herself, saying, “Miss encountered Fourth Miss in the palace and spoke a few words with her. On the way back in the carriage, she began acting strangely, as if possessed, and then spat blood and fainted.”

“What did she say to the Young Mistress?” Tian Zhu asked.

“Nothing much, just spoke about fate and circumstances. Nothing seemed improper,” Lian Qiao frowned. As they were speaking, they saw Xia Qing and Qi Feng hurrying in. The two had been discussing when to leave the capital when servants from the Prince’s manor burst in, saying something had happened to Jiang Ruan and asking Xia Qing to come quickly.

Xia Qing had originally thought the people of Prince Jinying’s manor were overly nervous about Jiang Ruan, making earth-shattering drama out of sesame-sized matters. But upon entering and seeing Jiang Ruan lying on the bed with tightly closed eyes, he was stunned. Qi Feng’s expression changed as he said, “How did Third Sister-in-law become like this?”

“Oh my Fifth Young Master,” Steward Lin anxiously pulled Xia Qing toward the bed: “Please examine her quickly. I fear the Young Mistress was angered by someone—she even spat blood earlier. This is serious. At such a young age, we mustn’t let her damage her fundamental health.” From Lian Qiao’s account, Jiang Ruan hadn’t encountered any blade wounds but had been angered by Jiang Dan’s words. Though unclear why she had been angered to such a state, there was no better explanation at present.

Xia Qing frowned, walked to the bedside, sat down, and reached out to check Jiang Ruan’s pulse. Everyone watched him nervously. After a moment, Xia Qing lowered his hand, and Qi Feng asked anxiously, “Fifth Brother, what’s the situation?”

“Third Sister-in-law has been overthinking, and she already had chronic ailments. Today, being provoked by someone, depression has accumulated in her heart, causing her to spit up bad blood. Blood clots are blocking her chest, which is why she can’t wake up now.” Xia Qing hesitated, then shook his head: “I’ll first write a prescription. Steward Lin, have someone fetch the medicine and brew it immediately for Third Sister-in-law to drink.” Though he spoke lightly, there wasn’t a trace of relaxation in his expression—instead, he appeared rather grave. For Xia Qing, who held the title of Jinling’s Sacred Healer, this was not an ordinary matter. Lian Qiao and the others aside, seeing Xia Qing’s expression, Qi Feng also clenched his fists.

Steward Lin dared not delay and immediately had someone fetch the medicine. Xia Qing sat in the room, looking at Jiang Ruan with an uncertain expression, lost in thought. Qi Feng stood by the window, occasionally glancing at Jiang Ruan. Several maidservants bustled about, but Jiang Ruan showed no signs of awakening.

About half an hour later, the room door was suddenly pushed open, bringing in a gust of winter’s biting cold air. Xiao Shao strode in from outside, his body covered with unmelted snow. He walked to the bedside, looking at Jiang Ruan’s tightly closed eyes, slightly stunned. Then he turned his head toward Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi, saying coldly, “What happened?”

Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi exchanged glances. Bai Zhi had to repeat the explanation she had given everyone earlier: “After Your Highness and Miss parted, Miss encountered Fourth Miss in the palace and spoke a few words with her. On the way back, Miss spat blood in the carriage and then fainted. Fifth Master Xia says it triggered Miss’s chronic ailment.” After a pause, Bai Zhi added, “But where does Miss have any chronic ailment?”

Xiao Shao was stunned, looking up at Xia Qing beside him. After a moment of silence, he said to Lian Qiao, “What did Jiang Dan say to her? Tell me every word without omission.”

His tone was icy, his gaze dark and deep, containing profound anger. Lian Qiao’s heart trembled as she steeled herself to repeat every word Jiang Dan had said to Jiang Ruan. When finished, she said, “That was everything. This servant dares to say that no matter how one listens to those words, nothing strange can be heard. Yet in the carriage, Miss acted as if some taboo had been violated, appearing extremely fearful. This servant has followed Miss for so many years, and since returning to the capital several years ago, has never seen Miss so afraid of anything.”

Hearing this, Qi Feng looked at Lian Qiao with curiosity. Xiao Shao’s hand tightened as he seemed to ponder while standing in place, then turned to leave. Qi Feng grabbed him: “Third Brother, what do you intend to do?”

“To untie the bell, one must find who tied it. Since this matter involves Jiang Dan, naturally I’ll find her,” Xiao Shao said.

“What can you do by going now? Based on those few words, you certainly can’t convict her,” Qi Feng glanced at Jiang Ruan: “Do you plan to kill her right now? That would only bring trouble to Third Sister-in-law.” His words showed consideration for Jiang Ruan’s position. Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xiao Shao’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Qi Feng coldly: “That is my wife. I don’t need your concern.”

Qi Feng’s throat constricted, finding himself unable to speak, his expression somewhat embarrassed. But Xia Qing also stood up, his baby face written with gravity beyond his years: “Stop arguing. Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law wasn’t angered by someone else’s words. Even if that was just a trigger, what truly caused her current condition is that she’s been poisoned.”

Qi Feng’s grip on Xiao Shao’s hand loosened as he said incredulously, “Poisoned?”

“Impossible,” Xiao Shao said. “No one could make a move within the Prince’s manor.” Everything here was personally managed by Steward Lin, and the manor’s guards couldn’t possibly develop treacherous hearts. Poisoning Jiang Ruan would be even more difficult than directly killing her.

“The poison wasn’t administered in the Prince’s manor,” Xia Qing shook his head. “This poison has been in her body for over ten years, seemingly carried from the womb. For unknown reasons, it stopped for several years, preventing the toxin from spreading. But it ultimately accumulated in her body. Now someone has used something to induce the toxin, and the anger from what those two maidservants mentioned about being spoken to in the palace only made the induced toxin spread faster in Third Sister-in-law’s body.” He hesitated: “There seems to be another purpose, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Fifth Brother!” Qi Feng, also forgetting his confrontation with Xiao Shao, asked urgently, “Is the prescription you wrote earlier effective? Can you resolve Third Sister-in-law’s poison?”

It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in Xia Qing, but as senior brothers for so many years, Qi Feng had long understood Xia Qing’s every expression. As a divine physician, when facing patients, Xia Qing had a kind of excitement and fervor, his eyes full of confidence. This anxious, grave expression was a first, truly disturbing Qi Feng’s peace of mind.

Xiao Shao also stared intently at Xia Qing. Bai Zhi, Lian Qiao, and the others needn’t be mentioned—they seemed ready to burst into tears if he said there was no cure. Xia Qing swallowed with difficulty before saying, “In fact, I’ve never seen this type of poison before. I’m currently following other detoxification prescriptions. I need to observe for a few more days before I can make a proper diagnosis.”

“How long?” Xiao Shao asked. “Her life is not a game.”

“Two days,” Xia Qing hurriedly clarified. “Just two days will do. After two days, if her poison hasn’t been controlled, I’m afraid I’ll be powerless to help.”

Xiao Shao stared at Xia Qing for a long moment, watching until Xia Qing felt chilled to the bone, before giving an almost imperceptible nod: “You have two days.”

Xia Qing wiped his sweat. He had always known his third senior brother was cold by nature, but hadn’t expected him to be so terrifying when truly grim, truly creating immense pressure. He simply found an excuse to go research prescriptions. After Xia Qing and Qi Feng left, Steward Lin entered, saying, “We’ve investigated everything the Young Mistress ate yesterday—there are no problems in our manor.”

Upon hearing this, Lian Qiao said anxiously, “Yesterday, fearing Miss would be hungry, this servant found some pastries from Baoyue House for Miss, but those pastries should have been fine.” Bai Zhi also nodded repeatedly: “Those pastries came from a larger package. The remainder was distributed to all the maidservants in the courtyard. Everyone ate them without incident—the pastries definitely couldn’t have been poisoned.”

If this matter were to be thoroughly investigated, it would indeed be like finding a needle in a haystack. Xiao Shao waved his hand, and Ye Feng, understanding his meaning, immediately said, “This subordinate will go to Baoyue House now.”

For such an incident to occur on the first day after marriage was hardly a good omen. Xiao Shao looked at Jiang Ruan’s slightly pale face, his expression unreadable. Lian Qiao nudged Bai Zhi, and the two left together. Xiao Shao walked to Jiang Ruan’s side, slowly reaching out to brush the loose hair by her ear aside, a flash of guilt in his eyes.

The urgent matter was to resolve Jiang Ruan’s poison. Xia Qing’s words reminded him that several years ago, he had also checked Jiang Ruan’s pulse and discovered abnormalities in her pulse pattern. It seemed her body had developed problems earlier, but his medical skills weren’t as refined as Xia Qing’s. He had thought the toxins were gradually receding and that with proper care, it wouldn’t be a serious problem. He hadn’t expected this toxin to be a venomous snake lurking in Jiang Ruan’s body, now being triggered by someone finding an opportunity. Though Qi Feng and Xia Qing said Jiang Ruan’s poisoning had nothing to do with Jiang Dan, Jiang Dan’s conversation with Jiang Ruan followed by Jiang Ruan’s abnormally fearful reaction must have a reason. Jiang Dan definitely wasn’t innocent in this matter. He frowned slightly. Moreover, according to Xia Qing, this toxin had accumulated in Jiang Ruan’s body for many years—meaning Jiang Ruan had been poisoned as a child. Who had administered the poison, actually targeting a child?

He had heard that Jiang Ruan’s early days in the Jiang manor hadn’t been pleasant, but hadn’t imagined that someone had been plotting for her life when she was very young. Thinking of this, Xiao Shao’s gaze suddenly filled with pressing coldness. He stroked Jiang Ruan’s hair, stood up, and walked out of the room. Jin Er and others waited outside with serious expressions as Xiao Shao lowered his eyes and said indifferently, “Everything that happened in the Jiang manor after the Princess Consort’s birth—every detail, large and small—I want to know it all.”

Jin Yi and the others’ expressions became stern as they responded seriously, “Yes,” and departed to carry out orders.

…

Time passed and night fell. Xiao Shao sat in the room, reviewing documents batch after batch, showing no signs of fatigue. Steward Lin came several times to persuade him to rest early, but Xiao Shao only said he still had work to do. Anyone with eyes could see he was simply making excuses to guard Jiang Ruan. However, servants couldn’t change their master’s decisions, and after several unsuccessful attempts, they gave up.

Lu Zhu pushed the door open, carrying a medicine bowl. Seeing Xiao Shao still there, she said, “Son-in-law, the medicine Divine Physician Xia prescribed for Miss is ready. This servant and Tian Zhu watched it brew together—no one else touched it.” With Jiang Ruan being poisoned, the Prince’s manor was now extremely careful about food and medicine, fearing they might fall into someone else’s trap. Until the person who had induced the poison was found, Jiang Ruan’s surroundings remained dangerous.

Xiao Shao looked up briefly and said, “You may go. I’ll feed her.”

Lu Zhu dared not say anything, turning to place the medicine bowl on the desk before leaving the room. After Lu Zhu left, Xiao Shao picked up the medicine bowl and walked to the bedside, supporting Jiang Ruan to lean against him. He blew on the dark brown medicine in the bowl and slowly fed it to Jiang Ruan’s mouth.

His movements were extremely gentle, afraid of accidentally hurting Jiang Ruan. If others saw the usually indifferent Xiao Shao being so tender and considerate, they would probably be shocked enough to drop their eyeballs.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ruan was unconscious, and the medicine trickled out from the corner of her mouth, splashing onto the bed and wetting a patch of Xiao Shao’s chest. He seemed oblivious, only extending his hand to gently wipe away the medicine stains from Jiang Ruan’s mouth. This method of feeding medicine wasn’t working. Xiao Shao lowered his eyes thoughtfully, suddenly picked up the medicine bowl and took a sip, then pinched Jiang Ruan’s chin to lift it slightly, bending down to press his lips to hers, slowly transferring the medicine through his mouth.

The young woman’s face was absolutely beautiful. Her usually gentle exterior always carried an imperceptible indifference beneath, but now her lips were soft, carrying the medicine’s bitter-sweet fragrance. In ordinary circumstances, he might have had romantic thoughts, but now Xiao Shao’s mind was free of distractions, looking at Jiang Ruan only with heartache.

Mouthful by mouthful, he slowly transferred the medicine to Jiang Ruan’s mouth. Finally, Xiao Shao set down the empty bowl and was about to help her lie down when he suddenly felt someone grab his chest garment. Slightly surprised, he looked down to meet Jiang Ruan’s wide-open eyes.

“You…” There was a moment of awkwardness, followed immediately by joy. Xiao Shao grasped Jiang Ruan’s shoulders: “You’re awake?”

But Jiang Ruan didn’t answer his question. Her eyes were wide open, but her gaze wasn’t calm—it even carried helplessness and panic. Xiao Shao was stunned; such a gaze appearing in Jiang Ruan’s eyes was foreign. And she seemed unaware that Xiao Shao was right before her, only gripping his garment tightly while murmuring something.

Xiao Shao frowned, leaning his ear closer. Jiang Ruan’s words reached him clearly—she was chanting: “Save me.”

Xiao Shao was suddenly alarmed. Jiang Ruan curled into a ball, but the hand gripping his garment wouldn’t let go, as if clutching a final lifeline, softly repeating over and over: “Save me, please save me.”

“Ah Ruan,” Xiao Shao softened his voice, gently patting her back: “Don’t be afraid. I’m Xiao Shao.”

Jiang Ruan stared at him with wide eyes, yet seemed to be looking at something else through him. Xiao Shao’s outstretched hand paused as Jiang Ruan frantically retreated backward. Her gaze was desperate and desolate, as if seeing something extremely terrifying. She angrily questioned: “Xuan Li, how dare you treat me thus!”

Xiao Shao stared intently at her eyes, feeling helpless for the first time. He suddenly shouted: “Ye Feng!”

Ye Feng burst through the door: “Master, what’s wrong?” Upon seeing Jiang Ruan’s condition, Ye Feng was also quite shocked. When had Jiang Ruan ever shown such a disheveled expression? Her appearance seemed not to face Xiao Shao, but rather a mortal enemy with blood feuds. Before he could recover from the scene before him, he heard Xiao Shao’s cold voice: “Tell Xia Wu to get in here!”

Xia Qing quickly arrived. To conveniently care for Jiang Ruan’s condition, he had simply moved into Prince Jinying’s manor. Being dragged from his blankets in the middle of the night, Xia Qing had a bad premonition. Upon entering the room and seeing Jiang Ruan’s abnormal behavior, he was already greatly shocked. Xiao Shao’s face was so dark it could drip water as he asked, “Why has she become like this?”

Xia Qing dared not be careless, immediately stepping forward to check Jiang Ruan’s pulse. After this examination, he was stunned, seemingly unable to believe it. He then carefully checked again before looking at Xiao Shao: “Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law’s body is fine. But this behavior looks like she’s been bewitched. I fear she originally had some inner demons that have now been coincidentally triggered.” Xia Qing felt somewhat embarrassed, having unknowingly stumbled upon Jiang Ruan’s secret. With this third sister-in-law’s decisive character, he wondered how she would treat him after awakening. However, despite his concerns, she was still his sister-in-law, so Xia Qing continued: “These are Third Sister-in-law’s inner demons. I can only prescribe a calming formula for her, but whether it will work, I truly don’t know. Third Brother, I’m a physician, but I can’t treat diseases of the heart. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

This wasn’t false. Xiao Shao knew that pressing Xia Qing further wouldn’t yield better solutions, so he said coldly, “Get out.” Xia Qing scratched his head and quickly retreated with everyone else from the room, leaving only Ye Feng and Xiao Shao inside.

Jiang Ruan huddled in a corner of the bed. Her expression was miserable, her eyes hollow and grim. Upon seeing her gaze, Xiao Shao was immediately stunned. How could anyone in this world have such eyes? Over the years, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had taken many lives, and before death, there had been struggles and pleas for mercy, yet none compared to the tragedy of the young woman before him. Those upturned seductive eyes held none of their usual brilliance and cunning, only despair carved into her very bones. Just being looked at by those eyes made one feel that there was no longer any light left in the world.

Inner demons? Xiao Shao recalled Xia Qing’s words. Jiang Ruan had inner demons? His gaze was icy as he looked at the young woman before him. From very early on, he had felt that Jiang Ruan had a secret unknown to anyone. She often had strange behaviors, yet those behaviors were never useless. She was like a sudden ray of light in the Great Jin Dynasty—strange and mysterious, with unknown implications. And her earlier words—Xiao Shao hadn’t ignored them either. Xuan Li… Many things she did seemed somehow related to Xuan Li. He had once sent hidden guards to investigate Jiang Ruan’s relationship with Xuan Li but hadn’t discovered anything. He had thought it was just coincidence, but now it seemed his guess was correct—Jiang Ruan definitely had some grievance with Xuan Li. Judging by her appearance, calling it a blood feud wouldn’t be excessive! What had Xuan Li done to her? Her questioning was so mournful.

Ye Feng watched from the side, also feeling alarmed. What kind of person was Jiang Ruan normally? She seemed to be someone without any weaknesses, always maintaining composure even when facing the most cunning enemies. Now, after being poisoned and having her inner demons forced out, she displayed an extremely fragile side. What had she experienced?

Xiao Shao quietly approached, afraid of disturbing her. Jiang Ruan stared at him coldly. Xiao Shao reached out, wanting to embrace her against his chest for comfort, but just as he drew near, Jiang Ruan grabbed his arm and bit down fiercely.

“Master!” Ye Feng cried out, seeing that Jiang Ruan’s bite was extremely severe. Xiao Shao was wearing light-colored clothing today, and blood immediately spread through the fabric. Yet he only frowned slightly, letting her bite while extending his other hand to gently stroke her head, his tone gentle: “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

He didn’t move, and Jiang Ruan didn’t release her bite, making Ye Feng anxious as he watched. After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Ruan seemed tired and finally let go. Xiao Shao freed his hand from her mouth but didn’t rush to examine his wound. Instead, he reached out to wipe the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth. Jiang Ruan stared at him blankly, suddenly her eyes reddening as large tears rolled onto Xiao Shao’s hand.

Could this mean she had come to her senses? Xiao Shao was stunned. Jiang Ruan suddenly covered her face, her voice seeming both like laughter and crying. Ye Feng dared not even breathe loudly. In this silent night, her weeping was extremely clear. She removed her hands, her beautiful face bearing an indescribable expression—like a desperate smile, yet like heart-stopping sorrow. She questioned accusingly: “Father, this is how you send me to the Yellow Springs. So you deceived me together with them. So you wanted my life to serve as Jiang Susu’s stepping stone! So from the beginning, you planned for me to fulfill your achievements and career. How cruel your heart is!”

Wasn’t Jiang Susu already dead? Why mention her again? Ye Feng was puzzled. What about Jiang Quan’s achievements and career? Jiang Ruan’s words left Ye Feng completely confused. Jiang Ruan shook her head: “I’m not a nation-destroying demon woman. I didn’t kill the Emperor!”

“Good girl, Ah Ruan, stop thinking about it.” Xiao Shao forcibly held her in his arms, his dark eyes showing no emotion, yet his tone was thoroughly gentle and soothing.

Jiang Ruan grabbed his sleeve, suddenly saying, “Save my brother, please save him. They want to harm him. Please save my brother.”

Xiao Shao closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was like ice as he said coldly, “Ye Feng, go to the Minister’s manor immediately and bring Jiang Xinzhi to me!”