Zhanlu looked puzzled: “This servant has been with you the whole time, how would I know what happened? But looking at Jiang… I mean, that palace maid’s condition, she seems to be in a lot of pain.”
Mu Wuyin also stood up and, after assessing the situation, ran downstairs. Shen Zaiye pursed his lips and followed, wondering what trick Jiang Taohua was playing this time.
Prince Nan placed Taohua in a room downstairs and had already sent for a doctor. Taohua lay on the bed, her entire body drenched in sweat, her face as pale as paper. Although she was biting her teeth to keep from making a sound, the veins on her neck were visibly strained, indicating extreme pain.
“Meng’er?” Mu Wuyin sat by the bedside and held her hand, anxiously looking at Mu Wuxia: “What happened?”
“I don’t know either,” Mu Wuxia frowned. “We were walking fine, and suddenly she was in this much pain.”
Is she faking it? Shen Zaiye pursed his lips, watching coldly for a while until the doctor arrived.
Everyone stepped out, and Mu Wuxia pulled Shen Zaiye aside, saying in a low voice: “She said she needed to find Qingta, I don’t know what that means.”
Qingta? Shen Zaiye frowned. Wasn’t Qing Tai supposed to be with her? Who else would know where he is now, besides her?
“Zhanlu,” he turned and ordered, “Send people to find Qingta, he should still be in the capital. If he refuses to come out, post notices saying we’re looking for medicine for the Jiang family in the mountains.”
“Understood!” Zhanlu acknowledged and ran off.
After a long while, the doctor came out, trembling as he looked at the noble figures outside. He bowed and said, “This old one’s medical skills are limited. I don’t know what illness this young lady has, but her pulse is chaotic as if she’s been poisoned by some strange toxin…”
Mu Wuyin suddenly realized: “The imperial physician mentioned this before, saying she had a strange poison in her body, and they didn’t know how to cure it.”
Strange poison? Shen Zaiye paused, then stepped forward to whisper in the Crown Prince’s ear: “If it’s the poison I used last time, why not try giving her the antidote?”
“It doesn’t seem to be that kind of poison,” Mu Wuyin shook his head. “If it were the common poison used in the palace, the imperial physician wouldn’t have failed to recognize it.”
“Let’s try it anyway,” Shen Zaiye lowered his eyes and directly took out a jade-colored bottle from his sleeve, poured out the antidote, and handed it to the Crown Prince.
After some thought, Mu Wuyin took the medicine in and fed it to Taohua. However, even after taking the medicine, the person on the bed showed no signs of improvement. Instead, the pain seemed to intensify. She writhed on the bed like a snake with its tail cut off, unable to hold back her cries: “It hurts…”
Shen Zaiye finally became serious. He walked to the bedside to observe her condition and said in a deep voice: “Your Highness, this poison might be life-threatening. Since no one can cure it, why not let me send her to seek a divine doctor? There might still be a slim chance of survival.”
“Divine doctor?” Mu Wuyin frowned. “If there’s a divine doctor who can cure her, why don’t you just bring him here?”
Shen Zaiye shook his head: “Divine doctors are usually eccentric and won’t listen even to imperial edicts. To get someone to truly save her, we can’t use imperial power to pressure them. If Your Highness truly trusts me, let me take charge of this woman. I’ll ensure her survival.”
Looking up at him, Mu Wuyin’s eyes were full of distrust: “Is the Prime Minister suggesting we send her away?”
“It’s the only way.”
Mu Wuyin shook his head: “Although I trust the Prime Minister greatly, but…”
But he had already tried to kill Meng’er several times, how could he possibly entrust her to him again?
“Ah!” Taohua opened her eyes, her pupils unfocused, tears streaming uncontrollably: “It hurts… Help me!”
Mu Wuyin was startled and quickly grabbed her hand, only to find it as cold as ice!
“Meng’er?” He called her name several times, genuinely anxious now. Torn between choices, he looked at Shen Zaiye again: “Can the Prime Minister truly guarantee her life? How long will it take?”
“One month at the fastest,” Shen Zaiye said. “I will let Your Highness see her alive and well. I stake my life on it.”
With this assurance, Mu Wuyin felt somewhat relieved, though still reluctant. He looked at Jiang Taohua several times before nodding: “Then please have someone take her on the journey quickly, Prime Minister.”
“Yes,” Shen Zaiye nodded, swiftly ordering a carriage to be prepared. He carried Jiang Taohua onto it, then turned back to look at them: “I’ll take my leave first. Once I’ve arranged for her, I’ll return to report.”
Mu Wuyin nodded and waved for one of his trusted aides to follow: “If there’s any news, have Leiting send word back.”
“Understood,” Shen Zaiye agreed, entered the carriage, and ordered a quick return to the Prime Minister’s residence.
“Prime Minister,” after traveling some distance, Leiting approached the carriage and asked, “How should I report back to the Crown Prince?”
“I’ll have you follow an empty carriage out of the city, heading towards Qiushui Mountain,” Shen Zaiye said in a low voice, holding the person in his arms. “You just need to write letters reporting the situation to the Crown Prince as scheduled.”
Though called the Crown Prince’s trusted aide, Leiting was someone Shen Zaiye had cultivated for a long time. It was time to put him to use.
Leiting acknowledged and watched as they alighted at the Prime Minister’s residence, then continued driving the carriage towards the city gates. Shen Zaiye held Jiang Taohua tightly, rushing into Linwu Court. He grabbed Xu Yangui and asked: “Has Zhanlu returned?”
“Not yet,” Xu Yangui looked at the person in his arms in shock: “Did you just snatch her back?”
“Shut up!” Placing her on his bed, Shen Zaiye’s forehead was covered in sweat. He sat by the bedside, holding Jiang Taohua’s hand, his expression grim: “Why didn’t the antidote work?”
Xu Yangui obediently kept quiet, not answering him, which earned him a cold glare.
“Ah, you become unreasonable when you’re anxious,” Xu Yangui said, caught between laughter and tears. “If the antidote didn’t work, it means it’s not that kind of poison. You don’t even know what’s wrong with her and you’re feeding her random medicine. You might end up adding poison on top of poison.”
Taohua was in so much pain that she was barely conscious, but with people constantly arguing by her ear, she couldn’t help but kick out: “So noisy!”
Unexpectedly receiving a kick to his stomach, Shen Zaiye grabbed her ankle, gritting his teeth: “He’s the one talking too much, why are you kicking me!”
“Karma,” Xu Yangui laughed gleefully.
However, looking at Jiang’s condition, he couldn’t laugh for long. He moved closer to the bed to take a look and muttered: “This looks even more painful than childbirth. What’s going on?”
Shen Zaiye no longer wanted to speak. His brows were tightly knitted as he watched the person on the bed twisting and struggling. He simply extended his arm for her to hold onto.
Jiang Taohua always had this habit of using both arms and legs to cling tightly like a little kitten when holding something.
Perhaps because it had been too long since she had held him like this, seeing her in this state, his brow relaxed slightly, and his heart warmed.
(End of Chapter)