Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

"You dare to kidnap your own father? That's utterly outrageous!"

Yuan Pu's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he rebuked him sharply.

Yuan Zhi ignored him, didn't waste words with him, and pushed him forward.

Upon reaching the door, she called out, "Xiao Congyun, come here!"

Xiao Zong turned around and was shocked to see her holding a sharp piece of porcelain, attacking her own father. He took a few steps back and joined Yuan Zhi.

"Little madman!"

Yuan Zhi glanced at him sideways: "Wasn't it all to save you!"

Yuan Pu showed no panic, but instead sneered repeatedly, "You think you can leave safely like this? You underestimate me!"

Yuan Zhi questioned, "What do you mean?"

“I’ve been drugging Jiang Rou’s food every day. This drug is called ‘Hundred Days of Joy,’ made from a hundred kinds of poisonous insects and herbs. No one knows the formula except for poison masters. As the name suggests, ‘Hundred Days of Joy’ requires taking it for a hundred days. If you stop taking it for even one day, she will bleed from all seven orifices and die. Taking her away is no different from taking away a corpse.”

"What a vicious plan!"

Although the Leopard Guard also has physicians who can prepare medicine, time is of the essence, and success cannot be guaranteed.

Xiao Zong pulled Yuan Zhi's hand down. "Let's think of another way."

"Opportunity knocks but once!" Yuan Zhi refused to compromise and moved the porcelain shard to Jiang Rou's neck. "If Father insists on sending her to the palace, I will have no choice but to kill her for my own safety."

Yuan Pu scoffed, "Do you dare? This is a human life. If you kill her, Xiao Zong will take you into the Leopard Guard the next minute!"

"See if I dare!"

Yuan Zhi pinched the smooth porcelain shard between his fingertips and pushed it three-tenths of an inch into Jiang Rou's neck. The sharp blade cut through the skin, and more and more bright red blood beads gathered, gradually forming a small stream.

Yuan Pu watched with trepidation. This was the substitute for Consort Yin, whom he had gone through countless hardships and great efforts to find. He couldn't let her be ruined like this!

If a scar were left on the neck, the plan to enter the palace would be ruined.

As long as the person is still alive, he can always find a way. He might as well let them take the person away first.

"Wait! Don't move anymore, I'll give you the medicine."

Yuan Zhi didn't even look at him directly. "That was the price before. Now, it's changed. Hand over the antidote, and I can persuade Xiao Zong to let bygones be bygones!"

Seeing that she was pushing her luck, Yuan Pu angrily said, "This is my last bargaining chip. Do you think I would give it to you?"

Yuan Zhi smirked, "Then let's just kill him."

She chose a tricky angle, using the pads of her fingers to shield herself from the sharp, broken edges. Her fingers were connected to her heart; the moment they were cut, it felt like a thousand scorpions were biting her, causing her to wince slightly in pain.

Jiang Rou felt pressure on her neck, but the pain didn't come for a long time. She turned her head in surprise, but the other person grabbed her chin and turned her back.

As if sensing something, she cooperated with Jiang Zhi's acting, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.

"Master Yuan, please save me! We've known each other for a while, you can't just watch me die!"

Seeing the blood flowing continuously from her neck, Yuan Pu knew that Yuan Zhi had decided to kill her and advised, "Why go to such lengths? Little servant, go and bring back the medicine!"

The young servant clasped his hands in greeting, turned around and ran towards the back of the house. After a short while, he returned carrying a small, brownish-red medicine bottle covered with patterns.

Yuan Pu raised his hand, and the servant handed the medicine bottle to Yuan Zhi.

"Can you let me go now?"

"Not yet."

Seeing how brave Yuan Zhi was, Xiao Zong thought he couldn't fall behind, so he took the short knife he carried with him and held it to Yuan Pu's neck.

"We'll release you once we're safely back." He ordered his servants, "Prepare a carriage and have it parked outside the gate."

Then, he grabbed Yuan Pu and walked backwards out, while Yuan Zhi, holding Jiang Rou hostage, followed quickly.

The two girls boarded the carriage first, and Xiao Zong forced Yuan Pu to get on as well. He then gave the horse a tug on its back, and the horse started running along the road.

After traveling for a while, Xiao Zong kicked Yuan Pu off the carriage, drove the carriage, and cracked the whip, heading into the city.

Inside the carriage, Yuan Zhi threw away the porcelain shards, stared down at her bloodied and mangled hand, expecting to cry from the pain, but instead suddenly laughed.

Jiang Rou watched her go crazy quietly, and only after she stopped laughing did she hand her silk handkerchief over, saying, "Let me bandage her up."

Yuan Zhi wrapped her fingers with a handkerchief and asked, "I treated you like this, and you don't hate me? You even gave me a handkerchief. That's very strange."

"You are a good person."

"Not quite accurate." She smiled. "I'm a good person who's only after profit."

Jiang Rou spoke softly, “To be too kind in this world is foolish. The one who can satisfy their desires while also being kind is the one with great wisdom.”

Yuan Zhi leaned against the sedan chair, closed his eyes, and said, "Even if you flatter me, I won't let you go. Don't waste your energy!"

Jiang Rou wiped the blood from her neck and said nonchalantly, "My sister is still in your hands. I won't leave."

"You're quite interesting. Once this matter is resolved, would you be willing to come and help out at my shop?"

"Your shop?"

"Hmm, I own a restaurant, but it's full of loud and boisterous waiters and maids. I'm really missing someone with your personality."

"That depends on whether Lord Xiao is willing to release them."

Yuan Zhi slightly opened her eyelashes, leaned forward and lifted the carriage curtain, "Lord Xiao, did you hear that? Would you be willing to lend me the person?"

"Since the lady has spoken, we must agree."

Yuan Zhi sat up straight, clapped her hands, and exclaimed, "All done!"

Jiang Rou touched the bloodstains on her hand and asked, "Is my sister alright?"

“He was tortured, but Xiao Zong has already found someone to treat him.” Yuan Zhi pondered, “Don’t blame him for being ruthless. If you had entered the palace under false pretenses, the punishment you would have received would have been a thousand times greater.”

"I see."

Yuan Zhi was puzzled by one thing: "Since you made a deal with my father, why didn't you take my sister to the other courtyard, but instead left her in the brothel?"

Jiang Rou gave a desolate smile. "In your eyes, brothels are dens of wolves and tigers, but for Xin'er and me, it's where we've lived for over a decade. People feel safe and secure in familiar surroundings."

Moreover, Mom has always been very good to both me and Xin'er. From the moment I agreed to your father's request, I knew the road ahead would be difficult, and the chances of survival were slim, so I entrusted my younger sister to Mom's care.

Yuan Zhi nodded. "I see."

Jiang Rou thought of something and said, "There's something I find a bit strange. You know your father better, so perhaps you can figure out his intentions."

"what's up?"

"He put a hundred-day-old drug in my food. Logically speaking, that should have been enough to control me. Why did he also make me bathe in herbs every night for a full half hour?"

"Medicated bath?"

"Yes, he has a poison master by his side. Judging from his accent, he's from the southern border region. His daily medicinal baths are prepared by him."

Southern Xinjiang?

After much thought, Yuan Zhi realized that the only person in her family who could be connected to this place was her aunt, Yuan Jia, who was in charge of the Imperial Pharmacy.

Too many things have happened recently. First, His Majesty's old illness relapsed, then the Imperial Observatory offered a plan, and then His Majesty decided to select concubines within the Shengjing area.

Now that the Southern Frontier and his aunt are involved, could it be that His Majesty's illness is not a coincidence?