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

Xingning *** Prefecture.

Li Min lay sprawled on the daybed, wrapped in a white fox fur coat. Three or four braziers surrounded her, but she still didn't feel warm.

Xu Muxin lifted the curtain and came in. A wave of heat hit her face, mixed with a strong smell of herbs, making her feel like gagging.

My mother's health is deteriorating day by day. She used to be kept alive with ginseng and bird's nest, but recently she switched to a doctor from the southern border and trusts him completely. She even turned down the imperial physician sent by His Majesty for a consultation.

She knelt down in front of the bed. "Mother is looking for me?"

A maid brought over snow lotus water, and Li Min drank a few sips before waving for everyone to leave. Only after everyone had dispersed did she turn her gaze to her daughter.

“You’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t been looking for you, and you haven’t even come to see me.”

"Mother, what are you saying? Your daughter has been worried about your health. I even went to Jingyan Temple a while ago to pray for you. I asked my maid to bring you the talisman to cure your illness. Did you receive it?"

Li Min nodded, "You put it under your pillow, that's thoughtful of you."

Xu Muxin said, "I see that my mother's complexion has improved a lot. That doctor from the southern border is indeed quite skilled."

"Speaking of him, something comes to mind."

"You say."

Li Min warmed his hands, his eyes sharp. "When he first arrived in Shengjing, he treated a patient, the daughter of Yuan Pu, a principal officer in the Ministry of Revenue. The other day, he went for a follow-up visit and heard that the girl had been imprisoned in the Leopard Guard. After returning, he was very worried, fearing that the girl's old illness would relapse, which would damage his reputation as a doctor."

Seeing him like this, I'm worried he won't take my treatment seriously. Since you're familiar with Xiao Zong and are quite mobile, why don't you take the physician to the Leopard Guard to clear his mind of these worries?"

Xu Muxin clenched her fists on her knees. Yuan Zhi had told her about Jiang Rou's situation, and given the coincidental appearance of the physician in the manor, she immediately sent someone to the Southern Frontier to investigate.

Even traveling day and night, it would take ten days for the news to reach Shengjing. It seems she doesn't have time now.

“Miss Yuan is just a weak woman, what outrageous things could she do? The Leopard Guards can’t find out, and they will release her in a few days. Why is Mother in such a hurry?”

Li Min's face instantly turned cold. She grabbed the cup beside her and threw it on the ground. "I can't even get you to do anything for such a small thing! Or are you hoping the doctor will worry for a little longer so I can die sooner!"

Xu Muxin knelt on the ground, her head hitting the ground with a thud. "Mother, how could I think such a thing? If I could, I would give my life for yours, just so you would be healthy!"

"So, are you going this time, or not?"

Xu Muxin choked out, "Go!"

After leaving her mother's room, she took the physician to Leopard Guard.

The doctor was unremarkable in appearance, with long, loose hair braided at the temples and dressed in traditional southern Xinjiang clothing. He looked like an ordinary foreigner.

However, she knew things weren't that simple!

Yuan Pu's younger sister, Yuan Jia, had studied medicine in the southern border region. This person also came from the southern border region and had dealings with Yuan Pu. What a coincidence!

Yuan Zhi said that His Majesty's illness was strange and very likely related to Yuan Jia.

If she poisoned the Yuan family and then used a concubine chosen by her maternal clan as an antidote, the Yuan family's rise to power would be imminent.

Xu Muxin had no idea what role her mother played or what she did in all of this.

When the carriage arrived in front of the Leopard Guard, she got off the carriage with the help of her maid. Dou Zhao was about to go out when he saw her and immediately came to greet her.

"What brings the Princess of Pingyi here?"

"I was ordered by my mother to bring a doctor to examine Miss Yuan."

Dou Zhao paused for a moment, then quickly realized who Miss Yuan was.

He bowed low. “The prison is filthy. Please, Your Highness and the physician, have a seat in the front hall. I will go and fetch the prisoners now.”

"I trouble you, Hundred-Household Commander Dou."

After settling the two men in, Dou Zhao hurried off to find Xiao Zong.

Xiao Zong was interrogating a prisoner when he saw him approaching in a panic. He threw down his whip and followed him outside to talk.

Dou Zhao explained the situation to Xiao Zong, who frowned and said, "You go ahead and get busy, I'll take care of things here."

After Dou Zhao left, Xiao Zong had Jiang Rou escorted to the front hall, and he followed her there.

Even if they were to collude with the Yuan family, they wouldn't dare kill anyone in the Leopard Guard. But the living dead are still living people, so they still had to be wary of the physician taking action.

Upon arriving at the lobby, the doctor placed his hand on Jiang Rou's wrist and said with a grave expression, "Miss Yuan, have you been experiencing excessive worry and nightmares lately, and have you been unable to eat?"

Jiang Rou nodded. "Exactly."

"Eat this, and you'll definitely eat well and sleep soundly from now on!"

Jiang Rou stared at the bottle that looked exactly like the antidote and fell into deep thought.

Was what she ate that day really the antidote?

Xiao Zong also noticed this, picked up the medicine bottle and handed it to his subordinate, "Send it to the pharmacy for testing."

"That's it," he said, bowing to the physician. "The Leopard Guards must inspect everything that prisoners put in their mouths. Please forgive me, physician!"

The doctor chuckled, "Being cautious is only right. How could I possibly blame the commander for this?"

Xiao Zong clasped his hands in a fist salute, "That's good."

He turned and walked toward the head of the table, not seeing a poisonous insect crawl out of the doctor's sleeve and into Jiang Rou's sleeve.

A moment later, the subordinate sent to test the medicine returned and reported, "The doctor said there's nothing wrong with the medicine."

The doctor stood up. "My wish has been fulfilled. I will take my leave now."

Xu Muxin said, "I'm tired too, I'll go back with you. Lord Xiao, there's no need to see me off."

The two figures grew farther and farther away until they disappeared from sight. Jiang Rou suddenly let out a soft cry. Xiao Zong's eyelids twitched, and he asked nervously, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Rou shook her head. "I felt a sting on my arm. I probably picked up some insects in the dungeon. It's nothing serious."

Xiao Zong's expression turned serious. "No! The Southern Frontier is known for its use of poisonous insects; it's very likely he released them. Shake your sleeves and see if you can shake the insects out!"

Jiang Rou did as she was told, flicking her sleeve and a small red-shelled insect fell to the ground with a "plop".

died!

Xiao Zong poked at it with his knife; it wasn't a common insect from the north, and its color was quite strange.

He instructed his subordinates to take it to the pharmacy for research, and asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Just as Jiang Rou was about to reply, everything suddenly went black before her eyes, and she collapsed downwards.

Xiao Zong was shocked and reached out to catch her, then ordered someone to fetch a doctor.

The doctor examined the small insect and took Jiang Rou's pulse. He shook his head and said, "Sir, she has been poisoned by the Gu poison from the Southern Frontier. This kind of Gu insect has been fed with hundreds of kinds of herbs, and its medicinal properties are complex. It is very difficult for anyone other than the person who raised it to develop an antidote."

Xiao Zong slammed his fist on the table. "It's my fault for being careless!"

The subordinate said, "The physician must not have gone far. I'll bring him back!"

Xiao Zong asked, "The man has already left the Leopard Guard. What evidence do you have to prove that he was the one who used the Gu poison?"

"This..." the subordinate said with great regret, "It's also our fault for being negligent. If we had kept a close eye on him, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Alright, there's no going back now. Take her to the back room and use expensive medicine to keep her alive for now. I'll figure something out later!"

"Yes."