Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

At this moment, Zhang Encheng was in a panic inside the Prime Minister's residence. None of the people he had sent out had returned. He had thought this was a good opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Empress's faction, but he hadn't expected to fall into a trap.

Zhang Encheng hurriedly found his father and told him what had happened. Zhang Lucheng grabbed a teacup and smashed it on Zhang Encheng's face.

Zhang Encheng hurriedly knelt down. "Father, what do we do now?"

"What should we do?" Zhang Lucheng snorted coldly.

A servant entered and whispered a few words in Zhang Lucheng's ear before leaving.

Zhang Lucheng said coldly, "Your actions are so swift! Guards!"

The Land Rover waiting outside entered and knelt down.

"Quickly, those who were ambushing us on the road, retreat immediately! Recall all plans; we cannot stop for a moment!"

After receiving the order, Land Rover hurriedly rode out of the Zhang residence at full speed.

Zhang Lucheng turned around and looked at his good-for-nothing son, who had actually been outsmarted by two mere children.

Zhang Lucheng went to the study, took out a book, and a hidden compartment appeared on the wall. He took out a wine pot and cups from it, then walked to Zhang Encheng and said, "Get up and sit down."

Zhang Encheng's legs trembled as he stared at the wine jug in front of him. Zhang Lucheng poured him a cup of wine and handed it to him, saying, "Drink."

Zhang Encheng glanced at his father, who looked calm, and took the wine glass. His hand trembled so much that he almost spilled the wine.

Zhang Encheng cried out, "Father, you must avenge your son!"

He downed the wine in one gulp, his face contorted in pain. He clutched his neck with both hands and soon collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his seven orifices. His eyes were wide open, and he was lifeless.

Zhang Lucheng slowly reached out and closed Zhang Encheng's eyes, tears streaming down his face. "Father has no choice. I'm not afraid to die with you, but there's still Xuan'er and Ming'er. Don't worry, Father will definitely avenge you."

After wiping away his tears, Zhang Lucheng ordered his men to wrap the body in a straw mat and place it on a cart. He then had it transported to the palace gate, dismissed the others, and pulled the cart alone towards the main hall.

Inside the South Garden, Ruan Wan was still lost in thought, having nothing to do, and didn't even care about the ridicule from the people of the Ruan family.

Why is fate so turbulent? I traveled from modern society to this world, and I was supposed to live a peaceful and uneventful life.

At that time, Ruan Wan thought that God had taken pity on her for dying so young and had given her a second chance.

So even though she was alone and life was hard, Ruan Wan tried her best to live happily.

Ruan Wan did everything in her power to make the most of this hard-won life.

But fate has pushed her to where she is today.

Since meeting Xia Changfeng, fate has accelerated in a direction that Ruan Wan was unaware of.

She was inexplicably chased by assassins and inexplicably captured and taken to the Ruan family mansion, where she became the third young lady of the Ruan family.

Unexpectedly forced into marriage by the emperor, Ruan Wan experienced the helplessness of women in ancient times for the first time, just as she was preparing to accept the marriage.

However, the engagement was broken off, and Ruan Wan became the laughing stock of the entire city.

Ruan Wan was lost in her own world when Qiu Shuang suddenly came running back, panting, and said, "Miss... I just heard that the Seventh Prince was assassinated!"

"What? What did you say?"

Ruan Wan stood up abruptly and pressed down on Qiu Shuang's shoulder. Qiu Shuang stammered, "The Seventh Prince has been assassinated. It seems he has been poisoned. There's a royal notice posted outside seeking a doctor to cure him."

Ruan Wan was stunned for a moment, as if her mind had been struck by lightning.

Ruan Wan has lost the ability to think; her body is acting entirely on her senses.

Running all the way out of the South Garden, Ruan Wan ran into Xiao Li at the gate and grabbed him. "Xiao Li, hurry, transport a wild ox to the Seventh Prince's residence, alive. Don't ask why, just hurry!"

"Oh, oh, okay, Miss San."

After saying that, Xiao Li watched as Ruan Wan ran off like the wind, with Qiu Shuang running after her. As she passed by, she shouted to Xiao Li, "Hurry up, or Miss will fight you to the death!"

Xiao Li then started running.

Ruan Wan urged the carriage to speed up and finally arrived at the Seventh Prince's residence. Ruan Wan jumped off the carriage and rushed inside, but two servants at the gate stopped her.

Ruan Wan was no longer concerned about anything at this moment. She pushed aside the guards and rushed inside, following the bloodstains on the ground to find Xia Changfeng.

Just as they reached the door, they saw Lou Qianyuan shooing the imperial physicians away, yelling, "What kind of imperial physicians are they? They can't even cure a poison! Get out of here!"

Lou Qianyuan was stunned when he saw Ruan Wan in front of him.

Ruan Wan ignored him and walked straight to the room, arriving at the bedside.

Looking at Xia Changfeng lying on the bed, his face was dark and his lips were bluish.

Ruan Wan lifted Xia Changfeng's eyelids; his pupils were somewhat unfocused. Then she lifted his clothes and looked at the wound, where dark blood was gushing out.

Ruan Wan shook her head and sighed. Every time I see you, you look so disheveled.

Ruan Wan turned to Lou Qianyuan and said, "Have someone prepare hot water, wine, candles, and a knife and send them over. Also, someone will bring a cow later; take it directly to the backyard."

Lou Qianyuan didn't understand why, but he still had people do as he was told.

Lou Qianyuan frowned and walked to Xia Changfeng's side, saying, "Do you know how to detoxify?"

"It depends on his fate, but he's always been lucky; he always manages to run into me."

The servants immediately brought over some things. Ruan Wan picked up the knife, heated it over a fire, then dipped it in strong liquor. She then cut a cross on the wound, squeezed out the poisonous blood, cleaned the wound with hot water, and then disinfected it with liquor.

After treating the wound and stopping the bleeding, Ruan Wan straightened his arm and made a shallow cut at the artery to let the blood flow.

Lou Qianyuan watched the skilled movements of the person in front of him, thinking that Changfeng had been saved in the same way. At this moment, he only wished that he was the one lying on the bed now, then he would die for it.

Xiao Li tied up the ox and brought it over. Ruan Wan went outside, glanced at the ox, and said to Lou Qianyuan, "Find someone to slaughter the ox, but be careful not to damage its stomach."

Lou Qianyuan quickly ordered someone to find a butcher, and after a while a butcher slaughtered the ox.

The butcher cut open the abdomen and exposed the stomach, and the servants ran into the house to ask for instructions on the next step.

"Drain the fluid from the stomach, collect it in a basin, filter it through gauze, divide it in half, heat one half and bring it here, and bring the other half directly."

Ruan Wan glanced at Brother Xia's breathing; it was weak but stable.

Lou Qianyuan carried the liquid from the cow's stomach back into the house. Ruan Wan lifted Brother Xia's chin, opened his mouth, and Lou Qianyuan poured the water into his mouth.

A foul stench assaulted their nostrils. Lou Qianyuan pinched his nose and asked, "What is this? It's disgusting!"

"The herbal soup is made from a variety of herbs fed to cattle, and it has detoxifying properties."

After being given the first dose, Brother Xia seemed to react and started vomiting. After he finished vomiting, we continued to give him the first dose until it was all used up.

Just then, the other half of the gastric juice was cooked and delivered. Ruan Wan soaked a towel in it and wiped the wound. She kept wiping it until the brown color on her face slowly faded and turned pale. Only then did she feel relieved.

At this moment, Amu brought in a yellow, lumpy object and handed it to Ruan Wan.

Upon seeing that it was bezoar, Ruan Wan looked at Xia Changfeng and said, "You really are lucky; life-saving things always seem to come knocking on your door."

Ruan Wan turned to Amu and said, "After your master wakes up, break off a small piece each day, grind it into powder, mix it with water, and drink it."

Around midnight, after confirming that Xia Changfeng was alright, Wu Nan checked on him and then said to Lou Qianyuan, "He's generally fine. Just be careful to prevent the wound from getting infected. After he wakes up, have him drink warm water until his urine becomes clear."

Ruan Wan took out a jade pendant from her bosom and handed it over. "Please trouble Young Master Lou to return this to the Seventh Prince. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

Lou Qianyuan accepted the jade pendant. "I'll give it to you."

"No need, Young Master Lou, you should stay and take care of the Seventh Prince."

Seeing that Ruan Wan insisted, Lou Qianyuan had no choice but to give up. "Alright then, Amu, escort Miss Ruan back to the manor."

Ruan Wan stood in front of the Seventh Prince's residence, glanced back, and realized she had no reason to enter anymore.

After boarding the carriage, escorted by Amu, Ruan Wan returned to the Ruan residence, where her father and elder brother were waiting in the main hall.

Ruan Wan stepped forward and said, "Father, Eldest Brother."

The father asked, "How is it?"

"The Seventh Prince is now out of danger."

"That's good. You must be tired. Go back and rest."

The eldest brother simply looked at Ruan Wan and shook his head.

After returning to Nanyuan and washing up, Ruan Wan went to bed. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.

The Seventh Prince's Residence

The next morning, Xia Changfeng woke up early. His injuries were not serious; he had just been hit by a bullet.

Looking around, Xia Changfeng realized he had been taken back to the manor.

All I remember is realizing I was poisoned, and after forcing myself to see Chu Zixun off, I felt dizzy and then knew nothing more.

Xia Changfeng's head was still spinning, and his wound would tear open with pain if he moved it. He slowly got up, clutching his wound, and saw Lou Qianyuan asleep in a chair with his head propped up.

Xia Changfeng's vision was blurry. He closed his eyes and shook his head a few times to clear his mind. He was thirsty and wanted to find a glass of water.

Forcing himself to walk slowly to the table, Xia Changfeng had just picked up the teapot when he saw the jade pendant next to him. His mind immediately cleared up, and he grabbed the jade pendant and ran to Lou Qianyuan, shaking him awake.

Lou Qianyuan was half asleep when his head suddenly snapped awake as he nods, his gaze blank as he stares at Xia Changfeng. After a moment, he reacts and stands up with delight, saying, "You're finally awake!"

Xia Changfeng, his wound still aching from the exertion, glanced at the jade pendant on his hand with a pained expression and asked, "Xiao Zhu came by?"

"Yes, he came by. He told me to return this to you."

Lou Qianyuan sighed, "I don't know how you got so lucky to run into her. She saved your life time and time again. You owe her a debt you can probably never repay in this lifetime."

"Did Xiaozhu save me?"

"Yes, those incompetent people in the palace were helpless. I was almost preparing for your funeral. It was Ruan Wan who pulled you back from the brink of death."

Xia Changfeng stared at the jade pendant for a long time before suddenly murmuring, "What should I do if I can't let go? What should I do if I can't lie to myself?"

Lou Qianyuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'll go get you some water and medicine."

Xia Changfeng later inquired about the outcome of the plan.

Although the ultimate goal was not achieved, it was still a major blow. Xia Changfeng and Lou Qianyuan had been planning for two whole years.

They first took some minor actions, having someone deliberately leak a little information, and then leaving some clues for Zhang Lucheng to investigate.

Everything was made to appear as a mistake, and in this way, the spies planted by Zhang Lucheng were gradually discovered.

They sacrificed several strongholds, pretending to be in a state of constant defeat.

Meanwhile, their people slowly infiltrated Zhang Encheng's inner circle, taking advantage of his arrogant personality to sow discord between him and Zhang Lucheng. Then they waited for an opportunity, an opportunity for Zhang Lucheng to launch an attack against them.

So when the Chu envoy arrived, he lured Zhang Lucheng away while revealing the route to Zhang Encheng, and had his spies whisper in his ear, and everything fell into place.

The plan was good, but risky. Xia Changfeng and Lou Qianyuan were prepared to take a gamble, but they did not expect the unexpected changes. If it weren't for Ruan Wan, they would probably have paid a heavy price.

After drinking a lot of water and going to the toilet countless times, Xia Changfeng was almost completely exhausted.

Lou Qianyuan told him intermittently what happened after he fell into a coma.

Xia Changfeng leaned back in his chair and said weakly, "They're ruthless enough to sacrifice their own son to save the Zhang family."

"The Great Xia was already hostile to the Eastern Yi. That old thief was quite cunning. He immediately fabricated evidence that Zhang Encheng was a traitor, then used a grand act of sacrificing family for the greater good and voluntarily relinquishing military power. In addition, he used a self-inflicted injury ruse to completely absolve himself of any responsibility."

"This incident has shaken the foundations of the Zhang family, and their cronies are also implicated."

"I'm truly disappointed that I couldn't wipe out the Zhang family in one go. If you hadn't been injured this time, we could have taken them down completely."

Lou Qianyuan suddenly grinned mischievously, "However, since you were injured saving Princess Linglong this time, the princess is probably now completely devoted to you."

Xia Changfeng shook his head and smiled wryly, "Does everyone know that I am unharmed?"

"Don't worry, after Wan'er said you were alright yesterday, I sent someone to the palace to report that you were safe. I also sent a messenger to the Fourth Prince of Chu. The Emperor has sent the imperial physician to examine you, and he said that as long as you rest well, you will be fine."

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, Zhang Ming, his eyes bloodshot, cried out in a hoarse voice, "Grandfather, how could Father have colluded with the enemy? He died so mysteriously! You must give us an explanation!"

Zhang Lucheng looked old and tired as he looked at his two grandsons.

The eldest brother, Zhang Xuan, stood silently to the side, seemingly aware of everything, while the second brother, Zhang Ming, went completely into a frenzy.

Zhang Lucheng said, "It's true that your father colluded with the enemy, and I personally delivered the poison. If you want revenge, you can kill me now."

Zhang Ming looked at his grandfather with disbelief.

Zhang Xuan asked, "What exactly happened that makes Father so desperate to die? Is it related to the Seventh Prince's injury and poisoning?"

Zhang Lucheng nodded. "This time, your father was framed by the Seventh Prince and caught red-handed. If we don't do this, the Zhang family will be doomed."

Zhang Xuan continued, "Grandfather handed over the evidence of collusion with the Eastern Barbarians. What should be done about the Eastern Barbarians?"

Zhang Lucheng smiled; finally, the Zhang family had someone capable of inheriting the great cause. He called out, "Land Rover!"

Land Rover opened the door, knelt down, and said, "Master."

"Go and contact the Dongyi people; the plan will proceed as scheduled."

"Yes," Land Rover replied and went to carry out the order.

Zhang Ming asked doubtfully, "Grandfather, aren't you walking into a trap by contacting the Dongyi people?"

Zhang Lucheng simply smiled. Zhang Ming looked at Zhang Xuan, who said, "Fortune favors the bold, and besides, it's very safe now. Wasn't Father killed for treason?"

Looking at his grandfather and elder brother, Zhang Ming suddenly realized, then said with a regretful expression, "If it weren't for that third young lady of the Ruan family, the Seventh Prince would have died long ago."

Zhang Xuan laughed and said, "I have to thank Miss Ruan this time. If the Seventh Prince were dead, my grandfather's trick would probably be useless in the face of his wrath."

Zhang Lucheng continued, "I didn't know your father sent a team to ambush us. I also sent a team to the rear, but they withdrew. Our original target was Princess Linglong, but our target was the Lou family. This old man Mo's granddaughter has really come back for revenge."

Suddenly, a fierce glint appeared in Zhang Lucheng's eyes.