She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan noticed that Zhao Yi's expression was solemn, as if he had something very important to announce.

She couldn't help but become serious, and because she was a little nervous, she started to panic.

Since Zhao Yi rarely experiences this situation, the fact that he takes it so seriously suggests that it is a very serious matter.

"Go ahead," Shen Qingtan said, fearing that her current stable life might be disrupted by major changes that would throw all her plans into disarray. She forced herself to remain calm and replied, "I'm listening."

Zhao Yi could tell that her voice was very low and soft, as if she was suppressing her inner unease.

He said in a low voice, "Tan'er, I am not weak and sickly because of congenital deficiencies."

Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi in astonishment, and various guesses immediately formed in her mind.

Zhao Yi said calmly, "I was poisoned."

Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi in disbelief.

Given his status, who would poison him?

“At first, my parents noticed that I was different from other children. No matter how much they fed me, I didn’t gain weight and instead got thinner and thinner. So they asked the imperial physician to treat me. The physician diagnosed that I had been poisoned by a slow-acting poison. The emperor and the Duke’s mansion then searched for famous doctors to detoxify me.”

"Academician Chen said that chronic poisoning has a slow onset and a long course. If my parents don't discover my condition in time, and it develops two or three years later, it will be too late to save me."

Zhao Yi's tone remained calm throughout: "Although it was discovered early, they were unable to completely cure me and determined that I would not live past the age of ten. The Emperor then issued an edict that if I could not live past the age of ten, the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital would lose their heads."

Shen Qingtan's fingers dug into her palms, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She had many questions to ask, but didn't know where to begin.

"Academician Chen has done his best to treat me. After so many years of treatment, the poison in my body has been almost completely eliminated, with only a little bit remaining. But he is powerless to help me now," Zhao Yi said calmly. "My body is getting worse and worse because of this poison. If I get seriously ill again, there will really be no way to save me."

Shen Qingtan's heart tightened, because every autumn and winter, he would fall seriously ill.

No wonder everyone's saying he only has six months to live...

Her throat was dry: "Is this why you don't want children?"

“Hmm.” Zhao Yi nodded slightly, her tone finally showing some variation: “I can’t guarantee the child will be normal. The child might suffer the same pain as me, or the child might be disabled. You’ve already been unfortunate enough to marry someone like me who is destined to die young. If there’s another child like this, and you’re the only one raising and bearing the burden… I can’t be that selfish.”

“You don’t need to be so discouraged. Didn’t Dean Chen say that as long as we find Zhongyuan, there is still hope for you?” In her anxiety, Shen Qingtan grasped his hand. “I already know where Zhongyuan is. Uncle Qin’s nephew escorted him to Suizhou in Northern Qi last year, and I heard that he will be staying in Suizhou for the next few years. I asked Uncle Qin to look for him. His nephew has seen Zhongyuan, so we should find him soon.”

Zhao Yi looked at her anxious face, but when she mentioned Zhong Yuan, her eyes were filled with anticipation and hope.

He couldn't bear to dampen her enthusiasm, and smiled slightly, saying, "Madam is my benefactor."

Emperor Jing'an and the Duke's Mansion were making a big fuss about finding him, and Zhong Yuan, who had been in the Great Zhou before, couldn't possibly have been unaware of it.

Zhongyuan's refusal to come to the capital to treat his illness demonstrates his unwillingness to do so.

They might even deliberately hide their whereabouts so that they can't be found.

"Don't fortune tellers always say that if a person who has suffered many misfortunes meets their destined benefactor, they will be able to turn bad luck into good?" Shen Qingtan said with a very firm tone, "You said that I am your benefactor, so you will definitely be fine."

Zhao Yi smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at the two people's hands clasped together.

Shen Qingtan, however, was completely oblivious and said earnestly, "I am a person who sticks to my principles. Now that I have married you, I have only you in my life. If you leave, I will not go back to my parents' home, nor will I remarry. I will still stay in the Zhao family. How my life goes on from now on depends entirely on how long I live."

Zhao Yi's eyes flickered slightly.

Shen Qingtan continued, "You're still by my side now, and Shen Mingzhu dared to show off in front of me today just because she's pregnant. If you're gone one day, leaving me all alone and helpless, how will she treat me? How will Zhao Jue treat me?"

Zhao Yi couldn't help but recall the way Zhao Jue looked at him and at Shen Qingtan, and his clear eyes suddenly turned cold.

He flipped his hand over and grasped Shen Qingtan's soft hand in return.

Her fingers were white and slender, with pointed tips like tender bamboo shoots in early spring.

“They won’t have a chance to bully you.” Zhao Yi gently held her hand in his palm and said softly, “I will take care of my body and wait for you to bring Zhongyuan back.”

This was Zhao Yi's guarantee and promise to her.

When Shen Qingtan finally got what she wanted, she couldn't help but smile gently at him. But as she smiled, her nose suddenly stung and her eyes welled up with tears.

“I don’t like people who don’t keep their promises.” Shen Qingtan’s hand twitched, and her fingers scratched his palm: “You’d better remember what you said.”

Zhao Yi gripped her restless fingers and gave a soft "hmm".

Shen Qingtan calmed down and asked, "Have you found the person who poisoned us?"

Zhao Yi paused for a moment and then said, "My mother said it has already been dealt with."

Shen Qingtan then asked, "How many people know about your situation?"

Zhao Yi replied, "My grandfather, grandmother, parents, and the Emperor, and the rest are the imperial physicians and famous doctors who treated me. They have all been silenced and dare not tell anyone."

"Oh." Shen Qingtan looked at his handsome face and asked again, "You're not hiding anything from me, are you?"

Zhao Yi tightened his grip, looked up at Shen Qingtan. Her eyes were slightly red, and the tip of her nose was also slightly red. For some reason, he felt that once the divorce agreement was revealed, it would hurt her heart and make her angry.

He pursed his lips slightly and decided to go to his grandfather to retrieve it and destroy it, pretending that nothing had happened.

Zhao Yi coughed a few times: "There shouldn't be any more."

should?

Shen Qingtan raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing that the statement was exaggerated.

Everyone has their little secrets, so she didn't pry.

-

Zhao Yi came out of the main room.

Jiang Mu, who was guarding the door, walked up to him and said, "Second Master, I have something to report."

Zhao Yi turned and walked towards the office: "Have the arrangements been made for the people going to Nanling Prefecture?"

Jiang Mu replied, "It's all arranged. Jiang Chao personally led the team there."

Zhao Yi nodded slightly and pushed open the door to the room to enter.

Jiang Mu followed closely in and closed the door: "Shen Shaohuai has arranged for people to investigate Second Madam."