Repeatedly broken branches

Shen Ruoxuan said to Yu Yanjing, "I won't let you go until you're healed!"

Yu Yanjing had no heart to heal his wounds. He had a high fever for more than half a month, which kept recurring. His wounds were slow to heal, and every time they were about to scab over, they would fester and crack open again. Shen Ruoxuan was very worried.

I don't tell him what happens outside, since it's all trivial anyway. It's nothing more than those scumbag affairs in Chen Kingdom, or rather, Jiuguang Kingdom, about the two sons-in-law plotting a rebellion, murdering the king, and usurping the throne.

In any case, Yu Yanjing had no interest in those matters and was ill at the time, so he declined Yin Fu'an's invitation and did not attend the ceremony.

Xiao Mu hasn't heard from him for a long time, and has buried him in her heart. She has no mind to think about love and romance right now.

If she focused all her attention on this, she might be able to cheer up. Now that she can't see him, she might as well spend more time figuring out how to escape.

Xiao Mu thought that if she escaped, the first thing she would do was to find Yu Yanjing. She longed to fall into his arms and cry her heart out; she had no one else to confide in.

However, she didn't even know how to get to Chaoyang Kingdom.

She could only ask Ruan Cifeng for help; he was her friend and would definitely help her.

Yu Yanjing also thought about how to escape every day, but what could she do even if she escaped? Perhaps she had already married the person she wanted to marry, or perhaps she was very happy.

What's the point of him going?

After Ruan Cifeng finished preparing the last dose of medicine for Xiao Mu, he knew he couldn't come again tomorrow. He felt a little reluctant, but he didn't dare to show it.

Xiao Mu said, "Could you give me a dose of poison? I need it."

“Okay, but you have to use the right amount, only half a spoonful, otherwise that person will definitely die.” Ruan Cifeng didn’t know that she was going to use it on herself, so she readily took out a small packet of powder from the medicine box and placed it on the table.

Then she took out a small jade hairpin from her sleeve. It was a tuberose hairpin, also small, exquisite, and incomparably beautiful. Ruan Cifeng said gently...

"I made this in my spare time, so it may be a bit rough. I hope you won't mind."

Xiao Mu exclaimed in astonishment, "This is not rough at all; it's much more refined than the ones I bought from famous shops!"

After saying that, she inserted the jade hairpin into her hair bun.

Ruan Cifeng smiled, "Only you don't mind me, so I'm willing to make these things for you. They look good on you, and I'm happy to do them. However, I won't be able to come tomorrow. Oh, right, this is the antidote for that poison. I hope you can use it."

Ruan Cifeng took out a small bottle and placed it on the table, instructing, "This will be effective with just one drop. If you feel sorry for him, give it to him."

He's too soft-hearted. He probably doesn't think I'm going to drug someone else. Oh well, it's better that he doesn't know. Otherwise, why would he give me poison?

Xiao Mu replied, "Okay, okay, don't worry about that. Quickly think of where to take me when I go out in a while!"

"Okay, I'll think about it when I get back." Ruan Cifeng left reluctantly.

Since Ye Wanwan dared to poison her before, she'll play along and let the poison take effect. She'll do it for no other reason than to see Ye Wanwan get angry.

Ye Wanwan would often bring over some desserts and porridge she made herself, but she usually just threw them away.

Today's dish is barley porridge. After Xiaoshao brought the porridge in, he went out to do his own thing, since the princess wouldn't eat it anyway.

She took out the powder with a small spoon, sprinkled half a spoonful in, stirred it, pinched her nose and ate a few spoonfuls. The poison didn't take effect quickly or kill her, but if she didn't receive timely treatment, she would still die, so she was a little uneasy.

"Madam, Madam, what's wrong?"

"Don't scare Xiao Shao! Someone, someone, the lady has been poisoned!"

Xiao Shao ran out in a panic to find a doctor.

She didn't discuss it with Xiao Shao beforehand, all for the sake of making the performance more realistic, so that Xiao Shao would really believe she was poisoned, and others would be more likely to believe it.

Xiao Mu really did take the poison herself, but she put the antidote under her pillow, fearing that the doctor wouldn't be able to prepare an antidote.

Xiao Mu had already fainted; her lips and eyelids were bluish-purple.

Upon receiving the news, Xue, who was burning incense and praying to Buddha in the suburbs, rushed back.

When Zhou Tingxi arrived with the doctor, Xiao Mu was already almost lifeless.

The doctor took out a silver needle, pricked her finger, squeezed out a little blood, and guessed that she had probably been poisoned by a poison called Gelsemium elegans, also known as the gourd vine.

Zhou Tingxi asked, "Can this poison be cured?" He was almost frantic. Upon hearing the news, he rushed back from the military camp. Without even catching his breath, he went straight to Zhu Lou.

The doctor said, "Yes, but I'd like to ask the lady's personal maid what she has eaten and what she has taken."

"Madam didn't eat anything all morning except for the barley porridge made by the Second Madam."

After saying that, Xiaoshao pointed to the half-eaten porridge on the table.

After examining Zhou Tingxi, the doctor said that there was a small amount of Gelsemium elegans in the porridge, but even a small amount could be fatal if not treated in time.

The doctor also found that Xiao Mu's body was cold and there was residual toxin in her heart. It was not fatal, but it could cause heart paralysis and infertility.

Zhou Tingxi knew that the infertility was caused by Ye Wanwan, but there was no evidence at the time.

With tears in her eyes, Xiao Shao knelt before Zhou Tingxi and sobbed, "This porridge was sent by the Second Madam. The Second Madam often cooks for our Madam herself. Our Madam was probably afraid of something and never ate it before, but I don't know why she ate it today."

“General, our lady has always considered the Second Madam as her own sister! She even said that once the Second Madam's child is born, she will treat it as her own… But the Second Madam has repeatedly harmed our lady, and our lady has no suspicion of her whatsoever.”

Xiao Shao cried with tears streaming down her face. She was very clever and knew that the source of the poison was Ye Wanwan. So she made up some truth and some lies, adding fuel to the fire, to make Zhou Tingxi believe her without a doubt.

Zhou Tingxi's subordinates were holding Ye Wanwan hostage, but Ye Wanwan broke free and looked straight at Zhou Tingxi, saying, "Tingxi, don't you believe me?"

letter?

How can you expect me to believe you? You've been naive for a long time.

"General, I have prepared the antidote and it can be given to the lady."

Zhou Tingxi personally held the medicine bowl and fed her the medicine spoonful by spoonful. Xiaoshao looked at him, and there was nothing else in his eyes but Xia Yunzhi.

Before long, Xiao Mu's lips were no longer bluish-purple, but they were still deathly pale, and her eyelids gradually returned to their original color.

"When Xiaozhi wakes up, let her deal with you herself. I won't do anything to you because you saved me from drowning. You can still live here and enjoy being served. I will let Xiaozhi raise the child after it is born."

Xiao Shao looked at Zhou Tingxi in shock and asked, "General, when did you say you fell into the water?"

Zhou Tingxi said slowly, "Two years ago, at Qiushui Lake, on the night of the Lantern Festival."

Xiao Shao knelt on the ground, choking back tears, and said, "That day, it was our Madam who saved the General. She noticed that the General was wearing a sachet that she had personally given to you, so she jumped down to save you without thinking. She then immediately notified your confidants. Because the Emperor was looking for her, she had to go back first. Because of this, she was sick with a cold for fifteen days! How could it be the Second Madam who saved you?"

Zhou Tingxi glanced at Ye Wanwan and asked coldly, "Is what she said true?"

Ye Wanwan said sweetly, "General, you didn't ask me. You yourself assumed that I was the one who saved you. I don't know how this happened."

After saying that, she pretended to be innocent and ran up to Xiao Mu, pointing at her and saying, "Why didn't you say anything when you saved someone, Princess? I feel so wronged!"

Xiao Shao stepped forward, blocking Xiao Mu's path, and stared at Ye Wanwan, saying, "What do you mean by that, Second Madam? After our Madam woke up, the General was convinced that you were the one who saved him. What else could she say? On the contrary, she foolishly regarded you as a good sister. And you, taking advantage of her illness, stole her man. Do you really have any heart? She trusted you so much!"

"Slap!" Ye Wanwan slapped Xiao Shao across the face in a fit of anger, and scolded, "It's not your place to speak here, you servant!"

Zhou Tingxi was used to Ye Wanwan's gentle and soft-spoken nature, but this was the first time he had ever seen her speak so loudly, and the first time he had ever seen her hit someone. She was truly disappointing.

Xiao Shao covered her face and continued relentlessly, "Our princess is madly in love with the general. She risked her life to save him twice. But what about you, Second Madam? When the general fell into the water, you ran faster than anyone else and even gave her a drug that would make her infertile. What were you up to?"

Ye Wanwan was speechless, and could only look at Zhou Tingxi with her innocent eyes, as if to say, "None of this is true, believe me."

Zhou Tingxi is not the same Zhou Tingxi who could be deceived before. He should have realized that the weak and helpless Ye Wanwan, the Ye Wanwan who seemed more innocent than anyone else, was actually such a vicious person.

Zhou Tingxi looked at her with disappointment and said indifferently, "You've been lying to me for so long, what was it all for? Tell me."

Upon hearing Xiao Shao's words, he immediately understood that his previous kindness towards Ye Wanwan while neglecting Xia Yunzhi was entirely due to the life-saving grace and Ye Wanwan's instigation.

But she's pregnant now, what can she do?

It was all his fault. He felt sorry for Xia Yunzhi and was filled with remorse. He was impure, but he still couldn't bear to let her go.

Ye Wanwan said, her words contradicting her true feelings, "It's all because I love you, Tingxi. From the moment you appeared in the palace, I fell deeply in love with you... I know my status is too lowly to love you, but there's nothing wrong with loving someone..."

Xiao Shao felt nauseous. Zhou Tingxi was the princess's fiancé. How could she possibly love him? At that time, she was a refugee. If the princess hadn't saved her, she would have died long ago. How could she fall in love with the fiancé of her savior?

What use are sisters like that?

Zhou Tingxi glared at him and said, "You love me? You love me? You lied to me?"

"Ye Wanwan, which of your words are true and which are false?"