Chapter 45 We All Need to Be Well

Lian Qiao was holding a tray with ointment for dispersing blood stasis that Zhang Yao had brought for everyone.

She gave it to everyone, and only gave it to Song Zhimian last.

When she entered Song Zhimin's room, Song Zhimin was sitting on the edge of the bed, applying the ointment that Lianqiao had given her to her knees.

She didn't kneel much at the princess's villa in the suburbs of Beijing, but she knelt down thoroughly after returning to the inner palace.

Even though the matter discovered had nothing to do with the inner palace, Aunt Cui still scolded everyone.

Everyone listened meekly to Aunt Cui's admonition.

If it weren't for Aunt Cui protecting everyone today, quite a few people in the inner palace would have been punished.

The young master of the Marquis's mansion died suddenly in front of everyone. How could the old lady of the Marquis's mansion not be angered by taking her anger out on a few people?

Everyone, just keep kneeling...

Song Zhimian looked at Lianqiao, who was holding the ointment in her hand.

Lian Qiao also looked at Song Zhimian in the same way.

Suddenly, both of their eyes reddened.

"Use this! This one works even better. Auntie, the head of the medicine department, specially brought it for everyone."

Let me rub it for you!

As Lian Qiao spoke, she took the ointment from her hand and personally applied it to Song Zhimian, then gently pressed it.

Song Zhimian could feel that Lian Qiao's hands were trembling...

Neither of them spoke.

After a while, Song Zhimian felt that her knees didn't hurt as much anymore, and Lian Qiao also stopped.

The two exchanged a glance.

"We...success!" Lian Qiao's expression was filled with excitement.

Song Zhimian nodded.

"Yes! It worked! I'm very lucky!"

Lianqiao raised her hand and wiped her eyes, then applied the remaining ointment around her eyes.

She immediately felt a burning sensation around her eyes, and tears streamed down her face.

"I'm fine! I just... the ointment is burning!"

Lian Qiao took the handkerchief that Song Zhimian handed her and wiped her eyes while explaining.

Song Zhimian also looked at Lian Qiao crying with red eyes.

Actually... she wanted to cry too!

She never expected her plan to succeed.

Time was of the essence, and there was little she could do; she could only make plans based on the information she had.

Song Zhimian learned that Cai Boju liked to eat undercooked roasted meat, and that this was especially true at Princess Shou Kang's birthday banquet.

Everyone knows that he is about to go to the north, and upon his return he will be betrothed. On that day, he will surely be the happiest person among everyone.

Given his familiarity with the princess's villa, it's understandable that he might have the urge to show off.

Song Zhimian was betting that he would go hunting for wild game in the back mountains like before...

Once he had this idea, Song Zhimin's plan had succeeded in its first step.

When Song Zhimin visited the princess's villa for the second time, Lian Qiao told her that there was almost no wild game left on the back mountain.

Then we need to find a way to lure some wild game over...

Lianqiao secretly gave Song Zhimian a medicine.

It is colorless and odorless to humans, but rabbits and mountain rats can smell it. Medicine King Valley often uses that medicine to trap the rabbits and mountain rats in the valley.

Then they captured them to test the drugs...

Song Zhimian scattered the medicine next to the foxgloves growing on the back hill...

Song Zhimian knew that the chances of everything they did succeeding were very small, less than 10%...

Who would have thought... that Cai Boju was right just as Song Zhimian had predicted.

He was very proud of himself, not only arrogant but also subtly disregarding the Crown Prince.

He not only personally caught the rabbits that had eaten foxgloves, but also personally cleaned and roasted them.

They even brought over some half-cooked rabbit meat to everyone.

Song Zhimian knew that no one would eat it, and the people around the Crown Prince would certainly not allow him to eat any food other than that sent by the Imperial Kitchen.

At Xiaoyao Terrace that day, only Cai Boju ate there...

Song Zhimian and Lian Qiao succeeded—an unexpected success!

"I'm not sure if rabbits that have eaten foxgloves will be poisonous after being roasted."

However, undercooked food will definitely be poisonous.

"Cai Boju... even God wants to take him!" Lian Qiao said through gritted teeth.

Song Zhimian nodded, then she took Lian Qiao's hand and gave her earnest instructions.

"This was an accident, you know? It has nothing to do with us!"

“Yes! It must be an accident! It has nothing to do with us!” Lian Qiao looked at Song Zhimian seriously.

She knew that if even a little bit of what Song Zhimian had done got out, everyone would die!

She had been feeling hopeless, thinking there was nothing she could do.

When will we be able to avenge the massacre of our entire family?

Now……

One of them was suddenly taken down!

Although there was a lot of luck involved, the result was good.

"Zhimian, you're amazing! You actually came up with such a solution." Lian Qiao looked at Song Zhimian with admiration.

Song Zhimian patted her knees.

"I don't know anything, unlike you who know so much. I only have one brain, so I'm sure I think more!"

Okay, let's not think about this anymore.

Lian Qiao nodded and hummed in agreement.

"Next time...who are we going to take down?" Lian Qiao's eyes were full of excitement.

Song Zhimian...

She didn't know what to do next!

All we can do now is take it one step at a time!

"I don't know! But what we need to do now is protect ourselves. As long as we're alive, anything is possible!"

If we're gone, then there's no hope left!

So, you should be a good doctor.

I will do my job as a female official well.

"Opportunities...we'll have to look for more! The most important thing for us right now is that we ourselves take good care of ourselves!" Song Zhimian said earnestly.

Lian Qiao nodded vigorously, then gripped Song Zhimian's hand tightly.

I will protect you!

Song Zhimian...

I don't need your protection, you should protect yourself!

...

It wasn't just Song Zhimian and Lian Qiao who were having a secret meeting; there were also people having secret meetings in the capital's Spring Festival Gala.

Xiao Huaijin, Wei Yanli from the Wei family, Shen Yunchuan, the heir apparent of the Shen family, and Princess Yongxin, whom no one else would have expected, were all sitting in a private room.

"Who did this?" Xiao Huaijin sighed.

“It wasn’t me!” Princess Yongxin immediately declared.

Xiao Huaijin and the other two all rolled their eyes at her.

“We know it’s definitely not you! Don’t worry, no one suspects you!” Xiao Huaijin said helplessly.

“I knew you would believe me!” Princess Yongxin said happily.

Xiao Huaijin...

It's not that he looks down on Princess Yongxin.

Instead, everyone believed that the person who could come up with such an unexpected method could not possibly be Princess Yongxin, who liked to wield a whip...