Chapter 91 Thank you

Ji Yun's heart tightened suddenly at this inexplicable thought. He immediately stepped forward, took the white porcelain plate from Meng Yutong's hand, and gently supported her elbow. His voice was filled with tension and concern that he himself was unaware of: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Meng Yutong suddenly raised her eyelids, her gaze icy and sharp as a blade, shooting straight at him. Her tone suddenly became distant and sharp: "You already know who poisoned you. What do you plan to do next?"

"I will truthfully report everything I have found out today once my aunt wakes up. I will definitely clear your name and severely punish the real culprit."

Ji Yun solemnly promised, but his gaze never left her pale face. His doubts deepened; Yu Tong's reaction was too abnormal. Did she really already know about this poison?

Could this be related to those dream memories that he was unaware of?

Some vague thoughts struggled to break through the soil in his mind, and some fragmented clues seemed to be about to be connected. But every time he tried to take a step forward, the truth that was about to emerge quickly disappeared like the receding tide, leaving only a deeper fog, making it even more difficult for him to see the road ahead.

Rather than finding out who Jin'an was behind her and whether there was someone else behind her, Meng Yutong's unusual reaction made him more uneasy and filled with anxiety.

He wanted to know what kind of past Meng Yutong was hiding, and what kind of past she had experienced.

"Physician Ji's words are certainly high-sounding." Meng Yutong stood still, looking at him. Her usually clear eyes were now frighteningly calm, as if filled with unyielding ink and ice. "It's just that Princess Jin'an and Physician Ji have been childhood sweethearts, and their relationship is extraordinary. But I wonder if Physician Ji can truly be as impartial and selfless as he claims, putting righteousness before family when the time comes."

In her past life, the bowl of medicine Qing Shu sent, laced with begonia blossoms, was undoubtedly connected to Jin An. It was Jin An who instructed them to harm her.

But Qing Shu is Ji Yun's man.

Did Ji Yun know about that matter? Was he involved?

Since her rebirth, Meng Yutong has felt that every day is a blessing from heaven, and the peaceful days she enjoys practicing medicine and running her clinic are hard-won. She never dares to think deeply about Qiu Haitang's past life, nor does she dare to harbor even the slightest thought of revenge.

She feared that once she took that step, she would be drawn into a vortex of power and hatred, which would completely destroy everything she had worked so hard for.

Throughout her journey, she considered herself brave and fearless, and even quite free-spirited and decisive. Yet, on this particular matter, she felt cowardly and dared not delve deeper.

But that's just how things are in this world; the more she tries to avoid them, the more they come knocking on her door.

Even if she took the initiative to avoid him and broke off the engagement with Ji Yun, could she still not escape this ending?

"The method of poisoning was indeed covert. Although we have deduced the source of the poison and its connection, we still lack concrete evidence to identify it. Given Jin'an's personality, I'm afraid he won't admit it or provide the antidote."

Ji Yun didn't understand why Meng Yutong's reaction was so abnormal, nor did he understand why she was looking at him with such an unfamiliar gaze.

In all the time they had spent together, even her cold and distant attitude had never been like this.

He felt a sudden, inexplicable chill, but he forced himself to remain calm. Her suspicions had not yet been cleared, and he couldn't afford to lose his composure.

"Now that the key has been identified, the most urgent task is to find an antidote to revive your aunt. Only when your aunt is awake can your crimes be completely cleared. I will immediately take this poison back to the medical academy and ask Chen Bin to identify what kind of poison it is so that an antidote can be prepared as soon as possible. In the meantime, you must not act rashly."

Meng Yutong remained standing silently, her chill undiminished.

Ji Yun turned to look at Shi Yu and Wu Ming, who were trying to make their presence as small as possible and were practically standing like wooden stakes. His tone returned to its usual calm: "I have something important to discuss with her alone. I would appreciate it if you two could excuse yourselves for the time being."

Wu Ming quickly responded and pulled the still somewhat dazed Shi Yu out of the courtyard.

In an instant, only the two of them remained in the courtyard, and the air seemed to freeze.

"Are you worried about my relationship with Jin'an, and convinced that I'll protect her?" Ji Yun stared intently at Meng Yutong, even taking a half-step closer. His tall figure cast a shadow that almost completely enveloped Meng Yutong as he approached. "Are you worried that I'll shield her in the future?"

Meng Yutong frowned and instinctively stepped back, but her back bumped against the rough trunk of a persimmon tree behind her, blocking her escape. She could only watch helplessly as he approached, his oppressive gaze descending like a net.

"You care about this so much?" His voice was deep, falling on my ear.

Meng Yutong suddenly raised her eyes, meeting his probing gaze directly, and said coldly, "Physician Ji is overthinking things. I'm just worried that I might not be able to protect myself and clear my name, and that my hard-earned Zhaoyutang might end up burning to the ground."

As she spoke, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the small, bright red mole under her eye stood out even more against her pale skin, exuding a breathtakingly beautiful allure.

Ji Yun's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the red mole, lingering for a moment before shifting away as if burned, but inadvertently landing on her tightly pursed lips.

Her lips, a deeper, more intense crimson, were even more captivating.

Ji Yun's breathing faltered slightly, and his hands, hanging by his sides, clenched quietly.

He seemed to suddenly wake up, abruptly taking half a step back to widen the distance between them, and his tone returned to its usual calm as he earnestly explained, "My relationship with Jin'an is not what you think. I have mentioned to you before that I have an elder brother who died young."

“My brother, like Jin’an, suffered from a heart ailment since childhood. They were kindred spirits and thus became close. When my brother was alive, he vowed to find a cure for the heart ailment and protect Jin’an’s health. Now that I have taken over her treatment and am studying the prescription, I am merely fulfilling my brother’s unfinished promise and his last wish.”

He paused, then looked at her calmly: "So, what you are worried about will never happen. I will report everything I have found out today to my aunt once she wakes up. As for how to proceed, my aunt will decide."

At this point, his tone softened slightly, and a glimmer seemed to flicker in his usually cool eyes. "However, it's unlike you that you would care about something like this."

A gentle breeze swept by, stirring the lush persimmon leaves on the tree, making them rustle softly.

The dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting shadows on his handsome profile, dispelling some of his aloofness and revealing a rare warmth.

He spoke frankly and openly about his relationship with Jin'an, as if it were not a lie.

Meng Yutong was slightly taken aback by his words.

She unconsciously gripped the hem of her dress tightly with one hand, a look of astonishment flashing across her face. The emotion came so quickly that it turned into a deeper confusion before she could even discern it.

She stood there blankly, looking up at him with her head slightly tilted back, revealing a rare look of bewilderment.

"What's wrong?" Ji Yun noticed her unusual reaction and lowered his voice even further. "You're acting very differently today. Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Meng Yutong raised her head, her gaze seemingly unfocused for a moment, and suddenly asked an unrelated question: "I haven't seen Qingshu in a long time, what has he been doing lately?"

The question came abruptly, but Ji Yun didn't press for a reason. He simply replied naturally, "Qingshu was originally my brother's personal attendant. Since my brother passed away, he has been by my side. In the past, when I went to the palace to take Jin'an's pulse, he usually accompanied me. However,"

He paused briefly, "The last time I went to the palace to examine someone, I had already assigned him to do something else, but he took the initiative to ask to come with me. He has always been calm and disciplined, and rarely oversteps his bounds like this. I felt something was amiss, so I transferred him to take care of Ji Ming, and it has been some time since I have had him by my side."

As he spoke, his gaze never left Meng Yutong's face, meticulously observing every subtle change in her expression.

With his keen and meticulous mind, he naturally realized that Qing Shu might have appeared in her dream memories that he was unaware of.

Ji Yun's expression was gentle as he said slowly, "Is there anything else you want to know? As long as it's something you want to know, and as long as I know it, I will tell you."

After hearing his explanation, Meng Yutong was overwhelmed with a thousand thoughts.

Many of the things he said today were things she was completely unaware of in her previous life.

If what he said is true, then perhaps her death in her previous life really had nothing to do with him.

For some reason, after gaining this understanding, she felt no turmoil, but rather an unusual calm.

Upon reflection, even without that bowl of poison, her life in that marriage was already riddled with problems and filled with hardship. She and Ji Yun were a mismatched couple from the start, a union made in error.

As her thoughts cleared, Meng Yutong suddenly realized her lapse in composure. Past matters shouldn't be dwelled on now, in this place. The most urgent matter was to cure Princess Jingfu's poison.

She composed herself and cut straight to the point, looking at Ji Yun: "Have you ever heard of begonia?"

Begonia?

Ji Yun's expression hardened slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. He naturally understood that, in this situation, she was definitely not asking about the ornamental flower.

If it wasn't a flower, then it must be a deadly poison that caused a great uproar in the palace more than a decade ago. The favored Consort Min of that time perished from this very poison.

"More than a decade ago, Consort Min died from this poison. How do you know about it?" Ji Yun looked suspicious, a warning bell ringing in his heart. "Do you suspect that the poison we're currently suffering from is related to the begonia?"

Instead of answering, Meng Yutong asked him a question, her gaze fixed on him: "How much do you know about the whole story of Consort Min's poisoning?"

"The physician in charge of Consort Min's medical records back then was Shen Bing, the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy," Ji Yun said thoughtfully. "If you want to know the details, I will go to Jishetang and invite him over immediately."

After he finished speaking, he carefully picked up the dish of strangely colored poison mixed together on the table and said gently to Meng Yutong, "Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Ji Yun," Meng Yutong suddenly called out to him.

He stopped and turned around: "Is there anything else?"

Meng Yutong looked at him, her clear, cool eyes now revealing a hint of sincerity. She pursed her lips slightly, her voice soft yet clear: "Thank you."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yun smiled and said in a low, gentle voice, "There's no need for thanks between us."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer, turned around and walked away quickly, his clothes brushing against the bluestone in the courtyard, bringing with them a cool breeze.