“The Princess does indeed show signs of poisoning, and it’s a very subtle kind of poison,” Doctor Gu said, stroking his beard. He then looked at Xiao Youran and said, “This condition is recorded in the Poison Classic. My disciple, tell me about it.”

He spoke in the tone of a master testing his students.

No one suspected anything.

Xiao Youran rolled her eyes inwardly. It was clearly because the divine physician didn't know how to detoxify.

She could only say with a worried expression, "This poison is called Dream Flower, Master, am I right?"

After Doctor Gu nodded earnestly, she continued, "The person who poisoned her was extremely discreet. This poison has no obvious symptoms; it only causes respiratory failure when she falls into a deep sleep at night. At first, it's intermittent, so that those watching over her won't notice. It will become increasingly serious as time goes on. Not only will her brain lack oxygen, but she will also start having nightmares frequently, waking up in fright. In severe cases, it will instill fear and make her afraid to fall asleep. You must know that sleep is an important way for the body to repair itself. If you don't sleep well, or if you don't fall asleep for a long time, you will become deranged, and over time, your bodily functions will be damaged. If this is the case for ordinary people, then Princess, you are six months pregnant and about to give birth. I'm afraid it will lead to even more serious consequences."

A look of panic appeared on the princess's face as she asked anxiously, "Could this poison harm my child?"

Xiao Youran sighed inwardly. As expected, a mother's love is strong. After being poisoned, she didn't think about detoxifying herself, but instead thought about whether it would harm the fetus in her womb.

Before she could speak, Yueyue anxiously grabbed her hand and asked, "You Ran, can my mother's poison be cured? I don't want my mother and brother to die, please..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Xiao Youran patted her hand, "Don't worry, Master can cure the poison that Princess Chang has been afflicted with."

Doctor Gu stared at her in utter bewilderment, wondering when he would be able to cure this poison.

However, thinking of this little girl's amazing abilities, and recalling how Jiang Youchen often took the blame for her, he suddenly became excited and nodded vigorously, "Not bad, not bad, I can cure this poison, but..."

I must go back and reconsider the prescription.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Youran interrupted him, "However... if an ordinary woman were poisoned by this, it wouldn't be difficult to cure her. To cure this poison, one would use an antidote and acupuncture to force the poison into the uterus, allowing it to be expelled through menstrual blood. But... Your Highness, you are pregnant, so it is possible that the poison could be forced entirely into the fetus."

The princess's expression hardened. "Is there any other way?"

Yueyue was also very anxious, "I don't want anything to happen to my brother!"

Xiao Youran patted her hand, "Sister Yueyue, don't worry. Princess, the poison has already reached your internal organs. Your baby is absorbing nutrients in your womb, so naturally, he has also absorbed the poison. Fortunately, the poison has a slow onset and is not fatal at the moment. Princess, you can drink the antidote first to remove some of the toxins. After the baby is born, you can use acupuncture to expel the poison. The poison in the baby's body should be very mild. After the baby is a month old, let the wet nurse drink the antidote and then feed him. That should be enough to detoxify him."

Yueyue breathed a sigh of relief, then clenched her little fists and said, "Who is so wicked as to lay a hand on my mother and brother!"

The eldest princess glanced at Aunt Jinxiu but said nothing.

Madam Su quickly got up. "I'll go see if lunch is ready. Doctor Gu, Xiao Youran, you two go and discuss a prescription."

It's best not to inquire about these royal secrets.

The eldest princess glanced at the people present. Since the antidote for such a hidden poison wasn't something that could be found immediately, she made a decision and raised her hand to stop them. "Wait, Lady Su, Xiao Youran, I don't want to hide it from you either."

She glanced at Physician Gu. "Physician Gu, needless to say, was originally the imperial physician who treated me. I've come here incognito today, and the powerful and influential people of the capital probably don't yet know about my relationship with you. But you've used the Xuan Prince's guards so openly that the entire capital knows you're protected by the Xuan Prince. The Xuan Prince and I have had a very close relationship since childhood, and those who need to know do know that those protected by the Xuan Prince are also those I will protect. Naturally, those who target my people might also target those I protect. You'd better understand the implications of this, lest you inadvertently fall into their trap."

Actually, she didn't want to involve the Su mother and daughter in this power struggle, but Yuan Bai had the guards of the Xuanwang Mansion openly escort them into the capital.

Doesn't this just declare to the world that this mother and daughter are people protected under the wings of the Xuanwang Mansion?

This might deter some petty thieves, but it also increased their danger when facing those powerful enemies.

Lady Su straightened her chest. Although she came from a merchant family and had not experienced much intrigue in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion in Dingzhou, she found it somewhat challenging to participate in royal power struggles as soon as she returned to the capital.

This was the mindset that Xiao Youran had instilled in her along the way. She had also come to understand that after enduring humiliation for the past few years and ending up with a divorce, she had to bravely face the road ahead, even if it was just to protect her son and daughter. Back in Wufeng County, her daughter, son, and the heir of the Xuan Prince had become entangled, which meant that they would inevitably be drawn into the power struggles of the imperial court in the future.

With her daughter being so supportive, she can't let her down, can she?

The princess was somewhat taken aback when she saw Xiao Youran's excited expression and Su Niangzi's high spirits.

Didn't you know that this could potentially escalate into a power struggle for the throne?

Don't you know this could be fatal?

Don't you know that if things go wrong, your entire family could be executed and your nine generations of relatives exterminated?

Aunt Jinxiu, however, felt a little reluctant. "Your Highness, the children are still young. This servant will take them away first."

Yueyue stepped forward and hugged the princess's arm. "No! I won't leave! I'm all grown up now. I want to protect my mother and brother! I want to know who we'll be dealing with in the future, and who will be against us! Mother, please tell me!"

She said "I", not "we".

Xiao Youran naturally understood that Yueyue didn't want to drag her into this, so she stood beside Yueyue and said, "Princess, you are Senior Brother Dabai's aunt, and you lent us such a precious pardon. In other people's eyes, we are on your side. We may not be able to provide you with any help, but at least we have the ability to protect ourselves, so please rest assured."

The eldest princess sighed, "Lady Su, Xiao Youran, it's true that I came here today to protect you, but it's also true that I don't want to drag you down with me. However, your relationship with the Xuan Prince's Mansion has already been announced to the world, and my relationship with you can no longer be kept secret. Today, I will tell you about the powerful relationships in the capital city."

Aunt Jinxiu consciously walked to the door, closed it, and then stood guard outside.