Chapter 194 Fighting for a Way Out for My Daughter

"Perhaps... we can save Yiqiu through Zhao Jieyu."

He looked at Mo Yu and Qingzhu Baimei:

"Zhao Ke'er usually stays at home and cannot frequently contact Fu Langxing outside the palace. Zhao Jieyu is the intermediary for their daily communication."

"If we can turn Zhao Jieyu to the side, make her realize that she has been abandoned by Zhao Ke'er, and then offer her the hope of antidote with red beans... we can get her to reveal the exact location where Yiqiu is imprisoned. With our help from the inside and outside, rescuing Yiqiu will not be difficult."

Qingzhu's words enlightened Xiao Yongjing.

He looked at the green bamboo and white plum blossoms, and his thoughts instantly became clear:

"Bai Mei, immediately use all emergency channels to contact Lieutenant Zhang and ask him to find a way, at all costs, to obtain this item as quickly as possible. Even if there is only one plant, we must get it."

"Qingzhu, continue your research on the other ingredients of the Red Bean Ash and make thorough preparations. Once you have the Southern Red Bean, you must ensure that you can immediately concoct an effective antidote."

After the two responded, Qingzhu spoke:

“Your Highness, my young lady is strong-willed and will never sit idly by and wait for death. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, she will definitely try her best to send out a message.”

"Now that we have roughly located the person in the Earl's mansion, and we cannot launch a direct attack, we should sneak in secretly to look for any clues that the young lady may have left behind."

Bai Mei immediately chimed in:

“That’s right! The young master’s residence is quite large, and the courtyard in the northwest corner is particularly important. However, we must determine its exact location, otherwise we could easily fall into a trap and put the young lady in danger. We are willing to go and investigate.”

Looking at the two loyal men, Xiao Yongjing took a deep breath:

"Alright! I'll take care of Consort Zhao. You all must be careful, prioritize finding clues, and avoid alerting the enemy."

"yes!"

The group split up and acted separately.

...

Zhao Jieyu was quite surprised by Xiao Yongjing's arrival, but she quickly suppressed her surprise, leaning lazily against the couch, playing with her nail guards, her eyes glancing at Xiao Yongjing out of the corner of her eye:

"Oh, what a rare guest. Your Highness the Crown Prince... oh no, look at my memory, what should I call you now? Should I continue to call you Crown Prince, or... should I call you that raccoon that has taken over the magpie's nest?"

Her tone was vicious, devoid of any of her usual respect, replaced only by contempt.

Xiao Yongjing was not angry, but carefully examined Zhao Jieyu.

He noticed that although Zhao Jieyu had a melancholy look between her brows, her complexion was rosy and her breathing was steady, which was not the sign of someone who was gradually withering away after being poisoned by the Red Bean Ash.

He understood immediately and spoke calmly:

"Consort Jieyu appears to be in good health, much more energetic than Marquis Yongjia. It seems that the person poisoned is not Consort Jieyu."

Zhao Jieyu's hand, which was playing with the nail guard, suddenly stopped.

She looked at him with a look of fear on her face:

"What did you say? I don't understand. What poisoning? What Marquis Yongjia?"

Xiao Yongjing had actually hit the nail on the head, making her even more convinced of her guess:

"I have heard that Princess Xingrong fell ill within three days of marrying into the Ning Prince's mansion. The imperial physicians were at a loss, saying only that she was suffering from excessive worry and a weak constitution?"

"But why do I feel that... these symptoms are somewhat similar to those of the Marquis of Yongjia? Could it be that the feng shui of the Prince of Ning's mansion is bad, causing the princess to contract some... unclean and difficult-to-treat disease?"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Zhao Jieyu sat up straight, her eyes filled with panic. "Xingrong is just... just not used to it... don't try to scare us like this!"

Xiao Yongjing sneered:

"If I am not mistaken, the princess's illness has only been slightly relieved by the special medicine bestowed by the Imperial Noble Consort, is that correct?"

"But that medicine can only temporarily suppress the symptoms, not cure them completely. In fact... it becomes weaker with each attack, and the princess's pain during each attack is also getting worse, isn't it? That's why the princess is so irritable."

Zhao Jieyu's breathing became rapid.

Xiao Yongjing, however, lazily pulled up a chair and sat down beside her:

"Now that the princess's condition has worsened, the special medicine from the Imperial Noble Consort's side... is probably being delayed, not being delivered in a timely manner, or even being insufficient in dosage, right? She is using your daughter's life to warn you, to make you obedient and not to have any disloyal thoughts."

"you……!"

Zhao Jieyu trembled all over, wanting to deny it, but found that everything the other party said was true.

Zhao Ke'er was indeed controlling her in this way, and recently she had become even more extreme. Xingrong was in excruciating pain every time the poison flared up, while Zhao Ke'er was sending her less and less medicine.

"But do you know that the Red Bean Ash is not incurable? Besides relying on Zhao Ke'er's temporary relief medicine, there is another way to completely eradicate this poison."

Zhao Jieyu looked puzzled, her initial hope and surprise turning into disappointment.

She was not unaware of this matter; on the contrary, she made great efforts to address it, but to no avail.

"A special medicine called Southern Red Bean is needed as a catalyst, along with several other medicinal herbs, to concoct the true antidote. This substance can cleanse the poison, allowing the poisoned person to completely escape the torment of the Red Bean Ashes and eliminate future troubles."

Zhao Jieyu lowered her eyes and said dejectedly:

"Red beans... I have been searching for them in secret for many years, but to no avail. This thing is even more elusive and hard to find than red bean ash. Don't spout nonsense and give me false hope."

Xiao Yongjing fiddled with the thumb ring on his hand, pretending to be casual:

"Since I have spoken of it, I naturally have a way to find it. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Royal treasures, aristocratic accumulations, and even rare treasures from overseas—there is always a glimmer of hope. But whether or not I give you that hope depends on whether you, Consort Jieyu, are sincere in your willingness to cooperate."

He took off the thumb ring from his hand, flicked the index fingers of both hands together, and the thumb ring spun on the table:

"Rather than spending my whole life dependent on others, watching my daughter's life slowly fade away, and relying on a meager handout to prolong my existence, it's better to... fight for a stable future."

"Your Majesty, you may not think of yourself and continue to endure, but what about your daughter, Princess Xingrong? Does she also want to live her whole life under the control of others, unable to even control her own life and death?"

Zhao Jieyu's shocked expression didn't last long before she regained her indifference. She slowly spoke, already having made up her mind:

"What exactly do you want from me? You wouldn't happen to come here just to give me the antidote, would you?"

Xiao Yongjing chuckled softly, "Your Highness is a wise woman. I only ask you, where is Marquis Yongjia currently being hidden in the Earl's mansion by Fu Langxing? If you tell me, Princess Xingrong... might still have a glimmer of hope."