Inside the imperial prison of the Western Qin Dynasty.
A beam of incredibly cold moonlight shone through the small window, casting an eerie and terrifying atmosphere that permeated, filled, and attempted to devour every corner.
Zhang Zhiyuan and Physician Yue were imprisoned in adjacent cells.
Now that things have come to this, that's how it is.
Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that after a lifetime of careful and meticulous work, I would end up like this! This is the retribution I deserve for aiding and abetting evil!"
Physician Yue, leaning against the wall as if resting with his eyes closed, said upon hearing this, "The net of Heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have acted in the first place!"
Zhang Zhiyuan sneered: "Over the years, you've probably hated me to the core, and been hoping to see me at this moment every single time, haven't you?"
Physician Yue curled his lips and said, "You think too highly of yourself. Since you chose to serve such a person in the first place, you should have known that this would be the outcome!"
Zhang Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, recalling the past: "You come from a prestigious family, so of course you don't know what you can get so easily. For people like us who are completely innocent and have no background, it may mean that we have to give up everything. How difficult is it for us to get others to take a second look at us? So when an opportunity finally comes, we will naturally want to seize it firmly."
Since they were on different paths, they couldn't work together. Physician Yue didn't want to waste any more words with him.
The room was silent.
After a while, Physician Yue suddenly asked Zhang Zhiyuan, "However, I am quite curious, when did you start to change?"
Zhang Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said, "Sometimes I think about it, sometimes I don't. If I had to pinpoint a time, perhaps it would be from the moment I met the Princess! The Princess is truly a very special woman."
"At such a young age, she possesses medical skills far surpassing those of you and me. In particular, her patience and meticulousness when facing patients, along with her complete lack of regard for social status or even national prejudice, and her selfless dedication to treating them, truly earn my admiration!"
Upon hearing Zhang Zhiyuan's words, Physician Yue's eyes suddenly opened wide, shining brightly, and he exclaimed in admiration, "Your Highness, she is indeed quite extraordinary!"
Just as the two were both lost in their own thoughts, a "creak" sound was heard.
The prison door was opened from the outside, and a soft voice came from outside: "Lord Zhang, Imperial Physician Yue, His Majesty requests your presence!"
The two were then led by the chief eunuch to Emperor Jing.
Emperor Jing spoke first, eager to speak: "I will give you two a chance. As long as you cure her of the poison, I will spare you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiyuan and Physician Yue looked at each other in surprise.
"Antidote?"
"Who has been poisoned?"
As the curtains covering the bed in front of them were slowly lifted by two maids, Zhang Zhiyuan and Physician Yue got up and stepped forward. Upon closer inspection, they were instantly stunned.
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness!"
Without saying a word, seeing that Yi Shangyun had fallen into a deep coma, Physician Le hurriedly went forward to check on her, with Zhang Zhiyuan following closely behind.
After a long while, Emperor Jing asked anxiously, "How is it? Is there any way to cure this poison?"
Then, Physician Yue and Zhang Zhiyuan exchanged a glance.
Zhang Zhiyuan spoke first, asking, "Who poisoned this?"
Emperor Jing shook his head.
Imperial Physician Yue then asked, "Did Her Highness say anything before she fainted?"
Emperor Jing shook his head again.
Zhang Zhiyuan then asked, "Where is the Empress's personal maid?"
Emperor Jing shook his head again.
Zhang Zhiyuan also seemed to have run out of ideas.
Emperor Jing urged, "What is her condition now? Can you cure her of the poison?"
Zhang Zhiyuan replied, "The one who tied the knot must untie it. To cure this poison, we must find the person who poisoned it. Only this person in the world can cure this poison!"
As if suddenly realizing something, Physician Yue understood everything.
Just then, a faint murmur was heard: "It's too late."
Emperor Jing asked, puzzled, "What do you mean it's too late?"
Physician Yue frowned deeply, recalling the events, and said, "This poison is called the 'Shared Thoughts Gu,' created by a woman to bind a woman who has stolen the man she admires. To cure it, the cursed woman must shed a single tear when she receives the sincere forgiveness of the woman who cast the Gu! Otherwise, the deeper the cursed woman's love, the deeper the Gu-casting woman's hatred will be."
"This poison is extremely difficult to concoct, requiring immense willpower, and is quite rare in the world. I once saw it on the dowry list of Princess Yongle, given the relationship between Princess Yongle and the Princess Consort..."
"It seems the one who poisoned her must be Princess Yongle herself! However, even at the fastest pace, the journey from Western Qin to Eastern Ning would take at least a month, and judging from the current state of the Princess's poisoning, she only has..."
Emperor Jing hurriedly asked, "How much longer?"
Imperial Physician Yue gritted his teeth: "At most three days!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing seemed to lose his balance and staggered.
"What did you say?"
"Three days..."
"how so?"
Just then, the chief eunuch rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, we have just received news that Princess Yongle of Dongning Kingdom has passed away..."
Upon hearing this news, the three people inside the hall were stunned!
He's dead!
He's dead!
He's dead!
In an instant, Emperor Jing could no longer stand.
Then, with a "thump," he fell heavily to the ground.
The next day.
It was still dark.
The Empress then learned that Xuan Yuanhan and Consort Chun had been imprisoned in the palace.
At this moment, she knelt outside the palace with Crown Prince Xuanyuan Hao.
The Empress pleaded, "Your Majesty, I beg you to forgive the Consort Dowager and Prince Qin! Even if you banish them from the palace, demote them to commoners, or never allow them to return to the capital, I will do it! I only beg Your Majesty to show mercy and spare their lives!"
Xuanyuan Hao also made a similar plea: "Your subject also kneels and begs Your Majesty to forgive Uncle Qin and the Empress Dowager!"
Outside the Imperial Study, the Empress and the Crown Prince had been kneeling for an unknown amount of time, but no one came out to pay them any attention.
Xuanyuan Hao asked with great concern, "Mother, is Father really angry this time? How could Uncle Qin betray the country?"
The empress clearly did not know how to answer him either.
He pleaded loudly once more before the people in the hall: "Your Majesty, please forgive the Empress Dowager and Prince Qin, and spare their lives!"
Upon learning that Xuanyuan Han had been imprisoned in Guanghua Palace by Emperor Jing because of her own presence in the palace, Consort Chun was extremely anxious.
"It's all my fault. I've dragged my son down with me. This time, my son and I are probably doomed!"
Zhang Mama comforted her, saying, "Your Highness, please don't worry too much. His Highness is only confined to Guanghua Palace for now. It's not the final moment yet. Your Highness should trust His Highness. Besides, His Highness has never done anything without preparation since he was a child. I believe he must have other plans."
As she spoke, she handed over a bowl of stew from the tea tray in her hand: "Your Highness hasn't eaten anything all day. Please eat a little something. His Highness will worry if he finds out!"
Consort Chun didn't even glance at the soup she was offered, and simply shook her head.
It's already so late, how could she possibly eat anything?
Then, with great concern, she asked, "I wonder how Physician Yue is doing? He's a frail man, and we thought the Prince's Mansion would be his refuge. But in the end, he was implicated by the Prince's Mansion. How can he endure the suffering in prison?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"I heard that the Emperor just summoned Physician Yue and Zhang Zhiyuan..."
Before she could finish speaking, Consort Chun anxiously pressed, "What did you say? It can't be that..."
Zhang Mama quickly interrupted her thoughts: "Your Highness, please don't be anxious. I heard that the Emperor summoned them to detoxify a poisoned woman, not what Your Highness is thinking!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun breathed a deep sigh of relief, turned around and knelt before the Bodhisattva again, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and prayed devoutly.
"May the Bodhisattva protect my son and ensure his safe passage through this calamity!"
May everyone in the Prince's Mansion be safe and sound!
"bless……"
Seeing her so restless and unable to eat or sleep, Zhang Mama felt extremely distressed.
That night.
The entire imperial city was eerily quiet, a quietness unlike anything ever experienced before, a quietness that was frightening.
It was also very long, as if the whole world was being swallowed up by this endless darkness.
Guanghua Palace.
Ever since Yi Shangyun was forcibly taken away by Emperor Jing, Xuan Yuanhan has been sitting quietly in the courtyard, motionless.
They neither slept nor rested, neither ate nor drank.
At this moment, he was pondering alone.
"Poisoning..."
"How could Yun'er have been poisoned?"
"Who poisoned her?"
"How dare you poison my woman?"
"I will tear him to pieces..."
In an instant, a pair of eyes that were already gleaming with cold light and deep became even more chilling.
But upon closer reflection, something seemed amiss.
"wrong……"
"That night, she was perfectly fine when she was with me. How could she have been poisoned?"
"Could it be that he deliberately tricked me..."
"Oh no! Yun'er is in danger!"
"Yun'er, Yun'er..."
"Has Cheng Liang found the Divine Steed Camp yet? How much longer until he returns?"
"no……"
"I cannot wait any longer."
Even if it's just me alone.
"I, too, cannot do nothing."
"Yun'er..."
"wait for me……"
"I'm coming right now!"
This thought came to mind.
Suddenly he stood up and strode straight toward the palace gate.
He thought the palace gates were still locked, so he reached out and tried to pull them.
Unexpectedly, a "creak..." sounded.
The door actually opened.
Without any hesitation, Xuanyuan Han strode across the threshold and walked out.
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