Chapter 25 I suddenly remembered, more than ten years ago…
Wen Tinglan frowned slightly, but pulled the person in his arms even tighter. The forcefulness in his words was undeniable: "This young lady is probably unable to keep the appointment now. I, Wen, will definitely come to apologize in person another day."
"This young lady?" Shen Guitang emphasized these words, raising an eyebrow: "It seems that Young Master Wen is not very familiar with this young lady. Why not entrust her to me? I happen to have a good doctor in my household who can take good care of her."
"No need."
Wen Tinglan did not want to waste any more time with him, so she left after saying this and walked past him.
Seeing that Hengbo was about to be taken away by this unknown man who suddenly appeared, Ergou was so anxious that he jumped up and down on the spot. He couldn't help but tug hard at Shen Guitang's sleeve, asking him to think of a solution.
When Shen Guitang discovered that the little mute girl in Wen Tinglan's arms was the one he had used and then discarded, and when he connected this with the long-abandoned Crown Prince's residence in front of him, he almost immediately confirmed her identity: Ji Yu, the legendary Princess Shenxiao who had died young.
No wonder he thought they looked so similar back then.
He didn't want to meddle in other people's business, and intervening once was already enough, but this girl by his side was just too annoying.
"If I were you, Young Master Wen, I wouldn't get involved with this young lady. It would be one thing to ruin your future, but it would be quite another to take her life. What do you say?"
Wen Tinglan stopped abruptly. He turned his head inch by inch, and saw that his already frosty face was now completely covered by ice. His gaze swept over him like piercing icicles, and his voice was unusually cold: "What is the meaning of this, Your Excellency?"
Even without directly facing his chilling aura, Er Gou couldn't help but shiver. However, Shen Guitang, who was enveloped by the murderous intent that seemed to have materialized, was completely unaware and started waving his folding fan. He stared at the other party's cold and sharp eyes and said word by word, "What I mean is, Brother Wen, you will only bring more trouble to this young lady."
Seeing the veins suddenly bulging on Wen Tinglan's hand, Shen Guitang finally realized he couldn't push his luck too far. He put away his iron fan and bowed slightly, saying, "I was fortunate enough to receive a favor from the late Crown Prince, and I really don't want to see my old friend suffer any more. I hope Brother Wen will grant my request."
Although Er Gou didn't understand the hidden meaning in Shen Guitang's words, he sensed that the other person's attitude had softened slightly, so he pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "I am her friend, so of course I would not harm her. If you don't trust us, you can come back with us."
Wen Tinglan paused for a moment, then his icy gaze softened as he looked at the face of the person in his arms, like the first snow after a spring snowfall, and even his eyes gained warmth.
Although she had fallen into a deep sleep, her delicate eyebrows were still tightly furrowed, as if she couldn't sleep peacefully. The traces of blood at the corner of her mouth made her face look even paler, giving her a fragile beauty.
Her face had changed quite a bit since she was a child, but he still recognized her at a glance. So it didn't matter; even if they parted again, he would eventually find her himself. And this time, he wouldn't allow himself to wait too long.
He nodded to the two of them, agreeing to let them take Hengbo away, but he didn't seem to want to let go, presumably because he was going to go with them.
Shen Guitang led the way without saying a word, while Wen Tinglan remained silent behind him. Er Gou, sandwiched between the two, inexplicably sensed a tense atmosphere between them.
She, who always wanted to approach and strike up a conversation with good-looking people, was now completely at a loss. The short distance from the abandoned Crown Prince's residence to the Shen residence seemed like an insurmountable chasm to her.
Finally seeing the long-awaited gate of the Shen Mansion, Er Gou skipped over and rushed over, still explaining in a fawning tone, "I'll go knock on the door for you."
Shen Guitang scoffed lightly: "I didn't close the door. Go call Granny Green."
Er Gou scratched his head awkwardly, mumbled a reply, and then slipped away as if fleeing.
Upon entering the inner room, Granny Green had already washed her hands and was waiting by the couch. Wen Tinglan gently placed Hengbo on the couch, then took out her handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth before stepping aside to give Granny Green her place.
Grandma Green didn't mind him standing by. She first pried open Hengbo's eyelids and then opened her mouth to examine her. After lifting her sleeve, she placed her fingers on Hengbo's slender, white wrist, her expression slightly heavy.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Granny Green withdrew her finger, scribbled down a prescription in a flourish, and handed it to Er Gou, who was waiting at the door. She then returned to communicate with Shen Guitang.
Wen Tinglan didn't understand sign language, so he didn't know what Granny Green had said to him. He only saw Shen Guitang's expression change again and again, and his heart clenched tightly.
Shen Guitang noticed Wen Tinglan's gaze, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped in front of him: "Princess Shenxiao seems to have a damaged heart meridian. Brother Wen, are you aware of this?"
Wen Tinglan nodded slightly upon hearing this: "The late Crown Princess encountered a dangerous situation during childbirth, which is why the Princess was not born at full term and was born with a weaker heart than ordinary people."
Shen Guitang's lips curled into a mocking smile: "It's just an excuse for the outside world. To be honest, the princess is currently unconscious because the Soul Hook in her body is acting up. As for this Soul Hook, I'm sure Young Master Wen is no stranger to it."
The herb "soul-snatching herb" was originally a medicinal herb with numbing effects, often used by hunters in the mountains to apply externally to wounds for temporary pain relief; it was not poisonous in itself.
However, its roots, buried deep in the soil, when concentrated, become an extremely rare and insidious poison that specifically targets the heart and blood vessels. This poison is colorless and tasteless when dissolved in water. Taking a small amount will make people feel weak and depressed, while long-term ingestion will exhaust the heart and blood vessels until death from heart exhaustion.
Logically speaking, this poison is not as terrible as the deadly poisons that kill instantly upon contact with blood in the martial arts world. However, it is not widely circulated in the market, and most doctors have never even heard of it. Moreover, symptoms can only be diagnosed after the heart meridian of the poisoned person has been damaged. Unless one is extremely knowledgeable about this poison, it is difficult to make a diagnosis.
The reason why this Soul-Snatching Poison is so famous among all poisons is because its last appearance was in the late emperor's harem.
During the reign of the late emperor, Consort Rong, who came from the Dingbei Marquis's family, was extremely favored. After she became pregnant with the emperor's child, she received even more imperial favor. If the late empress had not already passed away and the late emperor had not named his eldest son Ji Jin as the crown prince out of consideration for their childhood relationship, there would probably still be some competition in the harem.
However, even so, Consort Rong died of postpartum hemorrhage due to exhaustion on the day of childbirth, and the unborn imperial heir also died in the womb.
Consort Ke Rong had practiced riding and archery with her father and brothers since she was a young girl, so her body was much stronger than that of ordinary women. Moreover, there were no signs of pregnancy beforehand, so how could she have ended up losing both her child and her body?
At that time, the Marquis of Dingbei, who was also the elder brother of Consort Rong, risked offending the emperor to conduct an autopsy. Fortunately, the late emperor finally allowed it, summoning not only all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau, but also relevant personnel from the Court of Judicial Review.
As expected, the autopsy results showed that Consort Rong did not die from exhaustion, but was actually poisoned by a villain. None of the Imperial Medical Bureau knew about this poison; it was only after several attempts by a minor official from the Court of Judicial Review, a former hunter, that the poison was finally deciphered – it was a condensed extract of a soul-snatching herb.
Incredibly, this kind of poison from the mountains and fields had somehow appeared in the emperor's harem and was even used to murder the imperial concubine and the imperial heir. The late emperor was furious when he learned of the results and gave the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate a seven-day deadline. If they could not find the murderer within seven days, they were to personally go to the underworld to apologize to the imperial concubine on the seventh day after her death.
This was no joke. All the ministers were trembling with fear, wishing they could stretch an hour into two. Fortunately, the joint trial by the three judicial departments was no joke. Finally, before the seventh day after the death of the Consort Rong, they found out that the murderer was Consort Rou, who had always been at odds with Consort Rong.
The motive for the murder, unsurprisingly and unremarkably, stemmed from the jealousy among the concubines, at least according to the memorial submitted by the Three Departments to the late emperor.
After reading the memorial, the late emperor remained silent for a short while, and the murder case ended with the death of Consort Rou by a cup of poison, and Consort Rong was posthumously honored as the Imperial Noble Consort Huarong.
What's quite intriguing is that the concubine Rou, who was given death by imperial decree, was from the Yan clan, the maternal clan of the Third Prince. Although she was only a daughter born out of wedlock, she still bore the surname Yan.
However, since the case has already been concluded by the late emperor, it remains unknown whether it has any connection with the current emperor's birth mother, Empress Dowager Zhengde.
But now this poison has actually appeared on Princess Shenxiao. Although Granny Green diagnosed that the remaining poison in the princess's body has been almost completely cleared, she must have consulted a doctor to treat the symptoms. However, the damage to her heart meridian is difficult to cure completely.
Upon hearing the word "soul-stealing," Wen Tinglan's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged. With his keen insight, he could easily guess that someone had attempted to reenact the tragedy of Consort Huarong on the former Crown Princess. Although he did not know how the former Crown Prince and his wife had escaped danger, it was an undeniable fact that Shenxiao was now suffering as a result.
"It's just that the injury to the heart meridian is really difficult to heal. Although the princess looks fine now, her body is struggling to support her. It would be best to avoid excessive emotional fluctuations in the future."
Wen Tinglan sat back down on the couch, her eyelashes trembling slightly. The afternoon sunlight reflected on her pale face, making her look like a butterfly about to take flight.
He reached out to swat away the annoying butterfly, but it stopped just inches from her face. Oh well, how much longer could it stay?
The butterfly wings stopped trembling, and a voice that had remained completely still throughout the entire ordeal came from his mouth: "Is her voice related to this?"
Shen Guitang listlessly fiddled with the iron fan in his hand, and said nonchalantly, "Perhaps it was triggered by this poison, or perhaps it's because the princess still harbors resentment, or perhaps it's both. Who can know?"
The butterfly with outstretched wings finally flew away completely. Wen Tinglan stood up and bowed to him: "Thank you for your help, Young Master Shen. However, if the princess does not remember me when she wakes up, I hope you will not need to tell her."
Shen Guitang stepped aside to avoid his bow and said calmly, "It was my own choice, and if anyone should thank you, it should be the princess herself."
"As for Brother Wen's request, I had no intention of saying anything more, so Brother Wen can rest assured."
Wen Tinglan seemed oblivious to the sharpness in his words. His gaze lingered on the sleeping man for a moment before he finally took his leave.
After the others left, Hei Feng entered the room: "This young master Wen Tinglan's martial arts seem extraordinary. I dare not get too close."
Shen Guitang casually tossed the iron fan in his hand onto the table, his tone unreadable: "Wen Jie once studied martial arts with Master Ruoshan at Yunya for six years. He can be considered one of Master Ruoshan's most outstanding disciples. How could his martial arts skills be lacking?"
Black Wind keenly sensed Shen Guitang's low pressure, concealed his own aura, and said dryly, "If you hadn't ruined your skills back then, you would definitely be stronger than him now."
However, Shen Guitang was not swayed by his flattery. Instead, she sneered, "What do I have to compare with him?"
Black Wind didn't know what he had done to offend him again, so he didn't dare to say anything more and only weakly replied, "That's true, you are several years older than him, so there is really no comparison between you two."
Shen Guitang: ...
"You can start learning sign language with Grandma Green in advance."
Black Wind was so frightened that he quickly covered his mouth, after all, he believed that Shen Guitang was really capable of poisoning him to make him mute.
However, when it came to the mute, Shen Guitang lowered his gaze to Hengbo, whose face had finally returned to calm on the bed, but did not focus on her: "I suddenly remembered that I saw her more than ten years ago in Yujing."
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Author's Note: Welcome all readers to discuss the plot with me! (Heart emoji)
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