Chapter 54 Prime Minister, if this continues, you will…
As the mother Gu was forcibly activated, a burst of scorching heat exploded from Lu Yuan's heart.
His vision went black, and a heavy, pungent smell of blood rose in his throat. The imperial physician's cry of alarm seemed distant and indistinct, as if pierced by a veil of water.
He suppressed his surging blood and qi, and focused his mind on sensing.
No, there's nothing there.
The mother Gu worm surged wildly within his heart meridian, tearing at his flesh and blood, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, receiving no response from the offspring Gu worm.
Could it be that she really...
Lu Yuan could no longer suppress the urge to cough up blood.
His already pale face turned even more ashen.
Xu Ming, this burly man, couldn't bear to watch any longer and cried out with red eyes.
"Your Excellency, please stop immediately! If this continues, you will die."
Lu Yuan didn't look at him, but only raised his hand to wipe the blood from his lips, a near-mad stubbornness rising in his eyes.
He focused his mind again and urged the mother Gu even more desperately, this time with a determination to fight to the death.
Ever since he was nearly drowned by his own father when he was eight years old, he has cherished his life more than anyone else.
But at this moment, even he himself doesn't understand why he is so obsessed with a woman he has neglected for many years.
All he knew was that...
As long as there is a glimmer of hope, even if it means going to the ends of the earth, he will chase after her and bring her back.
"Pfft!" Another mouthful of blood spurted out, splashing onto the coffin and blooming into a dazzling red.
The imperial physician was terrified: "Prime Minister, stop! Your heart is about to give way!"
Just as Lu Yuan's consciousness was about to fade away, he suddenly felt a very faint tremor.
Although it was so faint as to be almost nonexistent, he would never mistake it.
That's a Gu worm.
It was the venomous insect he planted in her body himself.
She is still alive.
His previously unfocused pupils suddenly contracted, and his bloodied fingers gripped the edge of the coffin tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"She's still alive..."
Xu Ming rushed forward to support his swaying body: "Prime Minister!"
Lu Yuan used his last bit of strength to grip his wrist, his gaze intense.
"Find her...at any cost..."
Before he could finish speaking, he finally collapsed, falling heavily beside the coffin. This time, a smile played on his lips.
-
Summer sunlight filters through the dense sycamore leaves, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone floor.
Mingwu sat by the window, holding a teapot in her delicate hands, and poured tea for Song Yan, who was sitting opposite her.
Freshly brewed jasmine tea leaves rise gently with wisps of steam.
Sunlight filtered through the swirling mist, casting a soft glow on her delicate skin.
Even her long, slightly drooping eyelashes looked as if they were dusted with fine gold powder.
The natural, subtle curve of her lips appeared exceptionally gentle in the hazy light.
Song Yan forgot to breathe for a moment.
The aroma of tea wafted slowly through the air, while the distant chirping of cicadas filled the air.
He suddenly wished that time could stand still at this moment.
"Your Highness?"
Mingwu looked up and saw that he was hesitant to take the teacup, so she called out softly.
Song Yan suddenly snapped out of his daze and reached out to take the teacup.
His fingertips brushed against hers unintentionally, the touch as cool and smooth as jade, yet it sent a tingling sensation through his entire hand.
This subtle touch spread along my fingertips, swept across my arm in an instant, and finally gently touched my heart.
He hurriedly lowered his eyes, using the act of sipping tea to conceal his momentary loss of composure.
He tasted no flavor at all when the tea entered his mouth.
Only the base of my ears was still burning uncontrollably.
“I told you, don’t call me Your Highness, just call me Ayan.”
Mingwu lowered her eyes to look at the tea in her cup, without replying.
A slight sense of disappointment welled up in Song Yan's heart.
The steam rising from the teacup gradually dissipated, and the last trace of jasmine fragrance blended into the air.
The cicadas, which had been chirping merrily just moments before, had quietly fallen silent, leaving only a profound stillness in the room.
He raised a faint smile again, seemingly unintentionally saying...
"Rumors are circulating that Prime Minister Lu has gone mad. He personally led people to dig up his ancestral graves and then carried the coffin back to his residence. Now he stays indoors and refuses to see anyone."
As he spoke, his gaze carefully swept across her face.
Seeing that she looked perfectly normal, and that even the fingers holding the cup did not tremble in the slightest, I felt a little relieved.
"I heard he guarded that empty coffin day and night..."
He looked at Mingwu and said something insincere.
“Awu, if you go back now, he will definitely regret it and treat you like a treasure.”
Mingwu picked up the teacup, brought it to her lips, gently blew away the floating leaves, and took a small sip.
The tea has a refreshing aroma, a slightly bitter taste at first, but a long and lingering aftertaste.
Throughout the entire process, her expression remained completely unchanged.
It was as if what Song Yan said was nothing more than an absurd anecdote from a storybook that had nothing to do with him.
She put down her teacup and looked up at Song Yan.
Those almond-shaped eyes were crystal clear, as calm as a still pond.
"Your Highness is too kind."
Song Yan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down completely.
An irrepressible joy welled up from the bottom of his heart, rippling in his eyes and almost reaching the corners of his lips.
He quickly lowered his head to cover it up, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the delicate patterns on the celadon teacup.
"That's fine...so be it."
Mingwu didn't notice these subtle changes in him; her thoughts drifted back to that day.
That day, it was still dark.
The servant hired by Qi Lan took advantage of the fact that everyone from the Prime Minister's residence went out to greet Lu Yuan to set on fire the oil that had been poured the night before.
Flames shot up instantly, quickly spreading into a sea of fire.
She had already changed into an inconspicuous maid's outfit and was hiding in the crevices of the artificial hill.
I could clearly see the bewildered look in the servant's eyes when the fire started.
He didn't know that after he poured the oil, she sprinkled more in various places and even piled up flammable materials by the window.
In the chaos, figures were everywhere, and cries and shouts for help to put out the fire were intertwined.
She took the opportunity to smear her face with dirt and, mingling with the panicked servants, ran toward the agreed-upon side gate.
However, just as she was about to escape, she was stopped by a sharp-eyed old woman.
Just as she was about to escape, a sharp-eyed old woman suddenly grabbed her arm.
At that time, she thought that all her efforts would be in vain again.
Just when things were at their most critical, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
It was Song Yan.
He said nothing, only gave her a deep look, then swiftly knocked the old woman unconscious and led her through the thick smoke.
They finally escaped from that cage.
After leaving the Prime Minister's residence, she was placed here.
These days, she has been taking her medicine on time according to the prescription left by the Zen master, and has never dared to slack off.
She slowly raised her hand and grasped the inside of her left arm.
I wonder if that Gu poison has been completely removed.
She did not see the Zen master this time.
According to Song Yan, Lu Yuan had arranged for people to monitor the Zen master, both to prevent leaks and to confuse the public.
The Zen master left Lin'an long ago, leaving behind only a prescription he wrote himself and a young novice monk who understood pharmacology.
Mingwu had originally planned to leave Lin'an immediately.
Danger lurks everywhere here.
After all, Lu Yuan was the prime minister, and the entire capital was almost under his control.
But she couldn't abandon Chunnan.
She has made up her mind.
Wait until six months later.
By then, Lu Yuan should have already forgotten about her, this "dead person".
She could use Song Yuxuan's name to bring Chunnan out of the Prime Minister's residence.
Then they will be able to truly leave Lin'an, go to Jiangnan, go to Qingzhou, and live a completely new life of their own.
In the afternoon, Mingwu was engrossed in a medical book when a soft knock came from the door.
"Young lady, it's time for your medicine."
It was the voice of a young novice monk.
Mingwu composed herself, got up, and opened the door.
The young novice monk stood outside the door holding a bowl of medicine, the familiar bitterness mingling with the rising medicinal aroma.
Thank you.
She took the bowl of medicine and was about to turn around and go back into the house.
Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a figure hurrying towards me from under the eaves in the distance.
It was Song Yan, who had just left.
He walked briskly, his usually smiling eyes now showing an unusual seriousness, his clothes fluttering as he walked.
Mingwu's heart sank slightly, and she felt vaguely uneasy.
Song Yan quickly walked to her side and said in a low voice, "Lu Yuan knows."
I know, I know what?
Mingwu's fingertips trembled slightly as she held the medicine bowl, and the dark brown medicine rippled in the bowl.
Song Yan's tone became increasingly urgent.
"His men are searching the area south of the city. Ah Wu, we have to leave here."
"Thud—"
The medicine bowl slipped from Mingwu's fingers and shattered on the ground. Dark brown medicine splattered everywhere, staining her skirt.
Completely disregarding all of that, she hurriedly turned back and went inside:
"Then I'll go pack my things..."
Before the words were finished, the faint sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside the courtyard, approaching from afar and clearly heading towards the small courtyard.
The sound of horses' hooves was uniform, clearly indicating a well-trained team, and they reached the alley entrance in the blink of an eye.
Song Yan's expression changed drastically, and he grabbed Ming Wu's wrist.
"It's too late!"
He never expected Lu Yuan to act so quickly.
This morning's secret report clearly stated that my cousin, who wields immense power in the court, is seriously ill and has reached the point where medicine is ineffective.
As a blood relative, he naturally felt deep sorrow.
However, as rivals vying for the same woman, he couldn't help but harbor some dark hopes.
The sound of horses' hooves had stopped outside the courtyard gate, followed by a heavy knocking sound, accompanied by the metallic clang of armor clashing.
The entire courtyard seemed to be firmly covered by an invisible net.
Mingwu looked around, her gaze finally settling on the woodpile in the corner. Just as she was about to hide in the woodpile, Song Yan grabbed her arm and gently shook his head.
"Awu, you go inside first. I'll handle this."
He gently pushed Mingwu into the house, closed the door behind him, and then turned to face the courtyard gate.
With a loud bang, the courtyard gate was smashed open, and a squad of Xuanjia guards filed in.
The captain in charge was visibly taken aback when he saw Song Yan, but still maintained his courtesy by bowing.
"Your Highness, I am ordered to search for a wanted criminal. Please do me the favor."
Song Yan stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves.
"With me here, how dare you act so presumptuously?"
The captain was not intimidated by this imposing manner and replied calmly and respectfully.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. The Prime Minister has ordered a city-wide search, and no one is allowed to obstruct it."
"search!"
Song Yan shouted sternly, "I'll see who dares!"
The Xuanjia Guards gripped their weapons tightly, their cold glints flashing, instantly creating a tense atmosphere in the courtyard.
Inside the room, Mingwu was extremely anxious, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms.
Just as she was about to push open the door and go out, a familiar voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate.
"Why is Your Highness here?"
Xu Ming walked in slowly, and the Xuanjia Guards automatically made way for him. His gaze swept over the tightly closed door behind Song Yan.
"If I remember correctly, this is not the residence of Prince Ning."
Song Yan remained expressionless.
"Do I need to report my whereabouts to General Xu?"
Xu Ming stood still in the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the door.
"Of course not. It's just that the Prime Minister has ordered a city-wide search for wanted criminals. This courtyard just happens to be on the list of targets."
He raised his hand to signal, and the Xuanjia Guards immediately formed a surrounding formation.
“If Your Highness insists on obstructing us,” Xu Ming’s voice turned cold, “then don’t blame this humble general for being rude.”
Inside the room, Mingwu held her breath.
"Wait a minute."
Song Yan suddenly relaxed.
“Since General Xu insists on investigating, then I will not hide it. This is a separate courtyard of the Yun family, and the person inside is Miss Yun.”
"She will also be my future queen."
"The Yun family? If I remember correctly, the Empress Dowager seems to have taken a liking to the daughter of Minister Jiang."
It was Xu Ming who secretly pushed and facilitated this matter.
He knew that the Prime Minister had always been suspicious of Prince Ning, believing that the prince had designs on the Lady. However, Prince Ning's marriage was about to be finalized, and the prince was indeed well-behaved.
He didn't suspect anything immediately.
But at this moment, Prince Ning appeared in this suspicious courtyard, and kept saying that he was "Miss Yun".
Xu Ming's gaze sharpened as he thought of the Prime Minister, who was still lying on his sickbed, and of the Prime Minister's order before he fainted: "Find her at all costs."
His hands were pressed tightly against the hilt of the knife.
"Since Your Highness says it is Miss Yun, why not invite her out to meet us? If she is indeed the daughter of the Yun family, this humble general will immediately kneel down and apologize."
He paused deliberately, then spoke each word carefully.
"If it weren't for..."
The unfinished words were full of threats.
The Xuanjia Guards responded immediately and surrounded the courtyard completely.
A heavy killing intent filled the air, and even the cicadas' chirping seemed to be choked and stopped abruptly.
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