Chapter 287 Lu Zhaoruo is imprisoned by the Grand Princess
Shi Liu and two burly female servants led Lu Zhaoruo to Tingzhuxuan.
The surroundings were elegant.
It is indeed a place to entertain distinguished guests.
"Madam Lu, please."
Shi Liu pushed open the door, her tone icy, and gestured for him to enter.
As soon as Lu Zhaoruo stepped into the room, she saw a nimble figure dressed in a drab gray maid's outfit, with a wide-brimmed hat covering most of her face, hurrying away through a side door on the other side of the room and disappearing into the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye.
That silhouette... Lu Zhaoruo's heart skipped a beat.
If Abao hadn't told her beforehand, she would never have associated such an inconspicuous "maid" with Lin Yingyu.
At this moment, she was almost certain that the person was Lin Yingyu!
She entered the room discreetly, immediately held her breath, and carefully sniffed.
The air was indeed filled with a delicate, sweet fragrance, neither quite sandalwood nor quite orchid, just like the incense of ordinary nobles, and it even brought a sense of tranquility.
However, it is precisely this "no difference" and "slight tranquility" that is most terrifying! If A Bao hadn't risked her life to tell her, how could she have imagined that this seemingly harmless calming incense actually contained a deadly poison that could corrode one's lungs and cause death within five days!
"Madam Lu, please get some rest."
Shiliu's voice rang out from behind, laced with undisguised sarcasm.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door slammed shut from the outside with a loud bang, followed by the click of the lock falling.
Lu Zhaoruo rushed to the window and saw a figure moving outside. Then, the sound of hammering continued.
They are nailing the windows shut from the outside with thick wooden planks!
With her sharp eyes, she quickly scanned the area and discovered a narrow crack above the window frame, through which a pair of eyes were coldly peering into the room.
She remained calm and composed, casually glancing at the room's furnishings before slowly walking to the incense burner.
The gilded incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, its position perfectly aligned with the peeping crack.
With her back to the window and her mouth and nose covered by her sleeve, Lu Zhaoruo's first thought was to take the tea from the table and pour it out.
No!
She felt a chill run down her spine and abruptly stopped what she was doing.
Someone was watching closely outside the window. Extinguishing the incense now would be tantamount to telling Yunxiu and Lin Yingyu directly: "I have seen through your wicked scheme!"
Enraged, they might commit murder, turning this room into a burial ground in an instant.
What if we pretend to accidentally knock over a teacup and splash the incense burner?
This plan is not sustainable, since incense can be lit again, and the guards will only become tighter, increasing suspicion.
She quickly calmed down.
Since open confrontation is not an option, the only recourse is to maneuver covertly.
So she began to deliberately move the tables, chairs, and potted plants around the room, making it look like she was tidying up, as if she wanted to make the room more to her liking.
Then, she picked up the incense burner and slowly paced around the room, as if considering where to place it.
The old woman watching from outside the window sneered, "This Madam Lu is quite the woman of taste. Even though she's imprisoned, she still has the mind to fuss over these things."
The next moment, Lu Zhaoruo placed the incense burner steadily on the table next to the window.
A plume of smoke shot straight out of the crack!
Caught off guard, the old woman choked and staggered back, hurriedly covering her nose with her sleeve while cursing inwardly.
Lu Zhaoruo took the opportunity to turn around and tightly cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
Unable to eliminate the source of the poison, she could only minimize her inhalation through this method.
She prayed silently: May Princess Yongfu realize this soon and come to her rescue.
As long as it takes less than five days, and the poison has not yet deeply penetrated the lungs and internal organs, there is still a chance of survival.
She leaned back wearily on the couch, Ah Bao's words still echoing in her ears: "Lin Yingyu said that this poison is called 'Five-Day Consumption,' made from the essence of a rare mineral, and is invisible and odorless. If it is burned in a sealed container for five days, and the smoke is inhaled thoroughly, it is as if the poison seed has taken deep root. Even if the source of the smoke is removed, there is no way to save the patient. Those who are poisoned will experience chest tightness and coughing for ten days, cough up blood and become emaciated after a month, and their lungs and internal organs will wither and decay after two months. Even if Hua Tuo were alive today, he would diagnose it as 'acute consumption attacking the heart, and medicine is ineffective.'"
She had never heard of such bizarre and strange poisons before.
How to detoxify?
The dim sunlight and low-hanging leaden clouds made the vermilion gates and high walls of the Grand Princess's residence appear even more imposing.
Pucao carried the barely breathing Abao out the door and stopped at the threshold.
Following the instructions of Lady Yunxiu, she threw the cat out.
She gently placed Abao on the bluestone ground in front of the door, looking at the once snow-white and soft fur now stained with blood, a trace of pity flashed in her eyes, and she whispered, "Go quickly... don't come back." After saying that, she turned around and strode into the mansion, the heavy vermilion gate slowly closing behind her.
Po lay limp on the cold stone surface, its four paws already torn and bleeding, covered with countless needle marks and scald blisters, and even the slightest touch caused excruciating pain.
It tried to stand up, but could only lie there helplessly.
It could only barely support itself with its two forearms, dragging its completely powerless hindquarters forward, inch by inch.
With each movement, the wound rubbed against the ground, causing it to tremble in pain, leaving behind intermittent bloodstains and wet patches of water.
It was anxious and scared, tears mingling with the blood on its face as it cried out, "Too slow... this is too slow... Mother can't wait that long... It's all my fault, I can't do anything right... If only I could run faster, just a little faster..."
Finally, with all its might, it pressed its head against the edge of the cold stone steps, ignoring the excruciating pain of its wounds tearing open, and rolled down suddenly!
"Gulp"
Its entire small body rolled down the steps.
The violent tremor caused everything to suddenly go black.
Just then, the sound of rapid and powerful hooves shattered the silence of the street corner, approaching from afar.
Immediately afterwards, a shadow, carrying the chilling aura of the ocean winds, descended.
Ah Bao struggled to raise his head, and through his blurred vision, he saw a figure sitting upright on a horse.
The man, clad in a dark cloak and looking travel-worn, tightened the reins and stopped in front of him.
This person was none other than Xiao Yeming.
He had listened to Gu Xian's advice last night and intended to go find Lu Zhaoruo this morning, but he was delayed by the military affairs of his subordinates Wang Wu and Sun Jing. On the way, he also witnessed Li Nian'er confessing her crime and then hitting her head against a pillar and dying.
When he rushed to Yunshang Pavilion, he saw that Dongrou's face was pale and her tears were still wet.
Dong Rou tearfully recounted how A Bao had been kidnapped and how Lu Zhaoruo had broken into the princess's residence alone nearly an hour ago.
Xiao Yeming knew Yunxiu's character well and knew that something bad was about to happen. He immediately gathered Wang Wu and a group of personal guards and rode to the Grand Princess's residence.
Unexpectedly, upon arrival, they saw Ah Bao tumbling down the high steps, covered in blood!
Xiao Yeming leaped off his horse and rushed to his side in a few steps.
When he saw the small, bloodied figure on the ground, anger and pain gripped his heart.
He knelt on one knee, his fingertips trembling as he gently and slowly lifted Abao, afraid of aggravating its pain.
The dense needle marks, the rolled-up flesh, and the large scald marks all stung his eyes.
“Abao…”
His voice was hoarse from trying so hard to suppress his emotions, "How could... he be injured like this..."
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