Chapter 143 "There has never been a miracle doctor..."
Shao Minqing invited all the top doctors in the capital, and the spacious bedroom was packed to the brim.
Shen Mingda lay there quietly, his face pale and unnaturally bluish. The doctors took turns prying open his eyelids to take his pulse, exchanging glances and silently offering their opinions.
Shao Minqing was extremely anxious. After waiting for a long time without getting a definite answer, she couldn't help but slam her hand on the table.
"You've been whispering and discussing this for ages, can't you just give me a straight answer about whether it's curable and how it's supposed to be cured?"
Finally, one of the Shao family's most trusted doctors mustered his courage and stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Miss Shao, are you saying that this young master drank a poisoned sweet soup, which is why he is unconscious?"
"Yes." Shao Minqing nodded, her fingertips clenching tightly inside her sleeve.
Aunt Liu has already been gagged and tied up in the next room. If anything happens to Mingda... even if it means severely offending Shen Hang and turning a marriage into an enmity, she will definitely exchange Aunt Liu's life for hers!
“But we’ve checked him several times in turn, and there are no signs of poisoning on him. It’s more like a heart attack.”
The doctor reluctantly gave his conclusion, and the others nodded in agreement.
"How is that possible?"
Shao Minqing gave a wink, and soon, Pearl brought in the small bowl of lotus seed soup that Aunt Liu had knocked over, spilled all over the floor, but which she had managed to scoop up.
The doctors took the silver needles and examined them again and again, but after waiting for a long time, the needle tips did not turn black.
"Go to the kitchen and get a live chicken."
Shao Minqing gave the order, and when the kitchen brought in a live chicken, she pried open its beak and poured in a few spoonfuls of lotus seed soup.
"Cluck cluck!"
The rooster flapped its wings for a long time as soon as it landed, circling the house several times, still looking energetic.
Now even Shao Minqing was unsure what to do.
Could this lotus seed soup really be non-toxic? But why did Shen Mingda suddenly faint?
And Aunt Liu just now acted like a madwoman, grabbing the soup bowl... what else could it be but having something to hide?
Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, the current situation even more complicated than the day her father passed away and she took over the family business.
Shao Minqing let out a soft sigh, forcing herself to calm down, and asked the doctors if they could prescribe the right medicine for her symptoms.
Everyone looked embarrassed and turned their heads away, avoiding Shao Minqing's expectant gaze.
“Miss Shao, if the young master suffers from heart failure, even if Hua Tuo were reincarnated, he would be unable to save him; medicine would be useless.”
The doctor, who was acquainted with the Shao family, subtly hinted that Shen Mingda's time was running out and that they should make preparations as soon as possible.
Shao Minqing's temples throbbed, but she forced herself to let Pearl see the doctors out. She then instructed Pearl, "Go find the head manager of the main store and, no matter who you go through, try to get a royal physician to come over."
If Shen Mingda hadn't insisted on drinking that bowl of lotus seed soup, she would be the one lying in bed unable to move right now.
Shao Minqing refused to believe in superstition; she was determined to take his life back.
The doctors were escorted to the door, exchanged a few words, shook their heads, and then got into their carriages and left.
Only one unremarkable middle-aged man with a goatee did not return to his own clinic, but instead said to the coachman, "Go to Minister Shen's residence."
Zhao Lan owns a pharmacy, and he is the resident doctor there.
Inside the main courtyard, Zhao Lan was savoring the wine that Shao Minqing had brought her.
Liu's mother was strict, only allowing her to drink a small cup each day.
When she heard the maid announce that Doctor Tian had arrived, she was somewhat surprised and called him in.
"Has something happened at the pharmacy?"
Doctor Tian dared not delay and told the truth: "Today we received a case from the Shao family, saying that someone had accidentally ingested poison and was unconscious. When I went over to take a look, it turned out to be our second young master..."
“Mingda?” Zhao Lan stood up, her brows furrowed. “Wasn’t he at the Imperial Academy? How did he get poisoned?”
“I don’t know the specifics, but the second young master’s symptoms remind me of what happened three years ago.”
Doctor Tian said solemnly, "When the Third Miss suddenly fell into a coma due to a heart ailment, her pulse was very similar to that of the Second Young Master now."
Zhao Lan was so shocked that she smashed her wine glass.
Three years ago, Yue'er fell ill shortly after receiving the imperial decree to marry Shen Songyi. Her maids said that she had a fight with Shen Songyi in the garden during the day. When Yue'er returned to her room, she complained of chest pain and discomfort, and fell into a coma the next day.
At the time, the whole family thought she had been spoiled since childhood and had a bad temper. When she suddenly found out that she was going to marry a good-for-nothing playboy, she got sick from the anger.
Zhao Lan invited many famous doctors to her home, but to no avail. Unexpectedly, Yue'er woke up on her own. Zhao Lan thought she was just lucky and that the Bodhisattva had protected her. She went to the temple to fulfill her vow and donated a large sum of money for incense.
But why did Shen Mingda develop the same symptoms three years later, while Shao Minqing kept saying that he was poisoned?
Zhao Lan no longer hesitated, "Prepare the car, I'm going to the Shao family's house."
...
After seeing the doctor off, Shao Minqing picked up the last bit of lotus seed soup in the bowl and went next door with a cold face.
Aunt Liu was bound hand and foot to a chair, her whole being seemingly devoid of its soul, in a daze, until Shao Minqing pushed open the door, and a ray of blinding sunlight shone in, shining directly into her eyes.
She squinted her eyes as if trying to avoid eye contact, and struggled forward a few times with all her might.
"Where's Mingda? How is Mingda? Let me go, let me go see him..."
Bang!
Shao Minqing slammed the porcelain bowl onto the table and glared at her coldly: "You're the one who ruined Mingda, how dare you face him?"
"It wasn't me, it was you!" Aunt Liu cried out, her beautiful face contorted with rage. "I can't let Mingda's future be ruined by you! You're the one who killed him!"
"Future prospects?" Shao Minqing didn't understand why Aunt Liu was still thinking about so-called future prospects at this point. "Tell me, can you marry him off to a noblewoman, or buy him the imperial examination questions so he can pass with flying colors? What kind of future prospects do you want? Have you even asked Mingda what he really wants?"
Aunt Liu was speechless when questioned, but she still stubbornly insisted, "Anyway, he can't be your live-in son-in-law! He's now the son of a second-rank minister, and Master will definitely find a way to arrange things for him..."
Shao Minqing felt a wave of fatigue. She simply couldn't communicate with someone as ambitious as Aunt Liu.
She said coldly, "What kind of poison did you give Mingda? Why can't even the doctor diagnose it? The one lying there now, his own son, is in critical condition. Even if you hate me to the core, you can't just watch him die, can you? Where's the antidote? Bring it out right now!"
Aunt Liu's eyes darted around guiltily. "Who said I poisoned you? I kindly brought you sweet soup, and you didn't drink it, so why are you slandering me?"
"Still not admitting it?" Shao Minqing picked up the porcelain bowl, pinched Aunt Liu's chin, and was about to pour the liquid into it. "Since there's no poison, then you drink it yourself—"
Aunt Liu struggled desperately, clenching her teeth, but she couldn't overcome Shao Minqing's strength. Just as the deadly sweet soup was about to slip into her mouth, the fear of death finally took over, and she cried out in despair, "That's a secret medicine from the palace, there's no antidote!"
Shao Minqing paused, her hand loosened, and the porcelain bowl fell to the ground and shattered.
"No antidote?" The color drained from her face, and she grabbed Aunt Liu's shoulders in disbelief, shaking her violently. "You're playing me again, aren't you? Where's the antidote? Don't you want to save your son anymore!"
Aunt Liu wept in despair, "There really is no antidote... I don't know where things went wrong; it shouldn't have taken effect so quickly..."
According to her plan, if Shao Minqing drank that bowl of lotus seed soup, she would suddenly experience unbearable heart pain and develop a high fever before falling asleep at night, then fall into a coma that would last for several days, and finally pass away due to the inability of medicine to cure her.
Just like... Shen Lingyue back then.
No, that's not right. Shen Lingyue is still alive and kicking in the Changning Marquis's residence!
Zhao Lan must have found some reclusive divine doctor for her, who could even cure the "heart-corroding" poison!
Hope rekindled in Aunt Liu's eyes, and she no longer cared about arguing with Shao Minqing. She desperately tried to reach the knots tied to her body.
"Let me go! I know who can save Mingda!"
...
The carriage stopped at the gate of the Shao family's residence.
As soon as Zhao Lan got out of the car, she bumped into Shao Minqing and Aunt Liu, who were walking out quickly.
Seeing Aunt Liu's disheveled appearance and her hands bound, what else could she not understand? With a cold face, she strode forward and slapped her across the face.
"You worthless wretch, look at the sins you've committed!"
Zhao Lan had never laid a hand on Aunt Liu before, but this time she was so angry that her fingertips were numb.
Aunt Liu was slapped to the ground, but she couldn't even think of resentment. She just kept kowtowing to Zhao Lan in a pleading manner.
"Madam, please have mercy and bring the renowned physician we hired for the Third Miss. Mingda's health cannot be delayed any longer!"
When her deepest suspicions were confirmed, Zhao Lan felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her heart turning ice-cold.
She spoke, her voice trembling slightly, "So, you were the one who caused Yue'er's sudden illness back then?"
At the critical moment of life and death, Aunt Liu dared not hide anything any longer, but kowtowed even more deeply.
"Please forgive me, Madam. I was blinded by greed and thought that as long as the Third Miss... I could marry into the Pei family as the legitimate daughter of the Shen family... It's all my fault, but I only wanted to secure a good future for my child..."
Zhao Lan staggered, her vision blurred, and she uncontrollably fell into Liu's mother's arms.
"Madam Zhao."
Shao Minqing stepped forward and grasped her hand, her expression anxious and earnest. "Aunt Liu is guilty of heinous crimes. She wants to get rid of me, her thorn in her side. But Mingda is innocent. He is on the verge of death. Please tell me, which divine physician cured the Third Miss? As long as he is willing to help, name your price. The Shao family is willing to take full responsibility."
After a long while, Zhao Lan finally spoke slowly in a hoarse voice.
"There was no miracle doctor at all. Yue'er... suddenly recovered on her own."
...
Pei Jinghuai has been working long hours lately, and has finally sorted out all the affairs of the Jinwu Guard, which are now on the right track, allowing him to relax a bit.
Today is a day off. The young couple stayed up late last night because of the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" feeling, and didn't get up until noon. They then went to see the Weibo family hand in hand.
"Lu Xilou said he would come and hold one of the cubs after they are weaned."
Pei Jinghuai stared at the little white fairy's resentful gaze, picked up the eldest red fox cub, and teased it a few times in his arms before asking Shen Lingyue, "Which one do you think he should hold?"
“First, let’s rule out the little calico. Mother loves this one and reserved it for me a long time ago,” Shen Lingyue said. “And Little White is for my sister-in-law.”
Pei Jinghuai asked, puzzled, "My sister-in-law is pregnant, how can she have time to raise a little fox?"
"Isn't there still my older brother?" Shen Lingyue chuckled. She had already begun to imagine Pei Jingyi holding a child in one arm and petting a fox in the other, the elegant young master descending to earth to become a stay-at-home dad.
Pei Jinghuai exclaimed, "Then we can only choose between the eldest and second eldest. Both of them inherited Wei Bo'er's looks, so they'll definitely be good-looking when they grow up."
The two squatted in front of Little White Fairy's private birthing room, discussing and deciding on the future of the fox cubs.
Shen Lingyue leaned against him like she had no bones, saying whatever came to mind.
"By the way, do you know where I can buy those really rare and expensive wines? I'm planning to give them to my mother as her birthday gift this year. You wouldn't believe it, but she actually..."
Pei Jinghuai was surprised to hear this, "Then next time I accompany you back to your parents' home, wouldn't I be able to freeload off my mother-in-law's treasured drinks?"
Enraged, Shen Lingyue punched him, "I asked you to help me find good wine, and now you're eyeing my mother's things?"
Pei Jinghuai smiled and pulled her into his arms. "Just kidding, I'll take care of this."
When it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun, he used to be a pro!
The two whispered to each other, as if they had endless things to say when they got together.
The tranquility was broken when Qingchan reluctantly stepped forward.
"Madam has come with Concubine Liu and Miss Shao."
Shen Lingyue looked up in confusion. What kind of combination was this?
She and Pei Jinghuai went to the reception hall in front, and as soon as they entered, Aunt Liu hugged her leg.
"Third Miss, please save your second brother!"
Shen Lingyue was startled, and when she looked up, she met Zhao Lan's gaze, which was as calm as a deep pool.
It felt a little unfamiliar, and a little scary.
A cold sweat suddenly broke out on my back, and a chill spread throughout my body.
Until Pei Jinghuai firmly grasped her fingertips, his warmth surged over her continuously.
Pei Jinghuai bent down and pulled Aunt Liu away, saying coldly, "Speak your mind. With you crying like this, people will think my wife has done something to you."
Unable to contain herself, Shao Minqing quickly stepped forward and explained the whole story in a few words.
“…Mingda is still unconscious. Miss, you are our last hope.”
Shen Lingyue's head was buzzing, and she didn't recover for a long time.
Was the original owner actually poisoned to death by Aunt Liu?
No wonder she felt perfectly healthy after transmigrating, and had no heart disease whatsoever.
But how could she tell them that the real Shen Lingyue had never been healed?
“Third Miss, you can hate me, resent me, hit me, scold me, but Mingda has never harmed you.”
Aunt Liu slapped herself hard several times, so hard that her fingernails even scratched her and drew blood. She pleaded, "From childhood to adulthood, your second brother always thought of giving you a share of whatever good things he had. He didn't understand anything, but he treated you like his own sister."
“I…” Shen Lingyue stammered, her mind blank, completely unsure of how to respond.
Of course, she didn't want anything to happen to Shen Mingda, but she wasn't some kind of miracle doctor; she didn't know how to cure any poisons.
Outside the door, Qingchan suddenly shouted.
"The Crown Prince and his wife have arrived!"
Shen Lingyue subconsciously turned around and saw Yan Yi push away Pei Jingyi's support and walk quickly towards her.
Yan Yi hugged Shen Lingyue, feeling her body trembling slightly, and kept whispering comforting words in her ear: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Pei Jingyi walked over. "Huaizhou, what happened?"
"...This poisonous woman actually poisoned A-Yue." Pei Jinghuai gritted his teeth in hatred and sneered, "Now she's reaping what she sowed, poisoning her own son as well."
Pei Jingyi pondered for a moment, then instructed the maid waiting outside the door, "Take my invitation to the Imperial Hospital."
Shao Minqing showed gratitude, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Yan Yi gently patted Shen Lingyue's back, looked up at Zhao Lan, and said softly, "Auntie, do you remember which doctors we consulted for A-Yue and what prescriptions we used? Perhaps one of the ingredients just happened to neutralize the poison? If we do the same thing, we might find a way to break the poison."
Zhao Lan nodded slightly, "Yue'er's medical records from childhood to adulthood are kept in my room. I've already asked Liu Mama to find them."
Her expression softened, and she walked up to Shen Lingyue, took her hand, and said in an exceptionally gentle tone, "Yue'er, don't be afraid, Mother will definitely avenge you."
The child must be terrified; she shouldn't have had such a terrible thought.
Shen Lingyue nestled in Yan Yi's arms, avoiding Zhao Lan's gaze, and only nodded slightly.
She was in a terrible state of mind, and only being with Yan Yi could make her feel better.
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