Sometimes good, sometimes bad
Jin'an King Meng Yu wore purple-gold boots and a white jade crown on his head. He looked as handsome as a beautiful jade and strode into the tent.
Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng quickly bowed to him, and he supported them lightly, saying, "No need to be so polite, both of you. It's my late arrival that frightened you."
Pei Songsheng shook his head: "Your Highness is too modest. If Your Highness had not arrived in time, my wife and I would have been killed by the thieves."
"Lord Pei is a pillar of state. I am honored to have been able to rescue you," Meng Yu said. "It's a pity that I didn't have enough men with me this time, so we couldn't capture the thieves alive. Don't worry, I've just reported this to my father and have offered to personally track down the thieves. I will definitely give you an explanation."
The couple once again thanked Meng Yu earnestly. Meng Yu said, "By the way, when I arrived just now, the thief was ready to attack you. I wonder if you two were injured?"
Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and said, "To be honest, Your Highness, I accidentally injured my wrist when I was being chased by bandits just now, and it's burning right now. Unfortunately, our carriage was damaged by the bandits. Could Your Highness lend us a carriage so we can return to the city to seek medical treatment?"
As she spoke, she covered her wrist with her sleeve, frowned slightly, and pretended to endure the pain.
When Meng Yu heard she was injured, he immediately became nervous and said, "A fall can be serious or minor, but if it's a broken bone, it can't be taken lightly. There's an imperial physician with us in the enclosure, madam, why bother going so far? I'll go get him."
Cheng Yayin: "How dare I trouble the imperial physician? This is against etiquette."
"What's wrong?" Meng Yu raised his right arm and turned it, pretending to be annoyed. "Madam, you've reminded me that I seem to have sprained my arm when I was fighting the bandits just now. I should ask the imperial physician to come to the tent to check on me."
After saying this, he opened the curtain and walked out with big strides.
Cheng Yayin was a little surprised. She had long expected the prince to be a chivalrous man. He would certainly not sit idly by if she were injured, and would definitely find Doctor Wang for her. But she had just pretended to be injured, and seeing how worried he was, she felt a little guilty.
This was her first time meeting Prince Jin'an, and she was already impressed by his character. She couldn't help but say, "This prince is not arrogant at all, he is such a good man."
Pei Songsheng nodded and said, "Prince Jin'an is indeed more easygoing than other royal children. It may be related to his background."
Cheng Yayin asked curiously, "What's your background?"
"About fifteen years ago, an epidemic broke out in the palace. Countless palace maids were infected and died, and even His Majesty accidentally contracted the disease, leaving him in critical condition. It was Prince Jin'an's mother, Concubine Shu Guifei, who diligently cared for His Majesty, who gradually recovered. However, after His Majesty recovered, Concubine Shu Guifei fell ill. Because she had been so exhausted from caring for His Majesty, she soon passed away."
When Cheng Yayin heard about this incident in the palace for the first time, she was stunned with surprise.
Pei Songsheng continued, "At that time, the prince was less than ten years old when he lost his mother. His Majesty was heartbroken. He was grateful for his mother's loyalty to him and felt sorry for him losing his mother at such a young age. Therefore, he treated this son with unparalleled favor, and lavished him with all kinds of gold and jade rewards. He even made him a king when he just came of age. Even when he disliked the court, he indulged him, allowing him to travel around and enjoy the scenery, living a wealthy and idle life. Perhaps it was because he had always stayed away from the disputes of the court that he didn't have the aura of power."
Cheng Yayin thought, perhaps there's another reason. Perhaps because he grew up without a mother, there must be a fragility in his heart that no amount of power or honor can compensate for, so he naturally has a sense of compassion for the suffering of others.
Not long after, Prince Jin'an returned with Doctor Wang. Cheng Yayin felt a little guilty about discussing his past in other people's territory.
Because his official mission was to treat the female relatives' injuries, Meng Yu felt it was inconvenient to observe and so he withdrew, leaving the tent to the three of them. This actually facilitated their real purpose of the trip.
Doctor Wang took Pei Songsheng's pulse. Although his expression was solemn, he was not surprised. He sighed and said, "It turns out that completely removing the toxicity of the heartbreak grass still doesn't work."
"What do you mean by 'no'?" Cheng Yayin asked anxiously, "Is the antidote completely ineffective, or is he getting worse?"
In comparison, Pei Songsheng was much calmer, as if he was not the one poisoned. He even patted Cheng Yayin's hand to calm her down.
Doctor Wang said, "It's not like he's getting worse. Judging by Lord Pei's symptoms, he'll probably be in a state of flux, lucidity and confusion. The recurrence of the toxicity will be more frequent than before."
How miserable would Pei Songsheng be? Cheng Yayin asked, "Is there no solution? Now that we know where the problem lies, can we create a new antidote?"
"That's all I can do. Luckily, I only used half of the Gelsemium elegans for medicinal purposes, just in case. The rest can be used to make another." Imperial Physician Wang frowned, his expression growing serious. "But I must remind you two, in order to successfully control the Soul-Separation Powder, I must retain the toxicity of the Gelsemium elegans this time. This is a dangerous move. While I can successfully detoxify Lord Pei from the Soul-Separation Powder, he will also be poisoned by the Gelsemium elegans. If I can't draw out the toxicity in him in time, he will undoubtedly die."
The last few words were like a thunderclap exploding over Cheng Yayin's head. She thought of the tragic death of the assassin from the poison of the heartbreak grass and couldn't help but shudder.
Doctor Wang asked, "How about this? Want to gamble?"
He asked this while looking at Cheng Yayin, clearly acknowledging that Pei Songsheng's affairs were entirely hers. Cheng Yayin, however, wasn't as quick to speak as before. She bit her lip silently, feeling conflicted.
This is a matter of life and death for Pei Songsheng, so she cannot make a decision rashly. However, apart from taking a risk, there is no way to cure the soul-scattering poison. In the current situation, Pei Songsheng does not have much time to hesitate.
But if Pei Songsheng lost his life because of her decision today... Cheng Yayin felt a pang of pain in her heart, and her lips turned pale unconsciously.
Just as she was hesitating, Pei Songsheng said calmly, "Just do as Doctor Wang says."
Cheng Yayin looked at him in surprise and said anxiously, "But, if you fail to successfully detoxify the heartbreak grass, you will..." The word was stuck in her throat and she couldn't say it.
Pei Songsheng smiled faintly: "If that's the case, it's because God is unwilling to show mercy to me. I made this choice myself, and no matter what the outcome, I will bear the consequences myself."
Cheng Yayin bit her lips, as if there was something stuck in her throat, and her eyes felt sore.
"Why are you looking so sad? Do you really think I'm so unlucky?" Pei Songsheng subconsciously reached out to her, as if wanting to pinch her face, but paused halfway and instead placed his hand on her head, gently stroking her cloud-like hair a few times. His eyes darkened, "I think I'm quite lucky."
"How could such a lucky person encounter such a thing?" Cheng Yayin muttered.
Pei Songsheng smiled lightly and turned to look at Doctor Wang, who looked very excited. "Even if you don't believe in my luck, you should trust Doctor Wang. Since he proposed the method of fighting poison with poison, he must be confident that it will succeed."
Doctor Wang said sarcastically, "This is boring, kid."
Cheng Yayin's eyes widened. Was he teasing them? Just as she was about to let go of the tension, he added, "But don't be too optimistic. The poison of the heartbreak grass is too dangerous. I'll naturally add herbs to the antidote to slow down the toxicity, but I'm not completely sure of its effectiveness. Your final fate will depend on whether God is willing to bless you."
Pei Songsheng: "Your words are enough. As for God's favor—" He looked at Cheng Yayin, who was hanging her head dejectedly, "I think I have already received it."
Doctor Wang said that the new antidote could be prepared in about half a month.
After discussing the detoxification, Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng were about to leave Xiling Mountain. According to etiquette, they should have gone to thank King Jin'an and bid farewell, but the guards at the tent gate said that the prince had gone to the enclosure to compete in hunting with the other princes. Before leaving, he had instructed his servants to prepare carriages and horses, so Pei Songsheng and his wife did not need to wait for him and could return on their own.
When Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng came out of the tent, they saw the carriage prepared for them by King Jin'an. Standing next to the carriage were Jian Zhu and all the servants brought from the Pei Mansion. They were all injured in the fight with the bandits, but fortunately none of them were seriously injured, and they had been bandaged and treated by people arranged by King Jin'an.
Cheng Yayin hadn't expected the Prince of Jin'an to even consider these servants. Furthermore, to prevent any further mishaps, he had even arranged for a team of soldiers to escort her back to the city. Cheng Yayin was deeply impressed by his thoroughness.
But Pei Songsheng's situation was not good.
Doctor Wang had previously said he would alternate between lucid and confused states, but Cheng Yayin hadn't figured out what exactly that meant. She only knew Pei Songsheng had looked exhausted since boarding the carriage, and it was clear he'd been forcing himself to talk with Doctor Wang. Now, leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, he remained silent, as if trying to resist some discomfort.
Cheng Yayin sat closer to him with concern and said, "Lean on my shoulder and sleep for a while. I'll call you when we get home."
Pei Songsheng was obviously feeling extremely uncomfortable, and he seemed to have no strength to even support himself. He leaned obediently on her shoulder, and soon his breathing became light and even.
Even in his sleep, Pei Songsheng's brows were slightly furrowed. Cheng Yayin understood that although he always acted calm and composed, even a saint would feel confused when faced with a life-or-death decision.
How could he not be terrified and hesitant? But these were turbulent times, and he couldn't let his best friend face the murderer alone, nor could he let her worry about his safety, so he chose to step forward and take on everything.
Cheng Yayin understood everything, but there was nothing she could do. Her heart ached, and she could only reach out and gently smooth the wrinkles between his brows, raising her shoulders slightly so he could lean against her more comfortably.
Pei Songsheng slept until the end of the journey, and when he woke up again, he had become a horse slave again.
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