062 Administering drugs
After arranging everything he could think of, Song Xi immediately returned to the palace.
The Empress Dowager had already woken up. Yu Jin had only given her a common sleeping potion; she felt perfectly fine after waking up from a nap. Song Xi went directly to her bedchamber and dismissed the palace servants: "My identity may be exposed."
The Empress Dowager's hand, which was sipping tea, loosened, and the cup fell from her grasp, rolling a considerable distance on the ground. She asked, "What does this mean?"
Song Xi kept it brief, saying, "On my way back to the palace, I had someone investigate. Yu Jin and Prince Yu have fallen out, and she's moved into Fifth Brother's residence. I've had a long-standing grudge against her, and today's events have strained things a bit. Knowing her personality, if she wants revenge, she'll definitely tell Fifth Brother everything about me. At the latest, they'll go to the palace to report me to the Emperor by tomorrow morning."
"How dare she report us?" The Empress Dowager was furious. Looking at the still-bleeding wound on Song Xi's face, she said angrily, "I haven't even bothered to settle the matter of hurting you with her, and she's already going against me. Let her say what she wants. They think they can bring us down with just a few words? They're underestimating me."
Song Xi advised, "Don't be arrogant. That's the truth. Regardless of anything else, I am a man, and I cannot withstand the Emperor's scrutiny. Before they arrive, you should think about how to explain this."
The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, her body trembling slightly from her heavy breathing, her emotions running high. She said, "Don't worry, I've lived for so many years, I won't be defeated by this. Let Fang Mama in, you go back and rest."
Song Xi asked, "Is there anything I need to prepare?"
"No need. As long as I am alive, you will still be the Sixth Princess, and no one can hinder your status," the Empress Dowager said domineeringly.
Seeing her stubbornly sitting at the head of the table with her back straight, Song Xi felt somewhat helpless. He turned around, called Fang Mama in, and then returned to the Sixth Princess's bedchamber. The Empress Dowager hadn't allowed him to prepare anything, and he couldn't really leave it unprepared.
He wrote a letter to the head of the Song family, asking him to do everything possible to protect the Empress Dowager after the incident. The Song family's honor currently rested entirely on the Empress Dowager's shoulders; protecting her was tantamount to protecting the Song family.
After Cui Yu left with the letter, Song Xi sat alone by the window, watching the sunlight gradually dim and fade. The silent night, with its eerie chill, slowly enveloped the entire palace.
The sound of orderly footsteps approached from afar outside the palace; it was the Emperor's Imperial Guards.
Seeing Emperor Mingde in a hurry, leading hundreds of well-equipped imperial guards to the front of Shou'an Palace, Song Xi gestured for everyone to stop and entered the main hall of Shou'an Palace alone.
No one knew what had happened inside the palace. All they saw was Emperor Mingde emerging with a somber and downcast expression. His brows were furrowed, and the cold, ruthless look in his eyes was almost too much for anyone to bear. He whispered something to the leader of the Imperial Guards before striding away.
Shou'an Palace was surrounded, guarded by the leader of the Imperial Guards.
It is said that the Empress Dowager was unwell and should not see outsiders. She was attended to by the Sixth Princess and Granny Fang. Outsiders were not allowed to enter without Emperor Mingde's order, and those who disobeyed could be shot dead on the spot by the Imperial Guards.
The Empress Dowager sent a message through Granny Fang, instructing Song Xi to stay in her bedchamber and not to go out unless absolutely necessary. She had already informed the head of the Song family that there was no need for them to make any moves at the moment.
Although it was a form of house arrest, apart from not being able to see outsiders, the living supplies at Shou'an Palace were not affected. Song Xi sat in front of the mirror, carefully changing the dressing on the wounds on his face. Cui Yuhou stood beside him, taking a celadon porcelain bottle from his medical kit and handing it to him.
Song Xi reached out to take it, but stopped just as his fingertips touched the porcelain bottle.
The porcelain bottle contained his scar-removing cream, which, no matter the type of scar, would not leave a mark if used continuously.
"Sixth Princess?" Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, Cui Yu called out to him.
Song Xi thought for a moment and said, "There's a problem with this medicine, so let's not use it for now. I'll study the formula again when I have time."
Cui Yu was a little puzzled. She had used this scar removal cream herself before, and it hadn't caused any problems. She didn't know why Song Xi was saying this, but Song Xi was her master, and she would just do as he said. Cui Yu put the porcelain bottle away and closed the medical kit after Song Xi changed the dressing.
Song Xi said, "Find some time to send a message... never mind, he might not come to court. There's nothing else today, you should go back and rest, I want to be alone."
Cui Yu knew he wanted to take advantage of Lord Yuan's visit to the palace to have him send a message to Lady Yuan that Shou'an Palace was safe. Looking at Song Xi, Cui Yu suddenly understood why he insisted on not using scar removal cream. His scar was from saving Lady Yuan; without the scar, that affection would eventually fade with time. As long as the scar remained, Lady Yuan would feel guilty every time she saw him. For someone like Lady Yuan, only remorse could last; he wanted Lady Yuan to remember him forever.
Cui Yu felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She knew that the Sixth Princess had always been most concerned with her appearance. In order to leave an impression on Madam Yuan, she had even disregarded her most valued appearance.
Cui Yu didn't say anything more to dissuade her. She hugged her medical kit, her eyes resolute, and with her head bowed, she left.
Song Xi didn't notice anything unusual about her. To prevent his identity from being discovered, he had no one else serving him in his palace besides Cui Yu. Cui Yu also knew he was a man of few words, and rarely appeared before him unless there was something important. So Song Xi wasn't surprised that Cui Yu hadn't come over for most of the day.
As dusk settled and the afterglow of the sunset shone on the ground, a cool autumn breeze blew, chilling Song Xi to the bone. He got up to close the door and heard the sound of someone dragging something outside.
Song Xi looked outside in confusion. Not long after, Yu Jin's panting voice came to the door: "Junior brother, come and see, your senior sister has brought you a big gift."
"How did you get in?" Song Xi asked directly.
Yu Jin seemed not to hear him and kicked the thing on the ground in annoyance: "It looked so thin, but it's so heavy after it died. It's almost making me sweat."
A bad feeling rose in Song Xi's heart. He walked over quickly and saw that Yu Jin was pulling Cui Yu.
However, at this moment, Cui Yu's face was bleeding from all seven orifices, and his body was covered in wounds from being slashed by swords, from which blood was still flowing. He had been dragged along, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
Her eyes were wide open, with a hint of resentment in them.
Song Xi asked incredulously, "You killed her?"
Yu Jin found a stool and sat down, saying indifferently, "It's not really that bad. She tried to leave Shou'an Palace without permission, and when the Imperial Guards found out, she was hacked to death. This medicine of mine is just to make her die a quick death and suffer less."
"Impossible. Let alone Shou'an Palace, Cui Yu could leave the palace silently if she wanted to. You deliberately let her be discovered!" Song Xi said with certainty.
Yu Jin laughed heartily: "Oh, Junior Brother, you're so clever. That's right, I deliberately let her be discovered by the Imperial Guards, and I also used a spell to bewitch their minds, causing them to hack Cui Yu to death. But this is all your fault, Junior Brother. Why did you have to let her pass on messages? Since she was sealed off, wouldn't it have been better to stay quietly in Shou'an Palace? You killed her, so don't blame me."
"What news?"
Yu Jin picked up a slip of paper with her fingers, gesturing for him to open it and take a look.
Song Xi took it and saw that it read: "The Sixth Princess is fine, but she occasionally looks in the mirror and feels worried because the scars are hard to fade."
Yu Jin's eyes were like fire, fixed on Song Xi: "Even in this state, you're still thinking about her! What's so great about Li Yang? She's just a woman, and you've only known her for a short time. Is she worth your concern? Only me, Song Xi, only I have been by your side for so many years. Only I am the woman who is worth it!"
Song Xi slowly clenched the note, looking at Cui Yu on the ground, whose clothes and hair were already disheveled. He squatted down beside her, reached out and covered her face, closing her eyes.
An indescribable sorrow and grief welled up in his heart. Apart from accompanying the Empress Dowager on her studies outside the palace when he grew up, Cui Yu had been there for him during those difficult days of his childhood, coaxing him to sleep and making him laugh. In his heart, Cui Yu was the elder he trusted most, his sister, and even someone he was closer to than the Empress Dowager.
He was unaware that Cui Yu had seen through his little scheme and wanted to help him achieve it.
Even on her deathbed, she was thinking about helping him.
Song Xi's vision gradually blurred. He blinked, and two large tears fell, dripping onto Cui Yu's face and staining the already dried blood. He took out a handkerchief, wanting to wipe the dust off her face.
Yu Jin grabbed him and yelled, "Stop! A palace maid like her is not worthy of your personal attention."
Song Xi brushed her hand away, gritting her teeth as she said, "Yu Jin! I truly regret not killing you back then!"
When Song Xi first started learning medicine from Ghost Hand, he was quite dependent on Yu Jin. After all, Yu Jin was the first person he had ever interacted with as a boy. Later, realizing that Yu Jin was hostile towards him, Song Xi didn't give up but instead tried his best to please her. The two spent their days together by Ghost Hand's side, growing up day by day, until Ghost Hand passed away, at which point Song Xi decided to travel.
On the night before his departure, Yu Jin said she would see him off. Song Xi, unsuspecting, ate the food she brought. Unexpectedly, she had laced the food with muscle-relaxing powder, then locked him up and tortured him for two days. Later, the Empress Dowager found him and rescued him while Yu Jin was away.
Yu Jin sneered, her eyes brimming with smugness: "Is that so? What a pity. You'll regret not killing me sooner."
Without waiting for Song Xi to speak, Yu Jin continued, "Can you feel it now? I've drugged you again. This time it's not as simple as last time."
He had applied ointment to his injured face, which disrupted his sense of smell. Combined with the shock of Cui Yu's death and the lingering smell of blood on her, Song Xi's senses were significantly dulled.
He didn't notice.
It wasn't until Yu Jin brought it up that Song Xi realized her heart was beating a little fast and her body was slowly heating up.
Tulip's expression turned somewhat frenzied, revealing a smug satisfaction at finally achieving her long-awaited goal: "I've been researching for eight years, all for this moment. I've named it 'Acacia.' I hope you'll gather more of it; this is the most evocative of longing, so fitting for the occasion!"
"You're crazy!" Song Xi snapped.
Yu Jin didn't care about his words at all, and the smile on her face grew wider and wider: "Yes, I am crazy. I went crazy the moment Master brought you to me. You took away Master's love for me, so you have to compensate me. Since you are not willing to take the initiative, it doesn't matter, then I will take the initiative."
She stood up and slowly walked towards Song Xi: "Stop struggling. There is no cure for this drug. I have tested it many times. If you don't find a woman, your heart will burst and you will die in two hours."
Song Xi felt as if a fire was burning inside his body, coursing through his meridians.
His hands were trembling uncontrollably, and the handkerchief slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.
Yu Jin walked over smugly, stretched out her index finger and gently pushed his shoulder. He then squatted down on the ground, as if he had no bones.
His face flushed red, and sweat began to bead on his forehead as he suppressed his emotions. He was breathing heavily, trying to calm the restlessness within him.
Yu Jin said arrogantly, "Telling you is useless. Do you think I would make a move so easily if I weren't absolutely certain?"
She crouched down, bringing her face close to his earlobes, which were as red as if they were dripping blood: "Whatever I, Yujin, desire, will be mine, no matter how long it takes."
She was so close that her body was almost touching his.
Song Xi turned her head, concealing the clarity in her eyes. As she lowered her guard due to her smugness, she delivered a swift chop to Yu Jin's nape.
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