Chapter 43: Drugging. She! She wants to frame you! She just said she wants to drug you! ...
He Zhiliao watched as the Third Princess took charge of the matter and sent people to the Pei Mansion in front of him. He looked up at Yanhua and Xixin, wanting them to find a way to follow the maid to see if she really went to the Pei family.
It's not his fault for being suspicious, it's just that the Third Princess' words and actions are indeed a bit strange. It's a taboo for him to talk too much with someone he just met, and it has touched his bottom line.
My mother said in the letter that I should always trust my intuition. If I feel uncomfortable interacting with others, I should be more careful and not let others take advantage of me easily.
Xixin nodded imperceptibly, flicked his finger lightly, and a small black shadow slipped into the grass and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"I said the wrong thing today. Don't worry about it. Just enjoy the flowers. It would be great if you can make some friends." The Third Princess said with a smile.
He Zhiliao followed her gaze and looked at those wealthy men. They were all unfamiliar faces, few of whom he had seen before.
Moreover, since he had invited all the wealthy men, he didn't invite Song Shiyu and Yan Jingchun. Even the Seventh Prince and Xu Xinran were not there. He was a little confused about the situation for a moment.
But since the Third Princess had said this, he naturally had to pretend.
He Zhiliao didn't like making friends, but at this moment, he was too concerned about making friends for profit. He was afraid that if he wasn't careful one day, he would be tricked by others and the entire Pei family would suffer.
But as soon as he came down from the pavilion, someone came up to him timidly, looking like he wanted to talk to him but was a little shy.
"Greetings, Mr. Pei Zhengjun. This is our young lady, surnamed Zhao. My master is a fifth-rank official, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy." The maid behind the girl saluted respectfully. "Our young lady is a little shy, please bear with me."
He Zhiliao nodded, seeming to understand.
He thought the other party was just saying hello, and after nodding, he was about to walk away. However, he didn't expect that Miss Sun had been following him all the time, which made him feel a little helpless.
Apart from the Song and Yan families, he had never been so close to anyone else.
Chun Jian understood and immediately asked, "Miss Sun, do you have anything to say? It's not proper to follow me like this."
Miss Sun's maid immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Please don't misunderstand, my lord. Our young lady doesn't like to talk and doesn't like to interact with other young ladies. She just wants to stay with you so that she can have some peace and quiet. Please forgive me, lord!"
He Zhiliao sighed in his heart. How could he have the ability to forgive sins? Since he wanted to follow, then just follow.
The two of them found a secluded spot, quietly ate tea and snacks, and admired the precious chrysanthemum species in the courtyard. The black chrysanthemum was huge, and although it fluttered in the wind, it still stood upright.
[The west wind blows in the yard, the chrysanthemums are cold and fragrant, and butterflies are hard to come.] He Zhiliao sighed in his heart, the autumn chrysanthemums are blooming like this, it really is getting cold.
Sun Qin was very quiet, even her breathing and movements were gentle, like air, and would not cause any waves.
Soon there were only a few snacks left on the small table, and Xixin immediately called the servants from the Third Prince's Mansion to add some more.
The maid went forward tremblingly to add more tea, but her hand was shaking and she was about to spill the tea on He Zhiliao's clothes. Fortunately, Yanhua was quick-witted and grabbed her wrist and threw her aside, and the teacup shattered to the ground in an instant.
The crisp sound attracted everyone's attention. The third prince's wife hurried over and saw the scene. She was instantly furious and winked at the maid beside her, who immediately took the little maid away.
"Are you okay? It's all because of this useless servant who can't even do anything like serving tea or water!" The Third Princess was furious. "I'll definitely vent my anger on you. Are you okay?"
He Zhiliao smiled and shook his head. Yanhua was nimble and agile, so she was naturally not hurt.
"It's also my fault that I didn't discipline you well. I'm sorry that you were wronged. I'm glad you weren't hurt, otherwise I would have felt guilty to death." The Third Princess looked at him worriedly.
He Zhiliao didn't even shake his head.
He just found it boring. Was that all they had to do? They kept pouring water on him, and was it a terrible humiliation for him to get his clothes wet?
What a boring fight.
He Zhiliao was helped by Chun Jian to sit down. He smiled at the Third Princess, with a faint smile in his eyes, but there was a hint of clarity in that smile.
Both of them like to intimidate him.
Then he wanted to see what else this farce would lead to.
After that, He Zhiliao still didn't dare to let his guard down, but he didn't expect that there would be no more troubles later. Instead, it was a bit beyond his expectations. He just remained on edge until dinner time.
He originally thought that the party would end before dinner, but he didn't expect that the Third Princess would invite everyone to the front yard for dinner. This completely dispelled He Zhiliao's suspicion. After all, he really couldn't imagine that a maid would pour water on him in front of so many people.
The dinner at the Third Prince's Mansion was very exquisite and beautiful, with great color, aroma and taste. However, He Zhiliao was inexplicably afraid to pick up his chopsticks. He only ate the juicy grapes, one after another.
"Why didn't Pei Zhengjun eat it? Is it because it doesn't suit your appetite?" The Third Princess asked softly, "It's my fault for not asking you about your dietary restrictions in advance. I just asked the kitchen to make it according to the banquet specifications, and everyone is the same."
He Zhiliao smiled and shook his head, then picked up a dish and put it into his mouth, chewing it gently. It tasted really good.
The Third Princess smiled and said, "As long as you like it."
After she left, He Zhiliao pretended to pick up some food so that the dishes in front of him would show signs of being used in order to dispel other people's doubts.
During this time, the distinguished guests began to toast each other.
He Zhiliao looked at the wine being served and felt his lips and teeth inexplicably dry. However, this wine was not his favorite plum wine, so he did not object and even refused when other girls came to toast him.
Someone must have informed the Third Empress of his situation, and she immediately came over with a wine pot. "I see you're not used to this wine. Don't worry, these are all light fruit wines. Today we're serving rose water. The one in my hand is green plum wine. Try it."
The wine pot is exquisite, with small green plums carved all over it. Even the lid is shaped like a small green plum, which looks very refreshing indeed.
The Third Princess poured him a cup and said with a smile, "Take a sip. If you like it, I'll give you a jar when you leave."
Thank you.
He couldn't refuse anymore, so he drank the small cup of sake in one gulp. It tasted sweet and soft, without any heat at all. It was indeed a good sake.
"I'm glad you like it. But this wine makes you thirsty, so remember to drink more tea." The Third Princess said this and went to entertain other guests.
He Zhiliao watched as her pot of wine was poured out to everyone. There was naturally no problem with the contents of the pot.
He didn't feel thirsty at all, so he picked a few grapes and took a bite each. The honey-sweet grapes instantly dispelled some of the alcohol smell, but it made him want to go to the bathroom instead.
"Young Master, let Xixin accompany you." Chun Jian knew that Yanhua and Xixin were both powerful warriors and had unique abilities, so it would be better to have them accompany him.
And he and Yanhua can keep an eye on the situation at the banquet here.
He Zhiliao took Xixin and left quietly.
The toilet in the Third Prince's mansion was in a side courtyard. Xixin carefully supported him, keeping his eyes and ears on the movements nearby, fearing that someone would suddenly rush out.
"Master Zheng, please wait a moment. I'll go in and take a look." Xixin pushed the door open and walked in. The courtyard was filled with the smell of incense mixed with mugwort, which was the best at dispelling special odors.
She searched every corner and found nothing suspicious, so she brought He Zhiliao in and stood guard behind the screen.
He Zhiliao had just washed his hands when he suddenly heard a burst of hurried footsteps. Xixin immediately protected him, fearing that someone would suddenly break in.
The footsteps came from far away and were accompanied by obvious panting. It could be heard that it was a woman's voice.
Then the door was pushed open and a head popped in.
"Miss Sun?" Xixin was surprised and glanced at her husband. She didn't expect that the person coming was him.
"It's me... Oh... I was scared to death..." Sun Qin patted his chest lightly.
Seeing that they were all staring at him, he quickly gave a shy smile, but he didn't look as restrained as before.
Xixin looked at her warily, "Miss Sun is here to relieve herself too, where is your maid?"
Sun Qin shook her head slightly, then nodded inexplicably. She took a deep breath and uttered two words, "Go!"
"What do you mean?" Xixin became more alert, her hand already touching her waist. If the other party made any move, she could stop her in the blink of an eye.
"I just heard, San—her! She wanted to frame you! She just said she was going to drug you!" Sun Qin said nervously, "I was a little afraid of their conversation and drinking, so I wanted to hide and overheard it."
She prefers night to day.
When night falls, everyone hides in the darkness or is surrounded by candlelight. Everyone is the same, and no one will stare at her anymore.
That's why she dared to move around freely, but she didn't expect to hear those things. She was so scared that she asked her maid to watch over there while she went to look for someone.
Xixin suddenly looked at He Zhiliao and saw that he was pale. She didn't care about etiquette and directly grabbed his wrist to take his pulse carefully. There was nothing abnormal in his pulse.
"The pulse is calm and there's nothing wrong." Xixin said softly, "Don't worry, Master Zheng."
Although she said this, she became anxious in her heart.
Everyone has their own expertise. Although she knows some medical skills, she is not as proficient as Yanhua. She is more proficient in poisons, while Yanhua is proficient in both medicine and poisons.
If I had known this would happen, I should have let Yanhua accompany me.
But I can't be sure that what Miss Sun said is true.
He Zhiliao winked at Xixin and immediately said, "Miss Sun, our Zhengjun's pulse is fine, there's no sign of poisoning."
"That's great!" Sun Qin breathed a sigh of relief, and tears welled up in her eyes. She was almost feeling miserable acting alone.
He Zhiliao frowned slightly. This Miss Sun's words and actions did not seem false. For a moment, he really could not tell what she was thinking. The relationship between them was not that close.
My mother once said that when people do something, they have a purpose.
Sun Qin was introverted but sensitive. She explained repeatedly, "I have no ill intentions... I just want to play with people who don't talk... You are good, so I want to tell you..."
Regardless of whether it was true or not, it was no longer possible to stay in the Third Prince's mansion.
He Zhiliao winked at Xixin, who immediately helped him walk outside. He still couldn't easily trust this Miss Sun, but if she really had no ill intentions, he would apologize later.
"I'm fine, you can go away..." Sun Qin waved at him embarrassedly.
As soon as the two returned to the table, Chunjian and Yanhua immediately came to greet them. Seeing that they both looked unhappy, Chunjian quickly brought him a glass of water.
He Zhiliao took a big gulp, breathing slightly heavily. After he finished drinking, he looked at Chun Jian and asked him to go and greet the third imperial concubine.
Haru Jian was about to leave, but Yanhua stared at his slightly red face and frowned, "Zhengjun, are you feeling unwell?"
He Zhiliao shook his head slightly, not feeling any discomfort.
It was just that I was anxious when I came back just now, and after taking a few bites of milk, I was very thirsty now. I drank some warm water and felt a little better.
Upon learning that he was leaving, the Third Princess hurried over, shook his hand, and began to apologize, "But don't you like this meal? I'll just remove it and ask them to make a new one. It's truly my fault for not hosting you well. Please don't hold a grudge against me for this."
"Reporting to the Third Princess, our prince is not feeling well and should go back home to take medicine. Any delay will be bad for his health. It is not because of your banquet." Yanhua said respectfully.
"Since you are not feeling well, you should go back home and have a good rest. Go change your clothes first, it won't be too late to go back home later." The Third Princess said in a gentle voice.
It was common to come out of the toilet to change clothes, and He Zhiliao did feel a little uncomfortable, so he nodded and agreed.
The Third Princess waved her hand, and two maids came towards them, bowed slightly, and took He Zhiliao to the side courtyard.
Yanhua and Chunjian immediately followed, while Xixin waited there. Her little one had already informed Lin Feng of the situation. The master must have returned home by now, and was probably just waiting to pick up Zhengjun at any time.
Thinking of this, she felt a little relieved.
The other side.
The two maids took them to the side courtyard, but the road became more and more secluded.
He Zhiliao read books every day and had read all the storybooks. He knew a little about the methods that women from wealthy families liked to use.
He gently touched Chun Jian, who immediately said, "How long will it take, young lady? Our Zheng Jun is not feeling well and is in a hurry to return home to take medicine."
"We're almost there. The guests are changing their clothes here, away from the front yard, so they won't be disturbed." As they spoke, they quickened their pace, as if they couldn't wait to fly.
They were quickly brought to the changing room, and the two maids said nothing more but invited them in.
He Zhiliao immediately winked at Yanhua, and Yanhua instantly put on a bright smile. She raised her hand and punched each of them, knocking them down directly, then pulled a piece of window gauze to tie them up.
"I'll search the room." Yanhua said as she went inside and soon saw a naked man lying on the bed who appeared out of nowhere.
He Zhiliao sighed lightly, it turned out to be just such an idea.
The man was unconscious, probably hoping to be caught in the same room with a naked foreigner so as to tarnish his reputation and make the Pei family dislike him.
If he had encountered such a thing in the past, he would have been scared to death, but at this moment, he actually wanted to imitate Yanhua and slap the Third Princess in the face.
But because of his status, he couldn't do that.
Yanhua and Chunjian lifted the man up in an orderly manner. They originally wanted to throw him out directly, but Chunjian knew a lot about such dirty things, so he suggested throwing him into another room. That way, even if he was found again, he would not be involved with He Zhiliao.
He Zhiliao quickly changed his clothes and tied his belt with his fingertips. The door of the wing room was kicked open the next moment, followed by an urgent greeting -
"Pei Zhengjun, you're so late, we're all scared. Pei Si is here to pick you up!"
He Zhiliao, dressed neatly, looked at the crowd, his gaze fell on Pei Ji, and nodded slightly at him, indicating that he was fine.
When the Third Princess saw him standing like this, she calmly went forward to pull him, and looked towards the bed again and again, but didn't see any figure.
"Where is your maid?" she asked with concern. Why are you the only one left here?
"We just saw a big rat in the house. We chased it out," Harumi said softly. "That rat was really big. If you get bitten, you'll probably get sick."
After he said this, the wealthy men who followed him became nervous instantly. They didn't even want to stay any longer and said goodbye one after another.
Pei Ji stepped forward and took He Zhiliao into his arms. "In that case, we will return home and take the clothes that Zheng Jun changed out of. Otherwise, if someone with bad intentions takes them and makes a fuss about them, I won't be able to explain myself even if I jump into the moat."
"Yes." Haru Jian responded without leaving even a piece of his clothes behind.
He Zhiliao was hugged by Pei Ji and got on the carriage. Perhaps he was completely relieved, but then the fear came over him. His heart began to beat violently and his breathing became faster. He hid in Pei Ji's arms and held his clothes tightly.
"Don't be afraid. I wanted to pick you up earlier, but I was tripped by the Third Prince." Pei Ji said softly, but his brows were particularly deep and gloomy.
Although he did have some free time after the corruption investigation was stopped, he was still doing the work of the Censorate, and he had to work harder than before to help His Majesty keep an eye on the court, which meant keeping an eye on his dissidents.
Therefore, he was particularly concerned about the affairs of the Censorate. When Lin Feng delivered the message to the palace, he had almost finished the work at hand and was about to leave the palace and return home early, but he was inexplicably summoned by His Majesty for questioning. After inquiring, he learned that it was the Third Prince who did it. In an instant, he understood that He Zhiluo would probably not be able to escape for a while.
As soon as he came back, he immediately rushed to the Third Prince's Mansion. When the Third Princess learned of his arrival, she brought him directly to the front yard where all the female relatives were, and asked everyone to help him find He Zhi.
Looking at what happened just now, the woman clearly knew where He Zhiliao was, but she still deliberately shouted it out to let everyone know, as if the person was lost in her house.
Although he was worried, he could only comfort himself that Yanhua and Xixin would be fine.
Sure enough, nothing happened. Seeing it with my own eyes made me feel completely relieved.
【ah……】
He responded softly, but his voice was clearly tired and uncomfortable.
Pei Ji thought he was just frightened and didn't dare to say anything more. He just asked the driver to go faster and not delay their return home. He wanted to call a doctor to check him out, but after thinking it over, he decided to put the matter aside for the time being.
Pei Ji strode down from the carriage, picked up He Zhiliao in his arms, and walked towards the courtyard at a brisk pace. Yanhua and Xixin had to jog to catch up with him, and Chunjian even started running.
Everyone in the Pei Mansion had not gone to bed yet, just waiting for He Zhiliao to come home. There was some commotion outside the courtyard, which attracted them all out.
"What happened?" Qin Yurong was wearing a shawl, her face a little tired. "Are you hurt? Jianglan, take my card and go to the palace to ask for the imperial physician—"
Pei Ji gently refused, "Nothing, just a little tired. I'll let Chun Jian tell you the whole story later. Go and rest."
Pei Xiao became a little anxious when he saw He Zhiliao's little ball, "You better watch it carefully! Don't let it die!"
In response, Qin Yurong punched him hard. She frowned and said, "What nonsense! Chunjian, come with me!"
Pei Ji carried He Zhiliao back to the bed. After putting him down, he noticed that something was wrong with him. His face was very flushed, and it was obvious that he was sweating excessively, not having a normal fever.
He called Yanhua in loudly, and she knelt down to feel the patient's pulse. This time she really felt that something was wrong.
"It's a love potion..." Yanhua breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't a poison, the master could cure it.
Pei Ji's eyes darkened. "Is there an antidote? You know what I'm asking."
Yanhua was taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied, "This medicine needs to be mixed with something like water to be effective. It's not difficult to cure, just take a medicinal bath."
"Get ready immediately."
"yes!"
There wasn't much else in the General Protector's Mansion, but there were plenty of rare and precious medicines. Soon, all the medicines that Yanhua needed were soaked in the bathtub, and the clear water turned a strange black color.
Pei Ji took off his clothes and put the person with fever in, then he went in to soak with him. He Zhiliao was already hot, and after soaking in the hot water, his fair skin was covered with a layer of red.
His blood seemed to be heating up, and he rubbed against Pei Ji impatiently, hoping to relieve some of the discomfort, but his body was firmly restrained by the other party and he could not move.
"Don't cry, don't cry." Pei Ji held him and comforted him softly, "Just soak for a stick of incense, just treat it as a bath, and you will be fine soon."
As he said this and coordinated the movements of his hands, He Zhiliao could no longer think about anything else. He whimpered and struggled, all in Pei Ji's palm.
He Zhiliao fell into a deep sleep.
Pei Ji watched with his own eyes as the crimson on his skin faded away, then he carried him out of the bathroom and asked Yanhua to take his pulse again.
"The poison from Zhengjun's medicine has worn off." But Yanhua still didn't dare to relax.
Pei Ji adjusted the quilt for He Zhiliao, raised his hand and moved his messy hair to the side of his ear, revealing his beautiful face, which now looked pale and sickly.
"What did I tell you?" He spoke in a soft voice, as if he was afraid to disturb the sleeping person.
"We deserve to die. We didn't notice the medicine. It's our incompetence." Yanhua and Xixin spoke at the same time, without any resentment on their faces. This was because they failed to guard well.
"Keep your lives and take good care of him. If something like this happens again..." Pei Ji didn't finish his words.
However, Yanhua and Xixin understood and expressed their gratitude repeatedly. After this incident, they would never take it lightly again.
Pei Ji raised his eyes and looked at them, "Back off."
In the final analysis, he blames himself the most.
If he was not just an ordinary official at this time, he would not have been easily stopped by the Third Prince. It was because he did not stand high enough that those despicable people easily stretched out their claws to him.
The third prince, An Huan.
Since he did this, don't blame him for fighting back.
He has always come up with many cruel methods, but he was too lazy to use them against the court officials. But now he has to use them.
He underestimated the evil nature of the women in the harem.
[Hmm…]
The person in the sleep seemed to be frightened. He frowned and curled up his trembling body slightly, with his lips trembling slightly, as if he had encountered something difficult and terrible.
Pei Ji panicked and patted him gently.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your husband is here."
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The author has something to say: Pei Ji: [Angry][Angry][Angry]
Xiao Zhiliao: Ah, this plot is all written in the storybook I read! [Laughing]
Pei Ji: "What are you laughing at?" [kiss]
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