Chapter 40 Escape
More than a month after Qin Lie left, a miraculous doctor came to Huangzhou.
He took his mother around to practice medicine, not only refusing to charge for consultations but also occasionally giving away medicinal herbs.
When he arrived in Huangzhou, the weather was so hot that he gave away his homemade cooling and heat-relieving pills for free, which were very popular wherever he went. People came to see him for treatment in an endless stream, and long lines of people waiting to collect the pills formed before dawn.
Aunt Zhou rushed over before dawn and returned when it was completely dark, but she was still very happy because she had queued twice and received two pills.
One was given to Shi Tou, and the other was given to Ling Yi.
Lingyi refused to accept it, and Aunt Zhou feigned anger: "Let's not even talk about the Xuan paper and brushes you often bring back from the prefecture, just look at your land rent, it's no different from letting us farm for free! I understand how good you are to me, these pills only take me some time, if you refuse to accept them, I will never have the face to see you again!"
Lingyi had no choice but to accept it. That night, she sat under the lamp and carefully examined the red pill.
Bicao made the bed and reminded her, "Princess, it's best not to take this kind of medicine of unknown origin."
Lingyi said, "The outside world is full of rumors about that Dr. Zhang, and no one expected that Sister Zhou would give me medicine. My life isn't that precious. Could it be that someone would go to such lengths to harm me?"
Bicao had no rebuttal and could only watch as she put the pill into her mouth.
The pill melts in your mouth, a cool sensation rushes to your throat, and a lingering fragrance remains on your lips and teeth.
Lingyi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "So sweet."
This tiny pill seemed to really help cool her down, and Lingyi slept soundly.
The next morning, they were to go with Sister Zhou to see Doctor Zhang.
Bi Cao stopped her, saying, "If the princess is unwell, a renowned physician will come to treat her. Why should she lower herself to seek out that country doctor?"
Lingyi smiled faintly: "Your prince only asks you to serve me. Do I have to ask you for permission to go anywhere?"
Bi Cao hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't dare!"
Lingyi said coldly, "Since you dare not, why don't you hurry up and prepare to come with me?"
As she walked in a direction different from the prefectural capital, Lingyi noticed that the father and his three sons had followed her, along with several other people. She couldn't tell them apart, but she found them extremely suspicious, as they seemed to be forming a circle around her, protecting her within it.
She pretended not to know anything and chatted and laughed with Aunt Zhou all the way. After walking for more than half an hour, she finally arrived at the doctor's place.
They arrived late today; there were already about a hundred people ahead of them in line.
But as soon as they arrived, they found someone in line ahead of them. They happened to have an urgent matter to attend to at home and offered to give up their spot to them.
Aunt Zhou exclaimed in surprise, "Such a good thing?"
Lingyi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is a blessed person, and I also benefit from her good fortune."
The two arrived at the front of the line.
In a simple mud-brick house, a short man with a sallow complexion and droopy eyelids sat taking someone's pulse.
They got a very good spot near the front, and it was their turn very quickly.
Lingyi sat at the table, palms up. The divine physician glanced at her fair and slender wrists, then his gaze shifted to the white veil covering her face. "What ailment does the young lady wish to diagnose?"
Lingyi said coldly, "It's a woman's illness."
Upon hearing these three words, the guards who were about to surround them involuntarily retreated.
Such matters concerning the privacy of the room were something the prince would never want others to know, so they dared not disregard the rules.
Bicao Yunying was still unmarried, and recalling the ambiguous sounds in the room every time the prince came, she couldn't help but feel her face burning.
The prince was clearly not a man who cherished women, so it wasn't surprising that the princess was ill.
So when the princess told her she had something to say to the divine physician and asked her to wait outside, she didn't suspect anything.
When only the two of them remained in the room.
Lingyi could no longer hold back, and lifted her veil, choking back tears as she said, "Fifteenth Sister!"
Zhang Dasheng gripped her hand tightly, "Seventeenth Sister!"
"When I first heard the name of this medicine, I thought it was a coincidence. I only realized it was you after taking it. Sister, why are you dressed like this? How have you been these past few years? How is Aunt Liu Cui doing? Are you together?" Lingyi had many questions.
The Fifteenth Princess said, "Aunt Liu Cui has been with me all along, and as for what happened, it's a long story. Now I only have one question for you—are you willing to come with us?"
Lingyi replied without hesitation, "Yes! Wherever you go, I will go with you!"
Then she hesitated and said, "But I'm afraid I won't be able to leave for a while, and I'll only cause you trouble."
"Silly sister!" the Fifteenth Princess sighed, "To me, you are the only blood relative left in this world. How can you be a burden?"
.
Lingyi brought several packets of medicine home. Bichao had the doctor examine the herbs and prescription, and found nothing wrong with them. It was a prescription for women to nourish yin, replenish qi, and beautify the skin. Only then did she begin to decoct and administer it to Lingyi.
Lingyi suffered through the summer heat and became too lazy to go out again, only having Bicao pick a lot of peaches to make fruit wine.
However, due to the sweltering summer heat, he only gave verbal instructions and did not actually do anything himself.
When Qin Lie arrived, the first jar of peach wine had just been brewed.
It took more than four months to capture the capital. When the palace was breached, the ministers forced the seventh prince and Prime Minister Guo to commit suicide in order to surrender.
Qin Lie cut off the head of the seventh prince and brought it to the grave of Hui Niang in Jizhou as a sacrifice. Afterwards, he rushed to Huangzhou without stopping and has not been able to sleep well for several days.
Despite all the hard work and exhaustion, she still complained, dramatically covering her nose with her hand, "Your Highness should take a bath first, and then come and drink with me."
Having just fought a fierce battle, his eyes still seemed to be tinged with blood, and his killing intent was still strong. If it were anyone else, they would have already been beheaded by now.
But when she spoke, her eyes were sparkling and her lips were smiling, so he couldn't muster any murderous intent; only lust rose within him.
While taking a bath, he was still wondering what she was so happy about.
Was it because I came here? Or because of something he said?
—Take her back to the capital and introduce her to Huan'er.
He hadn't forgotten, and he wouldn't lie to her. He would do all of these things, as long as she obeyed.
The fruit wine was sweet and refreshing, but Qin Lie, who was used to strong liquor, found it tasteless.
Let alone fruit wine, even Du Kang's wine wouldn't taste good now, because the old drunkard's heart is not in the wine.
She kept pouring herself one glass after another, and Qin Lie found it amusing: "Is the princess planning to get me drunk?"
Lingyi smiled and said, "Could it be that I can't get the Prince drunk?"
It wasn't that he couldn't get her drunk, it just required a different approach. Qin Lie reached out to pull her into his arms and tried to feed her the fruit wine through his mouth.
Unexpectedly, with just one movement, he fell to the ground. He immediately understood what was happening and glared angrily at Lingyi. He saw her looking down at him with eyes as cold as moonlight. Then everything went black before his eyes, and he fainted.
When Qin Lie comes here, he usually stays indoors and rarely gives any instructions.
Therefore, Qin Xiaoshan had nothing to do outside except receive messages from secret agents, and was quite leisurely.
Not long after the prince went in, Bi Cao came to call him. Qin Xiaoshan felt uneasy. When Ling Yi asked him to go into the room, he lifted the curtain and entered. When he saw the scene inside, his expression changed drastically.
Qin Lie sat half-upright on the ground, his upper body leaning against the edge of the bed, already unconscious.
Lingyi half-squatted beside him, holding his wrist in her hand, and smiled sweetly at Qin Xiaoshan: "Vice General Qin is very knowledgeable. Have you ever heard of Half-Moon Red?"
Qin Xiaoshan was startled upon hearing this, and upon looking at Qin Lie's wrist, he saw that the red line had already snaked for half an inch.
The so-called Half-Moon Red was a secret medicine of the former imperial court, and it became known to the world because it was once involved in the struggle for the throne.
The poisoned person does not feel pain. At first, they will only fall into a deep sleep and be unable to move their body. A red line will appear on their wrist.
On the fifteenth day, when the red line grows to the elbow, the person will bleed from all seven orifices and die instantly.
Because of its strange effects and its colorless and odorless nature, hundreds of people in the previous dynasty's imperial palace died from it, and it was later banned.
The recipe and the antidote recipe were destroyed, but unexpectedly, the princess gave them to the prince today.
Qin Xiaoshan spoke with difficulty: "Princess, the Prince has treated you well..."
Not stingy? How could it not be stingy? Lingyi found it absurd but was too lazy to argue with him. She simply said, "He is Huan'er's father. I have no intention of taking his life. I only need a fast horse. Once I leave safely, someone will naturally bring the antidote in fourteen days."
Qin Xiaoshan frowned: "If the princess breaks her promise, wouldn't the prince be throwing his life away in vain?"
Lingyi said, "I have already taken this gamble, leaving myself no way out. Of course, you don't have to believe me. At worst, we'll all perish together. If you kill me, your prince will have no chance of survival. Why not take this gamble? Your prince's life is much more precious than mine!"
In Qin Xiaoshan's eyes, Princess Yongjia was like a thrush kept in a golden cage, just waiting for its master to remember to tease it.
Although they sometimes peck at their owner, it's just to add some fun.
Now her gaze is as clear as snow, extremely resolute, and she has used this forbidden drug from the previous dynasty, so she must have a powerful figure helping her.
Qin Xiaoshan hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind and said, "I will let you go! I only hope that the princess understands that if the prince dies because of you, even if the young master is the prince's flesh and blood, he will certainly not be able to live."
Lingyi knew he would agree from the start, "Prepare a fast horse and five days' worth of rations for me, and deliver them within a quarter of an hour!"
Qin Xiaoshan had no choice but to comply and turned to go out to give instructions to others.
After the horses arrived, Qin Xiaoshan couldn't help but advise again, "Princess, you are a wise woman. You know that taking a step back will bring peace, while taking a step forward will lead to an abyss. Why do you insist on doing this?"
Lingyi said with a pang of sympathy, "Why take another step forward? I am already in the abyss!"
She turned to leave, but her skirt was tugged at. Looking down, she saw it was Qin Lie.
He should have been asleep, but now his eyes were open, clutching the fabric of her skirt, staring at her fiercely: "Why...why did you leave?"
With each word he spoke, blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, clearly from biting his tongue to regain a moment of clarity.
Lingyi found it amusing: "Why shouldn't I leave?"
Qin Lie said, "As long as you stay now, I can forgive you... and I can even let Huan'er stay with you and call you Mother."
His mouth was covered in blood, his expression was fierce and malevolent, like a demon, and he threatened in a stern voice: "If you dare to leave, one day... I will personally cut you down with my own blade!"
She looked at him with a sneer, "I wasn't born so lowly as to be your mistress, someone you can summon and dismiss at will, trampling on me at will! I even need your favor to see my own child, do you expect me to be grateful to tears?!"
Without hesitation, she cut the hem of her skirt that he was holding onto and turned to leave.
Qin Lie's eyes were bloodshot, but he couldn't move his body. He asked her hoarsely, "You...you don't even want Huan'er anymore?"
She stopped and looked back at him, a tear flashing across her eyes, and said calmly, "Your Highness is busy with many affairs and has a bright future ahead of you, so you would not take your anger out on your own child."
After Lingyi finished speaking, she turned around, walked out of the room, and mounted her horse.
She had learned to ride a horse from Qin Lie, and later escaped with Xie San Niang. Although she wasn't very skilled, it was enough for her.
Inside the room, Qin Lie bit his tongue again, causing it to bleed profusely, and made a hoarse sound in his throat. "Go after her! Bring her back to me!"
If he wasn't stopped, he might bite off his own tongue. Helpless, Qin Xiaoshan struck him on the back of the head, knocking him into a deep sleep.
After the princess left, Qin Xiaoshan dared not openly pursue her, but secretly dispatched men to follow her.
I thought she would head south, but she turned north and entered Huangzhou Prefecture. After that, she abandoned her horse and entered a small alley.
The spy waited for a while but no one came out, so he went in to check, but the person was already gone.
They searched inch by inch and discovered that there was an empty courtyard with a dry well that turned out to be a secret passage leading to a brothel.
This place used to be a brothel, catering to the pleasures of high-ranking officials and nobles.
It had been abandoned for a long time, but now the princess used it to escape.
The princess's clothes, which she had changed out of, were in the secret passage. Now, two hours later, they have been completely changed and no one knows where she has escaped to.
Qin Xiaoshan acted decisively, took out the prince's token, and ordered the entire city of Huangzhou to be under martial law. Although he did not openly search the entire city, he repeatedly checked every person and carriage leaving Huangzhou.
He was right; the princess would definitely have to head south to escape the Qin family's sphere of influence.
There isn't enough time to leave the city; she must still be in the prefectural capital.
As the sun set, long queues of people waited to leave the city in front of the prefectural government. Soldiers even pulled at their faces to check if they were disguised, and carriages were lifted up to be examined inch by inch, even manure carts were not spared.
Until a carriage bearing the Qin family crest arrived at the city gate.
The curtain was lifted from the inside, revealing Zhang Dasheng's sallow and wooden face. "Hurry up and search, I'm in a hurry to get to Xiangzhou."
The official guarding the gate said with a smile, "Not to mention that you are riding in Prince Jing's carriage, my father was saved from a cold thanks to your treatment last time, so there is absolutely no reason for us to search you!"
Zhang Dasheng lowered the carriage curtain and sat back down.
The carriage rattled out of the city gate and quickly disappeared from sight.
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