Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Hurry up and come over.
Outside the princess's residence, the night was deep. The lanterns hanging high in front of the vermilion gate swayed gently in the evening breeze, illuminating the heavily armored guards standing solemnly in front of the gate, as well as a dignified and well-dressed stewardess.
Li Jing brought his carriage to a steady stop in front of the mansion gate. The head steward, Granny Wu, recognized it as a carriage from the Rong Prince's residence and quickly stepped forward, her face beaming with a respectful smile: "This old servant greets Your Highness. May I ask what brings Your Highness here so late at night?"
Li Jing nimbly jumped down from the carriage and turned to lift the curtain. Meng Yutong, carrying a medicine box, followed him out of the carriage with her head bowed and stood in the shadows behind him.
"Hearing that my aunt was poisoned and fell into a coma, I was deeply troubled and came to visit her." Li Jing straightened his clothes, trying his best to make his tone sound natural, and then led Meng Yutong inside.
Granny Wu stepped forward, subtly blocking his way, her smile unchanged, but her tone tinged with caution: "The young master's filial piety is commendable. If Her Highness the princess knew, she would surely be pleased."
"However... the situation in the manor is special right now. Her Highness the Dowager has issued a strict order that, in order to ensure Your Highness's peace and quiet, it is really inconvenient for unauthorized personnel to enter. You, the young master, are naturally fine, but the person behind you... is somewhat unfamiliar."
Li Jing frowned, his tone tinged with displeasure: "What? Does Granny Wu not trust me? This is a clerk I specially invited from the Imperial Medical Academy. She is well-versed in pharmacology and came here specifically to deliver some precious medicinal herbs to aid my aunt's recovery. Granny, are you trying to stop me like this because you don't want my aunt to recover soon?"
Granny Wu looked somewhat embarrassed, but she still stood in front of him, saying cautiously, "Your Highness is too kind. This old servant would never dare! It's just that Her Highness the Dowager gave strict orders first, and this old servant was only acting under orders. I really dare not show favoritism or make exceptions. I hope Your Highness will understand..."
Just as the situation was at a stalemate, a clear, deep voice came from the shadows around the corner inside the mansion: "Granny Wu, it's alright. That's someone from my medical academy. Let her in."
Before the words were finished, a dashing and elegant figure slowly walked out from behind the pillar.
Ji Yun raised his eyes, his gaze passing over Li Jing and landing directly on Meng Yutong. "What are you standing there for? Come over here now."
Meng Yutong was surprised to meet him here, but she reacted quickly without hesitation. She immediately bypassed Li Jing, stepped up the steps, and obediently stopped beside Ji Yun, her posture respectful and without any fault.
Li Jing's expression froze, a strange tightness forming in his chest, but he couldn't say anything. He could only turn to Granny Wu and ask in a stern tone, "So? Are you still going to stop us now?"
With Ji Yun personally vouching for her, how could Granny Wu dare to stop her any longer? She quickly stepped aside, bowed, and apologized, saying, "Physician Ji, please forgive me! Young Master, please forgive me! This old servant was only worried about Her Highness the Princess's safety, I had no other intentions, absolutely no other intentions! Please come in, esteemed guests!"
The three were then able to enter. When they reached a secluded corner of a corridor, Ji Yun suddenly stopped and slowly turned around.
The dim lighting in the corridor outlined his slender profile. His gaze swept over Meng Yutong and Li Jing, who stood two steps behind him, one on his left and one on his right, before finally settling on Meng Yutong's ill-fitting men's clothing, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
He had only just learned of the incident at Zhaoyu Hall. Today, he had been summoned to the palace to examine Jin'an. Normally, he would have been able to leave the palace in no more than an hour. However, after being summoned to the palace today, Jin'an claimed that he was not feeling well and needed to rest for a while before examining him. As a result, he waited for quite a while, which wasted a lot of time.
After Shen Zhou entered the palace, he specifically sought him out and told him about the situation at Zhaoyutang. Feeling uneasy, he quickly finished his diagnosis, wrote a prescription, gave instructions on other matters, and then left the palace.
He didn't rush to Zhaoyu Hall immediately, but went directly to the Princess's residence to check on his aunt's condition and see what had happened.
Looking at Meng Yutong who had appeared there, a sense of irritation swept through his heart.
"What's going on?" he asked in a low, tense voice. "Why are you dressed like this here?"
What he really wanted to ask was why she came with Li Jing, and when their relationship had become so familiar.
These words lingered on his lips for a moment before he swallowed them back, turning into a deep darkness in his eyes.
Li Jing chuckled dryly and quickly explained, "Cousin, here's what happened. Zhaoyutang was somehow surrounded by government officials who said that Meng Yutong was suspected of... suspected of poisoning my aunt. She sent me a message through someone, so I went to pick her up and came to the princess's residence to find out what was going on and see if I could help. I didn't expect to run into you here."
He paused, then asked urgently, "Cousin, have you been at the Princess's residence the whole time? Do you know how Aunt is doing? How did she suddenly get poisoned? What kind of poison? And why do you say it was Meng Yutong who poisoned her?"
Li Jing's series of questions intensified the irritation he felt.
After listening, Ji Yun frowned almost imperceptibly, turned his gaze to Meng Yutong, his eyes deep and unfathomable, his emotions churning within, but ultimately settling into a profound calm.
Meng Yutong met his gaze and nodded frankly: "What Prince Li said is the course of events."
"You two have quite the nerve." Ji Yun's voice was calm, but his gaze remained fixed on Meng Yutong. Seeing that she still had that nonchalant expression on her face, the irritation in his heart gradually turned into an indescribable bitterness, and his voice became hoarse as he spoke, "If I hadn't happened to pass by just now, how did you plan to clean up the mess?"
He paused slightly, then added a touch of coldness, "To be honest, Mingyuan has acted rashly in the past, and has also offended Yutang. I was worried that Doctor Meng would hold a grudge. Now it seems that I was narrow-minded. Doctor Meng is broad-minded and does not hold grudges. At this critical moment, he was able to ask his former adversary for help, which truly makes me look at him with new respect."
“Cousin, why bring up the past! Miss Meng and I have long since reconciled!” Li Jing blushed slightly and hurriedly explained, his tone even carrying a hint of protectiveness. “Besides, I see that you have a deep prejudice against Miss Meng. How could she be a vengeful person? She is clearly very magnanimous! When we came here together in the carriage just now, she even gave me advice on how to run Bazhenfang and gave me many good ideas! We get along very well now, cousin, you don’t need to worry.”
It would have been better if he hadn't spoken. After his explanation, which was eager to distance himself from his past actions yet subtly conveyed a sense of intimacy, the atmosphere around Ji Yun seemed to have become even more oppressive. It was as if even the last trace of warmth had vanished from his already cold face.
Looking at Ji Yun's expression, Li Jing scratched his head, puzzled, unable to figure out what he had said wrong.
Meng Yutong gripped the strap of the medical kit hanging over her shoulder with one hand, her knuckles turning a pale white. She clearly sensed that Ji Yun's attitude today was unusual, and his words even carried a subtle but sharp edge.
He was a man who never showed his emotions and whose thoughts were deep and unfathomable. Because of this, when she was with him in her past life, she often felt exhausted. She was always trying to figure out his emotions, but she could never reach the true side of his heart.
At that time, she thought more than once how wonderful it would be if he were simpler in nature and could open his heart to her a little more.
But in this life, times have changed, and she no longer has the patience or the feelings to try to figure out his thoughts.
Seeing his unusual behavior now, Meng Yutong felt that this person was really inexplicable.
Why bring up these things out of the blue?
"These are just some trivial old stories; now is not the time to talk about them."
She spoke calmly, directly brushing aside the delicate atmosphere, "Thank you very much, Physician Ji, for helping me out of that predicament. The most urgent matter is the safety of Her Highness the Princess. I want to see Her Highness in person and confirm her condition."
Li Jing, who was standing to the side, noticed that Meng Yutong's right shoulder was slumped slightly by the heavy strap of the medical kit, and the already loose and ill-fitting men's clothing was pulled crooked.
He instinctively reached out, wanting to lift the medicine box.
However, before his hand could even touch it, Ji Yun had already taken the medicine box off Meng Yutong's shoulder and steadily held it in his own hands.
“I have already conducted a preliminary examination,” Ji Yun’s voice returned to its usual calm and clear tone. “Auntie does indeed show signs of poisoning. However, it is difficult to determine what kind of poison she has been poisoned with at the moment. I have ordered that a sample be taken from all the items that Her Highness comes into daily contact with in her room and sent by fast horse to the Imperial Medical Academy for Chen Bin to examine. Only after the poison is identified there can appropriate treatment be given, and your innocence be cleared. Since you want to confirm it with your own eyes, I will take you there.”
He turned to Li Jing and said, "With so many people around, trouble is bound to arise. You might as well wait here for a while, and we'll come back to meet you after we've investigated the situation."
Li Jing's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. In the end, he could only awkwardly clench his fist and reluctantly pout, "Just one more person? Maybe... I can be of some help."
Ji Yun glanced at him indifferently and asked directly, "What help can you offer?"
"I..." Li Jing instinctively wanted to refute, opened his mouth, eager to prove himself useful, and his gaze involuntarily turned to Meng Yutong, with a pleading look, "I can..."
Meng Yutong also looked at him, her eyes filled with a hint of helplessness.
To be fair, Ji Yun was right; having too many people was indeed inconvenient, and it would be safer for Li Jing to stay and provide backup. But he had just helped her, and she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
After a long pause, Li Jing seemed to resign himself to his fate, his shoulders slumped, and he waved his hand helplessly: "Never mind, never mind, you guys go ahead. Be careful and come back soon."
Ji Yun stepped aside to make way. Meng Yutong nodded slightly to Li Jing, and then walked with Ji Yun towards the princess's bedroom.
Seeing Ji Yun carrying her medical kit, Meng Yutong said, "Let me take it."
Ji Yun kept his eyes fixed ahead, his steps unwavering, and said calmly, "Officially, I'm here to see a doctor. If we're going to put on an act, let's go all the way. No need to stand on ceremony."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yutong said no more and quietly followed behind him. The two proceeded without hindrance, arriving directly outside the bedroom where Princess Jingfu resided.
Two palace maids stood guard outside the palace gates, while squads of guards patrolled below the steps. These people clearly recognized Ji Yun, and upon seeing him approach, they all bowed respectfully without stopping him.
Upon seeing that it was Ji Yun, the palace maid on duty outside the door immediately and silently pushed the door open a crack, inviting him inside.
Meng Yutong kept her head down and followed behind Ji Yun.
She had just dealt with Green Velvet at the Princess's residence not long ago, and had also met her at Qinglan Temple before. Today, this crude disguise probably couldn't fool her eyes.
However, whether Green Velvet didn't see clearly or she unintentionally revealed it, Meng Yutong finally followed Ji Yun into the inner hall without incident.
Ji Yun led her straight to Princess Jingfu's bed.
Meng Yutong stared intently and saw Princess Jingfu lying in the brocade quilt with her eyes closed and her face pale. Her usual haughty, lively, and sharp demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Now, lying there motionless, she appeared unusually fragile and quiet.
After his flamboyant and aggressive demeanor subsided, his eyes revealed an almost refined and quiet demeanor, making him seem like a completely different person from his usual self.
“Ji Yun,” Meng Yutong said in a low voice, “I want to take her pulse.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Yun led her to sit down on the embroidered stool beside the bed, and then gently placed the medical kit on the low table next to her.
He opened the box and skillfully took out the pulse pillow and the plain silk handkerchief for her wrist, arranging them neatly for her. His voice was deep: "Let's begin."
Meng Yutong calmed her mind and gently placed her fingers on Princess Jingfu's wrist pulse.
The pulse under the fingers is deep, sluggish, and difficult to move, which is indeed a sign of poisoning, and the poison is quite cunning and lingers.
She carefully opened the princess's eyelids to observe her pupils and then examined her tongue. Although these areas appeared weak, they had not yet developed any alarming discoloration. She felt somewhat relieved, realizing that the poisoning had not yet reached the depths of her lungs.
“I have already administered acupuncture to her to protect her vital organs, which should buy her about three or four days,” Ji Yun said in a deep voice, his gaze falling on Jing Fu’s pale face. “If we cannot identify the poison and prepare an antidote during this period, I’m afraid… her life will be in danger.”
Meng Yutong nodded, indicating that she understood. After a moment's thought, she said to Ji Yun, "I'd like to check the situation elsewhere. You... go ahead and turn around."
Although Ji Yun did not understand what she meant, he still turned around as instructed. Meng Yutong gently lifted the brocade quilt covering Princess Jingfu and carefully rolled up her trouser legs.
At first glance, there was nothing wrong with the skin on her legs, but when she pressed it with her fingers, she could clearly feel that the muscles were abnormally stiff, and the signs of blood stasis were far more serious than what was shown in her pulse.
Meng Yutong's expression was grave. This poison would attack Jingfu's most vulnerable spot first, and if a solution wasn't found in time, her leg would likely be in serious danger.
But where did this poison come from?
The medicinal blankets she personally fumigated were perfectly fine. Where exactly did the problem lie?
Her fingertips tightened unconsciously as a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
In her previous life, Princess Gyeongbok did not fall into a coma after her birthday banquet; the only time she was poisoned was by the begonia poison.
However, begonias are highly poisonous; if one is poisoned by them, one will immediately bleed from all seven orifices, wither and die, and the symptoms are not as lingering as they appear now.
“Ji Yun,” she lowered her voice, her tone urgent, “after the princess fell into a coma, who ordered the sealing off of Zhaoyu Hall? And what evidence did they use to conclude that there was something wrong with the item I gave her?”
The situation was shrouded in mystery, but she knew she had to stay clear-headed. Her immediate priority was to detoxify Jingfu and clear her name.
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