The truth about poisoning
When Xie Chi left court, he noticed a hint of sympathy in the eyes of his colleagues. Completely bewildered, Xie Chi didn't return home until Wang Qianxin rushed in, flustered: "Your Highness, I have something to report! It's being said outside..."
Wang Qianxin wiped away his cold sweat, hesitant to speak.
After meeting Xie Chi's "get it out" look, he closed his eyes and said, "The young master outside was poisoned and his blood is contaminated, making it difficult for him to have children in the future."
So that's it! No wonder those people looked at him so strangely this morning. So that's where the problem lies! Xie Chi's nostrils flared slightly, and his lips were pressed into a straight line. It was clear that he was trying his best to suppress the anger in his heart.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Your Highness, Imperial Physician Gao requests an audience."
Upon hearing the rumors, Gao Jiuyong rushed to the Prince's residence, bowed respectfully to Xie Chi, and said, "Your Highness is wise; the rumors about the heir were not spread by me."
After saying that, he glanced at Xie Chi out of the corner of his eye, feeling even more uneasy.
To be honest, he didn't know how the news was leaked. At the time, he only told the prince and princess about Xie Zhuo's situation. Logically, only the three of them should know about this. Why is it spreading all over the streets now?
Gao Jiuyong was worried that Xie Chi and Zuo Murui would suspect that he had leaked the rumors, so he rushed to the Prince's Mansion to explain.
"This humble official swears to the heavens that if I reveal any information about the Crown Prince, I will be struck by lightning and torn apart by five horses..."
"Alright, Imperial Physician Gao, I naturally trust you. From now on, the Crown Prince's health will be in your care. Make sure he recovers his health!"
"Your Highness understands and will certainly not fail in your trust."
After Gao Jiuyong left, Wang Qianxin came out from behind the screen: "I have investigated and found that the source of the rumors is a few beggar children in the countryside. Someone gave them food in exchange for them spreading the rumors."
"How dare they fabricate lies about the Prince's mansion! Go and arrest those beggars immediately and throw them into the dungeon."
Wang Qianxin hesitated, then said, "Your Highness, those beggar children are only five or six years old..."
Xie Chi didn't say anything, but his face was so black it looked like ink could drip from it.
"I believe this is definitely someone targeting the Prince's Mansion. Not long ago, I led men to seize several of the Soul-Snatching Sect's properties. Could these rumors be their retaliation?"
Xie Chi was a court official and a member of the royal family, so he couldn't openly commit murders. He could only ostensibly seize the assets of the Soul-Snatching Sect while secretly dealing with the assassins.
But no sooner had he made a move than the other side launched a counterattack.
Xie Chi gritted his teeth, his chest filled with anger and even an uncontrollable killing intent. It seemed that his previous methods had been too lenient, which had given the enemy an opportunity. He immediately ordered the Wangfu secret guards to kill the people of the Soul-Snatching Sect without mercy.
Wang Qianxin bowed and accepted the order: "Yes!"
After Xie Chi pondered for a moment, the steward immediately gave the order: "From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave Qinghui Courtyard without my permission. If anyone dares to gossip in front of the young master, I will exterminate their entire family!"
Xie Chi immediately isolated Qinghui Courtyard.
This was to protect Xie Zhuo's self-esteem.
What he didn't know was that Xie Zhuo had deliberately spread the news that he couldn't have children.
*
Under the cover of night, a dark figure moved back and forth on the rooftop. Someone in the shadows noticed something amiss and immediately gave chase with a knife. After jumping onto the roof, he saw the figure's appearance and stopped, shaking his head at the person chasing him. The figure took the opportunity to jump off the eaves and quickly disappeared.
The person who arrived was Xie Zhuo.
Feeling that he had almost fully recovered, he secretly came to Wenyuan Villa. When the guards on duty saw that it was Xie Zhuo, they put away their weapons and let him into the villa.
It was late at night, and all was quiet.
Fu Zhiqiao is sleeping.
Xie Zhuo quietly entered the inner room, lit a candle, and the candlelight flickered gently, its glow swaying softly. There was no sound around; it was so quiet that only his own heartbeat could be heard.
Xie Zhuo's eyes were filled with longing. He gazed at Fu Zhi Qiao silently for a long time, and finally couldn't help but touch her face, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't sleep very soundly. Feeling something strange on her face, she opened her eyes and was greeted by a deep and handsome face.
Seeing that it was Xie Zhuo who came, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. She propped herself up and sat up, leaning against the headboard, and asked, "Why are you here?"
She was still a little dazed, her voice was muffled and filled with drowsiness.
Xie Zhuo had a faint smile on his lips: "I came because I wanted to see you."
Fu Zhiqiao: ...
Xie Zhuo was in bed for a long time after being poisoned, and without being exposed to the wind and sun, his skin regained its fair complexion, restoring the elegant and unparalleled charm he had when they first met.
Xie Zhuo was very eager, burying half his face in the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath of her scent, and Xie Zhuo was satisfied.
He really missed her.
Fu Zhi Qiao instantly snapped back to reality. A strange emotion quickly overwhelmed her, making her cheeks flush.
Xie Zhuo sat on the edge of the bed, leaned closer to her, and wanted to pull her into his arms.
Fu Zhiqiao pushed him away and asked, "Sheng An said you were poisoned and unconscious. What exactly happened?"
The candlelight wasn't very bright, so she couldn't see Xie Zhuo's face clearly.
Xie Zhuo replied succinctly: "It's nothing, everything is going according to plan."
His tone was so nonchalant that Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't help but poke his shoulder with her index finger: "Don't even think about getting away with this!"
"Ouch!" Fu Zhiqiao poked Xie Zhuo right where the wound on his shoulder was. The wound was scabbing over, so being poked suddenly still hurt.
"What happened? Are you injured? Weren't you poisoned? How did you get injured again?" Fu Zhi Qiao asked anxiously.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Xie Zhuo's reaction was indeed partly acted. His goal was to make Fu Zhi Qiao feel sorry for him, but when he actually saw her anxious expression, he couldn't bear to see her like that.
Fu Zhiqiao hadn't been in contact with the outside world for more than half a month, so she knew very little. She had too many doubts and too many questions. She said seriously, "Tell me your plan properly."
The plan to annul the engagement was nearing completion, and Xie Zhuo didn't hide anything from her, telling her everything from beginning to end.
Upon hearing that Xie Zhuo had gone to the southern border to refine poisons and mentioned using blood as a medicine, Fu Zhiqiao expressed her doubts.
Using blood as medicine sounds unreliable.
"Does something this fantastical really exist?"
"The world is vast, and there are many things that you and I do not know."
"That's true," Fu Zhi Qiao nodded in agreement, then asked, "So you really took the Illusionary Heart Pill?"
Xie Zhuo nodded.
"Is the damage from the Illusionary Heart Pill real?"
Xie Zhuo nodded again.
Fu Zhiqiao was speechless for a moment, then her voice was filled with anger: "Are you crazy?"
She was at a loss for words, and her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels. She hadn't expected Xie Zhuo's plan to annul the engagement to be so extreme.
Knowing that their social statuses were worlds apart, she remained clear-headed in the relationship, trying not to fall completely in love. But she never expected Xie Zhuo to...
The thought of Xie Zhuo being stabbed, taking poison, and enduring a terrible reputation just so he could be with her...
He almost risked his life...
Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes welled up with tears. She tried to suppress her emotions and said in a serious tone, "Xie Zhuo, your life is precious. You shouldn't risk it for this."
You are a general of the Great Wei, your duty is to protect your country and your homeland, and your life is not just your own...
Xie Zhuo understood what she meant and explained, "Qiao, don't worry, the poison is real, but the harm is fake."
Fu Zhi Qiao looked at Xie Zhuo and thought he might be trying to fool her.
“I did ingest poison, but it wasn’t the real ‘Hypnotic Intoxication’.” Seeing her confusion, Xie Zhuo explained carefully: “Hypnotic Intoxication is indeed a Gu poison from the Southern Frontier, but the method of feeding the purple-black python has long been lost. The poison I was given was not the real ‘Hypnotic Intoxication’, but a simplified version of the poison pill.”
Fu Zhiqiao was completely bewildered: "So you weren't poisoned by some kind of hazy intoxication, but by the Illusionary Heart Grass?"
"Um."
Fu Zhiqiao pondered, "So, that wizard used your blood and Illusion Grass to concoct a poison with the same effect as the Hazy Intoxication?"
Xie Zhuo corrected her: "It's the fruit of the Illusionary Heart Grass."
Fu Zhiqiao's eyes widened; she was still somewhat surprised: "You took fake poison, so why did your blood change color?"
"That's the magic of Southern Xinjiang witchcraft," Xie Zhuo explained. "When refining the Illusion Heart Pill, adding a withered wisteria vine and my blood as the medicine will achieve this effect."
After learning that Xie Zhuo's poisoning was fake, Fu Zhi Qiao's frostiness faded and her heart, which had been pounding, finally settled. She said seriously, "No matter what, I don't want you to risk your health."
"It's worth it for you."
"No, it's not worth it..."
Fu Zhi Qiao wanted to say something more, but Xie Zhuo covered her mouth, saying, "As long as it's you, it's all worth it."
Xie Zhuo's gaze was like a ball of fire, as if he wanted to melt her.
The sparse moonlight outside the window shone through the gauze curtains and onto the ground.
Fu Zhi Qiao was wearing a moon-white nightgown, and the unique sweet fragrance of a woman in the air wafted into Xie Zhuo's nostrils, making him momentarily dazed.
Their hot breaths brushed against each other's faces, and their hearts pounded.
Xie Zhuo placed a light kiss on her forehead, as gentle as a dragonfly skimming the water.
Fu Zhi Qiao's ears flushed red, and she subtly turned her head away. Xie Zhuo noticed her little movement and his eyes were full of smiles.
The candle flame crackled twice, making the room even quieter.
Fu Zhiqiao scrutinized Xie Zhuo, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, her expression changed, and her tone turned cold: "Heh, you're really bold. If something had gone wrong along the way, you'd probably be in the underworld by now."
As she spoke, her tone grew increasingly angry: "How dare you use your own body as bait? What if something bad happens... How could you do that?"
She couldn't believe that Xie Zhuo would go to such lengths for her.
After being slashed, poisoned, falling into a coma, and having his blood drained, Xie Zhuo had indeed lost a lot of weight compared to before. Although he was thinner, his spirits seemed quite good. However, given the limited medical resources here, Fu Zhi Qiao was still a little worried that Xie Zhuo's body might suffer from long-term effects.
Xie Zhuo was taken aback by her sudden change of expression and was stunned for a moment.
Seeing Fu Zhi Qiao's somewhat exasperated expression, Xie Zhuo suddenly felt much better, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
"Don't worry, everything is going according to plan."
Fu Zhi Qiao strongly disagreed: "There are so many ways to solve a problem, why would you choose a method that harms your own body?"
As she spoke, her anger flared up again, and she said fiercely, "If you die, I'll immediately find someone else..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Zhuo immediately covered her mouth.
Faced with Fu Zhiqiao's accusations, Xie Zhuo was speechless and could only admit his mistake, saying that he would never do it again. He then changed the subject: "The matter is not completely resolved yet. In order to avoid causing more trouble, A Qiao, you need to stay in the villa for another two or three days."
"I can stay a few more days, but you can't stop me from receiving news from the outside world." She didn't want to be kept in the dark about everything, so she stated her conditions.
"good."
The two talked for half an hour before they knew it.
Xie Zhuo hugged the person tightly for a while before reluctantly leaving.
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