The imperial physician used silver needles to temporarily suppress the toxins that were spreading wildly in Lin Qingwan's body.
There was originally a wooden screen in front of the bed, but Zhao Cong was too tall, and the screen only reached his nose. He could see at a glance that the bedding inside was also stained with blood.
"Poisoned?" Zhao Cong's long eyebrows twitched slightly.
Did she break some cardinal rule? Her adoptive mother abused her for fifteen years, and after she returned, not only did her relatives not care for her, but they also poisoned her?
The imperial physician wiped the sweat from his brow. "This poison has been circulating in her body for at least a month. It's clear that she's been suppressing it with medication, but the toxins have already invaded her entire body's meridians. Once it reaches her heart, there will be no hope of recovery."
She'll be back at the Prime Minister's residence for at most half a month, so the poison must have been administered in Shuiyuan Town.
With his hands behind his back, Zhao Cong's height alone was enough to intimidate people. "What kind of poison is so potent that it can drag its host down with their life?"
The person who poisoned her must have hated her so much that they wanted to exhaust her completely through visceral torture.
The imperial physician said, "In my humble opinion, it may be related to the Gu poison from the southern border. There is not much research on this in the Central Plains, and I cannot tell whether there is a medicinal Gu in the poison, but we can use medicine to slow down the rate of erosion."
The imperial physician paused, then asked, "Your Highness, should we save the person?"
Zhao Cong lowered his head and straightened his clothes, which had been disheveled by Lin Qingwan. His eyelashes drooped down, momentarily obscuring his dark eyes.
Seeing his silence, the imperial physician understood the situation and bowed, preparing to leave.
"save."
Zhao Cong uttered a single word unexpectedly from his thin lips, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
The imperial physician paused for a few seconds, then turned and ordered someone to prepare a medicinal bath.
If it weren't for the fact that he was the one who sent her back to the capital and kept a close eye on her every move, Zhao Cong would have suspected that Lin Qingwan's vomiting blood in his arms was for ulterior motives.
The young eunuch brought Zhao Cong a cup of hot tea and couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, three years ago the Prime Minister didn't let his son go to the Prince of Jing's fiefdom, but now he still wants to let the fake daughter marry into the Prince of Jing's mansion."
"Prince Jing only rewarded Lin Qingwan twice before they poisoned her to death."
"This is not heaven helping the Crown Prince, but rather a logical way to make Prince Jing and the Prime Minister's Mansion break off relations."
The young eunuch bowed and said in a low voice, "This servant is foolish. This person is more useful dead than alive. Why do you still want to save him?"
Zhao Cong took a sip of tea, his thin lips turning a faint red from the tea. "The Lin family favors Jiang Yanwan, and Jiang Zhenlin beats and scolds her constantly. Jiang Su watched coldly for a long time, then suddenly stood up for her and protected her."
"Cang Ying." Zhao Cong's lips curled into a faint smile. "Do you think Jiang Su is the kind of person who dotes on his children?"
The eunuch Cang Ying still didn't understand. "This servant just feels that this is a rare opportunity."
The sound of rushing water came from inside. The screen reflected Lin Qingwan's slender neck, which drooped softly on the edge of the bathtub. Her high forehead, nose, and even her philtrum were clearly outlined.
Her long hair was spread out of the bathtub, fluttering gracefully as the maids came in and out.
Zhao Cong thought to himself, "Zhao Yan has a good eye for women."
"The time is not right. If a woman alone can turn Seventh Brother and Jiang Su against each other, I will no longer tolerate them for so many years."
When Lin Qingwan realized she was still conscious, she felt her whole body enveloped in warmth. A warm current seeped into her limbs and bones, and the toxins hidden in the crevices of her bones, like insects that couldn't hide in the sunlight, were killed and left on the verge of death.
I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time; I wish I could stay here forever.
However, the crisp sound of a child crying pulled her back to reality. The moment Lin Qingwan opened her eyes, she was on high alert, but even so, she was still caught off guard by the situation before her.
Behind the partially obscured screen sat a man with refined features and a cold, aloof demeanor. He wore a dark blue robe, the subtle patterns of which flickered in the light and shadow. A sapphire-encrusted belt cinched his waist, outlining a slender yet powerful figure. The gemstones were deep and dazzling, but even they paled in comparison to the chilling presence of his jet-black eyes.
Lin Qingwan's pupils showed satisfaction as she recalled the scent of cedar she had smelled before she fainted.
It really is him.
He was the one who revealed her true identity in Shuiyuan Town. To this day, Lin Qingwan still doesn't know how he forced Madam Cheng to agree to write a letter to the Prime Minister's residence in that small house.
She was utterly shocked at the time. After calming down, she wanted to ask him how he recognized her, how he knew about what happened back then, and she also wanted to thank him…
But he had already left the town.
"Father, did you really keep a mistress for me outside?"
The man was holding a child who looked no more than four years old in his arms, and his exquisitely beautiful face showed even more surprise than Lin Qingwan's.
He gripped the man's shirt with one hand, pointed a short finger at Lin Qingwan in the bathtub, and kept looking back and forth between the two.
Zhao Cong remained calm and pressed down his finger without changing his expression. "No."
"Then how did she take a shower in your room?"
Zhao Cong pulled away his hand that was gripping his clothes, and said in a calm tone, "It's not a bath. It's a medicinal bath to treat an illness."
The child's hands were gripped tightly by Zhao Cong. He tilted his head back, pouted, and asked again, "Treating illnesses is the imperial physician's job. Father, are you perhaps trying to peep at her while she's bathing?"
Zhao Cong's eye twitched, and a crack finally appeared in his calm expression.
"No! You saw it clearly."
The child questioned Zhao Cong with righteous indignation, convinced that it was as he thought because Zhao Cong hadn't answered promptly.
"Father! What you're doing is wrong! She is indeed beautiful, but you can't..."
Zhao Cong's long eyelashes fluttered, and he covered the child's eyes with his large hand, saying firmly, "You're dreaming."
Then he gently touched the back of the child's neck with his fingers, and the child actually fell asleep in his arms.
Lin Qingwan was dumbfounded. Was this her own son? He attacked without warning.
Cang Ying appeared out of nowhere from the corner, saying, "This servant will carry the young master back to his room."
"Hmm." Zhao Cong got up and found that the boy was gripping his clothes tightly. His short fingers, which looked like small wooden stakes, were surprisingly strong. He tried to pry them open, and the boy immediately frowned and whimpered.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
