Chapter 23: Detoxification
Nanny Zhang broke out in a cold sweat and her calves were trembling.
She looked at the sharp knife that was almost touching her finger, as if she could already feel the biting chill of the blade.
This is a madman! A madman who has been driven into a desperate situation!
"I...I dare not!" Nanny Zhang fell to her knees with a plop, her arrogance gone.
Without even glancing at her, Song Qingyuan slowly pulled out the boning knife and weighed it in his hand, as if he were weighing a handy toy. "I want one ginseng root, half an ounce of poria, and three ounces of angelica root."
"Yes! Yes! I'll get it right away!" Another clever cook crawled towards the locker.
Soon, a bowl of tonic soup containing various precious medicinal ingredients began to gurgle on the stove, and the rich medicinal aroma gradually overwhelmed the smell of kitchen fumes.
Zi Su stood aside, watching her young lady skillfully adjust the heat, feeling unfamiliar and frightened.
She had never seen such a young lady before, calm and ruthless, who could make a group of evil slaves obey her with just a few words.
Song Qingyuan turned his back to everyone and took out a small wax-sealed pill from his sleeve while adding firewood.
She moved her fingertips slightly, and the wax shell shattered silently, revealing a white pill emitting a faint fragrance.
She dropped the marrow cleansing pill into the soup bowl. The pill melted when it came into contact with the heat, and a faint fragrance instantly blended into the rich medicinal aroma, becoming indistinguishable.
"Let's go." Song Qingyuan closed the lid of the cup, her voice calm, as if the person she was going to meet next was not the man who had abandoned her like a piece of trash.
Outside the prince's study, the maids from Nuanxiang Pavilion were guarding the corridor. When they saw their master and servant coming, they all looked down on them and didn't even bother to inform them.
Just as Zi Su was about to explode, the study door opened from the inside.
Wen Yue came out holding Shen Yanzhi's arm. She was wearing a smoky-colored soft silk long dress, and a phoenix hairpin with red gold and green jade was inserted diagonally in her bun. It swayed gently with her movements, making her small face even more charming and attractive.
When she saw Song Qingyuan, she covered her lips in surprise and said, "Oh, why are you here, sister? The prince is just about to rest. Look, it's getting late."
Her attitude was so intimate and ostentatious, as if she was the only mistress of the palace.
Shen Yanzhi's gaze swept over Song Qingyuan, his brows unconsciously frowned, his eyes filled with undisguised boredom and impatience.
Song Qingyuan seemed to be hurt by his cold gaze. His shoulders shrank slightly and his originally straight back collapsed in an instant.
She lowered her eyelids, her long lashes casting a fragile shadow beneath them. Her voice was so soft it seemed to shatter in the wind: "I...I heard that the prince has been busy with official duties recently, so I specially...cooked a bowl of nourishing soup."
As she spoke, she carefully took the food box from Zi Su's hand and picked up the white jade soup bowl. However, her wrist began to tremble uncontrollably, and even the lid of the bowl made a slight "click" sound.
"My sister is right. I didn't know the rules and disturbed the prince's peace." Her eyes suddenly turned red, and a tear rolled down without warning, running across her pale cheek, and finally dripping onto the back of her hand holding the soup bowl, which was incredibly hot.
"I'll be leaving now. But this soup... is a gift from me that I've spent two hours simmering. If Your Highness doesn't want to drink it, just throw it away. I only ask Your Highness... not to get so angry that you become ill."
Her words were heartfelt, aggrieved and humble, and she portrayed the image of a poor woman who was despised by her husband but still loved him to the core.
Shen Yanzhi looked at the tear on the back of her hand, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
He hated women's tears the most, but for some reason, this tear today gave him a long-lost, tingling sensation like being pricked by a needle.
"Alright." He said coldly, his tone full of impatience, "Give it to me."
Wen Yue's smile froze, and she quickly and softly advised, "Your Highness, we appreciate my sister's kindness, but your food..."
“This king says, bring it here.” Shen Yanzhi’s voice sank, with an unquestionable majesty.
Wen Yue's face turned pale and he didn't dare to say anything more.
Song Qingyuan handed the soup bowl over quickly like a frightened rabbit.
Shen Yanzhi took it, without even looking at it, and drank the medicine in the cup in one gulp.
The rich aroma of medicine spread in his mouth, with a strange sweetness.
[Ding! The marrow cleansing pill has taken effect, and the poison is beginning to be eliminated... 10%... 50%... 90%...]
[Warning! Host Wen Yue has suffered a backlash from the poison, and his vital signs are rapidly declining!]
The system's prompt sound was ringing wildly in Song Qingyuan's mind.
At this moment, something strange happened!
Shen Yanzhi suddenly covered his head with his hands, his handsome face twisted in pain, and the white jade soup bowl in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang" and shattered into millions of pieces.
"Your Highness!" Wen Yue was horrified and was about to go forward to help him.
"puff--"
A mouthful of blood spurted out of her mouth without warning, like an enchanting red plum blossom, splashing on her gorgeous skirt.
Her body swayed softly, the color on her face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her eyes, which were originally full of affection, instantly became dim, and she fell straight back!
"Wengui's concubine!" The maids screamed in fear and the scene became chaotic in an instant.
And in this chaos, no one noticed that the turbidity and obsession in Shen Yanzhi's eyes were rapidly dissipating.
The strange power that had been lingering in his mind and enchanting him quickly disintegrated like ice and snow burned by the scorching sun.
Memories return, and reason returns.
He recalled how he had absurdly promoted Wen Yue to a noble concubine, and how he had ordered Song Qingyuan to be demoted to a lowly concubine... Every single thing was so clear that it made him feel cold all over.
After the severe pain, there is an unprecedented clarity.
Shen Yanzhi slowly raised his head, his eyes passing over the collapsed Wen Yue and the servants in a mess, and fixed his gaze on the woman who was standing there, looking at him with a terrified yet innocent look.
That look was as pure as a frightened deer.
Song Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat, and his face looked paler and more helpless.
His eyes at this moment were as sharp as an eagle, as if he wanted to see through her from the inside out.
"Your Highness..." She took a step back timidly, as if frightened by the sudden burst of fierce aura from him.
Shen Yanzhi, however, turned a blind eye to her show of weakness.
He didn't even glance at Wen Yue, who lay unconscious on the ground. He just shouted sternly, "Come here! Call the imperial physician! Take Wen back to the String Music Pavilion and keep her under strict supervision. No one is allowed to visit!"
His voice was filled with a long-lost sense of decisiveness, which frightened the guards and servants who rushed up. They did not dare to delay in the slightest and hurriedly took Wen Yue and her crying maids away.
The chaotic scene was cleared in an instant.
Only he and Song Qingyuan, their servant, were left in the corridor, along with a mess of broken porcelain.
Shen Yanzhi approached her step by step, his tall figure completely shrouding her in shadow.
He stopped in front of her, looking down at her condescendingly, his deep eyes, now clear and lucid, were filled with turbulent waves.
"Did you make this soup?" He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
This is no longer a question, but a judgment.
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