Chapter 36 "Tonight! We! Will! Consummate! Our! Life!"
Ye Mingzhu walked to Ye Chengji's side and found a rabbit in the iron cage in front of him. A small hollow iron box was tied to the top of the cage, containing three black stones.
The rabbit in the cage was arching its back, grinding its teeth, and its limbs were twitching; it looked very unwell.
She looked around and sure enough, she found several more identical iron cages in the yard, each containing rabbits in different conditions.
Some can still graze peacefully, while others act like they're drunk, frantically bumping around.
Ye Chengji said, "After I received the spice packet you sent, I immediately bought a few rabbits to test the poison. You saw the situation. The more black stones were added, the worse the rabbits' condition became. The same would happen to people."
Without Ye Chengji's instruction, Ye Yu took the initiative to bring over the other iron cages and put them together for Ye Mingzhu to see.
The situation is obvious.
"Father, do you think the black stone is a meteorite from outer space?" Ye Mingzhu asked. "If so, how should we treat it?"
Ye Chengji said, "I can't be sure if it's a meteorite from outer space, but it's true that it contains lead and mercury. I've always felt that the Duke was poisoned by cinnabar, and the prescriptions I gave him mostly had the effects of diuresis, detoxification, blood replenishment, and liver nourishment. Now it seems that's really the case."
"Poisonous pills?" Ye Mingzhu asked in surprise, seemingly lost in thought.
She had considered it before, but since Sheng Yunche didn't use pills or Five Stone Powder, and the tableware used in the Duke's mansion was all white porcelain, his symptoms were only three-tenths similar to those of someone poisoned by pills and stones, so she focused her attention back on spices.
Who knew, these things were found in his pillow in his study.
If this black stone is lead and mercury, even though Sheng Yunche didn't ingest it directly, it would indeed affect his health over time...
Physical weakness and organ failure are symptoms of cinnabar poisoning, aren't they?
But why didn't Sheng Yunche have symptoms such as persistent fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or skin ulceration? This is different from the symptoms of poisoning by cinnabar.
Ye Mingzhu asked Ye Chengji, and Ye Chengji replied, "Perhaps it's because of those spices."
"Spice?" Ye Mingzhu frowned.
“That’s right,” Ye Chengji said. “We couldn’t determine the toxicity of the spices before, but now we realize that the toxicity of the spices is secondary. The key is that they can alter the symptoms of cinnabar poisoning in people, making it impossible for doctors to find the real cause of the illness!”
"...Like this?" Ye Mingzhu pondered.
"Yes." Ye Chengji nodded. "Of course, I don't dare to be too sure. I can only say that I'm 90% sure. If you agree, take seven doses of the new prescription I gave you. If your condition improves significantly, it means it's the right treatment. You won't need to come here so often anymore. Just let Mingzhu examine you."
"Lord Duke, what do you think?" Ye Mingzhu looked at Sheng Yunche and asked for his opinion.
Sheng Yunche replied, "Call me husband."
Ye Mingzhu was taken aback: "...?"
Clearing his throat, Sheng Yunche continued, "I don't know anything about treating illnesses and using medicine. You can discuss it with your father-in-law and brother-in-law."
Ye Mingzhu was stunned again.
The first time she heard the terms "father-in-law" and "brother-in-law" from Sheng Yunche.
Not only her, but Ye Chengji and Ye Yu were also shocked.
I'm flattered!
Wang Shi also looked shaken. She leaned close to Ye Mingzhu's ear and whispered, "You didn't notice, but when you got off the carriage, the Duke called my mother-in-law 'mother-in-law' and me 'sister-in-law'! He even touched Cheng'er's head! Did it rain blood from the sky?"
Ye Mingzhu: "...?"
It can be quite startling when someone who is usually aloof and arrogant suddenly becomes approachable.
She glanced at Sheng Yunche, only to find him raising an eyebrow at her, his dark, calm phoenix eyes holding a hint of a smile. Her unease intensified.
Fortunately, Ye Chengji started to usher them out: "The matter is settled, there's nothing else. The sun is too strong outside, you should go and rest in the flower hall. Ye Yu and I will take care of things here, and then we'll come back later to examine the Duke... ah, to examine Junzhao."
"Alright, alright!" Madam Zhen greeted Sheng Yunche with a smile. "I specially prepared some chilled plum juice that Zhuzhu likes today. Junzhao, you should have a few more cups to cool off."
When Sheng Yunche addressed his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ye Chengji and Zhen Shi immediately reciprocated by addressing him by his courtesy name to show their closeness.
Very harmonious, everyone was happy.
Ye Mingzhu raised her hand to fan herself, but inexplicably felt even hotter.
...
Ye Mingzhu was in a good mood on her way home.
Two good things happened today.
Firstly, no matter how well Sheng Huai'an tried to hide it, she still managed to expose him!
After this incident, even if Sheng Yunche had brotherly feelings for her before, those feelings would never be present again, and she was much more confident in dealing with him.
Secondly, by identifying the cause of Sheng Yunche's illness, and by treating the root cause, he will recover faster.
Now that Sheng Yunche has recovered, it would be a pipe dream for Sheng Huai'an to want a title again!
If she uses any more tricks, he'll never get ahead in his life!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingzhu couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips.
Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her wrist. Surprised, she turned to look at Sheng Yunche beside her, only to be pulled into his arms in the blink of an eye.
Ye Mingzhu: "..."
Are you going to kiss me again?
No.
Sheng Yunche didn't kiss her... but it would have been better if he had just kissed her directly.
His thumb gently caressed her lips, his gaze intense and possessive. He lowered his voice and asked with a laugh, "Are you happy for me?"
"...?" Ye Mingzhu blinked, adjusted her expression, and said sincerely, "Of course, I just hope you live to be a hundred years old."
Sheng Yunche deliberately asked, "I remember you said before that you would leave me after a year to cure my health. Why are you being so obsequious and flattering to me now?"
Ye Mingzhu looked back at him, her smile gentle: "...How could it be flattery? My feelings for the Duke are truly sincere."
Before Sheng Yunche could speak, she changed the subject and asked, "Lord Duke, is there any news about Liu Pinliang?"
Sheng Yunche gave her a deep look, smiled slightly, and said in line with her words, "Not yet. My men have searched Yanjing City three or four times, and expanded the search area to a radius of fifty or sixty miles around the capital, or even further, but have not found any trace of him."
Ye Mingzhu was genuinely surprised and asked anxiously, "Does that mean Liu Pinliang has already escaped far away?"
“That’s possible, but more likely it is…” Sheng Yunche kept her in suspense, glancing down at her.
Ye Mingzhu gritted her teeth secretly, tilted her head back and lightly kissed his lips: "Lord Duke, what is it?"
A fleeting smile crossed Sheng Yunche's eyes as he replied, "He is already dead."
"What?" Ye Mingzhu was taken aback at first, then incredibly surprised. "Really?"
Is that possible?
Baozan had mentioned it before, but she thought it was impossible at the time.
Liu Pinliang is the male protagonist in the storybook, who repeatedly escapes danger, turns the tide, and ultimately reaches the pinnacle of life... Is it really possible that he just died like that? Is it that simple? Was there no so-called luck protecting him?
If he really dies, what about Sheng Huai'an? Will he also be eliminated in much the same way?
Ye Mingzhu was both incredulous and delighted.
While she was in a daze, Sheng Yunche kissed her lips repeatedly, initially feeling a secret thrill of stealing her affections. However, she didn't respond, so he narrowed his phoenix eyes in annoyance and gave her lips a light bite.
"Ugh..." Ye Mingzhu gasped, finally regaining her senses. She covered her bitten lip and asked in surprise, "Your Excellency, what are you doing?"
"You're daydreaming, why are you asking me?" Sheng Yunche retorted with a sinister look, his cool phoenix eyes fixed on her. "Just letting you know, I'm not going to hold back anymore!"
"Hmm?" Ye Mingzhu had a bad feeling and asked in a low voice, "You, you don't want to endure something anymore?"
Sheng Yunche, with a calm expression, coldly announced: "Tonight! We! Will! Consummate! Our! Marriage!"
Ye Mingzhu: "...?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
