Chapter 186: Chapter 89: Child’s Worries_2
Qiong Ying: "What’s the matter?"
Lu Tong’s expression grew cold. He gripped the clay figurine tightly and turned to enter the inner room.
In the inner room, Pei Yunshu and Fangzi were startled to see Lu Tong holding the Mohailuo as he walked in. Pei Yunshu said, "This..."
Without a word, Lu Tong stood at the table, quickly stripped the clay figurine of its ornate clothes, casually picked up the scissors on the table, and scraped off a thin layer of clay from the Mohailuo’s body. He then dumped the clay directly into the teacup on the tea tray.
There was still half a cup of tea left in the old kiln teacup. As soon as the clay was added, it immediately turned into a murky mass. Lu Tong took the Golden Needle and stirred it into the water. Yin Zheng, standing behind her, let out a startled "Ah."
The tip of the originally gleaming Golden Needle had suddenly turned black.
"Is there poison on this?" Pei Yunshu exclaimed in shock, freezing on the spot.
Her lips trembling and her complexion frighteningly pale, she said, "This was given to me by Mu Sheng... how could he poison his own offspring..."
No matter how Prince Wen neglected her, that was an issue between husband and wife. But the child in her womb was Mu Sheng’s own flesh and blood; he had no reason to harm the baby.
Yet this Mohailuo was indeed a gift from Mu Sheng. Because of the auspicious meaning of "many sons bring abundant happiness," and because she found the clay figurine exquisite and cute, she had kept it with her and played with it daily, never suspecting that this innocent-looking figurine carried a lethal poison!
Pei Yunshu felt like she was about to collapse, but Lu Tong stood at the table, staring intently at the clay figurine in her hands, her eyes icy cold.
After being stripped of its decorative clothing, the painted brows and eyes of the clay figurine were still visible, its hand holding an unopened lotus pod, its slender eyes curved like a crescent moon, smiling.
For a moment, those painted smiling eyes seemed to overlaps with another pair of slender, beautiful eyes.
The smiling voice of Lady Yun echoed in her mind.
"I once made a poison that is colorless, tasteless, and easily dissolves in paint. If a pregnant woman was exposed to it, at first there would be no reaction, but gradually, she would develop a fever, her skin would darken, and a few months later, swelling would start at the shoulders and neck. When specific symptoms such as abdominal pain and bleeding emerge, it signifies that the poison has taken root in the fetus and is mature."
"But, that’s not the most interesting part."
She said with a smile: "The most interesting part is that even then, the poisoned person’s fetus will still appear stable. Even if a doctor were to examine, they would only consider these symptoms as normal pregnancy indicators. Any medicine taken to stabilize the pregnancy would only enable the poison to penetrate deeper. After a full term, a stillborn will be delivered, but the mother will be unharmed."
"So, you see, this poison is also called ’Child’s Sorrow.’"
Child’s Sorrow...
No wonder she felt a strange unease the moment she saw Pei Yunshu’s symptoms. It turned out that many years ago, she had already heard about this poison from Lady Yun.
Seeing Lu Tong’s grave expression, Fangzi cautiously asked, "Doctor, do you know what poison this is?"
"I know."
Fangzi was overjoyed: "That’s great! Please, Doctor, hurry and detoxify our Princess Consort!"
There was a long silence.
Pei Yunshu looked towards the silent Lu Tong, and her heart gradually sank, "Doctor..."
"There is no cure," Lu Tong softly spoke. "This poison has no cure."
The Mohailuo in her hand had eyes curved in a smile, as if beyond the jubilant facade, she could see Lady Yun’s upturned lips.
The woman said, "I’m only responsible for making the poison; I don’t bother with antidotes. Once the poison has taken root in the body, it is like a seedling sprouting, parasitizing the fetus. Neither medicine nor acupuncture can alleviate its toxicity. It is like a young tree; you can only watch it wither slowly, powerless."
"Little Shiqi," she laughed with delight, "this, is the essence of making poison."
"Doctor!"
Pei Yunshu suddenly raised her head, disregarding Fangzi’s attempts to stop her, insisting on getting out of bed. She shakily tried to kneel down to Lu Tong. Lu Tong instinctively stepped forward to support her, but Pei Yunshu grabbed her hand.
Pei Yunshu clung tightly to Lu Tong’s hand, her frail hands seeming to contain endless strength, her gaze filled with despair and pleading, her voice choked.
"Doctor," she pleaded hoarsely, "please... save my child!"
"Princess Consort—" Fangzi and Qiong Ying exclaimed.
But Pei Yunshu stubbornly refused to rise, looking at Lu Tong as if she was the only chance of survival in a dead-end road.
Lu Tong felt a jolt in her heart.
She could see the unwavering light in Pei Yunshu’s eyes, emphasizing "child" rather than "herself."
For some reason, she was suddenly reminded of the words Wan Fu, Ke Chengxing’s servant, had once shared with her in the tea house.
Wan Fu had said that before Lu Rou, his sister, died, she had discovered she was pregnant.
Lu Tong couldn’t know what Lu Rou had thought upon finding out about her pregnancy, but in this moment, she felt as if she could see a shadow of Lu Rou in Pei Yunshu.