Yun Shu felt that Zhan Ming’s mind must be addled from the excruciating pain.
She chuckled lightly, “Let me see the antidote first. As long as I confirm it’s genuine, I will agree to the Regent’s terms.”
Upon hearing this.
Zhan Ming’s brows furrowed deeply, displeased with Yun Shu’s lack of compliance. However, he was sure Yun Shu wouldn't dare to play any tricks.
He hoped she wouldn't disappoint him.
He produced a pill from his robes.
The moment the pill was revealed, Yun Shu caught its scent.
“Rest assured, General Yun is also here. This Prince will absolutely not go back on his word,” Zhan Ming said, his brow still tightly knit. He offered the pill closer to Yun Shu, urging her to examine it closely. “It contains extremely precious medicinal herbs. Even the most renowned divine physician outside couldn’t concoct such an antidote!”
His words were delivered with firm conviction.
Yun Shu’s beautiful eyes seemed to hold a deep pool of water. A ripple stirred within it as she heard Zhan Ming's words.
Then, she looked up at Zhan Ming and said, “May I take your pulse?”
Zhan Ming immediately placed his wrist on the table.
As she touched his wrist, Yun Shu raised an eyebrow, a hint of languid mockery flashing across her lips, barely noticeable.
He was playing a dangerous game!
Much more perilous than she had initially assessed from his appearance.
Now, he had truly ruined himself.
Her eyes remained tranquil, betraying no emotion.
The pulse-taking took a considerable amount of time. During this period, she wasn't analyzing his pulse but rather contemplating the person who had ordered her assassination. Who was the mastermind behind the assassin?
Only when she sensed Zhan Ming's rapidly dwindling patience and his deepening suspicion did she release his wrist.
Zhan Ming was already in unbearable pain.
His entire abdomen felt as if it were being twisted tightly together.
“Quick! Tell me, can you alleviate this pain for this Prince?!” Zhan Ming demanded furiously.
Yun Shu's tone was cool and clear, “I can try.”
“Try? You don’t have absolute certainty?” Zhan Ming questioned angrily.
So, his previous successes in healing were all due to luck!
He had actually resorted to seeking her out in his desperation!
Yun Shu let out a soft laugh. “No. The Regent’s condition is quite severe.”
“Do not even think of trifling with this Prince’s health! This Prince made a mistake coming here today!” Zhan Ming’s eyes narrowed menacingly, his anger fully exposed.
Clutching the antidote pill, he said in a gloomy tone, “This Prince will never give you this antidote unless you can find a way to completely cure me!”
With that, he stormed out.
As he left, he ordered his attendant, “Send word to find Lu Hao! We must find him!”
Even if Lu Hao wasn’t a divine physician, his medical skills were far superior to Yun Shu's or those of the doctors in the capital. At this moment, Zhan Ming suddenly regretted not having pursued Lu Hao relentlessly.
Although Yun Shu was in the front hall, she could overhear Zhan Ming’s instructions to his attendant.
A mocking smile curved her lips.
If only he had known this day would come, why had he acted so rashly before?
After Zhan Ming had completely disappeared from sight, a figure furtively emerged from a dark corner.
He crept directly towards Yun Shu.
“Master! I heard everything just now while hiding outside. Is the Regent truly beyond saving?” Lu Hao asked with great curiosity.
Yun Shu curved her lips into a smile. “What do you think?”
“Shu’er, what about Xiao Feng? The Regent didn’t leave any antidote,” Yun Changfeng worried about Xiao Feng’s life.
As for whether the Regent lived or died, it had nothing to do with him.
Yun Shu turned to Yun Changfeng. “Father, Xiao Feng will be fine. I know how to concoct the antidote now.”
When Zhan Ming had brought the antidote close to her, especially when it passed by her nose, she had already determined its components.
Lu Hao blinked, glancing nervously towards the outside again, hiding himself away. He was trembling with fear. “I heard the Regent say he was looking for me. Master, if you can’t cure him, how can I? I don’t want to fall into his hands! The Regent is a pervert!”
He looked at Yun Shu pleadingly.
Yun Shu was utterly speechless.
Yun Changfeng was also speechless.
He didn’t want to look any further. “I’ll go check on Xiao Feng. Ah, that poor child!”
With that, he left, not wanting to cast another glance at Lu Hao.
Lu Hao knew he was being shunned, but he didn't mind.
“Who told you I couldn’t cure him?” Yun Shu raised an eyebrow and retorted. She had tampered with Zhan Ming’s medicine. If she couldn’t save him, even a celestial being couldn’t.
Lu Hao gasped. “Master can save him?”
He suddenly remembered what his master had said about Xiao Feng being fine.
This meant that Master had already figured out how to concoct the antidote?!
“Master is Master! Your disciple is truly in awe!” Lu Hao was utterly shocked. He felt his own medical skills were now worthless.
He had previously studied Zhan Ming’s condition and concluded it was incurable.
Yun Shu’s lips twitched. Not wanting to listen to Lu Hao’s further flattery, she said directly, “Don’t worry, I won’t hand you over to the Regent.”
Having received her assurance, Lu Hao’s heart finally settled.
No one knew how close he had been to losing his soul when he heard the Regent had ordered a search for him!
“Help me with something.” As Yun Shu was about to leave the front hall, she paused and turned back to look at Lu Hao.
Hearing this, Lu Hao immediately nodded enthusiastically. “Your disciple would go through fire and water at Master’s command!”
Yun Shu glanced at Lu Hao, whose facial injuries had not yet fully healed. “Through fire and water?”
Lu Hao looked a little sheepish, chuckling as he said, “Master would surely not bear to send me through fire and water.”
Yun Shu sighed, speechless. “Come with me.”
“Right away!”
…
Hours passed, and there were few people left at the city gates.
A figure appeared in the distance. He gazed at the two severed heads on the city wall, his black cloak unable to conceal the killing intent radiating from him.
Then, he turned and left without a word.
Half an hour later.
The Imperial Prison.
The Empress Dowager, accompanied by Jiang Luoxi, arrived at the prison.
Currently, only one person was held within the prison: the recently deposed Empress Geng Yufei.
When the Empress Dowager and Jiang Luoxi saw Geng Yufei, they almost didn’t recognize her.
In just a few days, Geng Yufei seemed to have transformed. She had lost a significant amount of weight and appeared dazed and vacant.
Standing before the cell, she seemed lost in thought for a long time before grabbing the Empress Dowager’s arm. “Your Highness, Aunt, please save me! I can’t stay here any longer. If I remain here, I will go mad. I’d rather be dead than alive! No one speaks to me, and I can barely distinguish between day and night! If I continue to be locked up here, I’d rather die. But I don’t want to die! Aunt, please save me, won’t you?”
Jiang Luoxi frowned upon seeing the utterly defeated Geng Yufei.
The Empress Dowager sensed an unpleasant odor emanating from Geng Yufei and nudged her. “I have come today to help you get out. If you do not wish to spend the rest of your life in this prison, then you must remember every single word Luoxi says to you from now on.”