Mo Yunzhu was well aware of her medical skills. She believed that the acupuncture she performed three days ago should have prevented Prince Lan from coughing so severely for at least a week, unless the man had exerted his Neili, causing excessive strain.
She glanced at Haojiang, who scratched his head with slight embarrassment.
After Mo Yunzhu entered, Yuan Qing waited outside.
Jun Huolan, dressed in snow-white robes, sat at a large desk writing something, occasionally covering his mouth with his fist as he coughed a few times.
His handsome yet pale face, with soft black hair cascading down his temples, truly made him look like a delicate, sickly beauty.
“You’re here,” Jun Huolan looked up, a rare smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he gazed at Mo Yunzhu.
Mo Yunzhu had intended to lose her temper, but upon seeing this breathtaking smile, as elegant as an orchid in a secluded valley, she instantly lost the desire to argue.
After all, if he didn’t value his own health, why should she care so much!
Walking over, she noticed a design for a woman’s headpiece on the desk—extremely luxurious and exquisite—which immediately captivated Mo Yunzhu’s heart.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful. I never expected Prince Lan to have such talent?” As the eldest daughter of the general’s household, Mo Yunzhu owned many pieces of jewelry, but none had ever impressed her as much as this headpiece.
“While in Chen Guo with nothing to do, I learned some skills, thinking that if I never returned, I could at least support myself with a craft,” Jun Huolan’s voice was clear and gentle, yet tinged with a sorrowful undertone.
“It’s truly beautiful. So, are you planning to sell the design to earn money?” Mo Yunzhu couldn’t bring herself to say anything insincere.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Jun Huolan began coughing again immediately.
“Prince, you’ve been using your Neili these past three days, haven’t you?” Mo Yunzhu frowned, taking out her acupuncture kit from her small waist pouch.
Jun Huolan glanced at her and nodded, “There was a minor incident.”
“Are people still trying to assassinate you?” Mo Yunzhu suddenly thought of this possibility, given that he had been attacked several times on his journey, likely by multiple groups seeking to kill him.
But he was already poisoned and crippled—did they really need to exterminate him completely?
Jun Huolan didn’t answer, clearly harboring some unspeakable difficulty.
“Lie down first,” Mo Yunzhu didn’t know what else to say.
Jun Huolan stood up and limped over to the soft couch to lie down. The thought of having to undress again still made him feel awkward.
“I’ve studied your blood. There are a total of seven poisons in it, but I can help you neutralize four of them today. The other three are more difficult. I’ve visited several pharmacies over the past two days, but I’m still missing a few key medicinal ingredients.”
Jun Huolan was shocked. “How… how did you figure that out?” He couldn’t believe it—could she really determine all that just by examining his blood?
“I tasted a little and also conducted some experiments on mice. I’m fairly certain.”
“You tasted my blood?” Jun Huolan’s expression changed drastically.
“It’s fine, just a tiny amount. It won’t harm me.”
Jun Huolan’s heart trembled violently as he stared incredulously at Mo Yunzhu’s lovely face, momentarily speechless. Was this woman risking her life to save him?
Was it out of pity for him, or because she didn’t want to become a widow?
“Take off your clothes,” Mo Yunzhu began picking up the silver needles.
Jun Huolan’s face flushed and paled alternately once again. He quickly undressed and closed his eyes, while Mo Yunzhu tactfully draped a robe over his lower abdomen.
“Of the three difficult poisons, the first is called Heiwutou, the second is Xiezicao, and the third is purple castor. The doses are small, but over time, they have already seeped deep into your internal organs.”
“Heh, do you want to know who the first person to poison me was?” Jun Huolan suddenly sneered.
Mo Yunzhu glanced at him and frowned, saying, “If you trust me, you can tell me anything. Since we’ve decided to cooperate, we are a team. We must give each other some trust, or else if one of us gets into trouble, it will drag the other down.”
Jun Huolan gazed deeply at Mo Yunzhu with his dark eyes, noticing a flicker of emotion on her delicate face.
Footsteps sounded outside, and Haojiang rushed in anxiously, saying, “Prince, Princess Consort, something terrible has happened! Consort Hui has arrived. Her sedan chair is already at the main gate!”
Jun Huolan shuddered violently. Mo Yunzhu immediately asked, “Consort Hui? The Prince’s mother?”
“Remove the needles first,” Jun Huolan replied. “For now, no one must know my injuries can heal.”
“Alright. Should I stay here? Would it be inappropriate?” Mo Yunzhu nodded, her heart still racing. This was her future mother-in-law, after all.
Moreover, they were to be married in less than twenty days, and they really shouldn’t be meeting again before then.
“You’ll have to meet her sooner or later,” Jun Huolan said, but his handsome face was icy, and his muscles trembled uncontrollably.
Mo Yunzhu sensed that he wasn’t particularly pleased about his mother’s arrival.
“Haojiang, have everyone prepare to welcome her.”
Haojiang hurried out. Jun Huolan stood up, and Mo Yunzhu could only help him put on his clothes. They stood very close, and Mo Yunzhu was surprised to find that Jun Huolan was nearly half a head taller than her.
“Your mother is able to leave the palace to visit you. You must be very happy, right?” Mo Yunzhu lowered her head to adjust his outer robe.
Jun Huolan stiffened completely. Mo Yunzhu looked up at him and saw that his dark eyes had grown so cold they seemed devoid of warmth.
“Happy? What if I told you she was the one who poisoned me?”
Mo Yunzhu jerked her head up to look at him. The sorrow and despair in his shadowed eyes couldn’t even be concealed by the coldness.
“What? Why?” Mo Yunzhu truly hadn’t expected this.
“She was brought into the palace to serve The Emperor while The Empress was pregnant with The Crown Prince, to prevent other consorts from rising in favor. She obeys The Empress in everything. The nanny by her side, Nanny Gu, is a vicious person. Be careful around her. Also, she doesn’t know that I am already aware of everything.”
As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps approached from outside.
Mo Yunzhu was momentarily stunned but quickly retreated to sit on a nearby chair. Jun Huolan, meanwhile, lay weakly on the soft couch again, coughing a few times.
“Consort Hui has arrived,” a eunuch announced from outside as a group of people entered the hall.
“Yunzhu pays respects to Consort Hui. May Your Highness be blessed,” Mo Yunzhu stepped forward to greet her.
Mo Yunzhu first smiled, bowing her head respectfully. When she looked up and saw the woman before her, she was taken aback.
The original host had actually never met this Consort Hui before. Nearly eighteen years had passed, and they had never once met—a testament to how low-profile this woman was.
Consort Hui was dressed in a palace gown adorned with pearls and jade, looking opulent and luxurious. Her face appeared to be in her thirties, with beautiful features and firm apple cheeks. She was the kind of woman one couldn’t help but glance at twice.
Mo Yunzhu was also struck by her beauty.
Suddenly, she understood why Jun Huolan looked so enchantingly handsome. Consort Hui was the most beautiful woman in the original host’s memory.
The only thing that felt slightly uncomfortable was the sense that Consort Hui’s gaze toward Mo Yunzhu was dissatisfied, even hostile.
“Rise,” Consort Hui said indifferently before walking directly to the soft couch. She frowned as she looked at her severely ill son.
“Your son pays respects to Mother Consort.” Jun Huolan’s cautious voice and demeanor struck Mo Yunzhu as odd.
“Jun Lan, what on earth is going on! How could you get involved with Miss Mo and ruin the Crown Prince’s marriage arrangement? How could you be so foolish!”
Consort Hui’s opening words, filled with anger, completely disregarded Mo Yunzhu’s feelings.
Mo Yunzhu was taken aback—was she being treated as if she were dead?
She even felt that, to Consort Hui, her own son Jun Huolan mattered less than the Crown Prince Jun Huanhe.
“Mother Consort, your son and Miss Mo were both framed.” Jun Huolan appeared aggrieved, but Mo Yunzhu seemed to sense a coldness in his eyes.
“Consort Hui, may I ask what you mean by Lan Wang getting involved with me?” Mo Yunzhu had lost her patience.
One should not strike a smiling face, but this rudeness from the start was too much—did they think Mo Yunzhu was easy to bully?