Jun Huolan looked at the silent Mo Yunzhu and sneered, curling his lips. “Scared already?”
Mo Yunzhu actually felt deep sympathy for him. Being a Zhizi was already difficult enough, yet he was also poisoned before being sent away. How had he managed to survive these ten years?
“Not really. I just think your life is quite resilient. So, what you’re after is revenge?” Mo Yunzhu raised her eyes to look at him. “Was it The Crown Prince who poisoned you?”
Their eyes met, this time both serious and somewhat heavy.
Jun Huolan shook his head, unwilling to continue, but his entire aura grew even more somber, tinged with a hint of sorrow.
“After using poison to counteract poison, the original toxin has become more complex. It won’t be easy to completely remove it. However, I can first help alleviate your symptoms and then prepare an antidote for you, but it will take time.”
After releasing his hand, Mo Yunzhu looked at him earnestly.
“I don’t have much time,” Jun Huolan said with a hint of disappointment.
“With me here, you can extend your time significantly. Even if I can’t prepare the antidote, I can still ensure you live for another ten or eight years without a problem.” Mo Yunzhu raised an eyebrow.
Jun Huolan’s eyes suddenly brightened, his voice tinged with excitement. “Ten or eight years?”
“I don’t want to become a widow so soon,” Mo Yunzhu said self-deprecatingly. “If I can’t become Taizifei, I, Mo Yunzhu, can’t afford to lose face as Lan Wangfei either.”
Haojiang was also overjoyed and asked urgently, “Princess Consort, what medicinal ingredients are needed to prepare the antidote?”
“Don’t rush. First, find a clean bottle and take half a bottle of the Prince’s blood. I need to take it back for research.”
“Alright, I’ll go find a bottle right away.” Haojiang was even more excited than Jun Huolan and quickly disappeared from sight.
Mo Yunzhu looked at the silent Jun Huolan and smiled. “Do you suddenly feel like there’s a bit of hope in life?”
Jun Huolan was taken aback, then chuckled softly.
But this smile made Mo Yunzhu uneasy.
His features were handsome, his thin lips slightly curved, and his entire face seemed to bloom like a green lotus, like a seductive enchantress. How could there be such a good-looking man? Was his gender not mistaken? If this guy recovered from his illness, wasn’t disabled, and gained a bit more weight, he would surely captivate all the women in the world.
If such a man were hers, it would feel quite fulfilling just thinking about it.
“There is indeed a bit of hope,” Jun Huolan replied, suddenly feeling that having such a Princess Consort wasn’t so bad.
“That’s good to hear. Shall we discuss the terms now?” Mo Yunzhu knew how to seize the moment. Negotiating when the other party was in a good mood would be much easier.
“How many terms?” Jun Huolan frowned as he looked at her.
“Two, just two.” Mo Yunzhu held up two fingers.
Jun Huolan raised an eyebrow slightly, then nodded, seemingly surprised that there were only two conditions.
“After I marry into Lan Wangfu, we can only be a fake couple. We can respect each other but cannot share a bed or pillow. In other words, I want an independent courtyard, private space, and the freedom to come and go from the palace. This is my first condition.”
Jun Huolan frowned but immediately nodded. “Agreed.”
He hadn’t married for the sake of a wife. What he needed was the identity of Lan Wangfei as the eldest daughter of Da Jiangjun Fu.
“Good. The second condition is that you must promise me one thing. I haven’t decided what it is yet, but one day, when I bring it up, you must agree.”
Mo Yunzhu thought to herself that this guy was too cunning and difficult to deal with, so she had to leave herself a way out.
Jun Huolan’s face tightened at this, and after a long moment, he finally blurted out, “Do you want this prince to die?”
“I’m not that bored. It’s definitely something you can do, and it won’t be anything harmful or immoral.” Mo Yunzhu rolled her eyes dramatically.
Jun Huolan stared quietly at her expressive, pretty face for a long time, carefully weighing his thoughts.
“Fine, this prince agrees,” Jun Huolan finally nodded, a dark glint flickering in his eyes. “Mo Yunzhu, you truly are beyond this prince’s expectations.”
Mo Yunzhu instantly beamed with joy, pulling out a set of silver needles from the small pouch at her waist. “Not beyond expectations, but rather a pleasant surprise. Alright, since we’ve agreed on the terms, I’ll first help alleviate your poisoning symptoms. Lie down on the soft couch.”
Jun Huolan obediently stood up and limped over to the soft couch to lie down.
Mo Yunzhu thought it was such a pity that such a peerlessly handsome man was a cripple.
“Is your foot due to severed tendons or broken bones?” Mo Yunzhu asked.
“It was pierced by a sharp arrow. The journey back took too long, missing the best treatment window. The bones healed misaligned, and that’s how it ended up like this.”
“Can I take a look?” Mo Yunzhu frowned, just thinking about it made her feel the pain.
Jun Huolan was taken aback, looking somewhat embarrassed as he said, “It’s very ugly.”
Mo Yunzhu paused, then smiled. “Prince, I am a physician. I’ve seen wounds far uglier than this.”
“Oh? What kind are uglier?”
“Those torn by wild beasts, severely burned by fire, or carved by a thousand cuts—many kinds. Yours might be better than theirs, right?”
Jun Huolan was surprised. Had she seen all of those?
He consciously pulled up his trouser leg and slowly removed the thick white cloth sock.
Mo Yunzhu looked at the sunken, gruesome wound left after the arrow was pulled out. The bone on one side of the ankle was misaligned outward, looking as if something extra had grown there. It appeared awkward, almost as if one wanted to grind it flat.
Her small face serious, she reached out and lifted Jun Huolan’s foot to examine it.
Jun Huolan was startled, his eyes flickering, his face growing warm. Fortunately, Mo Yunzhu was focused and didn’t notice.
Since the age of ten, this was the first time a woman had held his foot.
Before ten, there were maids to attend to him, but the years after ten turned into a nightmare he didn’t want to recall. If not for the hatred that sustained him, if not for his careful calculations at every step, he would have died long ago.
Mo Yunzhu’s hands were fair, slender, and long, but not soft—instead, they had some calluses. Yet they were very warm.
“Prince, I can treat your foot too, but given your current physical condition, surgery isn’t suitable. We’ll wait until you’re healthier.” Mo Yunzhu said after considering the feasibility.
Haojiang entered with a bottle just in time to hear this and immediately rushed over, kneeling before Mo Yunzhu and startling her.
“Princess Consort, y-you, are you telling the truth?” Haojiang looked on the verge of tears. “The Prince has suffered so much. Princess Consort, you must cure the Prince!”
“Haojiang!” Jun Huolan suddenly roared angrily. This subordinate was becoming more and more foolish.
“Prince, didn’t you hear? The Princess Consort can cure your foot! Do you know how harshly people gossip outside?”
Haojiang said urgently, his heart aching terribly for his master.
“Do you think this prince cares about rumors?” Jun Huolan’s gaze was as cold as an icy pond.
Mo Yunzhu looked at him. The cold indifference on his handsome face and the resolute determination deep in his eyes felt like a stab to her heart.
He must have endured too much suffering, sealing his heart away.
“It’s alright, take your time. I’ll start with acupuncture to alleviate the toxins first.” Mo Yunzhu immediately helped him put on his socks and gave Haojiang a meaningful glance.
Haojiang stepped back a bit, his eyes slightly moist. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said, “By the way, Master, I just heard outside that the Crown Prince is going to select a new Taizifei.”
Jun Huolan immediately looked at Mo Yunzhu.
Mo Yunzhu was somewhat surprised but soon chuckled and said, “It seems Mo Huaiqing has prepared the wedding dress for someone else.”