Volume 1 Chapter 9: Are You Really Not Foolish Anymore?
General Hua glanced behind Hua Xieyi, seeing no one following, then pointed at her nose and scolded in a low voice, "You unfilial child! How dare you openly oppose the Empress Dowager? Such treason—are you trying to rebel?"
Hua Xieyi paused in her steps, momentarily stunned.
"So you mean I shouldn’t have resisted, but should have obediently laid in the coffin and let the Empress Dowager bury me alive, is that it?"
Her retort left General Hua speechless, and he masked his lack of words with anger.
"But you don’t even know medicine—how dare you boast and offer to treat the Prince? You must know that whether you succeed or fail, our entire family will suffer the consequences."
"So Father would rather have your daughter stand by and do nothing, letting me be buried alive as a sacrifice? Since it’s death whether I treat him or not, why not fight with all my might?"
Faced with this barrage of questions, General Hua grew even more astonished. "You… are you really not foolish anymore?"
Hua Xieyi stared coldly at General Hua. A strand of bangs fell over her forehead, half-concealing the defiance in her gaze as she curled her lips mockingly.
With just a few words, she was almost certain—this was definitely a scumbag father! He showed no concern for her near-death experience, only worrying that she would bring disaster upon the General’s estate.
No wonder the original host had been married off to a dying man, buried alive with no one to care.
Instead of answering, Hua Xieyi asked, "Was I very foolish before?"
General Hua immediately denied it. "Of course not. What I meant is, you used to only care about play and food, knew nothing of literature or martial arts. How is it that you now know medicine?"
Knew nothing of literature or martial arts?
Hua Xieyi was somewhat surprised. Although she didn’t understand any internal cultivation or breathing techniques, she clearly felt a surging energy circulating within her body. Moreover, her steps were light, her movements agile as a swallow—clearly, she was trained, perhaps even a master.
Martial arts aren’t achieved overnight. Was this father excessively neglectful in disciplining his daughter, or had the original host been pretending to be weak while hiding her strength?
Whichever the reason, it showed that the relationship between father and daughter was not close at all.
For a moment, Hua Xieyi was bewildered.
"See, I told you her previous madness was all an act," Lady Lian finally couldn’t help but interject from the side. "Look, Master, now that your precious daughter has someone backing her, she immediately reveals her true colors, even daring to talk back to you. This is what comes from lack of discipline—she’s become too spoiled."
Hua Xieyi felt as if she’d swallowed a fly. Could there really be a mother in this world who would slander her own daughter so maliciously?
She snorted lightly, tilting the corners of her eyes as she looked at Lady Lian. "So, did you come so late at night because you heard your daughter survived a great calamity and came to visit, or to lecture me and assert your authority?"
"What kind of tone is that to use with your father?" Lady Lian retorted. "Your father was just summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager late at night and nearly lost his official position because of you. Not only do you show no remorse, but you dare to question us?"
"Then what tone should I use? Grateful? Thankful that you married me off to the Prince’s estate to be buried alive?"
"Even if it’s burial alive, that’s a blessing you couldn’t obtain in eight lifetimes!" Lady Lian’s venomous words spilled out.
Hua Xieyi's gaze suddenly turned icy, chilling to the bone. For some reason, looking at Lady Lian's unmistakable stepmother-like face, she felt an almost treasonous urge to roll up her sleeves and take action.
She was now almost certain that the person who had risked breaking into the Shezheng Wangfu to rescue her today was definitely not sent by the General's estate.
Her so-called father and mother were likely not her biological parents—she couldn't count on them.
Her heart grew cold for a moment, and she sneered, "Since that's the case, now that you've finished scolding me, please leave. Next time we meet, as the esteemed Princess Consort of the Shezheng Wangfu, I ask that you both speak with a bit more respect and maintain proper decorum. Take care, I won't see you out."
She turned and walked away without looking back.
Lady Lian stamped her foot, cursing incessantly, "Did you see that? The moment a petty person gains power, they immediately become arrogant."
General Hua frowned deeply, his expression turning strange. "Shut up! Let's return to the estate. Something's happened!"
"What happened?"
General Hua looked grave. "Didn't you hear what she just called us?"
Lady Lian froze, her expression instantly turning peculiar as well.
The two of them, one after the other, slunk out of the General's estate in disgrace.
Lu Er lay on the rooftop, watching them leave with a deep frown, lost in thought. Then, with a leap, he vanished into the night.
Hua Xieyi hadn't gone far. Rubbing her temples, she felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
She had come here full of hope, only to leave with a heart full of sorrow.
Her start in this world was simply too miserable: unloved by her father and mother, with a husband one foot in the grave and herself destined to follow him in death. Holding such a terrible hand of cards, she felt lost, unsure of where to go next.
There was a faint sound of footsteps behind her.
Hua Xieyi turned around to find a crowd of people standing silently behind her.
"Princess Consort," Steward He stepped forward. "Earlier, an assassin broke into the estate, and several of our brothers were poisoned. They're dizzy and weak all over. In the middle of the night, we don't know where to find a physician. Could you…"
Hua Xieyi immediately understood and nodded. "It's no trouble at all."
She stepped forward to examine the poison affecting the guards. Recognizing it as a hallucinogen with no life-threatening effects, she casually listed a few common medicinal herbs and instructed someone to prepare and administer them.
Yet, the entire group remained rooted in place, silent and unmoving like wooden stakes.
"What? Is there something else?"
Steward He suddenly dropped to one knee, tears welling in his eyes as he pleaded earnestly, "The estate is facing a crisis of survival. This old servant is incompetent. I beg you, Princess Consort, to stay and save our Prince's life, to hold up the sky for this estate. We are willing to serve you faithfully."
As he knelt, Zhuifeng, Qingzhou, and the others behind him also knelt, pleading in unison with sincere urgency.
"Yes, we are willing to follow your lead, Princess Consort, and obey your every command."
Caught off guard by such a grand gesture, Hua Xieyi hurriedly tried to help them up. "Didn't I already prescribe the remedy? Just follow the prescription, and make sure they take it within three days. There's nothing else I can do."
From their initial indifference to later defying the Empress Dowager to protect her, Hua Xieyi understood that their loyalty was solely to their master, Gong Jinxing.
Steward He wore a troubled expression. "We've already begun preparing the two prescriptions you just provided, and most of the ingredients are ready. However, we're still missing two rare medicinal catalysts. They're likely hard to come by, and we're at a loss."
Hua Xieyi was somewhat surprised. The ingredients needed to cure the Western Region Demon Lotus Poison were all highly toxic substances, and extremely rare and difficult to obtain.
It was already late at night, and the medicine shops in the city should have long been closed. The fact that the Prince's servants could gather most of the ingredients listed on the prescription in such a short time showed that the Prince Regent's influence was not to be underestimated—no wonder the Empress Dowager could not tolerate him.
"Which two medicinal guides are missing?"
"One is the Toad-Skin of the Three-Legged Golden Toad. The imperial pharmacy in the palace does have a tribute item from the South Seas."
"Obtaining the Three-legged Toad Garment from the palace should be as easy as taking something from a bag for you, right?"
"If the Grand Empress Dowager were currently in the palace, it would indeed be effortless. Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager used a diversion tactic, and the Grand Empress Dowager has gone to a royal temple hundreds of miles away to burn incense and pray for the Prince. Even if we send someone to deliver the message now, it would take at least four or five days to go and return."
So there was also a Grand Empress Dowager backing him? Hua Xieyi instantly felt she had a powerful ally.
Snatching food from a tiger’s mouth was indeed a bit difficult. That old witch, the Empress Dowager, was eager for this Prince Regent to kick the bucket—how could she possibly hand over the medicinal guide willingly?
"What about the other one?"
"The other is Peacock Gall. It is said that only the head of the Ghost Doctor Hall has two of these in his possession."
Ghost Doctor Hall?
Hua Xieyi was immediately stunned, her heart surging with shock.