Neither of the two people in the room knew any of this.
Qin Ye carefully laid Yun Si down on the bed. Only then did he notice the unmistakable pain written across her face. Her entire body was trembling. Her lips had turned a purplish red. Sweat had soaked the hair at her temples, leaving damp strands plastered to her cheeks.
“Yun Si!” Qin Ye’s voice seemed to come from a great distance away.
Yun Si could no longer hear it clearly. She blindly grabbed his robe and murmured repeatedly, “Don’t go… don’t go…”
“Alright!” Qin Ye took her hand and whispered into her ear, “Alright. I won’t go. Tell me, what’s wrong with you?”
“The room… next door…” Yun Si felt something racing wildly through her body. The pain made her shudder uncontrollably, leaving her unable to form a complete sentence.
“The medicine… medicine chest…”
By the time Qin Ye returned with the medicine chest from the neighboring room, Yun Si had already rolled off the bed. He threw the medicine chest aside and immediately carried her back onto the mattress. Then he turned back to open the chest. Inside were rows upon rows of bottles and jars.
For a moment, he was stunned. “Which one is she supposed to take?”
As he searched through the medicines, Qin Ye asked Yun Si.
Receiving no response, he looked up. To his horror, she had gone completely still.
“Yun Si!” He rushed over, gathered her into his arms, and gently patted her face.
“Yun Si, wake up!”
With great effort, Yun Si managed to open her eyes. The pain throughout her body had become so intense that it was almost numb. Her skin felt as though it were splitting apart. A scorching heat engulfed her, as though she had been thrown into molten lava. Her consciousness was beginning to blur. In her haze, it felt as though she had returned to her previous life.
She clutched Qin Ye’s robe tightly, refusing to let go. Large tears streamed down her face, falling onto the back of his hand. They were so hot that they made his heart ache.
“Qin Ye!” Yun Si’s mind was in complete disarray.
“Big brother… so hot… I’m so hot…”
“I was wrong… I was wrong…”
“Father… Mother… Brother…”
Over and over, she mumbled the names of the people she cared about most.
“Yun Si!” Qin Ye sat on the edge of the bed, supporting her upper body against his chest. When he heard her calling for that “big brother” again, his breathing deepened. His hand closed around her wrist, tightening little by little.
“Qin Ye… Qin Ye, don’t jump…” At that moment, Yun Si could no longer feel the faint pain in her wrist. She kept murmuring something under her breath, but her voice grew softer and softer.
By the end, even when Qin Ye lowered his ear close to her lips, he still couldn’t make out her final words. But he did hear her calling his name. Only then did some of the tension in Qin Ye’s body finally ease. The next moment, however, he noticed something beneath her loosened collar. Fine red streaks were spreading across the pale skin of her neck like creeping threads of blood. What was that?
Qin Ye’s pupils contracted sharply, panic flashing through his eyes. “Yun Si!”
He gripped her chin, forcing her unfocused gaze to meet his. “Tell me which medicine you need!”
Yun Si stared at him. Gradually, the haze in her eyes cleared, and little by little she regained awareness. Yet she felt completely drained, as though every ounce of strength had left her body.
Looking steadily at Qin Ye, she whispered, “Am I… going to die again?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Qin Ye saw that she had finally regained consciousness and pulled her tightly into his arms. Her breathing and body warmth should have reassured him, yet they did nothing to dispel the chill running through him.
“Yun Si, don’t be afraid. You won’t die. I won’t let you die!” Holding her with one arm, he grabbed a handful of medicine bottles from the medicine chest with the other and asked urgently, “Which one? Tell me which one to take!”
Yun Si looked at the bottles and weakly shook her head. None of them. They were useless. She didn’t know what was happening to her, and she didn’t have the strength to mix a new remedy. All she could feel was the blood in her body growing strangely excited, boiling and surging as though it were chasing something. The fine red streaks spread across her body like a spider’s web, expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her temperature kept rising.
Higher and higher. Hotter and hotter.
In Qin Ye’s arms, she felt like a living flame. An unnatural flush colored her face. Her breathing was rapid and scorching, and even the air she exhaled seemed burning hot.
Qin Ye’s palm against her back felt as though it might burn from the astonishing heat radiating from her body.
“This can’t continue. Hold on. I’ll go…” Just as Qin Ye tried to help her sit up, Yun Si suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. The blood splashed onto the floor and immediately gave off a faint sizzling sound, as though it were a pool of potent poison.
Qin Ye’s pupils trembled. He stared fixedly at the bloodstain.
Yun Si seemed to have exhausted every last bit of strength in her body. She slumped limply against him. Slowly opening her eyes, she gave him a weak smile.
“Your Highness…” Her voice was as light as a feather. “I think… I’ve survived the disaster.”
Qin Ye froze. Looking down at her face, which was gradually returning to normal, he felt as though an invisible hand had clenched his heart tightly.
“You’re certain… you’re alright now?” Qin Ye’s eyes darkened as he gently wiped the remaining blood from the corner of her lips with his thumb. Even so, he still looked uneasy. “You didn’t take any medicine. How could this…”
“I don’t know what’s happening either.” Exhaustion washed over Yun Si as she closed her eyes. “But I can feel it. After I spat out that mouthful of black blood, my whole body relaxed. My temperature seems to have returned to normal too.”
“Mm.” Qin Ye did not press her further. He carefully laid her back on the bed. Just as he was about to stand, she caught hold of his sleeve.
Assuming she didn’t want him to leave, he spoke before she could. “Go to sleep. This prince isn’t leaving.”
Yun Si’s heart trembled. She nodded. “Nanny Qian… I might be able to cure her poison.”
Qin Ye had not expected that, at a time like this, she was still worrying about Nanny Qian. A softness crept into his heart.
“Let’s not talk about that right now. Close your eyes and rest.”
Yun Si was so tired that she soon drifted off to sleep. When she next opened her eyes, Lan Xin and Lu Yu were keeping watch at her bedside.
“Mistress!” The two maids had been leaning over the bed, staring at her without blinking. The moment they saw her wake up, the worry hanging over them finally eased.
“Mistress, how are you feeling now?” Lan Xin asked anxiously. The night before, she and Lu Yu had heated a huge pot of water and waited for any activity from inside the room.
They waited and waited. Eventually, they both fell asleep. Not once did they hear anyone call for water. Before dawn broke, they saw Qin Ye emerge from the room. He looked as though he had not slept all night. Fatigue was plainly written across his face. Only after coming out did he inform them that their mistress was ill. He instructed them to stay with her, watch over her condition after she woke up, and report to him immediately if anything seemed wrong.
“I’m fine.” Yun Si sat up in bed and frowned. “Go prepare some hot water for me. I want to take a bath.”
She had sweated heavily the previous night, and after the high fever, the sweat had dried on her skin. After sleeping through the night, she felt uncomfortable all over.
After her bath, Yun Si felt completely refreshed. While getting dressed, she studied her skin and had the strange impression that it looked even smoother and more delicate than before. Once her mind had fully cleared, she began reviewing everything that had happened the night before.
Had Lin Shuyan done something to her? And if so, when?
She carefully replayed every interaction she had had with Lin Shuyan. In the end, she arrived at a conclusion. It happened when Lin Shuyan left Nanny Qian’s room. But what exactly had she done? For those several hours, it had felt as if her body were being burned alive. Although there had been no lasting harm in the end, the pain was unforgettable.
In her previous life, Lin Shuyan and Yun Si had never crossed paths. Originally, Yun Si had no intention of doing anything to her. But since Lin Shuyan had struck first, she could hardly blame Yun Si for refusing to remain polite.
Still… A trace of confusion crossed Yun Si’s face. The previous night, she hadn’t used any medicine at all, yet her body had somehow survived on its own. Her health had always been poor. How could she possibly have endured such a terrifying poison?
After breakfast, Yun Si organized her medicine chest and was just about to head to the apothecary when Lan Xin rushed in.
“Mistress, His Highness and Physician Ji are here!”
Qin Ye had brought Physician Ji with him to examine Yun Si.
Yun Si cooperatively allowed Physician Ji to examine her.
“There’s nothing wrong.” After checking her, Physician Ji looked utterly bewildered. “Your pulse is steady. In fact, it’s better than it’s ever been before. What exactly happened last night? His Highness said you were poisoned as well?”
“I’m not certain it was poison.”
“It was.” Physician Ji nodded. “I spent the entire night consulting medical texts and found records of similar symptoms. What you and Nanny Qian suffered from was indeed a poison, but not an ordinary one. It’s a type of Gu poison unique to Southern Xinjiang.”
“Gu poison?” Startled, Yun Si looked toward Qin Ye. The confusion in his eyes mirrored her own. If it really was Gu poison, then the situation made even less sense. Could there be something special about her blood? Something capable of killing the Gu parasite?
“Then is there any way to cure the Gu poison in Nanny Qian’s body?”
“Not for the moment.” Although Physician Ji had identified it as Gu poison, poisons from Southern Xinjiang were numerous and complex. Unable to determine the specific variety, he had no solution for now.
“If necessary, let me try.”
From the beginning, Yun Si had felt that Nanny Qian’s sudden poisoning was suspicious. At the time, she hadn’t fully suspected Lin Shuyan. At least, she hadn’t been as certain as she was now. The only conclusion was that Lin Shuyan had been too impatient. And she had underestimated Yun Si too much.
Of course, Yun Si herself had also been insufficiently cautious. If not for the unusual nature of her own body, and the apparent inability of the Gu parasite to survive within her, there was a good chance Lin Shuyan would have succeeded in killing her.
“You know medicine?” Qin Ye looked at her.
Physician Ji looked deeply skeptical of Yun Si’s suggestion. “Gu parasites are no joke. Unless you’re a native of Southern Xinjiang, it’s best not to interfere rashly. Otherwise, you could easily make things worse.”
“I know.” Yun Si nodded and turned to Qin Ye. “Your Highness, Nanny Qian’s condition is dangerous. Rather than sitting here helplessly, why not let me try? If Nanny wakes up, we may be able to identify the person who poisoned both her and me.”
“You mean the same person poisoned both you and Nanny Qian?” Physician Ji asked.
Yun Si glanced at him, neither confirming nor denying it. Before obtaining evidence, she had no intention of openly accusing Lin Shuyan. No one would believe her. Instead, they would likely think she had misunderstood Lin Shuyan or was deliberately slandering her. And Lin Shuyan herself would become more cautious.
“Very well,” Physician Ji said. “If you have a method in mind, tell me first. We’ll discuss it and then decide whether it’s appropriate to use on Nanny Qian.”
“Alright.”
The conversation came to an end. Physician Ji was extremely busy and left first.
Qin Ye remained behind, his dark eyes fixed on Yun Si. For some reason, she felt a trace of coldness in his gaze. After everything that had happened the previous night, their relationship should have grown closer. Yet somehow, she felt he had grown more distant instead. Had something happened last night that she had overlooked?
“Your Highness…” Yun Si decided not to guess. “Are you angry?”
Looking directly at him, she said frankly, “If there’s anything you want to ask me, just ask. As long as I know the answer, I’ll tell you.”
“Is that so?” Qin Ye replied quietly.