Chapter 18: Unexpected
“No, Princess…” Wen Shijun’s face was deathly pale as he frantically shook his head.
He never imagined things would turn out this way. He had only acted out of kindness, wanting to seek justice for Princess Qinghe. Who would have thought that not only would he fail to get justice, but he would also be turned on by Li Xuanyue? He felt so wronged he could almost die from it.
“Guards.” Li Xuanyue paid no mind to Wen Shijun’s pleas and called out to the guards outside the hall. “Wen Shijun does not understand etiquette and has offended me and Shijun Lang. From this day forward, he is to be expelled from the Phoenix Clan, never to return.”
“Princess!” Wen Shijun’s eyes were wide with disbelief. He struggled, wanting to say something, but the two guards beside him gave him no chance, directly dragging him out.
“Princess, bad news! Wen Shijun has been expelled from the Phoenix Clan.” Inside Chaoren Hall, Ruyue hurriedly relayed the news she had just gathered to Li Qinghe, her eyes filled with worry. “I heard it was the First Princess’s personal order. She said Wen Shijun didn’t understand etiquette and offended her and Shijun Lang.”
Li Qinghe’s expression darkened. “Bastard!” She slammed her hand on the table in anger. The force of the blow overturned the teacup, sending tea spilling everywhere.
Ruyue glanced at Li Qinghe’s furious face and said cautiously, “Princess, do you think the First Princess found out that Wen Shijun was one of our people and used this as an excuse to get rid of him?”
This suspicion grew stronger in Ruyue’s mind. Otherwise, why would Princess Xuanyue have suddenly decided to dismiss the shijun and xiaoshi from her palace? And why would she send her favorite, Shijun Lin, to their Chaoren Hall?
“So what if she knows? And so what if she doesn’t?” Li Qinghe’s icy eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty killing intent. “In her current condition, she’ll be dead in less than half a year. Do you think I’m afraid of her?”
Since she dared to plot, she wasn’t afraid of being discovered. They were all bound to turn on each other eventually; it was just a matter of sooner or later.
“How is Jun Fu’s condition?”
It had been three years since Li Qinghe and Noble Consort Zhao were released from the Cold Palace of Taihe Hall. The Noble Consort’s mental state had shown no signs of improvement. Previously, Li Qinghe could believe that her Jun Fu’s mental breakdown was due to his inability to accept such a drastic fall from grace. But now, they had been out of the Cold Palace for three years. Logically, with the care of so many maids and her own devoted attention, he should have recovered. Yet, to this day, Noble Consort Zhao’s mind remained clouded. This was the one thing she could not tolerate.
Ruyue lowered her head. “The Noble Consort is doing well. Yesterday, he was in the hall, murmuring about wanting to cook something delicious for the princess.”
Li Qinghe frowned. “Instruct the servants to take good care of Jun Fu. There is no room for carelessness. I will go to Yuehe Hall to see him in a few days.”
“Yes!” Ruyue would not dare to disobey Li Qinghe’s command.
“Princess, what should we do about the First Princess now?” The pawns they had placed around Princess Xuanyue had almost all been eliminated. If this continued, they would be completely ruined.
Li Qinghe asked calmly, “What did Imperial Physician Fang say today?”
During her three months of confinement, Li Qinghe had never forgotten to have Ruyue summon Imperial Physician Fang to inquire about the situation in Fenghe Hall. He was her most important pawn, the one who could deliver the fatal blow to Li Xuanyue. There could be no mistakes. Otherwise, all her schemes would be for nothing.
Ruyue recalled what Imperial Physician Fang had told her that day and spoke slowly, “Imperial Physician Fang said that the First Princess is only able to speak now because she is being kept alive by various ginseng and snow lotuses from the clan. But this is not a long-term solution. Over time, her body will develop an immunity to these things, and death will be inevitable.”
At this point, Ruyue paused, glanced up at Li Qinghe’s expressionless face, and continued, “Princess, do you think we should give the First Princess another strong dose of medicine now?”
To avoid any unexpected complications, Ruyue felt it would be better to send the First Princess on her way sooner rather than later. It would save them from the constant anxiety.
“No need.” Li Qinghe raised her hand to stop her. She had already waited this long; another half a year wouldn’t make a difference. Besides, it wasn’t even certain if Li Xuanyue would survive for half a year. Why should she dirty her own hands at this critical moment?
“Let her cling to life for another half a year.” After half a year, she would personally go before her and see her off. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
If Li Xuanyue knew what Li Qinghe was planning, she would surely call her a fool to her face. But it was precisely because of Li Qinghe’s carelessness that Li Xuanyue was given a chance to breathe.
“Princess, although the poison in your body is temporarily under control, a medicinal catalyst is still needed to completely eliminate it.” Inside Fenghe Hall, Divine Doctor Liu spoke with a solemn expression. Dressed in white, he had the air of an immortal. His graying hair was meticulously tied back with a white ribbon, giving him an extremely traditional appearance.
Divine Doctor Liu had made himself quite clear. There was nothing Li Xuanyue didn’t understand. It simply meant that this medicinal catalyst was either extremely difficult to find or hard to obtain. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so cryptic.
“What is the catalyst?” Since Li Xuanyue had already resolved to completely cure her madness and eliminate the poison from her body, she was prepared to do whatever it took, no matter how hard the catalyst was to find or obtain. She would send her people to search for it with all their might. She would absolutely not give up so easily.
Seeing her determination, Divine Doctor Liu fell silent for two seconds before speaking slowly. “The red crown from the head of a Crane Clan member…”
Yinxin’s eyes lit up. “Isn’t that simple? Isn’t one of the princess’s shijun from the Crane Clan?” she interrupted lightly. “Can’t he just offer his red crown to the princess?”
Divine Doctor Liu glanced at Yinxin as if to say, Do you take me for a fool? Who would willingly offer up their red crown? It was the life and symbol of the Crane Clan, possessed only by adult members. It was not something that could be touched lightly by others.
“Divine Doctor Liu, was there something else you were about to say?” Noticing the stiffness in his expression, Li Xuanyue raised her hand, gesturing for him to continue what he was saying before Yinxin interrupted.
Divine Doctor Liu nodded. “Although the red crown is easy to obtain, getting someone to offer it willingly is extremely difficult. What I mean to say is that this red crown cannot be obtained by force. The person must offer it of their own free will for it to have the necessary medicinal effect.”
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