Upon returning to the Marquis of Yongan's Estate, Li Fuyin immediately asked the steward where His Highness Prince Ning was staying. Learning that he had been placed in the Pine Woods Courtyard in the west, she hurried there without pause.
Li Mexiao had naturally been severely wounded, but with a wonder woman like Bai Xiyue, whose medical skills were unparalleled, there was no danger to his life. By the time Li Fuyin reached the Pine Woods Courtyard, the arrows had already been removed from Li Mexiao’s body, his wounds were dressed, and Bai Xiyue was in the midst of bandaging him.
"Your Highness... Your Highness Prince Ning..."
Li Fuyin pushed past the guards blocking the door and burst in. She rushed to Li Mexiao’s side, her eyes reddening as she looked at him, heart aching. "How are you, Your Highness? Does your wound still hurt? I’m sorry... It’s all my fault for being so slow and returning late... I wasn't able to stay by your side..."
"You... get out, now!"
Li Mexiao was conscious, and the moment he saw Li Fuyin appear, he felt as if he were facing a mortal enemy. His expression turned foul instantly. Because he had been tending to his wounds, he had been forced to remain bare-chested. While it was just him and Bai Xiyue, he hadn't felt anything amiss, but under Li Fuyin’s intense, fixed gaze, he felt entirely uncomfortable and hurriedly pulled a quilt over his upper body.
Naturally, Li Fuyin had no intention of leaving. She pulled a stool over, sat by his bed, and said with a look of earnest sincerity, "Your Highness, there is no need to worry about me. I am not tired; I want to stay here and watch over you, to take care of you!"
Li Mexiao was speechless.
*Who is worried about you? And who asked you to take care of me!*
He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, closed them, and exhaled slowly. A moment later, he said weakly, "I appreciate your good intentions, Yunqing, but it is truly unnecessary... Please return home."
Li Fuyin remained glued to the chair, not moving an inch. She said in a grave, admonishing tone, "Even if Your Highness does not require care, we must consider my sister’s reputation. She is still unmarried and must find a good match in the future. She only stayed behind because she had to save you. Now that you have awakened, how could we continue to trouble Sister Yuer? Such tasks... are better suited for me."
At these words, a flash of obvious embarrassment appeared on Bai Xiyue’s face. If put that way, her tending to Li Mexiao alone was indeed inappropriate; after all... he was Song Yunqing’s betrothed.
Yet, for some reason, hearing Song Yunqing say this made her feel incredibly uneasy. She had gone to such great lengths to help Li Mexiao treat his wounds and had even specially formulated an antidote for him, only for this Song Yunqing to arrive and immediately stake her claim, as if everything she had done was simply because Li Mexiao was her future brother-in-law.
Li Mexiao felt even more irritated. He glanced at Bai Xiyue and said, "I feel better now. There is no need for the Third Miss to stay and care for me. You should both return..."
Bai Xiyue’s expression remained indifferent. She said coolly, "Although the arrow wound is no longer a concern, the toxins in your system have not been purged. I still need to go decoct more medicine shortly."
"Oh, that’s perfect!"
Li Fuyin interjected before Li Mexiao could speak. "Then my sister can go prepare the medicine, and I will stay here to watch over you. If you need anything, I can let my sister know immediately."
Li Mexiao was choked into silence by Li Fuyin. He felt increasingly annoyed by her, yet he could not show it; he could only close his eyes to shut her out, treating her as if she were an insignificant servant.
As Bai Xiyue gathered her medicine chest and turned to leave, she cast a deliberate look at Li Fuyin. Clearly, she hadn't expected the once timid and foolish Song Yunqing to become so troublesome. Though she still seemed as foolish as ever, her skin had grown much thicker, and she was far more irritating.
While she felt frustrated, Bai Xiyue still couldn't be bothered to treat Song Yunqing as a true rival. After all, in her eyes, besides a verbal engagement to Prince Ning, Song Yunqing had no skills whatsoever. No matter how much she pestered him, Prince Ning would never like her.
After Bai Xiyue left, Li Mexiao did not open his eyes again. No matter what Li Fuyin said, he acted as if he heard nothing and feigned sleep. Seeing this, Li Fuyin did not shortchange herself; she leaned against a soft couch nearby and slept for a while until the sky began to gray, at which point Bai Xiyue returned with the brewed decoction.
Hearing footsteps, Li Fuyin woke instantly. Refreshed, she rose, walked over to Bai Xiyue, and snatched the warm bowl of medicine from her hands.
"You've worked hard, Sister. Let me handle this!" Li Fuyin said, her voice filled with heartache and emotion. "Go get some rest; you must be exhausted after staying up all night."
With that, she walked to the bedside, prepared to feed Li Mexiao herself.
Bai Xiyue stood frozen, unable to process this for a long moment. This Song Yunqing... she was truly shameless!
Bai Xiyue was not about to leave just like that. She walked directly to the bed and grabbed Li Mexiao’s wrist to check his pulse. "Though you are eager to care for him, Sister, you lack medical knowledge. If something goes wrong with his health, keeping watch here will be useless."
Bai Xiyue sensed his pulse and frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss. Seeing Bai Xiyue, Li Mexiao woke up immediately. His eyes filled with clear gratitude and tenderness as he said, "Third Miss, you have worked hard brewing medicine for me... Thank you..."
"Then don't waste my sister's efforts, Your Highness—drink your medicine quickly!"
As Li Fuyin spoke, she firmly gripped Li Mexiao’s chin and poured the entire bowl of medicine into his mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Li Mexiao nearly choked to death. He coughed while clutching his agonizing wound, his face cycling through a brilliant display of white, blue, and purple.
Bai Xiyue could no longer watch. She frowned and said, "Sister, what are you doing? His Highness is wounded; to be so rough—are you doing this on purpose?"
Li Fuyin was, of course, doing it on purpose, but she would never admit it. She lowered her head and said with an innocent look, "I’m not doing it on purpose! When I was sick, that’s how my mother fed me medicine... She said if you drink it fast, it won't taste as bitter..."
"You... cough, cough, cough..."
Li Mexiao’s coughing grew more violent. The more he coughed, the more his wounds hurt, and the more he felt unable to catch his breath. After a short while, he went limp and fainted on the couch, his eyes snapping shut.
"Your Highness!"
Bai Xiyue cried out in alarm and immediately reached out to check his pulse. A moment later, her expression changed drastically. She said nervously, "Oh no! The poison has flared up..."
Li Fuyin wore an expression of panic. "Ah! He... he didn't die because of how I fed him, did he?"
"Fool, shut up!"
Bai Xiyue was so angry she finally couldn't help but snap. She asked, "While I was gone, did anyone else enter this room?"
Li Fuyin shook her head, looking puzzled, as if she had no idea what was happening.
Realizing she couldn't rely on Song Yunqing, Bai Xiyue compromised. "Fine. Go and seek help from the Lord Grand Preceptor. Tell him Prince Ning has been poisoned again—by a poison from Western Zhou, for which only Western Zhou has an antidote..."
"Ah? A Western Zhou poison?" Li Fuyin looked shocked and murmured, "How could he suddenly be poisoned by Western Zhou toxins? Could it be that the Crown Prince of Western Zhou did this!"
At these words, a realization struck Bai Xiyue. Since it was a Western Zhou poison, the fastest way to find an antidote wasn't through the Grand Preceptor, but by going directly to the Crown Prince of Western Zhou! Regardless of whether he was the one who poisoned him, he would certainly have the antidote.
Bai Xiyue made up her mind without a moment's hesitation and said to Li Fuyin, "There is no need to find the Grand Preceptor. I will find a way myself." With that, she shouldered her medicine chest and prepared to leave.
Li Fuyin watched Bai Xiyue’s retreating back, a smile of triumph curling the corner of her lips. Very good. It was just like Bai Xiyue to always seize every opportunity to approach her target.
It had been worth it, sneaking poison into Li Mexiao’s medicine...
Western Zhou poisons and their antidotes were not things an ordinary citizen of Sheng State could obtain, but they were tucked away in abundance within the Eldest Princess’s palace. Back at Chonghua Palace, Li Fuyin had already hidden the poison on her person. After all, she had known Rong Qi would come; how could she not have kept a few things to deal with him?
"Sister Yuer! Where are you going?"
Li Fuyin chased after her, grabbing Bai Xiyue’s sleeve. She said worriedly, "If you leave like this, what will happen to His Highness? I’m so worried..."
"I have already given him a pill to alleviate the flare-up; he will be fine for the moment, but if I cannot find the Western Zhou antidote, he will not last three days."
Bai Xiyue was clearly annoyed by Li Fuyin’s clinging. She said impatiently, "Since you care so much about him, stay here and take good care of him. Don't hinder me."
Li Fuyin asked, "But Sister, where will you find the antidote? Are you going to look for the Crown Prince of Western Zhou?"
Bai Xiyue paused, turned her head to glare at Li Fuyin, and said irritably, "What I do is none of your concern! Just focus on taking care of your Prince Ning and stop worrying about me!"
"You misunderstand, Sister," Li Fuyin said. "I just think the Crown Prince of Western Zhou looks like someone not to be trifled with. I’m afraid you'll be bullied if you go alone, so I wanted to go with you. If he tries to harm you, I could send word for help!"
"That won't be necessary!"
Bai Xiyue cast a look of disdain at Li Fuyin. "It really won't. With your physique—blown over by the wind, panting after a few steps—how could you help me? It would be enough if you didn't drag me down."
Having said that, she shook off Li Fuyin’s hand, stopped listening to her nonsense, and strode out of the courtyard.
Bai Xiyue was skilled in martial arts and moved with great speed. Li Fuyin couldn't keep up at all and could only watch as her figure vanished from the courtyard.
Since Bai Xiyue refused to take her along, Li Fuyin had to find her own way. In her current identity, it was highly inconvenient to go out alone. It was not suitable to get involved with Lin Xun’s people, nor could she use her own former subordinates. Consequently, she set her sights on the Prince's own guards.
Lin Feng, Prince Ning’s most capable guard, was standing dutifully at the entrance.
Li Fuyin hurried over and spoke to him with great urgency. "Brother Lin Feng, His Highness is unconscious from a severe poison. We must think of a way to save him."
Lin Feng was also burning with anxiety over the Prince’s condition, yet he was helpless. He could only say, "We do not understand medicine. Besides waiting for the Third Miss to return, what other options do we have?"
Li Fuyin said, "Though I don't know medicine, we cannot rely solely on Sister Yuer. I recall a wandering physician who once traveled to Western Zhou; he is very knowledgeable and might be able to save His Highness. Why don't we go and invite him to take a look at the Prince..."