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Shen Yu’an was led around by Fei Yanchen, and everyone here knew they had returned.
Fei Dong also received the news and, upon hearing that Fei Yanchen was seriously injured, rushed back without stopping.
It was only after returning that he learned Fei Yanchen’s condition was not as simple as an injury; he had also been poisoned.
Fei Dong withdrew his hand and stood with his head bowed in front of Fei Yanchen, feeling guilty. “I can’t cure the poison in Lord’s body, but when I felt his pulse, it seems like the poison isn’t posing a significant threat anymore.”
He felt his words might not be reassuring enough, so he added, “How about I go to the general’s residence and bring a physician to check on Lord’s condition?”
After all, this poison was too suspicious.
Clearly, it was a potentially lethal poison, so why did his pulse only indicate some weakness?
Fei Yanchen continued to toy with the porcelain bottle containing the antidote pills given to him by Shen Yu’an. It seemed that the key was right here.
He said, “No need to trouble yourself. The poison within is just right. We’ll depart for the capital city tonight.”
“Those people should have found me by now!”
After saying this, Fei Yanchen had Fei Dong tend to his wounds first, as there were also traces of poison on those injuries.
The two of them didn’t hide anything from Shen Yu’an when they were talking.
When she heard them mention the general’s residence, she immediately thought of General Xiangnan.
It seemed that this time, General Xiangnan was still on Fei Yanchen’s side.
Shen Yu’an sat down and asked, “Do you know who these people trying to poison you?”
Fei Yanchen looked at Shen Yu’an and calmly replied, “They are from the Fourth Prince’s faction.”
“News from the capital says that the Emperor’s health is deteriorating, and Empress Rong is favored. The Fourth Prince has a good reputation among the common people. Mother and son are controlling the court both inside and out, suppressing the other princes. Now, he’s the only one with the free hand to extend his influence here.”
Shen Yu’an asked, “You can still get news from the capital?”
Fei Yanchen, upon hearing Shen Yu’an’s question, put on a wounded expression and complained, “In An’an’s heart, am I really this useless?”
Shen Yu’an felt guilty but continued with her question, “Now is a critical time for the succession. Why would the Fourth Prince try to poison you instead of trying to win you over?”
Fei Yanchen stopped playing with the porcelain bottle and looked at Shen Yu’an’s delicate fingers. Suddenly, he felt that playing with that fingers is better.
He cleared his throat to push away his thoughts and explained, “He has tried to win over Father several times but was always rejected. He’s afraid Father might switch allegiance to another prince, so he decided to eliminate the threat.”
“The order to bring us back to the capital was also instigated by the Fourth Prince and Empress Rong, but they had no reason to take the military command token. They had to resort to some underhanded tactics.”
Fei Yanchen couldn’t resist lightly brushing the back of Shen Yu’an’s hand with his own.
When Shen Yu’an looked over, Fei Yanchen smoothly withdrew his hand and calmly said, “There was dust on it; I helped you brush it off.”
Fei Dong had finished bandaging all of Fei Yanchen’s wounds.
He couldn’t believe what he just heard from his lord.
He clearly saw that there was nothing on Miss Shen’s hand. On the contrary, ever since a while ago, his lord’s gaze had been drifting toward Miss Shen’s hand, and he even touched it at the end.
Pah~ He shouldn’t be here; he should be under the bed.
The conversation was interrupted by Fei Yanchen, and neither of them continued.
After a moment of silence, Fei Yanchen spoke again.
“I will leave tonight, making it seem like General Xiangnan found me. If there’s anything you need, whether it’s information from the safe booksellers or about this place, you can come to me.”
“Alright.”
“Knock, knock, knock!” Fei Dong turned to open the wooden door, and outside stood a burly-looking man.
“Everything is arranged, but what will I do if you leave? Give me all the antidotes for what comes next, or you won’t survive in the capital, and I’ll make sure you have company in your grave!”
As soon as the door opened, Chuyi began his rapid-fire speech.
Only after speaking did she notice a woman sitting on Fei Yanchen’s bedside.
“Damn! You’ve got the audacity to bring a married woman here.”
Fei Yanchen furrowed his brow and reprimanded, “Shut up!”
“This is Miss Shen. After I leave for the capital, you’ll still stay here to help me with things, and I’ll entrust the antidotes to her.”
Chuyi was not pleased. His large, bell-like eyes widened in shock as he looked at Shen Yu’an. “What! You ordering me around is one thing, but now you’re having a woman boss me around!”
He even deliberately flexed his chest, showing off his biceps to Shen Yu’an.
Shen Yu’an: “…Where did this big idiot come from?”
Not seeing Shen Yu’an’s shocked expression, Chuyi felt a bit disappointed.
Fei Yanchen explained to Shen Yu’an, “This is Chuyi. After I leave, I’ll have him stay here to protect you.”
He then handed Shen Yu’an a porcelain bottle that looked very familiar to him.
Inside the bottle was the antidote that Chuyi came to collect periodically.
Chuyi’s gaze followed the bottle as it moved, finally landing in Shen Yu’an’s hand.
Shen Yu’an looked at Chuyi, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. She tossed the bottle lightly in her hand and casually placed it in her basket, actually storing it in her hidden space.
Seeing how Shen Yu’an treated his antidote, Chuyi was on the verge of exploding with anger.
Finally, much to Chuyi’s strong opposition, he had his ‘wish granted’, to Shen Yu’an to have a brief sparring session.
Fei Yanchen intentionally wanted Shen Yu’an to display her strength in front of his subordinates, so he arranged their exchange on the stage of the training grounds.
The so-called training ground was essentially an open area with a few platforms set up.
When word got out about the duel, a crowd quickly gathered at the training ground, surrounding it tightly.
Seeing the participants were the tall Chuyi and the woman who had arrived with Fei Yanchen, the onlookers became even more excited.
“The lord actually let that woman fight against the big guy. Could it be that she has some grudge against the big guy?”
The spectators below felt a bit reluctant to watch as Shen Yu’an and Chuyi stood together; Chuyi was twice the size of Shen Yu’an.
On the dueling platform:
“Hmph, I never fight weak women. I’ll give you three moves, and I won’t even use my hands…”
“Stop blabbering!”
Shen Yu’an flexed her wrist and charged toward the talkative Chuyi.
Bang! With a single punch, Chuyi was blasted off the platform.
He blinked at the sky, utterly confused. What just happened?
The dueling platform fell into complete silence as Shen Yu’an’s move left everyone stunned.
Chuyi got up from the ground, his face filled with defiance. “You ambushed me; I don’t accept that. Let’s do it again.”
Then, bang! Bang! Bang! Without exception, Chuyi was defeated each time. If the first time was considered a fluke, there was no way the subsequent defeats could be attributed to luck.
The onlookers no longer regarded Shen Yu’an with disdain; instead, they now looked at her with admiration.
In their eyes, brute strength was the ultimate authority.