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Upon hearing that Lan Xun was actually going to punish her so severely, Xie Wan’ning instantly lost strength and collapsed to the floor.
“I’ve warned you countless times, yet you never listen. Are you satisfied now?” Lan Qingwei, having rushed about all morning and now dizzy with anger, ignored Xie Wan’ning sitting on the ground. She leaned against a chair and sat down slowly to catch her breath.
Xie Wan’ning sobbed and shook her head, crawling on her knees to her mother’s lap. She pleaded, “Mother, it’s just the two of us. I don’t want a fief; I want to stay with you. I don’t want to go to that kind of place… please, mother… can you bear to see your daughter suffer?”
Zhaoyang County was a small southern district, with an annual tax of merely a hundred taels. It was only given to Xie Wan’ning for show. Was that even a place for people to live? How could it compare to the luxury of the capital?
Holding her throbbing forehead, Lan Qingwei said, “Even if I’m reluctant, there’s nothing I can do. Lan Xun’s decisions cannot be overturned. Hurry and pack your things to leave the city. Lan Xun is watching. If you’re not gone by nightfall, his men will come to escort you.”
Xie Wan’ning, tears streaming and sniffling, mumbled, “How can Cousin be so cruel… sending me to that place… I’d rather die…”
Seeing her daughter’s pitiful state, Lan Qingwei felt heartache as well. She only hoped this lesson would be long enough for Xie Wan’ning to act more prudently in the future.
Her expression softened, and she gently stroked Xie Wan’ning’s head. With a helpless sigh, she said, “For now, you must endure and stay there a while. Later, I will find a way to bring you back.”
Her voice lowered as if recalling something. “Since you like Lan Xun, when I seize power, I’ll snap his hands and feet and throw him before you—let you deal with him as you please!”
If even her mother had no solution, what could Xie Wan’ning do?
Yet there was one thing she couldn’t let go: she could not allow Mu Shengsheng to escape unscathed while she suffered.
Sobbing, she said, “I can endure, but mother must promise me—Mu Shengsheng, that curse upon her, must be torn limb from limb! Only when I hear news from you can I live at ease there.”
Lan Qingwei nodded. “Rest assured. I won’t spare her. She’s been hiding in the Regency Prince’s residence, protected by Lan Xun. Taking action requires careful planning…”
Earlier, Lan Qingwei had dismissed Xie Wan’ning’s words as jealousy, but now seeing how Lan Xun had gone to bat for her, it was clear this was no small matter.
Having calmed Xie Wan’ning, Lan Qingwei wasted no time. She instructed servants to quickly pack her things and personally escorted her to the city gate.
Only after watching Xie Wan’ning’s convoy leave the city did Tian Shu ride back swiftly to report everything to Lan Xun.
This time, Lan Xun was slightly satisfied. Lan Qingwei had shown true prudence, understanding the need for gentle measures, unlike Xie Wan’ning, who was stubborn and relentless. Lan Xun knew that without punishment, she would surely act recklessly again, harming Mu Shengsheng once more.
By the time Mu Shengsheng awoke, it was already evening.
She felt pain all over, dizziness clouding her mind. Her dry throat could only croak weakly, “Water… I need water…”
Zi Su and Lü Luo had been waiting nearby. Hearing the sound, Zi Su hurried to support her, while Lü Luo brought tea and water.
Mu Shengsheng drank two whole pots of water before she began to recover slightly.
Zi Su instructed Lü Luo, “Quick, summon Doctor Luo.”
Lü Luo nodded and dashed out.
Zi Su stayed inside, helping Mu Shengsheng lie down, then asked, “Miss, do you feel better?”
Last night, Mu Shengsheng’s dark complexion had nearly frightened Zi Su and Lü Luo to death. Seeing her now restored, they finally relaxed.
Mu Shengsheng recalled the events and remembered being poisoned last night. Her body ached unbearably, her life force had nearly vanished. Only thanks to Doctor Luo’s antidote had she survived. She had been too exhausted and accidentally fallen asleep, waking only now.
Weakly, she said, “Just dizzy and weak, nothing else.”
Although her life was spared, the poison had severely depleted her vitality. She would need several days to fully recover.
Zi Su recounted what had happened after she fainted. Mu Shengsheng learned that Xie Wan’ning had orchestrated the poisoning, bribing the doctor under Luo Qing’s supervision to tamper with her medicine.
Now that Xie Wan’ning had been demoted and sent to her fief immediately, both the doctor and wet nurse had been handed over to the Ministry of Justice.
Mu Shengsheng recalled why she had resisted drinking the medicine—it had been poisoned.
Still, thanks to Doctor Luo, she survived without losing any of her allotted life days.
Shaken from her ordeal, Mu Shengsheng reflected on Lan Xun’s terrifying demeanor last night but silently rejoiced at having escaped. Had she not been poisoned, she could not imagine what he might have done.
Surely it would not have been death by poison—but perhaps… a more humiliating fate.
She touched her chapped lips, still sore. He had been far too forceful.
Lü Luo summoned Doctor Luo, who arrived quickly to check Mu Shengsheng’s pulse and confirmed she was safe, smiling. “Miss, you are fortunate. Your body is not seriously harmed, only weak. Continue your normal regimen going forward.”
Mu Shengsheng flinched slightly at the mention of medicine, still wary after the poisoning incident.
Doctor Luo reassured her, “Rest assured. I will personally oversee your medication next time; no one will take advantage again.”
The Regency Prince had already cleared out idle personnel and set strict patrols; the Prince’s residence was now impenetrable.
Mu Shengsheng did not distrust Doctor Luo—without him, her hard-earned twenty-five days would likely have been lost.
Still, she remembered the taste of the medicine…
“Luo, I don’t distrust you. But next time, could you… make it a bit more palatable?”
Doctor Luo smiled wryly, “Medicine is not meant to taste good. We cannot simply mask it with juice.”
Mu Shengsheng looked at him hopefully. “Really? Then I want orange flavor.”
Doctor Luo couldn’t help laughing, “I was joking. Surely you didn’t believe me?”
As they laughed, a cold glint suddenly appeared, followed by a soft cough at the door.
Looking up, they saw Lan Xun backlit in the doorway, his posture flawless. His handsome face, shadowed in darkness, and icy gaze were chilling.
He said coldly, “Am I late?”