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After three days of continuously taking medicinal soups, on the last night when Ji Yucang’s body began to react to the severe poison, Shen Ning gave him the final bowl of antidote and administered acupuncture to help expel the toxins from his body.
From boiling the medicine in the afternoon to drawing blood and then performing acupuncture, Shen Ning was busy for over two hours. When Ji Yucang spat out a mouthful of black blood and lay weakly on the bed, Shen Ning’s face was already as pale as paper, and she looked even more feeble than Ji Yucang.
She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, closed her eyes slightly, and only managed to steady herself by leaning against the bedpost.
It felt as if thousands of insects were gnawing at her internal organs, causing such intense pain that her vision began to darken.
Shen Ning could barely endure it. She was gritting her teeth against the excruciating pain when she realized that the waves of pain, each more intense than the last, showed no signs of stopping.
A pair of strong arms swept her up horizontally and laid her flat on the bed. As Shen Ning was covered in cold sweat, she hadn’t yet reacted when she felt a warmth on her lips, followed by a taste of blood filling her mouth.
She opened her eyes to see Ji Yucang looking at her with concern. His fingers were at his lips, and the blood dripping from them fell into her mouth.
Shen Ning furrowed her brows. “What are you doing?”
“I heard that gu poison craves blood, and only fresh blood can pacify them.” Ji Yucang said anxiously, staring at Shen Ning’s eyes. “Are you feeling any better?”
Shen Ning didn’t speak, her face pale and greenish, feeling slightly nauseous.
“I know the taste of blood isn’t pleasant, bear with it.” Ji Yucang quickly tried to comfort her. “I’ve already called for a physician.”
Shen Ning closed her eyes, enduring the excruciating pain of being gnawed at from within, unable to even hear the footsteps approaching from outside.
“Your Highness.” Came a voice.
“Come in.” Ji Yucang responded.
The door was pushed open, and an old physician with a white beard entered, carrying a medicine box. He hurried to the bedside and asked, “Has the Princess been poisoned by gu?”
Ji Yucang pressed his lips together. “She was poisoned because she was detoxifying me.”
The old physician was momentarily surprised and then moved. “The Princess is truly noble.”
Noble?
Ji Yucang thought of the transactions Shen Ning had mentioned more than once, and his heart was a mix of emotions.
The old physician was a renowned physician invited by Xie Tinglan from another region for Ji Yucang. His medical skills were exceptional, and for the past six months, he had been working on a way to detoxify Ji Yucang.
He knew that the poison could be cured, but the antidote was difficult to obtain. Besides requiring a woman’s willing participation, she also had to endure the excruciating pain of having her blood drawn during the gu poison’s outbreak, which was something ordinary women couldn’t do.
He never expected…
The old physician carefully checked Shen Ning’s pulse, his expression serious. “The Princess’s body is stronger than that of an ordinary woman, but this time, she has greatly depleted her vital energy. She will need at least two months of rest to recover.”
Ji Yucang asked, “How should she be nourished?”
“I will write a prescription.” The old physician said, moving to a nearby table where Ling Feng quickly led him to sit and provided paper and ink.
The old physician dipped his brush in ink and carefully wrote out the prescription.
Ji Yucang remained seated on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving Shen Ning, to the point where she had to open her eyes, her brows furrowed tightly. “Why are you so nervous?”
Ji Yucang held her hand and quietly placed it over his heart. “Feel this.”
Shen Ning was slightly taken aback. Her palm, pressed against his chest, could feel his heart beating unusually fast.
Her gaze was subtle and strange. “The dignified Regent is actually scared by this situation to the point of having a rapid heartbeat?”
“I’m worried about you.” Ji Yucang’s voice was low, with a hint of lingering fear. “Shen Ning, people are always full of contradictions. They want to live a long life and grow old with the person they love, but they also worry if they might affect the other’s lifespan…”
“Longevity isn’t important to me.” Shen Ning said weakly with a pale smile. “As long as every day I’m alive is meaningful.”
Ji Yucang was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. “You’re right.”
“Your Highness.” The old physician turned and walked over, handing the written prescription to Ji Yucang. “Follow this prescription once a day, with gentle nourishment. Other meals can be as usual, but do not take any random tonics.”
Ji Yucang took the prescription and asked, “When can the gu poison be drawn out?”
“It will have to wait until her body recovers its vital energy.” The old physician said, glancing at Shen Ning lying on the bed. “Since the Princess knows how to raise gu, she should also be clear about the method to expel them.”
Shen Ning hummed in agreement. “Don’t worry, I have it under control.”
The old physician soon took his leave.
Ji Yucang handed the prescription to Ling Feng. “Buy the medicine according to the prescription. If the items are available in the manor, take them from the storeroom, if not, go out and buy them. No matter the cost or how difficult they are to obtain, they must be acquired.”
Ling Feng’s brows furrowed. “The medicine prescribed by the physician is just ordinary tonics. They are a bit expensive, but very easy to buy. There’s no need to go to too much trouble.”
Ji Yucang looked at him expressionlessly, and Ling Feng’s expression tightened. He took the prescription and excused himself.
The moment the door closed, the room fell into complete silence.
“Do you want to return to the Golden Courtyard?” Ji Yucang turned to look at the room. There were still bloodstains on the floor tiles by the bed, and the thick smell of blood had not yet dissipated, making the air in the room feel unclean.
Shen Ning didn’t speak immediately. The intense pain in her body had gradually subsided, and this was her first experience of such a sensation. Compared to the tortures she had endured in the past, it didn’t seem like much.
But the pain of the internal organs was somewhat different from external injuries.
As the pain faded, a profound sense of fatigue washed over her, making her eyelids heavy and prompting her to close her eyes.
“…Let me sleep for a while.” Shen Ning said, closing her eyes, her voice almost powerless. “Just a short while.”
“Alright.” Ji Yucang tucked her in securely, his eyes fixed on her pale and weak face, filled with heartache and tenderness.
He dragged a chair over and sat down, holding her hand and watching her, as if he could never get enough.
Jiuli…
Ji Yucang kissed her hand, the obsession that had weighed on his heart for many years surging forth, no longer concealable.
Shen Ning slept for three hours, in a daze, half-awake and half-asleep, thinking she was awake but feeling as if she were being held down in a dream by a pair of large hands.
Outside the dream, a pair of eyes were locked on her face, with such a painful and sorrowful gaze. She vaguely heard someone say that as long as she could survive, it would be worth it even if it meant shortening his lifespan or having no offspring.
Shortening his lifespan…
Having no offspring…
Shen Ning’s body was covered in layer upon layer of sweat, soaking through several layers of clothing, as the dream twisted and turned, never becoming clear.
When she truly awoke, it was already the middle of the night.
Shen Ning opened her eyes to find the light dim and gentle, not harsh. She still instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes before slowly opening them again.
“You’re awake.” A relieved voice came from beside her, with a hint of post-disaster unease. “Did you have a nightmare? Your expression didn’t look good, and I couldn’t wake you up…”
Shen Ning turned her head to meet a pair of anxious and frightened eyes, and she was taken aback.
To be honest, from the time she married Ji Yucang until now, this was the first time she had seen him reveal such an expression—no longer the calm and unperturbed demeanor of the past, not the indestructible strength rumored about him, nor the indifferent aloofness that kept others at bay.
He was like an ordinary person, with anxiety and fear, with vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
So real, with flesh and blood.