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Shen Ning had no desire to know what the Emperor was thinking, she only quickened her pace towards the palace gates.
“Princess.” Shi Qin followed behind, unable to suppress her curiosity, “Earlier in the Empress Dowager’s palace, what was the reason for the sudden change in the Empress Dowager’s attitude?”
Shen Ning casually said: “Perhaps she suddenly realized that my current status is someone she can’t afford to offend. She’s worried that the Regent will cause trouble for the Emperor.”
Shi Qin remained silent, knowing that this was not the real answer.
However, the Princess didn’t seem to want to talk about it. Shi Qin guessed that it might be the Princess’s unique secret technique that she didn’t want others to know about, so she didn’t ask any further.
Shen Ning looked at the palace gates that were now close by.
She had only learned some basic soul-capturing techniques during her free time. Occasionally using them was fine, it didn’t harm her vital energy and wouldn’t arouse suspicion from others.
Using them too much, however, would be too much for her body to handle, and she would be seen as a practitioner of evil arts.
Therefore, there was no need to mention it.
Stepping out of the palace gates, Shen Ning encountered a young man face-to-face. Not recognizing him, she initially didn’t plan to acknowledge him. However, he spoke first.
“Regent’s Princess?” Xie Tinglan looked at Shen Ning and Shi Qin behind her in surprise, “Leaving the palace so soon?”
Shen Ning paused slightly and looked at Xie Tinglan expressionlessly: “Who are you?”
“I am Xie Tinglan, the Right Prime Minister of the court, greetings to the Princess Consort.” Xie Tinglan slightly bowed, introducing himself, “I heard from Shi Qi that the princess had entered the palace. Worried that the Princess might be harassed by the Empress Dowager, I hurried over.”
He paused and then reminded her: “The Regent is unwell. The Princess Consort really shouldn’t have entered the palace alone.”
There were too many dangers in the palace, impossible to guard against.
“The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict said that the Regent’s toxin had acted up and he needed an antidote.” Shen Ning said indifferently, “I entered the palace to get the antidote for him.”
“As for the Empress Dowager…”
“I’ve seen her, and she was very kind.” Shen Ning turned to walk towards her carriage, “The Emperor was also very gentle.”
Xie Tinglan was taken aback, as if he had heard some kind of joke, staring at Shen Ning’s slender and delicate back.
The Empress Dowager was kind, and the Emperor was also gentle?
Was Shen Ning sure she had met the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
He couldn’t help but suspect if someone had deceived Shen Ning, and even doubted whether the antidote she had obtained was real or fake.
Xie Tinglan quickly caught up with her: “Princess Consort, please wait.”
Shen Ning stepped onto the carriage using a stool. Hearing this, she turned her head to look at him: “Is there something else?”
“I would like to see the antidote the princess has obtained.”
“Are you a physician?”
“No.”
“Then you don’t need to see it.” Shen Ning’s tone was indifferent, “Once we return to the Regent’s Residence, the Regent himself will know best whether the antidote is real or fake.”
Xie Tinglan frowned: “What if I insist on seeing it?”
Shen Ning’s gaze narrowed slightly, her eyes gradually turning cold: “And what if I refuse to show you?”
Xie Tinglan: “…”
Shen Ning didn’t want to waste any more time with him and simply bowed her head to enter the carriage. The coachman then turned the carriage around and drove away.
Xie Tinglan stood there watching helplessly, feeling bewildered by the wind.
He really wanted to know what kind of woman the Regent had married. She was simply…
Simply impossible to communicate with.
……
Shen Ning sat in the carriage, opened the box to take a look, and then sniffed the pill at the tip of her nose, her brows furrowing slightly.
What kind of person was the late Emperor of the Yong Kingdom?
During his reign, he was quite renowned, and the strength of the Yong Kingdom was partly due to his efforts. However, he was a licentious and suspicious ruler.
Perhaps it was due to his excessive dedication to governance, coupled with an overindulgence in pleasures, that led to his early demise.
Shen Ning could understand his concern about the possibility of interference by relatives of the empress, since the Empress Dowager was the Emperor’s birth mother. The Emperor could kill anyone, but he would never kill his own mother.
And if the Empress Dowager allowed her maternal clan to interfere in politics, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, it was understandable that the late Emperor had entrusted Ji Yucang with the regency before his death.
But Ji Yucang, with his heavy military power, posed a significant threat to the throne, so the late Emperor poisoning him was also understandable.
After all, a threatening uncle could only bring peace if he were dead.
But why was there still some despicable ingredient mixed into the antidote?
Was this the late Emperor’s intention, or the current Emperor’s?
Upon returning to the Regent’s Residence, Shen Ning did not return to Golden Courtyard but went straight to the Jade Hall, where Ji Yucang was located.
Outside the palace, layers of guards stood watch, their presence formidable, making it difficult even for a mosquito to fly in.
As soon as Shen Ning stepped into the courtyard, she was stopped by two guards: “Princess Consort, please wait.”
“I’m here to bring the antidote to Ji Yucang. Let me in.” Shen Ning’s expression was calm and cold, holding the brocade box she had obtained from the Emperor.
The personal bodyguard Ling Feng walked over and respectfully bowed to Shen Ning: “Has the Princess Consort been to the palace?”
“Yes.”
“May I take the antidote inside for you?”
“No need.” Shen Ning’s expression was indifferent, “There’s a problem with this antidote. I need to go in and speak to your master personally.”
There’s a problem with the antidote?
Ling Feng’s expression changed slightly: “How could the antidote have a problem?”
However, Shen Ning clearly did not wish to explain and only looked at him expressionlessly.
Ling Feng clasped his fists: “Please wait, Princess Consort. I will go and ask the Master.”
“Yes.”
Ling Feng turned and walked towards the main hall.
Shen Ning waited quietly. After a short while, Ling Feng emerged from the hall and bowed: “Please, Princess Consort, come inside.”
Shen Ning walked to the door, and Ling Feng opened it for her. After she entered, he closed the door again, obviously not wanting anyone else to see what was inside.
Ji Yucang was standing by the window at this time, his profile looking pale, with a hint of crimson at the corner of his mouth adding a touch of radiant color to his pale complexion.
“Ji Yucang.” Shen Ning stood at a short distance away, “Have you been taking the antidote given to you by the Emperor?”
Ji Yucang turned his head, his appearance no longer as sharp and stern as before, but rather with a hint of sickly frailty. His face was devoid of any color, making him look as if he had just endured a bout of severe poisoning.
“What is it?”
Shen Ning walked over, opened the box, and handed it to him, allowing him to see the pill clearly: “Have you been taking this antidote?”
Ji Yucang nodded: “Yes.”
“How many times have you taken it?”
“Twice.” Ji Yucang’s voice was hoarse.
“Twice?” Shen Ning was taken aback, “Haven’t you been the Regent for over a year?”
If it were once a month, after becoming the Regent, he would have been poisoned. Logically, he should have taken over a dozen antidotes by now.
Ji Yucang turned and walked to the head of the bed, taking out a box from a hidden compartment. Inside the box lay twelve identical antidotes.
“You haven’t taken these antidotes?”
“The poison I was afflicted with is not lethal, it only causes excruciating pain like being sliced by a thousand knives. Without the antidote, the pain would last for three days. If I take the antidote, I would fall into a deep sleep for three days.” Ji Yucang stood with his hands behind his back. Even though he had just endured the torment of a potent poison, he still maintained an upright posture, upholding the Regent’s aloofness, “I’ve had people study the components of the antidote, but we haven’t fully figured it out yet.”
Shen Ning was silent for a moment, realizing that Ji Yucang had already discovered that there was a problem with the antidote.
The Yong Kingdom’s God of War was not a title earned in vain. Even if he was not versed in medicine, he still possessed the necessary vigilance.
Shen Ning’s gaze was distant, and an unexpected thought flashed through her mind: Did all Emperors find it impossible to tolerate those with great abilities?
When the country was in need, they would say all the right things, wishing to elevate them as guardian deities. Once the war was over, their military achievements and power immediately became a death warrant.
It was both tragic and ironic.
Shen Ning quickly regained her senses and looked up at Ji Yucang: “If you trust me, I can help you.”