Zhuang Dongqing crashed again. Restarting, “But… if it stops…”

Master Zhao replied, “Mainly, it won’t be of much use even if you drink it.”

Zhuang Dongqing crashed once more. “So, I really have to stop?” In that case, there was only one path to take. Was the original body the same? Or was it that the original body was in such poor condition later on because of the toxin acting up? Was being with Cen Yan partly due to the toxin?! Zhuang Dongqing couldn’t figure it out and didn’t dare to gamble, falling into a dilemma for a moment.

Master Zhao noticed something on his face, waved away the medicine boy and Liu Fu, and waited until only the two of them were left in the outer room of the main house. Master Zhao said directly, “What is the young master worried about? Is it fear of needing the master? Or is it unwilling to trouble the master? Or, is there something else that’s difficult?”

Zhuang Dongqing was confused, “I don’t know.”

“Must it be… understood this way?” Master Zhao softened his tone, “Strictly speaking, not necessarily. Because I’m not a poison maker, I can’t precisely control this degree. This poison can counteract itself, but there are also other antidotes that can resolve both types of poison. But still, as I said, I’m not a poison maker. Even if there is an antidote, in a short time, this strange poison—unless the poisoner brings out the antidote—it’s difficult to break through with external force.”

“Even if the Saintess of the Southern Border were here, she could identify what kind of insect poison it is, but it wasn’t made using Southern Border methods, so she probably couldn’t produce the corresponding antidote.”

Zhuang Dongqing understood. Cen Yan was currently the most accessible and convenient antidote for him. As for other antidotes, unless it rained red in the sky and the sun rose from the west, he shouldn’t hope for anything else.

Master Zhao continued, “Actually, in these two instances, the poison has been somewhat removed each time, so perhaps it doesn’t need to be like the first time… After all, it’s just residual poison. Maybe maintaining the current level will gradually allow it to be completely removed.”

Zhuang Dongqing’s eyes lit up: “Really?”

Master Zhao’s answer was very doctor-like, “It just doesn’t rule out this possibility.”

Zhuang Dongqing wilted again. Master Zhao observed Zhuang Dongqing for a while and cautiously said, “Does the young master find it hard to accept the master’s closeness?”

Zhuang Dongqing replied, “Not really.”

“I… he…” Zhuang Dongqing lamented, “I never thought of resolving it this way.” Once he started hearing it was residual poison, he thought that drinking some medicine and getting a few needles would be enough. He never expected it would develop into this situation.

Saying he couldn’t accept Cen Yan was completely untrue; Cen Yan was still within Zhuang Dongqing’s aesthetic preferences. If he really couldn’t accept it, then it wouldn’t have worked the first time, and there wouldn’t be this child now, nor all the subsequent developments. But if he said he could, he… couldn’t generalize it like that. He still felt that sleeping around like this was better done with a boyfriend. A chaotic life like that in the circle was not what Zhuang Dongqing pursued.

Of course, these thoughts didn’t match the current situation; they were just his initial vision for his life. Now, the dynasty had changed, not to mention those thoughts and values that were incompatible with ancient times. In this situation, having his pre-set path broken was the norm.

Zhuang Dongqing let out a breath, covering his eyes with his hands, feeling irritated. Master Zhao tentatively said, “I wonder if the young master could listen to this old man?”

“You say.”

Master Zhao continued, “I think it’s normal to have resistance. After all, you and the master didn’t get to know each other under normal circumstances, but worrying about this isn’t really necessary. This poison is strange; even a little left is hard to deal with. If it really acts up, whether it will harm your body or affect the child is unknown. Young master, do you dare to gamble?”

Zhuang Dongqing fell silent. He also understood Master Zhao’s meaning. “You are right. I was overthinking it.”

All sorts of things could be pushed back a bit; preserving his life was the most important. His fingers moved slightly, suppressing the urge to touch his belly, silently adding in his heart, and the child’s health. He had to be well, and this child that was born couldn’t be like in the book; it had to be strong and healthy.

Once he set his mind on something, Zhuang Dongqing wasn’t someone who wavered. Thinking of something, he hesitated and asked, “What about the prince…?” Would Cen Yan be willing? Zhuang Dongqing thought it should be fine, but he wasn’t sure. What if, just what if, the other party was simply helping him out?

Master Zhao understood, “From what I know of the prince, if he were unwilling, even if it was just lifting a hand, the master wouldn’t move at all; he wouldn’t give any wrong signals. But if he got involved, then he would definitely see it through to the end.”

Not a word made Zhuang Dongqing feel awkward, but every word was explained clearly. Master Zhao was indeed a divine doctor, possessing some traditional skills of doctors. Zhuang Dongqing nodded. His expression still looked a bit dazed, but at least he accepted it.

Master Zhao left, taking away the excess medicinal materials from the east wing. He turned to the west wing and reported the situation on Zhuang Dongqing’s side. He recounted their conversation word for word to Cen Yan. Cen Yan nodded after listening, acknowledging, “Well advised.”

Master Zhao didn’t dare to take credit, “It’s still the prince who understands the young master’s feelings well.” Yes, these words weren’t actually thought of by Master Zhao; they were taught by Cen Yan. Since learning that acupuncture was not feasible, Cen Yan had a chat with Master Zhao, and that time they not only discussed Zhuang Dongqing’s condition.

Cen Yan was always the type to think ten steps ahead; he had also considered the possibility of stopping the medicine later, as well as Zhuang Dongqing’s various reactions after stopping the medicine, and how to deal with them, all of which he informed Master Zhao about, so he could be careful. Today, it came in handy.

However, Cen Yan’s focus wasn’t on this; he asked Master Zhao, “Is he very unwilling?”

“Can’t say he’s unwilling; from what I see, he hasn’t thought this deeply. Suddenly having to… accept it will take a bit of time.”

“I see.” Cen Yan lowered his gaze. Master Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and added, “I specifically asked the young master if he couldn’t accept the master’s closeness.”

Cen Yan raised his eyes, and Master Zhao said, “The young master said, ‘Not really.'” The face in front of him still had its usual expression, but Master Zhao felt that Cen Yan’s mood had improved a bit, so he mentioned, “Since the master has decided to keep this child, does he also have corresponding plans for the young master?”

“There are, but it’s not urgent; first, let the child be born safely.”

Master Zhao wanted to ask this, and upon hearing it, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, “That’s what I mean too.”

“Having been in the capital for many years, the tasks assigned by the emperor have made the Wangfu enemies in the capital. Although the Ren clan’s pregnant men are generally strong, ultimately, it’s easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. If it’s made public too early, it might not be good for the young master…”

“Of course, the master knows this well; I’m just saying a bit too much.”

Cen Yan replied, “I have my own measure; you don’t need to think too much. Just take good care of Zhuang Dongqing.”

Master Zhao agreed.

Zhuang Dongqing’s thoughts indeed couldn’t turn around for a moment; he felt a bit down and turned to dive into the kitchen. Today’s chef was Old Zhu. Having been in the east wing for some time, Zhuang Dongqing’s way of addressing him had changed from chef to Chef Zhu, and now to Uncle Zhu. The change in their relationship was evident.

“Young master, what brings you here? The kitchen is full of smoke; we’re about to start cooking, so be careful not to get smoked.” Old Zhu greeted Zhuang Dongqing warmly from a distance.

Zhuang Dongqing moved a stool to sit beside him, having nothing to do, and reached out to help Uncle Zhu wash the vegetables. Old Zhu didn’t dare to let Zhuang Dongqing do this; after chatting for a bit, he thought Zhuang Dongqing was just uncomfortable from taking medicine, so Old Zhu rolled up his sleeves: “What should we eat to suppress the taste?”

In less than two cups of tea, the leafy vegetables Zhuang Dongqing was handling were replaced with a steaming bowl of plump shrimp. Each one was red and full, and quite large. Zhuang Dongqing hadn’t seen shrimp on the table much before, so he asked Old Zhu, who enthusiastically replied, “Isn’t it the beginning of summer? It’s the best time for river shrimp; these are all freshly caught this year. I rejected two batches before when it was still cold because they were too small.”

“The first batch this year was originally planned to be cooked for the young master at noon; it’s just right for eating and playing now.” Zhuang Dongqing tried one. Mmm, the meat was firm and bouncy, very delicious. It would be even better with a bit of mustard. But dipping it in vinegar was also fine; it was tasty.

The morning sunlight warmed him as Zhuang Dongqing peeled shrimp one after another, first removing the head, then pinching the tail, and finally peeling off the shell and removing the shrimp thread, dipping it in vinegar, ah, a bite, mmm, delicious! One after another, the third one was given to Liu Fu, four or five… After peeling half a bowl of shrimp, Zhuang Dongqing had eaten enough. He reached out and let Liu Fu wipe his hands for him, squinting in the sunlight. Full and satisfied, basking in the sun, his mood improved.

“What are we going to do with the shrimp at noon?” Zhuang Dongqing casually asked Old Zhu.

“Now the young master is eating them in their original flavor; at noon, we’ll make oil-braised shrimp.” Fried, huh! With expectations for lunch, Zhuang Dongqing felt even better.

In the following days, Zhuang Dongqing stayed in the east wing while Cen Yan was in the west wing recovering; the two hadn’t seen each other. It wasn’t that they were intentionally avoiding each other. Once Cen Yan could move around, Zhuang Dongqing returned to his usual life, no longer visiting the west wing. Cen Yan also seemed busy with something, and he didn’t come to the east wing, so they hadn’t run into each other.

Secretly, Zhuang Dongqing felt quite relieved; it was better not to see each other, as it gave him some buffer. Otherwise, every encounter would be awkward and distressing. In the meantime, the imperial physician came twice more. After the physician left, Liu Qi came to the east wing to actively discuss the situation with Zhuang Dongqing, so the worries he had just raised were steadily put back down during Liu Qi’s account.

Hmm, Cen Yan no longer used poison and didn’t pretend to be sick; the imperial physician concluded that “the prince is blessed by heaven and has finally pulled through, but still needs to rest.” This was all part of Cen Yan’s plan. With no mishaps, Zhuang Dongqing was even less worried.

By chance, he also received news about the male lead, Li Yang. It was during a casual chat with Liu Qi when the topic of snake poison came up, and Liu Qi mentioned the Shu Fei, which was when Zhuang Dongqing learned that the Shu Fei had indeed died without treatment, but not from illness; she had been bitten by a poisonous snake and died from the toxin.

Zhuang Dongqing was puzzled, “Are there many such poisonous snakes?”

“Not many, but there are specialized trainers with them; one of them went to the Shu Fei’s palace.” Liu Qi explained, “They originally wanted to use the Shu Fei as a hostage to threaten the emperor, but when it seemed impossible, they made a bold move and poisoned her.”

Zhuang Dongqing was stunned, “What do you mean by ‘impossible’? Did the emperor…?”

Liu Qi nodded, “The emperor went to battle at a young age and has experienced countless battles; he long ago cast aside the compassion of women and would never be coerced by such means.”

“But… wasn’t she his favored concubine?”

Liu Qi replied, “Yes, so the Shu Fei was someone the emperor watched grow up, and thus he is well aware of the power of this kind of snake poison.”

Zhuang Dongqing: “…”

Zhuang Dongqing asked, “Then what about Li Yang…?”

Liu Qi responded, “The Sixth Prince hasn’t had much news lately; he must be extremely saddened and hasn’t come out since returning to the palace.”

“Young Master Zhuang wants to know about him…” Zhuang Dongqing quickly shook his head, “I was just asking; there’s no need to trouble anyone to investigate.” With Li Yang’s constitution, even if Zhuang Dongqing was worried, he wouldn’t dare to ask someone to inquire. Not to mention, the Wangfu’s current predicament hadn’t completely passed; they should take care of themselves before thinking about anything else.

After saying all this, Zhuang Dongqing felt a bit down, then thought of something and became worried again, “If he could do that to his favored concubine, what if he finds out the prince deceived him? Would the emperor…?”

Liu Qi pondered for a moment and still spoke truthfully, “He should be aware. However, in the relationship between ruler and subject, there is actually a mutual check and balance. During the hunting trip, the emperor clearly knew what was going on, yet he allowed the Third Prince to slander the master to divert attention from the court. In this matter, the emperor has wronged the master, and we can’t just quietly take this loss; otherwise, in the future, the one who suffers will only accumulate more debts.”

Zhuang Dongqing didn’t understand the court part. But he understood the reasoning. People still need to have some sharpness; otherwise, the good-natured will be bullied.

A few days later, Liu Qi came to tell Zhuang Dongqing that Cen Yan’s knife wound had healed, and the one on his shoulder was just waiting to scab over. Having taken care of him for so long, upon hearing this, Zhuang Dongqing felt a bit like going to see him. Liu Qi was also warmly inviting him, saying that Cen Yan’s injury could heal, and Zhuang Dongqing had made great contributions, so he should go and take a look.

“But isn’t he very busy lately?” He had vaguely heard that there were many matters in the west wing, and Zhuang Dongqing was afraid of disturbing him.

Liu Qi replied, “There were some matters to handle in the court a few days ago, but he has been free these past two days.”

“Then… should I go to the west wing for dinner tonight?” They hadn’t seen each other for several days, and with the detoxification matter, he needed to do some mental preparation at noon.

Liu Qi readily agreed. However, even after preparing himself mentally at noon, Zhuang Dongqing still didn’t see Cen Yan. As soon as noon passed, it was as if the palace had timed it; the emperor summoned Cen Yan. The imperial edict arrived with several eunuchs and a luxurious carriage. As soon as the edict was announced, the eunuchs immediately invited Cen Yan onto the carriage to take him into the palace.