The words fell to the ground, and Ling Mo Han’s gaze swept back and forth between the two of them.
Feng Jin, on the other hand, was entirely at ease, feeling no impropriety about the matter.
Lin Yu Wei was filled with embarrassment. She shrank behind Feng Jin and stammered, "Young General, I... I was just worried about you, I absolutely had no other intentions."
She had merely expressed herself incorrectly, and certainly harbored no malicious intent or curses.
Ling Mo Han’s expression turned grim and displeased. How long had Lin Yu Wei and Feng Jin been together for her to be so assimilated by Feng Jin?
One had to admit, Feng Jin’s influence was truly powerful.
"What’s there to explain? You were speaking the truth, and the truth isn't always pleasant to hear."
Feng Jin interrupted Lin Yu Wei, pulled her to sit in a chair opposite them, and then walked towards Chu Chen Yi.
The scene of being poisoned by Feng Jin last time was still vivid in his mind, and Chu Chen Yi instinctively flinched backward.
"What are you doing!"
"Taking your pulse, what else could I be doing!"
Feng Jin’s eyes were filled with disdain as she grabbed Ling Mo Han’s wrist and placed two fingers on his pulse.
Her brows furrowed slightly. "When it’s overcast and rainy, do you often feel your heart palpitations accelerate?"
"How did you know?"
He had never mentioned this to anyone. He had this ailment since childhood, and though it had lessened considerably as he grew older, he hadn't paid much attention to it.
"When did it start?" Feng Jin didn't answer his question, but continued to inquire on her own.
"It’s been since I was a child. I can’t remember exactly when it began."
Feng Jin took out a silver needle, pricked Chu Chen Yi’s middle finger, and squeezed blood into a teacup.
She placed the antidote pill into the cup, and the blood instantly diluted, gradually changing from red to dark brown.
"Congratulations, you've been poisoned with Liang Xiang Yi. This poison should have been administered to your mother while you were still an embryo. After the mother gives birth, she will die within half a year to a year and a half, and the fetus will carry the poison in its body for an immeasurable time."
Feng Jin had only seen this poison in ancient medical texts. It connected mother and child.
However, looking at Chu Chen Yi’s current condition, it was clear that Noble Consort Yi Jing had learned she was poisoned with Liang Xiang Yi back then. She had then exhausted her life to transfer all the toxins into her own body, thus keeping Chu Chen Yi safe all these years.
Chu Chen Yi’s face gradually turned pale, devoid of all color, and he sat there as if devoid of life.
"Your Highness..." Lin Yu Wei tentatively called out when she saw he hadn’t reacted for a long time.
"So, my mother passed away shortly after giving birth to me because..."
"Your guess is correct. Your mother transferred all the toxins to herself to save you. Coupled with the fact that childbirth is inherently perilous for women, this advanced the onset of the toxins, leading to her death after childbirth."
As Feng Jin spoke these words, she felt a sense of sorrow. Women were inherently fragile, but a mother’s love made them strong, and a mother could sacrifice everything for her child.
Beneath Chu Chen Yi’s calm exterior, a turbulent hatred surged. The veins on his pale hands bulged.
Lin Yu Wei looked at Chu Chen Yi with pity. She hadn't expected his life to be so miserable, and now he was also disabled.
Compared to him, she was truly much luckier.
Feng Jin also felt a touch of pity for Chu Chen Yi. "The Empress Dowager has ordered me to treat you. I will do my utmost, but it will be very painful, and I will need your complete cooperation."
First, she needed to clear the Liang Xiang Yi from his body. She had also noticed Chu Chen Yi’s legs. The reason he couldn't stand was partly due to the Liang Xiang Yi in his body, and partly because his broken leg bones had never been properly set from the beginning.
The bone had to be broken and reset, and the pain of shattered bones was something ordinary people could hardly endure.
"I will do as you say. I only want to stand up. I need to seek justice for my mother and for myself."
Chu Chen Yi’s eyes were filled with hatred and unwillingness. He had endured endlessly, only to be met with others’ envy and resentment.
If he wanted to survive, he had to become the one in control.
Feng Jin immediately felt that Chu Chen Yi now resembled a living person. His previous颓废 (tuífèi - decadent/demoralized) state was simply tiresome to behold.
Ling Mo Han slowly stood up and placed his hand on Chu Chen Yi’s shoulder. "You should have thought this way long ago."
After the leg injury, Chu Chen Yi’s entire disposition had changed. He became dispirited, detached from worldly affairs, and constantly complained.
"I was unable to overcome the hurdle in my heart regarding past events. Now, I have finally seen the light. Thank you, Brother Han, and Madam."
Chu Chen Yi did not directly call Feng Jin "ugly woman" or "poisonous woman," but respectfully addressed her as Madam.
This made Feng Jin somewhat uncomfortable. "There’s no need for thanks. I chose to treat you firstly because I promised the Empress Dowager, and secondly, because I don’t want my sister to spend her life with a cripple."
"Sister..." Lin Yu Wei tugged at Feng Jin's sleeve, wishing she could be more tactful.
Cripple, cripple... Chu Chen Yi’s lips twitched. In Feng Jin’s eyes, he was a cripple.
Those words were too damaging to his pride.
"You should say less." Ling Mo Han pulled Feng Jin to his side. If she continued, Prince Jing would likely be angered to death, and there would be no point in treating him.
Feng Jin took out a porcelain bottle from her怀 (huái - bosom/pocket) and handed it to Lin Yu Wei. "This contains antidote pills, nine in total. Take one in the morning, noon, and evening, mixed with warm water. Two hours later, prick his middle finger again and draw out the black blood until it turns red."
"Sister, I can't do this..."
She had never even seen a chicken killed in her life, let alone prick a finger to draw blood.
"If you don't do it, who will? Outsiders absolutely cannot know. I will be treating Prince Jing again. If you don't want to spend your life with a cripple, or become a widow prematurely, then don't bother with this."
Feng Jin spoke harshly. This matter was of great importance and absolutely could not be known to others. Lin Yu Wei, as his bedside companion, was the most suitable person to do this.
"Then... alright!" Lin Yu Wei reluctantly accepted the task.
Feng Jin then wrote a prescription on a piece of paper. "Follow the prescription to boil medicinal baths and soak for half an hour daily. After three days, I will go to Prince Jing’s mansion to remove the poison for you."
"Thank you," Chu Chen Yi said, cupping his hands.
"It’s getting late. If you linger here any longer, it might arouse suspicion."
Feng Jin calculated the time and directly dismissed them. "Cai Qing, bring the items."
"Yes, Madam."
"This is a set of colorful pearl hair ornaments, a gift for Yu Wei."
The reason she prepared this set of ornaments was to provide them with a cover when they left.
Lin Yu Wei’s eyes lit up as she looked at the hair ornaments, her joy uncontainable. The pearls on the hairpin were all round and beautiful, especially the pink pearls, which were truly exquisite.