Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 354 Shocked
Ping Le grabbed a broken earthenware pot and smashed it hard on the ground.

"She's alive and well, laughing at me. I'll feel like I have a thorn in my side as long as that bitch isn't gone. That idiot Li Yan can't even handle this little thing; he deserves to have his legs broken by Li Zhao..."

The meticulously planned murder plot was about to succeed, but suddenly failed.

Her chest heaved, her face contorted with rage and despair, she was nearly driven to madness—

Where is Xue Liu now?

"In the quiet room of the west wing, we will detoxify Madam Gu."

"Antidote?" Ping Le let out a short, sharp laugh, her tone filled with malicious schadenfreude, which quickly turned into resentment.

"It's not that easy to solve. Even if Xue Yueying doesn't die, she'll be badly injured. That face... humph, it's completely ruined. Serves her right! Who told her to be so stupid and greedy, to bring about her own death..."

The man in black shivered.

I dare not look directly at Ping Le's terrifying expression.

“But that’s not enough. Far from enough… Xue Liu must die a more gruesome death… She must be like me, disfigured, humiliated, and despised like a stray dog, struggling amidst ridicule and rotting in agony… Only then can I quell the hatred in my heart…”

She paced anxiously in the cramped space, her skirt sweeping across the dust on the floor.

"What did Li Yan say?"

The man in black paused for a moment.

"With Princess Duan here, the prince dares not act rashly for the time being."

"Where's Gu Jie?" Ping Le suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Any news?"

"The first batch of goods should have already been dispatched... According to the plan, it should be delivered to the contact person by evening in three days..."

"Good...very good."

Ping Le slowly raised her hand and touched the uneven scars on her cheek.

"Xue Liu, Li Zhao...you have ruined everything for me. I will first remove your claws and teeth, and then slowly...grind you to dust...good, there's no rush."

She took a deep breath, suppressing the surging hatred in her stomach.

"Tell Gu Jie to act quickly... I need to see news that Xiao Yan has obtained that batch of ironware. I want to throw the Western Frontier into chaos. Doesn't Li Zhao want to protect Lu You'an? I'll make sure he can't handle both ends."

"Your subordinate obeys," the man in black replied, bowing.

“And—” Ping Le’s tone was icy, “keep a close eye on the Jing Shi area. Xue Yueying, it’s best if she doesn’t come back to life and cause trouble… If she’s lucky enough to wake up… well, let Gu Jie handle it.”
-
The quiet room in the west wing of the Prince of Wei's mansion.

The doors and windows were tightly closed, but the room was brightly lit.

Xue Yueying was firmly secured to the soft couch by Xue Sui with cloth strips, her wrists and ankles bound, only her chest rising and falling with rapid breathing...

"Xue Liu...you...poisonous woman...let me go..."

A muffled curse rolled down her throat, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth, making her once delicate face look almost distorted.

Xiao Zhao frowned as she listened and couldn't help but scold him in a low voice.

"You ungrateful wretch. My daughter kindly saved you, and you spew filth at her."

Xue Sui raised his hand to signal her to be quiet. "Ruyi, get a strip of cloth. Gag her."

"Yes."

Ruyi happily agreed and turned to find some coarse cloth.

Before gagging her, Xue Sui pinched a pill and brought it to Xue Yueying's lips, then shoved it in while she was cursing.

"Swallow it."

Xue Yueying's eyes widened, and she made a whimpering sound of resistance, her eyes glaring at her with venom.

"What...what did you feed me...?"

Xue Sui lowered his eyes, watching her Adam's apple bob, and gently placed his fingertips on her burning pulse.

"Shut up if you don't want to die!"

Even after swallowing the pill, Xue Yueying's struggles did not cease. She uttered painful murmurs and curses in a daze. Her exposed skin was covered with red rashes like a spider web, with old and new scratches overlapping, a shocking sight.

A moment later, Xue Sui washed his hands and sat on a low stool beside the couch.

On the small table in front of her lay a withered petal and a plain white porcelain dish filled with incense ash. She used a silver hairpin to pick up a bit of the grayish-white incense ash, then carefully touched a petal to it, held it to her nose to smell it, and then put it in water to observe the changes.

Xue Yuechen sat on a chair a little further away, silently watching her with her brows furrowed.

"how?"

Xue Sui wiped his fingers clean with a damp cloth and looked up.

He gestured for Jinshu to put the things away.

"Both the flowers and the fragrance are strange. Separately, they are excellent for refreshing the mind, but when combined, they become deadly poison. Madam Gu was quite close to the incense burner, not only smelling it for a long time, but also touching the petals with her own hands... The poison has penetrated deep into her lungs."

Xue Yuechen's heart tightened: "Is there a solution?"

"It's difficult," Xue Sui said succinctly. "The poison is potent, and I can only do my best to save her, to calm her internal heat, and temporarily suppress her mania... Whether she can pull through depends on her fate..."

After saying that, her gaze swept over the bloodstains and rashes from Xue Yueying's scratches.

Even if one survives by sheer luck, their appearance will be damaged and their health severely compromised.

Xue Yuechen looked at her younger sister on the bed, and a complex mix of emotions welled up in her heart.

She wasn't particularly close to Xue Yueying, and even loathed her foolishness and greed. But at this moment, watching a living person, especially a woman who had once been proud of her beauty, walk so pathetically toward death, the impact was still intense.

What chilled her to the bone even more was the cruelty of the method…

"Who could have done this?"

Xue Yuechen's voice was hoarse, "Who are they after this time? Ninth Sister? Or..."

She looked at Xue Sui.

Xue Sui's lips curved slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

“What do you think, elder sister? As a princess, Ninth Sister’s daily food and necessities are all inspected. This specially made incense and rare flowers, all put together, are just right in front of me. If it weren’t for Xue Si’s fondness for them, I would be the one lying here right now.”

Her tone was calm, yet every word she spoke was chilling.

Xue Yuechen sighed softly.

"It seems there was a twist of fate... But... isn't it a wonder that such blatant poisoning in the Prince's residence could lead to repercussions?"

"What does this have to do with the Prince's Mansion?" Xue Sui's lips curled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm. "The flowers were elegant items that the Prince painstakingly sought out out of consideration for the Princess, and the incense was a tribute specially bestowed by the Prince out of love for the Princess. Apart from coincidences, who can say that the Prince's Mansion is at fault?"

Xue Yuechen was speechless.

This is such a cruel move!

Even if it is known that someone poisoned the victim, there is no concrete evidence.

Tearing each other apart will benefit no one.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the quiet room.

The one guarding the door is Jade from the Prince Duan's mansion.

She whispered, "Your Highness, His Highness Prince Wei sent someone to inquire about the condition of Young Madam Gu. Also... Fifth Young Master Gu has received the news and has arrived at the manor..."

Xue Yuechen frowned slightly and subconsciously looked at Xue Sui.

Xue Sui calmly straightened her sleeves. "Elder sister, I'll trouble you to handle things a bit. I need to administer acupuncture immediately and can't afford to be disturbed. This poison is potent; every moment of delay increases the danger..."

Xue Yuechen gave her a deep look and nodded.

"Don't worry about the rescue. I'll take care of things outside."

She got up, straightened her skirt, opened the door, and went out.

The door closed again, shutting out the outside world's disturbances.

The room returned to silence.

Xue Sui's gaze fell back on Xue Yueying, his eyes cold.

"I don't want to save you. But if you live, perhaps... you might still be of some use."

Xue Yueying seemed to hear it, her body jerked violently, and her pupils dilated with fear.

Xue Sui sneered and gestured to Jinshu and Xiao Zhao.

"Hold her down, be steady."

He then opened the medicine box and took out a long, flat needle case.

A row of gold needles of varying lengths were neatly arranged, shimmering with a cold luster under the lamplight.

She picked up a needle, steadily aimed her fingertip at Xue Yueying's Baihui acupoint on the top of her head, and precisely inserted it.

The person on the bed trembled violently.

"Uh--"

She had barely let out a soft moan when Jinshu firmly covered her mouth.

Outside, Xue Yuechen's gentle voice could be faintly heard.

Further away, outside the second gate, Gu Jie paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, glancing inside every now and then. The soles of his boots creaked on the bluestone slabs, and his face was filled with barely concealed anxiety.

Indoors, Xue Sui focused his mind and calmed his spirit, his fingertips flying as he manipulated and lifted the golden needles, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, as he explored several major acupoints on Xue Yueying's head, face, neck, chest, and abdomen.

Sweat gradually soaked her forehead.

It was like a silent battle against death for time...

After an unknown amount of time, Xue Yueying's body suddenly tensed, a muffled sob escaped her throat, and she opened her mouth, spitting out a large mouthful of dark red and blackish blood...

"Girl!" Ruyi exclaimed in surprise.

"Hold on! Don't let go." Xue Sui shouted, quickly took out a prepared silver spoon, pried open Xue Yueying's teeth, and forced several emerald green pills into her mouth, then swallowed them with warm water.

Xue Yueying coughed violently.

A moment later, as if his bones had been removed from his body, the spasms stopped, and he completely collapsed.

His face was still flushed, and his breathing was rapid and weak, but the near-death frenzy was gone, leaving only shocking scratch marks...

Xue Sui let out a long sigh of relief; the back of his robe was soaked with sweat.

"Your life... is temporarily spared."

(End of this chapter)