Prime Minister

Chapter 208, Section 207: [Withering]

As soon as the word "aunt" came out, Xu Zhiwei could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

Shen Qingluan reached out and supported her in time, then looked at Xue Huai questioningly.

"Let's sit down and talk about it."

Xue Huai turned around and sat down, and Shen Qingluan helped Xu Zhiwei to sit down in a chair next to him.

She poured herself another cup of hot tea and handed it to Xu Zhiwei, saying softly, "Have a sip of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Xu Zhiwei looked up and saw that the girl's eyes were distant, lacking the previous warmth and enthusiasm. She was clearly still resentful about Xu Zhiwei poisoning Xue Huai.

She quickly lowered her head, took the teacup, and whispered a thank you.

"Miss Xu, could you tell me who your aunt is, and why she would ask you to poison her?"

Xue Huai's tone was calm at this moment. Now that he had broken through Xu Zhiwei's defenses, there was no need for him to continue to play the role of being heartbroken.

Xu Zhiwei composed herself and slowly said, "My aunt was a pitiful person. She was born into an official family, but because of your father's wrong judgment, her family was destroyed in an instant, and she was the only one who survived. After your father passed away, my aunt couldn't find anyone to take revenge on until Lord Xue came south to Yangzhou..."

Xue Huai's expression remained unchanged, but he was utterly puzzled.

He never expected that this matter would be related to Xue Mingzhang.

"Wrong judgment?"

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and said, "Please explain in more detail."

Xu Zhiwei remained silent.

Seeing this, Shen Qingluan advised, "Dr. Xu, things have come to this point, why do you continue to hide it?"

“Miss Shen, the reason I am being frank is that I hope Lord Xue will not take his anger out on the people of Jimintang. They have nothing to do with this matter, and my aunt has nothing to do with Jimintang either.”

Xu Zhiwei mustered her courage and looked at Xue Huai, slowly saying, "Lord Xue, I am willing to pay the price for what happened today."

"Ugh."

Xue Huai sighed softly, his expression grave, and said, “Miss Xu, you are a smart person and should know the seriousness of this matter. This is not a responsibility you can bear. Furthermore, I absolutely do not believe that my late father would disregard human life so lightly. There may be other hidden reasons behind your aunt’s family’s tragic experience. If you are willing to tell the truth, perhaps we can clear up the misunderstandings and prevent your aunt from making more and more mistakes in the future.”

Xu Zhiwei looked somewhat bewildered, seemingly not quite understanding the meaning behind Xue Huai's words, and hesitated before asking, "The future? Is there a future?"

The evidence that she poisoned Xue Huai is irrefutable; he won't live to see tomorrow, which means she too will face certain death.

Liu Ying had raised her, and she would never reveal Liu Ying's information under any circumstances; this was the only thing she could do.

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and said, "You mean that as long as I die, your aunt will be at peace and will no longer do anything that violates the laws of the court, right?"

"Um……"

Xu Zhiwei nodded gently.

If Liu Ying were a truly wicked person, she would never have taken this step today; she would have simply given her life to repay the debt of gratitude.

Over the years, she had witnessed firsthand how Liu Ying and the people around her worked for the benefit of the people. Apart from the assassination of Xue Huai, Liu Ying's image in Xu Zhiwei's mind was perfect, which is why she found it difficult to refuse the other party's tearful pleas.

Now that Xue Huai is dead, Liu Ying no longer harbors any resentment and will likely live a normal life from now on. Xu Zhiwei is even less likely to betray her.

Since I have received her kindness in raising me, I should settle this score with myself; that would be my way of repaying her.

Shen Qingluan naturally understood Xu Zhiwei's decision, and she couldn't help but frown and say, "Why are you doing this?"

"Perhaps this is my karma."

After making her decision, Xu Zhiwei gradually calmed down. She earnestly said, "I have no parents to raise and care for me since I was a child. My aunt raised me, and she gave me my life. Lord Xue, I know I have wronged you. Now, let me pay for your life, okay?"

Xue Huai said calmly, "You're so young, you originally had decades of good life ahead of you, don't you feel it's a pity?"

"I……"

Xu Zhiwei forced a smile and said softly, "It is indeed a pity. I don't have much ambition or aspiration. I only hope to save more people so that all the effort I have put into learning medicine since I was a child will not have been in vain. But... as Miss Shen said, things have come to this. I can only use this life to apologize to Lord Xue. I hope that you will not take your anger out on Jimintang."

Her voice was soft, carrying a calm after the dust had settled. She even tilted her head slightly, revealing her slender neck, as if to show that she was ready to offer her neck for execution.

“You are skilled in medicine. If you are determined to die, we really cannot stop you.”

Xue Huai stared at her intently, a complex expression in his eyes, and then said, "But I must tell you, if the karmic ties between your aunt and the Xue family cannot be severed, it will affect many innocent people in the future, including the Jimintang that you care so much about."

Xu Zhiwei was taken aback.

She didn't understand what Xue Huai meant by those words.

The Heart-Nourishing Pill was made by her own hands. The poison itself was not flawless. Those familiar with pharmacology could easily find the flaws upon careful examination. This was a loophole she deliberately left for Xue Huai. However, once this medicine was taken, even a celestial being could not save him.

With Xue Huai dead, most of the hatred in Liu Ying's heart will be eliminated, and she can then focus on doing good deeds and saving people in peace. Where will there be any karma?
A hint of doubt suddenly surfaced in Xu Zhiwei's mind.

Although she was naive about human nature and wickedness, she was by no means stupid; otherwise, she could not have become a respected and revered physician at such a young age.

Then she finally noticed the strange thing.

After she revealed that the Heart-Nourishing Pill was poisonous, although Shen Qingluan and Jiang Sheng immediately expressed their anger and tension, they did not take any further action, not even calling a doctor to diagnose Xue Huai.

This is clearly illogical, unless... Xu Zhiwei's expression changed, and her gaze immediately fell on Xue Huai's face, noticing many details she had just overlooked.

The young official had a normal complexion, steady breathing, and calm, composed eyes; he didn't look like a dying man at all.

No matter how strong his will was, how could he have remained so calm when he learned that he only had a few hours to live?
"You didn't take your medication?"

Xu Zhiwei's voice trembled, and her body involuntarily shook slightly.

"Yes."

Xue Huai succinctly admitted it.

A thunderous boom echoed in Xu Zhiwei's mind.

At that moment, she understood everything.

Earlier at Qingyu Hall, the messenger specifically mentioned that Xue Huai was injured. At the time, she didn't think about it carefully, but now she realized that it was all a flaw—Xue Huai was under heavy protection, how could the thieves get close so easily? To put it another way, if Liu Yi's assassins really had a chance to rush to Xue Huai, why would they only punch him once?
This was clearly a trap set by Xue Huai to lure her into it.

If she has nothing to hide, then nothing unexpected will happen, and in the end, everyone will be happy.

She failed to see through the scheme and foolishly took out the Heart-Nourishing Pill. If that were all, it wouldn't have been so bad, but she couldn't bear to do it and took the initiative to turn back to remind Xue Huai. Thus, she fell into the trap set by the other party. She was also disturbed by Xue Huai's impassioned words and finally revealed Liu Ying's identity.

"So...so you suspected me all along..."

Xu Zhiwei smiled sadly.

Her demeanor withered visibly, like a fleeting ephemera.

Shen Qingluan was torn with unspeakable inner turmoil.

She did resent Xu Zhiwei's poisoning, but ultimately it was her aunt who forced her into this situation.

Putting herself in Xu Zhiwei's shoes, facing her aunt who raised her like a mother, could she refuse her pleas after hearing about the tragic loss of her entire family?
But she ultimately couldn't fully see things from Xu Zhiwei's perspective.

"It's not really a matter of doubt, it's just that the timing of your appearance was too coincidental."

Xue Huai took out a wrapped handkerchief from his bosom, spread it out on the table, and inside was the heart-nourishing pill that Xu Zhiwei had made herself.

He looked at Xu Zhiwei's silent face and slowly said, "In addition, there are many secrets hidden behind Jimintang. I believe you are aware of them, but you just refuse to say them."

"Master Xue."

Having suffered a series of blows, Xu Zhiwei was utterly despondent and said expressionlessly, "Kill me."

"Although you attempted to poison me, I was not poisoned. Furthermore, you were forced into this situation and have shown remorse. Therefore, this does not constitute a capital offense."

Xue Huai said solemnly, "Even if it's just because you've saved so many poor people, I won't kill you."

Xu Zhiwei showed no emotion whatsoever, and said blankly, "The lord is not killing me because he wants to use me to lure out my aunt?"

Despite the intense impact, she did not break down; instead, she saw things more clearly than usual.

Xue Huai asked meaningfully, "Do you think your aunt's whereabouts will be exposed because of you?"

Xu Zhiwei remained silent.

Xue Huai stood up and said, "You must live without my permission."

Xu Zhiwei frowned and quietly clenched her hands.

She has saved many people over the years, but she is not only good at saving people. Although she can't do anything to Xue Huai right now, she has enough power to kill herself.

"If you die, how will Jimintang continue to exist?"

Xue Huai's words were clearly not a friendly reminder, but more like a threat.

Xu Zhiwei looked up at Xue Huai in disbelief, a genuine hatred flashing in her eyes.

Xue Huai said earnestly, "Dr. Xu, I never lie."

Xu Zhiwei closed her eyes and after a long while, she finally uttered a single word: "Okay."

Xue Huai gave Shen Qingluan a look, then stepped out of the private room. A man had been waiting outside for a long time; it was Ye Qing, the commander of the Jing'an Division.

He stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Lord Xue, the doctors at Jimintang are all normal. As instructed, I have released the two men who followed Xu Zhiwei into the garden and have my spies watching them."

"Sure enough, there are ghosts."

Xue Huai narrowed his eyes and said solemnly, "Commander Ye, please send people to thoroughly investigate Jimintang, and pay special attention to a woman whom Xu Zhiwei calls 'Auntie.' This person must be a big fish."

Ye Qing agreed and then turned and left.

Xue Huai also turned around, but then stopped, his eyes deep and complex.

Inside the elegant room, Xu Zhiwei maintained her previous posture and expression.

She seemed to have no life in her body.

He was like a walking corpse.

(End of this chapter)