Chapter 230
**Chapter 228: Poisoned**
Even if one is willful, there must be a limit!
Yan Yunting was seething with anger. He wanted Zhao Yang to know that if she was unwilling to be his wife, there were plenty of other girls who would be!
Zhao Yang had no desire to engage in pointless banter with him. With a graceful lift of her delicate hand, her guards immediately drew their swords, driving Yan Yunting away from the princess's residence.
"Don't regret it!" Yan Yunting shouted, his voice rising.
Zhao Yang rolled her eyes in disdain.
Yan Yunting stood awkwardly by the stone lion at the entrance of the princess's residence, gritting his teeth, before suddenly turning and striding toward the palace gates.
...
The next morning, the auspicious hour arrived.
Princess Zhao Yang donned a magnificent wedding gown, bowing to heaven and earth, and then to the Emperor and Empress Dowager. She cast a lingering glance at her mother and brother, suppressing a wave of bitterness and reluctance, before turning to enter the carriage.
The procession moved grandly out of the city of Yanjing.
Along the way, the common folk lined the streets to bid farewell, with many secretly wiping away tears.
In recent years, Princess Zhao Yang had been known for her kindness, helping the needy and adopting orphans, earning her a stellar reputation among the people. As her carriage left the imperial city, a spontaneous escort of citizens followed, with hundreds of orphans from Anguo Temple holding flowers, their eyes brimming with tears as they chased after the royal convoy.
"Safe travels, Princess Sister!"
"Woohoo, when I grow up, I’ll definitely visit the princess in Yue!"
"Princess Sister, don’t go! Woohoo, I promise I’ll study hard from now on..."
The children cried as they chased the procession.
It wasn’t until they reached the Ten-Mile Pavilion that the crowd began to disperse.
As the city of Yanjing grew more distant, Zhao Yang sat in the luxurious red carriage, wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. She was about to face an uncertain future alone.
In the bright spring of May, sunlight streamed through the carriage curtains. Zhao Yang lifted the curtain and saw a black horse outside. On the horse sat a handsome guard.
Their eyes met.
Zhao Yang was taken aback, not expecting him to still be dressed as a guard, willingly playing the part of an ordinary protector.
She whispered, "Why aren’t you returning to the envoy?"
Tuoba Hongchuan, disguised as a guard, smiled and replied, "I wish to accompany the princess all the way to the capital of Dayue."
Zhao Yang silently clenched the red embroidered handkerchief in her hand, lowering her head, feeling inexplicably reassured.
...
On the city wall of Yanjing, Li Yuanjing and a group of royal relatives paused to watch the long procession depart, until the red figures faded from view.
The Empress Dowager, dressed in splendid robes, wept uncontrollably.
The Empress stood beside Li Yuanjing, casting a sidelong glance at the weeping Empress Dowager, a faint smirk playing at the corners of her lips.
For years, the Empress Dowager had looked down on the Empress, repeatedly targeting her with deliberate punishments. The Empress had long harbored resentment toward the Dowager.
Seeing the Dowager's pitiful state today only brought the Empress a sense of satisfaction.
Serves her right!
The wind on the city wall was strong, chilling to the bone after a while.
Le You had been following closely behind the Empress Dowager. Noticing her waning spirit, Le You gently tugged at the Dowager's sleeve, comforting her in a childish voice, "Grandmother, don’t cry. If Zhao Yang Auntie knew you were crying, she would be sad too—Le You will stay with you every day, so you won’t be lonely."
The Empress Dowager stroked Le You's chubby little face. The young child bore a resemblance to Zhao Yang in her youth.
The Dowager felt a mix of heartache and comfort, her voice hoarse as she said, "Le You is so good."
One by one, the royal family members left the city wall, returning to the Daqing Palace.
Shen Wei descended from the wall, suddenly struck by a sharp pain in her head, feeling a wave of discomfort in her chest.
She had been exhausted lately, worrying about Zhao Yang's dowry, as well as the promotions of Shen Mieyue and Shen Xiuming. Today, she had stood on the wall for too long, and her head felt heavy.
Upon returning to Yongning Palace, Shen Wei felt drained and couldn’t even eat.
Cailian hurried to summon the imperial physician.
Leaning against the concubine chair, Shen Wei closed her eyes for a brief rest. The physician entered cautiously, and after carefully checking Shen Wei's pulse, he said, "Your Highness, your pulse is slippery and rapid, with heat in the liver and lungs. This indicates mild poisoning."
Shen Wei's eyes flew open.
Poisoned?
Cailian, standing nearby, was also alarmed.
Shen Wei's head buzzed with confusion. After returning to the palace, the Yongning Palace had been on high alert, and all her food had been handled by her own people, leaving no opportunity for anyone to poison her.
How could she still be mildly poisoned?
Who had the audacity to poison her so stealthily? The Empress? The Shufei? The Emperor?
Cailian anxiously asked, "Physician, what kind of poison has my mistress been afflicted with? Is there an antidote?"
The physician lowered his head and replied slowly, "Your Highness, in recent days, you have consumed a large amount of contraceptive soup. All medicine has its poison; continuous use of contraceptive soup can harm the body."
Shen Wei furrowed her brow slowly.
So it was excessive use of the contraceptive soup...
Since her return to the palace, Li Yuanjing had almost stayed overnight in her chambers every night. The thrill of reunion was heightened, especially since Li Yuanjing was exceptionally vigorous, and Shen Wei had consumed quite a bit of the bitter contraceptive soup.
"I’ve been back for less than a month, and the contraceptive soup has already become toxic?" Shen Wei wondered.
During her three years on Donghua Mountain, she had trained hard every day, and her health had been excellent.
In less than a month back in the palace, she had only taken the contraceptive soup a dozen times, and yet the toxins had already settled?
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it became. Shen Wei instructed Cailian to bring the ingredients of the contraceptive soup. The physician opened the medicine pouch and carefully examined it, pulling out two small fragments of herbs: "In this contraceptive soup, one ingredient has been doubled in quantity, which is why your symptoms of poisoning have appeared early."
Shen Wei's expression turned icy.
How careless!
The ingredients for the contraceptive soup had always been sourced from the Imperial Medical Bureau. To confuse the issue, Shen Wei often requested a large quantity of other herbs with different effects. But she never expected that someone had secretly increased the dosage.
Was it the Shufei? Or the Empress? Or perhaps another concubine?
"Is there a way to cure my poison?" Shen Wei suppressed the murderous intent in her heart and asked the physician.
The physician replied, "I have studied medicine since childhood in Yaowang Valley, and my skills are unparalleled. I can help Your Highness eliminate the toxins from your body and prepare a unique contraceptive soup that is highly effective, with minimal harm to the body, and even has beautifying effects."
Shen Wei was taken aback.
What a confident physician, daring to claim to be "unparalleled in the world of medicine"!
Unable to resist, Shen Wei scrutinized the physician kneeling on the ground. He wore a grayish-blue physician's robe and a plain hat, his head bowed deeply, revealing only the smooth curve of his pale chin.
Moreover, his voice was clear and bright, suggesting he was not very old.
"Lift your head," Shen Wei commanded.
The physician silently raised his chin.
His features were handsome, with deep black eyes.
Shen Wei's eyes widened in shock. She never expected to encounter an old acquaintance here. Stammering, she said, "Mo, Mo Shenyi, how did you end up in the palace? Didn’t you go to Nanchu?"
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