Chapter 160: Unwilling to Give Up

Princess Consort spoke, Jinzhi, where are you still daring to delay? You must follow Jiu Yue and turn to walk into the Warm Pavilion; she had just been forced by Hong Yu to vomit, yet her body still felt uneasy.

Just now she drank that cup of tea in the Spring Exploration Garden; although it also carried a hint of tea fragrance, it felt strange, and with Hong Yu's rough forced vomiting, she now feels terribly uncomfortable.

She lowered her head, walked to Gu Jiu Ling, and bowed to her; Gu Jiu Ling grasped Jinzhi's hand and, slightly startled, said, "Why is your hand so cold?"

"It's really sick!"

"Jiu Yue, bring a brocade stool."

Jiu Yue hurriedly moved a stool in front of Gu Jiu Ling, and Yun Duo also anxiously looked at Jinzhi.

This girl is truly pitiful: she cannot speak, her face is disfigured, and she doesn't even know where she's from or who her family is.

She also doesn't know how she fell ill?

She focused her gaze again and saw a smudge of filth on Jinzhi's collar, making her heart thud even more.

The atmosphere in the Warm Pavilion grew tense.

Gu Jiu Ling raised a hand, placed it on Jinzhi's wrist, focused on her pulse, and suddenly her complexion changed slightly; she glanced at Jinzhi, "Switch to the other hand."

Jinzhi quickly lifted her other arm and presented it before Gu Jiu Ling; Gu Jiu Ling's expression had already become unpleasant, and the cold aura emanating from her made the joking young maids in the Warm Pavilion fall silent.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify; Gu Jiu Ling remained composed for a long time without speaking.

Jinzhi grew increasingly uneasy.

Gu Jiu Ling's mind was roiled by a great wave, a poison of the kind that is almost colorless and odorless, undetectable unless one examines the pulse carefully.

If anyone wanted to poison Jinzhi, it could only be done in the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

Jinzhi, this maid, is usually very obedient and sensible; because of her appearance, she rarely befriends people from the outer courtyard, fearing to frighten those in the Wangfu.

Even the maids from the Peach Blossom Pavilion she avoids, only covering her head while working, an honest child.

Her closest companions are Yun Duo and Jiu Yue; Jiu Yue need not be mentioned, this girl is straightforward and kind, not a malicious person.

Yun Duo is as bright as the wind under the northern desert sun, never hiding anything; her joys and sorrows erupt instantly.

Moreover, Yun Duo and Jinzhi once served Prince Xiao Ting as slaves together, and they have long been life-and-death friends; Yun Duo's care for Jinzhi is genuine.

Gu Jiu Ling stood and walked to the back building behind the Warm Pavilion; she couldn't retrieve those medicines from the space in front of so many people, it looked terrifying, and this is not a performance of illusion.

Gu Jiu Ling avoided the crowd, took the medicines and syringes from the space, and came to Jinzhi, first lifting Jinzhi's sleeve to inject a dose that would curb the spreading toxin.

Fortunately the poison was not much; no drip needed, and there was still time to save her.

Jinzhi looked as if she had just vomited; presumably the toxins were expelled, leaving only a small residue.

Given this toxicity, if treatment were delayed, even an immortal would be powerless.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart raced as she handed the pills to Jiu Yue: "You are responsible for supervising Jinzhi's medication, two pills each time, three times daily."

"These days, don't assign her any chores; let her rest. For her diet, you instruct the rear kitchen to prepare a separate, light meal for Miss Jinzhi."

"Understood!" Jiu Yue quickly clenched the pills in her hand, feeling nervous, noticing the master's expression was off; could it be that Jinzhi's condition is more than just illness?

Gu Jiu Ling signaled Yun Duo to close the Warm Pavilion's door, leaving only Jiu Yue and Yun Duo as maids; the rest were sent away.

She then fixed her gaze on Jinzhi, her expression turning serious.

"Jinzhi, where did you just go? Whom did you meet today, and what did you eat?"

Jinzhi knew she couldn't hide this from the Princess Consort; she had previously worried about troubling the Princess Consort, who was pregnant, fearing that her mishap might affect the fetus, which would be a grave sin.

A hesitation crossed her face; unsure whether to speak, Jiu Yue hurriedly said, "Jinzhi sister, you need not trouble yourself. If you say nothing, the master will suffer, for it is someone close to the master who had an incident; this is not just your problem, it might even target the master."

"Speak it out, lay it plainly, so everyone knows, and the master can deal with it!"

Jinzhi shamefully nodded; after all, she saw the situation more clearly than Jiu Yue.

She rose from the brocade stool, turned to the window, picked up the paper and brush on the table, and began to write.

She could not speak, only communicate through gestures with those around, but they might not understand; moreover, she herself was still dazed by the strange events and could not explain, so she wrote down the bizarre incident she had just experienced.

Soon, Jinzhi brought the written note to Gu Jiu Ling; Gu Jiu Ling lowered her eyes, scanned it a few times, and her complexion changed dramatically.

"Master?" Jiu Yue hurriedly leaned in.

Gu Jiu Ling's fingers clenched the plain paper tightly, her teeth grinding with hatred; after a while she coldly sneered, "What a green tea bitch!"

"I knew that bastard had no good intentions this time; before his seat in the Spring Exploration Garden even got warm, he already thought of harming those around me!"

"Master, what… what is going on?" Jiu Yue was bewildered.

Su Wanrou, spoiled by the Prince, was a terrible person to deal with; the last time she was punished by the Prince, could she have forgotten the pain so quickly? Was she plotting against Jinzhi?

But Jinzhi had never held a grudge against her; why would she think of harming anyone?

Gu Jiu Ling ground her teeth and said, "The poison has reached me! Scoundrel!"

Gu Jiu Ling now does not argue with Su Wanrou, because she is about to get married and leave; she cannot stay long in this Wangfu.

She could not imagine that this unprincipled person would still strike at those near her.

She slowly stood, a cold gleam in her eyes, and said, "Jiu Yue, have the two young maids support Jinzhi to the room to rest; the rest is up to me."

"Understood!" Jiu Yue hurriedly helped Jinzhi out of the Warm Pavilion, carried her to Jinzhi's bedroom in the courtyard, then returned to the Warm Pavilion.

She found Yun Duo had already changed Gu Jiu Ling's clothes, draping a crimson cloak over her, making Gu Jiu Ling's lips red, teeth white, and face flushed.

She looked like a fully blossomed noble peony—grand, dignified, and luxurious.

But now this peony's complexion had darkened, clearly ready to go to the Spring Exploration Garden to clash with Su Wanrou.

"Yun Duo! Grab your weapon! Come with me!"

Yun Duo swished, drew the dagger at her waist, slung a curved blade on her back, and stepped before Gu Jiu Ling, her cold little face.

"Master, whom shall we kill?"

Gu Jiu Ling sneered, "Kill the beast!"