Chapter 40

Pei Shangling didn't care who opened the door, she rushed over and grabbed the person's both shoulders: "How is it? Is little sister okay?"

The one who opened the door was a young imperial physician, his brows filled with joy: "Fourth Prince, please rest assured, Princess Yunxi is fine, the toxins in her body have been completely cleared!"

The several people whose hearts had risen to their throats now all let them down.

Great! The toxins have been completely cleared!

"I'll go see little sister!" Overjoyed Pei Shangling pushed aside the imperial physician and took a big stride over.

Consort De devoutly pressed her palms together toward the empty air: "Thank you, all the heavens' gods and buddhas for protecting my child Xi!"

Pei Shangyue's rare haste almost made him collide with the equally anxious Pei Shangyan; they were late, so they could only stand on the periphery, while those consorts who had merely come to show their faces and express concern were crowded in the back.

"Someone go close the door, Princess Yuanzhi can't be exposed to wind for now." The only old imperial physician still left at Princess Yuanzhi's bedside spoke amid the clamor, but his words were quickly drowned out, as even the palace servants rushed forward to crowd around Princess Yunxi, so no one would hear him.

The old imperial physician felt helpless; he uneasily glanced at the weak Princess Yuanzhi who had fallen into a faint, then got up himself to close the door.

Upon that movement, Pei Shangyan finally noticed Princess Yuanzhi's condition, and he pushed through the crowd to come over here.

Just after the blood exchange, Princess Yuanzhi's arms were covered in bluish-purple mottled toxin patterns, obscuring the puncture sites; Pei Shangyan's gaze moved up to her face, beaded with fine sweat, her complexion could be described as deathly pale, and her lips began to turn purple.

The symptoms of poisoning were far more severe than Princess Yunxi's just now; it looked as if the toxin had spread extremely quickly!

"What's going on, imperial physician? Little sister wasn't like this just now!" Pei Shangyan asked, with a hint of blame.

The old imperial physician sighed and explained: "Your Highness the Crown Prince may not know, but a blood exchange is not a simple matter; the person who draws blood first is always somewhat more at risk than the one who draws later, and besides, abnormal blood movement accelerates the toxin's spread through the body, so Princess Yuanzhi's toxin onset cycle is now twice as fast as Princess Yunxi's."

The Emperor naturally would not allow Princess Yunxi to draw blood first.

"I see..." When Pei Shangyan looked at Princess Yuanzhi again, his chest felt as if being cut by a dull blade, draining all his emotions.

He had never imagined it would be like this.

His little sister Yuanzhi, who should have been carefree at her age, now had to endure this pain that was not her own, lying lifeless, her life or death uncertain.

"When will little sister Yuanzhi wake up?" Pei Shangyan's eyes were brimming with pity and reluctance; he asked the old imperial physician, but his gaze could not leave Princess Yuanzhi, for he feared that if he looked away even a moment, she would vanish.

Old imperial physician: "The toxin's effect will stimulate the princess's every nerve; she will wake within a quarter hour, but..."

"But what?!" Pei Shangyan snapped impatiently; the old imperial physician's hesitant words made his already uneasy heart hang even higher.

The old imperial doctor lowered his head in a panic: "If we don't take the antidote quickly, I'm afraid the toxin will keep accelerating its onset!"

It's too hard.

He raised his voice in reproach: "How much longer? You said before that little sister's poison had a ten‑day limit; if Mu Yuanzhi is the same, that should be five days. You said it would keep accelerating—how many days are left then?!"

"Perhaps only three days left." The old imperial doctor trembled as he raised three fingers.

Pei Shangyan was struck as if by lightning: "Three days... only three days to develop an antidote?"

"What's there to fear, Prince Elder Brother!" Pei Shangling arrived at some point, glanced at Mu Yuanzhi's steady breathing, and said: "Mu Yuanzhi once achieved the great feat of finding an antidote to a strange poison in half a day; by my reckoning, three days is more than enough!"

Pei Shangyan certainly remembered: back then, the third younger brother somehow offended a Miao woman, was poisoned with gu; little sister… Mu Yuanzhi said she hadn't studied gu and wouldn't be able to, but even so she managed to settle it within half a day; at that time she said the poison, though strange, wasn't particularly deadly or complicated, so she could find an antidote.

But even so, she was still rebuked and forbidden from testing the poison on herself.

"But the problem is, this Southern Realm Red Spider will kill people!" Pei Shangyan thought of this and couldn't help but worry.

Pei Shangling also fell silent; he looked again at Mu Yuanzhi, knitting his brows.

"Ling elder brother."

Pei Yunxi's voice came over; Pei Shangling immediately went over, without turning back he said: "It's fine, Crown Prince Elder Brother, Mu Yuanzhi's life is tough!"

Hopefully that's the case.

Pei Shangyan sighed as he sat beside Mu Yuanzhi; he had never seen her so weak.

"Pain..."

Mu Yuanzhi's cry of pain made Pei Shangyan feel it too; he leaned over and asked where it hurt.

"Where does it hurt? I don't know; everywhere hurts..."

Mu Yuanzhi slowly opened her eyes; each breath hurt, she didn't know which part was strained, every nerve felt as if being sliced by a blunt force.

Her body was cold but her brain hot; her whole body felt like it was in ice and fire, so uncomfortable she didn't want to lie down; she got up, found sitting uncomfortable too, standing just as bad; her whole being felt as if she didn't belong in this world, no matter how she positioned herself, utterly miserable.

"Mu Yuanzhi, how do you feel?" Pei Shangyan was equally restless, wanting to help her but she pushed him away.

"Don't put on a brave front!" Pei Shangyan grew annoyed.

A remark from the heir apparent, spoken loudly, silenced the room instantly; those who had only been concerned about Pei Yunxi's condition realized there was a more serious patient, and they all came to attend to her.

Pei Yunxi, now cleared of the virus, though weak, was nowhere near as bad as Mu Yuanzhi; she also sensibly said she was fine, urging them to quickly attend to her sister.

The belated concern came in an endless stream; Consort De even grabbed Mu Yuanzhi's hand and wept, while Mu Yuanzhi merely looked and listened indifferently, until annoyed she pulled her hand away: "I'm going to research the antidote."

The sudden pulling of her hand caused the unprepared Consort De to stumble backward; Pei Shangling couldn't stand it and instantly flared: "Mu Yuanzhi, why do you keep bullying Mother Consort?! Isn't it wrong for her to care about you?!"

After he had just felt sorry for her, how does she keep trampling on others' concern?

If it weren't for the Father Emperor pitying her for losing her parents young and taking her into the palace, she would probably have died long ago! Does she really think being the Grand General's daughter makes her remarkable? Once people leave, the tea grows cold; without their protection, she amounts to nothing.

Even if she gave her life for her younger sister, it would be fitting; let alone that she can herself develop an antidote!

Consort De hastily glanced at the Emperor's expression, then quickly grabbed Pei Shangling: "Ling'er!"

A hurried figure flashed past their mother and son; it was Pei Shangyan chasing after her.

"Mu Yuanzhi, don't walk away so fast!"