Chapter 41: You're all my sisters!

Mu Yuanzhi couldn't walk too fast, and Pei Shangyan caught up to her in an instant: "Little sister Zhi!"

Mu Yuanzhi's steps were unsteady, and she seemed about to lose her balance; Pei Shangyan quickly reached out to support her: "I'll send you back."

"No need, Hongdou is waiting for me outside." Mu Yuanzhi tried to push him away with her elbow, but couldn't, and she turned back irritably: "Pei Shangyan, what are you still doing here, pretending to be kind?!"

Compared to being aloof and distant, Pei Shangyan actually found Mu Yuanzhi's angry glare more lively—at least her emotions fluctuated because of him.

"How could a brother caring for his sister be insincere?"

"I'm not your sister; Pei Yunxi is."

"You're both my sisters! Why must you distinguish between you?!" Pei Shangyan raised his voice.

"Not distinguish between you? When you happily pick one of you, it wasn't like that." Mu Yuanzhi's purple-tinged lips curled into a mocking arc.

Pei Shangyan was instantly speechless, unable to refute.

"Whether it was the bandits last time or the poisoning this time, when have you not firmly chosen Pei Yunxi? Now you're here saying you don't distinguish between you—Crown Prince, you're really adept at handling all sides!"

"Little sister Zhi..." Pei Shangyan wanted to explain himself, but found he had no way to begin.

Mu Yuanzhi really wanted to know how Pei Shangyan had cultivated such a thick skin, being able to speak boldly here as if nothing had happened.

"Even if I gave you ten thousand chances to choose, you'd still pick Pei Yunxi and sacrifice me—what makes you think I'd still want to deal with you?"

The light in Pei Shangyan's eyes dimmed.

What else could he explain?

This is an obvious fact, but he has always subconsciously avoided it, as if doing so would keep his conscience from feeling uneasy.

Now she laid it out so clearly, it only made him look even more inadequate.

She was absolutely right, completely right……

When her emotions flared, the toxin in Mu Yuanzhi's body began affecting her nerves; this time it surged to her lungs, triggering a violent coughing fit, and cold sweat instantly poured out.

She covered her mouth, coughing miserably, and saw that there was blood.

No, she had to hurry back to research the antidote; she couldn't waste time here.

She inconspicuously hid her palm, lest Pei Shangyan see it and put on a disgustingly concerned face to bother her.

Pei Shangyan's legs felt as if filled with lead, making it hard to move a step, and his words of concern stuck in his throat.

At this moment, Hongdou, who still didn't know what had happened, saw Mu Yuanzhi come out and rushed over.

It was almost two hours; she had originally been unable to hold back and wanted to go find the Grand Empress Dowager!

"Master, your complexion looks so bad—what's wrong?"

"Go back first."

Hongdou nodded, gave a bow to the dazed Pei Shangyan standing there as a courtesy, her unease reaching its peak—something must have happened to the master!

Every time she gets involved with Pei Yunxi, nothing good happens!

After returning to Weiyang Palace, Mu Yuanzhi didn't say much more to them, and had them search for all the medicinal herbs, silver needles, and medical texts in the palace.

Hongdou and the others vaguely guessed that something major must have occurred; the master not speaking made them more anxious, but despite their anxiety, they proceeded in an orderly manner.

Xiao Yunzi: "Master, the Imperial Medical Institute has sent all the medicinal materials to us."

He took the opportunity to ask the deliverymen; they all shook their heads, saying they didn't know, only that they would do whatever the palace needed to the best of their ability.

How strange—when did Weiyang Palace ever receive such treatment?

"Why don't you go ask the master?" Linglong poked Xiao Nianzi.

"The master seems to have been poisoned." Xiao Yunzi said.

"What?!" Everyone gasped in shock.

Hongdou doubted: "Shouldn't the one who's poisoned be Pei Yunxi?!"

"Hongdou, you went with them, don't you know what happened at all?" Xiao Nianzi was speechless.

"They wouldn't let me in!" Hongdou bit her lip, "Could it be..."

"Could it be what?"

"I once heard that a way to detox is to exchange one's own blood for another's!" Hongdou was frightened by her own idea.

"Is that something a person would do! Your Majesty couldn't..." Xiao Nianzi hadn't finished before he fell silent.

What's impossible? These people have never cared about the master's life or death.

Not to mention exchanging blood—if they just killed the master outright, they'd do it without hesitation.

Moreover, the master's appearance really does look like anemia plus poisoning.

"Since you've all figured it out, stop chatting—there are only three days, don't dawdle."

Mu Yuanzhi's voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

"Here! The servants will go right away."

Everyone held a breath of anger in their chests, eyes red, yet they worked with unprecedented efficiency.

"Master, rest assured—within three days we will surely find a way to detox!" Hongdou furtively wiped her tears, so Mu Yuanzhi wouldn't see.

"Mm, be sharp." Mu Yuanzhi had no leisure to attend to anything else; she had to find a method quickly.

Xiao Nianzi slipped out of Weiyang Palace again when no one was looking.

"Where are you going?" Xiao Yunzi blocked his path: "I've noticed you for a while—you're always sneaking off to do what?"

"Just don't worry about it—it's not what you think!" Xiao Nianzi's eyes darted away.

"What do you think?"

"Tsk, the master needs to find a lifesaving medicine—don't waste time here, okay?" Xiao Nianzi was anxious.

Xiao Yunzi: "If you don't tell me, I'll inform the master in three days."

Don't give the master any more worries during these three days.

"Let's talk about it in three days!" Xiao Nianzi pushed Xiao Yunzi aside and left.

Xiao Yunzi did not stop again, expression dark and unclear.

"Xiao Yunzi, come quickly, we're going to dig medicinal herbs on Back Mountain!" Hongdou shouted.

"Coming!"

Back Mountain connects to Shanglin Park, there are many medicinal herbs; after moving here, she has gone a few times, but never went deep in, not knowing exactly what there is, so let Xiao Yunzi go try luck.

She wrote down the three medicinal ingredients she had prepared on paper, also drew a diagram, so that Xiao Yunzi could identify them; Linglong also followed along, more people more help.

"How many more are still needed?" Seeing that Mu Yuanzhi had already written three, Hongdou's confidence immediately increased again.

Mu Yuanzhi's face remained very stern: "Still many more needed."

Hongdou's heart was lifted again; they couldn't help but look at Mu Yuanzhi's face, and upon seeing it they were startled.

The master's lip color had already turned purple and begun to blacken!

Hongdou immediately panicked; Mu Yuanzhi, without lifting her head, told Hongdou to close the window; Hongdou only answered twice before shuffling over to open it.

Opening the window to vent heat had not even lasted a quarter hour when the master was already shivering from the cold; such frequent hot-cold swings, how could an ordinary person endure it!

Until deep into the night, Weiyang Palace remained brightly lit, with no one resting.

Xiao Yunzi and Linglong had not yet returned from digging medicinal herbs on Back Mountain; Hongdou went to the small kitchen to prepare a night snack for Mu Yuanzhi, while Mu Yuanzhi stayed inside, head down, researching.

Suddenly a piercing, heart-wrenching pain struck, and Mu Yuanzhi lost consciousness before finishing the last character.