Chapter 14: Aunt Wu's Visit

Jun Jun Zijin vaguely felt the approaching person seemed somewhat familiar; just then, Nanny Zhou, standing aside, spoke at the perfect moment to answer her question: "Young Lady, that is Concubine Wu of the Prime Minister's Manor, the younger sister of the First Lady."

Jun Jun Zijin finally remembered; this woman was named Wu Wu Xiuyun, now her nominal aunt. She had married into the Prime Minister's Manor as a concubine while still unmarried and pregnant. These two sisters were of the same ilk; the original owner had suffered greatly at her hands. Her arrival today could only mean trouble.

Jun Jun Zijin had no intention of clashing with her, so she instructed the servants to step aside and let her pass.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin yield so politely, Concubine Wu assumed she was still the soft persimmon from before, easily pushed around. She grew even more arrogant, walking straight up to Jun Jun Zijin and speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Oh, isn't this Jun Zijin? Why don't you bow when you see me? Have you forgotten your aunt?"

Jun Jun Zijin sneered inwardly but kept her expression unchanged. She bent her knees slightly to perform a bow and said: "Aunt jokes. How would Jun Zijin dare forget Aunt? It has simply been many years since we last met, and Aunt has become even more radiant and charming. Jun Zijin failed to recognize you immediately; I hope Aunt will forgive me."

Concubine Wu smiled triumphantly and said: "Enough, enough." Having spoken, she swept her sleeve and left with her maid.

Wu Wu Xiuyun followed the First Lady, who had personally come out to welcome her, into the room and said disdainfully:

"Sister, you rushed to summon me just for that girl? A useless piece of trash; what kind of waves can she stir?"

Everyone in Emperor Tianqi knows of this timid, cowardly girl who is useless at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

"Sister, you do not know. That little slut is no longer the girl from back then who could be manipulated by anyone! I fear even you would be thoroughly angered if you faced her."

"Sister, do not worry. Let her enjoy her triumph for a few more days," Wu Wu Xiuyun said calmly:

"On the fifth day of next month is the Old Lady of the Prime Minister's Manor's birthday. Watch how I deal with her!"

"I will not only make her lose all face; I will ensure she never recovers for the rest of her life!"

Wu Wu Xiuyun's beautiful face was now covered with a sinister and ruthless expression.

"I shall wait for Sister's good news," the Wu woman agreed.

It was already mid-June. Only about twenty days remained until the fifth day of next month. She would wait. The two sisters whispered together for quite some time before Wu Wu Xiuyun accepted a stack of silver notes handed to her by the First Lady and then left, satisfied.

Meanwhile, Jun Jun Zijin, accompanied by Nanny Zhou bestowed by the Old Lady and two senior maids, returned to her own courtyard with a smile, along with Hanzhi.

The maids and nannies each attended to their duties. Jun Jun Zijin fetched relevant medical texts; this was thanks to her mother being born into a family of physicians, making it much easier to find books today. She buried herself in her room. She remembered seeing a record of this poison in an ancient book in her past life, but she needed to search and verify it further.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Tribulus!" Jun Jun Zijin let out a long sigh, while her heart tightened once more.

This book contained only a few brief words on the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Tribulus: Once the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Tribulus enters the human body, the toxin spreads rapidly. Initially, the victim feels weakness in the limbs and slow movement; subsequently, severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness appear, eventually leading to death with no hope of recovery.

Method of antidote: Arisaema, Licorice, Smilax glabra, mung beans, and over ten other medicinal herbs; golden needles to open the acupoints, with "Phoenix Blood" as the guide.

Fortunately, Jun Jun Zijin possessed the ability to remember everything she saw. She had encountered records of the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Tribulus in her past life. This toxin primarily enters the human body through the respiratory and digestive tracts. Its toxicity mainly acts to destroy nerve cells; in severe cases, it may even cause stroke and paralysis. It also has an inhibitory effect on the immune system. People continuously exposed to the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Tribulus will see their immune function gradually weaken, making them prone to various infectious diseases, eventually leading to the complete collapse of the immune system.

However, medical texts from her past life recorded that this poison originated from the tropical rainforests of the Amazon River in South America. It was extremely rare, and its terrifying and evil nature made people tremble at the mere mention of it. How the Wu woman obtained this poison was unknown, but using such a poison to harm others meant she deserved to die ten thousand times over.

Jun Jun Zijin had found the source of the Old Lady's poisoning. However, this poison was so evil and rare that the antidote method stumped her. It required "Phoenix Blood" as a medicinal guide. The other herbs were easy to handle, and acupuncture was not a problem; she owed this to her dual cultivation of Chinese and Western medicine in her past life, mastering acupoints and acupuncture. Crafting a set of golden needles was not difficult. The difficulty lay in where to find this "Phoenix Blood."

Jun Jun Zijin determined that such an evil poison must have been administered to the Old Lady slowly, bit by bit; otherwise, the Old Lady could not have lasted until now. Lacking the medicinal guide, she could only seek other methods. Currently, the most critical thing was to prevent the Old Lady from being poisoned again, to prepare a prescription to curb the spread of the toxin, and to regulate her nerves and treat the external injuries on her legs.

After formulating her plan, Jun Jun Zijin hand-drew a set of surgical scalpels overnight.

In her past life, she had performed countless surgeries, easily exceeding a thousand. In this life, this would likely be her bargaining chip for survival.

After thinking for a moment, she also drew a wheelchair.

Early the next morning, Jun Jun Zijin asked Nanny Zhou for the location of the Hundred-Year Iron Shop. She instructed the senior maid Miaozhu to watch the house, then took Xiaohe and Hanzhi to leave the manor. Besides having a set of golden needles forged, she also needed a set of surgical scalpels made. As for the wheelchair, she would need to find a skilled craftsman.