Chapter 185: Grandmother forbids Luo er from further involvement with Prince Su

Doctor Du's expression actually showed a hint of excitement.

"Your Highness consumed an entire bottle of Qilin Pills?"

"One Qilin Pill can invigorate blood and dispel stasis; three can cure internal injuries without harm. This entire bottle was personally prepared by me, containing at least twenty pills!!"

"Logically, if Your Highness had taken twenty at once, you should have immediately collapsed and bled to death from the seven orifices!"

"But Your Highness has been poisoned with mandrake, so the two medicines collide inside your body, causing your high fever. If Your Highness cannot reduce the fever in time, it will surely inflict severe damage on your meridians."

"But I just examined you, Your Highness, and your meridians are fine. The poison is not only suppressed; the Qilin Pill should still be slowly releasing its efficacy."

"As for the cessation you mentioned, Your Highness, was it before or after taking the medicine?"

Duan Rongshi: "Before taking the medicine."

If he were sober, he would never let her act so recklessly.

But unexpectedly, a twist of fate actually saved his life.

This whole bottle of twenty Qilin Pills, taken together, is a deadly poison; I really gave him a potent dose.

Jiangjun Fu.

Li Qingluo was still at Jingci Tang.

After accompanying Pei Lao Furen for dinner, she dismissed everyone present and then asked her what had happened these past two days.

Li Qingluo did not want to hide it from her grandmother.

She first told Pei Lao Furen about the events at the horse farm and on the return journey, then brought up Prince Su.

"The guard brothers couldn't leave, so I had Luo er deliver the medicine."

"But I didn't expect to run into an ambush; Prince Su shielded Luo er, and we inadvertently fell into danger. Only today did Princess Qinyu and Prince Su's guards find us."

Regarding what happened these two days, Li Qingluo naturally dared not mention the perilous parts.

Upon hearing the two words "Prince Su," Pei Lao Furen's face changed.

"You actually stayed together with him!? Then you and he..."

Li Qingluo: "Grandmother, rest assured, Prince Su was injured and unconscious the whole time. Luo er only took care of him briefly; otherwise she hardly had any contact with him. He also doesn't know anything."

Only then did Pei Lao Furen secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"This Prince Su acts strangely and cruelly, vicious and heartless. But fortunately, he differs somewhat from true villains; he bears the dignity and bearing of a prince, and though vicious, he is not evil."

"You returned completely unharmed; surely he protected you?"

Li Qingluo nodded: "Yes, perhaps out of respect for grandmother's face? You both once stayed at Qing Song Guan, and he seems to still hold a bit of respect for grandmother."

Pei Lao Furen sighed: "What respect? It's merely remembering my past glory, still willing to give this old woman a bit of face."

Pei Lao Furen was actually the sole female general of the State of Liang; who in the world doesn't know that?

Whoever meets her will give her a bit of courtesy.

"Luo er, since this is over, let's just let it pass quickly."

"From now on, don't have any further dealings with that Prince Su."

"This Prince Su at least understands propriety; he had Princess Qinyu send you back, without tarnishing his reputation."

Li Qingluo didn't understand why her grandmother avoided Prince Su so much.

Could it be that grandmother fears she will repeat Liu Qiongzhu's fate?

That is naturally impossible.

First of all, Prince Su is not Prince Yun.

Just looking at Prince Yun's face, you can tell he's no good.

It's said that Prince Su's mansion doesn't even have a personal maidservant...

Perhaps he doesn't even like women at all?

Moreover, Prince Su and she are worlds apart; she herself knows this clearly, so she never indulges in foolish fantasies about improper things.

Even if she sacrificed herself this time to save Prince Su's life, it was only because she truly didn't want him to die.

As for the rest, she really didn't think much about it.

Seeing Li Qingluo silent, Pei Lao Furen reached out and tapped her, saying: "This matter must be kept absolutely secret. Do you understand?"

Li Qingluo nodded, yet feeling puzzled she blurted out: "Grandmother, Prince Su's reputation is indeed fearsome, but why do you shun him so?"

Pei Lao Furen let out a deep sigh: "Grandmother simply doesn't want you to be dragged into his murky waters!"

"This Prince Su was originally born of the emperor's most beloved Moon Noble Consort. Do you know that in his youth he also enjoyed the emperor's countless exclusive favors? Among the emperor's many sons, only he, at age four, was even held by the emperor and brought to court, sitting on the emperor's lap to receive myriad obeisances."

"Not even the former crown prince ever received such honor!"

Li Qingluo was indeed quite startled!

After all, everyone nowadays knows their father-son relationship is not good.

Although the emperor always turned a blind eye to Prince Su's lawless conduct, even if he suddenly slaughtered an entire clan, the emperor would not truly blame him, merely issuing a mild reprimand, and Prince Su would continue as he pleased.

But the emperor's kindnesses never seemed to extend to this fifth son.

He and the Fifth Prince are not close at all; it seems he merely regards him as a usable tool and means...

So Li Qingluo never imagined that Prince Su, as a child, had actually been cradled and cherished by the emperor.

"All changes must be traced back years ago. When Prince Su was six, the Moon Noble Consort suddenly died in the inner palace; the cause of death is shrouded in mystery, and the truth remains undiscovered. Yet the emperor outwardly claimed only that the Moon Noble Consort died of a sudden serious illness."

"Throughout the inner court, including the empress dowager, empress, and all consorts, all palace personnel are forbidden to utter a word of this. Moreover, the entire Osmanthus Palace was purged, and all its palace staff were strangled!"

"Only Prince Su and Princess Qinyu survived and walked out alive."

Pei Lao Furen looked at Li Qingluo: "Prince Su's current cruel and bloodthirsty nature is inevitably tied to what he experienced in his youth."

"Moreover, he carries Chu royal blood in his veins; therefore the already suspicious emperor would certainly not consider Prince Su as a heir to inherit the great throne."

"But would Prince Su resign himself to that?"

He has lain low for so many years—does he truly have no desire to uncover the truth of his mother's death back then?

If he gets involved in the struggle for imperial power, how could those around him not be dragged in innocently?

Pei Lao Furen's considering all this is not without reason.

But after all, that is Prince Su's life; no matter how complicated, she only hopes her obedient granddaughter can stay far away.

As for how Duan Rongshi will stir up storms in the future, that is his own affair.

Li Qingluo raised her finger and swore to put Pei Lao Furen at ease: "Grandmother, Luo'er will, from now on, upon meeting Prince Su again, absolutely keep as far away as possible, and will have nothing to do with him."

Pei Lao Furen finally put her mind at ease.

Li Qingluo slept soundly and woke up, then Deng Mama came in and said: "Miss, I have inquired, and it is about what happened on the seventeenth."

Li Qingluo immediately sat up and said: "Quickly, tell me."

Last night, after she returned, she crawled into the warm blankets and fell fast asleep.

But before sleeping, she had Deng Mama inquire about what was going on with Liu Mian'er.

As it turns out, by sheer coincidence, Liu Mian'er also entered the Jiangjun Fu on the seventeenth.

Just as Li Qingluo had stepped out of the Jiangjun Fu, Li Chao Jing, that old rascal, personally grabbed her and carried her back.

"Miss, I have inquired. It is said that Liu Mian'er has finally finished mourning her aunt these past days, so the authorities are preparing to arrest her and send her off to be married."

"She would never go along with it; who knows what sort of match someone her age could get?"

"If it's just a misshapen melon or cracked date, that's bad enough; but if she ends up with a thoroughly awful family, being tormented for a year could even cost her life."

Liu Mian'er is not one to resign herself to fate; every time she sees the authorities she runs, and the people I have sent to stay by her side, having received your instructions, so each day I bring Liu Mian'er out onto the streets. The purpose is to try her luck at the places the master often frequents.

"Look at that, finally a stroke of luck! On the seventeenth, right in front of the master, those officials seized Liu Mian'er and were about to take her away."

"The master hasn't forgotten about Liu Mian'er either, so naturally he stepped in and rescued her."

"When Liu Mian'er saw the master, she burst into pitiful tears."

"It is said that the people along both banks of the Qin Huai River all saw it; Liu Mian'er knelt at the master's feet, saying she had nowhere else to turn and begged him to take her in. Even as a slave or maid doing menial work, she would be willing—just not to be dragged off by the authorities to be arbitrarily matched with a husband."

"Miss, you think: a delicate, though somewhat older, still unmarried lady like Yun Ying, clinging to the master and seeing him as a divine hero who descended to save her—what man in the world could withstand that?"

"Even if the master is no longer a young lord, men in this world, even eighty-year-olds, still love charm and youth; moreover, being adored and admired to such an extent, anyone would be dazed."

Que'er chuckled 'puchi' beside them: "The master must think he's like withered wood encountering spring again, right?"

Li Qingluo gave a cold smile: "He's probably been itching for this all along; now that he finally openly embraces the beauty, won't he go crazy for a few days?"