Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

The screams of excruciating pain were incessant.

Lin Wantang and Zhang Qian, among others, were shocked and looked terrified. Zhang Qian exclaimed, "This is bad!"

"Even the guy surnamed Li can't beat the adults!"

Zhang Qian gasped, hurriedly took the golden needle box from Qiu Ying, and left with the words, "Miss, please do not enter the hall!" before rushing into the main hall.

Li Jinzhi was already at a disadvantage, his arm, which was tied behind his back, was dislocated, not to mention the sword wounds all over his body. His pale blue robes looked as if they were stained with blood, a shocking sight that even Zhang Qian found hard to bear.

"Quick! Use this! It has anesthetic powder on it, for the Yintang acupoint!" Zhang Qian, whose martial arts skills were average, dared not go any further and threw the box in his hand over.

Li Jinzhi gritted his teeth, his face contorted in a grimace. He barely managed to take the box with one hand, but Wei Wujiu noticed his movement and slashed Li Jinzhi's wrist with his sword. The pain almost made him drop the box.

"Senior brother!"

Li Jinzhi, already wounded, roared angrily, ready to risk his life for another. He leaped up and grabbed Wei Wujiu, then pulled out a golden needle from the shattered box and stabbed it into Wei Wujiu's forehead.

Wei Wujiu instinctively resisted, shaking his body to push Li Jinzhi aside and draw his sword to attack again, but the effects of the anesthetic wore off, causing his confused consciousness in the illusion to gradually fade, and his blurry vision slowly cleared...

"Li...Li Jinzhi?"

His voice was terribly hoarse, and when he saw Li Jinzhi's body covered in wounds, his robes stained with blood, he felt a pang of remorse and shame on his face. "Where...where is she?"

Wei Wujiu tried to look around, searching for that familiar figure amidst the chaos, but the belated fear felt like a slow, agonizing execution, tearing away his flesh and tormenting his heart.

"I...I killed...her?"

A moment of frustration led to collapse. As the sword in his hand fell to the ground, Wei Wujiu staggered and knelt down. The excruciating pain made it impossible for him to say anything, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Senior brother! You didn't! Miss Lin has run away... Senior brother?"

When Li Jinzhi finally realized what was happening, he tried to explain and support Wei Wujiu, but Wei Wujiu couldn't hear him clearly. The tug-of-war between the medicinal effects and the toxicity in his body caused him to faint.

Zhang Qian watched from afar, and only after confirming that the crisis was over did he breathe a sigh of relief and hurriedly went out of the hall to greet Wei Wujiu. His attendants carried Wei Wujiu into the bedchamber, where he lay down on the couch to get some rest.

Li Jinzhi was also helped down to receive treatment, and the servants gradually and quietly cleaned up the mess in the hall.

Lin Wantang was mindful of Wei Wujiu's injuries and the poison in his body, but she also needed to prioritize. She first instructed Chunhen and Qiuying: "The strange noise from Chentingxuan must have disturbed the people outside. There's no need to hide it. Just say that I heard that my father was unwell and was in a hurry to leave the palace and go home. The governor was displeased, so I threw a tantrum and smashed things."

"Oh, this..."

"It's alright, just do as I say." Lin Wantang knew what Chunhen and Qiuying were worried about, and added, "I know you care about my reputation, but the situation is urgent, and we must distinguish between what is more important."

The emperor was critically ill, and Daoist Qingchenzi had not yet returned to the palace as summoned. With the year-end approaching and the crown prince being punished by being confined to his quarters, the court was already in turmoil.

With the Empress in charge of the inner palace, Lin Wantang was already disliked by the Empress. In addition, over the years, the Empress's family, father and brothers had been repeatedly restrained and suppressed by Wei Wujiu in the court. The Empress would not blame the Emperor for this, but she had long harbored resentment towards Wei Wujiu. If she knew that Wei Wujiu was poisoned, she would take the opportunity to take revenge, given the old and new grudges.

We must never act impulsively, lest we lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains.

Lin Wantang remained calm and composed, and after careful consideration, instructed, "You two have someone describe these words carefully, so that no one can tell they are lies. Also, subtly mention that I accidentally bit the Governor during the argument."

After a pause, she changed her mind: "No, don't say bite, just say scratch. The injury is still on my face."

Chunhen was stunned, puzzled: "Why is that, Madam?"

"If the injury is on the face, the governor will be suspected of being afraid of his wife. Among his colleagues, who doesn't cherish his reputation? Therefore, the governor can stay in the palace for a few days under some pretext. Others will just think that I am arrogant and domineering, and they will not blame or laugh at the governor."

With a few days of leisure, Lin Wantang could devote all her energy to figuring out what kind of poison it was. By the way, the fact that Li Jinzhi was here meant that he might have already found out something from Miao territory.

With detoxification, there is even greater hope.

Lin Wantang had a plan in mind. After Chunhen and Qiuying had noted it down, she had a sedan chair prepared and quietly went to Princess Yong'an's Jinxiu Palace.

This would also serve as proof to the outside world that her foolish arguments annoyed Wei Wujiu, who then sent her away.

Zhang Qian watched quietly as Lin Wantang gave her instructions in an orderly manner, and couldn't help but secretly admire and respect her. She was calm and composed in the face of danger, and this woman was definitely not an ordinary person.

His wisdom and courage are no wonder that Wei Wujiu values ​​and favors him.

After finishing all that, Lin Wantang finally had time to carefully treat the injury on her hand, then washed up, changed into clean clothes, and instead of rushing to visit Wei Wujiu, she went to the side hall.

After Li Jinzhi had his wounds treated and bandaged, he heard a knock on the door. He quickly asked Zhang Qian to bring him his robes, and only after dressing properly did he open the door.

"Is Lord Li's injury alright?" Lin Wantang brought several bottles of medicine and handed them to Zhang Qian: "This is a wound medicine I prepared. I used only the finest ingredients, and it's excellent for relieving pain."

Zhang Qian and Li Jinzhi both expressed their gratitude.

Lin Wantang didn't go inside; she stopped at the palace gate. "Lord Li, did your trip to Miao territory uncover anything?"

Just as Li Jinzhi was about to bring up the matter, he felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this: "To be honest, Miss, I didn't actually go to Miao territory. The affairs of the Eastern Depot are quite complicated, and I couldn't leave for the time being. However, I did send spies there, but it hasn't been long and they haven't sent back any news yet. But..."

As he spoke, Li Jinzhi quickly gestured to Zhang Qian, who then rummaged through Zhang Qian's changed robes and pulled out two tattered ancient books.

"These two books are what I found among my master's belongings. They contain detailed records of the Miao people's Gu poison techniques, but unfortunately, they are already incomplete."

Perhaps we can find some clues in the fragments.

Lin Wantang's eyes lit up, and she quickly took the gift from Zhang Qian's hands. "This might be useful. Thank you, Lord Li, for giving me some time. We'll discuss it again later."

She carefully put away the ancient books and tattered scrolls, then hurriedly returned to her bedchamber.

The candlelight flickered, and a faint fragrance filled the air. Behind the bed curtains, Wei Wujiu lay on the couch with his eyes closed. His long, flowing hair was as black as ink, and his fair face showed signs of exhaustion from illness.

He remained motionless, still fast asleep, seemingly lost in a deep coma, his sleep restless and filled with unsettling dreams.

Lin Wantang, still shaken by the memory of his attempt to kill her when the poison took effect, stood before the bed curtains, only to vaguely hear him mutter something in his sleep…