Volume One, Chapter 14: The Woman Rogue

“Tell her to leave.” Luo Chen tightly held his belt.

Jiu Mu casually fiddled with the herbs in her hand and said indifferently, “You tell him, if he won’t take off his clothes, then forget it. It actually saves me some trouble. Who am I supposed to treat like this?”

“I’m here to detoxify him, not to watch him bathe. Don’t make me look like some kind of female hooligan trying to take advantage of him.”

A female hooligan! This princess of the heir really had the nerve to speak so boldly. But honestly, given the heir’s current state, he did look rather pitiful.

If anyone was truly pitiable, it was him—caught between the two of them, afraid to offend either side.

“Princess, please don’t take it to heart. The heir must have misunderstood. I’ll explain everything clearly to him right away,” Sang Lin said with a smile, thinking it would be easier to persuade the princess first since it could be done through words.

“Then hurry up. Don’t delay my sleep,” Jiu Mu replied coolly.

Before, when people came begging her to detoxify, she would hesitate. This guy was really ungrateful, not knowing the blessings he had.

“All right, very soon,” Sang Lin quickly responded.

He tentatively tugged at Luo Chen’s sleeve. After all, the heir hated being touched by others, so this was a last resort.

Luo Chen immediately understood and opened his palm, waiting for Sang Lin to write.

Sang Lin: “Your Highness, the princess is a doctor. She’s doing this to detoxify you, so you should listen to her.”

“But she’s a woman. How can...” Luo Chen couldn’t understand why he had to undress with a woman present when being detoxified.

Sang Lin: “But she’s not just any woman. She’s your wife!”

Indeed, she was not only a doctor but also the bride his parents had brought in to bring him luck. If he died, it would affect her as well. That was why she wanted to help detoxify him.

Seeing he had no objections, Sang Lin pressed on: “The princess has prepared for you for half a day. Just give it a try. She’s put a lot of effort into this...”

Just as Sang Lin was writing quickly, trying to figure out how to persuade Luo Chen, he suddenly spoke.

“Then have her turn her back.”

Although he couldn’t see, the thought of undressing in front of a woman made him uncomfortable, even if she was his wife.

Sang Lin hesitated, glanced back, and caught Jiu Mu’s half-smiling, half-teasing gaze. He smiled ingratiatingly and turned back.

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What a joke—he wouldn’t dare ask the princess to turn her back. Since the heir couldn’t see anyway, he had to obey whatever was said.

With this in mind, Sang Lin wrote directly: “Your Highness, the princess has already turned around.”

“If you’re so insincere, aren’t you afraid your master will find out and take your life?” Jiu Mu smiled slyly.

“Not at all. I can tell the princess is doing this for your sake, and you don’t seem like someone who stirs trouble,” Sang Lin said while helping Luo Chen undress.

Though he wasn’t very confident in Jiu Mu’s medical skills, since she had persuaded the heir, she must have some method.

Besides, Jiu Mu was now the heir’s close companion, so Sang Lin had to keep her pleased to ensure she treated the heir well. He thought he was very thoughtful.

Jiu Mu saw through his little scheme. “Don’t worry. Since I promised to save him, I won’t harm him.”

“Princess, you misunderstood. I didn’t...” Sang Lin began.

“Don’t say anything. Your master has a nice body,” Jiu Mu said as she picked up a silver needle and quickly inserted it into his back.

Seeing this, Sang Lin shut up immediately and stood carefully to the side, not daring to breathe loudly for fear of disturbing her.

After Jiu Mu poured a packet of herbs into the bath, she pointed at the silver needles on Luo Chen and said to Sang Lin, “Watch carefully. If any needle changes color, tell me immediately.”

“Yes,” Sang Lin replied with a more serious expression.

Jiu Mu explained proactively, “Your master’s poisoning is very deep. His body can’t handle strong medicine, so we have to proceed slowly. If the needles change color, treatment must stop immediately.”

“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll keep a close eye,” Sang Lin promised.

Jiu Mu then sat directly on Luo Chen’s wheelchair. She had to admit, it was quite comfortable.

“Well, since there’s nothing else to do, tell me about the injuries on his legs and the poison in his body,” Jiu Mu said with her eyes closed.

Generally, understanding the cause of poisoning was a necessary step before detoxification. But Luo Chen’s situation was special, so they skipped it.

Sang Lin hesitated briefly, then began to speak, since the heir had never told anyone, especially not the princess.

Luo Chen had been frail since childhood. At six, he was poisoned at a palace banquet. Even the imperial physicians were helpless, and it was a traveling doctor from the martial world who saved him.

Unexpectedly, when he was thirteen, during a royal hunt, he was severely injured protecting the emperor, nearly losing his life. Though he survived, his legs were permanently damaged.

“Are you saying his poisoning and injuries are both related to the royal family?” Jiu Mu asked, having recently learned a bit about the Marquis of Favor and his connection to the palace.

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The Marquis of Favor had two sisters — one full sister and one half-sister — both became imperial consorts. The full sister had died years ago; the half-sister was now a high-ranking concubine.

Sang Lin sighed. “Yes. Our marquis and madam have tried their best to keep the heir out of the palace, but it couldn’t be avoided.”

“What about this time? How did he get poisoned again?” Jiu Mu pressed on.

“Poisoned? No,” Sang Lin shook his head firmly.

“That’s impossible. He must have taken some medicine,” Jiu Mu insisted.

Normally, the poison in Luo Chen’s body had reached a balance. Unless something disturbed it, he wouldn’t suddenly fall so ill.

Sang Lin thought seriously and recalled that although the heir sometimes got sick, it usually passed in a few days. This time was severe. “Could it be... it shouldn’t be!”

“What is it?” Jiu Mu asked, noticing his hesitation.

“A month ago, the heir visited his master. He fell ill after returning, but the heir was as close to his master as a son to a father, so he wouldn’t harm him,” Sang Lin explained.

The marquis and madam always assumed the heir’s illness was from travel fatigue and never suspected anything else. The doctors never mentioned it either.

Master? Luo Chen had a master?

But that wasn’t strange. Ancient times favored discipleship. Judging by Luo Chen’s reaction before, he probably knew some martial arts.

“The needle changed color, princess! The needle changed color on his chest!” Sang Lin exclaimed excitedly.

He had thought the princess was being mysterious, but now she was proven right. Could this mean she really could save the heir?

Jiu Mu remained calm. She picked up the warmed medicine nearby and fed it to Luo Chen. Then she removed all the silver needles from his body.

“All done. Help him out,” she yawned. This was much quicker than she expected. To cure Luo Chen thoroughly, she would need more effort.

Calculating carefully, this deal was somewhat disadvantageous for her.