Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Poisoned? Or Struck by Stroke?

Palace, Qichun Palace.

“Did she really say that?” Consort Xia frowned slightly upon hearing the words from Nurse Geng.

Sure enough, Yue Shuhua remained as arrogant as ever. After all these years, she still acted as she pleased.

“Your Highness, it is truly as you said. It is all due to this old servant’s incompetence in failing to complete the task properly. Please punish this humble one,” Nurse Geng said, kneeling down immediately.

“You have done nothing wrong. Rise. She is targeting me,” Consort Xia said, signaling the palace maid beside her to help Nurse Geng up.

“Your Highness’s kindness goes unappreciated by the House of Marquis Cheng’en, and that Crown Prince’s Consort is simply crude and unbearable,” Nurse Geng spoke of Jiu Mu as if she were something filthy.

Consort Xia remained silent, fiddling with the Buddhist prayer beads in her hands, lost in thought.

After a long moment, she said calmly, “No rush. The Emperor’s birthday is next month. I want to see if they dare to skip it.”

“Your Highness is wise… uh… oh…” Nurse Geng’s words were cut off as she suddenly clutched her head and collapsed to the floor, her body convulsing uncontrollably.

Consort Xia gasped in fright, watching as Nurse Geng’s condition worsened before her eyes. “Someone, quickly see what’s wrong with her!”

“Your Highness, could Nurse Geng have been poisoned?” a young eunuch approached, noticing the foam at her mouth.

Poisoned?

Nurse Geng had just returned from the House of Marquis Cheng’en. Could she have been poisoned there?

Realizing this, Consort Xia hurriedly commanded, “Quick, carry her to the side chamber and summon Imperial Physician Li.”

Imperial Physician Li arrived swiftly and tended to Nurse Geng for some time before reporting to Consort Xia.

“Your Highness, no need to worry. Nurse Geng’s life is not in danger, but…”

“But what? How could she suddenly become like this when she was perfectly fine earlier?” Consort Xia asked anxiously.

“Your Highness, forgive my incompetence. Nurse Geng’s symptoms indicate a sudden stroke. I’m afraid she may suffer from impaired movement and speech in the future,” Imperial Physician Li said, sweat beading on his forehead.

If she were just an ordinary palace maid, it might be easier to dismiss, but since she was a favorite of Consort Xia, he dared not take it lightly.

After all, Consort Xia had long enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, and the Sixth Prince was also deeply beloved.

Consort Xia frowned and probed cautiously, “You say it’s a stroke, not poisoning?”

---

“Your Highness, I found no toxins,” Imperial Physician Li replied, his heart sinking.

In truth, Nurse Geng’s symptoms did differ somewhat from a typical stroke. He had initially suspected poisoning and carefully examined her with silver needles, but no poison was detected.

“I understand. Please do your best to treat her,” Consort Xia said, handing a prepared pouch to the physician.

“Of course,” Imperial Physician Li accepted the pouch without hesitation and withdrew.

Within the palace’s intricate web of power, no physician dared to offend anyone.

Consort Xia glanced at the unconscious Nurse Geng and sighed deeply. “Ensure she is well cared for.”

---

House of Marquis Cheng’en—

“Crown Princess, why are you wearing the Crown Prince’s clothes?” Sang Lin exclaimed in surprise as Jiu Mu, dressed in men’s attire, stepped out of the room. Summer Lotus widened her eyes beside him.

In the past few days, the Crown Prince had taken his morning meal, taken medicine, and returned to bed, while the Crown Princess busied herself in the pharmacy. They had assumed today would be the same.

Jiu Mu twirled once in front of them, then flipped the folding fan in her hand and smiled. “How does it look?”

Originally, she had planned to pick one of Luo Chen’s clothes and have Summer Lotus alter it for her, but unexpectedly found a ready-made piece in the wardrobe that fit perfectly.

Summer Lotus blinked and nodded, “It looks good.”

If she didn’t know her beforehand, encountering her dressed like this on the street, she would have definitely mistaken her for a young gentleman.

“Crown Princess, are you planning to go out?” Sang Lin asked with a smile.

“Yes. I’ve been here for days but haven’t gone out to explore. I want to take a walk,” Jiu Mu had been planning this for some time.

Sang Lin had no idea that when she said “coming here,” she meant traveling through time, whereas he thought she had come from a rural area.

Seeing the Crown Princess come from an official’s family yet living so miserably, Sang Lin’s eyes were full of sympathy.

“I’ll accompany you,” he offered. It wouldn’t do to let her go alone in case something happened.

“If you come with me, who will take care of your Crown Prince?” Jiu Mu raised an eyebrow. She didn’t plan to return anytime soon.

Sang Lin hesitated. He couldn’t leave the Crown Prince alone, so he suggested, “Then I’ll find someone to accompany you.”

“Good,” Jiu Mu smiled and accepted without refusal.

Walking through the bustling, lively streets, Jiu Mu suddenly felt as if she were traveling through an ancient town.

Shops lined the street one after another, with the lively calls of small vendors filling the air.

Jiu Mu wandered through several shops, casually buying some items, then sent her two guards back to the mansion herself and entered a nearby luxurious restaurant. Judging by the crowd, it must be a reputable place.

“Welcome, honored guest. Please come inside,” a waiter greeted warmly.

“Bring a pot of fine tea and a few of the house specialties,” Jiu Mu said casually.

“Right away. Please, have a seat,” the waiter, quick-witted, noticed she wasn’t drinking alcohol and led her to a vacant window seat.

While eating, Jiu Mu pondered. She had been here for some days and was somewhat accustomed to this world, though she wondered how things were back home.

That old man would surely point at her corpse, gloating, “That dead girl, just as I said, not letting her test the poison, and now she’s dead.” Then he would sneak away to wipe his tears.

She had come to realize these past days that she had died from poison before crossing over. If she wanted to return, perhaps only poison could help.

Yet she couldn’t try it lightly; if it failed, she would be truly dead.

Ding ding ding!

Three crisp gongs snapped Jiu Mu out of her thoughts. She looked toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man standing at the stairway on the second floor.

The man cupped his fists. “Apologies for the interruption. I am the manager here. Today marks the reopening of our gambling games. I shall now announce last month’s results.”

As soon as he finished, cheers erupted around—clearly, the crowd had come for his so-called gambling matches.

“As usual, we’ll announce the results from the lowest to the highest odds.”

“The third game was on whether the young madam of the Zhou family would bear a son or a daughter. As you may have heard, young madam gave birth to a son seven days ago.”

Cheers immediately broke out nearby, mixed with occasional sighs.

Jiu Mu finished her meal, poured some tea, and listened as the man announced two more results, all similar in nature to the third.

Finding it uninteresting, she prepared to call the waiter over, settle the bill, and leave.

“I’m sure everyone knows the Crown Prince of Marquis Cheng’en’s frail health. This month’s wager concerns him…”