"Rest assured, the poison takes time to spread. You weren't exposed much, and you've already blocked the pathways of its spread. I'll clean your wound and apply some medicine; it should be fine."
Lu Qingwan skillfully cleaned her wound, feeling like she was sitting on a bed of nails.
"Should be fine, but that means there's still a possibility of contracting that Netherworld Flower, right?"
Li Su, who was once an elite female guard, whom the noble ladies of the capital addressed as "Miss Li Su," now looked at Lu Qingwan with pleading eyes, as if she would burst into tears if Lu Qingwan uttered a single "yes."
Lu Qingwan was speechless. "No, I guarantee you won't be poisoned, alright?"
Li Su grinned. "Thank you, Princess Consort!"
The foolish smile made Lu Qingwan shake her head.
Xiao Yueying, standing nearby, spoke timidly. "May I ask, Princess Consort, is there a cure for someone who has been poisoned for as long as three years?"
Lu Qingwan tilted her head and looked at her. "I examined your pulse, and it seems you show no symptoms of poisoning."
"It's not me, it's my elder brother."
Xiao Yueying said bitterly, "That beast Lin Qingquan, to get revenge on my father, secretly added Netherworld Flower poison to the medicinal pills my father and elder brother used to nourish their meridians. My father is gone, but my elder brother is tightly controlled by him with the Netherworld Flower, toyed with like a dog. Before, he'd spare my brother's life when I begged him. This time, I can't go back, but my elder brother..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Yueying burst into tears, a cascade of sorrow that was heart-wrenching to behold.
Feng Xiwu looked at Lu Qingwan warily. This woman, when overcome by lust, paid no mind to gender, and he feared she would be seduced by Xiao Yueying again.
To his surprise, Lu Qingwan's eyes were clear, and her expression was calm, showing no sign of being swayed by Xiao Yueying's beauty. This made Feng Xiwu, for the first time, curiously examine the face of the second woman besides Lu Qingwan.
Her eyes were like flowing water, her brows like sculpted mountains, her skin fair, and her face like a blooming peach. She could certainly be considered exceptionally beautiful.
Before he finished his appraisal, his shoulder was roughly patted. Turning back, he met Lu Qingwan's half-smiling gaze. Seeing him snap back to attention, she asked with a smile, "Is it pretty?"
Feng Xiwu: ...
How was he supposed to explain to his Princess Consort that he was merely curious why she wasn't infatuated by beauty this time? No matter how he put it, it sounded like he had a mental illness. But if he didn't explain, seeing Lu Qingwan's veiled smile, he felt his outcome wouldn't be good.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. Feng Xiwu also put on a half-smiling expression. "Princess Consort, are you... jealous?"
In his imagination, Lu Qingwan was usually thin-skinned. Being teased like this, she would surely blush and change the subject, thus averting this crisis.
Who knew Lu Qingwan wouldn't play by the rules at all? She stared him in the eye and said righteously, "Shouldn't I be jealous? Do you want me to remind you that I am your Princess Consort, and you are my man? You look at other women in front of me, do you take me for dead?"
Lu Qingwan's emotions weren't truly agitated. While saying these words, she was so calm that it was difficult to associate her current state with jealousy. Yet, she didn't act as if she wasn't jealous. "Don't blame me for not warning you. If you want to look at other women, have the divorce papers ready. Once I sign them, you can look at whomever you please. Take a concubine, have a mistress, keep an outside lover, or even frequent brothels, I won't stop you. But if you do these things while bearing the identity of my husband, Lu Qingwan, be careful of your third leg!"
As she spoke, her gaze pointedly fell on Feng Xiwu's crucial area, her threat unmistakable.
Feng Xiwu weakly drew his legs together, finally rediscovering his long-forgotten survival instinct. Just as he was about to say something to salvage his... situation, Li Yang pushed the door open and was instantly met by the intense stares of four eyes.
Li Yang's scalp prickled. He spoke hesitantly, "My Lord, Princess Consort, we found someone at that restaurant. He claims to be Wuying's elder brother, but he seems to be in critical condition..."
"What? What have they done to my elder brother?" Xiao Yueying leaped up anxiously and rushed towards the door.
Li Su, standing nearby, said drily, "The authorities have arrived."
Xiao Yueying suddenly went mad and rushed outwards. Lu Qingwan, without a second thought, called out, "Stop her."
Li Yang grabbed her. Xiao Yueying pleaded with a tearful voice, "I beg you, let me out! Lin Qingquan is trying to ruin my Xiao family's reputation. If I don't go see him, my elder brother will die!"
Lu Qingwan looked puzzled. Why was she so agitated now? She hadn't been this worked up when so many people were fighting in the restaurant earlier.
Seeing her confusion, Li Yang proactively explained, "Princess Consort, you might not know, but the Netherworld Flower is an illicit drug. Anyone found in possession of it is guilty of treason, a most heinous crime. The Prefect of Yeyu City is already in cahoots with the likes of Lin Qingquan. If His Lord doesn't intervene, Xiao Lingyun will likely face death."
Lu Qingwan fell silent. She never expected Lin Qingquan to pull such a scheme. However, "I still can't understand. If Lin Qingquan wanted to lure me into a trap, having Miss Xiao would have been enough. Why would he also hide Xiao Lingyun in the opposite room?"
No one in the room could answer this question.
Feng Xiwu calmly ordered, "Keep an eye on them. Lin Qingquan's true intentions will be revealed eventually."
...
In fact, they didn't have to wait long for Lin Qingquan's purpose to be exposed. However, things took an unexpected turn. Just as they were wildly speculating about Lin Qingquan's motives and trying to comfort Xiao Yueying, who was weeping for her elder brother, the room door was pounded on again. Accompanying the deafening knocks were the arrogant shouts of government constables.
"The authorities are investigating, irrelevant personnel, stand aside!"
"Open the door, open the door! The authorities are apprehending a murderer!"
Li Yang had returned unexpectedly, and the gate hadn't been barred in broad daylight, so the door was kicked open. As soon as the door opened, the constable glared and barked, "Which one of you went to Zui Xian Tower earlier? Step forward! You killed someone and dare to run? Is there no law anymore?!" As he spoke, his eyes lit up when he saw Xiao Yueying and Lu Qingwan. "It's these two, isn't it? Come, seize them!"
Saying this, he reached out to grab Lu Qingwan himself. Feng Xiwu, unwilling to let such a person touch Lu Qingwan, instinctively moved to intervene but was stopped by a look from Lu Qingwan. Lu Qingwan dodged the constable's grasp and feigned fear. "Officer, what you're saying is terrifying. We didn't kill anyone! When we left, the person inside was perfectly fine. You claim someone is dead, but where is the body? To accuse us of murder with just your words, we won't accept it!"