Chu Yunli’s tone was cold and indifferent. Turning his back, he said, "I am somewhat tired, Miss Yan, please leave."
"Brother Chu…" Yan Ruoxi opened her mouth but stopped short, not knowing what to say. Brother Chu looked as if nothing was wrong at all.
Could it be that the wound medicine was not used?
In this way, her scheme failed, and she had no reason at all to throw mud at Jiang Ning.
Yan Ruoxi walked out of the room, unwilling to accept defeat.
After Yan Ruoxi left, Chu Yunli furrowed his brows tightly and glanced at the wound on his shoulder.
The next day, Physician Ye and Yan Ruoxi came to request an audience.
Yan Ruoxi kept feeling that something was not quite right. Better to make sure, so she brought her master along to take Brother Chu’s pulse.
With a single pulse reading, it could be known that there was no poisoning.
"Master, Brother Chu looked terribly pale last night. I fear something may have happened to him. Please take his pulse."
"Very well. I too am concerned about Lord Chu’s health. Several sleepless nights may have harmed his body." Said Physician Ye.
The two of them went together to Chu Yunli’s courtyard.
They found the courtyard gate wide open, with no one inside.
Why is there no one here?
Yan Ruoxi walked around inside, but the house was utterly empty, with no one there.
"Physician Ye, Miss Yan, why have you come?" Yuan Feng heard movement in the courtyard, walked over, and saw the two of them.
Anxiously, Yan Ruoxi asked, “Where is Brother Chu?”
Yuan Feng replied, “Lord Chu hurried back to the capital last night, riding hard, to report the relief efforts to His Majesty as soon as possible.”
“What? He went back?” Yan Ruoxi stood stunned, unable to react.
Yuan Feng nodded. “Following the convoy would take at least half a month, but riding hard, it would take about six or seven days.”
Yuan Feng could not understand why Miss Yan was so shocked, and why she had brought Physician Ye over so early in the morning.
.........
The Capital.
Jiang Ning counted on her fingers—Chu Yunli had been gone for about twenty days, and she did not know when he would return.
These days she studied medicine, prepared remedies, and, when idle, even explored poisons. Life passed quietly.
Lately, Jiang Mengyue has been quiet, staying inside the residence without going out. No doubt she and the Crown Prince are now in a state of desperation.
Jiang Ning let out a cold laugh. The Crown Prince and Jiang Mengyue had conspired to shift the blame onto Chu Yunli, but Chu Yunli had already devised a countermeasure. Once he returned from He Province, it would be a great merit to his name.
The Crown Prince and Jiang Mengyue were, of course, anxious.
This matter must have dealt Jiang Mengyue a heavy blow—her proud ability to foresee the future had miscalculated.
The Crown Prince’s trust in her must surely be shaken…
Jiang Ning curled her lips into a cold smile.
Shuang Yue entered the room. Having heard some news, she immediately came to report it to her mistress.
“My lady, this servant has heard something…”
“What is it?” Jiang Ning lifted her tea.
Shuang Yue frowned slightly and said, “This servant heard that in the convoy to He Province, Doctor Ye and Miss Yan are also present.”
Jiang Ning’s hand trembled, spilling tea onto her own skin. At the moment she heard Yan Ruoxi had gone as well, her heart gave a sudden jolt.
The next moment, her gaze lowered.
Yan Ruoxi would, of course, stay by Chu Yunli’s side. In their past life, she had accompanied him through life‑and‑death struggles—even when he went to suppress bandits, she followed.
The world praised their moving bond—Yan Ruoxi was willing to risk danger to stay by his side.
“My lady?” Shuang Yue noticed the change in her mistress’s expression.
Jiang Ning set down her teacup. After a pause, she said, “I want to practice the whip, Shuang Yue. Come train with me.”
Her heart felt heavy, as though a stone were lodged inside.
“Yes, my lady…”
Shuang Yue knew her mistress must be concerned about Miss Yan going along, but there was no need to worry—anyone with eyes could see how indifferent the master was toward Miss Yan.
In his heart, the master cares most for the lady.
Otherwise, he would not have immediately sent people to seek rare treasures, found this whip, and gifted it to his lady.
Jiang Ning stared at the whip in a daze, gently stroking it with her hand.
Seeing this, Shuang Yue grew anxious for her master. When would he finally confess his feelings to Miss Jiang…?
.........
A few days later.
Night had grown deep; Jiang Ning stretched her limbs, ready to snuff out the oil lamp and lie down to sleep.
She was just about to snuff it out.
Whoosh—wingbeats fluttered from the direction of the window.
Hearing the familiar sound, Jiang Ning walked over and opened the window. The black eagle landed on the sill, and upon seeing her, it fluttered its wings twice in delight.
“Xiao Hei?” (literally “Little Black,” a familiar nickname for the black eagle)
Jiang Ning stroked the black eagle’s head and asked, “Why did you come here?”
The black eagle seemed to understand human speech; it lifted its leg and stretched it forward.
Jiang Ning noticed a strip of cloth tied to the black eagle’s leg.
“Who sent the message?”
She certainly did not think it was Chu Yunli, for at this moment he was in He Province—how could he possibly send her a message through the black eagle?
Jiang Ning untied the strip—inside was not a letter, but a torn piece of cloth.
Unfolding it, she found no words—only coarse cloth, seemingly stained with blood.
She frowned, asking, “What is this?”
She touched the bloodstains—it was still damp, not dried. Someone was injured, and gravely so.
Wait… this seems like a sign of poisoning.
Jiang Ning glanced at the black eagle, and it flapped its wings with a loud whoosh.
Something struck Jiang Ning; her face hardened. Grabbing the medicine chest, she leapt out with qinggong skill.
She rushed straight toward Chu Yunli’s residence, hardly pausing to think before hurrying over.
The black eagle was raised by Chu Yunli. It understood human nature and obeyed only his commands—no one else could control it.
So it seems… Chu Yunli has returned.
And he is gravely wounded!
Without pause, Jiang Ning used her qinggong skill to reach Chu Yunli’s residence, vaulted over the wall, and stepped inside.
Inside, the house was brightly lit.
Jiang Ning’s heart trembled; she stepped forward and pushed the door open.
“Yunli!”
When Jiang Ning pushed the door open, she did not see Chu Yunli’s calm, unruffled figure, but his bare back—shoulder grievously wounded, the room filled with a faint scent of blood.
Chu Yunli turned his head, his face haggard, brows furrowed in agony.
Seeing her, his brows eased, and he murmured, “A'Ning…”
In that instant, Jiang Ning felt a sharp ache in her heart, her breath halting for several beats.
“What happened? How could you be hurt so badly?”
She hurried over to examine the wound. It was so severe it defied description—black blood mixed with pus seeped down, and she could not fathom how he endured it.
“These are symptoms of poisoning—the wound itself is toxic.”
Jiang Ning opened the medicine chest and drew out a slender blade—specially forged for her by a craftsman.
There’s no time to talk—the priority is to treat the wound first.
If they had delayed any longer, Chu Yunli’s arm would have been ruined.
She swiftly set the blade to work, cleaned the wound, then applied antidote powder. “It will hurt a little—bear with it.”
While Jiang Ning tended to the wound, Chu Yunli never furrowed his brows—he fixed his gaze on her, never once looking away.
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