Chapter 10: I Dug My Own Grave!
Lin Xueyi’s eyes widened for a moment, but deep down, she had expected Rong Shuyan to bring up this topic sooner or later.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness!" She quickly lowered her head. "T-This Consort truly isn’t working with the Third Prince! But... but the tea..."
[How am I supposed to explain that the tea is poisoned?!] Lin Xueyi cried inwardly. [He’ll only become more suspicious if I suddenly say something like that!]
After all, the original Lin Xueyi knew almost nothing about medicine. There was no way she should have been able to tell the tea was poisoned just by looking at it or smelling it.
[I could probably drink poison myself without even noticing!]
"I know your family has always been close to my Third Imperial Brother," Rong Shuyan said in a low voice. "And you were originally supposed to marry him instead of me."
Lin Xueyi stared at him in shock. [I didn’t know that! There wasn’t a single part in the book that said Lin Xueyi was supposed to marry Rong Mingze!]
[I’m sure I didn’t read the book with my eyes closed. But what can I say? The author left so many plot holes and barely explained anything!]
"That’s why I suspect that you wanted to poison me from the beginning," Rong Shuyan continued.
All the color instantly drained from Lin Xueyi’s face. Even the red powder on her cheeks couldn’t hide how pale she had become.
"You’re wrong! This Consort never wanted to poison Your Highness!" she blurted out.
Rong Shuyan looked at her without showing any noticeable expression, making it impossible for her to read his emotions.
"If that’s true," he said, "then how did you know there was something wrong with the tea my brother gave me? You don’t know anything about medicine."
[Oh, heaven, can’t you just let the ground swallow me already?!] Lin Xueyi protested and panicked at the same time. [I really think I’m going to be boiled alive after this.]
Rong Shuyan pressed his lips into a thin line as he listened to Lin Xueyi’s frantic thoughts. He wasn’t the kind of person who enjoyed teasing others—or at least, that’s what he believed—but watching her panic a little was surprisingly entertaining.
He considered it a small payment for keeping him awake the entire night and nearly kicking him in the face at least three times while she slept.
But then Lin Xueyi’s next question caught him by surprise. "And what about you, Your Highness?" she asked. "How did you know something was wrong with the tea? You don’t have any medical knowledge either, and I don’t think anyone could smell such a faint poison."
Rong Shuyan honestly hadn’t expected Lin Xueyi to be bold enough to throw that question back at him.
"I didn’t," Rong Shuyan answered honestly. "I wouldn’t be able to recognize such a faint scent either, even after taking medicine for most of my life. But when I saw the way you reacted, I started to suspect the tea was poisoned as well."
"I-I only thought the tea looked a little strange. That doesn’t mean I was completely sure it was poisoned," Lin Xueyi said, trying to defend herself.
"You already admitted it was poison a moment ago," Rong Shuyan replied.
Lin Xueyi’s face turned even paler. "When?!" she gasped before quickly realizing she had raised her voice too much. She hurriedly corrected herself. "This Consort means... when did I ever say it was poison?"
Rong Shuyan answered immediately. "A moment ago," he said calmly. "Your exact words were, ’I don’t think anyone could smell such a faint poison.’"
Lin Xueyi froze. Her lips parted, but no words came out. [I’m done... I’m really done.]
A cold sweat slid down her back as her mind scrambled for an excuse. "N-No!" she blurted out. "This Consort has... has a broad knowledge of medicine! That’s why I recognized the poison so quickly, even though the smell was so subtle!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. [What kind of excuse is that?!]
[Since when do I know anything about medicine?!]
[Congratulations, Lin Xueyi. You just dug your own grave!]
Rong Shuyan quietly looked at the woman sitting before him. Having heard every one of her thoughts, he naturally knew she had made that excuse up on the spot.
The corners of his lips almost curled into a smile, but he quickly held it back.
"I see," he said calmly. "So you have a broad knowledge of medicine."
Lin Xueyi forced a stiff smile. "Y-Yes..."
"In that case," Rong Shuyan said, "this prince happens to need your help."
Lin Xueyi felt as though her soul had left her body. "M-My help?"
Rong Shuyan gave a small nod. "My body has been poisoned for many years. Imperial Physician Liu has been trying to find a cure, but there has been little progress." His calm gaze rested on her. "Since you claim to understand medicine, I’d like to see your skills."
[W-what?!!]
[Aaaarghhhhh! This is even worse than the college entrance exam!]
"I..." she said weakly, unable to think of anything else.
Rong Shuyan ignored the panic written all over her face and said, "I want you to prepare a bottle of Golden Wound Medicine for me."
Lin Xueyi blinked. [Golden Wound Medicine? I think I saw that name in the novel before.]
[Isn’t that supposed to be a basic medicine? Basic my ass! I can’t even make the simplest one!]
Rong Shuyan continued, "You may use only the herbs growing in the manor’s medicinal garden. The medicine must stop bleeding, reduce swelling, and prevent wounds from becoming infected."
He paused before adding one final sentence. "You have three days."
Lin Xueyi almost choked on her own saliva. "W-Why three days?"
Rong Shuyan answered in a serious tone. "The officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau predicted that the weather would turn colder in three days. Whenever that happens, my condition gets worse, and my body starts to swell. That’s why I need that medicine."
[So Rong Shuyan is actually counting on me to make it?! If I fail... does that mean he’ll have to suffer because of me?]
[But I don’t even know which plants are weeds and which ones are medicinal herbs!] She was on the verge of tears. [I was just making everything up! Why did he actually believe me?!]
Rong Shuyan lowered his eyes to hide the amusement within them.
Then, as if he hadn’t pushed her enough already, he calmly added, "You should be careful when handling the medicinal herbs in this manor. The weather has become less suitable for growing them, so if you damage even a single plant, it will be difficult for me to obtain replacement herbs on such short notice."