Chapter 20: Princess Consort’s Incredible Acting (3)
With so much chaos happening in Prince Rui’s Manor, he finally asked Physician Liu to return to the manor as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Gu Yao ended up in the holding cell until her case could be transferred to the local magistrate for a proper investigation.
Although she kept insisting that she was innocent, no one was willing to listen anymore. The evidence against her was simply too overwhelming.
As for Rong Shuyan, he no longer spared Gu Yao another glance. His attention was entirely focused on Lin Xueyi, whose hands were still covered in painful blisters.
Rong Shuyan had already ordered the servants to carry her to his chamber and gently place her on his bed.
[Why is he taking me to his room?] Lin Xueyi wondered. [Has Yanyan gotten addicted to sleeping beside me?!]
Sometimes, Rong Shuyan truly wondered where his wife’s endless confidence came from. Still, if he looked at it from her point of view, her confusion made perfect sense. After all, it was unusual for him to bring her into his private chamber.
Then again, it was her own fault. Earlier, she had kept shouting in her head, begging him not to take her back to her own room because the mice were still there.
[Whatever his reason is, Yanyan just saved me!]
[People would definitely get suspicious if they found my mice covered in blisters just like my hands.]
Her excitement quickly disappeared as she remembered the burning pain.
[But seriously... why are my hands covered in blisters while Yanyan is completely fine?!]
"When will Physician Liu arrive?" Rong Shuyan asked Eunuch Shen.
He didn’t look panicked, but Eunuch Shen could tell the prince was far from calm because Rong Shuyan’s eyes never left Lin Xueyi for even a moment. He didn’t even seem to notice that his own hand was still red and itchy.
"He should arrive soon, Your Highness," Eunuch Shen replied respectfully. "I’ve already sent someone to bring him back as quickly as possible."
Rong Shuyan gave a small nod, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Xueyi. "Make sure no one touches her hands until Physician Liu examines them."
"Yes, Your Highness," Eunuch Shen said.
Mei Lu carefully knelt beside Lin Xueyi, trying her best not to make the blisters any worse. Her eyes were already red from crying.
"Princess Consort..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "Please wake up soon."
[I’m already awake, but now I don’t want to wake up!] Lin Xueyi groaned inwardly. [And why are more and more people gathering here?!]
She desperately wanted to open her eyes and explain that she was perfectly conscious.
But after pretending to faint so dramatically, waking up now would only make everything even more embarrassing. Therefore she could only continue lying there, silently praying that no one would notice she was awake.
Without her knowing, Rong Shuyan had already known the truth from the very beginning.
His eyes stayed on her face, watching the faint twitch of her eyelids. He couldn’t help but wonder how much longer his wife planned to keep pretending she had fainted.
Fortunately, Physician Liu returned to the manor in less than an hour, so Lin Xueyi didn’t have to keep up her embarrassing act for much longer.
"Your Highness," Physician Liu greeted respectfully as soon as he entered the room.
He immediately bowed so deeply that his back was almost parallel to the floor. His voice was filled with guilt as he spoke. "I have already heard about what happened. It was I who accepted Physician Gu as my disciple. Since I failed to guide her properly, I should also bear the responsibility and accept whatever punishment Your Highness decides."
[Yanyan, don’t punish him!] Lin Xueyi shouted inwardly. [Physician Liu stayed loyal to you until the very end! You can’t punish him!]
Rong Shuyan remained silent for a moment. His gaze lingered on Physician Liu before shifting to the "unconscious" woman lying on his bed.
He had heard every word Lin Xueyi had shouted in her mind.
So, Physician Liu had remained loyal to him until the very end. That piece of information was far more valuable than the apology standing before him.
"I have no intention of punishing you," Rong Shuyan said calmly.
Physician Liu looked up in surprise.
"But as her master, you are responsible for her actions. Whether she acted out of carelessness or with ill intentions, you failed to notice it," Rong Shuyan added.
Physician Liu lowered his head again. "This old man understands."
Rong Shuyan gave a slight nod. "From this day forward, Gu Yao is no longer your disciple."
Physician Liu closed his eyes for a brief moment before answering, "Yes, Your Highness."
Although disappointed, he did not argue because he knew Gu Yao had crossed a line that could not be ignored.
"Now," Rong Shuyan continued, "look at the Princess Consort."
"Yes, Your Highness," Physician Liu replied.
Hearing that, Lin Xueyi decided it was finally time to end her performance. She slowly opened her eyes and frowned as if she had just regained consciousness.
"W-What... happened?" she asked in a weak, hoarse voice.
"Princess Consort!" Mei Lu quickly knelt beside the bed. She looked overjoyed to see her mistress finally open her eyes. "You fainted because of Physician Gu!"
Lin Xueyi slowly blinked before raising the hand that felt like it was on fire. The moment she saw it, her eyes flew open and this time, she wasn’t acting.
"M-My hand!" she gasped. "W-What happened?!"
She had kept her eyes closed the whole time. Although she had felt the burning pain, she hadn’t actually seen the injury until now.
"It’s because you touched the ointment," Rong Shuyan explained calmly. "Do you remember? Physician Gu gave you the wrong medicinal herb."
Lin Xueyi nodded weakly. "I remember, but..." She looked at Rong Shuyan’s hand. "Your hand only turned red, but mine..."
She almost wanted to cry because her hand looked awful. Tiny blisters covered her fingers, and the redness spread all the way up the back of her hand, making it look as though she had dipped it into boiling water.
"Don’t panic, Princess Consort," Physician Liu said gently, trying to comfort her. "The ointment affected you much more severely than His Highness because it seems your skin is highly allergic to one of its ingredients."