Chapter 17: The Princess Consort’s Little Scheme (2)
At first, Rong Shuyan didn’t understand what Lin Xueyi was trying to do. But after they finished breakfast and she showed him the medicine she had made, he finally realized what her plan was.
"Your Highness, I had a hard time finding the medicinal herbs yesterday, but thanks to Physician Gu, I was able to get the right ones to make the Golden Wound Medicine," Lin Xueyi said, making sure to praise Gu Yao first.
She carefully opened the lid of the medicine jar, revealing the ointment she had spent the entire night preparing.
Most people would have taken all the credit for themselves so they could receive all the praise. But Lin Xueyi kept bringing up Gu Yao’s name again and again, making sure Rong Shuyan believed that Gu Yao had been the one who selected the medicinal herbs, not her.
"Physician Gu is truly an expert at making medicine," Lin Xueyi continued with a bright smile. "She even told me she’s never chosen the wrong medicinal herbs. And if a medicine ever turns into poison, then it’s only because she meant for it to."
[I do feel a little guilty for making up all these lies,] Lin Xueyi thought with an inward chuckle. [But thank goodness this world doesn’t have recording devices.]
[No wonder it was so easy for people to frame others back then.]
[Still, why should I feel sorry for Gu Yao? I’ll just treat this as payback for everything she tried to do to Rong Shuyan in the novel!]
[She even wanted to baby-trap him!] Lin Xueyi complained inwardly. [How was that supposed to work? Rong Shuyan is impotent!]
Rong Shuyan let out a silent sigh. It seemed he would never escape the "impotent" label in her mind.
But returning to her original plan, Rong Shuyan finally understood that Lin Xueyi wanted him to become angry at Gu Yao by risking her own safety and giving him an ointment that would make him itch.
He should have been upset with her for dragging him into her scheme. Yet, instead of feeling angry, he found himself feeling strangely proud of her.
Maybe it was because Rong Shuyan had initially thought that Lin Xueyi was nothing more than a kind but naive woman whose knowledge of the future he could make use of, but now, she was boldly setting a trap of her own.
She had even dragged him into her plan without warning, using herself as bait while carefully leading the blame toward Gu Yao.
It was reckless and it was risky, yet somehow, it was also clever.
At that moment, Rong Shuyan realized that Lin Xueyi wasn’t simply reacting to the future she knew, but she was actively changing it with her own hands.
The timid woman he had expected was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, sitting before him was someone who could smile sweetly while laying a trap for her enemy, all without leaving behind a single obvious flaw.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Rong Shuyan’s lips. Perhaps he had underestimated her from the very beginning.
"She is the daughter of the Gu Medical Family, so I’m not surprised that she possesses vast knowledge of medicine," Rong Shuyan said at last. "Since she’s the one who helped you make this medicine, why don’t we invite her here for tea?"
Lin Xueyi blinked several times because she hadn’t expected Rong Shuyan to invite Gu Yao.
[It looks like Yanyan really believes that Gu Yao was the one who chose the medicinal herbs!] Lin Xueyi thought happily.
"That sounds like a great idea, Your Highness!" she said with an eager smile.
Rong Shuyan then turned to one of the servants. "Go and invite Physician Gu here quickly," he ordered before calmly taking another sip of his tea.
The servant bowed and quickly left to carry out the order. When Gu Yao received the invitation, a wide smile spread across her face. She assumed that Lin Xueyi had already caused Prince Rui’s skin to break out in painful blisters, and now they urgently needed her help.
"That woman is so foolish," Gu Yao said with a sneer to her personal maid. "She actually made the medicine without even checking whether I gave her the right herbs or not."
Her maid nodded in agreement. "She has probably been struggling to win Prince Rui’s favor ever since the river incident," she said. "That’s why the Princess Consort likely wanted to impress him by making medicine herself."
Gu Yao let out a cold laugh. "I can’t wait to watch her get thrown out."
But the moment she stepped into the tea room, the smile on her face froze. Prince Rui was sitting there as calm as ever, looking perfectly healthy. Beside him, Lin Xueyi wore a cheerful smile, as if nothing had happened.
"Physician Gu, good morning," Lin Xueyi greeted warmly. "I’m sorry for asking you to come so early, but I wanted to show you that I successfully made the medicine you taught me."
She clapped her hands once, tilted her head slightly to the side, and smiled sweetly. "Without your guidance, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make it!"
Gu Yao stood frozen, unable to understand what was happening. Before she could react, Lin Xueyi had already gently taken one of Rong Shuyan’s hands. As usual, it was slightly swollen in the morning.
"Let me apply it for you, Your Highness," Lin Xueyi said eagerly.
[If I end up getting itchy because of this medicine too, then he’ll definitely believe I was truly tricked by that snake!] Lin Xueyi thought.
Rong Shuyan was about to stop her from touching the ointment with her bare hand, but he was a moment too late because Lin Xueyi had already dipped her fingers into the ointment.
She gently spread a thin layer of the ointment over Rong Shuyan’s hand. However, she was careful not to apply it too evenly because she didn’t want to make the itching too severe.
"There," she said with a satisfied smile. "Now we just have to wait for it to take effect."