Chapter 358 The emperor wasn’t hasty but the eunuch was

He Danggui guessed Qi Xuanyu asked it because he saw the strange color of her right pinky. In fact, since she met them, she had deliberately kept it from them by hiding her right hand under the sleeve. It was because she had been poisoned by imperial guards and it shouldn’t be found by the two of them. She didn’t want them to know that she had something to do with those guards. However, since he still noticed that, she could just say, “Here’s what happened. I came out of the city to walk my horses but accidentally, I was bitten by a viper. I have blocked the acupoint with needles and I’m fine, so you can go about your own business now. I’ll see a physician myself when I’m back in the city.”

Chang Nuo thought for a moment. Then, he turned his head to look at Qi Xuanyu and asked, “Is the poison deadly? She’s also infected with the plague some time ago. Can it be cured?”

He Danggui felt nervous. She didn’t know how Qi Xuanyu worked as a physician. All she could do was to pray that he wouldn’t give answers she didn’t want to hear. Then, she heard him say, “It won’t be a big deal. Miss He has a full forehead and a clear ophryon. She won’t be a beauty that dies young with a tragic end. Feng Yang, we should go now. Say goodbye to Miss He.”

Then, they bid farewell to each other. He Danggui got a Virginity Mark and a warm cotton-padded coat inexplicably on the way. After having heard about Zhu Quan’s attitude to her from Chang Nuo, she was much relieved. Seeing Chang Nuo and Qi Xuanyu riding away with a dozen of men in black, she finally felt her nerves relax. She didn’t even notice that one of the men on their horses kept staring at her. That inquiring gaze seemed to almost penetrate her. He tried to see through her…

After they were far away, He Danggui thought of something bad. Chang Nuo seemed to have a good relationship with Bai Yangbai and have learned much from him as well. How much did Chang Nuo know about “Stone Camouflage”? That tactical matrix wasn’t invincible. It wouldn’t be hard to break it if he knew as much as she did. She had bragged to Lu Jiangbei and others that her plan was perfect because, for them, her words carried little weight. They wouldn’t adopt her idea at all if she didn’t guarantee it. But actually, she was overconfident. The odds of success were less than seventy percent. She didn’t expect that imperial guards had grudges against so many people. Everyone was in a hurry to kill them. She could only hope that they could fend for themselves.

Thus, she mounted the horse and continued going forward. Presently, she arrived at the city gate. She went in and walked several streets. At this time, it was already dark and the rain got heavier. She gave the short brown horse back to Yi Hong Brothel first and then, asked one of Qing’er’s maids if there was anything wrong when she went to Luo’s Family to ask for leave for her. The maid told her everything was fine. When she was about to leave Yi Hong Brothel and returned to Luo’s Mansion, she saw a man wobbling out and walking toward East Restroom.

He Danggui recognized him immediately and her eyes became bright. She didn’t usually like him, but now she was pressed for time and so worried about the situation in Bing Hua Dian Inn. If those imperial guards died, she wouldn’t be able to find her antidote. And in that case, she would be indirectly responsible for their death.

“Third Childe! Third Childe!” He Danggui called out to Meng Ying who dressed like an old man, “Third Childe, please wait!” Hearing it, Meng Ying stopped and looked back. He had seen He Danggui covering her face with the black cloth two days ago, so he recognized her at a glance. Then, he asked in confusion, “Miss He, why are you here? A lady like you shouldn’t come to such a place.”

He Danggui thought, “Your seventh youngest brother has been poisoned because of the sword wound but you even come to a brothel to seek pleasure and get drunk. Should you do this? Sons of Meng’s Family are so dissolute.”

As she was thinking, she took out a green porcelain square box from the lining of her robe and poured out three pills inside. After putting them into a small box and handing it to Meng Ying, she said, “I’m in a hurry. Third Childe, please sober up and listen to me carefully. Yesterday Meng Xuan ran to Tao Yao Yard with a sword wound that couldn’t get healed in his right arm. I found poison in the wound and I knew what happened after asking him. He was poisoned with icy Zhenqi made by imperial guards. The pills in this box are the antidote to that and they are very precious. Please hold it well and go to my room in Tao Yao Yard. Then, you should feed them to Seventh Childe. The pills are slightly poisonous. One pill at a time, and once a day. There’s no time to delay. Third Childe, please get going now.”

Meng Ying listened to her without saying anything and accepted the box as well. Then, he asked slowly, “Since you’ve found the antidote and Meng Xuan is resting in your room, why don’t you feed it to him yourself? You said you were in a hurry? On such a dark rainy night, where is a lady like you going?”

“I, uh, I’ll go and find a friend of mine surnamed Liao and live in her place these days,” He Danggui made up this excuse calmly. Seeing Meng Ying still look listless and lazy, she suspected he had a hangover. Stamping her feet anxiously, she continued, “Third Childe, it’s okay you’re usually not serious about anything, but now your brother’s life is in danger and you have the antidote that can save him. Could you please be more dependable and take care of Meng Xuan for me for two days?”

“Oh?” Meng Ying caught the point of her words, “Take care of him for you? Does it mean you should do it yourself originally? You look so anxious as if you’re worried about your husband. Are you two a thing?”

He Danggui never thought Meng Ying would talk so rudely. She felt annoyed and replied, “You can think it your own way. I’ve told you all of it. What’s more, no one knows Meng Xuan is resting in my yard. I hope you could send him the antidote secretly and disturb no one. I’ll appreciate that.” She thought for a moment and added, “If Meng Xuan asks about me, just tell him I’m with Qing’er recently and he just needs to take good care of himself. Don’t look for me or worry about me.”

Meng Ying heard it and an embarrassed smile appeared on his “old” face. He shook his head and said, “How could he not worry about you? Miss He, you said he was poisoned with icy Zhenqi made by imperial guards. Although I haven’t seen Mr. Duan using it and had no idea how powerful it is, as far as I know, poisons made by those people are also part of their main weapons. Many of them are carefully developed by the drug-producing masters around the world in Dongchang Organization. There’s only one antidote to each poison, so they keep them very well. Meng Xuan has been poisoned and his excellent subordinates failed to find the antidote but you, a young lady, succeeded. And considering your relationship with Mr. Duan, I can figure out how you get the antidote easily. Moreover, you said you wouldn’t go home recently. The antidote is here but you’re gone. How could Meng Xuan take the pills and rest without worrying about you?”

He Danggui thought his analysis was reasonable. She frowned and said, “But I do have something to do. Since you know why, please help me explain it to him. You must ask Meng Xuan to take good care of himself, or everything I do will be meaningless.”

Meng Ying asked, “You just leave like this. Are you really heading to your friend’s place? You’ve paid much effort to find the antidote and I thank you for Meng Xuan, but what you said is indeed absurd. As far as I know about him, he may already get agitated when I’m still explaining it. If he gets it wrong and thinks that you’ve exchanged the antidote with yourself, he may cut off his arm immediately.”

Hearing Meng Ying’s unhurried analysis, He Danggui got anxious and understood what it felt like when people said the emperor wasn’t hasty but the eunuch was. She stamped her feet and asked, “Have you gotten any ideas? Just tell me. Meng Xuan has been poisoned for two days and one night. Aren’t you worried as his elder brother?”

“We can’t say…” Shaking the box in his hand, Meng Xuan looked into He Danggui’s eyes and said, “that this antidote is found by you, or he won’t take it unless he sees you. Thus, I can just tell him his subordinates have gone through a lot to rob imperial guards of it. As for you, I’ll say because you don’t want to stay in the same room with a man, you have gone to your friend’s place and will come back after he leaves. Is it okay for you, Miss He?”

He Danggui felt relieved. She looked away and replied, “I thought you would say something more enlightening. How would it not be okay? It’s not about recording achievements in a war or requesting rewards in front of the emperor. I didn’t do it to make Meng Xuan thank me. It doesn’t matter who has found the antidote. I should thank you instead as long as you can persuade Meng Xuan to take it… Yes. Your explanation is much better than mine. Third Childe, you’re good.” It turned out that Meng Ying was just worried Meng Xuan wouldn’t take the antidote because it was ill-gotten and he needed to find someone that could get it “legally” to take credit for her “effort”. It was not a big deal to her. Anyway, it wasn’t her first time being substituted for. Meng Xuan’s concubine named Zi Xiao existed just because of it.

“Oh? You can accept it?” Meng Ying didn’t expect she would say yes so readily. He asked again to confirm it, “You can’t tell him the truth now or in the future. You just live somewhere else for some days to avoid him. Are you willing to promise it?”

“I promise. I just pretend that I don’t know anything about it. Okay. Cut the crap. Go save Meng Xuan now.” He Danggui directly pushed Meng Ying out of the door. She took off her rain cape for him and stood on tiptoe to tie it well. She also gave her purplish-red horse to him and reminded him at last, “Meng Xuan may haven’t had a hot meal for a whole day. You can go to the kitchen and find some food for him. Remember not to disturb others. After he gets a bit better, you should take him away to rest in another place. Don’t let him wait for me there because I’m not sure when I’ll go back. Right. He also gets hurt slightly on his chest and there are some scratches on his face. You can find vulneraries in the cabinet in the outbuilding. Just use them to deal with his wounds and remind him to keep the wounds from water, even hot spring water…”

Meng Ying suddenly held her right hand tight to interrupt her. He frowned and stared at her pinky that was cyan and purple and surrounded by some evil gas. There was also a long and thin wound in the palm. Meng Ying observed the wound and asked in a deep voice, “Did you get poisoned? What is it? How did you get it?”

He Danggui moved her lips and smiled bitterly under the black cloth. She mocked, “Third Childe, how can you get silly suddenly while you’re still smart a moment later? We both know how cruel imperial guards are. They paid lots of effort and lost many men to hurt and poison Meng Xuan. How could they give me the antidote for no reason? I couldn’t rob them of it directly because I didn’t have the great kung fu you had. Here. This is the price I’ve paid to get it. I’m poisoned with another kind of drug that is also very rare. Only imperial guards have the antidote to it so I’m in a hurry to get it and save my life. Can you let go of me now? Can you go save your brother with this antidote quickly, Third Childe?

“…”