Chapter 442

"Now the young lord has already sent the Crown Prince into the imperial palace. After the Emperor meets him, the Crown Prince can return to the Duke's Residence," said Yin Lan.

"Master Ye is waiting outside. As soon as the Crown Prince returns to the residence, Master Ye will treat him. The Crown Prince will be fine," she added.

The person on the bed remained silent, without a word or movement, yet her deep grief could be keenly felt.

"My lady..."

Seeing the dazed look on her mistress's face, Yin Lan's words trailed off as her heart twinged slightly.

She clasped Gu Ying's hand tightly, raised her reddened eyes, and called out to rouse her.

It took Gu Ying a long time to come to her senses. She pulled the corners of her lips into what was supposed to be a smile but failed to form one.

"Let Master Ye come in," she said.

"Alright."

"I'll wait here for the Crown Prince to return."

"Okay..."

"Master Ye will cure the Crown Prince. I'm fine too."

She gave a faint smile, though it was unclear who she was trying to reassure. Her small hand propped against the pillow, yet a feeling of utter powerlessness washed over her, for reasons unknown.

Her eyes stung badly, but she still didn't cry.

It wasn't until the afternoon when Su Huanfeng sent the Crown Prince before her, escorted by over a dozen stalwart soldiers guarding him on his return to the residence.

The downpour drenched them all thoroughly, soaking their hearts.

When she looked up and saw the man's refined, slender face, the dammed tears in her eyes burst forth like floodwaters.

Her legs went weak, and she slowly went to the man's side. As soon as her small hand covered his closed eyes, her mind grew dizzy.

Tears plopped down on the man's chiselled, handsome face, making his elegant, striking features look even more haggardly pale.

"A Du..."

She called his name tremulously between sobs.

But no matter what, he wouldn't wake up.

Gu Ying's heart constricted as her face turned deathly white. Frowning, Su Huanfeng stared at her grieved, pitiful back. His heart wrenched tightly. "Second sister..."

Realizing the inappropriate address, he quickly corrected himself. "Young mistress... don't be upset..."

Despite her anguish, Gu Ying still had her wits.

She moved aside to let the soldiers with them carry the Crown Prince inside. Then she turned to Su Huanfeng. "Young lord, could you please tell me in detail what happened when A Du was poisoned?"

She had heard countless versions of the Crown Prince being poisoned before this.

But none could compare to Su Huanfeng, who was at the scene, in knowing more of the details.

The Crown Prince was the God of War in Dongli, undefeated in hundreds of battles!

How could he have suddenly been fatally poisoned on the battlefield?

She didn't want to hear their whitewashing. She only wanted the truth.

Meeting her tear-reddened beautiful eyes, Su Huanfeng's gaze fixed on her. Then it dropped to her swollen belly, and the long-repressed bitterness rose in his heart. "Alright...alright, since you want to know, I'll tell you..."

Her heart was racked with pain, yet Gu Ying stubbornly pursed her lips. "Thank you, Young Lord."

With that, she turned and entered Changfeng Pavilion.

How long had it been since he last saw her?

Su Huanfeng thought to himself - one year, three months, and two days, four hours.

Time had changed him a lot, while she was no longer who she was before. Still, a married woman who had become the mistress of the household was inevitably different. She had grown even more beautiful, and even more captivating.

Su Huanfeng clasped his hands behind his back, uncomfortably holding down the bleeding wound at his waist. His eyes were full of worry for Gu Ying.

A Du was poisoned; she must be very upset.

And she's pregnant - judging by the time, she should be nearing labor...

He stood there awkwardly outside Changfeng Pavilion, back ramrod straight, organizing his words.

Ye Zhuojiang walked in from outside, an medicine box hanging from his shoulder. Passing through the courtyard, he cast a strange glance at Su Huanfeng. "Who are you?"

The past year had tempered Su Huanfeng greatly in the army, making him particularly composed.

He straightened his expression and gave Ye Zhuojiang a salute. "This one is named Su Huanfeng."

Ye Zhuojiang's brow quirked slightly. Su Huanfeng?

So he was that former fiancé of A Ying's, the one who almost became his niece's husband.

He looked him over once more and reminded, "You should treat that wound as soon as possible, or else you might be left with a disability."

The journey escorting Zhao Changdu back to Bianjing had been fraught with danger, yet Su Huanfeng hadn't cared. "I'm fine."

Ye Zhuojiang said, "A man's waist shouldn't be injured casually. If you still want to marry and have children in the future, listen to me." Su Huanfeng's expression froze, at a loss how to respond.

By then, Ye Zhuojiang had already started casually ordering the people of Changfeng Pavilion around.

More people had gathered at the residence after Zhao Changdu's return.

He called Huai An over to first bring Su Huanfeng to treat his wound.

"Young Lord, come with me."

Huai An's eyes were lifeless, and his own head was wrapped in bandages. His face was grave as he led Su Huanfeng towards the west wing.

...

It wasn't until nightfall that Ye Zhuojiang finally emerged from the main quarters of Changfeng Pavilion.

All the family members of the residence had gathered inside Changfeng Pavilion and crowded around as soon as Ye Zhuojiang walked out with a solemn expression. Anxiety and worry were written on each of their faces.

"How is A Du?"

"Can he still be saved?"

"What poison did A Du ingest exactly?"

"Master Ye, say something!"

Ye Zhuojiang pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough. I've examined him and administered silver needles. You all go back first and leave A Ying here alone to care for him."

Mrs. Lin and Qin looked anxiously at Ye Zhuojiang. "How is A Ying? She can't collapse in her condition now..."

With tears streaming down her face, Mrs. Lin quickly chimed in agreement. "That's right..."

A Ying was a pregnant woman, about to give birth. If she broke down now, she would surely lack the strength to bear her child when the time came.

By then, it wouldn't matter if A Du survived or not - A Ying and the child would also be in grave danger.

Right now, A Du was the last remaining heir of the Zhao family. Even if A Du couldn't pull through...at least A Ying could still give birth to A Du's offspring, to continue the Duke's lineage...

Seeing all the anxious eyes upon him, irritation rose in Ye Zhuojiang's heart. After all, despite his years of medical practice, this was still the first time he had encountered such a thorny situation.

"Alright, alright. Am I the doctor here or are all of you the doctors? I told you to leave first, so leave first. Don't stand here disturbing my mood to treat and save lives."

"Of course, of course...we'll all listen to you."

At this moment, even Zhao Hui had lost the bearing of a duke. He said to Ye Zhuojiang, "Whatever you need, send someone to find me. A Ying and I are staying at Lingxi Pavilion - you know this. No matter what medicine or ingredients you need, just have someone buy them!"

"Fine, have someone first prepare a few millennium ginsengs." Ginseng could save lives...

Mrs. Lin's eyelashes fluttered as more tears flowed down her cheeks. "Alright, I'll have someone prepare them. Do you need any other medicines?"

"No need for now. This will be enough."

Nothing else would help.

Ye Zhuojiang wasn't the most even-tempered person, yet the family could do nothing but comply. Mrs. Lin had also tended to A Du's illness before, but her skills were limited in the end. Now they had to rely entirely on this eighteen-year-old youth. In the end, under Ye Zhuojiang's urging, they could only reluctantly leave Changfeng Pavilion, looking back every three steps.