From the palace?
Yan Lin's aura grew a bit heavier, "Investigate this matter secretly."
"Yes, Prince."
"Prince, how is the Princess Consort?" Nanny Xiao came out of the residence, and seeing Chu Baihan like this, she was anxious and worried.
"She was poisoned in the Chu Residence, Nanny Xiao, go and fetch Wei Jia."
Wei Jia? Nanny Xiao was stunned for a moment before she realized that this person was the Prince's Residence house doctor.
"Yes, Prince, I will go right now."
"Moreover, regarding today's matter, I do not wish to worry the empress dowager," Yan Lin continued coldly.
"I understand."
…
"Prince, the person who poisoned her had no intention of leaving the Princess Consort a way out."
A young man, after taking Chu Baihan's pulse, turned back, his eyes complex as he looked at Yan Lin sitting there.
Yan Lin slightly furrowed his brow, "Why do you think so?"
"The dart was coated with a poison called Heart Erosion. If the poison is not cured in a short time, the death will be extremely gruesome. By the way, Prince, who cured the Princess Consort? They are quite skilled!"
Even Wei Jia couldn't help but show admiration.
His family had been doctors for generations, and because of the favor he received from Yan Lin years ago, he had stayed at Prince Yan's residence all these years.
"Dr. Wei, do you truly believe that the person who cured her knows medical skills?" Ziyi asked, frowning and sounding rather peculiar.
Wei Jia glanced at him and spoke with some pride, "Although my own medical skills are not supreme, I still have the ability to recognize skilled physicians, and this person's skills must be notable."
Hearing this, Ziyi pursed his lips, his expression even more peculiar.
Wei Jia was about to ask something more when Yan Lin coldly intervened, "She cured the poison herself."
What?
"Prince, you mean, the Princess Consort cured the poison herself?" Wei Jia was also shocked.
"Prince, may I speak with the Princess Consort when she awakens? I have never seen anyone use mutually incompatible herbs to cure poison before." Wei Jia's tone was filled with irrepressible excitement and anticipation, feeling like he had met Chu Baihan too late.
Hearing this, Yan Lin clenched the teacup slightly harder, feeling somewhat stifled internally.
"Since the Princess Consort's poison has already been cured, there is no need for you to stay here any longer. Ziyi, please escort him out," Yan Lin dictated firmly.
"No, Prince, you haven't agreed to my request yet," Wei Jia blurted, bewildered.
Usually, although the Prince was cold, he was barely "kind." But what was it today, feeling almost like he was treating him as an enemy?
Once the man was taken out and the door shut, the room quieted down, and Yan Lin's complexion slightly improved.
He set down the teacup and spoke in a low voice, "How much longer do you plan to pretend to be asleep?"
Chu Baihan: "..."
Having no choice, she opened her eyes, feeling depressed as she sat up from the bed.
That's right, she had just woken up.
However, with a strange man in the room, she was unsure how to respond, so she had simply pretended to be asleep all along.
Unexpectedly, the Prince could even sense that.
Without asking, it must have been her aura that betrayed her again.
"Prince, thank you for letting out the poisoned blood for me in the carriage." After a brief silence, Chu Baihan decided to thank him.
Only...
Looking down at her intact clothes, she awkwardly spoke, "Prince, may I ask about these clothes…"
But before she could finish, the Prince with a straight face coldly said, "It was I who summoned the maid to change your clothes, there's no need to overthink it."
Chu Baihan: "..."
She wasn't overthinking.
She had guessed it was the maid who changed her clothes. After all, the Prince disliked her so much, even helping her let blood was unexpected, so why would he change her clothes?
"Prince, did you hear what the doctor earlier said? I really know medical skills and can help you with the poison," Chu Baihan took a deep breath and proactively spoke.
Yan Lin's fingers gently tapped the table next to him.
After a long silence, he finally spoke indifferently, "Is this another one of your schemes?"
Baihan: "..."
Was his paranoia incurable?
Taking a deep breath, she decided to provoke him.
"Prince, are you content with this? You once commanded half of Yan Country's forces, a proud son of heaven on the battlefield. Now, these people look down on you, scheming against your life. Are you truly content?"
As expected, as soon as she finished speaking, the hostility emanating from the prince intensified, and the cup beside him turned into powder.
"Baihan, do you really think I won't kill you?" His tone was dangerous.
"Go ahead and kill, I have had enough of people wanting to kill me; I don't want to endure these days any longer. You can kill me, but if I die, no one can ever cure you!"
Baihan strode up to him, angrily voicing her inner thoughts.
Even as her wound was torn and she broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, she couldn't care less.
These past few days, she had been extremely stifled.
She had realized it was necessary to coerce Yan Lin, to get a chance to detoxify him, and thereby secure a slim chance of survival for herself.
"If you want to kill, then go ahead. At worst, I'll become a vengeful spirit and haunt you for life." Baihan shrugged, her attitude somewhat indifferent by now.
However, her fiery demeanor surprisingly calmed Yan Lin down instead.
Something seemed to be brewing in his hollow eyes.
After a long pause, his slender fingers traced a long scratch on the table, and he asked in a deep voice, "Can you truly cure me?"
Whether it was Wei Jia's words just now or Baihan's attitude, it made him think... perhaps he should let her try.
Noticing the change in his tone, Baihan knew she had hope. She quickly composed herself and leaned in.
"Prince, I truly can. If you are not at ease, I am willing to test the medicines." She spoke patiently.
"If you still don't trust me, you can poison me, using the poison to control me," Baihan continued, making sure her tone was as humble as possible.
But she had other plans in mind; even if he poisoned her, she knew how to counteract it.
Another long silence...
Baihan was already growing anxious inside. Could this stone be moved at all?
"Tell me, what do you wish to gain from me?" Just when she was starting to lose hope, Yan Lin suddenly asked in a cool tone.
Baihan's eyes brightened immediately, and she quickly responded, "I hope that after the poison is cured, the Prince will help me rescue my maid and let us leave the capital city."
"Leave the capital city?" Yan Lin murmured this phrase with a somewhat obscure expression.
Not knowing what his emotions were, Baihan nodded earnestly and said, "Life in the capital does not suit me. Besides, if I leave, you can be completely at ease and no longer suspect that I might betray you. I…"
"Enough. Whatever you want, speak directly to Ziyi," Yan Lin interrupted her coldly.
"Yes, Prince," Baihan's expression could not hide her excitement.
By the time she left, she hadn't managed to relax her smile.
So happy to beg someone for an antidote, historically, she must be the only one.
A moment later, Ziyi pushed the door open and entered.
He had heard everything outside.
He frowned, worriedly asking, "Prince, do you no longer believe she is with the Crown Prince?"
"Not entirely."
"Then why did you agree…"
"My body won't hold on much longer. It's a desperate remedy." Yan Lin spoke hoarsely, his lonely face tense.
He had grown accustomed to solitude, alone in the world, indifferent to death.
But he couldn't bear to see his enemies enjoying themselves; he wanted to drag them to hell first.
And there was that young girl. If he died, wouldn't his promise to her be void?
"Are you thinking of that girl?"
Ziyi, seeing his master's melancholic expression, instantly guessed as much.
"Still no news?" Yan Lin asked wearily.
"None. I've had men using the Jade Pendant you provided to investigate covertly in the capital, but there's been no word," Ziyi shook his head, his tone guilty.
"Keep looking," Yan Lin's husky voice commanded, unable to dispel the overwhelming solitude.