Late at night, Chu Baihan pushed open the door of the room.
The room was pitch black, and she frowned, saying, "Prince, why don't you light the lamp?"
"A blind man, why bother with a lamp?" From the corner, an indifferent voice came.
"The Prince may not need a lamp, but I need one to treat you," Chu Baihan muttered.
How could she treat him in such darkness?
"Didn't you confidently say during the day that you could definitely cure my poison? With such superb medical skills, how could darkness hinder you?" Yan Lin continued in a chilling tone.
Chu Baihan: "..." She realized that although the Prince outwardly seemed to trust her, deep down he still thought she belonged to the Crown Prince and insisted on making things difficult for her.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the annoyance inside her, Chu Baihan reached out, groping around and moved towards the corner by feeling.
Just as she was about to reach the corner, she accidentally tripped over something on the floor and plunged forward.
She thought she was going to have a nasty fall.
However, as she went down, the expected pain did not occur, because she fell into a warm embrace.
As she was dazed, a voice came from above her head, cool and somewhat harsh, "So this is how the Princess Consort treats patients."
Hearing Yan Lin's words, Chu Baihan felt both embarrassed and annoyed. She quickly jumped out of his arms and gritted her teeth, saying, "That was an accident just now. Thanks for being my human cushion."
Relying on her sense of touch, she quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist, seizing the opportunity to take his pulse.
After a long moment, she frowned, her expression very solemn.
"How is it?" Yan Lin's voice was icy to the extreme.
"It's tricky…" Chu Baihan told the truth.
His body appeared to be overwhelmed by various toxins accumulated together, almost devouring his physique. Over time, it wouldn't just be a matter of not seeing or smelling anything; his life wouldn't be spared either.
Moreover, there were several toxins in his body that could not be identified. If the medication were wrong, it might trigger a chain reaction with terrifying consequences.
This was probably why so many Imperial Physicians and doctors had treated him, but all were helpless.
Yan Lin's aura became even more oppressive, and he was about to withdraw his hand.
"Don't," Chu Baihan reacted, quickly grabbing both his hands, "Don't rush, I said it's tricky, but I didn't say I have no solution."
What?
Yan Lin's breathing changed, his vacant eyes turned towards her direction, and his furrowed brows gradually smoothed out.
"You mean... you can really cure my poison?"
"Yes, in about a month, I should be able to completely remove the toxins from your body," Chu Baihan said softly, her tone carrying an undeniable confidence.
Yan Lin's fingertips trembled slightly, and after a long silence, he finally uttered a word, "Okay."
Okay? Is that his response?
Shouldn't he be excited? Chu Baihan pouted.
"Prince, a month is a long time, could you perhaps rescue my maid from the Chu Family first?" Chu Baihan tentatively asked.
Yan Lin let out a cold laugh, "You haven't even started working for me, and you're already thinking of making demands? Your maid is a bargaining chip for the Chu Family... naturally, she is also my bargaining chip."
What he meant was—impossible!
"You..."
Chu Baihan expected him to refuse, but she didn't expect him to be so direct.
Forget it, she shouldn't have held any hope for this.
In her clenched-jaw frustration, Chu Baihan was completely unaware of Yan Lin's expression... which was slightly complex.
If it were in the past, it probably wouldn't have been difficult to get a maid out of the Chu Family.
But today, a dart from the palace told him that nothing was simple.
If Chu Baihan completely freed herself from the control of the Chu Family, and became of no use to those people, she... would have to die.
"Tonight, I'll try acupuncture on you first. I wonder if I can light the lamp now?" she said in a muffled voice.
Although her arm was still injured, it didn't affect her use of the silver needle.
Yan Lin maintained his earlier pose and remained silent.
Unable to get his response, Chu Baihan took it as his tacit consent.
She hurriedly fumbled to light the oil lamp.
The room instantly brightened, and she sighed with relief, but her heart couldn't help adding a few complex emotions.
She had just faced the darkness for a short while and couldn't bear it, but what about Yan Lin? His world had been dark for a long time.
Suppressing her emotions, she took out the silver needles and walked towards him.
"You should take off your clothes first, otherwise I can't perform the acupuncture," she said patiently.
As a result, the expression of the Prince suddenly became awkward.
Chu Baihan noticing his odd expression, curiously raised an eyebrow and asked, "Prince, I only asked you to remove your upper clothing for the acupuncture. You... wouldn't be embarrassed, would you?"
"Shut up, I am not a shy maid, why would I feel embarrassed?" Yan Lin's expression darkened, his tone through gritted teeth.
"Oh... then I must have been mistaken, Prince. You are not embarrassed. So, Prince, go ahead," Chu Baihan elongated her voice, speaking leisurely.
Yan Lin's face darkened further, and with a tense body and a "rip," he directly tore his clothes off.
At this moment, Chu Baihan could finally see clearly his abdomen and back, covered with countless wounds, some near vital veins, suggesting he had many brushes with death.
Her heart sank heavily. What on earth had he been through previously?
Taking a deep breath, she barely steadied her mind, then picked up the silver needle and began to perform acupuncture on him.
After four hours, her injured arm was almost unable to lift, but the poisoned blood from Yan Lin's body had been somewhat forced out.
Chu Baihan let out a sigh of relief. When she looked up, she discovered that the Prince had fallen asleep.
She had been close to him just now and could clearly see the heavy shadows under his eyes.
During these days of poisoning, he probably hadn't slept well at all.
Her mood became even more complicated momentarily.
After tidying up, she prepared to leave, but as soon as she opened the door, she saw Nanny Xiao waiting at the courtyard entrance.
She: "..."
It seemed that the Empress Dowager, eager for a great-grandson, really went to great lengths.
Her head ached terribly, and she could only turn back, returning to the soft couch of the previous night.
However, before she lay down to sleep, her peripheral vision swept to where Yan Lin lay, still bare-chested on the bed.
With a slight sigh, she ultimately went over there, covered him with a blanket, and then returned to sleep.
Unknown to her, in that moment she turned around, Yan Lin, who had his eyes closed, opened them, his gaze sharp.
His breath changed sharply.
Was it his imagination, or had he seen a vague figure?
A blind man, seeing a human figure?
Slowly calming down, he realized that the figure was Chu Baihan.
She said she could detoxify, and it wasn't a lie. She had only performed acupuncture once tonight, yet he could already see shadows.
Looking at the blanket on him, his expression turned dark and unreadable.
Chu Baihan... what kind of person are you, really?
Just now, she had had many opportunities to fatally harm him.