“Take her away.”
Two sturdy matron servants stepped forward, seized Auntie Liu by the arms, and dragged her outside. Even as she was hauled away, Auntie Liu continued to weep and scream. Her voice grew fainter and fainter until it finally vanished beyond the courtyard.
Doctor Wang was also taken away by the guards. He wailed the entire way and was locked in the dungeon.
At last, the room fell silent. Only the crackling of the candle flames and Jiang Yan’s faint breathing remained.
Jiang Yanyan set the medicine bowl on the side table and hurried to the bedside, reaching out to feel Jiang Yan’s pulse.
The moment her fingertips touched his cold skin, she felt that his pulse was chaotic and weak, the signs of deficiency and floating qi unmistakable. The poison had already spread through his meridians and into his limbs. Fortunately, they had arrived in time. It had not yet invaded his heart meridian. If he had drunk that bowl of medicine, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
She withdrew her hand and took the original host’s acupuncture kit from her waist. Jiang Yan had specifically had it made for her. It was covered in cowhide and contained dozens of pure silver needles of varying lengths. The original host had devoted herself to studying medicine and carried the kit with her wherever she went.
It could also be used for self-defense in dangerous situations. Now, it had finally come in handy.
Standing to one side, Jiang Yun watched her daughter open the kit and remove several silver needles. Her movements were practiced and decisive, filling Jiang Yun with relief. She knew that all the years her daughter had spent buried in medical texts had not been wasted.
Jiang Yanyan pinched a silver needle between her fingers and focused on Jiang Yan’s acupoints. The philtrum, Baihui, Neiguan, and Yongquan—all were vital points for protecting the heart meridian and suppressing the poison.
Her technique was clean and precise. She twisted and lifted the needles in one fluid motion, inserting each one steadily and accurately, without the slightest hesitation.
(Entirely fictional. I haven’t studied this, so I don’t know what these acupoints actually do.)
Leaning against the headboard, Jiang Yan could clearly feel a faint warmth flowing through his meridians the instant the silver needles entered his acupoints.
The excruciating pain gradually eased. The poison that had been running rampant through his body was temporarily suppressed, the tightness in his chest lessened, and his breathing became smoother. Even his spirits improved somewhat.
Jiang Yun stood nearby, staring intently at her father. As she watched his complexion slowly change from deathly pale to faintly flushed, and the dullness in his eyes give way to a little light, the worry weighing on her heart finally eased. The cold sweat in her palms also began to dry.
Looking at her daughter’s back, Jiang Yun felt only heartache. Her daughter had grown up, yet she would rather Yanyan were still the carefree girl she had once been.
Before long, Jiang Yanyan removed the silver needles one by one. Her movements remained gentle. Afterward, she wiped the points where the needles had entered with a clean handkerchief before finally letting out a breath of relief.
“Grandfather, are you feeling better?” Jiang Yanyan asked softly. She reached up and tucked the quilt around Jiang Yan, concern evident in her voice.
Jiang Yan slowly exhaled. He blinked and looked at his granddaughter, his eyes filled with comfort and affection. His voice was still somewhat hoarse, but far clearer than before.
“Much better. The pain isn’t as bad, and I can breathe again. Yanyan, I was so worried when I heard that you had fainted. How are you feeling? Is anything still wrong?”
“I’m fine now, Grandfather. Don’t worry about me. You just need to rest and recover properly.” Jiang Yanyan shook her head.
The original host had been deeply attached to her grandfather, but Jiang Yanyan had only just crossed into this world and was meeting him for the first time.
Faced with her grandfather’s concern, her expression was still slightly unnatural.
Jiang Yan nodded. He wanted to raise a hand and pat her on the head, but he still had little strength and could only give up. Even so, his gaze remained full of affection and relief.
Jiang Yanyan walked over to the side table, picked up paper and brush, and began grinding the ink. The inkstone gave off a soft, rasping sound as the ink stick moved slowly across it.
She wrote out a prescription to counter the poison. Her handwriting differed slightly from the original host’s delicate, graceful script. Her strokes were stronger and her brushwork steadier, lacking some of the original host’s easy, lively charm.
Still, with the upheaval that had just taken place in the household, everyone would naturally attribute the change in Jiang Yanyan’s personality to what had happened. No one would suspect anything about the changes in her.
She folded the prescription and handed it to Jiang Yun. “Mother, this is the prescription I came up with. The herbs listed should help ease Grandfather’s condition. As for completely neutralizing the poison, I’ll think of something.
“Mother, have someone fetch the medicine first. The estate is in chaos right now, so you should personally supervise it. The medicine must be simmered for a full hour over low heat.”
Jiang Yun accepted the prescription. Thinking of what had just happened with Auntie Liu and Doctor Wang, her heart grew heavy.
She nodded, her voice gentle but unexpectedly firm. “All right. I’ll go right now and supervise it myself. I won’t leave for even a moment. Nothing will go wrong again.”
She had always known that her daughter had a talent for medicine, but she had never realized that Yanyan had already advanced so far. Just a few needles had greatly improved her father’s complexion.
With this prescription, her father would surely survive this disaster. She had already lost her husband. If she lost her father as well, she did not know whether she could bear it.
“Yanyan, it’s getting late. After you eat dinner, go back and rest early. Steward Li and I can handle things here.”
Before leaving, Jiang Yun once again reminded her daughter several times. Yanyan had only just woken up, and she was still worried about her condition.
“If anything happens, I’ll have someone come for you immediately.”
“I understand, Mother.”
“Grandfather, get some rest. I’ll go back for now.”
“Mm. Go on, and get some rest early.”
After hearing her grandfather respond, Jiang Yanyan turned and left the courtyard with Chuntao.
Jiang Yanyan did indeed have something she needed to do. The City Lord’s residence was now like a sieve, with anyone able to poke their hand into it.
The original host had already been poisoned. Her younger brother, Jiang Xiao, was only six years old—an even easier target for an ambush. Jiang Yanyan did not believe the people behind this would spare him.
Jiang Yun also hurried out with the prescription in hand. Her steps were quicker than before, and at last, a little light had returned to her eyes.
“Everyone else may leave as well.”
Inside the room, Jiang Yan dismissed the remaining servants.
Seeing him act this way, Steward Li knew that he had orders to give and hurried forward. “City Lord, is there anything else you wish to command?”
“Go to the dungeon and interrogate Auntie Liu and Doctor Wang thoroughly. Use whatever methods are necessary. We must force the truth out of them and find out who instructed them.
“Investigate everyone in the City Lord’s residence. Question every servant and examine every last one of them. Don’t let anyone slip through the net or leave behind any hidden danger.
“Also, send more people to protect the Eldest Young Lady, Yanyan, and Jiang Xiao in secret. There must not be the slightest mistake.”
“Yes, City Lord. Rest assured—I’ll see to it immediately!”
Steward Li bowed in acknowledgment, then turned and hurried away to arrange the personnel.
Jiang Yan had ruled Inkcloud City for many years. He possessed both the authority and the cunning required to govern it. The reason he had been caught off guard this time was that the one who had made the move was a deputy general who had served under him for more than ten years.
Otherwise, given Jiang Yan’s martial prowess, he would never have been reduced to such a helpless state.
As Jiang Yanyan walked along the path, she raised a hand and rubbed her forehead. The evening breeze brushed past, carrying a trace of coolness as it lifted the hair at her temples.
She could not help sighing inwardly. Why had she crossed into this world at a time like this?
If only she had arrived two days earlier—even one day earlier—she could have warned her grandfather and father to take precautions in advance. Perhaps the tragedy would never have happened.
