Chapter 216 - 214: He Refuses to Hear Any News About Her

Words : 1372 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Wei Yu was both anxious and perplexed: "But you’re already in such a state!" "I can’t go to him..." Shen Yinning clenched her trembling teeth tightly. Last night, she caused such a huge mess, even attempting to kill Lu Ying! If Lu Ying was willing to help her, it was solely out of regard for the relationship they once had. This poison wasn’t fatal. She could endure it and let it pass. She could not seek him out again... She did not have the face to ask him again... The chill seeped into her limbs, her flesh, and her organs. She trembled and said, "Bring in more warming pots and braziers..." Wei Yu was concerned: "Madam..." Shen Yinning closed her eyes in unbearable agony. She had played a card of affection on Shen Xinghan, convincing him not to deal her a deadlier blow last night. But he had warned her, using a kind of poison—warning her not to stir trouble again, demanding her to reveal Shen Xinglei’s whereabouts. He wanted her to trade Shen Xinglei’s location for the antidote. The cold reaching into every crevice of her bones caused Shen Yinning to shed physiological tears. The tears slid down the corners of her eyes, rapidly turning into ice crystals upon contact with her skin. Even her smooth black hair bore a delicate layer of frost, painting a pitiful picture. Yet, within her reddened eyes was an unyielding resolve. Haitang quickly brought warming pots and braziers, but they couldn’t alleviate Shen Yinning’s symptoms. The young woman curled up in the depths of the quilt, clutching a heater, gritting her teeth, and enduring the torment in the darkness, hoping for the poison’s effects to pass quickly. By the next morning, the frost and ice finally melted off her body. She fell into an exhausted sleep, sleeping for an entire day. Her fragile state kept her from leaving the house for two days, but on the third day, the poison attacked again. Refusing to bow to Shen Xinghan, she gritted her teeth and resisted desperately. The room felt like a furnace. Yet she still shivered uncontrollably from the cold. Nanny Chen, sweating in the heat, wore only a thin silk garment as she repeatedly wiped her face with a cloth and murmured, "We can’t go on like this anymore. Even an iron body wouldn’t endure this kind of suffering, let alone Madam, who is a delicate young woman. We must come up with a solution!" Haitang said urgently, "Nanny, do you know what the antidote for this poison is?" "This..." Nanny Chen hesitated, "I know what it is, but we absolutely cannot get our hands on it. This poison is a cold poison, and the only antidote is the world’s hottest substance—the Volcanic Blood Ganoderma, aged over 500 years. Half of it must be brewed into medicinal soup for Madam to remove the toxins from her organs. The other half must be chewed raw by someone else to use their body’s warmth to clear the poison from her bones and skin." Haitang and Wei Yu exchanged worried glances. Both of them had grown up in the palace and knew that the Volcanic Blood Ganoderma was a rare treasure. Of the two they knew of, one had been bestowed upon Duke Shen Yan, and the other was stored in the National Treasury. The one in Duke Shen Yan’s possession? Unthinkable. As for the one in the National Treasury... Wei Yu looked at Shen Yinning, who had fainted from the cold, and couldn’t bear it anymore. She stood up and said, "I’ll go plead with the Crown Prince to grant Madam the Blood Ganoderma!" Although Shen Yinning had forbidden them from seeking Lu Ying, there was no other way now. Nanny Chen nodded heavily, granting silent approval. The weather was poor today. Near dusk, leaden gray clouds hung oppressively low. Eastern Palace. Lu Ying was discussing state affairs with his staff in the study when Gui Quan reported that Wei Yu requested an audience. He said, "I won’t see her." Gui Quan was puzzled: "Your Highness?" Lu Ying’s expression was inscrutable. Shen Yinning wanted to kill him. He had already gone to great lengths to cover up the arson and attempted assassination of the Prince last night. That was as far as he was willing to go. Despite everything he had done, she hadn’t even come to personally thank him. It was said that she hadn’t left her house once in the past three days. Clearly, she was a heartless person. The arson and assassination were the last times he would aid Shen Yinning. He had resolved that, for the rest of his life, they would owe each other nothing and never cross paths. He emphasized, "I won’t see her. From now on, I don’t want to hear any news concerning her." Gui Quan had no choice but to nod and retreat. Wei Yu approached Gui Quan and asked urgently, "Eunuch Gui, will His Highness see me?!" Gui Quan, holding his horsetail whisk, replied, "His Highness is busy with state affairs and has no time to see you right now." He thought for a moment before asking, "You look so flustered—has something happened with Madam Shen?" Wei Yu immediately burst into tears and sobbed, "Madam has been poisoned by something called Bamboo Spirit Ice Soul! The poison is so fierce and cruel that, though it won’t kill her, it causes her unending torment day and night! Madam is too frail to bear such agony! As her maids, seeing her suffer feels worse than being stabbed ourselves! Eunuch Gui, please, speak to His Highness again! Even if he doesn’t come in person, just ask him to grant Madam the Blood Ganoderma from the National Treasury!" "This..." Gui Quan was also troubled, "Go back for now. Wait until His Highness finishes his affairs, and I’ll try to bring it up again." Wei Yu left in tears. At the palace gates, she happened upon Cui Ji. Cui Ji recognized her: "Aren’t you one of Madam Shen’s maids?" "Lord Cui!" Wei Yu, desperate and at her wits’ end, immediately knelt crying, "My lady is in trouble!" Cui Ji listened to her account, his refined face darkening. From her description alone, he could already imagine how brutal the poisonous torment was. She had endured three entire days of suffering! Frowning, he asked, "Is the Blood Ganoderma the only way to save her?" "Yes!" Wei Yu nodded tearfully. Even though she knew Cui Ji’s position wasn’t prominent, she clung to a sliver of hope. "Lord Cui, can you obtain the Blood Ganoderma?!" Cui Ji raised his head to gaze at the towering Imperial Palace and touched the jade pendant hidden within his garments. His eyes filled with complex emotions as he murmured, "I am willing to try." ... Nightfall descended upon the Imperial Palace. Under the curtain of rain, palace lanterns gradually flickered to life. Lu Ying had finished his official duties, and Gui Quan signaled the junior eunuchs to serve the evening meal. As he arranged the dishes for Lu Ying, he casually mentioned, "No wonder Madam Shen hasn’t come to thank you these past days. According to Wei Yu, it turns out Madam Shen is in grave trouble!" "Haven’t I repeatedly said that I don’t want to hear about her?" "Yes, yes, yes!" Gui Quan bowed obsequiously and slapped himself, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn!" Lu Ying quietly continued his meal. Despite the exquisite dishes, he found them increasingly tasteless. What trouble could she possibly have? She had been confined to her home these past days. What could happen? Instead, it was he who had spent three whole days covering up her involvement in the two cases during the Lantern Festival, taking two full days just to find scapegoats among the death row prisoners. The candle fluttered. Outside, the rain beat against the plantain leaves, filling the air with an irritating clamor. Lu Ying grew increasingly restless, finally slamming his chopsticks down onto the table. After a long pause, he pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaled deeply, and resignedly asked, "What’s happened to her?" Gui Quan, delighted, quickly explained Shen Yinning’s poisoning by the Bamboo Spirit Ice Soul.

Chapter 216 - 214: He Refuses to Hear Any News About Her

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