After Marrying the Disabled Prince (BG) - Chapter 15: The Clearing of Toxins in Medicine

Tears still streaked Bao Ning’s face, her nose red, and her gaze dazed, as if she couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.

Today had been too much for her. Pei Yuan flicked her forehead lightly and sighed, “Forget it. I’m hungry. Go, cook.”

Bao Ning snapped back to her senses.

Pei Yuan in front of her still looked the same—a pair of beautiful, narrow eyes, lounging lazily, with his front slightly open, revealing a distinct collarbone, his dark eyes fixed on her.

But something was different.

There was a glimmer in his eyes now, unlike the usual cold indifference he had when looking at her before.

Bao Ning didn’t know whether to feel happy about it.

“Stunned?” Pei Yuan frowned and waved a hand in front of her eyes.

Bao Ning immediately responded, “No.” She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and quickly jumped away, saying, “I’ll go make dinner.”

Her eyes glanced downward and caught sight of the bloody red snakehead on the ground. Its mouth was still wide open, exposing two sharp fangs. Bao Ning gasped, and the terrifying memory came flooding back.

“Don’t look.” Pei Yuan covered her eyes from behind. “It’s already dead. What are you afraid of?”

His palm was very warm, so hot that Bao Ning’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly pushed his hand away.

Pei Yuan’s expression darkened. Bao Ning glanced back and caught a glimpse of his unfriendly gaze. Fear surged in her heart, and before Pei Yuan could speak, she lifted her skirt and ran out in a fluster.

Ah Huang barked twice and followed after her.

The room fell silent again.

Pei Yuan lowered his gaze and rubbed his fingers. There seemed to be a lingering softness on them, dampened by her tears.

Forget it, he thought, letting her off the hook for now.

….

Bao Ning crouched by the stove, kindling a fire. With a bundle of firewood in her hand, she gazed at the faint red glow inside the hearth, her thoughts drifting far away.

When it came to Pei Yuan, she didn’t know how to react. Nor did she fully understand what he meant earlier. His occasional closeness and brief touches left her flustered, uneasy, and instinctively wanting to avoid him.

Pei Yuan had always been so cold. She had grown used to their detached way of interacting and never thought about changing it.

Bao Ning recalled why she had married Pei Yuan in the first place. She wanted to escape the scheming and conflict within the Duke’s manor, to find a quiet place and live a peaceful life. So, back then, Pei Yuan’s state—whether destitute, temperamental, or otherwise—didn’t matter to her. She cared for him and endured his moods, hoping he would recover quickly and eventually keep her company.

Part of her actions stemmed from kindness, part from selfishness, and part from a sense of duty. They were husband and wife. Whether or not there was love between them, to Bao Ning, Pei Yuan was her responsibility.

She couldn’t bear the thought of him going hungry, being cold, or leaving his wounds unattended.

Even now, after learning about the feud between Pei Yuan and Pei Xiao and the troubles that might arise in the future, Bao Ning couldn’t bring herself to abandon Pei Yuan.

Perhaps he was right that one time—she did have a bit of a bleeding heart.

The fire in the stove was about to die out. Bao Ning quickly grabbed a handful of dry kindling and tossed it in. With a soft whoosh, the flames roared back to life.

The door was ajar, letting in a draft. Alternating between cold and warm, Bao Ning shivered, sneezed, and thought she must have dressed too lightly. She got up, draped another layer over herself, and returned to cooking.

Given what had happened earlier in the day, she wasn’t in the mood for anything elaborate. Luckily, there was some leftover rice from the previous night. Bao Ning cracked a few eggs and decided to make egg-fried rice.

As she whisked the eggs, her mind wandered again, mulling over Pei Yuan’s words.

Pei Xiao had an associate named Gong Sun Zhu who specialized in poison techniques… Gong Sun Zhu. The name struck Bao Ning as oddly familiar.

She froze for a moment, and then it hit her. Concubine Ming had once mentioned that she had an uncle named Gong Sun Lan. He and her father had studied under the same master, both practicing medicine.

However, Concubine Ming’s father, Ming Heyu, specialized in conditions like strokes and paralysis, while Gong Sun Lan focused on clearing heat and dispelling cold. He was particularly skilled with medicinal herbs and had even written a book called Pharmacological Detoxification.

Before Gong Sun Lan passed away, he had gifted this book to Ming Heyu, who, in turn, passed it to Ming Concubine before his death. Eventually, Concubine Ming gave it to Bao Ning.

Gong Sun Lan and Gong Sun Zhu… Such a rare surname. Could it really be a coincidence?

Bao Ning’s heart began to race. She placed the bowl of whisked eggs on the table and hurried to rummage through her dowry chest.

She remembered bringing the book with her when she married. She had only managed to read half of it back then, finding the content too obscure to understand fully. All she recalled was that much of the book focused on antidotes for various poisons.

Could it hold the solution to Pei Yuan’s condition? Either way, she had to find it.

What if it contained the exact antidote they needed?

Bao Ning didn’t have much in her dowry. Everything was neatly arranged. In one corner lay a stack of books. She pulled them out, sat cross-legged on the heated brick bed, and began flipping through them one by one.

There it was—a thin, weathered booklet. Its brittle pages had yellowed with age, and on its cover, written in flowing cursive, were four characters: Pharmacological Detoxification.

Bao Ning took a deep breath and cautiously began to flip through the book.

The first half was filled with everyday remedies for poisons, as well as treatments for bites from various poisonous creatures—snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, and the like. The formulas were accompanied by illustrations, and Bao Ning examined them one by one, afraid of missing anything.

No, no, there was nothing about the red-headed snake.

Bao Ning’s heart sank further. As she reached the last few pages, she almost gave up, but as her finger slid to the next page, her heart skipped a beat. The image on the page was unmistakably the snake she had encountered today!

There was hope!

Bao Ning wiped the sweat from her fingers onto her skirt and held the page up, reading each word almost reverently.

“This snake is not found in the wild; it must be raised from a young black-banded viper and soaked in various poisons. Of ten snakes, nine die, and only one remains, which is an extremely poisonous creature. The red-headed top, when it awakens from hibernation, is most toxic…”

“…No one who has been bitten has survived so far.”

Seeing these words, Bao Ning’s heart sank into the abyss.

Her wrist trembled, more so than when she had first seen the snake. Hesitantly, she looked at the last line.

“Fortunately, there is a cure.”

Bao Ning suddenly sighed in relief and hurried to turn to the next page, only to find that it had been chewed by rats. Perhaps it had been exposed to moisture, as the remaining scraps were unclear, the ink smudged into a mess.

“…Why did it have to rot like this?” Bao Ning rubbed the ink blot with her finger, knowing it was futile.

Disappointment swept over her like a tidal wave.

Disappointment, self-blame—if only she had protected this book better and paid more attention. Bao Ning sat numbly by the edge of the bed, feeling a pang of sadness in her eyes.

But still, it wasn’t all bad. At least there was a cure, right?

Bao Ning sniffed and, clutching the book, rushed to find Pei Yuan. She didn’t knock, just ran to his side and pointed at the book, saying, “Your Highness, did you see this? The book says the poison can be cured. Don’t give up!”

Pei Yuan took it, glanced over it, and asked in confusion, “How did you get this book?”

“That’s not important.” Bao Ning looked at him seriously. “What’s important is that your leg can heal. There’s hope. We can’t give up.”

Pei Yuan smiled. “But Gong Sun Lan is already dead.”

Bao Ning paused for a moment, then said, “In a few days, Ji Yun will come. I’ll go find Concubine Ming. Her father was a friend of Mr. Gong Sun Lan, so she might know something.”

Pei Yuan asked, “How likely do you think this is?”

Bao Ning looked into his eyes. He seemed to be joking, but his expression was serious. “Bao Ning, there’s no need to waste your effort.”

“I…” Bao Ning was about to speak, but Pei Yuan interrupted her.

“In fact, I’ve thought of another way.”

Bao Ning’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

Pei Yuan made a motion with his hand, like a knife, and gestured near the root of his leg. He coldly uttered two words: “Amputate it.”

Bao Ning was horrified. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

“Anyway, this part of the leg can’t be saved. Keeping it only causes trouble. What’s the point?” Pei Yuan lowered his eyelids, seemingly seriously contemplating. “If I amputate it, I’ll be able to walk normally…”

“Pei Yuan, I hate your attitude,” Bao Ning pursed her lips, angry. “Why do you always think of the worst-case scenario? You’ve already admitted in your heart that you’re a cripple. You think it’s hopeless, but there are so many methods. You haven’t even tried them all. Pei Yuan, stop putting yourself so low. Look at the bright side, alright?”

Pei Yuan still kept his head lowered. Bao Ning grabbed his chin, making him look at her directly.

“I want to walk alongside you, but you keep pulling me down. Think about it—aren’t you doing something wrong?”

Pei Yuan stared at her, his cheeks flushed with anger, his eyes dark and gleaming, panting heavily.

They were very close, and the breath she exhaled brushed against his face—an abnormal warmth, scorchingly intense.

Pei Yuan realized something was wrong and reached out to touch her forehead.

Bao Ning pulled back, but Pei Yuan furrowed his brows and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his embrace.

His fingertips touched her skin, and it was indeed hot.

To be more sure, Pei Yuan pressed his hand to her shoulder and then kissed her forehead.

Bao Ning was startled and frightened, struggling to get away. “What are you doing…”

“Don’t move!” Pei Yuan snapped, wrapping her tightly in the blanket, like a cocoon.

Frustrated at her stubbornness, he pinched her cheek and angrily scolded, “I just heard you lecturing me here, thinking you were some big deal, talking like you had it all figured out. And yet, you didn’t even realize you were burning up like this. And now you still have the nerve to criticize me?”

“Am I sick?” Bao Ning blinked in confusion and then added, “It’s different, you are…”

“What about me?” Pei Yuan squinted at her, “Say one more word and I’ll throw you out right now. Do you think my legs are that bad? I can still handle you easily.”

How could he be like this? He was so gentle just a moment ago, and now he had changed back.

Perhaps because of the fever, Bao Ning grew bolder, retorting, “You’re wrong! You’re unreasonable!”

Pei Yuan ignored her, propping himself up from the bed and putting on his shoes.

He wasn’t responding to her anymore, and Bao Ning’s defiance gradually faded. Watching him, she asked in a soft voice, “What are you going to do?”

“I’m boiling water to prepare medicine,” Pei Yuan turned back, gritting his teeth as he looked at her, “Taking care of you, little troublemaker!”