Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 124

The bright yellow hem of the robe fluttered as a slender figure moved swiftly. The reflection of the sword light made Wen Zhuojin squint slightly, wondering if she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes.

It really was Yan Qinglan!

The long sword moved like a serpent, its movements fluid and seamless, executed in one breath. With a single motion, it disarmed Yan Qi and repelled several “consorts” who had rushed forward. Every thrust of the sword drew bl00d.

Yan Qi, terrified, widened his eyes and stumbled backward, crashing into the incense table where the censer was placed.

The censer on the table tipped over, rolling down and hitting Yan Qi, scattering incense ash all over his face and body.

Burned by the hot ash, Yan Qi struggled to get up but was pinned under the table.

Everything happened too quickly. By the time Wen Zhuojin ran over to Yan Qinglan, Yan Qi was already pinned under the table.

Wen Zhuojin stepped on the table to prevent Yan Qi from getting up.

Noticing Yan Qinglan sway slightly, Wen Zhuojin quickly reached out to support her.

“Sister, are you okay?” Wen Zhuojin asked, too preoccupied to question how Yan Qinglan had suddenly become so skilled.

Yan Qinglan was still catching her breath and couldn’t speak.

“Quick, search him! See if he has any antidote on him!” Wen Zhuojin ordered the approaching attendants.

Though the attendants were also poisoned, they still had enough strength to flip the table and lift Yan Qi, who was pinned underneath.

Yan Qi’s face was covered in ash, his complexion unrecognizable. As he struggled, ash scattered everywhere.

Wen Zhuojin helped Yan Qinglan move further away.

Most of Yan Qinglan’s weight was now leaning on Wen Zhuojin. Her face, covered by a cloth mask, only revealed a pair of teary eyes, looking extremely fragile and pitiful.

Wen Zhuojin couldn’t believe that the person who had just skillfully wielded the sword to save them was Yan Qinglan!

“Sister!” Wen Zhuojin called out worriedly.

Yan Qinglan lowered her head, resting it on Wen Zhuojin’s shoulder.

“I’m exhausted, but I’m fine.” Yan Qinglan said, breathing heavily.

Wen Zhuojin sighed in relief and held her steady, glancing toward Yan Qi.

The attendants had already restrained him and were searching his body.

“Anything?” Wen Zhuojin asked.

“Nothing unusual.” an attendant replied.

Yan Qi had already been searched before the ritual, so there wasn’t much else on him.

“No antidote, nothing, haha… cough, cough…” Before Wen Zhuojin could ask more, Yan Qi began to speak, laughing at first but soon breaking into violent coughs that eventually brought up bl00d.

Seeing that Yan Qi was in no condition to answer questions, Wen Zhuojin ordered the attendants to focus on subduing the others, hoping to capture someone else for interrogation.

The air in the hall was still thick with the scent of incense, and every breath made the situation worse.

Just as Wen Zhuojin was anxiously looking toward the main entrance, the door was forcefully pushed open. Everyone in the hall turned to look, including Yan Qi, who was still coughing.

A tall martial figure led the way, followed by a group of people.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t recognize the martial figure and eyed him with caution.

Yan Qi, upon seeing the newcomers, showed a flash of fear in his eyes, and the last bit of hope he had vanished. His body collapsed to the ground, and his coughing intensified.

Two figures stepped forward from the martial figure’s side, and within moments, they had subdued the remaining “consorts” who were still resisting.

The martial figure strode over to Yan Qinglan and knelt down.

“This humble general, Wei Chengyi, is late to rescue Your Majesty. Please forgive me.” the martial figure said.

“General Wei, rise.” Yan Qinglan said softly, showing no surprise at his arrival.

“All the rebel forces outside have been subdued. The leader of the Feng family has been captured, and Consort Feng has taken her own life to atone for her crimes.” Wei Chengyi reported.

As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Qi, who was suffering from the intense effects of the poison, let out a sharp cry and struggled to rush forward, but was restrained by Wei Chengyi and pressed to the ground.

“The hall is filled with poisonous incense. Let’s go outside first before we talk.” Yan Qinglan said softly.

Wei Chengyi, hearing this, quickly helped Yan Qinglan out of the hall.

Behind them, Wei Chengyi dragged Yan Qi out as well.

“Sister, he has some kind of incense on him. I suspect it’s from Southern Chu. I’ve encountered some of these incense materials before in Northern Qiang, but this seems different. He must have someone from Southern Chu who understands poisons and incense by his side.” Wen Zhuojin whispered to Yan Qinglan as they exited.

“Mm.” Yan Qinglan nodded, her gaze lingering on Yan Qi for a moment before looking away.

Once outside, Yan Qinglan felt slightly better and ordered everyone to move to another palace hall, summoning the imperial doctors.

Wei Chengyi took charge of interrogating Yan Qi, while the other attendants questioned the remaining individuals.

Soon, several imperial doctors arrived, including Doctor Mo and Zheng Qianqin.

The doctors attended to the injured attendants, while Doctor Mo and Zheng Qianqin focused on Yan Qinglan.

Wen Zhuojin had already given Yan Qinglan all the antidote pills she had, but her skill in pulse diagnosis was limited, and she couldn’t determine the exact condition of Yan Qinglan’s poisoning. She was deeply worried.

“How is she?” Wen Zhuojin asked after Doctor Mo and Zheng Qianqin had finished taking Yan Qinglan’s pulse.

“The newly inhaled incense likely combined with the residual poison in Her Majesty’s body, creating a more potent toxicity. However, since Her Majesty’s previous poisoning had already been mostly neutralized, the effects of this new incense aren’t too severe. Combined with the timely administration of the antidote pills, the situation is under control. I will perform acupuncture to prevent the poison from spreading, and we will discuss the antidote formula later.” Doctor Mo explained.

During this time, Doctor Mo and Zheng Qianqin had been working closely together, learning from each other, and their medical skills had improved significantly. They had developed a good rapport.

Zheng Qianqin assisted Doctor Mo in performing acupuncture on Yan Qinglan, who leaned against Wen Zhuojin’s shoulder, her expression still not looking well.

“Close your eyes for a moment. You’ll feel better soon.” Wen Zhuojin said softly, pulling out a piece of candy wrapped in oil paper from her pouch and placing it in Yan Qinglan’s mouth.

Yan Qinglan tasted the sweetness and rested her forehead against Wen Zhuojin’s neck, closing her eyes.

The acupuncture session ended quickly, and just as Wen Zhuojin was about to ask about Yan Qinglan’s condition, Wei Chengyi returned from interrogating Yan Qi and the others.

“Your Majesty, those individuals have no antidote. I’ve sent people to investigate further. As for the Fifth Prince, his condition is not good. After the imperial doctors examined him, they said he is deeply poisoned and may not live more than a few days. They suspect it’s a Southern Chu poison…” Wei Chengyi reported, bowing to Yan Qinglan.

Yan Qinglan lifted her eyelids and looked at Wei Chengyi.

“Very well, I understand. Take Doctor Mo and Zheng Qianqin to see him.” Yan Qinglan said calmly.

Wei Chengyi acknowledged the order and led Doctor Mo and the others away.

Once everyone had left, Yan Qinglan moved her lips slightly but said nothing.

“Sister, rest for now. We’ll talk later.” Wen Zhuojin whispered, gently pressing Yan Qinglan’s head back onto her shoulder and stroking her back.

Yan Qinglan remained silent.

After a moment of quiet, Doctor Mo and Zheng Qianqin returned.

“Your Majesty, the poison the Fifth Prince has ingested is likely the same as yours. However, he was already severely poisoned before, and carrying those incenses on his person has worsened his condition. Inhaling a large amount of the poisonous incense ash has pushed him beyond recovery. I’m afraid he only has a day or two left.” the two doctors reported cautiously.

Upon hearing this, Yan Qinglan’s expression remained unchanged, and she dismissed the two doctors.

Wen Zhuojin roughly understood the situation: Yan Qinglan had been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin, and Yan Qi had also been poisoned, though he likely hadn’t realized it. He had been used as a pawn in a scheme to harm Yan Qinglan, but ended up killing himself instead.

“Sister, this is fate. Don’t be too upset.” Wen Zhuojin said softly, noticing the discomfort in Yan Qinglan’s expression and pulling her into a hug.

After all, Yan Qi was still her brother.

Yan Qinglan rested her chin on Wen Zhuojin’s shoulder, feeling the warmth radiating from her, and sighed softly.

“The Feng family had done nothing wrong before, so I had no reason to move against them. However, I received news a few days ago about their secret activities and made arrangements to have Wei Chengyi and his troops surround and suppress them. The leak of information was intentional on my part. This entire incident was orchestrated by me. My goal was to remove Yan Qi’s last support, the Feng family. I just didn’t expect him to try to kill me in this way.”

“He probably didn’t realize that he was also carrying the same poison, and that poison was something I had someone administer to him. I’m not sad about his fate, but I can’t understand why he became like this. I wonder if Mother would blame me for not raising him properly.”

Yan Qinglan spoke these words to Wen Zhuojin, sensing that Wen Zhuojin’s understanding of her was still somewhat skewed, so she decided to explain everything.

After speaking, Yan Qinglan closed her eyes and lifted her head, releasing the weight she had placed on Wen Zhuojin.

Wen Zhuojin had once called her “scheming” and “ruthless” but she wasn’t such a person.

Yan Qinglan wasn’t sure how Wen Zhuojin would react to these words, whether she would feel discomfort or disgust.

“Sister, if you can’t understand it, then don’t think about it. Some people are born ungrateful. No matter how well you treat them, they will twist your intentions. It’s not your fault. I think the late Empress would understand you. If the incense burner fell on him, it was probably because she was angry.”

Yan Qinglan’s expression softened, and she reached out to hug Wen Zhuojin.

After the incident with Yan Qi was resolved, Yan Qinglan did not go to see him again.

She returned to Zichen Palace with Wen Zhuojin to rest.

Perhaps due to the new poisoning, Yan Qinglan’s spirits were low. She fell asleep quickly in Wen Zhuojin’s arms, only frowning and murmuring softly when Wen Zhuojin administered her medicine.

Wen Zhuojin, determined to quickly neutralize the poison in Yan Qinglan’s body, called Zheng Qianqin and Doctor Mo to discuss an antidote formula and spent a great deal of time studying Southern Chu’s incense materials and formulas.

The next morning, as Yan Qinglan was preparing to attend court, an attendant came to report that Yan Qi had passed away.

Yan Qinglan was silent for a moment before composing herself and heading to court.

Wen Zhuojin did not leave the palace that day and accompanied Yan Qinglan to court.

During the court session, Yan Qinglan announced Yan Qi’s death.

She preserved some dignity for Yan Qi, stating that he had been poisoned by a conspiracy between Southern Chu and the Feng family, which had also targeted her.

Yan Qi, already weakened from a previous assassination attempt, had succumbed to the poison.

The Ministry of Rites was ordered to prepare a royal funeral for Yan Qi, and he was buried in the imperial tomb that had been prepared for him.

During the days of Yan Qi’s funeral, the court officials refrained from bringing up the issue of Yan Qinglan filling the imperial harem. It was only after the funeral that the matter was raised again.