Chapter 5: Provocation

“Lin Bei, is your Crown Prince still feasting his Crown Princess Consort? Hahaha… Hahaha…”

A young man’s taunting laughter rang out from the entrance.

“Greetings, Third Prince!”

Lin Bei dared not show the slightest disrespect and hurried forward to pay his respects.

Yun’er followed suit with a bow.

“The Third Prince…”

Shen Yiran quickly searched through the Original Host’s memories.

The Third Prince, Yu Gongxuan, had always relied on his status as an imperial prince to bully the weak and oppress the helpless. He was a loyal supporter of the Crown Prince’s faction, and Ren Jingzhi’s current miserable condition was due in no small part to his schemes.

Without wasting another moment, Shen Yiran swiftly removed the acupuncture needles, packed away the Medical Kit, and returned it to her Dimensional Space.

“What are you standing in the doorway for? Don’t tell me your Crown Prince has died for love?”

Yu Gongxuan kicked Lin Bei to the ground and strode toward the door. Yun’er immediately threw herself in front of it, blocking the entrance with all her strength.

“You cannot go in!”

“Where did this lowly servant come from? How dare you stand in this prince’s way? You’re courting death!”

With a loud smack, Yu Gongxuan slapped Yun’er across the face and shoved her aside without the slightest mercy.

“Yun’er, let him in!”

Shen Yiran’s voice drifted out from inside the room, calm but edged with restrained anger.

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open.

Shen Yiran looked up to see a young man clad in luxurious brocade robes storming into the room.

His features were handsome and well-defined, but his behavior was utterly at odds with his appearance.

The moment Yu Gongxuan saw Shen Yiran, he abruptly stopped.

“Who is this woman? Is she the ill-fated Crown Princess Consort brought in to ward off misfortune? How is she still alive?”

For a moment, he was completely speechless.

“My respects, Third Prince.”

Shen Yiran inclined her head slightly.

Yu Gongxuan shifted his gaze toward Ren Jingzhi, who lay unconscious on the bed.

“So the Crown Prince exhausted himself a little too much on his wedding night and fainted from overexertion?”

He then shot Shen Yiran a meaningful glance.

Shen Yiran cursed inwardly.

This damned bastard had obviously come here looking for trouble.

When she noticed Yun’er’s swollen, reddened cheek, a surge of fury shot straight to the top of her head.

How dare he lay a hand on someone under her protection.

She would make sure he regretted it.

Very quickly, she concealed every trace of anger and adopted the bashful demeanor of a newlywed.

“It is all this humble wife’s fault. I forgot that His Highness was in poor health…”

As she spoke, a strange smile spread across her lips as she slowly walked toward him.

She had rushed out in such haste that morning that she had not even had time to tidy herself.

Her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders in slight disarray.

Her bright red wedding robe was stained with dried blood.

Beneath the crimson veil, the black poisonous birthmark on her face appeared and disappeared with every movement, making her look positively terrifying.

The women around the Third Prince were all renowned beauties.

Never had he seen such an ugly woman.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

He retreated repeatedly.

“Third Prince, didn’t you come here first thing this morning just to see the new bride? Come now… have a proper look.”

Her voice was soft and coquettish.

Yet to Yu Gongxuan, it sounded like a ghost calling him to the underworld.

According to the Original Host’s memories, the Third Prince had never been a decent man.

Every time a new ill-fated Crown Princess Consort entered Ren Jingzhi’s residence, he would invariably show up the very next morning to mock and provoke them.

As long as he could make life difficult for the Prime Minister’s Residence, he seemed delighted.

Shen Yiran truly couldn’t understand whether he had been the reincarnation of an evil spirit or whether he bore some irreconcilable hatred toward the Prime Minister’s Residence.

As Yu Gongxuan backed away in panic, he failed to notice the stool behind him.

He stumbled and fell flat onto his back.

Shen Yiran immediately stepped forward as though to help him up.

Taking advantage of the moment, she secretly sprinkled the packet of itching powder that had mysteriously appeared on top of the Medical Kit down the back of his neck.

The Medical Kit truly seemed capable of anticipating her needs.

Otherwise, why would it have prepared such a fitting welcome gift for this man?

“Don’t touch me, you ugly woman!”

Yu Gongxuan angrily shoved her away and scrambled awkwardly to his feet.

Moments later, he suddenly felt a burning itch spreading across his body.

Could it be that this hideous woman was filthy, and merely touching her had contaminated him?

Ren Jingzhi certainly had bizarre tastes.

He could actually share a bed with such an ugly woman.

The itching rapidly spread throughout Yu Gongxuan’s entire body.

Unable to bear it, he began scratching furiously, clawing his elegant robes into complete disarray.

“Third Prince, are you alright? Should we summon a physician?”

One of his attendants looked at him worriedly.

Just then, Ren Jingzhi, who had been lying motionless, slowly opened his eyes.

“Lin Bei… help me up.”

His weak voice instantly silenced the entire hall.

Lin Bei rushed over and carefully supported his master.

Suddenly—

Ren Jingzhi coughed violently before spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

The blood arced through the air…

…and landed squarely on the Third Prince’s face.

“Cough… cough… cough…”

After several more coughs, Ren Jingzhi’s body went limp as he fainted once again.

Yu Gongxuan stood frozen with blood splattered all over his face.

Already driven nearly mad by the unbearable itching, he now exploded with rage.

“Ren Jingzhi! You… you…”

He was so furious that he could not even form a complete sentence.

The sight nearly made Shen Yiran burst into laughter.

She had never expected her husband to provide such perfect assistance.

She desperately held back her laughter, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

To everyone else, however, it simply looked as though she were shaking with fear.

“Third Prince, my husband truly didn’t do it on purpose. He has been poisoned, and the blood he coughed up may also be poisonous. Please, allow this humble wife to wipe it clean for you.”

As she spoke, she drew out a handkerchief and began wiping his face.

It would have been better had she left it alone.

Originally, only half his face had been stained.

After her enthusiastic efforts, the blood was smeared evenly across his entire face.

He now looked even more terrifying than Shen Yiran herself.

“Get away from me, you ugly woman!”

Yu Gongxuan had completely reached the end of his patience.

“I won’t let any of you off!”

The agonizing itch drove him nearly insane.

Leading his attendants, he hurriedly fled the room.

“Take care, Third Prince. I won’t see you out!”

The moment his figure disappeared from sight, Shen Yiran finally burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! That’s absolutely hilarious!”

Lin Bei, however, stared anxiously at his master, who had coughed up blood and fainted once again.

“Your Highness, please come quickly! His Highness isn’t going to make it!”

Shen Yiran walked over and took Ren Jingzhi’s pulse.

Just as she had expected.

Most of the poison had already been expelled.

His complexion had even regained a trace of color.

“It’s nothing serious. Your Crown Prince won’t die. The blood he just spat out was poisoned blood. Expelling it will only help his recovery.”

Really?

The Crown Prince could actually be saved?

Although hope surged within Lin Bei’s heart, he still found it difficult to believe.

He had never heard that the Crown Princess Consort possessed medical skills.

Looking at Shen Yiran, he hesitantly asked,

“Your Highness… can my Master truly be saved?”

“Besides trusting me, do you have a better option?”

Although Lin Bei doubted her, Shen Yiran was not offended.

Time would prove everything.

Looking at the confidence on the Crown Princess Consort’s face, especially the unwavering determination in her eyes, Lin Bei found it impossible to associate her with the crude village girl everyone had described.

Forget it.

As long as she could cure the Crown Prince, nothing else mattered.

“Lin Bei, bring me a brush and paper. I’ll write a prescription for your Master.”

“Right away, Your Highness!”

Lin Bei dashed excitedly toward the study.

He had dreamed countless times of seeing even the slightest hope for his master.

Even if it meant treating a dead horse as though it were alive, he could not afford to miss a single opportunity.

If his master’s poison could truly be cured…

…then they would finally have hope again.

Ever since Ren Jingzhi had been poisoned, he had steadily fallen out of favor within the residence.

Su Concubine’s branch of the family, in particular, wished for his early death so that her own son could inherit the position of Crown Prince.

Within the entire residence, only the Prime Minister genuinely cared for him.

He had spent enormous sums seeking renowned physicians to cure the poison, yet every attempt had ended in disappointment.

After so many failures, everyone had silently accepted the reality.

Now, the Crown Princess Consort was claiming she could heal him.

How could Lin Bei not be overwhelmed with excitement?

“Miss, the wound on your back is bleeding again.”

Seeing that no one else was in the room, Yun’er hurried over anxiously.

Shen Yiran shifted her body slightly.

It truly did hurt.

From the moment she had gotten out of bed until now, one troublesome incident after another had kept her mind under constant strain.

Only after Yun’er pointed it out did the pain become even more pronounced.

“It’s alright. We’ll deal with it after we return to our room.”

She gently reached out and stroked Yun’er’s swollen cheek.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Miss, this servant isn’t in pain.”

Tears welled up in Yun’er’s eyes.

Not because of the slap…

…but because of her mistress’s concern.

Servants rarely received kindness or acknowledgment from their masters.

That was simply their fate, and she had long accepted it.

Yet now, her Miss cared for her as though she were family.

She was deeply touched and profoundly grateful.

“Your Highness, here they are!”

Lin Bei hurried back and respectfully presented the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

In her previous life, Shen Yiran had never enjoyed practicing calligraphy.

She found it far too troublesome.

Now, holding a writing brush again felt unfamiliar.

Moreover, exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her.

“Lin Bei, I’ll dictate. You write.”

To Lin Bei and Yun’er, it appeared that the Crown Princess Consort could not write.

They could hardly be blamed for thinking so.

After all, the Original Host truly knew very few characters.

The handful she recognized had been taught to her by her adoptive mother’s son.

“Fifteen grams of Mountain Bean Root, ten grams of Purple-Backed Skyflower, fifteen grams of Coptis Root…”

After dictating the prescription, Shen Yiran added a solemn warning.

“To avoid unnecessary complications, no one—inside or outside the residence—is to learn of the Crown Prince’s true condition. Other than your most trusted confidants, this matter must remain strictly confidential.”