GTB Chapter 101

Chapter 101: I’ll Take You to the Seventh Prince

Chapter 101: I’ll Take You to the Seventh Prince

A palace maid who had been observing from a distance saw the man had been inside for quite some time and immediately turned to leave.

Inside the room, Jiang Jiuchu saw the two guards collapsed weakly on the ground. She immediately bypassed them, opened the door, and ran outside.

She had to leave this place quickly. She had heard too many stories like this. Inevitably, someone would arrive soon.

And she didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. She definitely couldn’t make a fool of herself in front of others.

She endured the discomfort in her body and left the side hall, but when she looked at the road ahead, she was lost. Where… should she go?

After only a moment’s thought, she immediately thought of the Empress Dowager. Now in this palace, the safest place for her was the Empress Dowager’s residence.

But she still struggled with the road ahead. She had no idea where she was, or which way to go to reach Cining Palace.

The increasingly uncontrollable sensation in her body made her helpless and afraid, and tears flowed out involuntarily.

She didn’t have time to think and immediately chose a direction opposite to the banquet.

However, after only walking a short distance, she couldn’t bear the burning heat in her body, which made her lean against the corner of the wall, panting in discomfort.

Jiang Jiuchu raised her left hand, popped out the tiny needle on her ring, frowned, and stabbed it forcefully into her arm.

The pain came instantly, allowing her to regain a trace of willpower and continue forward.

However, as soon as she turned the corner, she ran into someone.

“Miss Jiang.” Shí Xiu, who was about to go to the banquet, looked in surprise at Jiang Jiuchu, who was staggering out while leaning against the wall.

Before he could feel happy, he immediately noticed the extremely abnormal flush on her face.

Shí Xiu’s expression changed, and he immediately took a step forward, “What’s wrong with you?”

Jiang Jiuchu looked at Shí Xiu in front of her and subconsciously took a step back. Then, remembering that Shí Xiu knew medicine, she immediately said:

“Fifth Prince, I’ve been drugged with that kind of aphrodisiac. Is there an antidote?”

Shí Xiu was shocked and immediately stepped forward, grabbing Jiang Jiuchu’s wrist to take her pulse.

The man’s approach made Jiang Jiuchu instantly want to lean on him. Realizing this, she silently turned her hand, which was hanging by her side, and stabbed it towards her thigh.

“You’ve been poisoned with an aphrodisiac.” Shí Xiu looked at Jiang Jiuchu, who was breathing erratically and heavily, and without asking any further questions, grabbed her wrist, “Come on, I’ll take you to the Seventh Prince.”

“Don’t.” Jiang Jiuchu said. Seeing Shí Xiu look at her in confusion, she explained: “He’s not in the palace.”

“Then I’ll send you back to your residence now.” Not only did Shí Xiu not release Jiang Jiuchu’s wrist, but he even wanted to step forward and pick her up.

Jiang Jiuchu quickly reached out to stop him from moving forward, “Isn’t there any other way? Is there no medicine to counteract it?”

Perhaps the approach of the man in front of her made the flames surging in her heart even more intense. The ring on her hand slowly stabbed into her thigh again.

Hearing this, the look in Shí Xiu’s eyes deepened, “There is, but it can only alleviate the symptoms. You need to combine it with your willpower to endure for an hour for the effects to completely disappear.”

“Okay, could I trouble the Fifth Prince to take me to Cining Palace and help me prescribe the antidote you mentioned?”

At this time, it wasn’t so much that Jiang Jiuchu had a lot of willpower to reject Shí Yan, but that she felt it would take at least half an hour to return to her residence, and she couldn’t hold on. She didn’t trust herself, nor did she quite trust Shí Xiu.

She could feel that Shí Xiu seemed to have some affection for her, although she wasn’t sure, she didn’t dare to take the risk.

“Let’s go.” Seeing her say this, Shí Xiu didn’t dare to delay and immediately grabbed Jiang Jiuchu’s wrist, turning to walk to the right.

Jiang Jiuchu pulled at the wrist he was holding, “Fifth Prince, please let go of me quickly. In case others see, you and I will be criticized. Just lead the way in front. I can hold on. I can walk myself.”

“Okay.” Shí Xiu paused for a moment and then immediately released her hand, striding forward.

His mind was recalling Jiang Jiuchu’s instantaneous reaction when she refused to look for Shí Yan twice.

Jiang Jiuchu followed behind Shí Xiu, walking and running all the way, and the outside of her thigh had been stabbed by the needle on the ring countless times. Every step she took pulled out a trace of pain, also regaining a trace of reason.

When the pain could no longer relieve it, she simply turned the ring on her finger halfway and held it in her palm.

Sure enough, the pain in her palm was more obvious, barely able to help her suppress the desire in her heart, suppressing the impulse to rush forward and hug Shí Xiu.

Cining Palace wasn’t too far, and they arrived at the entrance of Cining Palace in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Shí Xiu stopped and looked at Jiang Jiuchu, who was about to collapse, and said: “Go in and soak in cold water first. I’ll go to the Imperial Hospital to help you get medicine right now.”

“Okay, thank you Fifth Prince for your help. I will thank you again in the future.” After Jiang Jiuchu finished speaking, without waiting for Shí Xiu to speak, she immediately stepped over the threshold of Cining Palace.

The palace maid at the door naturally recognized Jiang Jiuchu and saw that her face was flushed and her expression was painful. She immediately led Jiang Jiuchu in.

Seeing Jiang Jiuchu enter the gate of Cining Palace, Shí Xiu turned around and walked quickly towards the Imperial Hospital.

He didn’t expect such a delicate little girl to be able to withstand the effects of the drug and still be so rational.

Inside the hall, Governess Li and the Empress Dowager were discussing Jiang Jiuchu and Shí Yan when they saw a small palace maid leading Jiang Jiuchu in with a flushed face.

“Princess Consort, what’s wrong with you?” Governess Li was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward, grabbing Jiang Jiuchu, who seemed to be unable to stand still.

The Empress Dowager also looked at Jiang Jiuchu in fear: “What’s wrong with you? Where are you uncomfortable?”

“Royal Grandmother, I… I’ve been drugged with an aphrodisiac. Quickly ask someone to help me get a bucket of cold water.” When Jiang Jiuchu saw the Empress Dowager, the defense line in her heart relaxed instantly, and her legs were about to give way, wanting to lie down.

The Empress Dowager and Governess Li were instantly terrified. The Empress Dowager didn’t have time to think and immediately ordered the palace maid to help Jiang Jiuchu go to the adjacent wing.

After buckets of ice-cold well water were poured into the bathtub, the palace maids quickly helped Jiang Jiuchu take off her shoes and helped her into the tub.

As soon as Jiang Jiuchu sat in, she instantly felt a coolness enveloping her, making her feel much better.

The Empress Dowager sat aside, her expression unsightly. In broad daylight, who dared to be so bold, using such a common, underhanded means to harm someone’s innocence?

Based on her many years of experience, she didn’t even have to think to know that it was done by a woman.

After all, no man dared to think about Yan’er’s Princess Consort like that unless he didn’t want to live.

But if it was a woman, she could find some scapegoats to operate secretly.

She collected her thoughts and looked at Jiang Jiuchu, who was feeling a little better, and asked: “Do you know how you were drugged?”

“Maybe it was the tea, or maybe it was the incense in the side hall.” Jiang Jiuchu briefly recounted what happened. She felt that there shouldn’t be any problems with the snacks, after all, Green Luo also ate them.

Thinking of this, she quickly said to the Empress Dowager: “Royal Grandmother, my maid Green Luo was taken by a small palace maid to fetch water, but she never came back. Could Royal Grandmother send someone to help me find her?”

As soon as Jiang Jiuchu finished speaking, Governess Li walked in from outside, “Empress Dowager, this old servant has already sent someone to notify His Highness.”

“Hmm,” the Empress Dowager nodded and ordered: “Immediately send someone to take down the two guards in the side hall. Don’t let anyone destroy the evidence. Take all the palace maids on duty in the Imperial Garden today to Cining Palace. Also, find Green Luo, that maid, and bring her over.”

“Yes.” Hearing this, Governess Li immediately took the Empress Dowager’s order and went down to arrange it.

After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she asked Jiang Jiuchu again, “Do you have any suspects?”

Jiang Jiuchu blinked her burning eyelids, shook her head, and difficultly uttered two words, “No, I don’t.”

She felt that the cold water seemed to have lost its effect. The unbearable heat in her heart reached its peak again, making her curl up into a ball in discomfort.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager stepped forward and reached out to test the water in the tub. The well water, which should have been ice-cold, had become slightly warm.

She immediately ordered the palace maid beside her, “Bring another tub and fill it with well water. Change the water in the two tubs in turn.”