Chapter 139: Asking for help, I’ll play you a round (2/2)

After listening to Han Yunxi’s “complaints,” Grand Concubine Yi’s fists clenched together. She was already angry that Murong Wanru hadn’t gone to ask for help herself. Who knew that the servants she’d sent hadn’t told the truth as it was, either? Han Yunxi was right, this was treating her life as a joke. Why couldn’t that lass grasp the seriousness of the situation? It looked like she had spoiled her too much.

Seeing Grand Concubine Yi’s heavy sighs, Han Yunxi’s eyes flickered slyly. Suddenly, she released her hand and gave out a cry. “This is bad!”

Grand Concubine Yi was so scared that she nearly fell out of her bed. “What happened? Am I beyond hope?”

“Mufei, your poison’s reached your heart! There’s no more time!” Han Yunxi said worriedly.

Grand Concubine Yi only felt her vision turn black in a sudden wave of dizziness. She abruptly grabbed Han Yunxi’s hands. “Yunxi, you have to save me, you have to! Mufei doesn’t want to die!”

Yunxi?

If Han Yunxi remembered correctly, this was the first time Grand Concubine Yi had called her name in such intimate terms. When a person was facing death, things like pride, face, and resentful grudges were nothing more than clouds floating in the air.

“Mufei, it’s been delayed too long! If it was just a bit earlier, even by a tiny bit more, I’d be 100 percent certain that I could treat you. But now…I really can’t promise anything,” Han Yunxi seemed very much at a loss.

“Then…then what do we do? What?” Grand Concubine Yi was completely losing her wits.

“Mufei, I’ll try to use acupuncture needles to suppress the poison and get a doctor to find some medicine right away. I’ll definitely do my best. As to whether or not I can make it in time…”

Before Han Yunxi finished, Grand Concubine Yi broke in, too frightened to hear any more. “Hurry, quickly!”

This was a last resort. She didn’t want to die!

“Then mufei, lie down right now. I’ll start putting in needles immediately,” Han Yunxi pretended to worry.

As soon as Grand Concubine Yi was lying on the bed, Han Yunxi took out her needles and carefully stuck them in acupunture points on her heck. Meanwhile, she detailed out a prescription while a poison doctor wrote it down. As she worked against the clock and concentrated wholeheartedly on her task, no one suspected that she was pretending the entire time. Actually, she could suppress the poison just by using acupuncture alone. At the very least, it could buy her three days’ worth of time. Still, how couldn’t she use this chance to toy around with Murong Wanru a bit?

If she wanted to eliminate Murong Wanru while they were staying under the same roof, then she needed to win over Grand Concubine Yi’s heart.

After verifying her prescription, the poison doctor ran off to fetch, boil and prepare the ingredients as fast as possible. Han Yunxi spent much longer finishing up the needles before releasing a breath to sit by the bed. By now, the skies in the east had started to turn a greyish-white like a fish’s belly. It would be daybreak very soon. Grand Concubine Yi lay on the bed, her entire body stiff. She was afraid to even move a muscle.

“Mufei, does your throat still itch?” Han Yunxi asked in concern.

“No, not as much. Yunxi, do you think…do you think we’ll make it?” Grand Concubine Yi was very nervous.

Han Yunxi intentionally sucked in a light breath. “If I had known earlier, then…” After getting to this point, she quickly changed the topic to console her. “Mufei, Heaven helps the worthy. You’ll definitely be all right for sure!”

Any type of comforting words seemed pale and powerless before reality. Grand Concubine Yi’s eyes turned red as her mind grew blank. She only hoped that the poison doctor would return quickly with the medicine. She didn’t speak any more, but held on tightly to Han Yunxi’s hand, as if hoping that Han Yunxi could give her some strength.

Han Yunxi hesitated briefly before extending her other hand to cover both of theirs. “Mufei, set your cares at rest. Just tell me immediately as soon as your throat itches again.”

Grand Concubine Yi nodded, bracing her nerves to focus completely on her throat. Time seemed long and weary as they waited. Suddenly, hasty footsteps sounded from outside.

“It’s here!” Grand Concubine Yi rejoiced.

Indeed, a poison doctor entered the rooms, personally carrying a bowl of piping hot medicine. “Esteemed imperial concubine, this is the medicine that was made according to esteemed wangfei’s prescription.”

The medicine was here and her throat hadn’t itched a bit. There was still enough time. She had hope! She could be saved!

Grand Concubine Yi was so moved that she sat up by herself. Han Yunxi accepted the bowl and fed her spoonful after spoonful without stopping. When every drop was finished, she exhaled and spoke, extremely moved. “Yunxi, will it be fine now that I’ve drank the medicine?”

Even the emperor would dread the idea of death, much less an old lady like Grand Concubine Yi.

Han Yunxi saw her fear as she nodded. “Congratulations to mufei, your life won’t be in danger anymore. But the medicine will need some time to take effect, so I’ll remove the needles from you later.”

Grand Concubine Yi nodded as her heart finally settled back down in her chest. She leaned against the headboard and silently expelled a breath. Han Yunxi quietly pulled her hand over to check her pulse. When Grand Concubine Yi calmed down enough to observe Han Yunxi’s serious, focused expression, she unconsciously saw her in a new light…

-o-

[1] Cui Ping (翠萍) – Cui is ‘emerald green, kingfisher, jadeite,’ Ping is ‘duckweed.’