|| ᴘᴏɪꜱᴏɴ ɢᴇɴɪᴜꜱ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴏʀᴛ ||

Chapters 31-40

Chapter 31: In for a penny, in for a pound[1]

It wasn't clear what Mu Liuyue said, but both Princess Changping and the North Court Official looked happy when she was done. The official even raised her a thumbs-up. "Ingenious! Miss Mu is truly intelligent!"

"All right, Liuyue! When everything's over, I'll reward you for this!" Princess Changping's eyes were laughing as she instructed the North Court Official to make preparations.

Han Yunxi, this time you'll definitely be killed!

--

Han Yunxi waited anxiously for an entire afternoon with no news of Mu Qingwu. Now it was already dark out. Another day had passed, and tomorrow was the last day of the allocated time. She almost wondered whether Gu Beiyue had gotten the blood sample and was on his way over already.

But when night fell, only a small boy came with a specially prepared soup to ward off the chill. Han Yunxi took one sip and knew that Gu Beiyue made it. Her heart felt warm thinking of such a conscientious person.

"Has there been any change with the young general?" she asked in a low voice.

The young boy shook his head. "Qin Wangfei, your father came by today. After he left, Imperial Physician Gu's been keeping watch over the young general without leaving him a step."

"Han Congan? Did he say anything?" Han Yunxi hadn't calculated on that person, which left her a bit nervous. All the people in the capital knew that Han Congan was the empress dowager's dog.

"This one isn't very clear. Esteemed wangfei, please drink your soup while it's hot." The young boy couldn't stay for long, so Han Yunxi drank the soup while he talked. "Divine Doctor Han couldn't diagnose him so General Mu lost his temper. Imperial Physician Gu offered up a life-or-death waiver before General Mu allowed him to stay." When she heard this, Han Yunxi's heart gave a leap before her eyes began to inexplicably sting.

"Esteemed wangfei, Imperial Physician Gu told me to tell you not to worry and relax. You should take care of yourself and wait for him to come."

Unconsciously, the image of Gu Beiyue's warm, clear eyes appeared in her mind, somehow soothing her anxious heart. Gu Beiyue, will you show up tonight?

How was Han Yunxi supposed to sleep tonight?

It was already late at night, but her eyes were still wide open. She was convinced of her diagnosis, which meant either tonight or tomorrow would put her and Mu Qingwu's life to the test. Gu Beiyue was her only hope, as long as no one caused him any trouble. Han Yunxi waited and waited until the skies showed signs of brightening when she heard a disturbance coming from outside that sounded like hasty footsteps. She couldn't tell who it was in her groggy state, but felt suddenly excited. Despite this, she suppressed the feeling as best as she could.

Very quickly the light glimmered, revealing Gu Beiyue coming her way!

A thrilled Han Yunxi leaped off her bed, keeping her voice low in the presence of the prison guards nearby. Gu Beiyue nodded covertly at the guards until they left. This was no time for visitors, so he must have paid a lot of silver to get in. As soon as they were gone, he anxiously said, "Hurry, the thing you want is here!"

"The poison's shown itself?" Han Yunxi asked in a low voice.

"Un, you were right. Continuous fever with the tongue turning purple, I took a blood sample and rushed right over. General Mu finally believes us and is personally standing guard over his son." Gu Beiyue handed over the needle to Han Yunxi. Though he didn't understand poisons very well, Mu Qingwu's complexion and pulse showed clear signs of hypertoxic poisoning. Anyone knew that time was of the essence when facing off against these toxins, so he had to get the antidote immediately to save him. Otherwise, all their hard work over the past days would be a waste. Han Yunxi didn't ask much, but turned to slip the needle in her detoxification system for analysis. As it turned out, the results were enough to make her face fall.