The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Chapter 246 Inserting the Needle

The person who came was none other than A Ning. A Ning was not supposed to approach the main courtyard, but on her way back she heard someone say that the princess had come to the mansion, and she moved closer to the main courtyard.

As I watched the people inside gradually get busy, I was too far away to know what they were doing.

Seeing that Uncle Chun had left with the little maid beside Gu Qingwan, there was only Xiao Yi at the door. Xiao Yi was easier to talk to, so she decided to muster up her courage and go over to ask.

Before he could even get close enough to speak with Xiao Yi, he saw Uncle Hua approaching. Uncle Hua said something to Xiao Yi, and Xiao Yi, scratching his head, followed him.

Ah Ning felt her chance had come. She had to wake the prince up and not let him be bewitched by such a vixen. Xiao Yi was too negligent; what if Gu Qingwan tried to harm the prince?

Just as she was about to take action, she heard the prince cry out in pain from inside. Who was the prince? He was someone who wouldn't even flinch when flesh and blood flew on the battlefield, yet he cried out. That vixen Gu Qingwan must have taken advantage of the prince's trust in her and done something.

Ah Ning couldn't remember anything, only one thought remained: "Go in and save the prince!" Inside, only Gu Qingwan was guarding the bedside. The table was covered with tools, including silver needles and all sorts of knives.

Could it be that this Gu Qingwan actually dared to torture the prince without permission?

"Your Highness, how are you?!" Seeing the bed completely surrounded by curtains, A-Ning's eyebrows furrowed.

In contrast, Gu Qingwan sat calmly on the embroidered stool in front of the bed, not even glancing at A Ning.

"go out."

Ah Ning realized that Gu Qingwan was talking to her.

"what?"

"Can't you understand human language? I'm telling you to get out now! Oh, and close the door."

Ah Ning's face twisted in anger. "Why are you telling me to leave! And what exactly did you do to the Prince!"

After not hearing the prince's voice for a while, A-Ning took a step to rush over, but stopped immediately as soon as her toes moved.

If she moved even a little further forward, all the silver needles embedded in the floor tiles in front of her toes would pierce through her feet.

A Ning's body trembled slightly. When did Gu Qingwan come to have such internal strength? Moreover, she hadn't even seen Gu Qingwan make a move.

This is absolutely impossible!

"Because she is my queen!" A deep, angry voice came from inside the bed curtains.

Xiao Jingchen was somewhat annoyed. Firstly, his time alone with Wanwan had been interrupted, and secondly, he could not tolerate the person by his side being so disrespectful to his future princess. In his eyes, there was still a difference between master and servant.

“Your Highness…” A-Ning was somewhat unable to accept it. She was clearly the best person to the prince, so why did the prince not only not appreciate it but also drive her away?

It's all the fault of this vixen in front of her. She must have given the prince some kind of drug that made him like this. However, the silver needles under his feet must have been thrown out from behind the bed curtains by the prince. If the prince did it, Ah Ning can accept it a little better.

She originally thought that with Miss Wen from the Empress Dowager's family around, Gu Qingwan would definitely not be able to enter the gates of the Prince of Chu's house, or at least the Prince of Chu's wife would definitely not be her. But later she heard that the Prince proposed to her personally in the main hall.

The prince was such a proud man, yet he actually lowered himself for a woman, ignoring even the Empress Dowager's words.

Gu Qingwan not only created a rift between the prince and the Empress Dowager, but also made the prince hand over the late emperor's edict that was meant to save his life. Wouldn't that put the prince in a dangerous situation?

During the period when the betrothal gifts were being exchanged, she watched as Uncle Hua and the entire household were busy, as if the prince were getting married the very next day.

The Prince's storeroom wasn't enough; he was so eager to have his guards give all the properties outside to Gu Qingwan that he wouldn't be satisfied.

Miss Wen also sent someone to inquire about the Prince. Miss Wen, a lady of such a prominent family, has waited for the Prince for so many years, but the Prince doesn't even see her. He lets Miss Wen shed tears at home and be ridiculed by the world. This Gu Qingwan deserves to die.

If she still possessed martial arts skills, she would definitely have found a way to help the prince get rid of this menace. But now... Ah Ning thought for a moment, yes, as long as this menace is eliminated, that would be enough. But not now. Right now, she needs to find a way to stay by the prince's side.

“Your Highness, please let Aning stay. I’ve always been the one by your side. Now that you’re in this condition, it won’t do without someone to serve you. Miss Gu is a lady from a respectable family, and I’m afraid she’s not capable of serving others.”

"go out!"

Xiao Jingchen's voice was as cold as the coldest September winter, but A Ning gritted her teeth and pretended not to hear it.

"The tea has gone cold, Aning, go and make some fresh tea for Miss." With that, she took the kettle and left without asking, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Gu Qingwan found this scene rather baffling.

"You little guard... oh no, now she's a little maid... no, what's wrong with her? Why does she always seem to have this inexplicable hostility towards me?"

"Wanwan, you're asking a question you already know the answer to."

"Hmph, it's all because our Prince Chu is so charming. Even though he's disfigured, he still has a large group of women chasing after him."

"Even if there are a large group, I am only yours, and we have already had physical intimacy. You can't deny it."

Gu Qingwan paused. "Is this how 'skin-to-skin contact' is used? The military doctors in the barracks also treated you; did you have skin-to-skin contact with them?"

"That's different. At most, they'll treat the wounds on my upper body. But in front of you, I'm completely naked..."

"Alright, alright." Gu Qingwan quickly interrupted Xiao Jingchen's attempt to explain, which was getting more and more absurd. "Don't talk anymore, and don't get angry. I'll remove the needle from your back now, and then you can turn over."

Xiao Jingchen remained silent, refusing to cooperate. Gu Qingwan's needlework was incredibly fast, with precise placement and technique.

Xiao Jingchen turned over, his face slightly flushed, seemingly a little embarrassed, but Gu Qingwan showed no embarrassment whatsoever; she knew they had reached a crucial step.

Just now, she opened up almost all of Xiao Jingchen's meridians from behind, protecting several key and vital points. The front is the key, so she protected several major acupoints on Xiao Jingchen's heart meridian.

"Miss, the medicinal bath is ready," Siqi called from the doorway.

"You all come in."

Siqi was carrying a large amount of ground herbs, and Chunbo was also carrying a large pile. Xiaoyi carried in a specially made bath tub the size of a person. Actually, they could have arranged for someone else to come in, but Chunbo explained that it seemed inconvenient for the prince, so it was better for the few close attendants to do it themselves.

"Uncle Hua, is the water boiled yet?"

"The hot water is boiled to a rolling boil, and there is plenty of it to keep out of reach."

"Then please go to the bathroom and prepare. Siqi, you stand guard at the door and don't let anyone in."

Siqi was, after all, an unmarried woman, and the other party was her young lady's future husband. It was indeed inappropriate for her to stay in this place. If she refused to leave, it would be as if she wanted to become a concubine for the King of Chu.

Siqi would never stoop so low. It would be so much better to stay by her mistress's side. Besides, her mistress is so beautiful. If her mistress allowed her to stay with her, she wouldn't stay with anyone else.

"By the way, do we need someone to come in when we're heating the water?"

"No need. The servants heat water from next door; there are special pipes to deliver hot water."

"Uncle Hua, could you please take some people and keep a close eye on the hot water supply later, so that no one can take advantage of the situation?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Hua immediately put on a stern face and said, "If there really is such a traitor in the manor, this old servant will be the first to deal with him!"

Gu Qingwan smiled and comforted Uncle Hua: "Qingwan is just taking precautions, Uncle Hua, there's no need to be so nervous."

"Xiao Yi and Chun Bo, please stay here. After I finish acupuncture, the Prince will be poisoned. If the Prince cannot bear it, I will try to cure him. I will need your assistance at that time."

Lying in bed, Xiao Jingchen, trying to get attention, weakly said, "Wanwan, I can actually handle it, I don't need them..."

"Shut up……"

Seeing that Gu Qingwan was somewhat unhappy, Xiao Jingchen immediately shut his mouth and dared not say another word.

Everyone was amused by the King of Chu's henpecked behavior. Siqi and Uncle Hua, fearing that the King would hold a grudge, quickly slipped away.

Chunbo didn't care and laughed unrestrainedly, but Xiao Yi was in a terrible state. He was afraid that his master would hold a grudge after he recovered, so he could only desperately endure it.

The room was quiet except for the sound of running water in the bathroom and the bubbling of medicine on the stove. Uncle Chun carefully placed each herb into the boiling water in the correct order and dosage, then covered the pot to let it steep.

When Chunbo returned to Gu Qingwan's side, she was covered in sweat. Xiao Jingchen was not in a good state either, also drenched in sweat, holding a silver needle in her hand.

"This is the last shot, hang in there!"

Gu Qingwan administered the final injection, and Xiao Jingchen immediately felt what it meant to "fade quickly like fireworks." Indeed, as Wanwan had said, he was now in a state of poisoning, but it was much stronger than before.

At first, I felt extremely hot all over, as if many fireworks were exploding in my head and body at the same time. It was not only hot but also painful, like fireworks hitting my body and causing a burning pain. Later, it felt like my whole body was being roasted on a furnace.

Gu Qingwan watched as his body began to turn pale, as if he had no blood left.

"What's wrong with Master?" Xiao Yi asked worriedly. He had seen the prince suffer from poison before, but he had never seen him like this before.

The prince's lips turned deathly pale, and frost began to form on his eyelashes, which startled Xiao Yi.

"This is the real poison taking effect. Otherwise, why would you think a harmful poison would have such a poetic name? It's not poetic; it's just stating the facts."

"State the facts?"

"When this poison takes effect, it goes through two stages. One is that the patient initially feels very hot, but to outsiders, he appears to be very cold. The reason is simple: the toxin is absorbing the heat from his entire body, as if it wants to drain it dry."

Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

What happens if it's sucked dry?

Gu Qingwan looked at Xiao Yi as if he were an idiot, but seeing that he was concerned about Xiao Jingchen, she kindly explained, "He died, just like he was frozen to death."

Xiao Yi rubbed his arms, and he could feel the coldness emanating from the prince. He then noticed that the prince's face began to turn red, and gradually his body also began to turn red. The frost on his body began to evaporate into water vapor.

The prince is smoking!

"Your Highness! The Prince is smoking!"

Gu Qingwan quickly pulled out a few needles and threw them into the copper basin. With her other hand, she picked up a few more needles and inserted them into other acupoints.

"Don't make a fuss! Congratulations on your prince surviving the first stage and not freezing to death. The second stage is coming next." Uncle Chun patted Xiao Yi on the shoulder.

Xiao Yi's lips twitched, and he asked in a low voice, "Won't they die from the heat?"

"This young man is teachable." Uncle Chun tidied up the copper basin and picked up his tools to prepare.

Lying on the bed, Xiao Jingchen was naturally unaware of how relaxed his little princess was chatting with her subordinates. He only didn't know how long it lasted before he suddenly felt cold again, as if he were sleeping on ice, with a chill emanating from his very bones.

He tried to use his internal energy to resist the cold, but just as he was about to begin, someone grabbed his hand, as if someone had suddenly pulled him by the hand while he was lost in the snow.

"Your Highness, don't use your inner strength. I'm here, just follow me." Gu Qingwan saw that Xiao Jingchen was already suffering from the effects of the poison and was about to lose control.

"Xiao Yi, help the prince up. I need to use my internal energy to help him expel the toxins."

Without saying a word, Xiao Yi helped the prince up from the bed, and Gu Qingwan climbed onto the bed and sat behind Xiao Jingchen, using her internal energy to help guide the poison's path.

Xiao Yi noticed that the prince's face was turning red and white, and the scar on his face was becoming more noticeable.

"Uncle Chun, prepare the silver needles and insert them into the index and middle fingers of the prince's left hand!"

The moment the silver needle pierced through, everything turned pitch black. Uncle Chun used a prepared handkerchief to pull the needle out, and Gu Qingwan pulled hard, and two black lines of blood gushed out from Xiao Jingchen's two fingers.

Most people would have passed out long after being poisoned, and Xiao Jingchen was also somewhat dazed, but he managed to hold on. He took one last look at Gu Qingwan and then successfully passed out.

"master!"

Xiao Yi anxiously helped the King of Chu up.

She quickly removed all the silver needles from Xiao Jingchen's body. "Don't be stunned. Quickly help the prince into the bath."

Although Gu Qingwan considered herself a doctor, she still adhered to the principle of gender distinction unless absolutely necessary. After giving her instructions, she got up and walked ahead.

Upon entering the bathroom, she lifted the lid, and the strong medicinal scent that wafted out made her feel somewhat dizzy. Xiao Yi and Chun Bo helped Xiao Jingchen sit inside, and Xiao Yi almost fainted from the steam of the medicine as she got closer.

It is called a specially made wooden barrel because it was made according to what Gu Qingwan had said.