She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 211 Disease

Just as Shen Qingtan was about to rest, Liu Yue hesitated before entering the room. Standing at the curtain of the inner room, she said softly, "Second Madam, I have something to say to you."

Her voice trembled slightly from nervousness.

Shen Qingtan sat upright in front of the bronze mirror and said softly, "Come in and comb my hair."

Liu Yue came up behind Shen Qingtan, picked up a jade comb carved with begonia flowers, and combed Shen Qingtan's hair without saying a word for a long time.

Shen Qingtan waited patiently without urging her.

Only after Liu Yue had combed her long, silky hair did she raise her head and look at Shen Qingtan in the bronze mirror.

Shen Qingtan's eyes were like autumn water, gentle and tolerant.

Liu Yue's eyes slowly reddened.

"Second Madam, this servant wants to ask you for a favor." Liu Yue knelt down beside Shen Qingtan: "Please lend this servant the carriage tomorrow. You must not go anywhere. Spread the word that you are going to Hualing Temple to fulfill your vow tomorrow."

Shen Qingtan reached out to help Liu Yue to her feet: "Could you tell me the reason?"

Liu Yue gripped the comb tightly, the teeth piercing her palms and causing a sharp pain, but she seemed oblivious to the pain, constantly tightening her fingers.

A struggle flashed in her eyes as she bit her lip and said, "I have served you for many years and have returned home quite often, but my mother has never asked me about your whereabouts."

"This time, she used the pretext of looking after me to inquire about your recent whereabouts, and I became suspicious at that time."

“I told her that I am your personal maid and that you should decide on my marriage. She remembered that and would occasionally ask me if you had arranged a marriage for me. Given her nature of not daring to offend someone of high status, she would never make a decision on her own to find a match for me.”

“I deliberately told her that I would be going to Hualing Temple at the end of the month to fulfill my vow. I wanted to see if she was genuinely concerned about me or if she had other intentions.”

Liu Yue had always known that her parents favored sons over daughters and doted on her brother. But she was also their daughter, and she refused to believe that they would disregard her life or death for the sake of profit.

"Second Madam, I've served you for so long that I've started to speculate about any unusual behavior from others. This matter concerns my parents, and I dare not tell you without concrete evidence."

Liu Yue burst into tears, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "I want to give them a chance."

Shen Qingtan could truly understand Liu Yue's feelings: "Yue'er, you chose me over your parents. I'm so glad you didn't betray me."

For Liu Yue, it was a difficult choice: her biological parents on one side and the master she was loyal to on the other.

Shen Qingtan took a handkerchief and wiped away Liu Yue's tears: "If it is found that your parents were bribed to murder me, I can spare their lives for your sake."

Liu Yue opened her mouth, as if to say something.

"Let me finish what I have to say first." Shen Qingtan stuffed the handkerchief into her hand: "They will spend the rest of their lives in shackles, toiling away on the estate, just to make ends meet."

Liu Yue nodded and knelt down to kowtow three times to Shen Qingtan.

-

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi took a carriage to Hualing Temple.

Tingxue and Liuyue sat in the carriage behind.

The carriage arrived at Hualing Temple at the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM).

Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi got off the carriage, looked at the high stone steps, and helped each other climb up the steps.

At the entrance of the mountain gate, a monk was already waiting to greet them and guide them to offer incense.

Hualing Temple is known for its efficacious incense offerings, attracting a constant stream of worshippers and making it extremely crowded.

Shen Qingtan subconsciously tugged at Zhao Yi's sleeve and moved closer to him.

Zhao Yi reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace as they entered the main hall.

Upon entering the hall, the aroma of sandalwood fills the air.

Shen Qingtan has a keen sense of smell and detected a strong odor of garlic.

She looked around; worshippers came and went, but she noticed nothing unusual.

Today's situation was different, and Shen Qingtan was wary. She asked, "Master, why is there a strange smell of garlic in the hall?"

The monk in charge of receiving guests replied, "Benefactor, there are many insects and snakes in the mountains. Other pilgrims were frightened, so they placed medicinal powder in various corners of the temple to repel insects."

"Medicinal powder?" A thought flashed in Shen Qingtan's eyes: "What kind of medicinal powder?"

"This humble monk is not quite sure," the guest monk chanted a Buddhist prayer. "The medicinal powder placed in the temple will not harm you, so you can rest assured."

Shen Qingtan did not reply, but instead followed the scent to find the medicinal powder placed in the temple.

Seeing Shen Qingtan looking around anxiously, the monk quickly said, "Benefactor, the medicine powder has been sitting for four or five days, and so far no one has experienced any discomfort."

Shen Qingtan nodded: "I see..."

She seemed to have believed the monk who was in charge of receiving guests. Before she could say anything more, a group of pilgrims who had been blocking her way left, and her view suddenly opened up.

Shen Qingtan saw a wisp of yellow smoke rising from the corner and immediately moved closer to the corner. The closer she got, the stronger the stench became.

She stopped and saw a reddish-purple liquid flowing from the container of medicinal powder, along with some unburned yellow powder.

Shen Qingtan carefully examined the powder, her expression suddenly changing drastically. She asked the monk who had come with her, "Is this realgar?"

The monk was taken aback. Before he could speak, he saw Shen Qingtan hurrying back.

Shen Qingtan came to Zhao Yi's side and noticed that his complexion was abnormal, even paler than usual.

"Second Master, where do you feel unwell?" Shen Qingtan asked anxiously as she helped him out of the main hall. "Let's go to your quarters to rest, and we'll ask the physician to come and examine you."

Seeing Shen Qingtan's anxious expression, Zhao Yi wanted to say that he was fine, but instead he started coughing violently.

Shen Qingtan anxiously instructed, "Liu Yue, go and fetch the physician from the manor."

She helped Zhao Yi quickly back to his room and helped him lie down on the bed.

The room was filled with a strong smell of garlic.

"Cough cough cough..."

Zhao Yi was provoked and coughed violently again, as if he were about to cough up his lungs.

Shen Qingtan's face turned pale. She hadn't expected to find realgar in the dormitory. She quickly opened the window to ventilate the room and moved the incense burner with the realgar burning outside.

She washed her hands, poured a glass of water, and fed it to Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi suppressed the itch in her throat, and an unnatural redness appeared on her cheeks.

Shen Qingtan grasped his hand, which was cool to the touch. She then touched his forehead, which was burning hot. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to speak.

Zhao Yi wanted to say a few words of comfort to her.

At this moment, the physician from the prefecture rushed over with his medicine box and took out a pulse pillow to take Zhao Yi's pulse.

The physician's expression changed drastically when he felt the pulse.