Chapter 94: Reap What You Sow

Just seeing that line on the paper, Shen Zhifeng broke out in a cold sweat.

He hurriedly summoned the steward and had him lead the guards in a thorough search of the estate, but they found no trace of anyone suspicious.

“Master, what is the matter?”

“Nothing. Perhaps I saw wrongly. You may all withdraw for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once everyone had dispersed, Shen Zhifeng locked himself in his study and paced back and forth, agitated and restless.

What did that message mean? Drugged? Drugged with what? He had clearly instructed Madam Feng to put the medicine only into the portion destined for the Warm Jade Pavilion. Could something have gone wrong again?

And who had sent that letter? Friend or foe? How did that person know the soup had been tampered with?

Countless questions flashed through his mind until Shen Zhifeng felt as if his head would split open.

He forced himself to calm down. What if this was a trap?

Thus, after trying to comfort himself, Shen Zhifeng still went to bed to rest. Yet he slept poorly all night. The next morning, too afraid to summon the family physician, he secretly slipped out to an apothecary in town for a consultation.

After feeling his pulse, the doctor’s expression turned grave. “May I ask whether the master has a wife and children at home?”

Shen Zhifeng did not understand what he meant. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded.

The doctor let out a sigh of relief, then looked at him and sighed again. “Master, the medicine has taken deep hold. I’m afraid you will never father children. Forgive my helplessness; you should seek help elsewhere.”

At those words, Shen Zhifeng’s face turned livid. Disbelief filled his dark eyes. He suddenly kicked over the small table beside him.

“What kind of quack are you, spouting such nonsense! Believe me or not, I’ll tear down the sign over your door!”

The doctor jumped in fright. “Master, I am speaking the truth. If you do not believe me, you may visit another clinic and have yourself examined again. Perhaps my own skill is indeed lacking.”

Shen Zhifeng’s gaze flickered unpredictably. He glanced around. There were still two or three patients in the apothecary, all of them watching him warily, afraid he might strike someone at any moment. The atmosphere had grown stifling, and no one dared speak.

Clenching his fists, afraid of drawing too much attention, he turned and strode out in a hurry.

He ran to several more clinics in succession, and every answer he received was the same: incurable.

Originally, Shen Zhifeng had already been weakened by the drugs Shen Qingyun had given him. Now, this had directly extinguished even the faintest thread of hope.

But he did not even have a son yet.

Was this not the end of his line?

Pain in his body and terror in his heart surged together. Shen Zhifeng sat in the clinic, panting harshly. After a long while, he seemed to remember something, and in a daze made his way back home.

He summoned the family physician to examine the Old Madam and Shen Sisi. This time, matters were even worse: both of them had been struck by the sterilizing drug as well.

The Old Madam nearly fainted on the spot.

What sort of cursed business was this? She was already old, half her body practically buried in yellow earth, and now she had been poisoned with a drug that cut off one’s descendants!

Shen Sisi’s face, like Shen Zhifeng’s, had gone a dark, ugly green.

She had heard that yesterday, over in the Warm Jade Pavilion, a great commotion had taken place. Though orders had been given forbidding anyone from speaking of it, the uproar had been so large that the whole household had heard of it. Everyone said the second young lady had been poisoned, that she had coughed up black blood, and that the madam had struck the duke without a second thought, even threatening to divorce him.

But only now did she learn that it had been a sterilizing drug!

Shen Sisi could not help but cast Shen Zhifeng a resentful glance. Truly, he was utterly incompetent, good for nothing but making trouble—how had he managed to drag her into this as well?

Now that such a thing had happened, it was not even easy to investigate. Leaving aside the fact that the drug itself had been given by Shen Zhifeng, Madam Feng’s whole family had already been dealt with directly by Lady Han. Moreover, Shen Zhifeng did not dare cry out about it.

What man would ever wish for others to know of such a thing?

And Shen Sisi dared not make a public fuss either. The household was full of loose tongues, people who loved to gossip. If the story spread from mouth to mouth, who knew what it would become? Her background was already less than clean; if that were exposed now, would she not be bringing disgrace upon herself?

If Jiang Lin learned of it, would he still be willing to marry her?

Just imagining those consequences sent a chill straight down her spine.

So she stepped forward, slipped the family physician a silver ingot, and instructed him, “You may go for now.”

The family physician had seen something extraordinary indeed; a whole family poisoned with sterilizing medicine was rare beyond measure. “Master, Old Madam, young lady, rest assured, I shall never speak carelessly. Still, Master, you might go to the Suspended Physician Pavilion and seek out the miracle doctor. Was it not the miracle doctor who cured the second young lady?”

Yes, of course. They could still seek out the miracle doctor.

The cloud of gloom in the room seemed to disperse all at once.

Shen Zhifeng’s eyes lit up. He had been so panicked that he had nearly forgotten this. Thinking of the miracle doctor, he could no longer sit still. “I’ll go at once and see. Mother, wait at home for my news.”

The Old Madam nodded, her eyes full of hope.

Shen Sisi quickly said, “Father, I’ll go with you. I hear that miracle doctor has an especially strange temper; two people can think things through together.”

As the matter was urgent, Shen Zhifeng agreed and took Shen Sisi straight to the Suspended Physician Pavilion.

The moment Yicui heard that they were leaving, she hurried to report back to Shen Qingyun. “Miss, Master and Eldest Miss have gone out.”

Shen Qingyun nodded, sipping rose dew unhurriedly. No rush. Let them run into walls everywhere until they have no choice but to come begging to her—that would be worthy of the bitter medicine she had to drink every day.

“Miss, this rose dew is meant to be taken after your medicine. Hurry and drink it first; it will not be good once it turns cold,” Yicui said, a little put out.

Just then, Zhenzhu came in carrying a food box that looked rather familiar. Smiling, she set it down on the table before Shen Qingyun. “Miss, something has been sent over again from Prince Li’s residence.”

Shen Qingyun looked listless, showing no interest in anything. “What is it?”

Zhenzhu opened it eagerly. There were two layers.

The first held a small jar. When opened, it proved to be honey, clear and golden, with a faint floral fragrance.

The second layer was a nine-compartment box lined with silk. Inside lay nine gems of different colors, each one priceless. Especially the blue gem in the center, which gleamed with a beautiful velvet sheen and carried an air of calm, steady nobility.

“Wow!” Yicui and Zhenzhu both gasped aloud. It was the first time they had ever seen such dazzling, splendid gems of so many colors.

Even Shen Qingyun was momentarily dazzled. Then she picked up the sheet of paper placed beside the compartments.

When she unfolded it, she saw only a sharp, powerful hand: Drink your medicine properly. Use this to buy yourself some sweets.

Shen Qingyun’s face instantly flushed red. Seeing this, Zhenzhu leaned in and asked, “Miss, what does it say?”

“Mind your manners,” Shen Qingyun said, glaring at her, then folding the paper away. That little wretch—so she was the traitor after all, actually telling others that she was afraid of bitter medicine. “Bring me the medicine.”

Yicui stared in surprise at her mistress and obediently carried it over.

Shen Qingyun glanced at the glittering gems, shut her eyes, steeled herself, and swallowed the medicine in one gulp. Then she quickly took a few sips of rose dew.

Whether there were gems or not did not matter. What mattered was that she had drunk the medicine.

Zhenzhu and Yicui exchanged a glance and both snickered quietly.