Chapter 15: Detoxifying with pharmacology

Bao Ning still had tears on her face, her nose red, and her eyes dazed, as if she couldn’t understand what he was saying.

There had simply been too much stimulation for her today. Pei Yuan flicked her forehead lightly and sighed, “Forget it. I’m hungry. Go cook.”

Bao Ning snapped out of it.

The Pei Yuan before her still looked the same — a pair of beautiful, narrow eyes, lazily seated with his front collar slightly open, revealing a defined collarbone. His dark eyes were fixed on her.

But he wasn’t quite the same.

There was now a spark in his eyes, unlike before, when he looked at her with indifferent coldness.

Bao Ning didn’t know whether she should feel happy or not.

“Gone dumb?” Pei Yuan frowned and waved a hand in front of her face.

“No,” Bao Ning responded at once. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and quickly leapt away as if escaping. “I’ll go make dinner.”

As her eyes swept across the ground, she caught sight of the bloody red snake head, still with its mouth agape, exposing two sharp fangs. Bao Ning gasped, and the terrifying memory surged back into her mind.

“Don’t look,” Pei Yuan said, covering her eyes from behind. “It’s already dead. What’s there to be afraid of?”

His palm was very warm, so hot it made Bao Ning’s heart flinch. She quickly pushed his hand away.

Pei Yuan’s expression darkened. Bao Ning glanced back and saw the displeasure in his gaze. Fear surged within her again. Before he could say anything, she lifted her skirt and hurried out.

Ah Huang barked twice and followed her.

The room quieted once more.

Pei Yuan lowered his eyes, rubbing his fingers. The soft warmth seemed to still linger there, damp with her tears.

Forget it. He’d let her off for now.

…

Bao Ning crouched by the stove to light a fire, holding a stick of firewood, staring at the faint crimson sparks inside as if her soul had flown far away.

She didn’t know how to react to Pei Yuan.

Nor did she understand what he meant. She only knew that when he occasionally approached or touched her, she felt awkward and unsure, instinctively wanting to retreat.

Pei Yuan had been so cold in the beginning that she had already grown used to that mode of interaction and never thought of changing it.

She recalled why she had married Pei Yuan in the first place. She had wanted to escape the scheming within the Duke’s household and find a quiet place to live in peace. So back then, whatever condition Pei Yuan was in — whether destitute, ill-tempered — she didn’t mind. She took care of him wholeheartedly, tolerated him, just hoping he would recover soon and become a companion for her.

Some of it was kindness, some selfishness, and part of it was responsibility. They were husband and wife now. Regardless of love or not, Pei Yuan was her responsibility. She couldn’t bear to let him go hungry, cold, or let his wounds fester.

Even now, after learning of the grudge between Pei Yuan and Pei Xiao, and the troubles that might follow, she still couldn’t bring herself to abandon him.

Maybe Pei Yuan had been right that one time — she really was a bit of a bleeding heart.

The fire in the stove looked like it was about to die. Bao Ning quickly grabbed a handful of dry twigs and shoved them in. With a “whoosh,” the flame flared up again.

The door was open, and wind blew in. Between the cold and the heat, Bao Ning shivered, suddenly feeling a chill all over. She sneezed, assumed it was because she wasn’t wearing enough, and went to put on an extra layer before continuing to cook.

After what had happened today, she didn’t feel like making anything elaborate. Fortunately, there was some leftover rice from last night. She cracked a few eggs to make egg fried rice.

As she stirred the eggs, her thoughts began to wander again, recalling what Pei Yuan had said earlier.

There was someone named Gongsun Zhu under Pei Xiao’s command, skilled in poisons… Gongsun Zhu — that name sounded incredibly familiar.

After spacing out for a while, Bao Ning suddenly remembered: Aunt Ming had once told her that she had an uncle named Gongsun Lan, who studied medicine under the same master as her father.

Aunt Ming’s father, Ming Heyu, specialized in treating strokes and paralysis, while Gongsun Lan was better at treating internal conditions related to heat and cold. He had a deep understanding of medicinal herbs and even wrote a medical book titled Pharmacology of Poisons and Remedies (Yaoli Duqing).

Before his death, Gongsun Lan gave the book to Ming Heyu. Before Ming Heyu passed away, he gave it to Aunt Ming, who later gave it to Bao Ning.

Gongsun Lan and Gongsun Zhu — such a rare surname. Could it really be a coincidence?

Bao Ning’s heart began to race. She set down the bowl of beaten eggs and hurried to rummage through her dowry chest.

She remembered bringing that book with her. Back then, she only read half of it because the language was too difficult. She couldn’t understand much but recalled that a large part of the book was dedicated to antidotes for various poisons.

She didn’t know if it would help Pei Yuan’s leg — but she had to try!

What if the antidote for Pei Yuan’s leg was written right there?

Bao Ning didn’t have much in her dowry. Everything was neatly arranged. A small stack of books sat in the corner. She carried them over, sat on the heated bed, and flipped through them one by one.

She actually found it — a thin, old booklet with yellowed, brittle pages. On the cover were four cursive characters: 《藥理毒清》(Pharmacology of Poisons and Remedies).

Bao Ning took a deep breath and carefully opened it.

The first half of the book listed common antidotes and treatments for bites from poisonous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, etc. There were illustrations for each remedy. Bao Ning read line by line, afraid to miss a single detail.

No, no — nothing about that red-headed snake.

Her heart grew colder as she neared the final pages. She was about to give up when her fingers turned to the next page — and her heart skipped a beat. The illustration on the page — it was unmistakably the same snake from today!

There was hope!

Bao Ning wiped the sweat from her fingers onto her skirt and reverently read the page word by word:

“This snake is not found in the wild. It is bred from a juvenile black-banded viper, soaked in multiple toxins. Nine out of ten will die, and the lone survivor becomes an extremely poisonous creature. It has a red head, and its venom is most potent just after emerging from hibernation…”

“…No one attacked by it has survived to this day.”

When she read this line, Bao Ning’s heart sank to rock bottom.

Her hands trembled — even more than when she first saw the snake. Hesitating, she looked at the final line:

“Fortunately, there is a cure.”

Bao Ning suddenly exhaled in relief and hurriedly turned the page — only to see that the next page had been chewed through by rats. Moisture damage had further ruined it. The few remaining fragments were smudged, the ink blurred into one big blot.

“…Why did it have to rot?” Bao Ning muttered, rubbing at the ink blot with her finger, knowing it was pointless.

Disappointment surged like a tidal wave.

Bao Ning’s face was still streaked with tears, her nose red, eyes dazed—like she couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. The shock today had simply been too much.

Disappointment surged like a tide.

Disappointment, self-blame—if only she had taken better care of the book back then, paid more attention. Bao Ning sat blankly on the edge of the heated brick bed, feeling her eyes sting.

But it was still a good thing. At least there was a cure, right?

Bao Ning sniffled, held the book in her arms, and ran to find Pei Yuan. She didn’t even knock, just rushed straight to his side and pointed at the book: “Your Highness, do you see this? The book says this poison can be cured—you mustn’t give up!”

Pei Yuan took it, glanced at it, and asked in confusion, “How did you get this book?”

“The book isn’t what’s important,” Bao Ning said seriously. “What matters is that your leg can be healed. There’s hope. We can’t give up.”

Pei Yuan smiled. “But Gongsun Lan is already dead.”

Bao Ning paused, then said, “In a few days, when Ji Yun comes, I’ll go back and find Concubine Ming. Her father used to be friends with Master Gongsun. She might know something.”

Pei Yuan asked, “How likely do you think that is?”

Bao Ning looked into his eyes. He seemed like he was joking, but his expression was serious. “Bao Ning, don’t waste your energy.”

“I…” Bao Ning was just about to speak when Pei Yuan interrupted her. “Actually, I’ve thought of another way.”

Bao Ning’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

Pei Yuan made a chopping gesture with his hand at the top of his leg and coldly spat out two words: “Cut it off.”

Bao Ning was shocked. “What nonsense are you saying?!”

“This part of the leg is beyond saving. Keeping it only gets in the way. What use is it?” Pei Yuan’s eyes were lowered as he gestured, clearly considering it seriously. “If I cut it off, I might be able to walk normally…”

“Pei Yuan, I hate your attitude,” Bao Ning said angrily, lips pressed together. “Why do you always assume the worst in everything? Deep down, you’ve already accepted that you’re disabled. You think you can’t be cured, but there are so many options—you haven’t even tried them. Pei Yuan, stop putting yourself so low. Try looking on the bright side, okay?”

Pei Yuan still kept his head down. Bao Ning reached out to lift his chin so he would look at her.

“I want to go upward with you. But you keep pulling me down. Think about it—don’t you think that’s really wrong?”

Pei Yuan looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed with anger, her eyes dark and shining, and she was breathing heavily.

They were very close. The breath she exhaled landed on Pei Yuan’s face—unnaturally hot and startlingly scorching.

Pei Yuan realized something was off and reached out to touch her forehead.

Bao Ning pulled back, but Pei Yuan frowned and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his arms.

He pressed his fingertips against her forehead—sure enough, it was burning hot.

Worried he wasn’t accurate enough, he pressed his lips gently against her forehead to check again.

Bao Ning was shocked and scared, struggling to pull away. “What are you doing…”

“Don’t move!” Pei Yuan snapped. He grabbed a quilt and wrapped her tightly in it like a cocoon.

Frustrated, Pei Yuan squeezed her cheek and scolded fiercely, “Just now you were here lecturing me like some great sage. But you didn’t even realize you were burning up like this! And you still have the nerve to lecture me?!”

“I’m sick?” Bao Ning blinked in confusion, then muttered, “That’s different, you—”

“What about me?” Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes at her. “Say one more word and I’ll toss you out right now. My legs may be bad, but I can still handle you easily.”

What was with this man? He’d just been gentle a moment ago, and now he’d turned cold again.

Maybe it was the fever making her bold, but Bao Ning talked back: “You’re being unreasonable! You’re totally unfair!”

Pei Yuan ignored her, got off the heated bed, and put on his shoes.

He wasn’t responding anymore, so Bao Ning’s fiery mood gradually cooled. Watching him move, she asked in a soft voice, “Where are you going?”

“To boil water and prepare medicine,” Pei Yuan turned back and gritted his teeth, glaring at her. “To take care of you, you little nuisance!”

Support Sansukini on Ko-fi

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here