Chapter 21: Crimson Elixir

Bao Ning was overjoyed and hurried to greet her. “Aunt Ming, you’re here!”

Pei Yuan also looked over.

A neat and tidy woman stood at the door, dressed in a long blue dress. Her hair was perfectly arranged, and her upturned phoenix eyes gave her a sharp, intelligent look. But judging from her face and demeanor, she didn’t seem like someone with ill intent.

Madam Ming bowed to Pei Yuan and greeted him. After that, her eyes swept briefly over his leg before quickly looking away. She smiled and said, “I may have come at a bad time and disturbed your reunion, but since Bao Ning rarely returns, I missed her and wanted to see her. Now that I’ve seen her, I’m relieved. I won’t stay long. If I’ve breached any etiquette, I ask the Fourth Prince’s forgiveness.”

She seemed genuinely ready to leave after just a glance. She smiled at Pei Yuan and waited for his response.

Bao Ning was taken aback. “You just got here. Why are you leaving already?”

She stepped forward to persuade her, speaking in a sweet, pleading tone. “Stay a while longer. Have some tea before you go. The Fourth Prince would also be happy if you stayed.”

Madam Xu was confused but carefully glanced at Pei Yuan. Seeing no displeasure on his face, she relaxed and chimed in, “Yes, please stay for a bit. Let’s chat together.”

Madam Xu was beautiful and gentle in nature, though of humble origin. She had lived in this grand household for over a decade, and the most prestigious person she had ever met was her husband, the Duke of Rong. Someone like Pei Yuan was completely beyond her reach—even now that he no longer held power and was her daughter’s husband.

To Madam Xu, Pei Yuan was still someone awe-inspiring. Just sitting there made her feel constrained.

She feared most that Bao Ning wouldn’t live well, so she chose her words carefully in front of him, afraid that a single misstep might displease him and cause trouble for Bao Ning.

Pei Yuan made a gesture. “Please sit.”

Both Bao Ning and Madam Xu breathed a sigh of relief. Madam Ming thanked him and sat down. No one else spoke. The room suddenly became uncomfortably quiet.

Madam Xu looked around and noticed Bao Ning seemed like she wanted to speak but was holding back. Madam Ming kept her head down, sipping tea. Madam Xu guessed they might want to talk privately but felt awkward asking her to leave.

She knew Bao Ning well. Everything Bao Ning did today felt out of the ordinary. And Madam Ming was extremely astute—someone who would never visit so rashly without a reason.

The more Madam Xu thought about it, the more she felt something was going on that she didn’t know about. She tentatively said, “I just remembered—the kitchen made some snacks this morning, and they’re still warm in the pot. I’ll go get them.”

Bao Ning had been waiting for this chance to send her out. She quickly nodded. “Auntie, I’d love some of your sweet soup too. Could you make a bit?”

Madam Xu became more certain of her suspicions. Smiling, she nodded and left, taking the two servant girls in the room with her.

Bao Ning turned to grab Madam Ming’s hand, her tone filled with anticipation. “Aunt Ming, you saw something, didn’t you?”

Madam Ming said, “Bao Ning, I’m not one to beat around the bush. Since I’ve come, I’ll be direct. The Fourth Prince is poisoned, isn’t he?”

She hit the nail on the head. Pei Yuan’s eyes shifted, and he finally looked at her, his expression growing serious.

Bao Ning nodded. “Yes.” Her palms were sweating. “Auntie, in the book you gave me, I saw this poison before. There’s a formula for it, isn’t there?”

Madam Ming replied, “But the book also said no one has survived it.”

Bao Ning’s heart sank instantly.

“Fourth Prince, please extend your hand.”

Madam Ming held out her palm. Pei Yuan paused before placing his right wrist on her hand. She pulled up his sleeve, and Bao Ning gasped in shock. She saw a blood-red dot on his wrist—about the size of a soybean—laced with black threads spreading out like a spiderweb. Up close, it was terrifying.

Madam Ming’s face turned grim. “This poison is called Crimson Elixir. It’s long-acting and carried by venomous snakes and rats. Normally, those bitten die within twelve hours—unless they cut the flesh and release the blood, sealing the toxin in a specific body part. That might spare their life. But if poisoned a second time, it can’t be sealed again. If I’m right, the Fourth Prince was recently poisoned a second time.”

“The slow nature of Crimson Elixir means the sealed toxin spreads slowly through the body. A red dot appears on the wrist, then it enlarges and spreads up the arm, to the torso, and finally the whole body. The victim grows weak, experiences increasing pain, and eventually the entire body turns red and is covered in black web-like lines before death.”

“I came today because I saw that red dot on the Fourth Prince’s wrist.”

Bao Ning’s face turned pale. She stared at Madam Ming for a long time before regaining her voice.

“Auntie, there’s an antidote recipe, right?”

Madam Ming sighed and shook her head. “That recipe has been destroyed. Aside from the person who created the poison, no one else has the cure.”

Bao Ning swallowed hard and turned back to grab Pei Yuan’s hand, digging at the red dot with her fingernail—but it didn’t fade at all.

She couldn’t understand how it came to this. She had come here happy, wanting to help him heal his leg. How did things turn into a death sentence?

Bao Ning felt dazed, her nose tingling. She looked up to see Pei Yuan’s expression—it was still that cold, tight-lipped face. He frowned and wiped her tear with his thumb. “What are you crying for? Don’t cry.”

Bao Ning touched her cheek—wet. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. The more she thought, the worse she felt. She sat holding Pei Yuan’s hand as tears streamed down her face.

“Enough,” Pei Yuan gently brushed her cheek with his palm and teased hoarsely, “You’re crying too early. I’m not dead yet. Save your tears for a proper mourning scene later. That way, people will think I had a loving, virtuous wife. Dying like that would be dignified, right?”

“What are you talking about…” Bao Ning, angry, shoved him. Then, remembering his worsening condition and short life expectancy, she regretted it and quickly reached to pull him back.

Pei Yuan had considered this outcome—it was half-expected. He found it hard to accept, too, but with Bao Ning present, he couldn’t break down or act irrationally. If he did, with Bao Ning already emotional, there would be no one left to comfort or support her.

Honestly, seeing her cry for him made him feel a sliver of happiness. After all these years, someone was finally willing to shed tears for him. To have someone miss him after death—he could die without regrets.

Madam Ming’s face showed deep conflict. After some hesitation, she said, “Bao Ning, don’t cry. It’s not entirely hopeless. There’s still one last thread of hope.”

Bao Ning turned around, tearful but suddenly hopeful. “What is it?”

Madam Ming hesitated. “Two methods. First, I once heard my father mention that golden-threaded leeches can draw out poison. They suck the toxic blood until full and die, and their saliva is a known antidote—it might work.”

Bao Ning’s eyes lit up, but before she could speak, Madam Ming added, “But fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Leeches can’t remove all the poison. They carry another toxin. If it enters the bloodstream, it causes unbearable joint and bone pain during rainy weather—a living nightmare.”

Bao Ning hesitantly asked, “…What about the second?”

Madam Ming pressed her lips together. “Then… the only option is a blood replacement. Drain out all the toxic blood. That would save his life.”

But such a solution was nearly impossible—where could they find someone to donate all that blood? Only the first method seemed even remotely viable.

Bao Ning looked at Pei Yuan, visibly anxious. She didn’t know what he was thinking. Dying was painful, living was painful. If she were in his place, she’d be in utter despair.

Fate had been far too cruel to Pei Yuan.

Madam Ming sighed and said, “Bao Ning, your aunt’s skills are limited—I can only help you this much. You two talk things through. I’ll head back now.”

With that, she got up and left.

Bao Ning thanked her and saw her out a few steps before turning back, feeling heavy-hearted, and went to find Pei Yuan.

He had turned his wheelchair to face the window and was looking up at the clouds outside.

Bao Ning stood beside him, accompanying him in silence for a while, then asked in a low voice, “Are they pretty?”

Pei Yuan gave a quiet “mm,” then turned to look at her. For some reason, he suddenly smiled. “After everything that happened, I used to think that living as a cripple was no different from being dead. But now, I don’t quite think that anymore.”

Bao Ning asked, “Why not?”

Pei Yuan replied, “If I live, you have a husband. If I die, you’ll be a young widow.”

Bao Ning didn’t know what kind of expression to make. She felt like laughing, but she couldn’t—her heart felt heavy, and her eyes grew sore. She reached up to wipe her tears, choked up as she said, “Pei Yuan, I’ve never thought you were shameful or a burden. We’re family. You must stay well, okay? From now on, we’ll stay by each other’s side. If you’re in pain, I’ll rub it for you. And when you get better, we’ll go to the night market together and see the lanterns.”

Pei Yuan looked at her for a long moment, then nodded and gave a low “okay.”

…

Bao Ning stayed at the manor for half the day. Madam Tao never came to find her or summon her for greetings, which suited her just fine. She spent time with Madam Xu and Ji Yun, had a meal and chatted a bit. Toward evening, it was time for them to leave.

With Madam Xu present, Ji Yun didn’t dare act out. Even if she was dissatisfied with Pei Yuan, she could only keep it to herself. Other than smiling at Bao Ning, she rarely showed any warmth.

The suburbs were far from the city. Though it was hard to part, half a day was long enough. Madam Xu and Ji Yun saw them off.

The carriage was waiting at the gate. Madam Xu held Bao Ning’s hand, her eyes red.

She had guessed some things from earlier in the day and knew that Bao Ning and Pei Yuan were not in the best situation right now. But the two young ones didn’t say it outright, so there wasn’t much she could do.

Madam Xu said, “Bao Ning, your aunt doesn’t have much ability, so I can’t help you with anything big. But there’s one principle that’s carried me through half a lifetime. Now I want to give it to you.”

Bao Ning looked up at her. Madam Xu smiled kindly and stroked her cheek, her voice gentle. “In this world, blessings and misfortunes are always intertwined. When you gain something, you often lose something too. When life feels unbearable, don’t give up. Just hold on a bit longer. Kind-hearted people will have their rewards. Once you get past that hurdle, good fortune is waiting for you.”

Bao Ning’s nose stung with emotion.

Madam Xu said, “You’d best be on your way. It’ll be hard to travel once it gets dark.” She urged them on, and Bao Ning and Pei Yuan boarded the carriage. Bao Ning waved as they departed, and the carriage rolled off.

The whole way, Bao Ning was silent and moody. Pei Yuan noticed but said nothing.

As they were about to exit the city gates, Pei Yuan suddenly spoke: “Would you like to come back often?”

Bao Ning nodded.

Pei Yuan said, “I’ll take you to a good place.”

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