TGPSAC – Chapter 19

Chi Wan shook her head forcefully, trying to maintain her last shred of clarity. Acupuncture was no longer effective on Yu Jiuzhou; the release of her pheromones had not subsided.

Yu Jiuzhou’s Rain and Dew Period had come on suddenly and fiercely. Such a natural physiological cycle was difficult to terminate with medical arts; one could only guide and alleviate it.

It was like menstruation—one could relieve the pain. Drinking hot water was the most basic remedy, followed by painkillers. The Rain and Dew Period was similar; Pacifying Pills were used to calm the body’s desires, and Cooling Pills could alleviate the feverish heat.

However, neither the Pacifying Pills nor the Cooling Pills were working now. She could only hope that the medicine she had prescribed would temporarily calm Yu Jiuzhou down.

But fetching and brewing the herbs would take time. During this period, she had to stabilize Yu Jiuzhou’s condition while also preventing herself from succumbing.

This pheromone explosion was no less intense than when her predecessor had been fed so many aphrodisiacs. In fact, with the residual aphrodisiacs still in her system and Yu Jiuzhou’s body not yet recovered, the outbreak was even more severe.

No Qian Yuan could resist the scent of a top-tier Kun Ze. Yu Jiuzhou’s pheromones were assaulting her violently, making her want to release her own to overwhelm Yu Jiuzhou.

Chi Wan touched her own face; it was already frighteningly hot. Restraint was an excruciating affair, especially when suppressing such immense physiological desire. She felt her heart was about to pound out of her chest. A sense of suffocation assailed her, like drowning or being roasted in a sea of fire. It was an unbearable feeling.

She jabbed three needles into her own body, and the sensation finally eased somewhat. But it was only a temporary reprieve. To truly stabilize herself, she had to leave the heated chamber.

But Yu Jiuzhou was not yet well. She could not leave.

Chi Wan did think of a method: a temporary marking. Only then would Yu Jiuzhou’s boiling pheromones calm down.

But if she temporarily marked Yu Jiuzhou, the first thing the princess would do upon waking would probably be to come at her with a large blade.

Her predecessor had used aphrodisiacs, yet Yu Jiuzhou had chosen to enter the cold spring, ending up crippled, rather than let her succeed. If Chi Wan truly dared to mark Yu Jiuzhou, her end would surely be more miserable than her predecessor’s.

Chi Wan would not allow herself to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position. In this world, for a Qian Yuan to mark a Kun Ze without consent was tantamount to assault. And a temporary marking? That was still being a scoundrel—oh, far worse than a scoundrel.

This was an ancient era, where a person’s reputation was of the utmost importance.

Once she temporarily marked Yu Jiuzhou, the princess would certainly enter the cold spring again to wash away the mark, or perhaps even gouge out her own gland. It was not as if Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t done such things before.

Just the thought of that scene made Chi Wan feel ill. To endure immense pain rather than live with her predecessor’s mark—it was enough to show that despite Yu Jiuzhou’s cold expression, she was a fiercely proud woman at heart.

To avoid repeating the same mistake, Chi Wan endured her physical discomfort and inserted dozens of silver needles into Yu Jiuzhou’s limbs and back. The sight of so many needles was rather frightening, and steam was rising from the points of insertion.

Having done all this, she used the last of her strength to stumble out of the heated chamber, sliding down to sit on the floor just outside the door.

Just then, Chun Gui arrived with several people. “Fuma?”

Chi Wan waved a hand. “Quick, give Her Highness the medicine.”

She hoped her prescription would work. It seemed Yu Jiuzhou escaped one calamity only to be met with another. Surely this world wasn’t determined to see her crippled, was it? The first attempt failed, so now a Rain and Dew Period was here to add fuel to the fire.

Chun Gui was about to enter when Chi Wan stopped her. “Have a He Yuan go in.”

Her own pheromones were still leaking out. The heated chamber was filled with a mixture of her scent and Yu Jiuzhou’s. Any Qian Yuan or Kun Ze who entered would be affected. Fortunately, the staff of Yongning Courtyard were all women, and there were plenty of He Yuan among them.

Two female He Yuan entered the heated chamber to administer the medicine to Yu Jiuzhou, while Chi Wan leaned against the wall, panting slightly.

Chun Gui looked at Chi Wan with a sense of disbelief. She hadn’t trusted this person. She had said she would return after half an incense stick’s time, but she had actually come back early. She hadn’t expected to find the Fuma outside, catching her breath, having managed to restrain herself from touching the Princess.

She had come back early precisely because she was worried the Fuma would do something to the Princess in her absence.

But the Fuma seemed to have truly changed. She was restrained and proper. She had always been beautiful, but her lecherous gaze had made her seem wicked and vile. Now, the Fuma’s eyes were clear and clean, and her words and actions were sincere and polite.

Chun Gui was astonished by Chi Wan’s transformation. The change in her eyes had altered her entire temperament and appearance.

Based on what she had seen these past two days, Chun Gui felt that this Fuma was not so unbearable after all. She was calm and composed in a crisis, decisive and opinionated. Just now, for instance, she hadn’t panicked in the slightest and had immediately begun treatment. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was a physician. But even an imperial physician, faced with the Princess in peril, could not possibly remain so calm—the lives of their entire clan would be on the line.

Chi Wan was truly different. No matter how Her Highness the Princess provoked her, her emotions never flared up. She was also intelligent. Chun Gui couldn’t fathom how the Fuma had changed so drastically in such a short time, now possessing a dignified bearing mixed with a youth’s casual air.

Chun Gui couldn’t help but think that if the Fuma had been like this from the start, she and the Princess might not have been an unsuitable match. She just wondered how long the Fuma could keep up the act.

Before long, the maids who had administered the medicine came out and bowed to them. “Fuma, Official Chun Gui, Her Highness has taken the medicine.”

Chi Wan immediately pushed herself up and returned to the heated chamber. The scent inside had dissipated considerably. She had opened the windows earlier, which helped maintain the room’s warmth while allowing the pheromones to disperse more quickly.

She placed her hand on Yu Jiuzhou’s wrist, her brow furrowing ever tighter.

Chun Gui immediately asked with great tension, “Fuma, how is Her Highness?”

Chi Wan carefully felt the pulse. “The medicine is working. I will remove the needles now.”

Acupuncture couldn’t be used too frequently, and Yu Jiuzhou had already undergone it twice in a short span of time.

“Use this medicine to wipe Her Highness’s body, then crush the herbs and apply them as a medicinal plaster to her gland.”

Chi Wan removed all the silver needles, allowing Yu Jiuzhou’s body to move freely again. It wasn’t some pressure-point technique; she had simply used the needles to seal Yu Jiuzhou’s five senses, slowing her every action, especially while she was asleep.

The moment the needles were gone, Yu Jiuzhou, as if seeking a source of heat, suddenly wrapped her arms around Chi Wan’s waist, murmuring, “Mother, don’t go…”

Yu Jiuzhou was dreaming again. She dreamed of Prince Bao’an ascending the throne. He refused to honor her Imperial Father, instead attempting to posthumously declare his own father an emperor, completely betraying his original promise. The Empress Mother was so enraged that she coughed up blood and died. Yu Jiuzhou had reached the palace gates, but Prince Bao’an refused her entry. The next day, he even charged her with the crime of forcing her way into the palace at night.

Suddenly, she dreamed of Chi Wan. Two Chi Wans flickered before her eyes: one who sized her up with a lecherous gaze, and another with sincere, worried eyes.

The former was constantly drawing near. “Your Highness, I’ve come.”

“Your Highness, you and I are already married. The joys of intimacy are only natural. Let your husband serve you well.”

Chi Wan’s words swirled around her ears like a curse, until she took up a blade, severed Chi Wan’s limbs, and pickled her in a wine jar as torture.

Only by killing Chi Wan, by torturing her with the utmost cruelty, could she vent the hatred in her heart.

Kill Chi Wan. She would definitely kill Chi Wan.

“Kill her, kill her, kill Chi Wan! Kill her!”

Hearing Yu Jiuzhou’s sleep-talking, Chi Wan, who had just finished tidying up and was about to write another prescription: “…”

I’m right here, you know!

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