"I remember that Prince Zhan likes to wear blue clothes. If you make white ones for him, will he wear them?"
“Prince Zhan is my cousin, and I know him best. He will like any clothes I make, no matter what color they are.” Li Youlan didn’t particularly like the fabric, but she couldn’t stand to see Shen Lixue doing well, and she was happy to do anything that would make Shen Lixue suffer.
“In that case, I will not compete with Princess Zhan for the fabric. I will choose another piece.” Shen Lixue turned around, her cold gaze sweeping over the fabric rack. Her gaze darkened, and she pointed to four or five pieces of brocade, saying, “Waiter, bring down all the white fabrics so I can take a look.”
"Okay." The waiter wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, quickly took the few bolts of cloth, and placed them in front of Shen Lixue.
Before Shen Lixue could examine them closely, Li Youlan swept the several bolts of brocade away with a flick of her wrist, saying arrogantly, "These few bolts of fabric are also quite nice; wrap them up for me as well."
Li Youlan didn't come to buy fabric at all; she clearly came to cause her trouble.
Shen Lixue was not angry, but smiled at Li Youlan: "Princess Consort Zhan is really generous, buying so much fabric at once, it must be very valuable."
Chapter 215 Bitten by ten thousand snakes, they deserved to die.
"Ahhh!" Li Youlan collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, frantically scratching her neck as if something was inside her neck, causing her unbearable pain.
Her beautiful Xiang dress was covered in dust, her elegant hairpin had fallen to the ground, and her beautiful hair bun had come undone in an instant. Her messy black hair, mixed with tears and snot flowing from her nose, made her look extremely disheveled. At first glance, she looked like a madwoman.
Her eyes were fixed on Shen Lixue, her anger almost spitting fire, and she gritted her teeth: "Shen Lixue...you poisoned me...you despicable and shameless..."
Shen Lixue gripped the silver needles tightly. She wanted to teach Li Youlan a lesson, but before she could even make a move, Li Youlan herself ran into trouble. She was in great pain, her face was sallow, her lips were pale but hadn't turned black or purple, her eyes were wild, and she had heavy bags under her eyes. It didn't look like poisoning, but rather like drug use...
That's right, it's similar to the withdrawal symptoms experienced by modern drug addicts...
The shopkeeper, waiters, and customers were all startled by Li Youlan's frantic and disheveled writhing, and stood at a distance, not daring to approach.
Li Youlan's agonizing wails, mixed with angry roars, echoed throughout the room: "Shen Lixue...you ruined me...I'll kill you..."
"Princess Zhan, your poison skills are unparalleled. I don't have the ability to poison you without your knowledge." Shen Lixue's words were light and casual, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude, which only fueled Li Youlan's anger: "Shen Lixue, stop making excuses! You dare to do it but not admit it? Shameless scoundrel..."
"Li Youlan, you're supposed to be an expert in poisons, yet you can't sense the difference between the symptoms of poisoning and your current pain? You were indeed tricked, but not poisoned. If you don't believe me, feel it carefully." Shen Lixue's cold eyes were as deep as an ancient well, calm and undisturbed, not like she was lying.
Li Youlan was taken aback and fell silent for a moment. She had been on guard against Shen Lixue the whole time, but she hadn't seen Shen Lixue do anything. Could it be that Shen Lixue really wasn't plotting against her?
Suppressing the waves of discomfort, she calmed down and carefully felt that it felt as if a million ants were crawling inside her body, causing an unbearable itch. This itch was not superficial, nor was it just in her flesh and blood; it had penetrated deep into her bone marrow, radiating outward from every nerve, trying to peel her body away from the inside out. It was indeed not poisoning, but it was more painful and terrifying than poisoning.
What happened to her? And who is plotting against her in secret?
"Do you have any antidote pills with you? Try taking one. It's best to use the highest quality pills; the lower quality ones might not work."
Shen Lixue's casual suggestion rang in her ears. Li Youlan no longer cared that she was her enemy. With trembling hands, she took out a small white bottle from her pocket, poured out two fragrant pills, and quickly put them into her mouth.
The pill melted instantly in her mouth, quickly seeping into her heart and lungs. The intense itching gradually disappeared from the inside out. Li Youlan let out a long sigh of relief, her body feeling as if it had been hollowed out, limp and powerless.
A faint medicinal fragrance wafted in the air. Shen Lixue glanced at the small bottle in her hand. The ancient top-grade antidote pill was made from the finest medicinal materials. Li Youlan's poison was acting up for the first time, so it could be suppressed temporarily. However, if the attacks occurred frequently, the medicine would become ineffective.
Li Youlan leaned against the wall and slowly stood up. Her face was pale and haggard, and her eyes were tired, as if she had just gone through a great battle and had exhausted her energy. A maid from the Prince Zhan's mansion came forward to help her tidy up her disheveled clothes and hair.
"Shen Lixue, do you know what's wrong with me?" Li Youlan was skilled in making poisons and had never seen such symptoms before. Shen Lixue could tell that she was not poisoned, so she should have some understanding of her symptoms.
"If I'm not mistaken, you've become addicted to poppies." A meaningful smile appeared on Shen Lixue's lips.
"Poppy?" Li Youlan frowned, not understanding what Shen Lixue was referring to.
"It's called 'rice bag'." Poppy is the scientific name, but it also has many other names. In ancient times, the common term was probably "rice bag".
"Rice sac!" Li Youlan's almond-shaped eyes widened in shock, and she murmured in disbelief, "How could this be? How could I have gotten involved with such a thing?"
She had studied poisons since childhood and had some knowledge of poisons from all over the world. She had never seen a rice sac, but she had heard of it before. It was a very special thing, beautiful and alluring, full of deadly attraction. Once you were tainted, you would be doomed forever. When did she get tainted by such a terrible thing?
"It must be a problem with Princess Zhan's diet." In modern times, poppies have many uses. Ancient people's lives were relatively simple. Besides playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and making drugs, Li Youlan didn't have any other hobbies. The only possibility is that she ingested them.
"Shen Lixue, you know so much about rice sacs, could it be that you've tampered with me?" Li Youlan's sharp gaze was like a sword blade, coldly shooting at Shen Lixue. Growing up in the countryside, her talent was astonishing, and she knew many things that others didn't understand, which made people suspicious.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Li Youlan, a disdainful sneer on her lips: "Li Youlan, how come you only grow older but not smarter? If I had planted the rice sac, would I have given you such detailed information so you could follow the clues and catch me, the murderer?"
Li Youlan glared defiantly at Shen Lixue: "Who knows if you did this on purpose to clear yourself of suspicion?"
Shen Lixue: "..." She knew about poppies, and she was the one who planted them. What a twisted logic! Her good intentions were completely wasted.
"The doctors of Qingyan all know about the rice sac, but they don't know about the symptoms when it takes effect. As long as I don't say anything, the poisoning of Princess Zhan will remain a mystery and won't involve me at all. Why should I be foolish and ignorant enough to expose myself?"
Li Youlan was completely unreasonable, and Shen Lixue was too lazy to argue with her. She explained simply and concisely: "Rice sacs are like a slow poison, but they don't taste poisonous. In fact, they can even enhance the flavor of food. You might not get addicted after eating them once or twice, but if you eat them for a long time, you'll become dependent on them. If you stop eating them, you'll feel like you're dying. Judging from how Princess Zhan looked just now, she's been eating them for at least a month. I'm pregnant, so I don't have the time or the inclination to sneak into the Prince Zhan's residence every day and continuously feed you rice sacs!"
Li Youlan glanced at Shen Lixue, who was more than five months pregnant. Her figure was already relatively clumsy, so it was indeed impossible for her to sneak into the Zhan Prince's mansion and frame her. The Zhan Prince's mansion was also heavily guarded. If it were the Holy Prince's mansion's secret guards who had infiltrated for so many days, it would have been impossible for them to have gone undetected even once.
It seems that the servants in the Zhan Prince's mansion who cooked and served the dishes had done something wrong. Only they could have poisoned her with poppies without her noticing.
Seeing Li Youlan's gloomy face, Shen Lixue knew that she had a suspect. She blinked and added fuel to the fire: "The time when the rice sac takes effect is the time when you eat the poison every day. Think about what you ate at this time yesterday, the day before yesterday, and the day before that. The suspect who harmed you can be found out soon enough."
In ancient times, poppies were still a mysterious thing. How could someone have brought the Azure Flame and used it on Li Youlan? Things are not peaceful in the Zhan Prince's mansion. It saves her the trouble of doing anything.
Li Youlan's expression changed slightly. Every day after her 3:45-minute lunch break, she would eat a bowl of bird's nest. The people who made and served the bird's nest were all her trusted confidants. How could they harm her... No, someone else had been in contact with her bird's nest!
"Return to the manor!" Li Youlan shouted, no longer caring about arguing with Shen Lixue about the fabric. She strode out of the silk shop, her eyes filled with a terrifying gloom. It was her, it must have been her who poisoned her. Bitch, bitch, bitch, I must tear her to pieces.
"Princess Consort, Li Youlan treated you so badly, why did you still help her find the murderer?" Qiu He stood at the door, watching the carriage of the Prince Zhan's mansion drive away, indignant.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her expression unfathomable: "There is no cure for poppy. Li Youlan has been infected, which is equivalent to losing half her life. Tell her where the murderer is, let them fight it out, and we can watch the show from the sidelines."
While Dongfang Zhan was busy vying for the throne, Li Youlan had been in charge of the Zhan Prince's Mansion. The guards, servants, and maids were almost all her people. The concubines dared not disobey her, let alone plot against her. There was only one person left who had given her opium.
Shen Yingxue is willing to risk her life for wealth, status, and the position of Princess Consort of Zhan? She's incredibly audacious. Li Youlan will definitely not let her off the hook when she returns.
As Shen Lixue had predicted, after returning to the manor, Li Youlan didn't even go back to her room, but went directly to the courtyard where Shen Yingxue was.
The maids and guards rushed into the room, surrounding her. Their faces were cold, and their eyes were filled with murderous intent as they stared at her. Shen Yingxue was so frightened that she almost stopped breathing. What was going on? What happened?