Chapter 36: Choose Between the Antidote and Death

"Xiao Miao, what has happened to you!?" Chen Jinzhou lunged forward, pushing Concubine Zhou aside to shield his daughter. "Xiao Miao, don't scare your father!"

A heart-wrenching pain surged through Chen Xingmiao's entire body. The faces and voices of those around her grew blurred until, finally, everything went black, and she lost consciousness completely.

"Someone, take Concubine Zhou back to her quarters and see that she rests. She is not to step one foot outside the room without my permission!"

Chen Jinzhou cast a cold glance at Concubine Zhou before helping Chuntao move Chen Xingmiao to the bed.

As soon as she was settled, Chen Jinzhou turned to Chuntao, his voice tight with urgency. "Chuntao, don't just stand there! Go find a doctor, quickly!"

Chuntao dared not delay; she hitched up her skirts and bolted out the door.

A short while later, the doctor arrived with his medical bag. Chen Jinzhou hastily stepped away from the bedside. The doctor reached the bed, set down his case, and skillfully produced a set of silver needles and a pulse cushion. His brows furrowed deep as he placed his fingers on Chen Xingmiao’s wrist. After carefully checking her pulse, he pulled back her eyelids to inspect them, his expression growing increasingly grave.

Chen Jinzhou stood nearby, frantic, wringing his hands. "Doctor, how is my daughter? Why would she suddenly vomit blood and collapse?"

The doctor sighed heavily. "Master, the Second Miss has been poisoned with the very same toxin as the Eldest Miss."

The words struck Chen Jinzhou like a bolt of lightning. His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to the floor. Chuntao rushed forward to steady him, allowing him to regain his footing.

Chen Jinzhou’s face twisted in agony as he gripped the doctor’s sleeve. "How... how could it be the same poison? Doctor, I beg you, you must save them! No matter the cost, no matter the method, I will do whatever it takes!" His voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes instantly welled with red.

A flash of pity crossed the doctor’s eyes, but he slowly shook his head, his expression one of profound helplessness. "Master Chen, I understand your feelings, but this poison is something I have never heard of or seen before. I have exhausted all my knowledge, and I am truly at my wit's end. Please forgive my incompetence."

First the eldest daughter, now the second. Chen Jinzhou’s legs failed him again, and he slumped into a nearby chair. The doctor frowned, cast one last sorrowful look at the unconscious Chen Xingmiao, and shook his head again. He picked up his medical bag and left the room with heavy steps.

Chuntao was already sobbing uncontrollably, draped over the side of the bed, clutching Chen Xingmiao’s cooling hands. "Miss, please don't scare me. I've been with you since I was a child; what will I do if you are gone?"

While the room was drowned in grief, Concubine Zhou, back in her room, sat on her bed humming a tune as she stroked her belly. Now that both of the Chen family’s wretched girls were suffering from the lethal poison, her days of inheriting the family fortune and living in luxury were within reach.

Just as she was preening in her triumph, a loud crash shattered the silence—the window was smashed open by sheer force, and a biting night wind whistled in. A dark figure vaulted into the room like a phantom, moving with agile, silent precision.

Concubine Zhou’s face turned deathly pale, her eyes widening in terror. Before she could react, a flash of cold light signaled that a sharp blade was already pressed firmly against her slender throat. The icy touch sent a chill down her spine.

"Who... who are you?" she stammered, her entire body stiffening.

"Hand over the antidote, or die now. Choose." The voice from beneath the mask was freezing, devoid of any warmth, like a judgment from the depths of hell.

Concubine Zhou shook her head frantically, her eyes filled with panic. Her voice rose in a desperate, trembling defense. "What antidote? You must have the wrong person! I truly don't know what you are talking about!"

"It seems you have chosen the latter."

The masked man’s gaze grew frigid. His thin lips parted, lacking any emotion, and he applied slight pressure to his wrist. The blade sliced into her skin. A moment later, a trickle of warm blood slid down Concubine Zhou’s neck, staining her collar a shocking, crimson red.

"Ah!" Concubine Zhou let out a shrill scream, her legs buckling until she collapsed to the floor. Trembling and weeping, she cried out, "Don't kill me, don't kill me! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

The masked man’s eyes flickered. He withdrew his sword. Concubine Zhou sat slumped on the floor, clutching her neck, tears and mucus streaming down her face in a wretched mess. Shaking like a leaf in the wind, her teeth chattering, she stammered, "The poison... it was given to me by the Empress Dowager. I don't have an antidote either! I beg you, spare me, I have an unborn child..."

The masked man’s gaze drifted downward, settling on her protruding belly. His eyes darkened instantly.

"If a single word you say is a lie, you and your child will die a miserable death."

He left behind this warning, sheathed his sword with crisp efficiency, and vanished back through the window without a trace. Concubine Zhou continued to weep, unable to regain her composure for a long time.

Night fell over the quiet forest. Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The masked man moved through the trees with the agility of a panther, his robes fluttering in the night wind with a soft rustle. Suddenly, he stopped, scanning his surroundings with vigilance.

"Master, it is I." A figure emerged from the shadows, bowing slightly with a tone of reverence. "Are you planning to go to the Imperial Palace alone to face the Empress Dowager?"

The masked man turned slowly, his sharp gaze like a blade as he glanced at the man. His voice was cold, as if layered with the frost of midwinter. "Why? Do you think I lack the capability?"

"I would not dare!" the man replied, waving his hands in a fluster. "I only believe there is no need to risk your life for a woman. After all, she is..."

"Qingfeng, you speak too much." The masked man’s brow furrowed, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority that silenced the other instantly.

Qingfeng stiffened, lowering his head, not daring to utter another word. The masked man looked up at the bright moon hanging in the night sky. The moonlight, clear as water, washed over his stern features. In an instant, his eyes sharpened with a predatory glint, and the aura around him grew chillingly cold. Without a moment's hesitation, he strode toward the direction of the Imperial Palace.

Qingfeng hesitated, then chased after him to block his path.

"Master!" Qingfeng’s voice was filled with earnest urgency. "We have spent so much time and effort on this meticulously laid plan; we cannot let it fall apart because of one woman!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the masked man moved with lightning speed. A flash of cold light, a drawn blade, and it was pressed firmly against Qingfeng’s throat. The sword glinted with a lethal, icy sheen, reflecting the shock on Qingfeng’s face.

"One more word, and you die."