Chapter 101

Chapter 101: About to Have Terrible Luck

Sheng Zhi Wan chuckled softly. “Concubine Meng forgot? I said that if you fell ill again, we would use Qing Liu’s blood. Look- isn’t this Qing Liu’s blood?”

“Qing Liu really is a loyal servant,” Sheng Zhi Wan continued. “One bowl of blood and you woke up. I thought it would take several bowls.”

“Urgh… urgh…” Meng Yang collapsed against the bed rail, nearly vomiting up bile. “Sheng Zhi Wan, you… you…”

Sheng Zhi Wan narrowed her eyes and stepped back half a pace in disgust. “What does Concubine Meng want to say? Think carefully before you speak.”

Meng Yang fell silent. The bloody taste in her throat grew even heavier. She did not know if it came from Qing Liu’s blood, or from being enraged.

Seeing that she would not speak, Sheng Zhi Wan smiled. “Since Qing Liu’s blood is so effective, then from now until you recover, we’ll have her give blood for you every day.”

“Impossible! I won’t drink someone else’s blood!” Meng Yang said sharply.

“Is that so?” Sheng Zhi Wan’s smile stayed calm. “Then there’s nothing we can do.”

Her voice drifted lazily. “Zhang Da Hu. Do you remember that name, Concubine Meng?”

Meng Yang’s pupils shrank at once. Under the quilt, her hand clenched hard.

Zhang Da Hu!

How did Sheng Zhi Wan know Zhang Da Hu? Could that useless man still be alive?

Meng Yang’s mind spun, but Sheng Zhi Wan seemed not to notice anything. “You’re carrying the Heir Apparent’s first child. It’s just a maid’s blood. Can’t you even swallow that?”

“I-I’ll drink it,” Meng Yang forced out.

“Good.” Sheng Zhi Wan looked satisfied. “Then from now on, I’ll send people to Wei Yang Courtyard every day to supervise drawing blood for medicine. Concubine Meng should recover quickly.”

With that, Sheng Zhi Wan smiled and stepped over Qing Liu, who was lying on the wooden board. Then she turned and left.

The moment she was gone, Qing Liu looked at Meng Yang in misery. Her voice was weak as she cried, “Concubine, please save this servant! The Heir Apparent’s principal wife wants to kill me on purpose!”

How could Meng Yang not know Sheng Zhi Wan did it deliberately? But what could she do?

She could only placate Qing Liu. “Good Qing Liu, don’t worry. I won’t ignore you.”

She spoke as if sincere, but her heart felt heavy and her face looked especially ugly. “She is the Heir Apparent’s principal wife. My status is low right now. I can only wait until I see the Heir Apparent, then ask him to decide for you.”

But what weighed on Meng Yang most was not Qing Liu. It was what Sheng Zhi Wan had just said.

Zhang Da Hu… how did Sheng Zhi Wan know?

Was Zhang Da Hu dead, or not?

If he was dead, fine.

If he was still alive-

A vicious darkness flashed in Meng Yang’s pale eyes.

Fine. Then she would not be blamed for being ruthless.

Over the next four or five days, under the watch of people sent by Sheng Zhi Wan, blood was drawn each day and mixed into Meng Yang’s medicine.

At first, Meng Yang tried to find a chance to switch the medicine. But after what happened with Lai Fu, the people from Ping Lan Residence hated her to the bone. Whoever came watched her like a hawk. Even if she tried to bribe them with money, it did not work.

That day, after drinking the medicine, Meng Yang vomited until the world spun. Tears mixed with the bloody stench, and she nearly wished she would faint.

Yet for some reason, her cold truly began to improve.

“Concubine Meng’s complexion looks much better these days,” Ting Lan said. She was the one watching today, and she had begged Princess for this duty, just to see Meng Yang’s sickened expression. “It seems Qing Liu really is a loyal servant. Her blood is very useful.”

Meng Yang clenched her hand and said nothing.

Only after Ting Lan left did Meng Yang sweep the empty bowl to the floor. She grabbed the bedsheet in both hands, teeth grinding. “Sheng Zhi Wan! I will- I will make you pay for what you did today!”

“Concubine! Concubine, something’s wrong! Qing Liu fainted!” A maid rushed in.

Meng Yang froze, then her eyes flickered.

Soon, Qi Shu Xian received the news.

He learned that without his knowledge, Sheng Zhi Wan had forced Meng Yang to use human blood as medicine. In the corner of the room, Qing Liu lay flat on a couch, her face bluish-white. Her palm was covered in cut marks from drawing blood. It was shocking to see.

“Absurd!”

Qi Shu Xian’s voice rose in fury. “Where is Sheng Zhi Wan? Bring her here!”

Sheng Zhi Wan had already gotten word from Huan Zhu when Qi Shu Xian went to Wei Yang Courtyard. Now she walked in unhurriedly, not the least bit flustered. Seeing his rage, she raised a brow. “What does the Heir Apparent want with me?”

“What is this?” Qi Shu Xian pointed at Qing Liu’s paper-white face. “Do you even know what you’re doing? Using human blood as medicine- you actually thought of that! This is a human life!”

“Then I must thank the Heir Apparent for the reminder,” Sheng Zhi Wan said coolly. “Dog blood wards off evil, so why can’t human blood be used as medicine?”

“How can a beast be compared to a person?” Qi Shu Xian was furious. “Don’t think I don’t know. You’re taking revenge for that dead beast on purpose!”

“Then the Heir Apparent wronged me,” Sheng Zhi Wan replied. “In ancient times, a medical sage cut his own blood as a guide to drive out evil and treat illness. There are also precedents for using human blood as a medicinal guide in Young Miss Prescriptions and Materia Medica Chronicle.”

She tilted her chin. “The Heir Apparent keeps scolding me, but why not look at Concubine Meng’s qi and blood?”

“Isn’t it good now?”

As soon as she said it, everyone’s eyes fell on Meng Yang.

Qi Shu Xian’s gaze shifted. Only then did he notice that Meng Yang’s face was pale but flushed with red, and she looked far healthier than before. Was Sheng Zhi Wan telling the truth? Could human blood really treat illness?

Sheng Zhi Wan continued, “Besides, Concubine Meng is carrying the Heir Apparent’s child. Qing Liu belongs to Concubine Meng. Giving a few bowls of blood for her and eating more to replenish it should be enough. Who knew she would faint after only a few days?”

She looked surprised. “What, could it be that Concubine Meng never had anyone feed Qing Liu extra tonics?”

Meng Yang had nothing to say. These days she had been busy searching for news about Zhang Da Hu. How could she have cared about a maid’s body, much less give her tonics?

“Tsk. Then it seems Concubine Meng truly overlooked it.” Sheng Zhi Wan sounded regretful.

“But it doesn’t matter.” She spoke as if thinking aloud. “From Qing Liu’s condition, she can’t supply blood for Concubine Meng anymore. Yet that book said the blood of one’s beloved is even better, especially a strong man in his prime.”

She smiled. “The Heir Apparent is young and strong. If you give Concubine Meng your blood for two more days, she might recover completely.”

“Sheng Zhi Wan, do you even know what you’re saying?” Qi Shu Xian shouted in disbelief.

Meng Yang was also stunned by how lightly Sheng Zhi Wan said it. Her lips trembled, but she could not force out a single word.

Qi Shu Xian flung his sleeve and walked out.

Sheng Zhi Wan looked Meng Yang up and down with a half-smile. “Concubine Meng, did you forget what I said? If you go whining after the fact, you’ll have terrible luck.”

With a soft laugh, she left with An Zhi and Ting Lan.

Meng Yang’s face instantly turned ugly.

What did Sheng Zhi Wan mean?

Very soon, she found out.