Chapter 41: His Royal Highness the Third Prince

He reeled off a long list of restorative medicines—ginseng, ganoderma, astragalus... every single one of them a costly and precious herb.

With every word he uttered, Liu Xin'er felt a sharp pang of financial agony.

Just how much would all of this cost...

"Very well, that will be all."

Dou Hongyan interrupted the imperial physician. "Just write out the appropriate prescription and hand it to the servants. Remember my instructions: give him the absolute best."

"Yes, yes..."

"This..." Even the Old Lady's eyelids twitched.

She had not expected Dou Hongyan to be so extraordinarily generous.

Filled with both gratification and gratitude, she showered Dou Hongyan with praises. The harmony between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was deeply touching, save for Liu Xin'er, whose gaze remained dark and who stood in prolonged silence.

Fine...

They all said the Dou woman was vicious, yet she was willing to spend a fortune simply to nourish Shen Yishu's health, and people still claimed she felt nothing for him?!

Shen Yiheng must undoubtedly be Shen Yishu's child! For all these years, she had been completely deceived by his sweet words!

Biting her lip, she turned around, feigning sorrow as she wiped away tears. Beneath that facade, however, her expression was icy cold as she lucidly mapped out a future for herself and her children.

She could not go on like this anymore...

After returning to his residence, the imperial physician grew increasingly uneasy the more he thought about it.

What on earth were Her Ladyship and the Crown Prince planning that required spending such a fortune to nourish Shen Yishu's health?

"No, this won't do."

"This matter must be reported to the Crown Prince."

Anything involving Her Ladyship and the Marquis's Estate had to be handled with the utmost caution!

Before long, news that the Marquis's Estate had summoned an imperial physician and prescribed numerous restorative medicines for Shen Yishu reached the hands of Xiao Ze, the Crown Prince.

He raised an eyebrow with a hint of amusement and said, "If we were to poison those medicines, wouldn't it be quite easy to dispose of Shen Yishu without a trace?"

Presumably so.

Yet his steps toward the medicine chest remained hesitant and unmoved.

After a long moment, Xiao Ze's initially cheerful aura gradually darkened. Gripping the letter tightly with suppressed fury, he closed his eyes and sneered, "If I were to kill Shen Yishu right now, you would likely turn hostile."

He forcefully reined in his intense killing intent.

Having spent so many years in Shangjing, no one had ever managed to make him feel so bound hand and foot!

With a gloomy expression, Xiao Ze turned and strode away. The letter was torn into tiny fragments, dissolving into the gathering shadows of the night.

Meanwhile, back at the Marquis's Estate.

Dou Hongyan was likewise awaiting any movement from the outside world.

Today's events could not possibly have escaped Xiao Ze's notice. She was patiently waiting for his murderous impulse to flare up, eager to see how he would react.

Whether he could... suppress that urge to kill.

"My lady, why on earth are you doing this?"

Liuyun was still lamenting over that long list of expensive herbs, muttering in deep perplexity and refusing to see them wasted on someone like Shen Yishu, even if they were meant for stray dogs. "The Eldest Young Master is completely fine, and the imperial physician even said his debility stems entirely from indulging in excessive pleasure outside with Liu Xin'er.

"Why on earth would you buy him tonics?"

"Shen Yishu?"

Dou Hongyan showed utter disdain, scoffing indifferently, "What is he even worth? His health is of no concern to me whatsoever."

Shen Yishu's top priority right now was simply not to die. As for anything else, Dou Hongyan only wished he would stay as far away from her as possible.

And as for the restorative medicines...

She sighed softly, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed out the window. "I am merely curious whether, upon receiving the news, he will heed my words and hold back his murderous intent."

"Only if he refrains from harming Shen Yishu will he have passed my... test."

Twirling a flower leaf between her fingers, Dou Hongyan plotted step by step with careless detachment. "Once a person takes a first step backward, they are bound to take a second. I want to see whether, by forcing him to retreat time and again, I might manage to escape unscathed."

As for Shen Yishu's role in all of this?

He was nothing more than a tool.

She remained entirely unaware of the letter Xiao Ze had already torn to pieces.

She waited until the very next day, but no movements from Xiao Ze materialized. Instead, the Marquis's Estate received an uninvited guest: hearing that Shen Yishu was confined to bed with illness, the Third Prince had sent the steward of his manor to deliver tonics and pay a visit.

"The Third Prince?" Dou Hongyan frowned as she asked.