Chapter 39: Whose Blood Was It, After All?

Bai Zhi was utterly shocked—weren’t Lu Luo and You Hua supposed to be seeking the imperial physician?

Lu Luo glared at Bai Zhi, furious. “Who told you to come and assassinate the princess?”

Xia Jiujiang toyed with the teacup on the table, speaking calmly, “The moment you deliberately appeared before me, I sensed something was amiss. Lu Luo knows my skill in medicine is exceptional; how could she possibly fall for your poisoned scheme? It was all just an act for your benefit.”

“You... you think that’s enough to stop me?” Bai Zhi’s eyes were cold and vicious as she lunged at Xia Jiujiang.

Even with Lu Luo and You Hua blocking the doorway, Bai Zhi was closer to Xia Jiujiang. By the time they moved to intervene, Bai Zhi would have already seized her.

But Bai Zhi had overestimated herself.

Xia Jiujiang tossed the empty cup in her hand upward, striking Bai Zhi’s arm. Startled, Bai Zhi withdrew her hand and kicked at Xia Jiujiang, but Xia Jiujiang swept a low stool aside with her foot and kicked Bai Zhi’s knee, making Bai Zhi’s leg buckle and forcing her to kneel before Xia Jiujiang.

A glint of cold steel flashed in the room. As Bai Zhi knelt, a long sword was pressed against her neck, its sharp blade threatening to slice her skin with the slightest movement.

Bai Zhi glared at Xia Jiujiang in rage. “Why aren’t you dead? I poisoned you with a toxin that kills upon contact with blood.”

A strange smile curled Xia Jiujiang’s lips. She lifted the teacup again and drained it in one gulp. “A toxin that kills upon contact with blood? One wonders whose blood you meant.”

Bai Zhi frowned. “When did you discover I’d poisoned you? Did you switch the teacup while I wasn’t watching?”

That was the only explanation she could think of—otherwise, how had Xia Jiujiang survived?

But Bai Zhi didn’t know that Xia Jiujiang hadn’t replaced the poisoned cup at all. The tea she drank had indeed contained Bai Zhi’s deadly toxin, but Xia Jiujiang’s body harbored the mother of all five poisons, making such toxins mere nourishment.

Xia Jiujiang looked at Bai Zhi and questioned, “Whose pawn are you? Who sent you to kill me?”

Even during Chun’er’s funeral, these people would not leave Xia Jiujiang in peace.

“Why don’t you guess who sent me?” Bai Zhi sneered coldly.

“Was it Xia Mingxuan?” Xia Jiujiang asked. Xia Mingxuan had only just returned to the mansion, and now Bai Zhi attempted to poison Xia Jiujiang. It was natural to suspect him.

Bai Zhi spat contemptuously. “As if I’d take orders from Xia Mingxuan.”

Xia Jiujiang paused, surprised—it wasn’t Xia Mingxuan after all? That was unexpected.

She asked, “I don’t know you, and I bear you no grudge. Why did you try to poison me?”

Bai Zhi mocked her. “What’s wrong? Can’t believe I’m from the Jiang family?”

Lu Luo had never met Bai Zhi; she had served Xia Jiujiang since her earliest memories.

Bai Zhi’s attitude unsettled Xia Jiujiang. “If you’re from the Jiang family, and I’m Jiang Ruan’s daughter, why would you try to poison me?”

Bai Zhi was indignant. “Why? How could Madam possibly have a daughter like you? You possess extraordinary skill in medicine, yet turned it against Madam. You ignored the Jiang family’s deep-seated feud and, by following Grand Chancellor Xia’s arrangements, became the Princess of Jin and allowed yourself to be a pawn in Xia Wentao’s political game... I want you dismembered, to atone for the Jiang family’s suffering.”

At that moment, Lu Luo exploded. “That’s nonsense! How could Miss harm Madam? You’re spouting lies. Who is slandering my lady?”

Xia Jiujiang cut Bai Zhi off. “You overestimate Xia Wentao. The marriage decree was not something he could manipulate, nor is the Prince of Jin someone he can control.”

Bai Zhi retorted, “Xia Wentao, as Grand Chancellor, naturally has powerful allies. Making you the Princess of Jin helps them gain influence over the Prince of Jin’s household—who wouldn’t seize the opportunity?”

Xia Jiujiang laughed. “If Xia Wentao truly wished to use me, why would he let me become the laughingstock of the capital, branded as a useless fool?”

Bai Zhi, clearly bewitched by someone, said, “Precisely because you don’t want to be a mere floating weed, you willingly let Xia Wentao arrange your marriage to the Prince of Jin, helping him control the prince’s household.”

Xia Jiujiang snorted coldly. “When I was in the Xia family, he ignored me completely. Does he expect me to bow to him now? He’s dreaming.”

Her disdain for Xia Wentao stunned Bai Zhi for a moment. “You even killed your own mother. For shame—your name carries the Jiang character, yet you disgrace her. You’re just pretending to deceive me!”

Lu Luo was furious. “I told you—it wasn’t Miss who did it! Are you blind or deaf?”

She was so exasperated that she pounded her chest, unable to find the words to explain.

Bai Zhi sneered, as if she’d seen through Xia Jiujiang’s weakness. “Lu Luo, haven’t you noticed? Your lady is skilled in medicine, so why did Jiang Ruan die of illness?”

Xia Jiujiang replied calmly, “When do you think I learned medicine? It was precisely because Mother was gravely ill that I began studying medical texts, striving to cure her.”

According to the memories in Xia Jiujiang’s body, during Jiang Ruan’s illness, Xia Jiujiang spent much time poring over medical books and preparing remedies for her mother, trying her utmost to heal her.

Bai Zhi refused to believe her. Facing someone already doubted, Bai Zhi trusted her own investigation more than any explanation. She laughed bitterly. “Treating with medical texts? You were reading those books to harm her!”

Judging by Bai Zhi’s demeanor, she seemed to have found some evidence, fueling her hatred for Xia Jiujiang.

Xia Jiujiang glanced at You Hua, who retrieved several medicine bottles and a piece of cloth from Bai Zhi’s sleeve. The cloth was unevenly colored, as if it had faded from contact with water, its blurred hues puzzling Xia Jiujiang.

Inferior cloth... Xia Jiujiang remembered that the Jiang family’s extermination was due to problems with tribute cloth sent to the imperial court—mixed with inferior cloth, it was deemed fraudulent and led to the family’s downfall.

Xia Jiujiang picked up one of the medicine bottles, frowning. “What is this?”

Bai Zhi, enraged, mocked her. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. The poison in this bottle is the very toxin that killed Madam five years ago. Madam never suspected her own daughter was slowly poisoning her food, ultimately killing her!”

Bai Zhi herself hated to believe Xia Jiujiang had murdered Jiang Ruan, but this poison matched exactly the one that had killed Madam all those years ago.