Chapter 15: A Terrifying Woman


Tao Hua was a bit nervous, feeling as if the atmosphere around them had suddenly turned ambiguous. However, Shen Zaiye seemed completely oblivious. His face, which had been slightly annoyed, had returned to its calm state, making it even harder to guess what was on his mind.

“Does Your Highness intend to hold me accountable?”

After bandaging the wound, Shen Zaoye spoke calmly to Prince Nan.

Mu Wuxia stood straight-backed, his tone peculiar as he said, “This prince has no right to accuse you of a crime; perhaps what you did was right.”

“But I have the right to choose which path I should take.”

Hearing the first part, Shen Zaoye had felt somewhat relieved, but the latter part nearly made him choke with anger: “Your Highness!”

“I have always maintained that there are many ways to move forward in this world. Some choose to ride in carriages, while others prefer to walk. It is unreasonable to assume that those who walk are necessarily wrong.”

With unwavering resolve, Mu Wuxia stated, “I have said before, I am not foolish enough to insist on walking only the path you have paved for me.”

Was it truly unwise for someone who chose not to take the well-paved road and instead waded through mud to get themselves covered in grime? Peach Blossom felt doubtful. However, having lost a great deal of blood and having pushed herself for so long, she was already at her limit. For reasons unknown, the two people before her had veered off-topic, and she could hardly hold on any longer.

“I am rather tired,” Jiang Taohua said with firm determination, addressing Mu Wuxia just before losing consciousness. “I beg of you, Your Highness, do not allow the Prime Minister to take me away before I regain consciousness. It would cost me my life!”

After speaking, she immediately fainted.

Shen Zaiye’s face darkened as he held her, the scorching temperature seeping through her clothes, making him both annoyed and amused.

She had already lost half her life, yet she could still say such things—truly pushing herself to the limit!

Mu Wuxia nodded seriously. Even listening to Taohua’s voice, he could sense how extremely weak she was. So he said, “If you want to talk, go to the study. Let the healer in to take a look at Lady Jiang. If she really dies here at the Southern Prince’s estate, it won’t be easy to explain to others.”

“Alright.” Shen Zaiye nodded, placed Taohua back on the bed, stood up, and followed him out.

The medical maid outside the room had been waiting for a long time. Seeing that someone had finally left, Moss quickly brought her inside.

“Master?”

The person on the bed was already unconscious. Moss’s eyes turned red as she whispered to the medical maid, “The wound didn’t reach the organs, only skin and flesh, but it is still extremely deep and needs stitching.”

The medical maid nodded, opened the medicine chest, and took out some anesthetic powder. Just as she was about to pour hot water, she heard the maidservant before her say, “Do not use any pain-relieving medicine.”

Slightly taken aback, the medical maid frowned and said, “Suturing a wound is excruciatingly painful. I’m afraid this lady won’t be able to bear it. How can it be done without painkillers?”

Gritting her teeth, Qing Tai replied, “I know suturing is extremely painful, but our lady has always refused any kind of painkiller.”

Back when she broke her leg in the State of Zhao, even when setting the bone was so painful, Jiang Taohua insisted on not using any anesthetic. What were her exact words at the time?

“Painkillers like Mafeisan harm the brain. Unless the pain is enough to kill me, don’t use them! If my brain stops working, your lady here will die even faster!”

Earlier she had thought it absurd, planning to forcibly use it when the master was in extreme pain. But who knew that from the start of setting the bone to the end, Jiang Taohua gritted her teeth without a single cry, giving no opportunity at all.

What could be done about her?

The medical woman gave Moss a peculiar look, pondered for a moment, then set aside the mafeisan anesthesia, opting instead to take catgut and heat the needle in preparation.

The unconscious peach blossom appears quite uneasy, likely because the situation she’s in is not safe enough; her brow remains tightly furrowed.

The medical attendant had worried this person might wake when the stitching began, yet as the needle pierced the flesh, her brow relaxed a little. Still, cold sweat broke out in layers, and her hand clenched tightly.

“This…” The medic’s own forehead was beaded with sweat as she glanced back at Moss. “My skills are still rather unrefined; perhaps we should send for another physician from the palace?”

Moss scowled. “She’s in this condition—how do we have time to call for anyone else? Can’t you even suture a wound?”

“…I can, I can.” But her hands were trembling!

The physician’s assistant was on the verge of tears. After stitching the first needle, she could feel the patient’s skin and muscles tensing beneath her hands. Glancing up at the woman’s increasingly pale face, her heart began to drum with unease.

These delicate young ladies from boudoirs are usually so tender-skinned and easily hurt, shedding tears over a mere cold—I’ve never seen one get stitches without anesthetic!

She didn’t utter a sound or cry out in pain, yet she was hurting all over!

Unable to calm her mind, the medical maid, seeing that the wound needed at least dozens of stitches, couldn’t stay seated: “Miss, this servant truly isn’t suitable. I’d better go and apologize to the prince. Quickly, find a more experienced medical maid to come!”

With that, before Qing Tai could refuse, she knelt down and kowtowed three times!

Qingtai was furious, “What does this mean? The needle has been inserted, yet you can’t finish suturing it in one go?”

The medical maid cried more miserably than Taohua on the bed, her face pale as death, her body trembling like a little chick. Without another word, she stood up and ran outside.

“Stop right there!” Reaching out to grab her but missing her quick movement, Qingtai hastily covered Taohua with the blanket and chased after her.

Because the master of Nanwang Mansion was merciful, the servants were all quite bold. This medical maid didn’t run anywhere else but directly toward the side study of the Prince of Nan.

“Your Highness!”

Mu Wuxia and Shen Zaixian were at a standstill when they were suddenly startled by this call. Mu Wuxia frowned and opened the door, asking, “What is it?”

The medical maid was kneeling in the courtyard, covered in sweat, and said with a tearful voice, “I cannot suture the lady’s wound. Please, Your Highness, quickly send someone to the palace to fetch an experienced medical maid before the palace gates are locked!”

Shen Zaixian also stepped to the doorway, glancing at the medical maid and remarking, “If you can’t even suture a small wound, does that mean the title of ‘medical maid’ is just something your prince bestows at will?”

“You see, Prime Minister, the issue is not that I cannot perform the suture,” the female physician hurriedly explained. “It is simply that… that lady’s injury is severe, and she refuses to use anesthesia, so I dare not proceed recklessly.”

Nowadays in these noble mansions, the trendiest phrase is, “If you can’t cure so-and-so, you’ll all be buried with them!” But she’s just a little medicine girl! She doesn’t want to die that early! The situation in the room clearly didn’t look good—she isn’t foolish, so why would she really wait around to pay with her life?

“What do you mean she refused to use anaesthetic?” Mu Wuxia frowned. “Is she awake?”

“No.” Qingtai stood behind, lowering her head as she replied, “My mistress has always insisted before that she wouldn’t take painkillers.”

“Ridiculous!” Shen Zaiye snorted coldly. “She isn’t even conscious, yet you still follow her orders?”

With that, he flicked his robe and strode out.

Mu Wuxia quickly followed, thinking to herself that Qingtai must have gone mad; why bother with so many orders when she wasn’t even clear-headed? Surely her master’s life was the most important thing.

However, upon returning to the main room and seeing the situation, he realized he had misjudged Qingtai.

Shen Zaive was holding a bowl of anesthetic, trying to pour it into Jiang Taohua’s mouth, but her teeth were clenched so tightly that he couldn’t pry them open no matter how hard he tried.

For a moment, Mu Wuxia thought Taohua might be awake, otherwise she wouldn’t be so guarded all over while unconscious.

But when he lifted her eyelids to check, she was indeed in a coma and not conscious.

“How could this be?” Shen Zaiju frowned and turned to Qingtai, “What’s wrong with your master?”

Qingtai shook her head helplessly, “It’s been like this for a long time. When she’s asleep or unconscious, no one can get her to relax her jaw. Even if you force it open to pour something in, even if it’s just water, she’ll spit it out.”

She has only been by her master’s side for two years, and what happened before, she truly doesn’t know.

Shen Zaiji pressed his lips together, casting several glances at Taohua with a look of impatience. “If she won’t take the medicine, then so be it. She brought this pain on herself. But the injury still counts as mine, and it wouldn’t be good for her to bleed to death. Bring the needle for stitching the wound.”

The medical maid was taken aback, cautiously pointing at Taohua’s body.

Mu Wuxia was shocked, turning to glare at her. “You started stitching and then ran away halfway through?”

“Your Highness, please calm your anger!” The medical maid trembled as she knelt down. “I truly didn’t have the courage to finish stitching…”

“Forget it, everyone leave. Your Highness, please wait for me in the study.” Shen Zaiye frowned and waved his hand: “Only Qingtai needs to stay and help.”

Mu Wuxia looked at him with some distrust: “You’re going to stitch it?”

“Stitching isn’t difficult.” Shen Zaiye said: “She herself isn’t afraid of pain, so why should I worry about hurting her? If we delay any further and lose this life in vain, wouldn’t you be even more determined to fight me to the death?”

Pursing his lips, Mu Wuxia nodded and promptly led the female physician out.

A strange look flashed in Qing Tai’s eyes as she stared at Shen Zaiye, momentarily unsure of what he meant.

“What are you standing there for?”

After lifting the blanket to take a look at the disastrous state of Jiang Taohua’s wounds, Shen Zaiye was seething with anger. He turned his head and barked at Qing Tai, “Go prepare hot water and cloths. With your master covered in this much blood, it’s impossible to see the wounds clearly.”

“…Yes.” Qing Tai agreed verbally, but she didn’t actually move. She was terrified that if she turned her back even for a moment, he might slap her master to death.

“Do you think I’ll harm her?” Seeing the expression on this maidservant’s face, Shen Zaiye was so angered that he laughed, squeezing Taohua’s shoulder as he said, “This woman is shrewd enough to have secured her own talisman of protection long ago. I cannot touch her, so you may go without worry!”

A talisman of protection? The Southern Prince? Qingtai froze for a moment, nodding blankly before walking away.

Her mistress had indeed said that as long as the Southern Prince promised to protect her, they would not die at Shen Zaiye’s hands. Yet, up until now, she still could not grasp the current situation clearly.

Why, with the Southern Prince’s shelter, would Minister Shen truly refrain from moving against them?

Unable to understand, Qingtai shook her head and hurried off to fetch hot water.

Looking at the half-bed covered in blood, Shen Zaiye truly didn’t know what to say. In his twenty-five years of life, he had never encountered such a terrifying woman. If one were to say she wanted to live, this was clearly a life-threatening act. But if one were to say she didn’t care for her life, she had gone to such great lengths to escape from him in order to preserve it.

What exactly was she thinking? Even a man would be in agony from such a wound, yet she refused to use anesthesia? No matter how fearless one is of pain, there has to be a limit, doesn’t there?

Feeling a wave of irritation, Shen Zaiye reached out, picked up the dangling needle, aligned it with the wound, and began stitching without mercy.

“Hmm.”

Perhaps he used too much force, Jiang Taohua groaned in pain, her eyes closed as a stream of tears flowed down, soaking half of his shoulder.