The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 389: The Family Head Actually Dared to Report the Ninth Princess

Chapter 389: The Family Head Actually Dared to Report the Ninth Princess

On the other side, Nanli had finished taking Yany’s pulse.

Ming Ying, anxious and impatient, asked, "Madam, how is it? Can you cure the poison?"

Before Nanli could respond, Yuan Liang sneered, "Ming Ying, she’s a Taoist priest skilled in talismans. Do you really think she also knows medicine and toxicology? Don’t be fooled."

Ming Ying trusted Nanli, so she had no reservations. She turned to Yuan Liang and glared at him, "Shut up! This is my courtyard, and everyone here is my people. Do you think the few men you brought can protect you?"

With that, the servants of the Ming family immediately puffed up their chests, showing their strength. Some even flexed their muscles for Yuan Liang to see.

"Hmph, I’m waiting for you to beg me," Yuan Liang retreated a few steps, his voice filled with resentment. When the time comes, he would make sure to humiliate Ming Ying thoroughly to vent his anger!

Since he couldn’t get a healing talisman from Nanli, he had to let the house physician set his bones again, splint them with wooden boards, and wrap them with bandages.

The physician, after finishing his work, stood aside, curious to see Nanli’s diagnosis for Yany.

He had created the Sevenfold Drunken Mandrake poison himself. Even he couldn’t remove it; how could this young girl dare to claim she could?

He stared at Nanli’s profile. Her delicate features and the cold aura she exuded were unique. Despite her simple attire and wooden hairpin, he felt a vague familiarity.

Suddenly, his memory clicked, and he pointed at Nanli with wide eyes, "You... you are..."

Nanli, fully focused on the pulse, didn’t allow any interruptions. Without looking back, she cast a silence and immobilization talisman, then continued her diagnosis.

The physician, unable to speak or move, was drenched in cold sweat. He wasn’t highly skilled in medicine, but he had a deep interest in toxicology and often visited the ghost market.

He had once seen the Ninth Prince and his wife there. Although he couldn’t get close due to the crowd and his poor eyesight, he remembered a graceful figure. He had wondered why the sixth miss of the Marquis Anyang’s household, who had married into Prince Yu’s Mansion, dressed so plainly.

Not everyone in the capital had the chance to meet the Ninth Princess, despite her kindness. For example, Yuan Liang, a merchant who mainly dealt with minor officials, had never met any royalty.

The Yuan family’s residence and Prince Yu’s Mansion were on opposite sides of the city. Even if they occasionally crossed paths in the streets, the Ninth Princess would be in a carriage. Moreover, Chu Shuo’s shops were all over the capital, and the Ninth Princess never visited Yuan family’s stores, so most of the Yuan family had never seen her.

How foolish of Yuan Liang to report the Ninth Princess! This was a death wish and would implicate himself as well!

The physician, like an ant on a hot pan, desperately signaled Yuan Liang with his eyes. But Yuan Liang, half-lying on a chair in excruciating pain, didn’t notice him.

The physician was terrified and wished for a quick death to escape his misery.

Nanli finished taking the pulse and told Ming Ying, "This poison isn’t difficult for me to cure, but she’s too young and weak. The detoxification will need to be done in stages."

Ming Ying sighed in relief, smiling with tears on her face, "It doesn’t matter how many times, as long as the poison can be completely removed."

Nanli said, "My residence has all the necessary medicines. I’ll take her back with me. If you’re worried, you can come along."

Ming Ying nodded quickly, "Thank you, madam."

Since Yany was weak, Nanli first gave her a heart-strengthening pill to make her sleep, so she wouldn’t be too exhausted during the detoxification.

Yuan Liang, hearing that she intended to leave, couldn’t help but say, "Leave? The county lord will be here soon. You’ll both be in jail!"

At this moment, the servant who had gone to report to the authorities returned, shouting, "Master, the county lord is here!"

Yuan Liang, pleased, had the servant help him up. Despite the excruciating pain, he had to greet the county lord in person.

"County lord!" Yuan Liang cried, "Please, you must do justice. My wife’s servant beat me severely, and there are two charlatans trying to steal from my house!"

He showed his injuries and then handed a jade pendant to the county lord.

He had spent a lot today, determined to make Ming Ying and those two charlatans pay.

The county lord, surnamed Chen, felt the smoothness of the jade, pleased with its value. He smiled, then sternly stepped into the house, "Beating the master’s servant deserves punishment. Trespassing and stealing are serious crimes, punishable by imprisonment for at least six months!"

"Wise decision!" Yuan Liang cheered.

Ming Ying stepped forward, blocking Nanli from view, "County lord, the servant did beat someone, but I can explain. These two Taoists are here by my invitation, not trespassers. Please, be fair!"

County Lord Chen couldn’t see Nanli but noticed Qiu Hai’s unfamiliar face. Relieved, he felt confident after receiving bribes and willing to support Yuan Liang.

He stroked his beard, "Is that so? Then I’ll take them back for questioning to determine the truth."

Ming Ying’s face stiffened. If they were taken to Shuntian Office, they’d be tortured into confessing!

Desperate, she broke out in sweat, "County lord, as a magistrate, are you truly so unjust?"

County Lord Chen eyed Ming Ying, disheveled and freshly postnatal. He disdainfully thought she lacked tact, expecting justice without bribes.

He raised his chin, "I handle cases by the law. Who are you to question me?"

Ming Ying clenched her sleeves, "I’ve heard Lord Qin of Dalisi Procuratorate is the most just. I’ll go drum up my grievance!"

She hoped to scare County Lord Chen into acting more cautiously, but he, unfazed, flared up and ordered, "You insolent woman! Insulting a magistrate, accusing me of corruption, you deserve thirty lashes! Guards, punish her!"

Guards moved to seize Ming Ying.

The Ming family servants panicked, fearing their lady, newly recovered, couldn’t endure a beating.

Then, a cold voice rang out, "County lord, I recall the penalty for insulting an official is fifteen lashes, not thirty."