Chapter 281: A Heaven-Sent Opportunity

Chapter 281: A God-Given Opportunity

After Divine Physician Sun and Xiao Lingchuan left, Jiang Shuning walked to the window and pushed open the carved wooden window.

In the courtyard, the small medicinal herb garden she had personally cultivated glowed with a warm luster under the early summer sunset.

Several ordinary herbs were thriving, and among them was an inconspicuous plant with slender leaves.

That was the "Rebirth Herb" she had prepared for herself.

In her past life, in the eighth year of being trapped in the Jing Prince's Mansion, she had overheard a strange tale of the capital from an old servant woman who had gone out to purchase supplies.

In the western part of the capital, there was a poor woman who suffered from epilepsy and needed constant medication.

One day, while gathering wild vegetables in the mountains, she mistakenly ate a wild herb. After returning home, she grew weaker day by day and eventually stopped breathing.

Her family was grief-stricken, but they were too poor to afford even a flimsy coffin. They had to leave her "corpse" at home while they scrambled to borrow money.

Unexpectedly, on the seventh day of the wake, the woman slowly regained consciousness, coming back to life.

Later, a knowledgeable physician examined her and explained the truth.

The woman's regular medication had clashed with the wild herb's properties, creating a false death state. Her pulse and heartbeat had stopped entirely, but after seven days, the drug's effects wore off, allowing her to revive.

The speaker said it casually, but the listener took it to heart.

Jiang Shuning remembered this story vividly.

She knew that unless she died, Xiao Lingchuan, that obsessive madman, would never let her go.

So, she had someone find the seeds of that herb, carefully planted them in her garden, and deliberately grew other herbs as cover.

She even replicated the epileptic woman's medication and formulated a prescription that could work in tandem with the Rebirth Herb.

This secret was known only to heaven, earth, and herself.

If that strange tale were to occur, it would be six years later, so Divine Physician Sun naturally couldn't know about it in advance.

And Xiao Lingchuan—in his past life, he was entirely consumed by his pursuit of imperial power and ambition. Why would he care about a commoner's bizarre tale of life and death?

As long as she took the medicine, even if Divine Physician Sun came, he could only diagnose that she was at death's door, beyond saving.

By then, Xiao Lingchuan would be helpless.

Everything was planned flawlessly.

But now, all her plans had come to nothing.

Jiang Shuning gently rested her hand on her flat abdomen.

Here, a small life was growing.

The false-death medicine was potent and dangerous; she herself would have to face a slim chance of survival. How could she let this innocent child gamble with the child's life alongside her?

If the medicine harmed the child, even if she managed to escape, the rest of her life would be spent in endless regret.

She couldn't gamble.

What made her even more despairing was that her only backup had been cut off.

She had originally planned for Ling Wu to guard her "corpse" after her "death" and find a way to transport her out of the mansion within seven days.

But now, Ling Wu had been bought off.

Her trusted confidante had become Xiao Lingchuan's spy.

She didn't have a single person left she could trust.

The fake death path was blocked, and those around her were unreliable.

Now, only one path remained.

That was to seek help from Cui Zhilan.

This was her only option for now, but it was also a risky move.

Jiang Shuning knew that one wrong step would lead to disastrous consequences.

She found an excuse to summon Liu Ye and whispered a few instructions.

Liu Ye went to carry them out.

In the afternoon, Liu Ye quietly handed her a note with only a time and a place.

It was Cui Zhilan's reply.

The next day, after Xiao Lingchuan went to court, Jiang Shuning avoided being seen or heard and went alone to the familiar rockery in the back garden.

Cui Zhilan was already waiting there. As soon as she saw Jiang Shuning, her eyes sparkled with barely suppressed excitement. She stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Shuning's wrist.

"Miss Jiang, why have you suddenly changed your mind?" Her voice was full of excitement, even carrying a hint of reproach. "I told you ages ago that you couldn't get out on your own! You refused my and my cousin's help before, and it drove me mad!"

"This... it's a long tale." Jiang Shuning glossed over it, unwilling to explain further, and cut straight to the point. "I just wanted to ask, Concubine Cui, do you have any good way to... get me out of the mansion?"

"Of course I do! There's a perfect opportunity right at hand!" Cui Zhilan perked up immediately. "I'll tell the prince I want to return to my family home. Since the Cui family is still useful to him, he'll definitely agree. Then, you can dress up as me and take the sedan chair to the Cui residence. My cousin will be waiting at the gate. He'll personally stop the sedan chair and spirit you away without anyone noticing!"

The plan sounded bold and simple.

Jiang Shuning's heart leaped, and she almost immediately objected: "No! That's too risky! If the prince returns and finds out you helped me escape, he'll take it out on you!"

"He won't find out." Cui Zhilan blinked. "Haven't you heard about the bandit suppression at West Yu?"

Without waiting for Jiang Shuning's answer, she continued on her own, "The eldest son of the General of State Stabilization, Wang Qi, didn't know his place and insisted on going to suppress the bandits to earn merit. Instead, he was captured as a hostage! I heard those bandits are from the Western Regions—nasty lot. Now the General is frantic, running around frantically like ants on a hot pan. The Emperor had no choice but to send the prince personally to clean up the mess and fish Wang Qi out."

"The prince is about to leave for the expedition in a few days! Think about it—once he leaves the capital and you leave the mansion, by the time he returns, you'll be long gone with my cousin! As long as you get out safely, my cousin will send someone to fetch me, and both of us can leave this place for good!"

Jiang Shuning's heart began to pound wildly.

Xiao Lingchuan was going on an expedition?

This was absolutely a heaven-sent opportunity.

She had been trapped in this cage, unable to see a single glimmer of light, and now Cui Zhilan's words were like a sharp blade, cutting a crack in her sealed world.

"Can it really... succeed?" Her voice trembled with a slight quiver she hadn't noticed.

"Don't worry! My cousin has it all arranged!" Cui Zhilan took her hand again, this time with a firmer, warmer grip. "Miss Jiang, listen to me! Then, the world will be wide open, and you'll be with my cousin, free to go wherever you please. No one will ever lock you up again!"

"You and my cousin will have a wonderful life!"

This sentence was like a tiny needle, piercing into Jiang Shuning's heart without warning.

An extremely unnatural stiffness flickered across her face.

She was now carrying Xiao Lingchuan's child; how could she possibly go start a new life with Xiao Huaijin with a clear conscience?

This was too unfair to Xiao Huaijin.

She owed him a debt of gratitude that she feared she could never repay in this lifetime, and could only make it up in other ways.

Suppressing the churning emotions in her heart, she raised her head, her expression returning to calm: "Alright. I'll keep an eye on Prince Ning's movements these days. As soon as I have definite news of his expedition, I'll tell you immediately. You can then arrange the time to return to your parents' home."

She paused, her tone becoming particularly grave, "One more thing, you must be careful. My maidservant Ling Wu has been bought off by Prince Ning. From now on, when you send messages to me via Liu Ye, be sure to avoid her!"

Cui Zhilan was taken aback, and then a sympathetic expression appeared on her face: "Don't worry, I'll be careful!"

The two of them huddled together again, going over the details of the plan again and again, and only then did they each go their separate ways.

Neither of them noticed that behind a dense clump of bushes not far away, a pair of venomous eyes had watched everything clearly.

Zhao Ruowan slowly straightened up, gently pressed the corner of her mouth with a silk handkerchief, and a sinister, twisted smile spread across her face.

So that bitch Jiang Shuning was actually having an illicit affair with Prince Ning.

How interesting.

If Xiao Lingchuan were to find out that the woman he cherished and pampered as the apple of his eye was colluding with his fifth brother and even plotting to elope...

Zhao Ruowan could almost imagine how ferocious Xiao Lingchuan's strikingly handsome face would become.

That scene would definitely be more exciting than any show.