Chapter 226: Chapter 226: No Matter How Far You Go, I Won’t Give You the Hundred Diseases Pill

She had even changed the bedding.

The pale pink she loved was gone, replaced by the dark navy he had always used.

Everything had been returned to how it was before she had woken up.

The whole room felt exceptionally somber.

It radiated a sense of hopeless despair.

Xie Jinbai glanced around the room, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest.

He adjusted his hold on her and strode directly into the inner chamber.

Li Yong tactfully shut the door for him.

The door clicked shut just as he laid Cui Lingyao on the daybed.

Xie Jinbai stood by the bed, his gaze fixed on her, and asked, "Has your menstrual period come?"

"..." Cui Lingyao fell silent, then slowly shook her head. "Not yet."

"Wait," Xie Jinbai said.

With that, he turned and left.

The days were short and the nights long in winter, and the sky outside had already grown dark.

Cui Lingyao guessed he wouldn’t let her return to Jianxia Courtyard tonight. She wasn’t particularly bothered by it, simply sitting on the edge of the daybed to wait.

About fifteen minutes later, he re-entered, a damp chill clinging to him.

Cui Lingyao blinked. "You told me to wait so you could go take a bath?"

Xie Jinbai hummed an "mhm," shut the door, and walked straight to the daybed. He gripped her chin, tilting her head up, and lowered his own to kiss her.

The instant their lips met, the hand on her jaw applied a bit of pressure, forcing her lips apart.

He had washed himself thoroughly; the smell of alcohol was gone.

All that remained was his own unique, cool scent.

Cui Lingyao found herself getting lost in it.

Her collar was pulled open, and his hand slipped inside.

Warm and dry.

Light calluses roughened the web of his thumb.

Cui Lingyao shuddered, snapping back to her senses. She grabbed his wrist. "Don’t!"

Xie Jinbai was already kneeling on the daybed with one knee, his body half-covering hers.

He paused, his wrist in her grasp. He lowered his gaze, looking down at her. "It hasn’t come yet, has it?"

His expression was stern, but a flickering desire burned in the depths of his eyes.

His gaze was utterly captivating.

Cui Lingyao’s heart skipped a beat. She felt that not only had her honey trap failed, but he was about to turn the tables on her.

She swallowed hard and forced herself to say, "My lower abdomen feels a little uncomfortable. It should be coming in the next day or two. I don’t want to do this."

Xie Jinbai knew that with this body of hers, she always felt unwell for a few days before and after her menstrual period.

He reached out to touch her abdomen. "This problem... why hasn’t this condition improved?"

Cui Lingyao said nothing.

She hadn’t had these issues before her marriage.

It was only after the system provided her with contraception that her cycle became irregular and she started experiencing cramps.

It was all her own doing; she couldn’t blame anyone else.

Xie Jinbai gently rubbed her abdomen. The heat coursing through him wouldn’t subside, and he turned to head to the washroom again.

A hand grabbed his wrist.

"I’ll help you," Cui Lingyao said.

’She’s really willing to go all in for this.’

Xie Jinbai froze.

After a long moment, he said hoarsely, "Give it up. Even if you throw everything on the line, I will not give you the Hundred Diseases Pill."

"..." Cui Lingyao was stunned for a second. When she realized what he meant, she let out a laugh of pure anger. "You think I’m trying to trade this for it?"

’What kind of person does he take me for?!’

’Someone providing a service for payment?’

’And the "goods" in question are mine to begin with!’

Her expression soured. Angrily, she said, "Is that really what you think of me? To think I actually felt sorry for you!"

’Felt sorry...’

Xie Jinbai’s eyes darkened. "And how were you planning on feeling sorry for me?"

"The offer’s off the table," Cui Lingyao said, forcing a smile and gritting her teeth. "Go take care of it yourself."

Xie Jinbai was left speechless.

Looking a bit helpless, he pinched her cheek and said, "I am your man. It’s only right that you should care for me."

’Just as he cared for her.’

’Cared enough to restrain his own primal instincts.’

’He didn’t expect the same from her.’

’But he had to mean more to her than anyone else.’

’Caring for him shouldn’t be such a difficult thing.’

The man before her looked so earnest that Cui Lingyao found herself unable to argue.

In fact, she agreed with him.

She would have cared for him even if he hadn’t said a word.

Xie Jinbai watched her for a moment, then abandoned his plan to go to the washroom. He simply lifted the covers, got onto the daybed, and wrapped an arm around her waist. Carefully avoiding the injury on her left shoulder, he pulled her into his embrace. His voice softened as he asked, "Are you angry with me for refusing to give the medicine to save Xie Anning?"

The head nestled in his arms nodded slightly.

"Do you really think anyone could possibly harm me right under your nose?"

Cui Lingyao’s voice was muffled. "You’ve already been instated as the Crown Prince. According to historical precedents, it won’t be long before you ascend the throne as Emperor. The Hundred Diseases Pill is precious, yes, but given our positions, we might never need it in our entire lives. And Xie Anning isn’t some stranger—she’s my own sister-in-law, carrying my brother’s child."

The Empress hasn’t been officially deposed, but she might as well be; she can’t make any more trouble.

As for the other Princes, the incident in Pingzhou scared them into submission long ago.

Every one of them was behaving themselves.

The protection around me is ironclad. Nothing can happen to me.

Once we move into the palace, I’ll be even safer.

You could say that as long as I don’t risk walking through death’s door by giving birth, there will be no use for the Hundred Diseases Pill.

She spoke at length, recounting how her brother, Cui Mingrui, had doted on her since they were children, and how Xie Anning, as her sister-in-law, had always looked out for her.

She appealed to his reason and moved him with emotion.

It was an exceptionally moving plea.

Xie Jinbai waited quietly for her to finish before nodding slowly. "You have a point. We most likely will not need this pill."

A flicker of joy ignited in Cui Lingyao.

But before she could say anything, he changed his tone. "But, Yaoyao, I dare not take that gamble."

He wouldn’t risk it, no matter how small the probability.

The joy that had filled Cui Lingyao’s heart froze and then slowly seeped away.

She was somewhat disappointed.

But it was only disappointment; she didn’t get truly angry or pick a fight with him over it.

Nor did she insist that the Hundred Diseases Pill was hers and demand he produce it.

——After all, husband and wife were one. Subconsciously, she already considered him one of her own.

She made no distinction between what was his and what was hers.

Realizing this, Xie Jinbai felt an irrepressible surge of joy.

His expression softened. His palm rested on her lower abdomen, rubbing it gently as he spoke in a warm voice, "There’s another reason, besides that."

Not wanting to seem cold and heartless in her eyes, Xie Jinbai began to explain. "Producing the Hundred Diseases Pill would bring about grave consequences."

Cui Lingyao paused, a realization dawning on her.

She had produced the Hundred Diseases Pill to save Chen Minrou.

And had drawn the covetous attention of far too many people.

It was he who had single-handedly dealt with them all.

Anyone who came asking received the same answer.

——We happened upon a single pill. Not knowing its exact effects, we gave it to Chen Minrou as a desperate, last-ditch effort.

In short, there were no more.

Xie Jinbai had even given the Emperor the same story.

It had created a rift between father and son.

The covetous eyes drawn to such a Divine Elixir would not be so easily deterred.

Xie Anning’s recent injury must have drawn a great deal of attention.

Many people would be wondering: If she still had a Hundred Diseases Pill, would she use it again?

And if she actually did...

Xie Anning, suffering from severe internal injuries and a difficult pregnancy, would make a sudden, full recovery, her pregnancy saved.

That would be the crime of deceiving the Emperor.

No matter how much the Emperor doted on his son, he would surely fly into a rage.

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