Chapter 148: How Does It Feel? Comfortable, Isn't It?

"What? Which zither player?"
Qiao Qingyun's heart hung in suspense. If it were the zither player Jianli, it seemed the investigation would have to be temporarily put on hold.
Had Jianli not been such an enigmatic figure, she would not have been consumed by curiosity.
"It is zither player Baiyue."
Upon hearing the name, Qiao Qingyun let out a sigh of relief, while Zhong Shi grew tense at her reaction.
Could it be that Qiao Qingyun had developed feelings for that male entertainer?
"Chuncheng, follow me. Xu Lu, stay right here and do not leave under any circumstances. Zhong Shi, I am taking you with me."
"Yes."
From the moment he heard someone had been poisoned, Chuncheng had packed all the necessary items into a single chest.
In addition, he brought a small box of wood ash and two empty buckets.
Both empty buckets were made of wood, each featuring a small hole near the top, just wide enough to accommodate a single tube.
Qiao Qingyun, accompanied by Chuncheng and Zhong Shi, immediately boarded the carriage. The driver, anxious to make haste, urged the horses toward the House of Zither.
"How could he have been poisoned?"
Zhong Shi furrowed his brow, harboring a trace of suspicion regarding this sudden illness.
The person who had come for help certainly belonged to the House of Zither, and they had indeed seen him on both of their previous visits there.
That being the case, deception seemed unlikely. Was he merely being overly paranoid?
Unable to make sense of the situation, Zhong Shi kept his thoughts to himself, wishing to avoid causing Qiao Qingyun unnecessary worry.
The carriage rocked back and forth, arriving at the House of Zither shortly thereafter. Qiao Qingyun was the first to leap agilely from the carriage, striding swiftly toward the main hall.
As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw zither player Jianli waiting outside. Realizing that Qiao Qingyun had truly come, Jianli hurriedly led the way, saying, "Princess, I am deeply grateful for your trouble."
"It is no trouble. Let me examine him at once."
With that, the woman stepped forward and pulled aside the zither player, who was lying on the floor and convulsing continuously. He was dressed in extremely expensive brocade silk, the texture of which was irresistibly smooth to the touch.
Someone this wealthy, yet targeted by others?
It seemed the culprit must be someone close to him.
Qiao Qingyun fell into deep thought for a moment before turning to glance at Chuncheng.
The two of them coordinated seamlessly, producing three bags and a tube. Taking the tube and seizing the moment while the poisoned zither player remained unconscious and insensible, Qiao Qingyun inserted it smoothly through his nose.
After a brief moment, sensing that the tube could go no further downward, she instructed, "Chuncheng, wood ash water, immediately."
"Yes."
Chuncheng quickened his pace, pouring wood ash into the bottom of the wooden bucket before filling it to the brim with water. He instantly connected the tube and continuously pumped the wood ash water inward using the pressure device.
Taking advantage of this interval, Qiao Qingyun walked over to zither player Jianli's side. "What did he eat last?" she asked. "Or after consuming what did he begin to feel unwell?"
Jianli lowered his head in deep thought.
It took him quite a while to remember, and he instructed the attendant behind him, "Go bring the chestnut cake."
"Yes."
A moment later, a plate of exquisitely crafted chestnut cakes was presented to Qiao Qingyun.
The chef here had truly put in genuine effort; otherwise, appearance of this caliber could never have been achieved.
The woman casually picked up a silver needle and immediately pierced it into a cake. When she pulled it out, the silver needle had indeed grown faintly black.
"Fortunately, it is not a lethal poison. Once his stomach is washed in a moment, he will be fine." Qiao Qingyun breathed a long sigh of relief and walked over to Chuncheng's side. Just as she intended to lend a hand, Zhong Shi intercepted her.
"The Princess's injuries have not yet healed. Leave this kind of physical labor to your subordinate."
With that, Zhong Shi immediately reached out to take over from Chuncheng, leaving Qiao Qingyun to stand nearby and issue instructions.
After a bucket of water was pumped in, it was immediately drained into an empty wooden bucket, drawing the wood ash water back out through the wash.
This time, however, the runoff contained not only wood ash, but a heavy mixture of black blood.
The sight of it was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Had it not been for the prompt rescue, a poison like this would surely have proved fatal.
After tossing and turning through this process for a long time, the procedure finally neared its end, leaving Zhong Shi's arms entirely devoid of strength.
Seeing this, Chuncheng stepped forward to relieve him. Watching Zhong Shi panting for breath with sweat beading all over his body, Qiao Qingyun hurriedly produced her personal handkerchief and gently dabbed at his brow.
The man's body stiffened; he froze in place, staring blankly at Qiao Qingyun's actions.
For reasons unknown, this scene appeared exceedingly grating in Jianli's eyes.
"Are you exhausted? This sort of heavy labor tests the degree of coordination above all else. You were too hasty, which is why your arms gave out. Come here."
The woman pulled Zhong Shi aside, letting Chuncheng handle the final cleanup steps, while she personally circled behind Zhong Shi and extended her slender fingers to knead the muscles near his shoulders.
At first, Zhong Shi immediately struggled to stand up, lowering his head with his face flushing red to the tips of his ears. "Princess, you honor this subordinate too much; I am unworthy of such care."
"Come over here at once."
Qiao Qingyun adopted a stern tone, yet this severity carried no threat in Zhong Shi's eyes; instead, it seemed rather endearing, prompting him to sit obediently back down in the chair.
Before long, the gentle pressure left Zhong Shi utterly astonished. Could this truly be something learned by a pampered, high-ranking noble lady?
"How is that? Does it feel relieving?"
As Zhong Shi's muscles gradually relaxed, Qiao Qingyun knew her technique had won his approval—after all, hadn't she frequently treated patients with muscle strains in the past?
Massaging them from time to time brought them immense relief.
"Princess... this subordinate..."
"Alright, alright. Put away that formality of yours and let me knead for a bit longer. We can talk after you feel better."
Not until Chuncheng finished the treatment did Qiao Qingyun finally halt her movements.
Zhong Shi stood up and flexed the muscles in his arms.
The soreness and pain that had previously wracked them had entirely vanished, replaced by an inexplicable sense of comfort.
"My thanks to the Princess."
Chuncheng looked as exhausted as a panting hound. Having finally completed all the emergency rescue procedures, the man lying on the floor finally regained some color in his face.
To help the patient recover more swiftly, Chuncheng intended to administer an injection, but his hands trembled so violently that he could not even pinch the syringe properly.
"Pfft—very well, go rest. I will handle it."
Qiao Qingyun reached out, took the needle from Chuncheng's hand, and secured the back of the zither player's hand with a tourniquet.
"Has he not eaten anything?" The woman asked with a look of exasperation at the completely unremarkable back of the hand, where not a single vein was visible.
Just as she finally managed to find a spot suitable for inserting an infusion set, she learned the patient hadn't eaten.
Jianli pressed his lips together and gave a light chuckle. "He did eat some, but it was all washed out."
Qiao Qingyun: "..."
Hasty indeed.
Helplessly, Qiao Qingyun had to vigorously pat the back of the hand for quite a while before a single vein finally emerged.
Pressing down on it a few times to confirm its elasticity—though far from ideal, it was still sufficient for her to administer the injection.
She pierced the needle straight into the vein, then advanced it horizontally to significantly reduce the level of pain.
"All done."
The woman hastily released the tourniquet, deftly ripped off a piece of adhesive tape, and firmly secured the IV line to the patient's hand.