On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2102 8 Lang Sober

The night was as dark as ink, and the Liu residence was completely silent except for a candle burning in Liu Balang's courtyard.

Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe arrived at the door, and Sun Qing quickly came out to greet them.

"Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort." Sun Qing stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

Yan Ruyu continued walking: "How is Liu Balang?"

Sun Qing smiled sarcastically: "Replying to Your Highness, he has not woken up since we returned to the manor from outside the city that day, just as Your Highness predicted."

Yan Ruyu nodded, and the three of them quickly entered the house.

Lying on the bed was a man named Liu Balang. His face was pale, his lips were bloodless, and his eyes were closed.

Yan Ruyu walked to the bedside, took out a small white porcelain bottle from her bosom, uncorked it, and a bitter medicinal fragrance wafted out. She poured out a pill and handed it to Sun Qing: "Give it to him."

Sun Qing stepped forward, pinched Liu Balang's chin, and fed him the medicine.

Liu Balang was already fully conscious and relied on his ears to probe the outside world every day.

He knew he was in a bad situation, but he was powerless to resist, so he could only wait silently for an opportunity.

Fifteen minutes later, Liu Balang felt the heavy weight on his eyelids suddenly disappear. He slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Sun Qing's familiar yet unfamiliar face.

He still remembers what Sun Qing looked like when he first met him.

When Sun Qing first entered the Liu family, he was aloof and didn't talk much. He was meticulous in his work and seemed cold, but he also had a touch of naivety. At the time, Sun Qing thought to himself that such a person seemed easy to manage and that he would be a good subordinate in the future.

But now, by the light of the candle, Sun Qing's eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as before, but the light in his eyes has changed. They are cold, arrogant, and deep, with a sharpness that sees through everything. The aura he exudes is completely different from before.

Liu Balang felt a surge of frustration and gritted his teeth.

How could he be so blind? He never realized that Sun Qing was such a hidden talent.

His gaze shifted from Sun Qing's face to Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe standing on either side of the bed.

The two men, one tall and one short, stood side by side, creating a very imposing presence.

Yan Ruyu was handsome, and Huo Changhe was heroic, exuding a fierce aura of someone who had been through many battles.

These two are clearly no ordinary people.

Liu Balang's heart tightened, and he struggled to get up.

But he had been unconscious for many days, and his body was already numb and stiff, and he was powerless. He had just propped himself up on his arms to sit up when he fell back down heavily, his chest rising and falling slightly as he gasped for breath.

"Who...who are you people? What do you want?!"

Liu Balang's voice was hoarse, and he could not hide his fear.

He stared intently at Yan Ruyu and the other two, trying to discern something from their faces, but Yan Ruyu simply looked at him calmly, a faint smile playing on her lips, without uttering a word.

The silence weighed heavily on Liu Balang, making him even more uncertain.

He forced himself to remain calm and straightened his back: "I...I am the most powerful person in Rongzhou. Our Liu family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. We hold the imperial pardon bestowed by the late emperor. If you dare to harm me, you will be disobeying the imperial decree!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Changhe let out a low sneer, his voice as cold as ice: "A get-out-of-jail-free card? I'm sick of hearing that."

Liu Balang's face turned pale.

Yan Ruyu spoke up: "Where's the gold medal? Show it to me."

Liu Balang struggled to climb off the bed, stumbled to the octagonal table in the corner of the room, and bent down to crawl under the table.

He fumbled around on the floor for a moment, then grabbed the edge of a brick and pried it up with a little force. Underneath was a small hidden compartment containing a box about the size of a palm.

The box was made of ebony, with intricate patterns carved on its surface. It looked like some kind of mortise and tenon structure, with no keyhole, and fit perfectly.

Liu Balang took out the box and ran his fingers over it for a moment.

With a soft "click," the clasp on the box came undone, and he carefully opened the lid.

The candlelight shone through the crack into the box, instantly reflecting a golden light.

The box was lined with red velvet, and a gleaming golden token lay quietly on it.

The token is rectangular, with the words "immunity from death" engraved on the front.

Huo Changhe's gaze fell on the token; it was indeed an imperial gift, no doubt about it.

Liu Balang stood up, holding the box. Although his legs were still weak, he deliberately straightened his back, held the token in front of him, and said with a weak voice, "Do you see this? This is the imperial pardon. Now you know..."

"Sun Qing, accept it." Yan Ruyu's voice interrupted him.

Liu Balang's words came to an abrupt halt. Before he could react, Sun Qing grabbed his wrist with one hand and gently snatched the token from his hand with the other.

Liu Balang instinctively tried to struggle, but Sun Qing's fingers were like iron clamps, firmly locking his wrist.

Yan Ruyu's gaze fell on the ebony box, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes, and she added, "And that box too."

Upon hearing this, Sun Qing grabbed Liu Balang's wrist and twisted it behind his back. With his other hand, he caught the ebony box that Liu Balang had dropped on the ground, turned around, walked to Yan Ruyu, and handed her the token and the box together.

Yan Ruyu looked down at the token in her hand, her smile deepening. Huo Changhe stood beside her, his gaze sweeping coldly over Liu Balang with a hint of disdain.

Liu Balang collapsed to the ground, a deep fear gripping him as he looked at the three people before him.

He finally realized that this time, he had really messed with the wrong person.

Yan Ruyu said calmly, "The token has been confiscated."

Liu Balang's eyes widened: "What? This is a gift from the royal family, how could you..."

Yan Ruyu completely ignored his words, waved her hand, and footsteps sounded outside the door, bringing in the masked man.

Yan Ruyu fixed her gaze on Liu Balang, observing his expression.

As soon as the masked man entered the room, Liu Balang looked him up and stared at him with surprise in his eyes.

Yan Ruyu thought to herself, "There's a chance. It seems they know each other."

“This man has committed a serious crime,” Yan Ruyu said casually. “He said he was acting on your orders.”

Liu Balang was stunned for a moment, then his voice rose as he exclaimed, "What? My orders? That's utter nonsense!"

After he finished speaking angrily, he saw that Yan Ruyu did not speak and assumed that she did not believe him. He anxiously said, "He is not my man at all, how could he be acting under my orders?"

Sun Qing replied casually, "That's not necessarily true."

Liu Balang let out a heavy sigh: "Sun Qing, putting everything else aside, you should know me well in this regard. Since you entered the manor, I've been with you almost every day, but I haven't seen him at all."

“He,” Liu Balang pointed quickly, “is Liu Jiulang’s man. Liu Jiulang’s men are just like him—treacherous and cunning.”

"Yes, he must have been instructed by Liu Jiulang to frame and slander me!"