Divine Doctor Mommy Is A True Big Shot-Chapter 85 - The Corrupted Little Boy

Princess Consort Shun made a throat-slitting gesture and, after looking around to ensure no one was around, whispered.

“Zhao Ningyue didn’t die from illness; she was killed by Dugu Xiaojin. Don’t be fooled by his good looks, as if he’s a figure stepping straight out of a New Year painting; the methods he uses, tsk tsk, you should’ve seen Zhao Ningyue’s tragic death—it was too horrible to look at.”

Before she could finish speaking, Princess Consort Shun was frightened by Feng Bailing’s piercing gaze, as sharp as a knife, making her skin crawl.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m telling the truth. At first, Zhao Ningyue, of her own volition, refused marriage, saying she wanted to marry Dugu Wu. Back then, Dugu Wu had just lost a Princess Consort, and when the General Mansion proposed the match, I didn’t hesitate to consent.”

Her attitude towards Zhao Ningyue back then was heaven and earth compared to her treatment of Feng Bailing now.

After all, Zhao Ningyue had a good reputation, was adept in both literary and martial skills, and although her looks were not on par with those like Nalan Yan’er or Feng Xiangxue, as the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion, she was dignified and beyond reproach.

Without waiting for Dugu Wu’s response, the marriage was set.

“The wedding date had already been arranged, and Dugu Wu had even requested a decree to return to court from the campaign. But on the journey back, the Daye Dynasty attacked again. He had to turn back to battle, but the wedding couldn’t be postponed, so I took charge and had someone escort the bride on his behalf.”

Princess Consort Shun recalled.

Zhao Ningyue successfully entered Prince Shun’s Mansion, and the next day, she met Dugu Xiaojin.

“She didn’t like Xiaojin?”

Feng Bailing felt a tug at her heart at the mention of Xiaojin.

“On the contrary, she liked Xiaojin very much, praised his good looks and talents in both letters and arms, treating him as if he were her own child.”

Princess Consort Shun sighed heavily.

After marrying into Prince Shun’s Mansion, Zhao Ningyue actively offered to take care of Xiaojin.

At that time, Xiaojin was only two years old. From infancy, he was a loner, hardly speaking in front of others, even in the presence of Princess Consort Shun, his grandmother.

Princess Consort Shun, having a son of her own, was naturally not close to him, so when Zhao Ningyue wanted to take care of him, Princess Consort Shun went with the flow and entrusted Xiaojin to her.

“It had been only half a year when one midnight, I suddenly heard hysterical crying from Yue Pavilion. Zhao Ningyue’s maid, Xiao Xi, ran out crazed, claiming Zhao Ningyue was dead. I went with the manager to see…”

Princess Consort Shun had that terrifying image in her mind again.

In the pitch-black room, where the lantern had long been extinguished.

The woman lay face up, her cloud brocade long dress already torn to shreds. Her once beautiful face was crawling with large and small grey-haired mice, her eyes, nose, and mouth bloody and indistinguishable in shape.

Her hands, once skilled at calligraphy and painting, had also been gnawed to tatters, revealing the ghastly white of her bones.

Dugu Xiaojin curled up into a ball, his clothes thin, greasy hair clung to his face, his feet bare, his hands and feet already frozen to a purplish blue.

He tightly hugged his own legs, his eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation—the blue and gold pupils in the dark were like a cat’s eyes at night, giving anyone who saw them a shudder.

“Why claim that it was mice that killed Zhao Ningyue, yet you slander Xiaojin for murdering her?”

Feng Bailing felt a tightness in her chest, a suffocating feeling that wouldn’t rise or fall.

For a mere two-year-old child to witness such a scene, it wouldn’t be strange for Xiaojin to collapse.

“It was him, it definitely was him. I had noticed early on that the child doesn’t talk much, but he can communicate with animals. Where would Prince Mansion have so many mice? Surely, he summoned them.”

Princess Consort Shun remembered that Xiaojin was brought back by Dugu Wu himself.

When brought back, he was claimed to be his son.

Princess Consort Shun agreed to foster the child, considering the substantial income that Dugu Wu brought to Prince Shun’s Mansion every year.

Dugu Xiaojin was indeed strange. Even as an infant, his cries were soft, barely crying once a day.

He learned to write early, but he was late to speak.

By the age of one and a half, he couldn’t even call out ‘Daddy’.

Not long after Dugu Wu had brought him back, he went on a long expedition.

Dugu Xiaojin had always been odd-tempered, and the young masters and misses of Prince Mansion also kept their distance from him.

He didn’t like to play with the servants and maids either; once he could walk, he would often squat alone in the courtyard.

Several times, the maids and servants heard him talking to the air.

Upon closer observation, he could be seen talking to birds flying in the sky, ants crawling on the ground, and even some passing by snakes, insects, mice, and ants.

“Also, one time, I took him to the palace to meet the Empress Dowager. When I turned back, he was nowhere to be found. When I located him, he had fallen into a pond, which gave me quite a scare. I had the eunuchs fish him out, and guess what, dozens of turtles in the pond were beneath him, keeping him from sinking.”

In Princess Consort Shun’s memory, there were truly many strange incidents involving Dugu Xiaojin.

“After Zhao Ningyue died, I was terrified, so I sent someone to inform Dugu Wu in the middle of the night. I didn’t dare touch the child, so I left him there. Those hundreds of mice just wouldn’t leave; they ate and slept with him until Dugu Wu returned, then they scattered.”

Princess Consort Shun stroked her chest, saying it’s hard being a stepmother, and not any easier being a step-grandmother.

“I told Dugu Wu all these strange occurrences, saying the child was sinister. I thought he would send him away, but to my surprise, after listening, he tightly embraced Dugu Xiaojin and praised him severely. He resigned from military duties and stayed in Chu City. After that, Dugu Xiaojin was always by his side, and he never went mad again.”

After recounting these events, Princess Consort Shun also sighed in relief.

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She had been bottling up these matters for a long time, always without anyone to share them with.

“Could Zhao Ningyue play the zither?”

Feng Bailing pondered for a moment before abruptly asking.

“How did you know? Indeed, she played the zither beautifully, reputed to be one of the best in Yuxiu Academy. Not at all like some people, who are ignorant of the six arts.”

Princess Consort Shun’s words carried a sneer.

“For a wasp sting, you can get some water mixed with vinegar, applying it for a while should do the trick. As for a method to reduce wrinkles, my mother was naturally beautiful and seldom indulged in smiles or laughter. If you can be more magnanimous and less sharp-tongued and caustic, naturally you too can remain unblemished.”

Feng Bailing saw that Princess Consort Shun’s sudden itching and pain were due to an allergic reaction from a wasp sting, and having taken medication for allergies, naturally cured it.

By the time Princess Consort Shun realized Feng Bailing was mocking her, Feng Bailing had already disappeared without a trace.