Chapter 247: So Smart

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report." Inside the Wenhua Palace, Siyue put down the teacup and spoke softly.

Xiao Jingfan winked at Zhou Yuande, and Zhou Yuande immediately led the others in the hall out.

"Go ahead." Xiao Jingfan picked up the teacup, his eyes still fixed on the memorial spread out on the table.

Mitsuki glanced at him and said, "This matter is related to Miss Liu Zheng."

Xiao Jingfan frowned slightly and turned to look at her.

Siyue said, "My Lord, do you know that Miss Liu Zheng has been having nightmares these days and can't sleep well at night?"

Xiao Jingfan raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you give her the calming incense?"

"That's exactly what's strange." Miyue said, "Even though I lit the calming incense, Miss Liu Zheng fell asleep faster at most, but she still had nightmares. I think Miss Liu Zheng might..."

She hesitated, as if unsure whether she should say it.

Xiao Jingfan's face darkened, "Possibly what?"

"Maybe she's been poisoned." Mitsuki finally said it, and frankly expressed his concerns, "But I found a chance to feel her pulse, and from the pulse, there are no signs of poisoning."

Hearing this, Xiao Jingfan frowned.

Siyue is extremely talented in medicine and poisons. Ordinary poisons can't stump her. Poisons that even she can't identify either don't exist or are extremely strange and difficult to detect.

Xiao Jingfan hoped it was the former, but Siyue's next words made him feel that the latter was more likely.

"I was worried that she was frightened and uneasy, so I asked Chen Xing to hint at her. But Miss Liu Zheng said she was not frightened. It was just that on the 23rd day of the first lunar month, when she was returning from the imperial kitchen, she suddenly saw a white shadow on the road, and..."

She paused, then glanced up at the emperor. "There are still two dead rats. Only their heads are intact. The rest of their flesh and blood is a mess. It's disgusting to look at."

After she described it like this, Xiao Jingfan's mind flashed with that scene, and he felt disgusted.

But no matter how disgusting it is, given the courage of that woman who often criticizes him, she shouldn't be scared to the point of having nightmares at night by a dead mouse, right?

Miyue also thought it was impossible and continued, "If she was just scared by the dead mouse, she would have nightmares for a day or two, but there's no reason for her to sleep restlessly every day. Besides, there were no mice in Miss Liu Zheng's dream."

Xiao Jingfan felt strange, "If it's not a mouse, then what is it?"

Is there something else that this audacious woman is afraid of?

"White shadows." Mitsuki said, "Bundles of white shadows. I can't see what they are, but they look scary."

Xiao Jingfan was speechless. Why did he feel scared when he couldn't even see clearly? Was he scaring himself?

Mitsuki glanced at him and said, "That's why I suspect Miss Liu Zheng has been poisoned."

Xiao Jingfan gestured for her to continue.

Mi Yue asked, "Your Majesty, do you still remember Chi Mengxiang?"

Xiao Jingfan nodded.

A grain of gold is worth a fortune, and it is hard to forget.

Miyue said, "After being poisoned by the Chi Meng Xiang, the victim will fall into a dream from which they cannot wake up. Without an antidote, they will die painfully in the dream after seven days. I believe that Miss Liu Zheng's situation is somewhat similar to that of those poisoned by the Chi Meng Xiang. Perhaps someone has given Miss Liu Zheng a poison of similar toxicity."

Xiao Jingfan: "For example?"

Siyue listed the names of seven or eight poisons in a row and looked at him. "The Dark Guard Battalion has relevant records in its files. If you're interested in poisons, you might want to take a look."

Xiao Jingfan had no interest in these poisons, and he didn't have time to look at them.

He was now concerned with only one question: "How can we determine whether she has been poisoned?"

Mi Yue said quickly, "Send Miss Liu Zheng to the Dark Guard Camp and have her carefully examined by Instructor Li."

This was the purpose of her report.

If something really happens to Chu Liuzheng, won’t the master be angry with her and Chen Xing?

Maybe I would even be thrown into a horrible dark cell and punished. I simply couldn’t bear to think about it.

Xiao Jingfan lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then asked, "Awake or unconscious?"

Mitsuki glanced at him and said, "It's best to knock him out."

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

That woman is already pretty stupid now, wouldn't she become even more stupid if she uses drugs?

Seeing that he looked unhappy, Miyue said considerately: "Knock him out..."

Xiao Jingfan raised his eyelids and looked at her.

"...No, the Dark Guard Battalion has a drug that is harmless to the body. You won't feel dizzy or have a headache when you wake up. It will feel as comfortable as a massage." Mitsuki quickly changed his words, fearing that if he was a second late, he would be the one to be knocked unconscious.

It's just so clever.

"As you say." Xiao Jingfan tapped the table, "Tonight."

"Yes." Si Yue bowed and accepted the order.

It would be better to check as soon as possible to find out that there is no poisoning. If Chu Liuzheng had not been on duty in the afternoon, Siyue would have wanted to knock the man unconscious and carry him away.

But, it’s okay at night too.

It's not easy to be discovered if you do it at night, but there are some adjustments that need to be made.

She and Chen Xing will have to be on duty in Wenhua Palace tonight so that they can drug Chu Liuzheng and the others in their room, lest Yuzhui and Moxiang discover that Chu Liuzheng has been missing all night.

Chu Liuzheng, who didn't know she was about to be knocked unconscious, planned to go to the imperial kitchen to ask Chen Shouping to introduce her to Chef Qi, and see if she could learn two signature dishes at her own expense. It's always good to have more skills.

On the way, I met Xiao Xiazi and Xiao Yunzi, whom I hadn't seen for a long time. They both looked sad, as if they had just lost some money.

Seeing that the two didn't seem to notice her, Chu Liuzheng said, "Did you two lose your wallets?"

The two were startled when they heard the voice, and looked up at the same time. Seeing that it was indeed Chu Liuzheng, they both grinned and said, "Hello, young lady."

Xiao Xiazi said, "The purse is not lost."

Chu Liuzheng asked curiously, "Then why are you two so worried?"

Xiao Yunzi sighed: "We just went to Zhaoyang Palace to deliver medicine, and Princess Huirong asked us to play with her."

"This is a good thing." Chu Liuzheng blinked. "The princess is lively and lovely. Many people would beg for this opportunity."

"It's a good thing, but while we were playing, the princess suddenly asked us to go find Yun." Xiao Xiazi sighed, and her brows, which had relaxed when she saw Chu Liuzheng, frowned again. "If we can't find her and make the princess cry, being beaten with a stick is the least of the problem. What if she's sent to the Ministry of Punishment..."

Chu Liuzheng understood that the two were worried about being punished.

Seeing the two of them looking so gloomy, she wanted to help them, so she asked, "Princess, what kind of clouds are you talking about?"

We can't really let these two unlucky guys catch clouds in the sky, right? They're not gods.

Xiao Yunzi raised her hand and gestured: "A long piece, with two tails, flying very fast, whoosh away."

The princess looks cute and speaks cutely, is that what it means... It was really hard to understand what a child under three years old was saying excitedly. Xiao Yunzi took great pains to sort out this sentence.

Xiao Xiazi added: "It's white."

Both of them looked at Chu Liuzheng eagerly, hoping that she could help them come up with an idea.

[It's white, has a long flap, two tails, can fly, and flies very fast. It sounds a lot like a big kite.]

Chu Liuzheng looked at the two of them and said, "The princess might be talking about kites. You can go around Zhaoyang Palace and ask around to see if any of the masters have flown kites nearby. Then you can ask for one in the princess's name or make one in her image."

Xiao Xiazi and Xiao Yunzi never really thought about the kite, and were distracted by the "cloud" the princess mentioned.

Xiao Xiazi was still a little worried: "What if it's not a kite?"

"Even if it's not a kite, there is still a way." Chu Liuzheng smiled, waved for the two to come closer, and whispered a few words.