Chapter 81 Encounter with Fragrance

The wheels crunched over the loose snow, making a monotonous and annoying sound as they compacted it. Passing through the streets, the carriage stopped in front of an extremely luxurious mansion. Lin Chengye once again parted the curtain, catching a glimpse of the gilded figure through the gap. Wei Jingchen, dressed in a dark red robe, stepped down beside her, appearing rather somber.

The princess had a new maidservant by her side, whose back was almost bent over as she respectfully took her hand.

However, the two personal maids were dressed rather strangely this time, both wearing black iron fang masks that completely covered their faces. They were both sturdy and had a steady gait, suggesting they were likely martial artists.

According to Wei Jingchen, the Princess had never inquired about the whereabouts of the Flower Stone and the Green Stone. She only sighed after hearing Wei Jingchen mention it, saying that the Green Stone and the Flower Stone had actually done such a thing behind her back. Her tone was indifferent, showing neither surprise nor concern.

Lin Chengye rolled his eyes, glancing at the four-character plaque above the mansion that had been bestowed by the late emperor, "Yongning Prince's Mansion," and sneered.

Suddenly, she felt a slight breeze ruffling her hair by her ear. Lin Chengye immediately withdrew his fingers and closed the carriage curtain.

"I'm back."

Lin Chengye looked at Chai Hu Nan in the corner and nodded slightly.

Before setting off, Wei Jingchen reminded her that Lin Su City was like an impregnable fortress, with spies everywhere, and even the slightest trace of a bird could not be concealed. If any messages needed to be sent out, they should be completed by the time they returned to the Prince Su's residence.

Lin Chengye thought for a moment, then handed Chai Hu Nan an iron thumb ring, instructing him to give it to Bian Yi. The thumb ring was extremely simple in appearance, but it was inlaid with a sphere no bigger than a fingernail, with thirty-six vertical lines on the sphere, which closed up like an unopened lotus flower.

This thing was made during her short stay at the Idle Talk Villa, and it is now the pinnacle of her mechanical skills.

Before she reconnected her meridians at the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect, she spent her days and nights in the library reading countless mechanical design drawings, memorizing them all.

But having been rushing around so quickly that she couldn't stop to think things through, she finally had a moment to calm down and internalize all the words, creating this "lotus-patterned ring".

This item belongs to the category of concealed weapons. When activated by internal force, thirty-six vertical lines bloom like lotus flowers, instantly shooting out three hundred and sixty pieces of iron as thin as cicada wings and as sharp as hyena teeth. They can cut through iron like mud and break bones like broken branches. They can cover a distance of nearly several feet in length and width, and their power depends on the user's internal force.

Lin Chengye understood that this item was just a drop in the ocean for Bian Yi, but for her, it could bring her peace of mind, comfort, and something to keep in mind.

"The items have already been delivered to the Alliance Leader. She accepted them after learning that you made two in total. She also asked me to pass on a message to you."

Chai Hu Nan paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I hope you take good care of yourself."

...

The wheels turned again, and the car drove away from the gate of Yongning Prince's Mansion. When it stopped again, it was in front of Su Prince's Mansion. As Lin Chengye stepped out of the car, she subconsciously glanced at Wei Jingchen, who was walking ahead of her. Wei Jingchen seemed to sense her gaze, turned around, and looked at her from a distance a few steps away. They then tacitly looked away and entered the mansion gate one after the other.

The moment the door closed behind her, Wei Jingchen visibly relaxed, stopping in her tracks and waiting for Lin Chengye to catch up and walk beside her.

"Your Highness is very frugal; I never expected you to be so simple."

Lin Chengye couldn't help but chuckle. The Prince Su's mansion was much simpler than she had imagined, and could even be described as desolate.

With its blue bricks and gray tiles, the five courtyards are arranged symmetrically along the central axis. The main gate has three rooms and is not decorated with colorful paintings. Inside the courtyard, an ancient tree reaches for the sky. The side rooms and main hall are strictly designed, yet there is no trace of extravagance. They exude a solemnity and vicissitudes that are "rough in appearance but not in manner".

"This pleases those old-fashioned ministers, and I personally find it peaceful."

Wei Jingchen felt somewhat helpless. There weren't many people visiting her household to begin with, and ever since her sister Wei Jingyu went to her fiefdom, no one had come to visit her, so she couldn't be bothered to entertain them.

"If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll have someone get it for you."

"I have no more requests. My mother used to say that I was good at ordering people around, but now I've mastered all sorts of skills, except for starting a fire and cooking. Just find me a place to live."

Lin Chengye shrugged.

To be honest, she had been somewhat curious about Wei Jingchen's mansion, but after just one glance upon entering, that curiosity vanished. She found the only interesting thing to be the ancient tree in front of her, and even that, being winter, had no leaves to see.

The two walked deeper into the Prince's mansion. Wei Jingchen raised his hand to dismiss the other maids except for Jiang Heng and said.

"There are millions of eyes watching in Lin Su City. I'm afraid the news that you and I entered the city together will spread very quickly, and there are quite a few people who are curious about you. However, I will also release information to show that you are a retainer of Prince Su, so that those suspicions will not be deliberately distorted."

"I will be going to the palace to see His Majesty tomorrow, and he will surely ask about you. I will take this opportunity to ask him for a chance to bring you to the year-end banquet."

"Okay." Lin Chengye nodded. Wei Jingchen's arrangements were already extremely meticulous, and she had nothing more to add.

Upon hearing the word "Your Majesty," she didn't even realize that her body stiffened, a chill spreading from her spine throughout her entire body, and her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly.

She suddenly saw clearly once again that "Lin Chengye" was dead in the court, and was also glad that this name had sprouted again in the soil of the martial arts world and grew smoothly.

This time, she must come back to life in the palace under the name "A-Ye" in order to legitimately enter the murky waters of the palace and figure out the current chaotic situation.

The murderer who destroyed the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley, the members of the Lai Kingdom royal family who colluded with the Southern Qi, the half-immortal who saw the Lin family as part of a blood sacrifice, the eldest princess whose temperament had changed drastically, the whereabouts of the Mother Worm... Lin Chengye took a deep breath.

She was somewhat confused. Everything seemed so clear, yet something was always missing, and she couldn't connect the dots. Or perhaps she had overlooked something.

She couldn't quite figure out how the player behind the scenes was planning this, or how they managed to remain hidden during the game.

...

"...So, Father, you agree?"

"Ahem, ahem... You know, since your mother passed away, I haven't arranged any more marriages. Family banquets have only had a handful of people, which looks rather desolate. This year, well... let's just do whatever we want. I'll invite a few of my old ministers who are on good terms with me... to make it a little more lively..."

The insincere conversation went more smoothly than expected, or perhaps because she did not mention the Lin family again, His Majesty's attitude towards her was unusually warm, and he even asked her with interest who she had met and what adventures she had in Bingzhou.

Wei Jingchen was unsure of His Majesty's thoughts, so after thinking for a while, he brought up Bian Yi, who was an extremely safe person, and said that he had met a wandering doctor with superb medical skills.

Before she could finish speaking, the emperor, who was bedridden with illness, coughed violently again, causing the white curtains hanging by the bed to tremble.

"His name...what? That itinerant doctor..."

"Your Majesty, that person's name is Bian Yi. She is a martial artist from the Jianghu, and her martial arts skills are superb. I originally wanted to invite her to treat you, but she secretly left at some point."

Wei Jingchen spouted a string of lies as soon as he opened his mouth, and then pretended to be annoyed.

What did her father mean by asking this? He usually ignored her, but now he was showing concern for a wandering doctor? Wei Jingchen sneered inwardly. She didn't know how long this pretense of friendship with her father could last, or how long it would take before the facade of father-daughter harmony was torn away.

"I saw him...that's good...it's good that I saw him..."

Wei Yun'e's voice was very soft, muffled in his throat, as if he were delirious from illness. Wei Jingchen frowned, about to ask what he meant, when Wei Yun'e suddenly spoke again, his voice low and deep.

"You also spent some time with Yunmo at Yongfo Temple. How is she?"

"My aunt is fine, she just wants me to spend more time with her."

"Okay." Wei Yun'e's response was brief, as if he didn't want to continue the topic.

Wei Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want her father to think too quickly that she harbored ambitions to seize the throne. However, her return to the palace was only possible because of her aunt's mediation, and His Majesty most likely already suspected that she might be turning against the emperor and siding with the Eldest Princess…

Just as Wei Jingchen was racking his brains over this matter, suddenly the shadow behind the curtain sat up hunched over, sighed deeply, and said...

"Chen'er, don't get too close to Yunmo."

"Your Majesty, I know that my talent and wisdom are not as meticulous as my elder brother's, and I cannot reach his level. I only have a sincere heart and wish to do my best for the people of Lai. As for other matters, I dare not even think of them."

"No, Chen'er, it has nothing to do with those things. I know what kind of person you are, but... you don't know who Yunmo really is."

The room fell silent. The father and daughter were separated by a white curtain, only three steps apart, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

Looking at the figure that was even weaker than when he left, Wei Jingchen felt a strange emotion welling up inside him.

Her father was already over fifty-two, and his health had deteriorated to this extent. What was even more tragic was that she was unusually indifferent to his dying moments. She felt that the only reason he shouldn't have died was that the time wasn't right, and that the will, which was of unknown origin, probably wouldn't have her name on it.

"Your subject understands."

Wei Jingchen was about to say something when he saw a slender man carrying a tray walk in. He lowered his head and carefully knelt beside the emperor's bed, raising the tray above his head.

"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine."

Wei Jingchen glanced at it and saw a bowl of warm, bright red medicinal soup on it, which should be for conditioning the body. She stepped forward, lifted the servant's face, and examined him carefully.

He was fair-skinned, but so thin he looked almost unrecognizable. His eyes were large, like a deer's, but lifeless and devoid of vitality. His hands were thin and slender, without any calluses, making him seem nothing like someone who did servant work. Wei Jingchen immediately sensed something was amiss and frowned as he asked.

"Why do you look unfamiliar, you servant? When did you come to serve Father Emperor?"

"Your Highness, last year... around this time."

The man responded softly, and seeing Wei Jingchen release his grip, he quickly lowered his head and repeated himself.

"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine."

Suddenly, a piercing roar came from behind the curtain. The figure seemed to have heard some extremely painful words and twisted into a ball.

"Get out! Get out! I won't drink! I... cough cough..."

Even Wei Jingchen was caught off guard and stood there for a moment, unsure of how to react.

The waiter trembled for a moment, but still stubbornly held the tray above his head, as if such a thing was commonplace for him.

The person on the bed coughed louder and louder, which alarmed Wei Jingchen. She had never heard such a desperate cough before, as if there were grains of sand grinding against her throat.

The curtain trembled, and a thin, bony arm emerged, its veins a deep purple-red, winding across the pale skin. Seemingly afraid of being seen, the hand swiftly snatched the bright red medicinal soup from the man's tray and drank it down in one gulp.

With a crash, the medicine bowl shattered into pieces. The servant kneeling on the ground hurriedly picked up the shards and fled as if his life depended on it.

“Father…” Wei Jingchen opened his mouth.

"Go away, go away."

After swallowing a bowl of medicine, the man's coughing stopped, and his shadow, reflected on the white curtain, waved weakly.

This man was quite different during the Coup of the Universe Palace. He fought his way into the palace, murdered his own brothers, and forced the late emperor to write his name on the edict. He was incredibly powerful and influential during that time.

As Wei Jingchen was about to leave, he looked back and saw only the figure of an old man barely clinging to life.

...

Compared to other matters, only the issue of the mother beetle still offers a breakthrough.

While Wei Jingchen entered the palace, Lin Chengye changed into a plain white outfit and a white mask. After Chai Hu Nan confirmed that no one was following him, he quietly left the palace.

"The mother weevil awoke and was immediately placed in the secret underground cave of the Treasure Hall the next day... The scent on the letter was that of myrrh..."

The mother beetle was originally hidden in Linsu City, but the matter was exposed, and it was likely that it was secretly sent back, and that person would definitely hide the mother beetle in an even more hidden place.

Such a strong fragrance, lingering on the letter for so long, requires constant daily use, making it unaffordable for ordinary people. Lin Chengye decided to first investigate the largest incense and medicine shop in Linsu City to see if they supplied certain officials.

As the year draws to a close, the streets of the capital are incredibly crowded. Lin Chengye encounters pedestrians from time to time, and she feels somewhat helpless, having already apologized countless times by the time she's halfway there.

"Hey, hey, why are you pushing and shoving..."

"What are you doing..."

"You hit someone, why are you running?"

For some reason, the crowd around him suddenly stirred, and someone shouted in dissatisfaction. Lin Chengye suddenly felt a hard bump on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw a woman carrying two live chickens weaving through the crowd, walking hurriedly.

She looked very anxious, pushing her way forward and occasionally using her hands and feet to push through the crowd, glaring at those who wouldn't give way to her, as if they were the bad guys.

In the chaos, no one noticed that a jade pendant had fallen from the woman's waist and landed right at Lin Chengye's feet. Lin Chengye squatted down to pick it up and shouted loudly.

"Your things..."

Suddenly, Lin Chengye's expression changed. He immediately stopped talking, flipped his hand, pressed the jade pendant into his palm, and put it into his sleeve. The woman hadn't heard his call and had already led the two chickens far away.

What a coincidence. Lin Chengye took out the jade pendant and sniffed it again.

Lin Chengye's gaze sharpened instantly as he stared in the direction the woman had left. Though it was faint, he could clearly smell that strange myrrh scent on the jade pendant again.

She raised her hand and said coldly.

"Chai Hu Nan, follow her."