dark crossing

The Crown Prince's guards surrounded him like an iron barrel, isolating the inside and outside. The medicinal materials stored in Prince Jing's mansion were dwindling at an alarming rate due to Xie Wuqi's repeated attacks of poison and injuries. The key ingredients, especially those needed to keep him alive and suppress the toxins, were already depleted.

The atmosphere in the east wing of Jinglan Courtyard grew increasingly solemn. While Xie Wuqi relied on Xu Xianyue's "Spirit-Calming Snow Lotus" and the new velvet flowers she continually refined and improved to maintain his spirit, his physical decline was tangible. His face was pale, his breath was weak, and his lucid moments were shortening. Steward Yan and Jingzhe wore a deep, unwavering worry between their brows.

Without medicine, no matter how exquisite the velvet flower is, it can only treat the symptoms and not the root cause.

Late that night, the lights in Xu Xianyue's workshop were still on. She was fine-tuning a newly made purple velvet flower, attempting to incorporate more "soul-nourishing" concepts, when three very light, rhythmic knocking sounds came from outside the window—tap, tap, tap.

It was the secret code agreed upon between Jingzhe and her.

Xu Xianyue's eyes flashed, he put down the tools in his hands, quietly walked to the window, and pushed open a gap.

The night was thick, and Jingzhe seemed to blend into the shadows. He stood outside the window, his voice very low: "Miss Xu, Doctor Lin... managed to get the news in."

Xu Xianyue's heart fluttered. Lin Qingyan? How could he pass on information right under the noses of the Crown Prince's guards?

"explain."

"Imperial Physician Lin said he's discovered the 'Heart-Burning' poison is indeed related to Southern Xinjiang witchcraft, and its corrosive properties require the use of 'Qingling Grass' as the primary remedy. This grass only grows in the malaria-ridden areas of Southern Xinjiang, and in Beijing, it's only found in the palace's secret vaults and... the Crown Prince's private vaults." Jingzhe's voice was strained with a hint of suppressed tension. "He can't obtain it, but he's managed to gather several other supplementary herbs that might be able to temporarily slow the poison's erosion of the Prince's heart. The only problem is... how to get it to the palace."

Qingling Grass? The Crown Prince's private vault? A cold glint flashed across Xu Xianyue's eyes. Sure enough, it was connected to the Crown Prince. And Lin Qingyan, taking such a huge risk, not only uncovered the key, but also prepared supplementary medicine.

"How did the news spread?" Xu Xianyue asked.

"It was through the family of an old servant who used to be in charge of purchasing but is now confined to the mansion. That family worked as servants at Imperial Physician Lin's residence. They slipped a note inside under the guise of delivering some vegetables every day," Jingzhe replied. "But the herbs are quite large, so it's impossible to get them in that way."

The air seemed frozen. Knowing the antidote or the medicinal herbs that could alleviate the crisis were within reach, they were blocked by an invisible wall.

Xu Xianyue was silent for a moment, his eyes fell on the purple ganoderma flower on the workbench, and then swept over some scattered jades and silk threads beside it that sparkled with different lusters.

"Where are the herbs now?" she asked.

"It should be in the hands of Imperial Physician Lin. He didn't dare leave it in the Imperial Hospital, nor did he dare take it home."

Xu Xianyue pondered. Breaking in by force was impossible, and smuggling it in was even more difficult. The Crown Prince's men would surely be closely monitoring any possible channels of contact with Prince Jing's Mansion.

Unless... let the other party send it in voluntarily.

A bold and risky plan gradually took shape in her mind.

"Jingzhe," she raised her eyes, her gaze surprisingly bright in the dim light, "could you please convey my words to Doctor Lin exactly as they are?"

"Sure." Jingzhe said without hesitation. Although the old servant's family couldn't bring anything, they could still deliver a short message.

"Okay." Xu Xianyue lowered his voice, speaking quickly and clearly. "Tell him to wrap the prepared herbs in ordinary oil paper and mix them into the goods sent to Jinxiu Pavilion in the south of the city at noon tomorrow. Remember, it has to be Jinxiu Pavilion, and it has to be noon."

Jinxiu Pavilion? A hint of doubt flashed in Jingzhe's eyes. It was a well-known embroidery shop in the capital, and it had no dealings with the royal palace. But he didn't ask any more questions, just nodded seriously: "I understand."

"Also," Xu Xianyue continued, "have him find a way to discreetly leak the news that 'Qingling Grass might be in the Crown Prince's private vault' to Deputy Director Liu of the Imperial Hospital, who has always been at odds with Imperial Physician Wang."

Jingzhe's pupils shrank slightly. Deputy Court Judge Liu was the Crown Prince's man! Leaking the information to him? This wasn't...

"Put yourself in a desperate situation and then you can survive." Xu Xianyue seemed to see through his doubts, and her tone was calm and almost cold. "If we don't muddy the water, how can we fish?"

Jingzhe took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart: "I understand!"

He said no more, and disappeared into the night in a flash.

Xu Xianyue closed the window and returned to his workbench. He stared at the purple velvet flower, his fingertips unconsciously twirling it. This was a risky move. If successful, it might resolve the immediate crisis, even lure the enemy out of its lair; if unsuccessful, it could be doomed.

But, sitting and waiting for death has never been her choice.

The next day, the atmosphere at Prince Jing's mansion remained heavy. As noon approached, Xu Xianyue, instead of staying in the workshop, brought Wan Cui to a small garden near the southwest corner gate. This secluded location meant few people visited on weekdays, but there was a rockery perch from which one could vaguely see a corner of the street outside.

She seemed to be admiring a few withered chrysanthemums, but her eyes kept glancing towards the corner gate.

Time passed little by little, and Wan Cui's palms were sweating with nervousness.

Just as the midday drumbeat faintly reached the streets outside the palace, the rumbling of wheels and the clamor of voices echoed. It seemed several carriages carrying goods had collided slightly, and the sounds of arguments and persuasion were mixed in a chaotic cacophony. The guards at the gate were also drawn to the scene and peeked out.

In the chaos, no one noticed that a servant in coarse clothes, with his head lowered, took advantage of the moment when the gatekeeper was distracted and slipped in through the crack of the door like a loach. He quickly stuffed an inconspicuous, tightly wrapped oil-paper package into a crack in the rockery, and then ran away quickly along the shadow of the wall without looking back, disappearing into the depths of the mansion.

The whole process takes only a few breaths.

Xu Xianyue stood on the rockery, taking it all in. Her expression remained unchanged as she gently plucked a half-withered chrysanthemum and said to Wancui, "Go back."

Shortly after returning to Jinglan Courtyard, Jingzhe appeared silently in the west wing, holding the oil-paper bag in his hand.

"Miss, we've got the medicine." His tone was filled with a subtle excitement, which then turned serious. "But... the spies outside the palace seem to have noticed something and have stepped up their patrols."

Xu Xianyue took the oil-paper package and felt it sink slightly in her hand. She opened it and examined it. Inside were several packages of herbal medicines, which were exactly the auxiliary herbs mentioned in Lin Qingyan's medical records, and they were of high quality.

"It's okay." She put away the herbs, her expression calm. "They can't find anything. Jinxiu Pavilion is a royal merchant with a complicated background. The prince's people won't dare to touch it easily for the time being. As for that servant..." She paused, "Is he from the palace?"

Jingzhe nodded. "He's a slop-dumping errand boy in the kitchen. His family lives outside the city, and he has a clean background, so he'd never attract attention." He was even more impressed by Xu Xianyue's plan. Using the daily routine of emptying slops to create chaos, using the most inconspicuous person to deliver the most important message—his audacity and meticulousness, as well as his accurate grasp of human weaknesses, was truly astonishing.

"The next step is to wait." Xu Xianyue walked to the window, looked at the still strict guards outside, and said softly, "Wait for the water to be muddied."

Less than half a day after she finished speaking, in the evening, new noises were heard outside the mansion.

A team of guards dressed in the clothes of the Eastern Palace accompanied an unfamiliar imperial physician to the gate of Prince Jing's Mansion, claiming that they were ordered by the Crown Prince to come for a "follow-up consultation" for His Royal Highness Prince Jing!

It came so quickly.

Butler Yan welcomed the person in with a grim expression. The imperial physician was arrogant. After taking the pulse, he still said the same clichés, but his eyes kept glancing around, especially when he smelled the lingering medicinal smell in the air, which was slightly different from usual, his eyes flashed slightly.

"The prince is seriously ill and needs rare medicinal herbs to stay alive. I heard that the Imperial Hospital recently took inventory of the warehouse and found that some medicinal materials were recorded incorrectly. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worried about the prince's use of medicines, so he specially ordered me to come and check the medication records of the prince's mansion." The imperial physician spoke in an official tone, and his intentions were self-evident.

Butler Yan sneered in his heart, but could only deal with it on the surface.

This unexpected "follow-up visit" and "check" naturally came to nothing. Xu Xianyue had already properly hidden the medicinal herbs, and only ordinary silk dyes remained in the workshop, with no signs of any abnormality.

But this move itself has already explained the problem - the prince has indeed become suspicious and nervous because of the leak of the "Qingling Grass" news, and he can't wait to confirm whether Prince Jing's Mansion has obtained something it shouldn't have.

The water began to become muddy.

After sending away the people from the East Palace, Jingzhe appeared in front of Xu Xianyue again with a questioning look in his eyes.

Xu Xianyue was sorting through the hard-earned supplementary herbs, preparing to begin incorporating their medicinal properties into the new velvet flowers. Without looking up, she said calmly, "Let them investigate. The more rigorous their investigation, the more guilty they are, and that also means... Doctor Lin is safe for the time being."

After all, the prince's attention at this moment has been successfully drawn to possible "leaks" within the Imperial Medical Service and his own private treasury.

Jingzhe looked at her calm profile, and a sudden realization struck him. This maneuver of "secretly crossing Chencang" and "diverting the trouble eastward" not only successfully secured the much-needed medicinal herbs, temporarily alleviating the prince's crisis, but also disrupted the enemy's position, creating a breathing space for possible subsequent actions.

This Miss Xu, with her seemingly insignificant velvet flower and extremely calm mind, actually tore a gap in this iron-clad siege.

Night falls again.

The lights in Xu Xianyue's workshop illuminated her focused figure. She picked up a strand of silk stained with medicinal powder and gently twisted it between her fingers, feeling the faint medicinal aroma blend with her unique weaving rhythm, beginning to try to blend it.

The crisis has not been resolved and the future remains uncertain.

But at least, she is no longer forced to wait passively.

The silk thread at her fingertips had quietly connected the inside and outside of the palace, bringing out a ray of light in this dead end.