Chapter 106

The glass cup from the Prime Minister's Mansion was gently placed on the rosewood table, and the tea stains formed a light brown circle at the bottom of the cup.

Eunuch Zhang clenched the dark-patterned palace badge in his dangling hands. The toes of his brocade boots scraped against the moss on the steps. His voice was lower than the candlelight on the desk. "Prime Minister, the palace is frozen in time, but the news of the Crown Prince's coma cannot be concealed."

Minister Chen's fingertips traced the cracks on the rim of the cup, his eyes scanning the dusk outside the window. "Is the East Palace still a forbidden area?"

"Yes." Zhang Neiguan's Adam's apple rolled, "Even the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital is only allowed to wait in the side hall and cannot enter the main hall."

Silence spread over the bronze animal heads on the antique display shelf, and the candle flames crackled, splashing sparks.

Three days later at dusk, Ji Zelan walked into the East Palace in the shadow of the corner.

The vermilion palace walls were covered with dead vines, and when the wind blew, the copper bells on the eaves could only make tiny, trembling sounds.

Zhao Yan'er came out in a moon-white skirt and robe, with pearl flowers on her hair swaying with her smile. The swaddling clothes in the maid's arms behind her were like a red-hot iron, burning Ji Zelan's eyes.

"Is this child brought by the prince?" She heard her own voice coming from far away, and she pinched her fingertips into her palms to steady herself.

"That's right." Zhao Yan'er reached out and teased the little hand in the swaddling clothes, her soft laughter coming through the cotton cloth. "Your Highness only said to foster her for a few days, and since she was so well-behaved, I brought her here often to keep her company."

The huge rock in his heart fell to the ground with a loud bang. Ji Zelan looked at Zhao Yaner's defenseless smile and suddenly felt a bitter taste in his tongue.

She forced a twitch of her lips, and caught a glimpse of the silver bracelet on the maid's wrist. It was an old item from Madam Han's room. She immediately gave her a wink, and when she turned around, her skirt swept across the fallen leaves in front of the steps, leaving a rustling sound.

At three quarters past midnight, a half-foot-thick layer of fallen leaves accumulated beneath the ginkgo tree in the side courtyard of the cold palace. Ji Zelan, dressed in a gray palace maid's uniform with her hat pulled down low, took the swaddling clothes from Madam Han. Her fingertips touched the baby's warm skin, and she flinched in surprise.

"Let's go." She gritted her teeth and turned around, but the sudden shouting behind her made her freeze.

Madam Han had already huddled down on the ground, her hair disheveled, and she didn't dare look up at her.

Ji Zelan turned around slowly, and the moonlight leaked through the branches, illuminating the dark dragon pattern on Li Yin's black brocade robe. Every line looked like it was tempered by ice.

"So it's you who wants to get rid of this child." His voice was flat, but it made the air around them freeze.

Ji Zelan straightened her back and dug her nails into the edge of the swaddling clothes: "Why is the prince here?"

"Put the child down." Li Yin took a step forward, and the hem of his clothes swept across the fallen leaves, making a rustling sound.

"What does the prince mean?" She raised her voice, but could not hide the trembling at the end of the tone.

Li Yin stared at her pale face, his gaze like a knife cutting through her disguise. "A criminal may still have a chance to plead his case, but what did this child do wrong? You abandoned her in the snow, and now you want to eradicate her completely?"

"It has nothing to do with me!" Ji Zelan interrupted harshly, turning to leave when he grabbed her wrist. The force was so strong that it seemed to crush her bones, reminding her of the bone-wrenching pain she had experienced when giving birth.

"This is your last chance of survival." Li Yin's voice was scorching hot against her ear. "Acknowledge her in front of your father, and I will protect your life."

Ji Zelan suddenly shook off his hand, and the baby in the cradle was frightened and started crying. The tiny cries pierced into her heart like needles.

She didn't dare look back or look into those eyes. She just staggered forward, the hem of her gray cloth skirt dragging long trails on the fallen leaves, and her back trembled in the moonlight.

"I don't understand what you are saying!"

The words disappeared in the wind, leaving only ginkgo leaves on the ground, their corners wet by the night dew, just like her hastily shed tears.

——

The sun was at its strongest at the hour of Si. The gilded sunlight passed through the vermilion pillars in the corridor, casting mottled light and shadows on the bluestone slabs.

Luo Sanrong walked over holding a plain white porcelain bowl. The brown traces of the medicinal residue were on the edge of the bowl, mixed with a faint bitter fragrance that drifted in the wind.

Her medical skirt was stained with some medicine, leaving light brown marks on the moon-white fabric. The mask covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of clear eyes exposed.

The pear blossoms in the corner of the corridor were scattered all over the ground. Princess Yongning was sitting on the carved wooden bench. The hem of her off-white palace dress was hanging down, and she was unaware that it was stained with a few broken petals.

She leaned her elbows against the column, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold column base. She didn't even notice the rustling sound of Luo Sanying's skirt brushing against the stone steps when she sat down quietly.

"It's me, Princess." Luo Sanrong took off her mask, revealing her smooth forehead. She tapped her knees with her fingertips. "Does this outfit scare you?"

Yongning snapped back to her senses, the dazed mist in her eyes gradually dissipating. She turned to look at the person beside her, her voice as flat as if covered by a veil: "Eunuch Luo, is it because your brother is sick that you are pretending to be a doctor?"

"Yes!" Luo Sanrong placed the porcelain bowl on the stone table beside him, and the bottom of the bowl made a soft sound when it touched the bluestone. "Princess, you seemed distracted just now. Is there something bothering you?"

Yongning curled his fingertips, digging his nails into his palms. He hesitated for a moment before looking up, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow under his eyes. "Eunuch Luo, can I ask you a favor?"

After passing through two winding corridors, the vermilion lacquered door of the side hall was ajar, and it made an old "creaking" sound when it was pushed open.

Sunlight filtered in through the broken window frames, casting a slender beam of light on the dusty ground, and countless dust particles fluttered in the light.

Luo Sanrong subconsciously covered her mouth and nose, her silk sleeves brushing the dusty threshold, leaving a shallow mark. This was the spot where Princess Yongning had fainted last month. The celadon vase in the corner still lay tilted, the dried flowers inside having long since withered and turned brown.

"Princess, are you looking for something here?" she asked in a low voice.

Before he finished speaking, Yongning's face suddenly turned pale and his lips were pressed into a trembling line.

Luo Sanrong quickly bent down, and when his eyes were level with hers, he noticed fear surging in the princess's pupils, like a fallen leaf drowning in water. "Princess, are you okay?"

Yongning raised his hand suddenly, his fingertips trembling violently, and pointed directly at the northwest corner of the hall: "There... There..."

Luo Sanrong looked in the direction she pointed, and indeed saw that the floor there was different from the surrounding area. The edges were slightly raised, and the gaps were filled with dust.

She squatted down, her fingertips digging into the edge of the floorboards and prying hard. With a soft "click," the board rose up. The silk cloth beneath was tightly wrapped, and the dark red bloodstains had long since dried, glistening dimly in the sunlight.

The moment she unfolded the silk, the stench of stale blood mixed with the odor of mold assaulted her. Luo Sanrong scanned the ten lines at a glance. Though the handwriting was a little blurry, words like "former queen" and "poisoned" pierced her fingertips like ice, numbing them. Footsteps outside the palace were as light as a cat's, gliding past the wall, and she didn't even notice them.

In the prime minister's study, the scent of sandalwood curled around the rosewood table. Ji Ke held a celadon teacup, the tea swaying gently in the bowl, reflecting the white hair at his temples.

After listening to the assassin's report, he was silent for a long time, stroking the ice cracks on the rim of the cup with his fingertips, and muttered softly: "I searched the side hall all over back then, and I found it hidden in a place like this."

"Are you sure it's Hong Luozhen?" He suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

"I saw it clearly. It was she who pried open the floor and took away the silk." The black-clad assassin knelt on the ground, his voice very low.

"If he's alive, I want to see him in person. If he's dead, I want to see his body." Ji Ke waved his hand and placed the teacup heavily on the table. A few drops of tea splashed onto the title page of the book.

Just as the assassin was about to stand up, the study door was gently pushed open. Ji Zeming stood at the doorway, his moon-white brocade robe making him look like a crown of jade, but his eyes were cold. "Father, I'll go."

Ji Ke glanced up at him, took a sip of tea slowly, and raised the corner of his mouth in a smile: "How can I believe you? Isn't that the girl you've been thinking about?"

"Father, haven't you always wanted to test how cruel I can be?" Ji Zeming looked calm, but his fingertips secretly clenched the jade pendant in his sleeve.

"Oh?" Ji Ke's eyes lit up with interest, and he leaned forward slightly. "Is it because she chose Li Yin and not you?"

These words were like a needle, piercing Ji Zeming's calmness. His face flushed instantly, anger welled up in his eyes, and his voice deepened. "Yes, what you can't have is what you want more, isn't it?"

The tea smoke just happened to float past his eyes, covering up the pain that flashed across them.