Chapter 95: Poison Testing

After entering the city, under the guidance of the reception officials, Xiao Mingzheng and his party came to the Xiqingyuan official residence, which was closest to the imperial palace. This place has always been used as a temporary residence for King Pan from various places when they came to Beijing. Therefore, it had naturally been included in Zhong Min's external defense plan.

After settling in and resting for a while, eunuchs from the palace arrived to deliver a message, which basically said that Prince Mu had been exhausted from the journey and that the emperor, understanding his grievances, should rest first and return to the palace to see him tomorrow. Those eunuchs also brought a number of gifts from the emperor, appearing to be quite concerned and caring for Prince Mu.

After receiving the imperial edict and expressing his gratitude, Xiao Mingzheng ordered his men to reward the eunuchs who had delivered the imperial edict with some silver, and then sent them away. Once the palace servants had left, Xie Feng sent someone to quietly investigate the situation at the Yuequn Inn and the Xingning Inn, while the others naturally performed their duties conscientiously.

Zhong Min wasn't entirely clear on the specific rules for visiting the capital to celebrate a birthday, but he did know that the princes and nobles who arrived had to first appear before the emperor in the palace on the same day or the next. Whether it was to report on their work or to have a small gathering depended on the relationship between the emperor and the princes. Three days later was the Empress Dowager's birthday, and before the official start of the celebration, besides a private audience in the palace, there were also various banquets hosted by various figures that all had to be attended.

When calculating the schedule for going to Beijing, Xiao Mingzheng had already considered it in detail. If he arrived just before the Empress Dowager's birthday, it would certainly seem too hasty and would easily lead to gossip. Therefore, it would be most appropriate to arrive two days in advance. This way, he would not have to attend too many social events and could relatively avoid some unnecessary dangers.

As soon as the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is over, they can use the excuse of urgent military situation on the northwest border to leave early and return to Muzhou. Luo Jiaxing will then arrange all the support. Even if the emperor wants to delay, he can't delay for too long.

During dinner, the dispatched personnel returned to report that the remaining personnel had been safely accommodated in the two inns in batches, as instructed. All preparations were complete, and the covert defense plan had officially begun. Zhong Min was deeply impressed by their efficiency; they were indeed the ones he had personally trained; their quality was clearly several notches higher than before.

After the food was served and laid out, Zhong Min waved his hand, signaling the servants sent by the official residence to leave first: "You all can go down, we will serve you here."

When everyone heard this, they obeyed the order and retreated. There were many kings, princes and nobles who had lived here, and each had his own habits. Therefore, for these people, it was better to have less trouble than more.

Seeing that no one else was in the room, Zhong Min patted Xie Feng beside him and said, "Brother Xie, where's the cat you were looking for?"

"Don't worry, how could you possibly forget what you told me?" Xie Feng asked the guards outside to bring over a skinny kitten. "By the way, what do you want this cat for? Do you want to keep a cat here?"

"Why not?" Zhong Min didn't rush to pick up the kitten. As he spoke, he looked towards Xiao Mingzheng and said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment before eating."

Xiao Mingzheng was naturally much smarter than Xie Feng. Seeing Zhong Min had someone bring a cat over, and then pick up her bowl and chopsticks, taking a little bit of each dish and putting them together, he immediately understood her intention. When you are out and about, you naturally have to be more careful about what you put in your mouth.

As expected, Zhong Min mixed the food together and placed the plate on the ground before taking the kitten from the guard. She gently stroked the kitten and playfully said, "Little one, please eat your delicious food. Eat well. I'll make sure you're plump and white these days."

After that, she squatted down with the kitten in her arms and let the kitten eat the food on the plate. The kitten looked hungry and dove in when it saw the food, eating it in big mouthfuls.

Seeing this, Xie Feng suddenly realized what was going on. He slapped his forehead and said, "So it's a poison test. I thought you didn't look like someone who likes to keep cats and dogs."

Zhong Min stood up and turned to Xie Feng, pouting, "Brother, you're making it sound like I'm such a heartless person."

In fact, she really doesn't like raising these little things, but it's not because she has no love as most people imagine, but because she has never been good at taking care of herself. She can't even take care of herself well. If she raises some small animals, people will probably think she is abusing animals.

Xie Feng understood Zhong Min and knew she wasn't really angry, so he smiled and said, "What I mean is that you have a personality similar to a man's. How could you care about these little cats and dogs? But then again, if you want to test for poison, wouldn't it be better to use a silver needle?"

"Although silver needle poison testing has been popular for a long time, it's not a truly safe method. The types of toxins that can be detected with silver needles are limited, and the vast majority of poisons don't cause any noticeable reactions." Zhong Min explained, "So, in the imperial palace, in addition to using silver needles to test for poisons beforehand, each master would have a special maid pick out a small portion of each item and taste it on the spot before consuming it. This is the safest and most reliable method."

"But..." Zhong Min paused, then looked at Xiao Mingzheng and said, "But I always feel that using a living person to test poison is too cruel. After all, it's a human life, and once it's gone, it's really gone. So, I have to let this kitten suffer. I hope it can be safe. If it survives this ordeal and successfully completes the mission, I will take it home and raise it. It won't be a stray cat anymore. It can be considered a reward for it."

Hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything. To the powerful, the lives of servants were no different from those of cats and dogs. While he didn't despise life like those people, he also didn't think he could treat every life equally like Zhong Min did. In this respect, she was indeed different from the rest of the world. High and low were insignificant to her. Her natural and unwavering treatment of all was not something most people could achieve.

He suddenly understood where her strength came from, which allowed her to maintain the same confidence and composure no matter who she faced. Perhaps, just like the strength and pride in her bones, the idea that all beings are equal was something she had always carried in her bones.

"I hope you don't make it too thin by then." He thought back to the night Zhong Min first came to Mo Garden. She'd been hungry and had secretly eaten some pastries, but she'd accused her of testing for poison, and for that, he'd made her copy the "Nu Jun Jie" three times as punishment. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little amused, and the corners of his mouth widened slightly.

When Zhong Min heard this, she thought Xiao Mingzheng was also not optimistic about her ability to raise the kitten well. She didn't expect that guy would actually think of some of her past jokes.

"That shouldn't happen. Unless Prince Mu's mansion doesn't give it food, it's definitely better off than before." She said this seemingly nonchalantly, her eyes sweeping across the smile on Xiao Mingzheng's lips. She couldn't help but wonder if Xiao Mingzheng was a little off. Going to the capital wasn't a good thing, so was he really in such a good mood? Lately, that smile had been constantly being brought out, intentionally or unintentionally, making her feel uneasy.

Fortunately, Xie Feng was a relatively easygoing person and rarely paid attention to these small details. Seeing that the cat had eaten a lot and nothing had happened after such a long time, he quickly said to Xiao Mingzheng, "Your Highness, look, the kitten is fine. You can enjoy your meal without worry."

Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything else. He nodded and started to eat. Zhong Min and Xie Feng went to eat after Xiao Mingzheng finished his meal.

Shortly after breakfast the next day, the palace sent someone to fetch Xiao Mingzheng for an audience. Zhong Min fumbled with Xiao Mingzheng's formal court attire, sweat breaking out on her forehead by the time she was done.

This formal court dress is not simpler than the clothes worn on ordinary days. It has three layers inside and three layers outside, and is extremely complicated to wear. If Xiao Mingzheng had not helped himself, the palace servants outside would have had to wait for an unknown amount of time.

She couldn't help but shake her head, thinking that being an emperor or a general wasn't that easy. In such hot weather, they had to wrap themselves up tightly like a dumpling. It would be strange if they didn't get prickly heat.

"Why are you shaking your head? Are you tired?" Xiao Mingzheng had long guessed that Zhong Min would not be able to do this job well, so the other people in the room were sent out early in the morning.

"No, I just feel that being an ordinary person is much happier." Zhong Min answered subconsciously while smoothing out the last wrinkle on the corner of his clothes.

"Why?" This naturally made Xiao Mingzheng very curious.

Zhong Min looked up and realized she'd let slip some unspoken sentiments. Since she'd already said it, she didn't dwell on it and simply continued, "It's nothing. It's just that even though the prince holds such high rank and power, he's still bound by all sorts of rules. Sometimes, it's easier to be a commoner. At least, you don't have to constantly be on guard against being murdered, or wear whatever you want in this scorching heat. It's really not a comfortable thing to be dressed like this."

Hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng was stunned. He had never imagined that his deepest, most profound thoughts would be so clearly revealed by the person before him. Everyone envied his status and the power he wielded, but few saw beyond the superficial splendor. He hesitated to describe his life as difficult or frustrating, but as Zhong Min had said, if possible, he would rather be an ordinary citizen, living a relaxed and comfortable life, a simple life.

However, there are many things that are not within one's control. From the moment he is born, he is destined to have no chance of having them, because even if he really thinks and acts that way, and does not fight for anything, other people will not let him get what he wants.

"Did I say something wrong, or..." Seeing Xiao Mingzheng remained silent for a long time, just staring at her intently, seemingly lost in thought, Zhong Min coughed lightly and said, "Maybe these aren't what I should have said in the first place."