Chapter 243: The Poison of Incense
"Father, the Empress' suspicions cannot be completely dispelled..."
No one knows a father better than his son. Wen Chengyun read Wen Chengfeng's inner thoughts from his loss of composure. Jiang Mengyuan was a member of the Jiang family. Since Jiang Nantian was a remnant of the previous dynasty, Jiang Mengyuan naturally could not escape responsibility.
"I know what's going on. Go back first. Don't make it public right now. I know what's going on."
Wen Chengfeng interrupted Wen Chengyun's words. After all, they were his bedmates for many years. Even if there was really a problem, he should cut off this evil relationship with his own hands.
In view of his father's resolute attitude and tone, Wen Chengyun had no choice but to return home temporarily and wait for news. But before leaving, he still reminded Jiang Dehai that if there was anything unusual, he should be summoned to the palace immediately.
Wen Chengfeng sat in the hall for a long time, his mind racing through all the memories of his and Jiang Mengyuan's youth. He pinched his brows to relax a little, then summoned Empress Xuan to come over.
"Your Majesty, won't you come to my palace today? Do you think my furnishings are too simple?"
Jiang Mengyuan let out a coquettish cry as she entered the room. On the way, she had tried to ask Jiang Dehai about the emperor's intentions, but the old eunuch was very tight-lipped. In desperation, she could only be extremely alert.
Wen Chengfeng was a very suspicious person and rarely summoned anyone to his inner palace to sleep with him. Most of the time, he would go directly to the concubines' quarters. The reason for this was nothing more than that Wen Chengfeng would occasionally leave memorials in the inner palace for review, fearing that political affairs would be leaked.
But today, this man had gone against his usual habit and sent someone to invite him over. No matter how I thought about it, it felt awkward...
"What are you talking about, Queen? What kind of man-eating tiger's mouth am I in? Come and sit down. Stay here tonight. Talk to me first."
Wen Chengfeng watched Jiang Mengyuan's every move quietly. If she showed any interest in the memorials, she would basically be close to bidding farewell to her position as queen.
Jiang Mengyuan grew up with the emperor after all, and knew his temperament very well. Therefore, she stayed away from the memorial and didn't even look at it. She just gently pushed open the window when she noticed the incense in the hall.
Apart from this, there were almost no other suspicious movements. After a night of passion, Jiang Mengyuan fell into a deep sleep. Wen Chengfeng, who suddenly felt unwell, tried hard not to wake Jiang Mengyuan, but instead asked Jiang Dehai to summon the imperial physician.
The imperial physician on duty tonight was Han Xiao, the hospital attendant. He came hurriedly carrying a medicine box. When he saw Wen Chengfeng hushing, he was startled to realize that there were concubines in the inner hall, so he moved even more cautiously.
"Your Majesty, the residual poison has increased slightly. Has there been any unusual behavior today?"
After taking his pulse, Han Xiao frowned in confusion. With the nourishing effects of the princess's medicinal diet, the emperor's health had actually been gradually improving. His discomfort today was also due to the interaction between the detoxifying and toxic ingredients in the diet.
Wen Chengyun was silent. If there was any difference, it was that there was another Jiang Mengyuan in the hall today. He suddenly remembered the incense burner and motioned Han Xiao to go over and check it out.
However, Han Xiao carefully examined it and shook his head slightly. There was nothing wrong with the incense, so he felt at ease. But before leaving the inner hall, he casually glanced at the hanging clothes, and the sweet fragrance at the tip of his nose made him freeze.
"Han Xiao." Wen Chengfeng's tone was somewhat dissatisfied. He didn't know where Han Xiao was looking, but it was in the direction of Jiang Mengyuan who was sleeping on the bed.
"Your Majesty, please speak to me from the outer palace!"
Han Xiao woke up as if from a dream. He lowered his voice, turned around anxiously, and did not forget to extinguish the burning incense.
This expression made Wen Chengfeng's heart, which had been relaxed, kick up his throat again. Jiang Dehai watched behind the curtain to see if Jiang Mengyuan had woken up, while Han Xiao explained the method of poisoning to Wen Chengfeng.
The incense burning in the palace was fine, but it would become highly toxic if it came into contact with certain reactants. He had just smelled a fragrance and guessed it might be coming from the queen's clothing. After all, there was a sachet hanging from it.
As to whether the Queen did it intentionally or accidentally, he, as an outsider, did not dare to make a conclusion.
Wen Chengyun's heart sank. He waved his hand to signal Han Xiao to leave, but his mind was as clear as a mirror. It wasn't the scent of a sachet; it was Jiang Mengyuan's natural body odor, which emanated from the body and would linger on clothing.
Now it seems that everything was a premeditated plot that had begun long ago. This also explains why Wen Chengyun was poisoned at such a young age.
"Jiang Dehai, summon Prince Qingping to the palace immediately."
Wen Chengfeng was a little exhausted. Jiang Nantian and Jiang Mengyuan were both close to him. He knew his son was smart, so he wanted to summon him to the palace to see how to deal with the upcoming situation.
"Your Majesty, it's late at night. Entering the palace now would only draw attention. Why not send a letter by eagle?"
Jiang Dehai was a meticulous person. Even if he summoned Prince Qingping to the palace, wouldn't Jiang Mengyuan still be there? If she woke up midway and found the emperor was not there, wouldn't it be even more difficult to explain?
That night, the eagle, which had been resting for a while, was reactivated and landed at the Prince Qingping's mansion with a letter. Wen Chengyun and Cheng Weiyao, who were light sleepers, were awakened almost simultaneously by the sound of the eagle flapping its wings and landing on the windowsill.
"I will go and see you. Madam, be careful not to catch a cold at night."
Wen Chengyun put on his shoes and got out of bed, not forgetting to turn around and pull the quilt closer to Cheng Weiyao before leaving. A letter from the palace at this time must be something important. After retrieving the letter, he sat back down on the bed and discussed it with Cheng Weiyao.
"In that case, why not let Father take advantage of their own strategy? The Grand Tutor and the Queen are unaware of my medicinal diet. As long as Han Xiao and the others from the Imperial Physician Order cooperate, it might be feasible. We can also see what they are planning to do."
Cheng Weiyao's eyes swirled as she quickly devised a plan. As long as the emperor was poisoned and near death, the people behind the scenes would surely reveal their true colors once they saw victory was in sight.
Wen Chengyun pondered for a moment. He had also considered this plan, but the fatal problem was that if the rebel forces were too strong and the court officials saw that the emperor was in decline and temporarily turned against him, then there was a high possibility of a real change of dynasty.
"If you feel it's not safe enough, then replace the guards guarding the palace with your own people, and let the troops ambush in the dark outside the capital. If anything goes wrong, use force to solve the problem!" Cheng Weiyao added. In her opinion, how can you catch the termite without burning your boats?
Wen Chengyun's eyes lit up slightly, obviously thinking this plan was feasible. He wrote a letter overnight and asked Feiying to take it back to the palace, and this exciting show had just begun.
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