The remaining guards gathered in front of the latrine: "Master, is there any danger?"
Zhao Qingshu took a deep breath and shook his head weakly again: "There was nothing unusual, but I was so weak from all the pulling that I had no strength left."
After he finished speaking, his rationality slowly returned: "How is the situation with the Tibetan prince?"
The guard cupped his hands in greeting: "We weren't in any danger, but the situation is the same as yours; we've probably been pulled away by half a life."
"As for the hall, they did find some strange ingredients in the wine pot. They couldn't detect them with a silver needle, but an excessive amount would also be life-threatening. They also didn't catch the real culprit."
"I have made several deductions. First, someone wants to assassinate the Tibetan prince, and it just so happens to happen in our residence. Second, someone wants to sow discord between you and the prince and deliberately made the move, with you as the target."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingshu's gloomy eyes flickered: "Could there be a third possibility, that the Tibetan prince did it on purpose?"
He continued to ask, "After the Tibetan prince went into the outhouse, was there anything unusual about it?"
The guards were somewhat surprised by Zhao Qingshu's guess. They hadn't expected their master to be so suspicious that it was possible the Tibetan prince himself had done it.
The servant who had led the Tibetan prince to the outhouse quickly knelt down: "Reporting to Master, there is nothing unusual."
“The Tibetan prince’s expression didn’t seem feigned. When he entered the latrine, our people were guarding outside, and his attendants were extremely nervous and followed him in.”
Zhao Qingshu pondered for a moment, his eyes sharpening: "Have all his attendants gone inside?"
The servant nodded: "The number that comes in is the same as the number that comes out; there's no difference in the number."
The attendant beside Zhao Qingshu nodded: "The prince is currently sitting in the flower hall with his attendants, waiting for your reply. He looks extremely angry, and it doesn't seem fake. I have also dispatched a large number of people to protect him."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingshu's doubts were finally dispelled considerably. However, he still said, "Secretly summon a doctor to examine the Tibetan prince and see if his diarrhea is feigned."
"To be on the safe side, send someone to check the latrine the prince used and see what he excreted."
The servants were already used to Zhao Qingshu's cautious approach, so they didn't say anything and went to do their work.
It wasn't until the doctor diagnosed the Tibetan prince's condition that it was determined he had taken a special drug, which, if overdosed, could be life-threatening.
Meanwhile, the guards whispered in Zhao Qingshu's ear that they had confirmed that the Tibetan prince had expelled waste.
Zhao Qingshu knew that people of their social standing would not risk their lives, and the Tibetan prince had no reason to be so suspicious. Thus, his doubts were completely dispelled, and his heart sank.
He immediately ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.
Zhao Qingshu was unsure whether this matter was directed at him or the Tibetan prince, but he could not allow his grand plan to malfunction in the slightest.
So he secretly dispatched a large number of guards to protect his most important secret room and all the adults who came in and out of it.
When Song Xizhi, hiding in the treetop, saw many guards dressed in black hurrying in the same direction, he knew that things were developing exactly as they had planned.
The thought of Zhao Qingshu, who had been so calculating and cunning, only to be manipulated and controlled by them, made Song Xizhi's lips curl into a slight smile.
She turned to look at He Jingyan beside her, feeling a strong sense of security. Her eyes shone brightly, filled with a hint of eagerness: "And then? What are we going to do next?"
In the darkness of night, the man suddenly stretched out his long arm, his broad arms enveloping her: "From now on, you'll have to hold me tight."
As soon as the man finished speaking, Song Xizhi felt a shadow fall over her, followed by a familiar scent wafting into her nostrils, and then He Jingyan's warm chest enveloped her.
His broad chest gives people an endless sense of security and peace of mind; even when flying in the winter night sky, one cannot feel the slightest bit of cold.
When He Jingyan concealed his presence and followed the soldiers sent out by Zhao Qingshu to the hidden location, he was met with a completely unfamiliar environment.
Zhao Qingshu, that cunning old fox, separated his restaurant from the dining room for entertaining distinguished guests, and also separated the secret dark room from the dining room for entertaining distinguished guests.
The mysterious dark room was hidden in a private house next to the Zhao family's inner palace.
This house was bought by an ordinary merchant. It seemed to be a happy family, with four generations living together, a loving father and filial sons, and friendly brothers.
On ordinary days, you can even see a young married woman taking her child out for a chat.
The occasional sound of a child crying could still be heard from the neighborhood at night, so how could anyone know that such a shameful secret was hidden beneath the surface of this peaceful and beautiful home?
How ironic.
The guards tiptoed to the artificial hill behind the Zhao residence, twisted somewhere, and then filed out from under the hill, secretly heading towards the victorious mansion.
Song Xizhi peeked out from He Jingyan's arms, frowning as he looked at the situation before him: "That old fox Zhao Qingshu really has three burrows."
He Jingyan lowered his eyes and saw a fluffy head peeking out from his arms. A faint smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
"So what do we do now?"
Song Xizhi lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then a sly smile appeared in his eyes: "Set fire to the hall where Zhao Qingshu is."
She had been annoyed for a while now, hearing Zhao Qingshu keep saying he wanted to burn her.
Since he likes fire so much, I, his great-aunt, will take pity on him today and treat him to a visual feast.
The hall where Zhao Qingshu was located happened to be in the northeast of the entire mansion, and it was only a short distance away from the house that the guards had just entered, separated by an alley.
When Song Xizhi entered the reception hall, he had already noticed that Zhao Qingshu liked this villa very much and had devoted a lot of effort to it.
To make the entire hall more elegant, various colorful paintings were hung in the hall, and craftsmen were also commissioned to design many wood carvings that covered the entire wall.
Wooden buildings and paintings are often covered with a large amount of tung oil to prevent insects and pests, soften the colors, and prolong the life of these works.
However, tung oil, as a vegetable oil, has a fatal flaw: it produces thick black smoke when burned.
Tonight, a southwest wind is blowing; if a fire is set in the hall, thick smoke will billow into that mysterious house…
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