Chapter 28: The Perfect Solution
Yun Yuan leaned over to check Prince Langya's injuries. After confirming that they were only superficial wounds, she waited for a moment. After figuring that the princess had been taken away, she pressed the acupoint on the side of his neck with her fingers and then fell limply beside him.
“Uh…” When Prince Langya suddenly woke up, he first saw the unconscious Yun Yuan beside him. He quickly helped her up and patted her cheek: “Yuan’er!”
By the time Yun Yuan "wore faintly," Prince Langya had already rushed to the carriage, opened the curtains, and rushed into the woods, hacking at the bushes with his sword. His footsteps grew heavier amidst the falling leaves, finally turning into a desperate stumble.
When he returned to the carriage, Prince Langya's eyes were red. He punched the ancient tree beside him with a fierce punch, and the bowl-thick trunk was shaken by the blow.
Yun Yuan stood by the shaft of the carriage, quietly watching the Langya King's collapse. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows on her pale face.
After his breath gradually calmed down, Yun Yuan said softly: "Your Highness, don't worry. The princess is blessed by heaven and will be safe."
"Wanwan may be safe," the young prince clenched the reins, his knuckles turning white, "but if the emperor is forced to abdicate, the world will be in chaos!"
Yun Yuan wrapped the whip around her wrist and lowered her brows, saying, "If Your Majesty doesn't abdicate, won't the King of Zhao become emperor? Won't the world be in chaos?"
"If the name is not right, then the words will not flow!" Prince Langya suddenly raised his voice, "If he dares to overstep his bounds, he will be attacked by the whole world!"
The tassel of the whip swung gently, and Yun Yuan's voice was cold: "When I was in the Imperial Music Bureau, a good master would have a decent excuse to punish me." She raised her eyes and looked at the distant mountain shadows. "If it were a cruel master like that, he would have such an excuse at his fingertips."
The Prince of Langya was startled. He had only heard the girl's pitiful story, and when he was about to offer comfort, he saw she had already swiftly untied the saddle. The dusk outlined her lonely figure as her hands expertly removed the harness, as if the words she had just spoken were merely idle chatter.
Yun Yuan held the reins of a horse in each hand and said, "It's not suitable to stay in this desolate wilderness for long. Where are you going, Your Highness?"
The Prince of Langya sighed deeply, picking up his whip and tapping it dully on his palm. "I'm alone and without any soldiers. Even if I rush to Luoyang, it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The Prince of Hejian has never been in touch with me, and now the princess hasn't arrived yet. Even if I go, what good can I do for Your Majesty?"
"Your Highness is anxious. He must seek out someone knowledgeable to discuss the situation." Yun Yuan looked up at the sky. "Unfortunately, this is a no-man's land. It would be late at night to go anywhere. The East China Sea is closer."
Prince Langya's eyes flickered. Donghai... The Prince of Donghai was highly respected in the court, his respected uncle. He suddenly remembered Feng Yanyuan's mention a few days ago that the Prince of Donghai had recently returned to his vassal state for a short stay... If he were in Donghai County, he could indeed ask for advice on the current situation.
He suddenly made up his mind, and his expression brightened as he looked at Yun Yuan. "I'll take you to the East Sea Palace tonight to rest for a while, and then I'll take you back to the Langya Palace." His tone suddenly became gentle. "The journey might be a bit rough."
Yun Yuan paused slightly upon hearing this, then straightened her body and bowed, her white sleeves trembling slightly in the evening breeze. "Your Highness is so kind, I am deeply grateful. But Master Yuan originally only ordered me to serve the princess, and now something unexpected has happened..."
"That's all right. Master Yuan has agreed to give you to me." Prince Langya smiled and took a step closer, saying softly, "As long as you're willing..."
"Your Highness, are you seriously asking me if I am willing?" She suddenly raised her eyes.
Prince Langya was stunned and said hesitantly, "You... don't want to?"
"I am a weak servant, unfit to be driven, and timid..." She twisted her belt with her fingertips, "I beg Your Highness to allow me to return to Yuanfeng Courtyard."
The evening breeze blew through the woods, rustling the grass and trees.
Prince Langya looked at her drooping brows and suddenly realized that she must have been frightened by the bloody disaster just now. He sighed inwardly, not to mention the current situation...
"Now is definitely not a good time." He mounted his horse and said, "I'll send you back to the Feng family first... Once the situation stabilizes, I'll come back to find you."
The prince's words were not a question, so Yun Yuan could only say "yes".
The two horses rode away, stepping on the golden sunset all over the ground. The sound of their hooves startled a flock of sparrows on the roadside.
Feng Wu hadn't seen any trace of the Haofeng Guards' report, and he felt a sense of unease. Following the horse hoofprints, he found several Haofeng Guards lying in a heap among the trees deep in the forest, all seriously wounded and dying. Just as he was wondering, he suddenly saw Prince Langya and Yun Yuan riding back, but there was no sign of the princess. He guessed that one of the two princes had succeeded—he was furious at Yun Yuan's luck.
He had originally planned to wait until they parted ways before capturing Yun Yuan, but unexpectedly, Prince Langya escorted her all the way to the Feng family's gate. Feng Wu watched her enter the gate and could only report to the young master angrily.
After hearing this, Feng Yanhao tapped lightly on the jade paperweight with his slender fingers.
He had long known about the Prince of Donghai's return to his fiefdom. The Prince of Langya and the Prince of Donghai had a long-standing friendship, so now that the princess had been kidnapped, it was reasonable for him to seek help. However, neither the Prince of Hejian nor the Prince of Zhao had any need to go to the trouble of attacking the Haofeng Guards. Besides... when had these two princes ever possessed the caliber of men capable of extracting his Fengspy?
The night in Yuanfengyuan is as dark as ink.
When Yun Yuan returned, the lanterns in front of the courtyard gate had already gone out. Feng Jiu saw that it was her and silently opened the side door.
"Master, have you rested?" Yun Yuan said softly.
Feng Jiu bolted the door shut and whispered, "Young Master is in Yuanshanzhai."
Inside Yuanshan Studio, only a single candle still burned on the lacquered table, though it was brighter outside. The fan-shaped windows were wide open, revealing the dark shadows of the distant mountains, with a bright crescent moon hanging above them. Feng Yanyuan stood beneath the archway, a dark silhouette.
"How is Prince Langya?" His voice was softer than the night wind.
Yun Yuan looked at the silhouette and said, "The prince is fine. He has gone to the East Sea Palace."
"Is it going well?"
"Prince Hejian's men hadn't arrived yet, and Prince Zhao's men were coming in force. The Guitou Gang was defeated too quickly, and Prince Langya was nearly in danger. Fortunately, Prince Donghai's men had already ambushed them."
"The Prince of Donghai's men are known for their efficiency, and the princess has long been settled in the palace." Feng Yanyuan turned and took his seat, moonlight streaming across his brows. "It seems the Prince of Langya hasn't arrived yet. He wanted to escort Yuan'er back personally, so he took a detour." He never raised his eyes to look at her. "I thought something had happened."
"Young Master is a master of foresight. He knows the Young Master, the Haofeng Guards, and even the Prince of Langya's every move like a glimpse into the distance." She stared at Feng Yanyuan's profile, silhouetted by the moonlight. "The instructions in the brocade bag are spotless. I followed them step by step, so how could anything go wrong?"
The night wind blew through the hall, carrying with it the sound of pine waves from the distant mountains.
In this game of chess, Feng Yanyuan made his moves like a god.
Feng Yanhao assumed that if the two princes were feuding, they would have clearly communicated to both sides. Therefore, when Hejian's men finally arrived, seeing the empty carriage and the murderous men on the ground, they would undoubtedly conclude that the princess had fallen into Zhao's hands. Zhao's men, on the other hand, would believe the princess had been rescued by Hejian's men. And Feng Yanhao, on his part, would naturally conclude that one of the two princes was responsible. Each of the three parties harbored their own agenda, growing suspicious of one another. By the time they realized something was amiss, the men had already vanished, and it was too late.
The Prince of Donghai's move was truly brilliant. While his palace boasted expert secret guards and intimate knowledge of the borderlands, the prince remained a mere civil official at court, without military authority. Unlike a military commander, he would not exploit the opportunity to cause trouble. Furthermore, out of loyalty to the emperor, he would do his utmost to protect the princess, thus temporarily averting a major civil strife.
Most importantly, while the Feng family was cleared of any involvement, someone was saved—the little princess could still be used as a pawn, while the Prince of Langya was an obstacle that could be eliminated if necessary. The Prince of Donghai's men wouldn't kill her, but the Prince of Zhao's men might not. If it weren't for Feng Yanyuan's final, cunning move, the Prince of Langya would have already...
He was as skilled in calculation as Feng Yanhao, and his moves were as sharp as a knife. But in the midst of the killing, he also left behind a sudden trace of kindness.
Feng Yanyuan said calmly, "After spending a few days with Prince Langya, I can already fathom his temperament. Haven't you also managed to coax the princess into wanting you?" He suddenly raised his eyes to look at her. "Since you've earned Prince Langya's favor, why don't you go with him to the palace?"
Yun Yuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she whispered, "This servant still needs the antidote."
"It seems that even after studying medical books day and night for so long, I still can't cure the poison of impermanence." Feng Yanyuan took out a rosewood box from his sleeve and pushed it in front of her. "In that case, take this box too."
The moment the wooden box was opened, Yun Yuan's pupils shrank slightly - thirty-six antidotes were neatly arranged.
"Last time... it's not finished yet..."
"Since I'm coming and it's for you, do you still want me to keep it for you?"
Yun Yuan held the wooden box in her hand, lost in thought. These antidotes were enough to sustain a spy for two years. How could this even be considered spy control? Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Master... aren't you afraid I'll escape?"
"Wait until you're sure you've developed the antidote before you run away." He casually adjusted his cuffs. "Otherwise, if you run away, I won't be able to get the antidote, and if you ask me for it again, it won't be available."
Yun Yuan's fingertips trembled suddenly. These days of deliberate distance, that playful indulgence—no need to do the cleaning, allowing her access to Xinglin Garden and Huiming Gallery, tacitly allowing her to browse rare pharmacopoeias—were all just to let her find the antidote herself?
She suddenly remembered what Prince Langya had said—"Master Yuan has agreed to give you to me"—and it turned out that the opportunity he was talking about was letting her leave the Feng family...
"The matter has come to an end. The royal family's affairs belong to the royal family, and the Feng family has no further involvement. You can go back." His tone was flat, but there was lingering fatigue in his voice.
Yun Yuan bowed in response, her skirt brushing an almost inaudible sound against the blue brick floor. When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "The file on the young master's desk...it's best not to look through it anymore."
Feng Yanyuan's hand on the scroll suddenly paused. It was his biological mother's documents, which he had been studying daily since he retrieved them from Qianfeng Pavilion, as if trying to find something in the faded ink, or perhaps to remember something.
"Why?" He raised his eyes, the candlelight flickering in his eyes.
"Let me smell it," Yun Yuan stood at the intersection of the moon and shadow, half of her face immersed in darkness. "That scroll... must be poisonous."
Just as he finished speaking, a gust of night wind suddenly blew in from the window, causing the candlelight on the table to shake violently and tearing the shadows of the two people into pieces.
Feng Yanyuan's knuckles tightened suddenly: "What kind of poison?"
“It’s very similar to impermanence.”
"You once said that everything is impermanent and tasteless." His voice suddenly turned cold.
Yun Yuan took a half step forward, the moonlight finally illuminating her entire face. "The poison is indeed odorless after it becomes impermanent, but I've been searching through pharmacopoeias these days and discovered that the ingredients used in its preparation do have an odor." She leaned over and sniffed carefully. "However, the poison here is a bit old, it must be quite old."
Feng Yanyuan felt a buzzing in his ears, his heartbeat like a drum, aching his chest. He closed his eyes and gathered his concentration. His fingertips trembled as he slowly unrolled the scroll, the bamboo slips clattering against each other.
He placed the three items on the table: the indictment, the confession, and the evidence. His voice was hoarse, "Can you tell... where the poison is?"
Yun Yuan had never seen him lose his composure like this before, and she was slightly startled. She held her breath and stepped forward, sniffing three spots in turn as her long black hair flowed down. "They're all contaminated with poison, but... this secret letter is the most poisonous."
Feng Yanyuan's hands trembled slightly as he opened the letter.
As the yellowed map slowly unfolded, Yun Yuan suddenly took a half step back: "This silk must have been placed in the poison chamber for a long time. Although it is not fatal, prolonged contact will damage the root..."
The drawing slipped from Feng Yanyuan's fingers. In the dim light of the candle, his face seemed to be half laughing and half crying, and a few low, hoarse gasps escaped his throat.
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