◇ Chapter 80 (80) Betrayal by the Trusted (Part 2)
The doctor, who had just left the Shangshu Mansion and had not yet returned to the clinic, was asked to go back again.
Fortunately, he doesn't have to pretend this time.
Bai Kang was feeding Lianzhi water, asking him to spit out the tea he had drunk. Seeing the doctor return, he immediately asked the servant to hand the half-cup of tea to the doctor. "Please check carefully. Has the golden bead grass powder been added to this tea?"
The doctor took the tea, sniffed it and said, "No."
Just as Bo Kang was breathing a sigh of relief, the doctor said, "This cup of tea has been poisoned with arsenic!"
After a moment's silence, the entire Shangshu Mansion fell into chaos.
Bai Kang insisted that Lianzhi spit it out before he would be relieved, and he kept patting Lianzhi's back. Lianzhi's back hurt from his pats, and she glared at him fiercely: "Calm down!"
Bai Kang finally stopped, his eyes still red. Lian Zhi said, "Didn't you notice? I drank half a cup of tea and was fine. If it was that golden bead grass powder or arsenic, I would have been poisoned long ago! I'm fine!"
"Don't panic, my lord. I'll make you a bowl of licorice detoxifying soup." The doctor thought that since the Shangshu's servant was so energetic and able to fight back against Bai Kang, there was no sign of poisoning. Bai Kang was finally relieved when he saw that Lianzhi's face was indeed rosy and her lips were pink, with no trace of the bluish purple of poisoning. The doctor was in the courtyard, setting up a small pot to boil medicine, and a strong, bitter smell drifted into the room.
"Sir." Qing He was extremely quick. He had the guards inside the mansion escort a short, rolling-eyed servant in and threw him to the ground. "He was the one who brought tea to you and Young Master Lianzhi. I've already asked around, and no one else touched those two cups of tea except him."
Bai Kang glanced at the servant calmly, and he was so frightened that his legs trembled and he couldn't stand still. He handed over a small paper bag with both hands and explained truthfully, "Sir, someone told me to put this in the tea for Madam. They said...they said it would make the tea taste better!"
Bai Kang slammed the table, shuddering again, not daring to make up another story: "Someone gave me five taels of silver! My Lord, how could I have the guts to murder your Madam!"
"Who ordered you to do that?" Bai Kang asked again.
"I don't know either..." Seeing that Bo Kang frowned and obviously didn't believe his words, the servant fell to the ground and burst into tears. "I was blinded by money and my heart was blinded by lard! I only beg that if you want to punish me, please spare my life!"
Even now, he's still so smooth-talking! Bo Kang was about to lose his temper when Lianzhi placed her hand on his forearm, stopping him from moving. Lianzhi gave him a barely perceptible shake of her head, "No killing."
With Lianzhi’s personal order, no matter how angry Bai Kang was, he could only let Qinghe take the man away first.
"Why are you so angry? If you keep the person here, maybe you can find the person who gave him the poison." After Lianzhi finished speaking, Bai Kang did not respond. His face was gloomy and he was obviously still angry.
He placed his palms on both sides of Bo Kang's cheeks: "Don't be angry. I'm fine, right?"
Licorice Detoxification Soup arrived just in time, a large, dark, warm bowl. Bai Kang picked it up, blew on it, and brought it to Lianzhi's lips. "If something really happens, it'll be too late. It's my fault. You've been away for so long, and I neglected to check on the people in the mansion. Baby, drink this whole bowl."
Lianzhi glanced at him sideways: "What do you mean I've been away for a long time, are you blaming me?"
"I wouldn't dare." Bo Kang focused all his attention on the medicine bowl. "Hurry up and drink it while it's hot."
Seeing that his palm holding the bowl had been burned slightly red, Lianzhi quickly drank the medicine in one breath. The bitter taste spread on the tip of her tongue. Lianzhi stuck out her tongue a little and complained, "I want to chop them all up now. It's so bitter."
Bai Kang felt that he was starting to act like a spoiled brat again. Lian Zhi smacked her lips and looked at Bai Kang: "Shouldn't you give me a candied fruit? You always gave me candied fruit before."
"Let someone buy it now. Buy it from Zuiyuelou Soup House." Bai Kang said.
As he stood up to leave, Lianzhi suddenly saw the small paper bag on the ground. Bo Kang hadn't noticed it was still there, and he immediately felt a sense of bad luck. Just as he was about to pick it up and throw it away, Lianzhi held out her hand to him: "Let me see."
"Don't touch this." Bai Kang said like coaxing a child.
Lianzhi said stubbornly, "Give it to me."
Bai Kang handed him the paper bag reluctantly. Lianzhi tore open the paper bag. The medicine powder inside had been used up. It was empty, but someone had painted a pattern on it.
When they pieced the pattern together, it turned out to be a very familiar pattern - a pattern they had just seen engraved on a short arrow.
"I said it was right to spare the boy's life." Lianzhi raised her head proudly, "The person who assassinated outside the Fanfang is the same person who poisoned him." As long as that person is found, we will know who is behind the scenes.
We will know whether this matter has anything to do with Princess Jinyang.
That night, news spread that Prince Zhulan had been poisoned by the same poison as the Queen Mother and was now in a coma. It was said that Prince Zhulan was in critical condition, and in a hurry, the Helan tribe envoys invited several doctors from the capital to the inn to treat the prince.
The poisoning of a Helan prince in the capital was a major event, potentially affecting relations between the Helan tribe and Daning. Upon hearing this, Emperor Jianguang was furious. Minister Bo, who happened to be reporting on official business in the Imperial Study, suggested that this incident was closely related to the Empress Dowager's poisoning and requested an investigation.
Emperor Jianguang glanced at Bo Kang's sincere and upright face and suddenly asked, "My dear, how is your wife's illness?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. My wife's condition has improved, but it's still recurring, and she needs to rest," Bai Kang replied. Emperor Jianguang patted him on the shoulder and, after a few high-sounding words of concern, changed the subject, "In your opinion, how is Prince Zhulan doing?"
Bai Kang said respectfully, "I dare not speak nonsense."
"Prince Zhulan looks so much like an old friend. Even I feel dazed when I see him." Emperor Jianguang smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes. "I was just saying that."
Emperor Jianguang became suspicious.
It's really strange. Bai Kang is not the minister who knows Emperor Jianguang best and is best at guessing the emperor's intentions, but now he is sure that Emperor Jianguang suspects Lianzhi.
He headed straight for the inn. From a distance, he could see the open window. The weather was dry and cold, and white mist drifted from the house, dampening and softening the paper pasted on the window. Bo Kang went upstairs, asked the doctors to leave, and entered the room alone.
Lianzhi was lying down pretending to be sick. When she saw him come in, her eyes lit up and she jumped up from the bed and complained, "Brother Kang, I'm so bored."
His nose was red from the cold, and white mist rose from the medicine bowl on the table and the smoke from the stove. Bo Kang was a little amused: "Didn't you say you wanted to hang him out? Do you regret it?"
"No. I'm really bored. I haven't told anyone else, and no one comes to talk to me." Lianzhi curled her lips and hugged Bo Kang's arm, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
So obedient all of a sudden? Could it be... or just frightened? After a series of assassination attempts, he must be scared. Just as Bo Kang was about to offer comfort, Lianzhi suddenly closed the window a little, locked the door, and then stood before Bo Kang with her back to the window, looking proud and confident.
Bo Kang:?
Lianzhi chuckled, grasped the collar of her robe with both hands, and opened it wide. Seeing the decorations on Lianzhi's body, Bo Kang's pupils constricted for a moment, and he looked up in astonishment.
"Does it look good?" Lianzhi blushed slightly, her long black eyelashes fluttering, clearly shy. The body chain, adorned with colorful gemstones, wrapped around his neck, chest, and waist, sinking down into him.
It was dark, and the glittering jewel chain was shining with colorful light, making Lianzhi's eyes sparkle. He leaned close to Bo Kang's ear and rubbed his cheek against Bo Kang's.
Before he could say anything, a thick blanket wrapped around him. Bo Kang tied his clothes and wrapped him tightly again: "Put them on, you're cold."
"You don't like it?" Lianzhi said disappointedly, "Since you took it back on your own initiative, I thought you liked it."
Bai Kang's face also turned suspiciously red, but with his back to the candlelight, his expression couldn't be seen clearly. Bai Kang turned his head away, his voice inexplicably awkward: "I like it."
How could anyone not be moved by such a beautiful scenery? The handsome boy's neck was still shining, and several gems were exposed from his collar. Bai Kang tried his best to suppress his psychological and physical impulses and answered with difficulty: "... Wait until we get back home."
"Okay." Lianzhi's tone was actually a little regretful. Soon, he held Bo Kang's hand again and put it on his chest, "Then you can touch it."
It's terrible.
Bai Kang swallowed his saliva——
“Swoosh——”
A feathered arrow flew through the air, whizzing through the whistling night wind. The familiar feathered arrow was nailed to the wall. Lianzhi quickly jumped out of Bo Kang's arms, opened the door, and shouted, "Go after him!"
The Helan guards, who had been waiting outside, immediately followed the direction of the arrow they had just heard shot. Bo Kang was even somewhat thankful that the arrow had helped him regain his sanity and prevented him from being seduced by the lotus branch.
No, it wasn't temptation, it was his lack of self-control.
The Helan guards acted swiftly, quickly recaptured the man. Lianzhi had already changed her clothes, and Bo Kang was playing with the jeweled chain, still warm from her body. Looking at the man, his hands tied behind his back and pinned to the ground, Lianzhi's tone suddenly became uncertain.
"Raise your head." Lianzhi said softly.
The guard grabbed the assassin's hair and forced him to look up. The moment he saw his face clearly, Lianzhi fell into a long silence.
"All of you go out." He said to the guards behind him.
"But..." The guard wanted to speak, but seeing Lianzhi's expression, he finally left. The man in black still held his head high, and the two of them looked at each other with a very complicated look. Bai Kang noticed something was wrong and walked over and said, "You..."
"An Shi." Lian Zhi spoke softly, but she said something that surprised Bai Kang, "Why is it you?"
The black-clad man on the ground had an ordinary appearance, the kind that would be hard to remember even after seeing him several times. His nose bore only a passing resemblance to Lianzhi's, suggesting he might have foreign blood. He had a wound on his face, clearly from a beating by a Helan guard. Blood flowed from the wound, but he remained expressionless, staring only at Lianzhi.
"Did you do this on purpose?" Lianzhi continued to ask, "Did anyone force you to kill me?"
When Lianzhi opened the small paper package and saw the familiar symbol for the second time, she felt something was wrong. Even if the first use of the arrow with the symbol was to remind him of the other party's identity or to frame him, drawing the pattern on the paper seemed a bit deliberate.
Unless the other party has some message to convey to him.
"You know my identity, right?" Lianzhi asked again.
This time, An Shi finally spoke. His tongue was missing a piece, so his speech was labored. He replied in a weary tone, "No one forced me."
But Lianzhi didn't believe it. An Shi was one of the secret guards who had protected him the longest, always loyal and never showing any signs of betrayal. Although they were king and subject, superior and subordinate, he had never treated An Shi harshly.
The most important thing is that the secret guards will not betray their masters, but will live and die with their masters.
"At first, I thought you were all dead. After all, I couldn't survive, and Chen Fengke would definitely settle accounts with you." Lianzhi squatted in front of him, "Are you all alive?"
He was asking about the other secret guards who had protected him until the very end. He remembered that, besides himself and Eunuch Wen, only An Shi, An Shiyi, and An Shiwu had survived to the end. Since An Shi was still there, the three of them must still be together.
"Why not take it back?" Bai Kang made a gesture.
After he finished speaking, An Shi glanced at him with a calm gaze, clearly still remembering this former imperial guard. This time, he finally spoke.
"I didn't betray you," An Shi said. "I didn't mean to kill you."
"But someone betrayed you."
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