Chapter 67 I Will Avenge Him
When Shizhu arrived at the princess's residence, she was led by a eunuch to a guest room in a side courtyard to rest.
After drinking two bowls of calming herbal soup and washing my face with cold water, the previous frenzied excitement finally subsided, and I calmed down completely.
But the calmer I became, the more certain I was that this was definitely man-made.
He was not a dull person to begin with. Over the years, following Liu Jinzhang, he had been exposed to many of the intricacies of court politics. Although he could not be said to be an expert in political maneuvering, he had gained a keen insight that most people did not have.
But he couldn't understand who wanted to harm them.
After an unknown amount of time, a palace attendant came to announce that the princess had finished bathing and changing and asked him to come over and give a report.
Shizhu followed the eunuch through several corridors and arrived at a simply furnished side hall.
Li Yuanzhao had changed into a moon-white casual robe and was lying on the couch, his black hair loosely tied up.
"Tell me, why do you believe someone wants to harm the Grand Tutor?"
Her tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion. "As far as I know, the Grand Tutor has always been upright and honest in court, and he doesn't compete with anyone. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have offended anyone."
Hearing the princess's tone, Shi Zhu couldn't help but complain inwardly that this person was too hard-hearted.
Her master was burned alive in the fire, yet she showed no sign of grief.
Shi Zhu took a deep breath and voiced her speculation, “Your Highness, there was absolutely no possibility of fire breaking out in the mansion before the fire last night. The old lady is frail and ate dinner early. The fire in the kitchen was extinguished just after 7 p.m., and only one candle was left in the old lady’s room. It was the shortest oil lamp with a lampshade, so it was impossible for it to have spread to anything else.”
He paused, lowering his voice even further: "Moreover, the fire started in such a strange way. When I returned, I saw that the west wing had caught fire first, but my young master's study is next to the west wing, and the old lady's bedroom is in the main room. The west wing is just a place to store miscellaneous items, so how could it catch fire for no reason?"
Li Yuanzhao nodded. "Your speculation is not without merit. However, do you know who exactly was behind this?"
"I don't know," Shi Zhu shook his head.
He simply didn't know who did it, which is why he desperately hoped that the eldest princess would stand up for him.
Li Yuanzhao then asked, "Was anything unusual when you were at home yesterday?"
Shi Zhu recalled the events in her mind bit by bit, "Everything was normal yesterday, nothing out of the ordinary. After breakfast, I helped Xiao Cui clean the courtyard, while the young master read in the study. After lunch, it was hot, so I went to the backyard to keep the old lady company and told her some interesting stories to cheer her up. Then..."
He paused here, then said, "Oh right! I remember now! Around noon yesterday, His Highness Prince Cheng sent a basket of pears, along with some sea cucumbers and bird's nest. The eunuch said that Prince Cheng knew that the young master and Your Highness had recently been somewhat estranged, so he specially sent some things on Your Highness's behalf to ease the tension."
Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow. "Prince Cheng? To smooth things over for me?"
Seeing her completely unaware appearance, Shi Zhu felt increasingly uneasy.
He asked cautiously, "Your Highness, are you unaware of this matter?"
Li Yuanzhao sneered, "How would I know what Prince Cheng did? Besides, why would I need the Grand Tutor to mend my relationship with me? This matter sounds suspicious. Are you sure that eunuch was someone from Prince Cheng's side?"
"Of course I'm certain!" Shi Zhu quickly replied. "I've accompanied you to several banquets, young master, and I've seen that man serving Prince Cheng from afar. He is undoubtedly Prince Cheng's close attendant, there's no mistake about it!"
He gazed at Li Yuanzhao's calm profile and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, is there... something wrong here?"
Li Yuanzhao's gaze fell on him. "Do you still have any of the items given to you by the Prince of Cheng? After checking them, we might be able to find some clues."
Upon hearing this, Shi Zhu broke out in a cold sweat, "Where would there be anything left? Everything in the mansion was burned to the ground, not a single thing was left..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something, abruptly lowered his head, and pulled two pears from his pocket. "And these, I secretly kept these for..."
He paused, as if grasping at a straw, and presented the pear to Li Yuanzhao. "Your Highness, please send someone to take a look. Is there anything strange about it?"
Li Yuanzhao glanced at Ru Mo beside him, who immediately understood and quietly withdrew.
A moment later, Xiao Lingdang, dressed in a Taoist priest's robe, followed Ru Mo into the room.
Li Yuanzhao said, "This is the pharmacist in my household. She knows some pharmacology. Let her take a look."
Little Bell picked up the pear, pretended to smell it, touch it, and then taste it.
Finally, he simply picked one up, wiped it on the corner of his clothes, broke off a small piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
Little Bell chewed for a moment, spat out the pulp, and then replied seriously, "Your Highness, something has been added to this pear."
"This is a special kind of sleeping potion, colorless and odorless, and difficult to detect when mixed in with fruit pulp. If a person eats it, they will become weak and lose consciousness within 15 minutes, as if they have fallen into a deep sleep, and will not be able to wake up no matter how others call them. It will take 6 hours for the symptoms to subside on their own."
Upon hearing this, Shi Zhu's legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground. "No wonder... no wonder! I was wondering why none of them ran out when the fire started! It turns out... it turns out they had been drugged long ago, and they couldn't even call for help! It turns out someone really wanted to harm them."
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice filled with deep incomprehension and indignation, "But my young master has no grudge against the Second Prince, why would he want to harm him?"
Li Yuanzhao picked up the tea on the table, gently blew away the foam, and said lightly, "That's not without reason."
Shi Zhu looked at her with a puzzled expression, her eyes full of confusion.
After taking a sip of tea, Li Yuanzhao continued, "Your young master is my teacher, so he is one of my people. But now, Prince Cheng and I are like oil and water. He can't tolerate me, so naturally he can't tolerate the people around me either."
Shi Zhu then realized what was happening, and a surge of hatred welled up from the bottom of her heart. "Your Highness! Prince Cheng is so cruel! He doesn't even spare innocent people! You must avenge the young master, the old lady, and Xiao Cui!"
Li Yuanzhao looked at his reddened eyes and said slowly, "Of course. The Grand Tutor is my mentor, and I will not let his grudge go unavenged."
She paused, then said, "However, Prince Cheng is, after all, a prince, and he has Prime Minister Cui and the Imperial Concubine behind him. This matter may not be so easy."
"I don't care what kind of prince he is!" Shi Zhu roared, his eyes red. "I only want him to pay for the young master's life!"
“This matter needs further consideration.” Li Yuanzhao raised his hand and pressed his temples. “How about this, since you are the Grand Tutor’s servant and now your family is destroyed and you have nowhere else to go, you can stay in my Princess’s residence for the time being, where you will have a place to stay.”
Shi Zhu was stunned when she heard this.
He thought he was all alone and would have to wander the streets, but to his surprise, the princess was willing to take him in.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, he kowtowed deeply once more, "Thank you, Your Highness! If Your Highness ever needs my help, I will gladly die for you!"
Li Yuanzhao hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
Ru Mo immediately stepped forward and said to Shi Zhu, who was still choking with sobs, "Come with me."
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