Chapter 353 The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
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While Li Shiyue was unconscious, thick smoke billowed into the sky above the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion!
The Prince's Mansion is on fire!
No, to be precise, the room where the Prince of Zhenbei was located was set on fire!
Zhao Changying was the one who ordered the arson.
The people who did it were Zhao Dahuzi and his men.
All this was to cover up the fact that the Prince of Zhenbei was strangled to death by Zhao Changying.
After all, dying from poisoning is completely different from being strangled to death.
At the very least, the obvious marks left by a woman's slender fingers on the neck of the Prince of Zhenbei are difficult to explain.
Therefore, the only option was to burn the body.
The marks of strangulation are no longer visible on the surface of the burned body.
As for the cause of this inexplicable fire?
It was very simple. Zhao Dahuzi stood in the courtyard, looking at the raging flames, and said to Zhao Changying, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty!"
It turns out that they didn't discover sooner that Steward Liu, no, that Liu Erwa was colluding with Turkic spies!
They not only poisoned the prince, but also arranged for someone to set fire to the house, intending to burn him alive!
Zhao Dahuzi's words weren't entirely unreasonable; in short, they gave them a plausible excuse for setting the fire.
"Make it cleaner!"
"yes!"
Zhao Changying turned and left the courtyard, hurrying towards Liu Shu's study.
Just now, Zhao Changying's personal nanny ran over and said that the pageboy had found her in her courtyard and that Liu Shu had suddenly fallen ill and was unconscious!
If it weren't for the fact that setting fire to the corpse was also very important, Zhao Changying would have gone to see Liu Shu long ago.
After Zhao Changying left, Zhao Dahuzi nodded to the soldier standing to the side, and that man pulled Liu Erwa out from under the covered corridor, his mouth stuffed with a cloth.
With a swift stroke, Liu Erwa's throat was slit.
Zhao Dahuzi nodded to his men, and the soldiers dragged Liu Erwa's body and threw it into the raging fire.
It wasn't until the fire had spread to the courtyard next door that Zhao Dahuzi shouted for the soldiers from other teams who had already run over to fetch water to put out the fire.
Meanwhile, Liu Shu was summoned by the royal physician again.
The royal physician looked at Liu Shu, who was lying unconscious on the low couch with her eyes closed, and felt a headache coming on!
The royal physician felt that he himself was probably going to die in the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion sooner or later!
The Prince of Zhenbei was poisoned, and he couldn't save him;
The Prince of Zhenbei is barely hanging on; he's about to die!
Suddenly, Prince Liu Shu fell into a coma again for no apparent reason!
Seeing Liu Shu like this, the royal physician truly felt that he himself was not going to live much longer.
Zhao Changying looked anxiously at Liu Shu lying on the low couch. She turned around and asked sternly, "Why is the young master like this?"
"Does the physician have any clues?"
"Your Highness, Military Advisor Zhou said that the young master was talking to Military Advisor Zhou just a moment ago when he suddenly shouted and then collapsed onto the table."
After I arrived, I carefully examined the Crown Prince twice, but I did not find any injuries on his body.
I suspect... the Crown Prince...
Before the royal physician could finish speaking, Zhao Changying, Zhou Yiran, and the pageboy standing inside the room were all startled, as they all guessed what the royal physician was about to say.
"...They must have been poisoned!"
But where does this poison come from?
We need to carefully examine the prince's food today and the utensils in this room to figure it out!
Investigate! Investigate right now!
After saying this, Zhao Changying changed her expression and looked at the royal physician.
"Doctor Wang, you must do everything in your power to save the prince!"
He's the crown prince!
"Your Highness is in such a state now..."
Before Zhao Changying could finish speaking, a voice outside the courtyard announced the news!
The door opened, and Zhao Dahuzi walked in, covered in snow and smelling of smoke.
He knelt on one knee, cupped his hands to Zhao Changying who was standing in front, and said with a mixture of urgency and sorrow, "Report!"
Your Majesty!
The prince's courtyard is flooded!
The prince... the prince... has passed away!
Zhao Changying looked incredulous and fell to the ground, covering her mouth with her hands as if she had been frightened by Zhao Dahuzi's words.
Actually, Zhao Changying, who looked down as if she was crying, had an upturned corner on her mouth that was covered by her hands!
She was overjoyed!
"What!
The prince has passed away!
Zhou Yiran stepped forward and loudly questioned Zhao Dahuzi, who was bowing and reporting, "How is that possible?"
The prince's courtyard was surrounded by guards!
Who could set fire to a house?
"What does Military Advisor Zhou mean by this?"
Do you think we didn't go to save the prince?
But I haven't finished speaking yet!
It was Steward Liu, who served the Prince, who colluded with the villains!
Steward Liu has already admitted that he was the one who poisoned the prince!
That villain was also arranged by Steward Liu, with the intention of killing the prince!
My men and I fought those villains for a long time before the people hiding in the shadows succeeded and set fire to the prince's bedroom!
By the time I had injured the villain and chased after him outside the mansion, the fire was already raging!
Just a quarter of an hour ago, didn't Military Advisor Zhou see the thick smoke coming from that spot?
Zhao Dahuzi stood up, placed his hand on the hilt of his knife, and confronted Zhou Yiran.
"Could it be that Zhou Yiran, you and Steward Liu are actually on the same side?"
Zhou Yiran naturally wanted to explain that he was not a traitor, but before he could say anything, a wailing sound came from outside the study door again!
Because Zhao Dahuzi came in, another person walked in through the door, which was not closed to begin with—a general clad in armor!
General Liu Tan has arrived!
The commotion within the Prince's mansion is now temporarily irrelevant to Li Shiyue.
The blood from the corner of her mouth had been wiped clean with a warm cloth, and even the blood she spat out on the snow had been shoveled up and thrown into the outhouse.
The dim candlelight illuminated Li Shiyue's pale face on the bed, and someone reached out to touch Li Shiyue's forehead.
Feeling a bit chilly, the person turned around and took out another quilt from the wardrobe next to them.
After covering herself with the blanket, Li Qiutian touched Li Shiyue's cold hand and looked at Li Shiyue's tightly closed eyes. Fear gradually crept into her heart.
Yes, the person who saved Li Shiyue was Li Qiutian!
That day, Li Shiyue and Li Qiutian left the prefectural city together. Halfway there, Li Shiyue abandoned his horse and took a detour to return to the prefectural city.
Although Li Qiutian and his mother had already returned to Lijiatun, they stayed there for a few more days.
During this time, Li Qiutian also went to deliver medicine and food to Li Mingfeng, who was hiding in the cellar on the mountain, as instructed by Li Shiyue.
But as the end of the year approaches, Li Shiyue still hasn't gone home!
Li Qiutian got anxious.
Before leaving, Li Shiyue only said one sentence: "I have things I have to do!"
Unable to put her mind at ease, Li Qiutian told her mother and Zheng Meiniang, and then braved the heavy snow to return to the paper shop in the prefectural city and stayed there alone.
Li Qiutian waited and waited until New Year's Eve.
Since she was alone in the paper shop, she ate her meal early and went to bed.
Li Qiutian, listening to the sound of wind and snow outside the window, could not fall asleep. His mind was filled with thoughts of his family in Lijiatun and where Li Shiyue was in the prefectural city.
Just then, Li Qiutian heard the "ah" sound that Li Shiyue made when she was shocked by the system again!
That's how Li Qiutian put on his coat, went downstairs, opened the back door, and rescued Li Shiyue, who was lying on the snow!
Li Qiutian's heart clenched when he saw Li Shiyue's pale face and bloodless complexion.
Li Qiutian had just thoroughly examined Li Shiyue from the inside out, and there wasn't a single wound on Li Shiyue's body!
However, the blood at the corner of Li Shiyue's mouth and the bloodstains on the snow that had turned black earlier proved that Li Shiyue had suffered internal injuries!
"October, what's wrong with you?"
Should I see a doctor?
Li Shiyue appeared to be unconscious, but in reality, she was in the brain system, staring intently at the dog system!
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