Forty-four
The appearance of the withered grass was like a boulder thrown into an already turbulent lake, the ripples of which quickly spread deep into the palace. Bao Zheng entered the palace that very night and secretly reported this astonishing discovery to Emperor Zhao Zhen.
Inside the imperial study, the flickering candlelight illuminated Zhao Zhen's somber face. His long, slender fingers gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. The remnants of the Prince of An dared to extend their poisonous reach into the palace; their arrogance and ruthlessness had crossed the line for him as emperor.
"Issue my decree." Zhao Zhen's voice was as cold as ice. "All food and medicine in the palace shall be under the personal control of the Empress. Increase the number of reliable personnel to strictly inspect them. All records of entry and exit from the Imperial Medical Academy shall be submitted to the Imperial City Guard for verification from this day forward. Without my written edict, no one shall offer any medicine to the palace under any pretext!"
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Bao Zheng bowed and accepted the order, sensing the emperor's suppressed anger.
"What's the progress on Zhan Zhao's side?" Zhao Zhen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Guard Zhan has already gone to Shuiyun Temple with Tianyi to investigate. The Imperial City Guards are also secretly monitoring the area. Once that 'Qingfeng Hermit' appears, they will immediately arrest him," Bao Zheng replied.
Zhao Zhen nodded slightly, his gaze passing through the window lattice to the deep night, a hint of barely perceptible worry in his eyes: "Tell them... to be extremely careful."
Meanwhile, outside the Shuiyun Temple in the west of the city.
The Taoist temple wasn't particularly popular, and its location was somewhat secluded, making it an ideal place to hide. Zhan Zhao and Xuan Yuan Tianyi didn't rush in; instead, they chose to lie in wait in a dense bamboo grove outside the temple, patiently awaiting their opportunity.
The night breeze rustled softly through the bamboo grove. Moonlight, fragmented by the bamboo leaves, fell upon the two of them.
"Although the poison of the withered and flourishing grass is potent, it takes effect slowly, and its initial symptoms are similar to those of a cold or general weakness, making it extremely difficult to detect," Xuan Yuan Tianyi said in a low voice. Her understanding of these rare and poisonous herbs far surpassed that of ordinary people. "If one were to poison someone, it would require feeding them small amounts over a long period of time. The target... should be someone who is frequently exposed to the poison and who may already be somewhat weak."
Zhan Zhao's mind raced. There were quite a few people in the palace who met the criteria, but considering the motives of the descendants of Prince An for revenge, who would their target be? The Empress Dowager? The Empress? Or... His Majesty himself? Thinking of the latter, his heart tightened suddenly.
"We must find that Qingfeng Hermit as soon as possible and find out their plans." Zhan Zhao's eyes were sharp as a hawk's as he stared intently at the tightly closed back door of Shuiyun Temple.
About half an hour later, a furtive figure appeared on the path behind the temple. After looking around, the figure quickly knocked on the back door. The door creaked open a crack, and the person slipped inside.
“It’s not Qingfeng Jushi,” Zhan Zhao said in a low voice. He remembered the respectful attitude of the steward of Kucaotang towards the man in blue, but the newcomer’s behavior was sleazy and did not seem like that of a leader.
A moment later, a figure wearing a bamboo hat and a blue robe appeared quietly from another direction, walking steadily towards the back door. It was the same person they had seen at the withered grass hall!
"Make a move?" Zhan Zhao looked at Xuan Yuan Tianyi.
Xuanyuan Tian nodded.
Just as the man in blue raised his hand to knock on the door, Zhan Zhao moved like lightning, shooting out of the bamboo forest. His Juque sword was still sheathed, the scabbard whistling as it aimed straight for the man's vital point in the back! At the same time, a silver thread slid out from Xuan Yuantian's sleeve, silently wrapping around the man's feet!
The man in blue was clearly a master as well. Sensing the ominous wind behind him, he didn't turn around. Instead, he slid his body to the left in a strange way and struck Zhan Zhao's wrist with a backhand palm. The palm wind carried a chilling aura!
Zhan Zhao changed his move with lightning speed, parrying the opponent's palm with a swift stroke of his sword sheath. He felt a chill travel along the sheath, and his arm went slightly numb. "What a vicious palm strike!"
Xuan Yuan Tianyi's silver thread had already reached the opponent's feet. The man in green lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body rising up, attempting to use the momentum to climb the wall!
"Stay here!" How could Zhan Zhao let him escape? He instantly drew his sword, the Giant Sword, its light flashing like a bolt of lightning as it swept towards his opponent's lower body. At the same time, Xuan Yuantian flicked his wrist, and silver threads coiled upwards as if they were alive, blocking his retreat.
The man in blue was suspended in mid-air, with nowhere to grab his weight. Facing this pincer attack from above and below, he was about to be captured. Suddenly, he bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood mist. The blood mist ignited upon contact with the wind, turning into a ball of eerie green flame that rushed straight towards Zhan Zhao's face!
"Watch out for the poisonous fire!" Xuan Yuantian warned, as a jade talisman flew out from his sleeve and struck the ball of green fire. The jade talisman collided with the green fire, producing a soft "hiss" sound, and the green fire instantly extinguished, turning into a wisp of green smoke and dissipating.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, the man in green landed and, with a burst of speed, began to flee into the depths of the bamboo forest.
"Where do you think you're going!" Zhan Zhao wouldn't let him escape, using his lightness skill to give chase. Xuan Yuan Tianyi followed closely behind.
The three engaged in a thrilling chase through the bamboo forest. The man in green moved with unpredictable agility, seemingly intimately familiar with the terrain, deliberately choosing to traverse dense woods and complex paths. Zhan Zhao and Xuan Yuan Tianyi, relying on their superior martial arts skills, kept the chase relentlessly.
Just as he was about to catch up, the man in blue suddenly turned around and raised his hands, sending several cold stars, accompanied by a pungent, fishy smell, towards Zhan Zhao!
Poisoned hidden weapons!
Zhan Zhao wielded his giant sword, its light forming a barrier that deflected all the hidden weapons. But in that brief moment of delay, the man in green had already created distance again, rushing out of the bamboo forest and heading towards a river not far away.
"We can't let him go into the water!" Zhan Zhao thought anxiously, and increased his speed by another three points.
Just before the man in blue was about to leap into the river, a white figure appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path! Bai Yutang waved his folding fan, a mocking smile on his face: "This road is blocked. You'd better stay here!"
With his path blocked in front and pursuers behind, the man in blue was trapped in a desperate situation. A glint of ruthlessness and despair flashed in his eyes. He suddenly raised his hand, as if about to unleash some kind of evil magic.
Zhan Zhao and Xuan Yuan Tianyi had also arrived at this time, and the three of them surrounded him in a triangular formation.
"Qingfeng Jushi? Or should I call you Zhao Zongji?" Zhan Zhao pointed his sword at the other party and shouted coldly.
The man in blue trembled slightly, slowly raised his head, and his eyes under the bamboo hat were as sinister as a venomous snake. He laughed hoarsely, his voice like that of a night owl: "I didn't expect... that you could actually find this place... Zhan Zhao, you truly live up to your reputation."
He admitted it! He really is related to the descendants of Prince An!
"Your conspiracy has been exposed! Tell us who poisoned you and where the antidote is, and perhaps we can spare your life!" Zhan Zhao said sternly.
"A complete corpse?" Zhao Zongji sneered, his laughter filled with resentment and madness. "More than twenty years ago, did any of the more than one hundred people in my Prince An's mansion have a complete corpse? Zhao Zhen and his muddle-headed father, did they ever show even a shred of mercy!"
He abruptly ripped off his straw hat, revealing a pale and distorted middle-aged face, his eyes burning with the flames of hatred: "I've waited for over twenty years, endured for over twenty years! All for this day! Want the antidote? Dream on! I'll make your Zhao family's rule unstable, I'll make Zhao Zhen taste the bitterness of losing loved ones and being abandoned by everyone!"
Closest relatives? Zhan Zhao's heart skipped a beat! Their target wasn't Zhao Zhen, but... the Empress Dowager! Or the Empress! Or even... those young princes and princesses!
"You're asking for death!" Bai Yutang roared in anger, snapping his folding fan shut and pointing it straight at the other man's throat!
Zhao Zongji neither dodged nor avoided, but revealed a strange smile on his face. He suddenly tore open the front of his clothes, revealing a strange black talisman stuck to his chest, which was emitting an ominous light!
"Watch out! He's going to take us all down with him!" Xuan Yuan Tianyi's expression changed slightly, and he shouted urgently!
Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang retreated simultaneously!
However, the expected violent explosion did not occur. The black talisman flashed, and Zhao Zongji's body rapidly withered as if drained of blood, his skin turning ashen, and in the blink of an eye, he became a emaciated corpse, falling straight down, his face still frozen with that crazy and eerie smile.
A putrid, foul stench filled the air.
The three men stepped forward to examine the situation, all with grave expressions.
“It’s the ‘Heart-Eating Gu Talisman’ from the Southern Frontier.” Xuan Yuantian examined the mummified corpse and said in a deep voice, “He fed the Gu worm with his own blood and soul. When he was about to die, he activated it and could instantly devour the host’s life force, turning him into a highly poisonous corpse. He would rather die than be captured by us, and he didn’t want to leave any clues.”
"What ruthless methods!" Bai Yutang frowned and covered his nose.
Zhan Zhao squatted down and found that Zhao Zongji was tightly clutching a small whistle that looked like it was carved from human bone in his withered hand.
“This is…” Zhan Zhao carefully took out the bone whistle.
Xuanyuan Tianyi glanced at it, his expression growing even more grave: "Controlling Gu whistles. It seems they not only use poison, but are also skilled in Gu techniques. Things are more troublesome than we imagined."
The clues seem to have run dry again following Zhao Zongji's bizarre suicide. But what is certain is that a conspiracy targeting a certain "close relative" in the palace, combining a slow-acting poison with a strange Gu technique, has begun, and time is of the essence!
"We must return to the palace immediately!" Zhan Zhao stood up, his eyes filled with unwavering determination. Although he didn't know the specific target's identity, strengthening security and finding those who might have been poisoned as soon as possible were the top priorities.
He carefully put away the bone whistle and quickly left the riverbank with Xuan Yuan Tianyi and Bai Yutang.
It was already dawn when they returned to Kaifeng Prefecture. Zhan Zhao gave a detailed account of what had happened during the night, especially Zhao Zongji's dying words and the strange Heart-Eating Gu Talisman and Gu-Controlling Whistle.
Bao Zheng was terrified and immediately ordered: "Wang Chao and Ma Han! You two take men and completely seal off Shuiyun Temple and Kucao Hall. Bring all relevant personnel back for interrogation! Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, strengthen the security of the government office!"
"Guard Zhan, you will come with me to the palace immediately to meet the Emperor! This matter must be reported to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager at once!" Bao Zheng's expression was more serious than ever before.
The Imperial Palace, Cining Palace.
Emperor Zhao Zhen and the Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table. After listening to the reports from Bao Zheng and Zhan Zhao, the Empress Dowager's face paled slightly, and she twirled her prayer beads faster. Emperor Zhao Zhen, on the other hand, had a stern expression, his eyes flashing with cold light.
"The remnants of Prince An... how dare they be so rampant!" The Empress Dowager's voice trembled with lingering fear. "They even dared to set their sights on me... and the children in the palace!"
"Mother, there is no need to worry." Zhao Zhen grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, his tone steady and reassuring. "I have strengthened the palace guards and the inspection of food. Now that we know their methods, we will not let them succeed." He looked at Zhan Zhao. "Zhan Zhao, you have once again rendered a great service. If you had not discovered the withered grass in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"This is my duty," Zhan Zhao said, bowing.
"But Zhao Zongji is already dead, and the target and method of poisoning have not yet been determined..." Bao Zheng said with deep concern.
Xuanyuan Tianyi spoke at this moment, his voice cold and calm: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, may I take a pulse for the masters of the palace? Although the poison of the withered and flourishing grass is hidden, if we investigate carefully, we may be able to find some clues. As for the Gu technique... with this Gu-controlling whistle, we may be able to find a way to counter it."
Zhao Zhen looked at Xuan Yuan Tianyi, a hint of trust and gratitude flashing in his eyes: "Thank you for your trouble, Tianyi."
Over the next two days, Xuan Yuantian stayed in the palace, ostensibly to keep the palace company, but in reality to carefully examine the various masters, especially the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and several young princes and princesses. Meanwhile, Zhan Zhao, along with the Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial City Guard, devoted themselves to investigating other strongholds of the remnants of Prince An's faction, and attempted to find more clues from the sealed-off Kucaotang and Shuiyun Temple.
However, the perpetrators acted with extreme caution; aside from the lower-ranking members, the key figures seemed to have vanished without a trace. No direct evidence of the poisoning target was found at Kucaotang or Shuiyun Temple.
Just when everyone was at a loss, on the morning of the third day, an unexpected message came – Princess Fukang, who was only five years old, suddenly fell ill with vomiting and chills. Many imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital tried to treat her, but they were all helpless. Her symptoms were similar to those of a cold, but the medication was ineffective and her condition worsened rapidly!
Princess Fukang was Emperor Zhao Zhen's most beloved youngest daughter!
When the news reached Kaifeng Prefecture, Zhan Zhao's heart sank! Could it be that the remnants of Prince An's faction were targeting the young Princess Fukang with poison?!
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