Gu Jiangli walked into the house.
Prince An had already copied a thick stack of scriptures. When he saw her come in, he simply nodded slightly as a greeting, and then lowered his head to continue copying the scriptures.
Gu Jiangli approached and stopped at the table, suddenly catching a faint fragrance.
She deliberately moved closer, trying to discern the flavor more clearly.
Prince An looked up, feigning surprise, "Why is Consort Yun standing so close?"
"It's nothing." Gu Jiangli sat up. "Prince An smells so good. What kind of bathing incense do you usually use?"
"Does it smell good?" Prince An put down his brush, folded the scriptures and placed them aside, and smiled. "I didn't smell anything. I suppose it's because the servants often burn incense in the room, so it's picked up the smell. What, is it because Consort Yun is pregnant and can't stand the smell?"
"No, I was just thinking about a long time ago, when one of my maids, Wanxin, hid needles in my dancing shoes in an attempt to disrupt His Majesty's birthday banquet in order to get ten taels of gold from a villain. Before she left me, she told me that the masked man who instructed her to do this had a smell that was very similar to the smell in the temple."
Gu Jiangli circled around Prince An, and the scent became even more pronounced. She continued, "In the past, I didn't pay much attention to this because scents are inherently difficult to describe. Even if you describe it clearly, it will feel different to different people."
"At that time, I didn't pay much attention to the words 'incense smell,' but later, this smell appeared around me again and again, making it hard to ignore."
Prince An raised an eyebrow at her, his face full of youthful cheerfulness and liveliness, completely unaffected by Gu Jiangli's words.
"Your Highness, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to understand what you're saying. What do those fragrances have to do with me?"
“I haven’t been able to find that masked man. Apart from this special fragrance, the maid couldn’t describe any other characteristics. Today, I smelled a scent on His Highness Prince An that was somewhat similar to what the maid described. I’m wondering if His Highness Prince An can provide any clues about this fragrance. Perhaps with His Highness Prince An’s help, I can find that masked man.”
Prince An said nonchalantly, "Consort Yun, I really can't help with this. I never concern myself with such trivial matters as incense; the servants handle it all. The incense of today may be different from the incense of tomorrow, so I'm sorry, I can't be of any help."
"It's alright, since His Highness Prince An doesn't know, let's just leave it at that."
"Your Highness Consort Yun is truly wise, having thought of searching for the villains in this direction. I believe Your Highness Consort Yun will soon achieve her goal."
"Thank you. I also hope that the murderer can be caught as soon as possible."
Prince An put away his writing implements, stood up, glanced at the sky outside, and said, "Alright, it's time for dinner. Consort Yun, come with me. Don't keep the Empress Dowager waiting."
As he walked to the door, Gu Jiangli, watching his calm back, suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, I have found the reason for His Majesty's madness. Would Your Highness like to hear it?"
Prince An indeed stopped in his tracks.
The cheerful look on his face was gone. When he turned his head, Gu Jiangli saw a slightly surprised face.
Prince An's expression was exactly what she wanted.
Gu Jiangli didn't pause for long before continuing:
"In Yunjiang, there is a herb called Biyue Vine. Once you come into contact with its sap, it can cause people to become confused and irritable. If you boil Biyue Vine into a soup and then soak your clothes in the soup, those clothes will definitely be contaminated with the poison of Biyue Vine. If someone wears clothes with Biyue Vine sap for a long time, they will definitely be controlled by irritable emotions."
Prince An looked as if he had just realized something. “Is that so? It seems that Father’s strange behavior over the years was indeed caused by a villain. Consort Yun is really amazing. She has only been in the palace for less than half a year, and she already knows the truth that has been unclear for so many years.”
He was lavish in his praise, and Gu Jiangli couldn't even detect a trace of insincerity in his expression.
Prince An then asked, "Consort Yun has discovered the method of poisoning, but has she found the person who poisoned her?"
Gu Jiangli lowered his eyes, not answering, but instead asking, "Your Highness, who do you think would do such a cruel thing to His Majesty?"
"Hmm... Father Emperor has always loved his people like his own children and cared for his court officials. There should be no one who has a grudge against him. However, according to Consort Yun, the poison was on the clothes. At least the people in the Imperial Wardrobe must be the problem."
"But the Imperial Wardrobe is just made up of servants; no one should have the guts to do that. So, there must be someone behind it. As for who it is, I... really can't guess."
He spoke flawlessly, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.
Anyone would think that Prince An was innocent.
However, since Prince An never referred to himself as "this king," his change in address indicates that he has lost his composure.
"I haven't figured out who the real culprit is yet, but it should be soon, since the Jade Moon Vine does have some flaws."
"Oh? What defect?"
"Oh, Your Highness Prince An is from Tianyuan Kingdom, so you may not be familiar with the plants of Yunjiang. Although the Azure Moon Vine can bewitch people's minds, its sap itself is extremely foul-smelling. If you want to use this to harm His Majesty, you must use other smells to cover it up."
"However, fragrance and stench are mutually exclusive, and it is difficult to completely cover up the stench with a wonderful fragrance. This person must have gone through many perfumery trials to find a fragrance that can both cover up the stench and retain the original fragrance."
"The fragrance must be very strong, so the person who was fumigating their clothes nearby would inevitably have been exposed to it. If we start with the fragrance, we should be able to find the poisoner soon."
"Why spices again?" Prince An chuckled softly, a chilling sound spreading through the room. "Consort Yun has been mentioning spices all day, as if she's implying something?"
"There's nothing we can do; it's really come down to spices after all. Could Your Highness, Prince An, possibly lend a hand?"
"If Consort Yun is so interested in the fragrance on me, I will have my servants come and explain to you another day what kind of fragrance I am wearing, is that alright?"
"Then I'll leave it to Your Highness, Prince An."
Prince An's face fell, and he turned around to walk out.
Gu Jiangli picked up a copy of the scriptures he was transcribing and said, "The Empress Dowager just said that after this scripture is finished being copied, Prince An can go back and doesn't need to stay at Wenhua Palace every day."
"Alright, thank you for conveying the message, Consort Yun."
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gu Jiangli and Prince An sat down to eat again, with the Empress Dowager also at the table.
The three of them remained silent and slowly finished their meal. Then, Prince An left, saying that he still had to copy scriptures.
That night, Prince An finished copying the scripture and finally left Wenhua Palace.
The Empress Dowager held Gu Jiangli's hand, her eyes filled with worry, "Consort Yun, will everything really be alright?"
"Yes." Gu Jiangli nodded emphatically. "Everything will be alright."
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