Chapter 04 The Fourth Kill

Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat.

The feeling that he had seen through my thoughts came over me again.

Xiaoyu looked at Zhou Xunran, there was even a hint of smile in his eyes, like a gorgeous flower blooming on an iceberg. No, that's right, it was like the obviously hypocritical yet well-intentioned smile that a devil would give before he went on a killing spree.

Xiaoyu pushed the soup over and said with a fake smile, "This is made by the chef specially for you, my Lord. How can I drink it?"

Zhou Xunran smiled with a fake smile, "Since the king has rewarded you, you can drink it."

The little fish grinned embarrassedly.

[I can't hide anymore, how about pretending to be soft and letting it all go? ]

"Be careful, don't spill it. There are good things in here." Zhou Xunran scooped a spoonful of egg custard, put it in his mouth, and looked at her with relish.

The little fish gritted its teeth secretly.

What to do, what to do, that pack of Hedinghong was prepared by her personally, it was three times more poisonous than the usual ones. If she drank it, she would really die.

Looking at Zhou Xunran eating the egg custard she made with his head down, Xiaoyu felt annoyed.

[I should have put poison in the egg custard earlier, instead of trying to kill someone with a borrowed knife. The Thirty-Six Strategies for Killing People given by my master are not accurate at all! ]

Zhou Xunran looked at her, a mischievous smile flashed across his eyes, and he did not forget to urge her: "Drink quickly."

Xiaoyu stood up holding the bowl of soup and said, "I'll take this delicious food home and savor it slowly. If I just gulp it down, I'll be wasting the chef's kindness."

She walked out timidly, trying hard to ignore the inquiring gaze behind her.

Fortunately, Zhou Xunran didn't say anything else and she didn't stop.

When she was about to leave, she heard a faint laugh coming from inside the house. Xiaoyu looked at Zhou Yi, the guard at the door, and Xiaoyu held up the bowl to show off: "The prince likes the egg custard I made very much. Look, he even gave me a bowl of soup as a reward."

Zhou Yi also smiled and said, "Congratulations, young lady."

Xiaoyu pretended to be happy and wanted to leave, but suddenly there was a sound of a porcelain bowl falling to the ground in the room.

Zhou Yi's smile suddenly changed, and his body rushed into the house like an arrow shot from a bow.

"Ouch~~" Xiaoyu loosened her grip and the bowl she was holding fell to the ground and broke into pieces. She was a little curious, so she followed him back into the house after dropping the bowl.

Zhou Xunran was trembling in front of him, leaning weakly on Zhou Yi, his lips slightly parted, and he spat out two large mouthfuls of blood.

Zhou Yi reached out to wipe the blood off his chin, but just as he wiped it clean, he spat it out again.

Red blood kept flowing out of Zhou Xunran's mouth, and there were even red blood bubbles in the middle. Xiaoyu secretly grinned and retreated to the corner in disgust.

Looking at his condition, it was estimated that he was poisoned. But the appearance of a person who was poisoned was definitely not the Crane Dinghong that she deserved.

Besides, she didn't get into the food he ate.

Maybe there are other killers hiding in this palace?

As soon as this thought came to her mind, Xiaoyu immediately realized that she was being used as a pawn! After all, Zhou Xunran was poisoned because he ate something she sent him! If the people in the palace investigated, she would definitely be the first person to suspect!

Or should he run away now? Anyway, judging by the amount of blood he was vomiting, it was estimated that he had little hope of survival. No matter who killed him, he was dead after all, and she could report back to her superiors.

The little fish just took a step and then stopped.

Zhou Xunran finally stopped vomiting blood. Zhou Yi skillfully put him on the bed, took out a green porcelain bottle from his body, poured out a black pill, and stuffed it into Zhou Xunran's mouth: "Prince, take the medicine."

Zhou Xunran closed his eyes, but was still conscious. After hearing Zhou Yi's words, he opened his mouth and swallowed the pill.

Xiaoyu felt something was wrong. Looking at Zhou Yi's expression, it seemed as if he was prepared for it.

In other words, Zhou Xunran vomited blood more than once.

Xiaoyu was a little disappointed. He thought maybe it wasn't poisoning but a relapse of an old illness.

Can't leave anymore.

After waiting for two or three breaths, Zhou Xunran's condition had stabilized. Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief and then he remembered that there was someone like her in the room.

"Little fish girl."

Xiaoyu pretended to have just come to his senses and asked stutteringly: "My Lord, what's going on?"

Zhou Yi suppressed the coldness on his face and returned to a gentle look: "I was poisoned a few years ago, and the residual poison has not yet been cleared."

"Oh, then what do you need me to do?" Xiaoyu asked stupidly.

Zhou Yi shook his head: "This is the old problem of the prince. The doctor said that he needs to rest well. Unfortunately, the prince can't let go of the emperor and the government. He was worried and didn't sleep all night yesterday. This is why the disease relapsed. It's getting late. Miss Xiaoyu, go back and rest first. I will invite you to come when the prince wakes up."

Through his figure, Xiaoyu saw Zhou Xunran facing her, with a layer of wet blood on the corners of his mouth and chin, and even blood on his neck. If you don't look carefully, you can't even see his chest rising and falling slightly.

Zhou Xunran was so weak at this time.

It would be great if Zhou Yi wasn’t here.

Xiaoyu thought it was a pity, "Okay, then you take good care of the prince, and call me anytime if you need anything."

She left the room, looking back every few steps, and returned to Fengheyuan where she lived.

Someone was waiting for her in the yard.

"Xiao Yu'er! It's really you! I thought I would never see you again in this life." Manager Zhu walked towards her excitedly.

Xiaoyu walked back sadly, "I've been back for a day, and you're just coming to see me now. That's really insincere."

Chief Steward Zhu followed her into the room and explained, "After all, I am the chief steward of the West Courtyard. There are three unfavored ladies in the courtyard, so I must be busy with things big and small. So I came to see you as soon as I had time."

Speaking of the three wives bestowed by His Majesty, Xiaoyu became interested: "I heard that our prince has never been to the West Courtyard once. Is it because those three wives are so plain-looking that they cannot attract his interest?"

Although she cooked for them for seven days, she never saw the three ladies once.

Manager Zhu had seen them before, "How could that be possible? They are all so pretty, even more delicate than flower buds."

"Then why doesn't the prince go to the backyard? Is it because he is not capable?"

This is understandable. Looking at his pale face and his body swaying when he walks, it might be that he really can't do it.

Manager Zhu crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and thought: "It's hard to say. Xiaoyu'er, you don't know that the prince used to be in good health. He was a famous nobleman in our capital, with great talent in both literature and martial arts, and he was elegant and tactful. I don't know how many young ladies he charmed."

Xiaoyu really didn't know about this, "Then why did he become so sick?"

Zhu Zongguan sighed, "When the late emperor was dying, the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince were fighting fiercely. The whole court was terrified and everyone was in danger. You might see a certain general in the morning, but in the evening he would be beheaded and his property confiscated. Guess what happened later?"

Xiaoyu was fascinated by what he heard: "Hurry up and tell me. If you keep me in suspense, I won't cook for you."

"Stop it, let me tell you." Zhu Zongguan said anxiously, "This is just gossip, it's not true. Later, when the late emperor was dying, he actually left a will to pass the throne to the fifth prince. Do you think the prince would be willing to do this?"

"Absolutely not." The crown prince has been appointed, but at the end of his life, the throne is passed to someone else. Isn't this just playing tricks on people?

"Yes, after the late emperor was buried, the crown prince led his men into the palace and killed the fifth prince before the throne was even warmed up. Later, the crown prince succeeded to the throne, but he died of illness within a few days, leaving behind the current emperor who was only eight years old."

Xiaoyu knew what happened next. Zhou Xunran was ordered to assist the emperor in managing state affairs, and he managed the government for eight years. This year, the emperor turned sixteen and began to manage state affairs.

Zhu said: "Although the fifth prince is dead, his subordinates are not all dead. They have been saying that the crown prince's succession is not legitimate and they have been finding faults in various ways. The prince has to deal with so many people alone, and his health has been damaged over the years."

Xiaoyu didn't know the truth and couldn't comment on it. But she extracted a key point from what Zhu said: Zhou Xunran was in poor health.

This should be true. Judging from the way Zhou Xunran just vomited blood, he probably won't be able to hold on for much longer.

Xiaoyu's face turned pale, and she covered her chest with her hands: "No wonder, Manager Zhu, you don't know, I was really scared to death just now."

"What?"

Xiaoyu said, "I went to bring food to the prince, and saw that his old illness had relapsed. He vomited a lot of blood, and his face, neck, and collar were all stained red."

Manager Zhu gritted his teeth in pain: "It's recurring again? Oh, I don't know when it can be cured."

Xiaoyu followed his words and asked, "Why did the prince get poisoned?"

Manager Zhu looked up at the sky and said, "It's a long story."

"Let's make it short." Xiaoyu said decisively.

The sad atmosphere was interrupted by Xiaoyu's six words. Zhu Zongguan said, "It should be last year. The emperor wanted to go out hunting, and the prince accompanied him. It seems that in the hunting ground, the prince was bitten by a snake in order to save the emperor, and left this poison. I don't know whether it is true or not, but I did find many doctors at that time, but no one could cure it."

"So we can only wait to die?"

Prime Minister Zhu said: "Although I am reluctant to admit it, this is the fact. No one knows how long the prince will live."

In other words, as long as Zhou Xunran continues to endure this, he will die sooner or later.

Xiaoyu recalled the book she had read, "The Third Strategies of the Thirty-Six Strategies of Killing: The Process Doesn't Matter, the Result Is What Matters", which means that no matter whether Zhou Xunran was killed by her or not, the final result was that he was dead.

The most important thing right now is that she only has two months left. It shouldn't be difficult to survive Zhou Xunran during this period, considering his physical condition...

Chief Steward Zhu suppressed his sadness and said, "You are good at medicinal food, see if you can let the prince eat more rice. Those people in the kitchen are a bunch of useless guys, and the prince doesn't like the food they make."

Xiaoyu nodded: "I'll try my best."

Chief Steward Zhu was still a little worried: "It seems that you will have to live in the East Courtyard for the rest of your life. Let me tell you, besides the two personal guards of the prince, there are also several most untouchable people here, so you better be careful."

Seeing him facing a powerful enemy, Xiaoyu became curious: "Who is it?"

"The one you should never mess with is an old woman in her fifties. She is the prince's wet nurse, Madam Zhao. Back then, the prince's family was implicated by the late crown prince, and the whole family was either beheaded or exiled. Now only this wet nurse is left. She is usually in charge of the prince's personal affairs, and the prince trusts and respects her very much."

Xiaoyu asked, "I've been here for a whole day, but I haven't seen her?"

"She was ill a few days ago and is currently recuperating at home. However, the prince's old illness has relapsed, and I think she will be back in less than half an hour. In addition to her, there is also Minglu, the head maid in the prince's room. She is the daughter of Nanny Zhao, and she has a close relationship with the prince since childhood."

"Is there a maidservant with the prince?" On the day she came to the East Courtyard, she didn't see any maidservants or even a woman.

Manager Zhu said seriously, "They are in the inner courtyard and are not allowed to go out unless necessary. Look, there is only one east courtyard, but there are so many rules and regulations. Xiaoyu, you must be more careful in the future and don't make any mistakes."

The two had known each other for many days, and Xiaoyu had rarely seen Manager Zhu speak so seriously. She nodded solemnly: "I'll remember that, Manager Zhu, thank you very much."

Manager Zhu chuckled and changed the subject: "Xiao Yu'er, if you really want to thank me, just make me the duck with soy sauce that you had yesterday. You know, my wife got pregnant recently. She ate the duck with soy sauce yesterday and kept talking about wanting to try it again."

Xiaoyu was just thinking about going to check on Zhou Xunran and bring him some food. Hearing this, he said, "Okay, there's no time to lose. Let's go. I'll go make it for your wife right away."

"Oh, thank you so much, Xiaoyuer. You are just like the prince. You are my blessing!" Manager Zhu stood up, rubbed his hands, and followed Xiaoyu out.

Xiaoyu said, "Why are you being so polite to me? Your wife is my sister-in-law. If she wants to eat something, it's okay for me, her younger sister, to help her. You can come over anytime in the future, but don't be afraid of bothering me."

Seeing her so straightforward, Manager Zhu waved his hand and said, "Okay! Xiao Yu'er, I accept you as my sister!"

The two of them sang in unison and were almost walking out arm in arm.

The cheerful laughter stopped abruptly when they saw someone standing outside the door.

Chief Steward Zhu said with a smile, "Madam Zhao? You're back so soon."