Chapter 262 Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
On New Year's Eve, snow fell in Beijing.
For two hundred years, the Great Wei Dynasty, in order to demonstrate the harmony between the ruler and his ministers, the stability of the world, to praise its achievements, and to pray for blessings in the coming year.
Every New Year's Eve, the emperor would invite officials from the court to bring their families to a palace banquet to celebrate the New Year.
Originally well-intentioned, the nature of the palace banquet has become somewhat ambiguous after two hundred years.
High-ranking officials in the court would often bring their sons and daughters of marriageable age to the palace banquet to arrange a marriage between people of equal social standing.
"It was supposed to be a palace banquet, but it was actually quite boring." Li Jin leaned against the door frame, holding a box in her hand, with her back to the door of Jin Shu's room.
Early in the morning, he put on his light gold casual clothes embroidered with gold thread, and ruthlessly dragged Jin Shu, who had only slept for less than two hours, out of bed in the side room.
Then, amidst the "fussing" of the maids, Jin Shu, who was used to going out without makeup and wearing a black robe, instantly became flawless, otherworldly, and truly deserving of the title of a stunning beauty.
Looking at the jeweled dress she was wearing, which was the same color and pattern as Li Jin's, she felt slightly uncomfortable.
Having grown accustomed to men's clothing, I now find women's clothing cumbersome, inconvenient, and quite burdensome.
"So many arrangements have been made today, meticulous and thorough, leaving no room for error." She lifted the hem of her dress and complained with dissatisfaction, "The prince has wrapped me up like this, if we run into an assassin, it will be difficult for me to escape."
Li Jin glanced at the swirling snowflakes in the courtyard and chuckled, "Shu'er has been by my side all day; she hasn't encountered many assassins."
Jin Shu chuckled dryly twice: "A few more? One would be enough to make me give up."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jin turned around and froze.
Accustomed to her dashing and capable demeanor, Li Jin was captivated by her radiant beauty—with her pearly white lips and flawless complexion, as stunning as a lotus blooming in the distance. Her captivating presence made it difficult for him to look away.
But Jin Shu was preoccupied with her complaints, tugging at her hem and swaying unsteadily, thus missing the gentle tenderness flowing in his eyes.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Jin Shu looked up and saw that he handed over the wooden box in his hand, raising an eyebrow and saying, "As an official of the fourth rank, one must wear six jewels."
Jin Shu was speechless.
This was probably the heaviest head she had ever felt in her twenty-two years.
Light snow fell intermittently.
The carriage did not take the Zhuquemen Street route, but instead made a small detour, preparing to enter the palace through the Anfumen Gate on the west side of the Imperial City.
Li Jin, with his black fan tucked behind his back, lifted the carriage curtain with his fingers and glanced at the street: "Take one of the hairpins off your head."
Jin Shu was taken aback, then reached out and took one.
That hairpin, gilded and inlaid with jade, was priceless and extremely heavy to hold.
Li Jin reached out and took it, held it in front of Jin Shu, and suddenly pulled it away.
The hairpin made a faint sound, like a miniature sword with a tiny blade hidden inside.
"They were specially made overnight." Li Jin closed the hairpin, leaned forward, knelt on one knee on the bench next to Jin Shu, and gently pushed the hairpin back to its original position. "All six are like this. Wear them carefully, just in case."
After saying that, he sat down next to Jin Shu, his face darkening: "Do you still remember what we're supposed to do today?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Shu sighed and clicked her tongue, saying, "The Prince and Young Master Song explained it to me for several hours last night, I remember that."
Last time, in front of the Six Doors, Lian Shui Fei Dao's assassination attempt failed, but Zhou Zheng and Shen Wen, who chased after him, did manage to injure his vital left arm.
However, he didn't fare well either. Zhou Zheng was stabbed in the shoulder and is currently lying in Physician Qiao's clinic, being cared for by Manager Xiao of Qulou who rushed over after hearing the news.
They seemed to have the upper hand, but were actually in a very passive position.
Although Zhou Zheng's strength is not as good as Li Jin's, he is still among the top five in Wei. Without him, if there is another assassination attempt, and someone dares to chase after him, they will easily fall into a situation where they are lured away from their own territory.
With the addition of the shadowy figure of Bai Yu, one of the hidden agents, who suddenly received urgent news from his home that he had already passed away several days ago, the chess pieces that Li Jin could use became extremely valuable.
For three consecutive days, Song Zhen and Li Jin remained secluded in the sect leader's courtyard until last night, when they finally settled on a relatively safe plan.
At this moment, Song Zhen, who remained in the main courtyard of the Six Doors, held a white chess piece between two fingers and said calmly, "If we want to use Su Wanying as a chess piece to force Li Jing to a dead end, the first step is to make Su Wanying a sacrifice in advance."
He raised his eyes, looked at the familiar face opposite him, the face of the Supreme Emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, and smiled slightly: "The method is very simple."
After saying that, he lightly pinched two fingers together and placed a piece down.
Inside the carriage, Li Jin took out a small bottle from his pocket and looked at Jin Shu beside him: "How long does it take for Gelsemium elegans poisoning to take effect?"
Jin Shu looked at the small porcelain bottle in his hand that said "Shengde Pharmacy" and said in a deep voice, "It varies from person to person. Some cases occur immediately, while others occur after half an hour."
"What are the characteristics?"
"Nausea and vomiting, burning throat, and difficulty swallowing. In more severe cases, dizziness, drooping eyelids, numbness in the limbs, and blurred vision may occur. Then, coma and convulsions may develop, and breathing and heartbeat may become problematic, initially rapid and then slow, until respiratory failure and death."
After saying that, she glanced at Li Jin's profile and said, "This poison is clearly aimed at the Prince and the Shadows."
Previously, Li Yi turned a blind eye to the Crown Prince because the Crown Prince was not skilled in martial arts, and even if he was desperate, he could not get past the few elite guards beside him.
Furthermore, Zhang Xin and Su Shangxuan, who usually keep a low profile and appear to be middle-aged men who are just there to freeload, but are actually top-notch experts of the Great Wei Dynasty, were also present at the palace banquet.
If the Crown Prince wants to cause trouble, he will not gain any advantage without making sufficient preparations.
And this Gelsemium elegans, which can cause numbness in the limbs and dizziness, solves this problem perfectly.
"Three catties. If that gets mixed into the ingredients, I'm afraid everyone at today's palace banquet will be seriously poisoned." Li Jin gently turned the porcelain bottle with his fingers, calculating how to win this first round.
"How confident is Your Highness?" After a long while, Jin Shu couldn't help but ask.
Li Jin, unusually, stopped smiling, remained silent for a moment, and shook his head: "The reason it's the safest option is because the others have an even lower chance of success."
This is no exaggeration; at the palace banquet, the Crown Prince's faction was no less numerous than Li Jin's. Xu Weiyou, Zhao Wencheng, and Lian Shui, lurking in the shadows, were all potential variables.
"Let's take it one step at a time." Li Jin gripped the porcelain bottle tightly, glanced back at Jin Shu, and after thinking for a long time, swallowed the words, "If anything unexpected happens, you escape first."
Anyway, she wouldn't listen to him, so he just needed to pave the way for her future, and someone else would take care of everything.
The carriage slowly entered Anfu Gate. Li Jin put the porcelain bottle back into his arms, lifted the curtain, and immediately saw the young general Xiao Chen standing beside the carriage with a cold and arrogant expression.
He paused for a moment: "Didn't you go back to Fengzhou?"
Xiao Chen, dressed in military uniform and holding a sword in one hand, glanced around to make sure everyone in his sights was one of his own before grinning and saying, "Oh dear, poor me, I've been demoted!" He shrugged. "But I'm back to lead the Imperial Guards again."
Li Jin frowned, and jumped lightly off the carriage in confusion: "How come I haven't received any information?"
But Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow, grinned, and lowered his voice, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "I'm afraid the rabbit will bite when cornered."
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