Chapter 59
Only in the dead of night would she stop her work, walk to the window, and gaze toward the main courtyard. There, the lights were still ablaze, and people were bustling about, indicating that her master's illness was still a concern for the entire palace.
A hint of coldness would appear on her face, but she would soon return to calm.
"Master... aren't you anxious at all?" Finally one day, when Xiao Tao was delivering food, she mustered up the courage and whispered across the threshold, "Sister Caiwei... I heard that you were severely tortured in the woodshed and confessed everything... People outside say that the prince is going to... issue an order to sentence you to death." Her voice was filled with tears, and it was full of real sympathy and fear.
Song Qingyuan was watering an orchid and did not pause when he heard this.
After she finished pouring the water, she put down the ladle, turned around and looked at the shivering little maid outside the door, and suddenly smiled. The smile was actually somewhat warm under the cold moonlight.
"What's the point of being anxious? The chessboard is already set, and the pieces are in their places. If I lose my composure, won't that just play into my opponent's hands?"
She paused, then said, "Xiao Tao, are you afraid?"
Xiao Tao was stunned for a moment, nodded vigorously, then shook her head quickly, tears almost coming out.
"It's right to be afraid. Only by being afraid can you live longer." Song Qingyuan's voice was very soft, "Go tell the people outside that I miss the prince so much that I cry day and night and have fallen ill.
You only eat a mouthful or two of the food that's delivered to you every day, understand?"
Xiao Tao seemed to understand but she didn't dare to disobey her master, so she could only nod repeatedly.
From that day on, intermittent muffled cries began to be heard in Furong Garden, and the news that Song Qingyuan was "seriously ill" spread like wildfire. The food that was sent out was almost always brought back unopened.
Naturally, this news also reached Shen Yanzhi's ears.
He was in his study, listening to a report from his men. He frowned and said nothing. Cui Jingyue's life was saved, but the residual poison had not yet been cleared, and she remained unconscious.
After being tortured, Caiwei "confessed" everything, saying that she was dissatisfied with the princess's harsh treatment of Song Qingyuan, and seeing that her master was favored, she wanted to poison him to vent her anger. She bought the poison from an old eunuch who had left the palace.
The confession was flawless, and there was evidence from both witnesses and objects. Everyone thought the case was closed.
But in Shen Yanzhi's heart, the doubts grew deeper and deeper. It was too smooth, everything was too smooth. Caiwei looked loyal, but she was definitely not someone who had such scheming and courage.
More importantly, he could not forget the disappointed look in Song Qingyuan's eyes when he was taken away. That was not the look a murderer should have.
"Your Highness, Madam Wen is outside asking to see you. She said she has made some ginseng soup for you." The servant came in to report.
"Let her in." Shen Yanzhi leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyebrows.
Wen Yue walked in gracefully, holding a soup bowl, with just the right amount of worry and concern on her face.
"Your Highness, you haven't had a good rest in several days. This is the soup I personally cooked for you. Drink it while it's hot to replenish your body."
Shen Yanzhi looked at her. Wen Yue in front of him was beautiful, gentle, and considerate. She was the kind of woman that any man would like.
But for some reason, what came to his mind was the image of Song Qingyuan in Furong Garden, wearing a plain dress, concentrating on repairing ancient books.
"Song Qingyuan...how's it going?" he asked casually.
The smile on Wen Yue's face froze, and then he sighed, "I heard from the servants that he was very ill, crying all day long, and couldn't eat.
Alas, she is also a poor person. How could she have taken such a wrong step? In the final analysis, it is all my fault. If I hadn't been so talkative, perhaps..." As she spoke, her eyes turned red again.
"It's none of your business." Shen Yanzhi interrupted her, his tone lacking emotion, "You're doing this for the princess's own good. Go down first, leave the soup here, I'll drink it later."
Seeing his indifferent expression, Wen Yue didn't dare to stay any longer and had to bow and leave.
The moment she turned around, Shen Yanzhi's gaze sharpened. He picked up the soup bowl, but instead of drinking, he dipped a fingertip into the broth and sniffed it gently. A faint aroma, mixed with the rich aroma of the ginseng soup, made his pupils shrink slightly.
It was the scent of the Albizia Julibrissin flower. This spice has a calming effect, but when mixed with certain auxiliary ingredients in the "Qianji" (a Chinese medicine remedy), it can intensify the toxicity, making it more difficult to eliminate. On the day Cui Jingyue was poisoned, Wen Yue was scented with this Albizia Julibrissin.
This discovery was like a bolt of lightning, splitting through the thick fog.
Shen Yanzhi stood up suddenly and strode towards Furong Garden. He wanted to see with his own eyes what the woman who was said to be terminally ill and crying day and night was up to.
He did not go through the main door, but went around the back wall and climbed in quietly using his lightness skills.
The garden was silent, with only the rustling of the wind through the bamboo trees. He followed the light to the study window, quietly poked a hole in the paper, and peered inside.
Inside the room, Song Qingyuan didn't look sick at all. She was sitting upright under the lamp, with a chessboard in front of her.
Black and white pieces intertwined on the chessboard, a game that had just concluded. And she, holding black in one hand and white in the other, was playing against herself. Her face showed no traces of tears, no sign of illness, only the calm and focused concentration of someone masterminding a strategic plan.
She picked up a white piece that would decide the outcome of the game, and gently placed it on the Tianyuan position on the chessboard, instantly slaughtering a seemingly lively black dragon.
"Draining the firewood from under the cauldron, killing someone with a borrowed knife, and then using a self-torture tactic..." She whispered to herself, as if reviewing a game, or as if speaking to an invisible opponent. "You played well, but unfortunately, you were too hasty. You thought that trapping me in Hibiscus Garden would mean checkmate? You are wrong."
She raised her head, her gaze seemed to penetrate the wall, looking straight in the direction where Shen Yanzhi was hiding, with a cold smile on the corner of her mouth.
"You've already lost this game. Now, it's my turn to make a move."
Outside the window, Shen Yanzhi's heart was shaken. He looked at the woman in the room who was alone but seemed to be in charge of thousands of troops. An unprecedented shock and... excitement swept through his body.
He finally understood that he was not interrogating a prisoner, but observing a true chess player. He and the entire palace were merely pawns on her chessboard.
This woman wasn't waiting for rescue at all.
She was waiting for an opportunity to wipe out all the enemies in one fell swoop.
Outside the window, Shen Yanzhi's heart was shaken. He didn't alarm the people in the house, but quietly retreated into the night. It turned out that she was not a lamb to be slaughtered, but a hunter holding chess pieces.
His previous anger and house arrest had become part of her plan, and even a useful pawn.
For the first time, he felt that he wasn't a chess player, but rather a player in the game. An inexplicable chill mixed with a deeper interest rose, and he decided to wait and see how she would play her moves.
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