Chapter 105
The night was as dark as ink, splattering the horns of the eaves into thick shadow. The sudden knock on the door was like a stone breaking still water, echoing through the deadly alley and startling the leaves of the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard.
Mr. Chashan, wearing a half-worn blue satin jacket, hurriedly opened the door. In the dim light of the lantern, he saw a palace maid outside. She was wearing a dark-patterned black robe, and her jade belt was so loose that it was about to fall off. She had obviously come running all the way. "What happened?" He unconsciously tightened his grip on the door frame, his knuckles turning white.
The palace servant glanced at the alley entrance, her lips almost touching his ear, her breath filled with lingering panic: "Sir, you must enter the palace immediately. Someone has poisoned His Highness, and his life is in danger." The last few words were spoken in a very low voice, but they were like an ice cone piercing Mr. Chashan's heart.
The glass lamps in Changle Palace were lit steadily, and the lamp oil was burning with a faint sizzling sound.
Zhang Neiguan stood hunched before the rosewood desk, the night dew still stained the corners of his robe. His Adam's apple rolled as he whispered, "Your Highness, His Highness has fainted from the poison after drinking the medicine."
Ji Zelan's fingers tightened around the white porcelain teacup, leaving several finger marks on the glazed, white wall. The joy in her eyes overflowed like spring water, and even her voice trembled slightly. "Really?" Seeing Eunuch Zhang nod, she took a sip of the teacup, hiding the smile on her lips.
"Find out who's on duty?" Her fingertips stroked the lotus pattern engraved on the rim of the cup, and her tone suddenly became gloomy.
"It's Madam Han from the East Palace who is serving you. She's still standing by your Highness's bed." Eunuch Zhang's forehead almost touched the cold gold brick floor.
Ji Zelan put down the teacup with a thud, and a few drops of tea splashed onto the gilded tray: "Bring her to see me immediately." Just as Zhang Neiguan turned to leave, she suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze as cold as the bronze crane in the corner of the palace: "If you procrastinate like last time, you don't have to come to see me alive." As the last word fell, the smoke of the agarwood in the incense burner on the table suddenly stopped.
Mr. Chashan had already changed into dark blue casual clothes with dark patterns, and the copper lock on the medicine box was polished to a shine, but he suddenly stopped in front of the palace gate.
The spear blades of the palace gate guards were reflected in the lantern light, and the cold air was pressing against his face. He caught a glimpse of the "female doctor" behind him from the corner of his eye. Luo Sanrong was wearing a moon-white skirt, and sweat was oozing from the tip of her nose under her veil. Her hands were tightly grasping the straps of the medicine box.
"Who is this?" The guard's hand was on the hilt of his knife, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
At the critical moment, Ma Neiguan came running in his black boots, and the hem of his crimson robe swept across the moss on the stone steps.
He grabbed Mr. Chashan's wrist, the calluses on his fingertips rubbing painfully, and his voice was filled with anxiety: "Sir, why are you still lingering here? His Highness is almost weak!"
He was the Crown Prince's most trusted eunuch. Seeing this, the guards had no choice but to put down their spears and watch the three men hurried into the palace. As Luo Sanrong followed them through the vermilion palace gate, his back was soaked with cold sweat, and even his footsteps were lighter.
The heating in the East Palace's bedroom was burning fiercely, but the air was filled with a strange smell that was a mixture of bitter and fishy.
Mr. Chashan rushed to the bed in two steps and saw that Li Yin's face was as pale as dead jade, with dark red bloodstains at the corners of his lips.
He placed his fingertips on the other person's wrist pulse, and his brows suddenly frowned, as if he had been pricked by a needle, and then slowly relaxed. He repeated this three times, and Ma Neiguan's heart was beating fast.
"Sir, His Highness..." There was a tearful tone in Ma Neiguan's voice, and the sleeves of his robe were wrinkled.
Mr. Chashan finally withdrew his hand, slowly stroking his goatee, his eyes sweeping over the plain gauze curtain hanging above the bed: "It's okay, there's still hope."
Ma Neiguan practically fell to his knees with a thud, clutching the prescription written by Mr. Chashan and rushing to the Imperial Hospital. The old doctor glanced at the "female doctor" standing in the shadows, shook his head helplessly, and followed her out, medicine box in hand. The palace door slowly closed behind him, leaving the room in silence.
Luo Sanrong walked quickly to the bedside, her veil trembling as she leaned over. She reached out her hand, her fingertips just touching Li Yin's cool cheek before withdrawing as if burned. She whispered, "Your Highness, it's me, Luo Rong. Can you hear me?"
Li Yin's eyelashes trembled imperceptibly, and a glimmer of light seemed to appear in his hazy consciousness. He tried his best to open his eyelids, but the darkness before him was still thick and impenetrable.
Suddenly, there was the sound of jingling of jewelry outside the hall, accompanied by the respectful announcement of Eunuch Zhang. Luo Sanrong's heart tightened and she quickly retreated behind the screen. Her face under the veil became paler.
Another female voice came from the blur, with an anxious crying tone: "How is Your Highness? I am Zhao Yan, can you see me clearly?" This call was like a feather brushing against the tip of his heart. Just as he was about to respond, he fell into a deeper coma, and even his breathing became a little weaker.
——
The sunlight from outside the window lattice slanted into the bedroom, giving the rosewood bed frame a warm golden hue, but it could not dispel the paleness of the person on the couch.
Li Yin leaned against the folded cloud-patterned quilt, his knuckles turning pale from the effort he put on the edge of the bed. A dry question rolled through his throat, "How was the poison administered?"
The gilded Boshan stove was burning with calming agarwood incense, and the smoke curled around the glass lamp hanging under the beam.
Mr. Chashan stood beside, holding a white jade medicine bowl. He gently stirred it with a silver spoon, his fingertips twisting it. The crisp sound of the porcelain bowls hitting each other was particularly clear in the hall. "The medicine has been tested three times. The silver needle found no black marks on the bottom. The soup spoon is also an ordinary silver item."
"What's going on?" Li Yin's voice was as cold as the ice patterns on the corner of the palace, and his eyes swept over the scattered medicine residue on the table.
Mr. Chashan folded up the prescription he had just written and handed it to the waiting eunuch Ma. "Apply the poison to the inside of the bowl," he said, his voice low. "The day before yesterday, when the Crown Princess came to visit, her silver jeweled ring accidentally brushed against the edge of the bowl, instantly staining half of it black. Thankfully, Your Highness was only slightly stained, and after three days of coma, she's fine."
Li Yin's eyes suddenly darkened. He raised a hand to hold his chest, his lips curling into a cold smile. "Keep the news secret. Don't let anyone know I'm awake." He glanced at the shadowy figures in the hallway outside. "I want to see what those people will look like when they realize their plan has failed."
Mr. Chashan bowed and retreated to the door. When he looked up, he saw Li Yin's eyes fixed on the "female doctor" in the corner. The woman was wearing a white skirt and a veil covering most of her face, revealing only her almond-shaped eyes with trembling eyelashes.
Mr. Chashan paused, closed the door quietly, and left the two of them in silence.
"It turns out I wasn't seeing things." Li Yin's voice softened instantly, with a hoarseness that came from surviving a disaster.
Luo Sanrong raised her hand to remove her veil, revealing her beautiful features. Her fingertips were still stained with the medicine juice that had not been wiped off. "I heard that His Highness was in trouble, so I sneaked in under the guise of Grandpa's apprentice."
Li Yin suddenly grabbed her hand, and the temperature of his palm was so hot that it made her tremble.
Luo Sanrong sat down on the edge of the bed, her brocade skirt brushing against the lotus embroidered on the bed curtains, startling two jade-colored butterflies perched on the hooks. "When I opened my eyes, I saw you waiting beside me," he leaned his head gently on her shoulder, his breath caressing her ear. "But I was afraid it was just an illusion, so I didn't dare recognize you for a long time."
"Your Highness, you must not reveal the truth." Luo Sanrong hurriedly pushed him away, the silver hairpin in her hair jingling against the bedpost. "I promised Grandpa that I would only stay for three days and rest and recuperate."
"Then you have to stay with me all the time." Li Yin tightened his fingers like a spoiled child, the faint herbal scent from her hair lingering around his nose.
Before he finished speaking, a sharp voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "Empress Shufei and Princess Yongning have arrived——"
Luo Sanying jumped up like a frightened deer, her skirt sweeping across the medicine bowl on the table. The crisp sound of the celadon hitting the ground startled Li Yin and made him laugh out loud.
He watched her hurriedly hide behind a screen painted with mountains and rivers, with even her veil hanging half-tilted. He quickly suppressed his smile and raised his hand to straighten his clothes.
The pearl curtain rustled, and Concubine Shu walked in holding the hand of a palace maid. Her pomegranate-red palace dress made her face look radiant, and the red gold and ruby-studded hairpins on her temples swayed slightly with her steps.
"The palace is under tight security," she said apologetically, sitting down on the rose chair beside the couch. "It wasn't until this morning that I received confirmation that I could come visit His Highness."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Li Yin bowed slightly and his eyes swept over the girl following behind Concubine Shu.
The incense gradually grew stronger, blurring their expressions. Li Yin suddenly spoke, his voice so soft as if he were reminiscing about an old dream: "Your Highness, do you still remember the day when our mother passed away?"
Concubine Shu paused, her hand on the teacup clacking against the edge. "Of course I remember. That day, the peonies in Ningfang Palace were in full bloom. The Empress drank a sip of medicine, and just as she set down the bowl, she vomited blood." Her voice trailed off. "Later, we searched the palace and even had three of the serving palace maids executed with sticks, but we still couldn't find any clues."
"The tactics used this time are exactly the same as before." Li Yin's eyes suddenly sharpened. "This is the best opportunity to find out the truth."
Concubine Shu leaned forward, the tassels of her golden hairpin sweeping across the tabletop. "What does Your Highness intend to do?"
"Find the physical evidence from that year." Li Yin said word by word.
Luo Sanrong held his breath behind the screen, scratching the wood grain on the screen with his fingertips.
She saw Princess Yongning's handkerchief fall to the ground. As the girl bent down to pick it up, her body trembled unconsciously. The two people in front of the couch were only busy discussing in low voices, completely unaware of the fear in the girl's eyes, which was as thick as indissoluble ink.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
