The “big thing” that Ah Fu mentioned could be big or small. But at this moment his face was full of fear, and Wen Chan couldn’t help but get nervous.
“Let’s go in first before talking.” He said.
The two passed through the palace courtyard and entered the main hall. After Ah Fu closed the door, he said, panicked, “Your Highness, Today, as you were not here, I delayed having my lunch. But in the end, three people from our palace passed after eating the food……”
There was a little gloominess between Wen Chen’s eyebrows as he said, “Someone poisoned the meal?”
Ah Fu nodded, his voice trembling as he said, “If this slave hadn’t delayed it for a while, this slave might have followed them by now……”
To put it another way, if Liang Yanbei had not invited him to eat at He Yue House after the sacrifice, then Wen Chan would have eaten that lunch first after returning. However, every dish was strictly inspected, and it was impossible not to find out that it was poisonous.
If the person who poisoned it wanted the poison to kill him, then they must ensure that the poison in the food would not be detected. This was a piece of common knowledge in the palace. It was impossible for the person who tried to poison him to not think of this. But the person still did it. Which meant that they were confident that the poison would not be detected.
Wen Chan thought about it carefully and really couldn’t think of anyone else who could harm him.
The Zhong family outside the palace, or Concubine Mei inside the palace.
But the assassination they arranged a few days ago was a failure, so would they really be stupid enough to beat the grass to scare the snake1fig. to inadvertently alert an enemy now?
It was hard to say. What if they were really that stupid?
Wen Chan pondered for a long time and said to Ah Fu, “You secretly handle the people who were poisoned and publicise this matter as usual. The bigger, the better.”
Ah Fu nodded and replied, “Your Highness, there is always someone who is trying to harm you. What should we do?”
“Don’t panic. I’m the light, while the enemy is the dark. Let’s keep our footing first and then talk about other things later.”
Ah Fu didn’t really understand it. “Your Highness has a point.”
As soon as the storm due to the assassination had calmed down, the rumours of poisoning rose again. The ninth prince was repeatedly harmed, which became a hot topic among the people in the capital.
Some people said that the ninth prince was used to being negligent usually, and this was what would happen when you offended someone.
Some people say that the ninth prince was too useless and did not even have the ability to protect himself in the deep interior of the palace2The inaccessible part of the palace, where the emperor lives.
Some people speculated that this was because the emperor wanted to abandon him when he saw that the ninth prince was neither good at literature nor martial arts.
But anyone who was older knew that when the Ninth Royal Highness was first born more than ten years ago, Xi Liang suffered a natural disaster like the “drought in the east and flood in the south”. His Ninth Royal Highness’s life was tied to Xi Liang. If he is killed, Xi Liang may suffer some kind of divine punishment.
Therefore, everyone felt that the last guess was not true.
The two consecutive hidden hands3(fig.) malign agent who manipulates from behind the scenes scared His Ninth Royal Highness badly, and after the emperor finished the sacrifice, he ran to complain to him tearfully. It was said that he cried so hard that his liver and guts were cut to pieces4fig. grief-stricken and he begged the emperor to save his life.
Even though the emperor usually didn’t love him dearly, in the end, he was still his own son and also had a special status. He immediately ordered a thorough investigation. And at the same time, a large number of guards were dispatched, and all aspects of food, drink, and clothing were strictly inspected.
The common people of the capital were all laughing at him. A prince who was almost twenty years old was scared to death just because of these trivial things. His life was considered over.
Ah Fu heard some rumours and returned to the palace hall panting with rage, “Your Highness, those unruly people are too hateful. We should send people to give each of them dozens of beatings with a plank.”
Wen Chan was teasing the bird leisurely and asked in a casual tone, “Isn’t that good? The more they say, the better it will be for me.”
He has been withdrawn in the palace these days, playing the role of the ninth prince who had been frightened out of his guts, not leaving the house, and being timid in everything he did.
“This slave is dull, and I really don’t understand what Your Highness means.”
“Do you know when the counterattack is the easiest to succeed and the most enjoyable?” Wen Chan asked rhetorically.
“When you try to kill them while taking advantage of them being at their weakest?” Ah Fu tried to answer.
“No.” Wen Chan shook his head, “It’s when the opponent thinks you have no ability to fight back at all. The opponent’s carelessness and surprise can be fatal.”
“What Your Highness means is to make the other party feel that you can’t do anything except be afraid and seek the protection of the emperor?”
“The more I act scared, the more they think I’m easy to bully. These illusions can blind them and become the key to defeating them.”
Wen Chan knew that in this game, he was already in the upper hand, even though he was attacked twice.
Earlier in Wuyue Island, when Wen Chan learnt that Zhong Guoyi and Zhong Wenting were also reborn, he had already taken the lead. He was hiding in the dark, while the Zhong family was an easy target out there.
Then, with the destruction of the Shengui Clan, the Zhong family was equivalent to losing their weapons. Now they were with not an inch of steel5unarmed and defenseless. They could only either look for a sword again or go empty-handed and empty-fisted 6having nothing to rely on / unarmed and defenseless.
But Wen Chan didn’t want to give them this opportunity.
“When does Your Highness want to fight back?” Ah Fu asked in a low voice.
Wen Chan thought for a while, then smiled, “I remember that my Emperor Father’s birthday is in a few days?”
Ah Fu said, “There are still four days left.”
There was a slight glint in Wen Chan’s eyes, “Then wait for the show.”
A lot of guards and secret guards were added to the surroundings of Xiyang Palace. Although Wen Chan’s environment became absolutely safe, Liang Yanbei was also blocked out, and Wen Chan couldn’t come out. So he couldn’t contact people.
So the smart Liang Yanbei tried to quietly fly a kite around the Xiyang Palace, with two large characters written on the kite — — Bei, Bei.
This was so obvious. Wen Chan must be able to understand it at a glance.
But it backfired. Liang Yanbei was prepared for everything, but he was short of the spring breeze. He waited for a long time and waited till the wind brought the kite up.
By the time he persevered unremittingly for three consecutive days, the wind came at last. He finally let go of the kite carrying his hope, and he waited expectantly for the response from the person in Xiyang Palace.
On this day when the wind was clear and the sun was beautiful, Wen Chan sat idly in the courtyard and saw a kite floating slowly in the sky, slanting into the sky and flying extremely high.
Wen Chan narrowed his eyes and called Ah Fu, “Some fearless person dared to fly a kite around the Xiyang Palace. Go and shoot it down.”
Ah Fu took the order, found Qin Qi, and shot down the kite.
After being hit by one arrow, the kite could no longer maintain its balance and fell to the ground crookedly.
Liang Yanbei helplessly watched his hope being dropped down mercilessly, was stunned for a while, and then jumped off the roof to pick it up.
With this arrow, not only did Wen Chan not see the words on the kite, but Liang Yanbei also could not find the remains of the kite, and he returned empty-handed.
Liang Yanbei always believed that Wen Chan was very acute in hearing and seeing; it’s just that he couldn’t bring up his point.
But it didn’t matter. The emperor’s birthday was just one day away, and the emperor would hold a banquet in the palace. Liang Yanbei would naturally attend it. On that day, he should be able to see the Ninth Royal Highness he had been constantly thinking about.
Xie Mansion.
Zhong Wenjin was in a good mood and hummed a little tune in the garden of the Xie Mansion, stopping occasionally to smell the flowers on the side of the path.
When he walked to the centre, he found a girl hidden behind the flowering shrub in front of him.
The girl was wearing the clothes of the servants of the Xie Mansion, with a simple hairpin, and looked sneaky.
Zhong Wenjin slowed down, walked over quietly, suddenly put a palm on the girl’s shoulder, and deliberately asked in a deep voice, “What are you peeking at?”
The girl trembled with fear and looked back in horror. When their eyes met, they both took a step back at the same time.
Zhong Wenjin was as shocked as the person in front of him. He pointed at the person and looked up and down three times, “You…… You……”
This girl was not anyone else but Ding Ziyun, who he had only seen a few days ago. After not seeing her for half a month, she actually ran to the Xie house to be a servant!
However, Ding Ziyun didn’t know that the person in front of her was Zhong Wenjin. She only recognised him as the young master who had previously come with Xie Zhaoxue to handle the case. And she hurriedly bowed her head and saluted.
Zhong Wenjin knew what Ding Ziyun was thinking. He frowned and said fiercely, “You are a nice girl; why did you run here to be a servant?!”
Ding Ziyun was frightened by his behaviour and said in a low voice, “My lord, this slave’s family suffered an unexpected mishap a few days ago. So I have no choice but to do this to make a living.”
“You are lying.” Zhong Wenjin sneered. He knew that Ding Ziyun’s embroidery workmanship was superb. Even if she couldn’t find a job as an embroidery girl, she could embroider something casually at home and sell it, which would make more money than being a servant.
“Are you thinking about climbing onto Xie Zhaoxue’s bed?” Zhong Wenjin’s voice was cold and hard, and Ding Ziyun’s body trembled.
This sentence seemed to poke her heart straight. She looked at Zhong Wenjin in disbelief, her face pale, and she said, “I, I…… This slave doesn’t dare.”
“You don’t dare?” Zhong Wenjin took a step forward and oppressed her with his height, “You don’t dare, and you still squeezed into the Xie Mansion?”
“What is Xie Zhaoxue’s status, and what is your status? He is engaged to the daughter of the Qiao family. If you insist on doing this, you can only be a maid that comes with the dowry. If you are strong enough, you can be a concubine at most. Qiao Yanci is not someone who can be easily pushed around. If you fall into her hands, you may not even have a complete body.”
The more Zhong Wenjin said, the uglier Ding Ziyun’s face became. It was unknown if she was frightened or humiliated by Zhong Wenjin’s words. Her legs shook so much that he could hardly stand.
“I never wanted to be Lord Xie’s concubine.” Ding Ziyun said absentmindedly.
“Do you want to be his wife? Your appetite is not small. Be careful not to be stuffed to death.” Zhong Wenjin sneered disdainfully.
“Lord Xie saved my life, and I am here to pay a debt of gratitude.” Ding Ziyun seemed to have finally found a legitimate reason for herself. She was no longer as weak as she had just been, and she looked face to face at Zhong Wenjin firmly.
However, Zhong Wenjin was an evil tyrant who was well acquainted with the ways of the world, and he taunted, “You can only lie to yourself by saying that.”
He lowered his voice and moved forward a little bit, “I don’t care what your purpose is. Don’t make any moves to Xie Zhaoxue to become his concubine; otherwise……”
As he said, he cracked his knuckles threateningly, and the sound of ”click” was crisp.
Ding Ziyun couldn’t stand it anymore. She fled without saying anything, with a hasty back.
Zhong Wenjin watched her being scared away and grinned in satisfaction. He said in his heart: It seems that my skills have not regressed, and I can still scare others even with a different face.
Seeing the view of Ding Ziyun’s back disappear, Zhong Wenjin planned to continue strolling. But as soon as he turned around, his smile suddenly froze on his face.
He saw Xie Zhaoxue standing in the pavilion not far ahead, looking his way, with a look on his handsome face that Zhong Wenjin hadn’t seen for a long time.
In the past, the two of them were quite at odds in the capital, and they quarrelled at every turn. Zhong Wenjin would get red with anger, while Xie Zhaoxue would sneer at him coldly. But since Xie Zhaoxue rescued him from the mountain bandit’s den, his attitude changed, especially after he got to know about the matter with the Zhong family and brought him back from Wuyue Island.
Zhong Wenjin lived in Xie Mansion and was taken care of very well. Xie Zhaoxue took him wherever he went and even let him live next door to him. It could be said that he was always protected, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he would respond to any of his requests.
But now, Xie Zhaoxue’s beautiful countenance was filled with ice shards again, and it was biting cold.
He walked over and stood in front of Zhong Wenjin, “I thought you repented. But I didn’t expect you to be still like this.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhong Wenjin was a little scared and took two steps back instinctively.
However, Xie Zhaoxue grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, “That girl surnamed Ding is just an ordinary person. Is it worth it for you to always watch her attentively?”
He usually looked gentle, and he quite resembled a frail scholar. But his strength was really astonishing. Zhong Wenjin tried to break free for a short while, but he couldn’t move a single jot. So he said angrily, “It’s just a woman. I am no longer interested in her! If you like her, just take her in as a concubine, and don’t be afraid of me watching her attentively.”
Xie Zhaoxue pinched Zhong Wenjin’s cheek with the other hand and leaned closer, “You think I’m you. The moment I see a beautiful person, I’ll take them in as a concubine?”
Zhong Wenjin felt that he needed to refute this, but as soon as he was about to speak, his cheek was pinched by Xie Zhaoxue, and his mouth pouted. Unable to speak, he listened to him say, “Your mouth, except for swearing at people, can only deflect blame with some dishonest stories. I don’t want to hear it.”
Laozi’s mouth is also used for eating, okay!
Zhong Wenjin blinked his sesame-sized eyes and stared at him, using his eyes to convey his anger.
“Young Master Xie?” Just as they were in a stalemate, a familiar voice came from the side.
Zhong Wenjin looked in the direction of the voice and found that Qiao Yanci had come to the mansion at some point. Xie Zhaoxue should have been with her in the pavilion just now and then were peeped at by Ding Ziyun.
Xie Zhaoxue let go of him and whispered to him, “You go back first. I will find you later.”
Zhong Wenjin snorted coldly, “That depends on whether you can find me.”
After speaking, he turned and left angrily.
Translator’s corner
Ooh, the tension~
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
KO-FI
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