The one-hour time limit for the study had just arrived when Ye Xunyang stood up and decisively closed the official documents Lou Jin was currently reviewing.
“Your Highness, the time is up, and it is time to rest.” He put his hands on his hips, striking a posture that brooked no argument.
Lou Jin snapped out of his deep contemplation, glanced at the clepsydra, and saw that the time was indeed up.
He felt somewhat helpless, but seeing Ye Xunyang’s expression, he had no choice but to compromise by putting down his vermilion brush and rubbing his throbbing temples. “Very well.”
Ye Xunyang immediately pushed the wheelchair with satisfaction, chattering away as they headed outside. “That is more like it. Illness arrives like a mountain collapsing, but departs like pulling silk, so it must be nurtured slowly. Look at you; you only read documents for such a short while, and your face turned pale again.”
Lou Jin let himself be pushed along, listening to the nagging care beside his ear. As his gaze swept over the grass and trees in the courtyard beginning to sprout new buds, he suddenly felt that this manor was not so desolate and boring after all.
After sending Lou Jin back to his bedchamber to settle down and watching him take his medicine and fall asleep, Ye Xunyang finally tiptoed out.
Standing in the veranda, he stretched his limbs, feeling somewhat idle and restless.
The internal affairs of the estate were managed orderly by the head steward, requiring no constant supervision from him. As for practicing martial arts, he was afraid the noise would be too loud and disturb Lou Jin’s rest.
Just as he was pondering what to do, Wang Quan walked over quietly, his expression carrying a hint of hesitation.
“Your Highness the Prince Consort.”
“Steward Wang, is something the matter?” Seeing his expression, Ye Xunyang asked.
Wang Quan lowered his voice. “Your Highness, following the Prince’s instructions, this old servant suppressed the poisoning incident and investigated it in secret.”
“Over the past couple of days, because the storehouse was being cleaned and rearranged, this old servant remembered to clear out some of the Prince’s old belongings, and I discovered something unusual.”
Ye Xunyang’s expression tightened. “What thing?”
Wang Quan took a faded sachet out of his sleeve and handed it over.
“This was discovered in the inner pocket of an old robe that the Prince frequently wore before he fell ill three years ago. At the time, it probably went unnoticed and remained tucked away at the bottom of a chest.”
“This old servant feels that the embroidery pattern and the spices of this sachet do not seem to be items commonly used in the palace or the prince’s manor.”
Ye Xunyang took the sachet. It felt light in his hand, and when he brought it close to his nose, a strange fragrance lingered at his tip. The scent was very peculiar, carrying a hint of sweet cloyingness combined with a chilly aura, making one feel slightly dizzy after smelling it for too long.
He carefully examined the embroidery pattern, which depicted some exotic flower he had never seen before. The needlework was exquisite, yet it exuded an aura of wickedness.
“Three years ago.” Ye Xunyang’s heart skipped a beat. Lou Jin was precisely the one who fell ill three years ago.
“Does the Prince know about this sachet?”
Wang Quan shook his head. “This old servant asked the Prince, but the Prince has no impression of this item whatsoever. It must have been slipped in secretly by someone else.”
Ye Xunyang gripped the sachet tightly. Could it be that Lou Jin’s illness was not some strange affliction at all, but rather that someone had poisoned him three years ago?
Could this sachet be the source of the poison?
And was this recent chestnut poisoning the second attempt by the other party to murder him after seeing that Lou Jin still retained his influence?
This speculation sent a chill down his spine.
If this was true, why was the enemy hiding in the shadows so relentlessly determined to drive Lou Jin to his death?
“Who else knows about this matter?” Ye Xunyang asked in a deep voice.
“Aside from the Prince, this old servant, there is only you, Your Highness. Even Shanlan has not been informed yet.” Wang Quan replied cautiously.
Through the poisoning incident, he had subconsciously regarded Ye Xunyang as a trusted member of their own circle.
“Do not make a fuss about this for now.” Ye Xunyang carefully put the sachet away.
“I will go let the estate doctor take a look to see if there is any problem with this spice. Do not disturb the Prince’s rest for now, and I will speak to him personally later.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Holding the sachet, Ye Xunyang immediately went to find the estate doctor.
After carefully inspecting it, the doctor’s expression turned extremely unsightly. “Your Highness, this spice. Although this old man cannot fully identify every component, I can already recognize several extremely rare poisonous herbs.”
“Their nature is cold and sinister. If worn close to the body for a long time, the toxin slowly invades the heart meridian and ruins a person’s foundation. The symptoms do indeed share similarities with the Prince’s condition over the past three years.”
Sure enough!
A raging fire of anger surged within Ye Xunyang’s heart!
Such vicious methods!
Using this chronic poison to keep someone bedridden and slowly exhaust their vitality, so that even if it was discovered later, the poison would already be deeply ingrained into the vital organs beyond remedy!
He instructed the doctor to keep it confidential, then took the sachet and strode quickly back to the main courtyard.
Lou Jin had just woken up from a nap and was leaning against the bedhead drinking ginseng tea.
Seeing Ye Xunyang return with a grave expression, he knew something had happened.
“Your Highness,” Ye Xunyang dismissed the attendants, telling Lou Jin everything about the sachet and the doctor’s words word for word.
After listening, Lou Jin remained silent for a long time.
He stroked the faded sachet, his gaze as deep and frigidly cold as an ice-covered lake.
Three years ago, that was precisely the time when his prestige was at its peak, and he was just one step away from ascending to the East Palace.
“Your Highness, think about it. Three years ago, who could have had access to your clothing?”
“Or who sent you similar sachets or accessories?”
Lou Jin closed his eyes, trying hard to recall.
Three years ago, he was full of youthful ambition and attended numerous social engagements, coming into contact with all sorts of people.
However, it seemed that a tribal chieftain from the Southern Frontier had once entered the capital to pay tribute, presenting various local specialties to the imperial princes.
There seemed to be similar sachets among them, and that chieftain later appeared to grow quite close to the Fourth Prince, Lou Shang.
The clues pointed directly toward the imperial younger brother who had always been at loggerheads with him.
Lou Jin opened his eyes, a flash of cold light vanishing within his pupils. He had actually always suspected that Lou Shang poisoned him, but he had never been able to investigate it without any evidence or clues.
Even he himself had suspected that he might simply have been careless.
To think that three years had passed, and he had finally managed to trace a faint clue.
He did not voice his suspicions to Ye Xunyang, simply saying calmly: “I am aware of this matter. Hand the sachet over to Shanlan and let him investigate the source and distribution path of this spice.”
“Alright!” Ye Xunyang nodded.
“The person who did this is truly too sinister! Your Highness, we must never let them off!”
Seeing Ye Xunyang looking even more indignant than himself, the icy coldness in Lou Jin’s heart seemed to dissipate somewhat.
He looked at Ye Xunyang, his tone softening slightly. “This matter requires long-term planning. The person who laid this trap three years ago is certainly no ordinary adversary. You must also be extra careful lately, as the other party might target you as well.”
“Am I afraid of them?”
“Let them come if they dare! It will just give me a chance to catch their tail!”
A stir touched Lou Jin’s heart, and he suddenly spoke: “Xunyang.”
“Hmm?” Ye Xunyang looked at him.
“When my health improves somewhat, how about I teach you how to play chess?” Lou Jin’s voice was very calm.
“Consider it a pastime.”
“Play chess?” Ye Xunyang was stunned for a moment.
“Well, I cannot sit still, and my mind moves slowly, so I am afraid I won’t be able to learn it.”
“No matter, take it slow.”
“Sometimes, upon the chessboard, one can also deploy troops and arrange formations, which trains one’s temperament. That is still better than you spending all day thinking about brandishing swords and spears or organizing the storehouse.”
The final sentence carried a hint of teasing amusement.
Recalling when he used to bury himself in organizing storehouse ledgers, Ye Xunyang smiled sheepishly. “Very well! Since Your Highness is willing to teach, I will learn. Perhaps in the future, I can even become a military commander or something.”
He agreed readily, though in his heart he thought: playing chess is still better than staring at ledgers, and this is also a good opportunity to close the distance between us.
Once our relationship is good, in the future I will ask for money whenever I want money, and when I want a divorce, I can just get a divorce.
Looking into those eyes of Ye Xunyang that revealed all his thoughts, Lou Jin secretly sighed in his heart.
This silly fellow probably still does not realize that once certain relationships begin, it becomes difficult to ever return to the beginning.