Chapter 30

Chapter 30

In the side hall of Cining Palace, a fine night breeze seeped through a window that had not been fully closed, causing two shadows to flicker gently under the candlelight. Qi Hanzhou was not wearing his brocade robe today, but rather a set of night clothes. His gaze dropped slightly, as if scanning Ying Fusheng’s features. "At Huguo Temple, I told Your Highness that you are as precious as gold, a prince of the realm."

As precious as a prince... The Qi family was loyal to Imperial Power, but not blindly so.

If the Qi family truly wished, harming a prince would not be impossible.

"Knowing this, the Junior General still did not report it to my father." Ying Fusheng looked at him, his hand touching his own neck, where a healed sword scar remained. "Your sword was an inch closer than before."

He lowered his hand, maintaining a sideways stance. "I know your secret, and now you know mine. That makes us even."

His frankness was unexpected, as if threats and secrets were merely bargaining chips, not fatal evidence. Yet the implications of his words could not put anyone at ease, especially since not long ago, this very person, wearing the same expression, had personally set the court’s dynamics in motion.

Qi Hanzhou’s gaze fell outside. "Your Highness is very clever."

"Only if the Junior General is willing to collude with me," Ying Fusheng said, effortlessly turning the conversation back to Qi Hanzhou.

Ying Fusheng smiled. Qi Hanzhou watched him. In the silence, every move Ying Fusheng made became tangible—a cunning face, a calm face... This was the second face Qi Hanzhou had seen from him, and on this face was a hint of pretense.

Every step he took was hard to read. A prince deeply harmed by his own mother, upon discovering such a secret, might not have thought as deeply as he did. He might have been controlled by others due to his youth, but he was not. He used Hu Buyu, used the Xu family, used the Imperial Guard, and personally orchestrated everything.

And what baffled Qi Hanzhou the most was that he stood alone, with no one behind him.

The only one closely associated with Ying Fusheng was the Shen family. It was well known that the bond between the Shen family and the Sixth Prince was maintained through his companion, Shen Yunfei. Royal offspring stood with their maternal clans for support—like the Yun family behind the First Prince, or the Xu family behind the Crown Prince. But Ying Fusheng had none. Qi Hanzhou had investigated the Ning family. Over the years, the Ning family had made almost no moves in the Court and Country to support the Sixth Prince. Normally, if the Ning family were valued and the prince favored, they could have gathered influence.

He had long known about Suihongzi, known Consort Ning’s intentions, and so he personally sent the Ning family up, only to personally pull them down.

As the two fell silent, Ying Fusheng took a few steps away. As he moved forward, Qi Hanzhou’s sword did not stir.

At this subtle probe, Ying Fusheng walked forward, several steps to the window, and closed the window that Song An had failed to shut tightly. The hall was left with only the hot medicinal vapor. He said softly, "Let me guess why the Junior General has come to see me. Suihongzi is an item from the previous dynasty, appearing in the palace with no traceable clues. For Dayuan, items from the previous dynasty are a royal taboo. My father will certainly investigate this, and he will have the Imperial Guard look into it."

Ying Fusheng coughed. His cold had not yet healed, and speaking too much made his throat uncomfortable. Qi Hanzhou watched his frail appearance, reached out slightly, and pulled the thick curtain over the inner chamber to block the draft from the hall door. He seemed indifferent to his own health. The hall was filled with medicinal fumes, yet he could plunge into water without hesitation to gain sympathy.

The inner chamber had a heated floor. Qi Hanzhou glanced down, watching him walk barefoot to the incense burner and extinguish the burning calming incense.

"Forgive me, Junior General. Burning too much incense makes one drowsy..."

Ying Fusheng walked to the desk. On the desk, a chaotic chessboard had not been set straight, along with a few policy essays. His bedchamber was so simple it could be seen at a glance. No matter who came to investigate, they would find no trace of any contact with outsiders.

Qi Hanzhou looked away. "Suihongzi is not something the Ning family could have accessed."

"Yes," Ying Fusheng looked at him. "Then who gave the Ning family the Suihongzi?"

Hearing this, a hint of understanding flashed across Qi Hanzhou’s expression. "So you set up the Ning family."

Ying Fusheng set up the Ning family, making them a target in the court. Besides letting others deal with the Ning family, he was also watching to see who in the court would protect them. Such a secret item as Suihongzi, if it appeared in the palace, tracing its origin would be of utmost importance.

Ying Fusheng did not respond. His hand moved the pieces on the chessboard, his eyes revealing no clear intention, his movements carrying an indescribable casualness. As he spoke, he began arranging pieces on the board. The black and white stones had no order, no rules—there was no chess strategy at all.

Qi Hanzhou: "This has no formation."

Ying Fusheng fiddled with them. "I don’t know how to play chess."

"But in the end, chess pieces are meant to be used. Why must one adhere to others' rules?"

When he spoke of using pieces, the look he raised was exceptionally sharp. He picked out a few pieces from the board and tossed them into the stone bowl.

Ying Fusheng said, "The Junior General has things he wants to investigate, and I have things I want to investigate."

Qi Hanzhou’s expression did not change; he simply looked at him.

"The fall of Youzhou City was partly due to a delay in the secret report sent to the capital. The Junior General wants to investigate this." Ying Fusheng tapped the chessboard, then turned to look at him. This time, the sharp sword was not pressed against his neck.

The hall was quiet. A cold gleam appeared in Qi Hanzhou’s eyes. "Four years ago, Your Highness was only six years old."

"If that were the case, the Junior General would not be speaking with me." Ying Fusheng chuckled softly, his fingertip tracing across the chessboard, producing a faint sound. "The defenders of Youzhou City were extremely vigilant. The secret report was sent by special courier at full speed. The delay was not due to a blocked post road, but because someone suppressed the message. That person is not at the border, but in the court."

Qi Hanzhou’s fingers rested on his sword hilt, coldness spreading from the depths of his eyes. "Your Highness has never wanted cooperation."

Ying Fusheng picked out new pieces from the pile and casually placed them on the board. He paused, his gaze sharp as a needle. "You investigate your Youzhou City, I investigate my matters. Each gets what they need. Isn’t that good?"

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the hall. Qi Hanzhou immediately looked outward. The sudden noise silenced both of them.

Outside the hall, the voices of Song An and another person came softly.

"The imperial physician ordered it. His Highness has been having trouble sleeping lately, so they specially prepared a calming soup." The speaker was a medical apprentice. Since the emperor ordered the removal of Suihongzi’s toxicity from Ying Fusheng, the imperial physicians and apprentices had been coming frequently.

Song An said, "Hand it to me."

Soon, the sound outside quieted down.

"It’s the medical apprentice delivering medicine," Ying Fusheng said.

Qi Hanzhou’s gaze lingered briefly on the window. The apprentice’s footsteps gradually faded.

Song An brought the medicine in. He had waited outside for a long time, and only relaxed when he saw that the black-clad man in the hall had not harmed His Highness. "Your Highness, the medicine from the Imperial Hospital. Drink it while it’s hot."

Qi Hanzhou watched Ying Fusheng take the medicine, his gaze sweeping over Song An before stopping on Ying Fusheng’s movements. Ying Fusheng had to take medicine every day; if he didn’t, the Empress Dowager would worry. As he took the bowl, he lightly patted Song An’s hand to calm him.

But Qi Hanzhou suddenly reached out and stopped Ying Fusheng’s hand from drinking. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "When I came, I checked the palace’s situation. Within the time it takes to burn one incense stick, no one should have been able to approach Cining Palace."

Ying Fusheng stopped immediately. Song An, hearing this, quickly said, "All the medicine in the hall has been tested with silver needles."

Ever since the Consort Ning incident, Song An had checked almost every dose of medicine.

"This person’s footsteps are light, not unsteady—he is trained in martial arts." Qi Hanzhou directly took Ying Fusheng’s medicine bowl, sniffed it briefly. "Suihongzi can be added to medicine without being detected. How do you know there aren’t other secret drugs from the previous dynasty? Was the person delivering the medicine familiar?"

"The medical apprentice attending Chu Taiyi, he comes often..." Song An was mid-sentence when Ying Fusheng turned his head. He saw Qi Hanzhou place the medicine bowl on the table, take out a piece of medicinal stone, and drop it in. Some sediment appeared in the liquid. He frowned. "This cannot be drunk."

Song An realized the seriousness of the problem. "His Highness has poor sleep and often has nightmares. This is a new prescription added by the imperial physician."

Twice, something had been added. If Suihongzi was said to be Consort Ning’s illness harming the prince... Then what was this for? Such methods, trying by all means to harm a prince?

Someone wanted his life.

Qi Hanzhou’s heart tightened. When he turned back, he noticed Ying Fusheng’s expression was strange.

Ying Fusheng’s gaze fell on the medicine bowl, but his eyes seemed somewhat distant. He seemed to be looking at this bowl of soup laced with unknown drugs, yet also looking beyond it at something else. Qi Hanzhou hesitated, then suddenly heard him ask, "How far have you traced the attendants around Consort Ning?"

Ying Fusheng looked up, a cold gleam in his eyes. "The Imperial Guard couldn’t find the source of Suihongzi. The person is already dead."

Qi Hanzhou felt his expression was a bit odd, but still said, "A eunuch who bought medicine in the palace died last winter."

"Last winter..." Ying Fusheng murmured.

Qi Hanzhou turned his head slightly and finished his sentence: "A few days before he fell into the palace pond that winter night, Your Highness had become severely ill from a previous fall into water."

When these words were spoken, Ying Fusheng's face changed instantly.

Qi Hanzhou noticed this anomaly, but before he could think more about it, an unusual sound came from the window.

"A shout came from outside the hall—it was Ying Fusheng's guards."

Qi Hanzhou instantly became alert, scanning toward the window. A figure was fleeing in haste. "The same person!"

That person had watched Song An deliver the medicine and came to check on things, but today, Qi Hanzhou had tampered with the window. The two guards stationed outside the side hall of Cining Palace reacted immediately, their footsteps rapidly approaching. Qi Hanzhou's expression stiffened as he heard the rushing footsteps.

"The side hall has a back window," Ying Fusheng snapped out of it. "Leave first."

In an instant, Qi Hanzhou vanished by the window, as swiftly as he had arrived.

Ying Fusheng looked at Song An, who understood his master's intent, and shouted: "Assassin!"

The attendants of Cining Palace were jolted awake—a nighttime assassination attempt on Cining Palace was a major event! The palace city was instantly on high alert. Song An saw the lights outside brighten, then watched as his master walked to the side, retrieved the herbal stone the man in black had left in the medicine bowl, and next, lifted the bowl to take a sip.

Song An: "Your Highness!"

Ying Fusheng held the medicine in his mouth, then suddenly spat it out. At that moment, the palace attendants rushed in and saw Ying Fusheng spitting out the medicine. Lady Yu went pale. "Call for help!"

The night was silent, the high moon hanging still.

Qi Hanzhou hid in the darkness, looking ahead at the slightly ajar window of the side hall. The entire Cining Palace had been roused by the cry of "assassin" from the Sixth Prince's attendant, they reacted faster than anyone else.

In the distance, the palace walls loomed deep and heavy. Patrol guards of the Forbidden Army were walking along the palace paths, and upon hearing the sound, they immediately mobilized. Qi Hanzhou looked back. That person, hidden within the small palace walls, was unfathomable.

He glanced once more, then turned and disappeared into the labyrinth of the palace.

In the darkness, a youth dressed as a medical apprentice kept running. His steps were steady, with several people in pursuit. "What a nuisance."

Soon, he vanished among the palace walls, gone in an instant. By the time Qi Hanzhou shed his night clothes and arrived, the Imperial Guard had already surrounded a pond. Floating in the pond was the body of the medical apprentice, apparently having fallen in panic and drowned.

"Commander!" The guards were startled to see Qi Hanzhou there. "This man ran from Cining Palace and was found by the patrol guards. He's already dead."

Qi Hanzhou crouched down and reached out to remove the sodden cloth shoes. The soles of this person's feet were unusually thin.

This wasn't him. This body had no martial arts training...

A chill ran down Qi Hanzhou's spine.

It was a probe.

"How's Cining Palace?" Qi Hanzhou asked.

A guard replied, "The imperial physician has already gone there."

Inside Cining Palace, the bowl of medicine had been intercepted by the arriving physician. Chu Taiyi had indeed prescribed medicine for Ying Fusheng and had instructed a medical apprentice to deliver it. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have reached Cining Palace so quickly. Upon hearing that the Sixth Prince had taken the medicine and then vomited, the alarmed physician rushed over that night.

The physician took the medicine for a detailed examination. The news of the medical apprentice drowning in the pond reached Weiyang Palace.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly. She instructed Lady Yu to stay and watch over Ying Fusheng, then turned and walked out.

"The physician said that several potent herbal ingredients had been added to the decoction, none of them toxic, but for His Highness's already debilitated body, such strong herbs would harm his internal organs," a palace attendant reported. "His Majesty said that regarding the Suihongzi matter, no trace has been found. The Imperial Guard hasn't identified the person who gave Suihongzi to Consort Ning."

"His future health is uncertain. Now that the Ning family has fallen, there are still those unwilling to let him go."

The Empress Dowager's expression darkened. Consort Ning had met with misfortune, and the Ning family soon met the same fate... The Sixth Prince had been suffering from a chill for days due to the Suihongzi incident. Such a child in the deep palace was all too easy to lose prematurely. There were many princes and princesses in the palace; some hadn't even grown up before their maternal families couldn't help scheming on their behalf.

The emperor's favor for him had caught the eyes of some. There were those in the palace who could not tolerate him.

Inside the hall, Lady Yu waited until Ying Fusheng's breathing steadied before stepping away. Song An, worried, stayed by his master's side and didn't leave.

Ying Fusheng's gaze drifted into the distance. Outside the hall, the lights were burning bright; the Empress Dowager had not yet retired.

The real person who gave Suihongzi to Consort Ning was not one of those palace attendants who had poisoned themselves. Someone with access to items from the previous dynasty would never use such an obvious method... He knew that the one who delivered the drug to Consort Ning was someone else, possibly a person within the court later on. And this person's hand had already reached into the palace.

In his previous life, the Qi family had come to him. In this life, he approached the Qi family first.

Exposing Suihongzi to the Imperial Guard and his father was also within his plan—to use external forces to probe the situation.

But he was still too slow. The one delivering the drug had cleaned up their tracks last year.

He should have realized it in his past life: with the Ning family's overly dull performance, how could they have pulled off the child-swapping in the deep palace? But in his past life, he was in too poor a state—physically weak and mentally dull, one step behind in the chess game. When he learned the truth about the swap, he was obsessed with taking revenge on Consort Ning and sought help from the Xu family, wasting a clear-headed window of time. Later, as his consciousness gradually clouded, he fell behind.

In his previous life, on the eve of the new emperor's accession, there were great changes in the court. The Xu family, the Ning family, the Zhou family... too many backed the Crown Prince faction. Who had assisted the Ning family in the child-swapping? What role did the Xu family play in this? What were the hidden agendas of those propping up the new emperor?

In that life, the Qi family hadn't found this person, and neither had he.

Now, he could only infer the reasons from the results of his previous life.

As Ying Fusheng thought, a sudden sharp pain struck his forehead.

"Your Highness!" Song An, seeing his master's expression change, was about to call for Lady Yu outside, but his master suddenly said, "Don't call anyone."

Ying Fusheng's forehead was beaded with sweat. He gripped Song An's hand; the pain in his forehead sharpened his thoughts, and his eyes were exceptionally clear.

In his mind, the relevant figures from his past life flashed by one by one. Ying Fusheng thought, his emotions unreadable.

Song An, anxious about his master's condition, heard him ask, "Song An, do you remember who was in Weiyang Palace that night when I regained consciousness after falling into the water?"

Song An paused for a moment, thinking carefully: "Your Highness's fall was a major event. That night, the attendants of Weiyang Palace, several physicians from the Imperial Hospital, and people from other palaces were also present."

"So many people," Ying Fusheng murmured.

His only lapse was the change in his attitude toward Consort Ning on the night he was reborn.

In less than half an hour, the manipulator had already sensed something and, last year, arranged for the palace attendant who delivered Suihongzi to die in an accident.

It could be said that while he was plotting against Consort Ning, the one who delivered the drug to her had already seen the Ning family as a dead chess piece.

Consort Ning was just the first step. Ying Fusheng understood her character thoroughly. His mother was ruthless and foolish in equal measure—if used shrewdly, she was a chess piece he could exploit. Naturally, she had long been a pawn on someone else's board.

He had made the Ning family his target, and the drug deliverer had done the same.

Tonight was a probe. That person wanted to test him, to see who was behind him.

Why just let the Suihongzi matter fade away? Taking risks like this would only make his father more vigilant. Unless the person behind the scenes had no choice—because of Qi Hanzhou.

Qi Hanzhou's night visit was unexpected... The person observing him couldn't tell what was going on, so the one behind the scenes took a gamble on investigating who was backing him.

Cining Palace, or the Imperial Hospital... someone was watching him. In his past life, the harem had fallen into chaos too quickly. Grandmother died, the empress's seat was vacant, and his father had been surrounded with informants. A scheme like that could never have been set up overnight.

"Deeply hidden indeed."

Ying Fusheng's gaze fell on the high beams of the bedchamber, the darkness in his eyes deepening.

All around, the cold silence of the side palace was gone. The warmth of the stove lingered. He had more than one enemy.

On this vast web, everyone who had a hand in it was guilty.

How could only one person going mad be enough?

No one would escape.