It should be said that before his accident, Jin Xiyan was a clever individual. One had to be in order to survive the Palace. All his Emperor Father’s consorts and concubines refused to give up on providing a potential alpha heir, and the rush for it was fueled even more after his birth. His childhood was littered with attempts on his life, most of which he was able to keep hidden from Li Changyu. He could not blame his current situation solely on his accident, because there obviously were outside forces that pushed them around like chess pieces – but neither could he ignore his own guilt in the situation. Instead of wallowing in it, he set forth with the same resolve he had when he was Crown Prince.
Laid out in front of him was the registry of his Harem and a map of the Inner Palace. Instead of inheriting his Father’s harem, he had dismissed them all to either their families or to the Summer Palace. It was a point of contention with the Court at how small his Harem was – but for him right now, it meant a lot of empty courtyards existed in the Inner Palace. Jin Xiyan dipped a brush in ink and highlighted several different courtyards. He placed the brush on the stand and picked up the map.
Presenting it to Li Yunmeng, he said, “Have our Family monitor these residences.”
Li Yunmeng took the map with both hands and examined it. He was not a strategist, so he did not question his Cousin’s request – if his Cousin said it, then it must be true or be done. However, he tentatively asked, “Is there something we should be looking for specifically?”
“Anything suspicious,” admitted Jin Xiyan. He’d selected those as likely spots where someone could survey the Phoenix Palace from a distance. After replacing all the guards in the Phoenix Palace with the Li Family, the enemy would need to find alternative means to monitor the Empress. “And for anyone who is not supposed to be here – but be cautious when you search. There may be threats there.”
With a nod, Li Yunmeng folded the map and tucked it into his uniform. Jin Xiyan lightly waved him away. “Conduct the search now, while the party is underway. Speaking of which, Meimei.”
Li Yunmeng left the room while Li Changyu’s diligent maid, who had been seated in the corner the entire time, hurried to stand and go to her Master’s side. “Are you ready to change, Li Changyu?”
Jin Xiyan held up a hand and shook his head, “No, I chose these clothes myself. Please just do my hair.”
He purposefully selected the outfit Li Changyu had worn the day after their wedding when they greeted his Mother and Royal Grandmother. It was a small gesture to try and express to Li Changyu that he did not disapprove of it like before. He smoothed a hand down the front of the beautifully embroidered navy blue shirt.
It will not right any wrongs, but perhaps… Out of fear and guilt, he decided to not tell Li Changyu that he had regained his memories. Instead, he would continue with these little things, hoping that his Wife could see these gestures as sincere.
Meimei took a brush to Jin Xiyan’s hair, delicately combing out the long black strands. “Should I put it up like normal?”
A brilliant idea came to mind. He covered Meimei’s hand to stop her brushing. “Put two braids on either side, then put it up into a tail. Pick a crown that would suit me.”
Meimei’s smile was bright. Their Empress was beautiful, so naturally anything would suit them. “En!” She happily continued and made quick work of his hair.
Jin Xiyan had not realized how long he had spent preparing and coordinating his next steps. The party was already starting, so he and Meimei hurried. As he left the Phoenix Palace, he was met with a lot of strange looks from the Li Family, who were his guards. They whispered to one another in a foreign language, but were quiet when a group of four escorted him and Meimei to the Banquet Hall.
Miraculously, everything had come together despite the Harem’s obvious dislike of Li Changyu. The furniture looked immaculate and was arranged neatly, the lighting was pleasant and not overly bright or too dim, and the decorations complimented the room instead of crowding it. Amongst all this perfection, he noticed something was off as he walked further into the room.
At the head of the room sat Li Changyu in the Emperor’s chair, and beside him was Jin Haoran as the guest of honor. Flanking them was the Grand Empress Dowager and his Mother Qiuye. On the lower level, it was Qin Yuze, Song Rushen, and Wu Shanjin to the right. To the left were the twins, and seated the furthest from the royal platform was Qian Jing.
There was no seat for him as “Li Changyu.”
His eyes narrowed at the twins who were tasked with the seating and furniture. This was a deliberate act, one that matched their petty methods. Jin Xiyan’s fist squeezed tightly at his side. He had been foolish to not think something like this would have happened.
The only reason he had married the twins was to avoid scandal. The day he had the displeasure of meeting them was his Eldest Brother the First Prince’s birthday. Jin Xiyan had just learned that his Father had been hiding the letters Li Changyu sent. When confronted, his Imperial Father burned every letter in front of him. In his anger and frustration, an unexpected rut occurred. He decided against attending the party and declined Qian Jing’s offer to help. He just wanted to suffer alone.
The Chen Family was a side branch of the then Ministry of Administrative Works, Minister Chen. They, along with the entire Chen Family, were invited as part of the First Prince’s birthday guests. Those twins were too much alike, because they both had the same idea to sneak away from the party and crawl into his bed.
The Brother and Sister pair surprised one another. Before they could argue, Jin Xiyan woke up and caught them in his room. He immediately recognized what their plan was, but it was already too late and it had been set into motion. A set of servants “accidentally” stumbled upon them, thus alerting everyone. Even though he had not laid a hand on either of them, with the state he was in, and the twins being half dressed and covered in his own sheets, the evidence was enough to send Emperor Father into a rage.
Chen Ziyin was a given, but to appease the Minister, he married both twins. What marriage prospects were there for a young beta male who was rumored to have even shared a bed with another alongside his Sister? The embarrassing mess was covered up by everyone, and because Emperor Father fired all the staff there, no one spoke of it again.
“Ahem!”
The soft cough pulled Jin Xiyan out of his thoughts. It was Li Guangzhu, next to Li Beidou. His Brother-in-Law looked a little green, like he ate something that did not sit well with him, while Li Beidou had a strained smile. There was an empty seat next to him, which was likely set up to be his. Being this far from the Emperor, and sitting with his birth Family, it was an intentional message set up by the Chen twins:
Li Changyu is an outsider.
And it was clear that all the other important people in the room also saw this, but probably assumed that Li Changyu purposefully did this. A twitch formed in Jin Xiyan’s temple, which he tried to rub away. Clearly, he underestimated the cleverness of his Wives.
I am going to have to work hard to be two steps ahead of everyone.
Li Beidou bent to the side to speak to him in a hushed tone, “Why are you wearing your hair like that?”
Jin Xiyan blinked, “Is this not how Li Changyu always wore it?”
“He did, before he was married,” Li Guangzhu hissed out of the corner of his mouth. At Jin Xiyan’s obvious confusion, Li Beidou sighed and explained further.
“Unmarried omegas in the North wear their hair like that. So by coming here, with that…”
“It appears that I am sending a subtle message to everyone in the room,” finished Jin Xiyan. He unintentionally made the situation even worse, because now it definitely looked like “Li Changyu” was purposefully separating himself from the Emperor. This probably undid everything they tried to do since the Hunting Party incident.
With one glance to Li Changyu, the solemn glare sent his way made Jin Xiyan want to wither like a dying flower. Li Changyu’s expression was a perfect smile, but his sharp eyes spoke a thousand unspoken words: How could you do this, you idiot!
Despite this snafu, the party carried along without much of a fuss. Jin Xiyan paid special attention to Li Changyu, watching how he acted with Jin Haoran. Li Changyu was ever attentive, piling snacks in front of the little Prince. When one smiled, so would the other. When Jin Haoran would get something on his cheek, like all children inevitably do, Li Changyu was there to fuss. Nanny Song beside them looked a little lost for words, because she clearly wasn’t needed. Jin Xiyan could see that his Mother was uncomfortable by how the “Emperor” was behaving.
Before the big meal, the siblings were to present their gifts to Jin Haoran. His three eldest, Qian Lim, Jin Zhelan, and Chen Jingyi, all present theirs first. Each of them contributed to one larger gift to help Jin Haoran in painting. He was given new brushes, ink, and an excellent set of paper. It pleased Jin Xiyan how thoughtful his children were.
“Qian Lim is as observant as her Mother,” Jin Xiyan boasted quietly to Li Beidou. As a Father, he could not help but brag. “Jin Haoran’s painting skills need more attention, so she cleverly thought of this gift.”
Li Beidou’s lip twitched into a bemused smirk underneath his graying mustache, “Is that so?”
“En,” Jin Xiyan nodded, his eyes not straying from the twins Chen Yuxi and Guojing gift Jin Haoran bolts of beautiful cloth.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“And all of their Mothers are here…except your youngest’s?”
“Yes. Haohao’s Mother died a year after he was born. It was especially hard because he looked like–” Jin Xiyan caught himself and snapped his jaw shut so hard that it hurt. He almost let it slip that Jin Haoran’s omega parent bore an eerie resemblance to Li Changyu. Lin Yue was a maid in the Palace, just a slip of a thing, and his dark hair and pale complexion…if he looked at him a certain way, Jin Xiyan could swear he was back to being a teenager with Li Changyu hovering nearby.
Jin Xiyan would never disagree with someone calling him selfish for clinging to Lin Yue for such a shallow reason, but he was given a beautiful son in the end. Thinking back on Li Changyu’s miscarriage, the scary image of the two looking close to death threatened to steal his breath away. Jin Xiyan took in a slow, steady breath and calmed himself. Li Changyu was right there, and he just happened to be in his body.
“He looked…like he would have been a good Mother.” And that was the truth. Jin Xiyan tried to smile, but it felt stiff, like it pinched the muscles in his jaw the wrong way.
The festivities went on, with the meal to break up the gift giving. The dishes were simple, but the finest. They were all to Haohao’s taste, especially the pork belly dish. Even as an adult, Jin Xiyan still did not indulge in such rich, heavy food; but he reminded himself that he was in Li Changyu’s body. Why couldn’t he enjoy himself to the fullest? Tentatively, he gathered some up and dragged the shining fat meat along some sauce. When he lifted it to his mouth, the savory scent was overwhelming. As soon as it hit his tongue, flavor burst across it, swelling his mouth with such tantalizing harmony of herbs and spices. No wonder this was Haohao’s favorite!
Jin Xiyan devoured the food, only taking a moment to take long sips of water. His normally bland diet did not prepare him for how salty the pork was, but his belly was all the happier for it. A hand was placed on his elbow – it was Li Beidou’s. Jin Xiyan looked up from his bowl and saw the man’s pinched lip frown. He looked in the direction Li Beidou was staring at, which was the head of the room with Li Changyu and Haohao.
The mood had shifted while Jin Xiyan happily ate. Li Changyu was standing, uttering words to Shen Pei that was nearby. As quickly as he spotted her, Shen Pei was gone. The three Brother physicians were all around Haohao, one holding his dish while the other had a silver needle pressed into it. The other took a little bit to taste and then spat it to the side. Jin Xiyan’s bowl dropped to his table as he stood up instinctively. Haohao looked to be on the verge of tears, his large eyes woefully staring at the plate that was now beyond his reach.
Other people also began to rise, but froze when Li Changyu swept a hand out and pointed to the guards at the main doors.
“Lock this room! No one is allowed to leave or enter!”
Despite how it may appear to others, Jin Xiyan rushed over. Qian Jing was suddenly beside him, stopping him from getting closer with a gentle hand on his shoulder. He was about to shrug her off, but her look of concern made him stop. He was not the Emperor at this moment, but an Empress with little power in the room.
“Your Majesty, what is going on?” Chen Ziyin clutched her handkerchief tightly between her hands, her anxiety obvious. It was difficult for Jin Xiyan to tell if it was just her normal theatrics, or was she part of whatever was going on.
Li Changyu ignored Chen Ziyin and turned his head towards the three physicians. “Tell me, what is it?”
Three heads huddled together, actively whispering to one another until the long haired one – what was his name again? – stepped out, holding the plate in his hands.
“We can confirm that it is not something that the little Prince dislikes…” The triplet that spoke, facing Li Changyu but he shot a quick glance at Jin Xiyan. He understood – there was no evidence of shellfish.
The triplet with the bun spoke next, “But we found evidence that there is something the Prince should not eat on here.”
“Poison?!” Jin Qiuye screeched, dropping his sticks immediately. They bounced against the lacquered surface and rolled off to the floor. Murmurs scattered across the small crowd, with many also pushing their plates far away.
The long haired one shook his head and lifted his silver needle – it still shone brightly, with no evidence of any blackening from poison, “No. It is something far more suspicious.”
Li Changyu spoke through gritted teeth, “Get to the point.”
The physician tucked his needle away and bowed before stepping aside to let the messier looking one forward. He held the plate of food between his hands, which looked perfectly normal to Jin Xiyan.
“I like pork belly,” the unkempt physician said.
Jin Haoran huffed, “I like it too!” Nanny Song, who was cradling him now, shushed him lightly.
“…Because I like pork belly, I look at it. And I have a good nose, better than my Brothers.” To that, the two other Brothers nodded in agreement. “I noticed something was different about this dish. It smelled and looked different.”
Jin Xiyan frowned and looked again. For a second time, he still could not tell the difference from any of the other plates there.
The one with the bun nudged their Brother. Clearing his throat, he explained, “There are too many green herbs in the sauce.”
“…” The room was silent. Li Changyu pinched the bridge of his nose – Jin Xiyan could tell his Wife was losing patience. There was a flush to his cheeks, and his gaze narrowed on the triplets.
“What does extra herbs have to do with you signaling me that something is wrong?” Li Changyu demanded.
“…Answering Your Majesty, it is because there’s too many of them. So I smelled it, and there was something familiar. I tasted it, and it has an herb called Soldier’s Grass–”
Jin Xiyan felt himself yanked backward. He was held by strong hands before he could stumble over his feet. It was Li Beidou and Li Guangzhu, back at his sides. Li Guangzhu hissed low in his ear.
“Your Majesty, prepare yourself–”
“What?” he whispered back, “What are you talking–”
Li Guangzhu cut him off with a harsh glare and even harsher words, “Whoever is doing this is trying to set you up again!”
At that exact moment, the physician’s eyes strayed towards Jin Xiyan, “–which is a common herb that grows wild in the North.”
All the heavy, judgemental gazes were now on the three Li’s. The two alphas stiffened their postures beside him, crowding him slightly as to shield him. Refusing to take this lying down, Jin Xiyan squeezed between them to get through. He stood up tall and looked at Li Changyu. His Wife wore a heavy expression.
“So you did this?!” Chen Ziyin pointed a finger at Jin Xiyan.
Backing her up was her Brother, Chen Ziwei, “How dare you try to poison a member of the Imperial Family!”
There was an explosion of arguing voices from the crowd, but Jin Xiyan chose to defend himself – or rather, Li Changyu.
“I did no such thing!” Jin Xiyan pointed to Wu Shanjin, “You have all heard me say that Wu Shanjin was in charge of the food!”
The Concubine in question slapped his fan on the table, “Are you trying to pin this on me?!”
It was his Royal Grandmother, the Grand Empress Dowager, who put her foot down.
“Listen to all of you, bickering!” She tsk’d loudly between her teeth. Her sharp, cold gaze moved throughout the crowd before she cast it onto the Harem. Her scrutiny skipped over him, which allowed Jin Xiyan a moment to breathe.
After having restored some order, Royal Grandmother calmly addressed the physicians, “What is wrong about this plant, Sir Physician, and is it in any of the other meals?”
“Answering Your Highness,” said the bun-head, “No, testing the others nearby, the grass is only in His Highness’ plate. As for this plant, it is usually nothing. Soldiers often chew the grass before battle, as it can help with anxiety by lowering one’s heart rate and blood pressure.”
Jin Xiyan suddenly felt his palms grow slick and he held them up. He had unconsciously curled them up into tight fists, and when he opened them, he saw little pricks of blood from where his nails had dug in.
“However, that is for a grown man. This much, with such fatty food…” The long haired one swept an arm, his long sleeve billowing as he motioned his limb towards Jin Haoran. “It could directly harm, if not kill, someone of such a smaller size.”
Qin Yuze, still seated by Song Rushen, finally spoke up. “Well…His Highness did arrive late. There would have been plenty of time to tamper with the cooking.”
At that, he finally snapped.
“And because it is from the North, and military men use it, of course this would all point to me.” With all the bluster and bravado that an Emperor should carry, Jin Xiyan stepped forward and looked squarely at Wu Shanjin. “Which is what you hoped for.”
Wu Shanjin finally stood, his low chair clattering behind him from his sudden movement. He stood shorter than Li Changyu, but one would have assumed he was three feet taller by the way he sauntered down to the floor to stand in front of him.
“Only you claim that I was given that task.” Wu Shanjin’s chin lifted high, but it was because he had to in order to look him in the eye. “You have no Phoenix Seal, so who were you to order me?”
Jin Xiyan’s eyes narrowed. “The Emperor delegated that task to me, and even Haohao can confirm I gave each of you a task.” He glanced at his son, then to Li Changyu. “Is that not right, Your Majesty?”
Li Changyu arched his brow and nodded. There was an unfocused look in his eye as he stared at Jin Xiyan. Turning back to Wu Shanjin, Jin Xiyan felt like his case was made. Who would have made such a flimsy lie when it could easily be disproven?
Wait. The obvious was right there. Wu Shanjin is an idiot. There was no way he would know anything about this herb, let alone where to get it. There was something deeper than this. Jin Xiyan used Li Changyu’s taller height in order to make himself tower over the omega.
“How did you do this?”
Wu Shanjin’s cheeks turned pink and he shrank back away from Jin Xiyan. Sputtering, he countered back with the same annoying, child-like tone, “You keep blaming me for this! It is you who would know about that herb! Your Mother is a Physician, isn’t she?!”
Jin Xiyan opened his mouth to shout, but one of the triplet’s interrupted.
“Your Highness! There is an easy method to know who has handled this herb.”
“How?”
“The grass contains oil that often stains a soldier’s uniform, but they do not realize it until they are washed,” explained the long-haired triplet as he skirted around Jin Qiuye and plucked the pot off his table. “Because it interacts with water. The hotter the water, the darker the oil appears.”
Looking at the pot in the man’s hands, Jin Xiyan understood his meaning. He held out his hands with no hesitation. The young physician paused to look at Li Changyu, but Jin Xiyan insisted.
“Go ahead,” he said, urging him with another shake of his hands. Even though it was Li Changyu’s body, the Li family trusted these three. Madam Li was also a renowned physician, which he reminded himself once more as the man drew closer.
I will make sure there isn’t any permanent damage on his body, he silently vowed. Once the physician was closer to him, he tipped the pot forward. Jin Xiyan watched as the water poured out, but when it landed on his hands his eyes shut tight. A collective of gasps sounded more like echoes in his mind. Though his whole body shook as his hands went numb from the heat and pain, he stayed firmly in place. Tears that he refused to let fall welled at the corners of his eyes.
He could not tell when the water stopped pouring until someone grabbed his arms. Jin Xiyan blinked his eyes open and saw a teary-eyed Meimei quickly dabbing at his bright red hands. One of the other physicians came to his side as well, already pulling out some things from a thin waistbelt. All eyes were now on Wu Shanjin as the pot was now aimed at him.
Wu Shanjin’s eyes widened, his hands rose in surrender and he backed up away from the physician. “This is uncalled for, you have not even checked his hands yet!”
Jin Xiyan’s teeth ground together and he shrugged off Meimei and the physician. He turned and closed the distance between him and his Concubine. He grabbed both of his wrists, ignoring the stinging pain of his flesh.
“My hands are clean, Wu Shanjin,” he growled as he tugged the omega closer, their face just inches apart. Wu Shanjin’s body shook so much that it was like a leaf in the wind, so bad that Jin Xiyan was holding him up more than the man’s own legs. He had Wu Shanjin trapped in his gaze, but Wu Shanjin broke it to give the briefest glance over his shoulder. Jin Xiyan’s followed it, his eyes falling to where Qin Yuze and Song Rushen were. Qin Yuze’s cold stare brushed over his, only locking eyes for a moment, but enough for one of his long, slender white brows to twitch.
Was he a part of this? A chill seeped into his bones, so deep that he couldn’t feel the pain in his hands anymore. Turning his attention back to Wu Shanjin, Jin Xiyan’s tone matched the icy mood he was in.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked, twisting Wu Shanjin’s hands out to face the outstretched pot. The physician poured it immediately.
Wu Shanjin’s shriek was painful to the ear. More water splashed onto Jin Xiyan’s hands as they held Wu Shanjin’s wrists in place. The omega trashed and cried, sinking to his knees as tears joined the spilled water on the floor. The physician emptied the pot, and those nearest crowded to see Wu Shanjin’s hands.
Sure enough, amongst the red blistering skin was black, soot like marks that stretched across the fingers. Yanking them up higher, Jin Xiyan dragged Wu Shanjin and brandished their hands so all could see.
“Are you satisfied?!” he bellowed then let go of Wu Shanjin’s wrists. Wu Shanjin toppled back to the ground, only to cry out in pain as he tried to catch himself. He sank to his side and cradled his hands close to his chest.
But Jin Xiyan was not done with him yet. He kicked Wu Shanjin’s shoulder so he was flat on his back and stepped on one of his hands. Another sobbing cry came out from Wu Shanjin, which only made Jin Xiyan want to dig his heel in further. He remembered how Wu Shanjin treated him, thinking he was Li Changyu, and how Li Changyu’s jade tiger broke.
“Stop that!” Jin Qiuye’s voice rose up to a sharp octave.
Jin Xiyan did not move, “Not until he tells me why he wanted to poison the Seventh Prince!”
“IT WAS YOU!” Wu Shanjin screamed between sniveling whimpers. His eyes bore tears of pain, but in them was a vengeful glare set on Jin Xiyan. “That dish was for you, Your Highness!”
Jin Xiyan lifted his foot and stepped back, “…What?”
“You have been hogging His Majesty’s attention all this time!” Wu Shanjin squirmed, struggling to sit himself up. Instead, all he could do was prop himself up on his elbows. His hair had come undone now, clinging to his round, youthful face that was contorted in open rage. “That was to put you to sleep, and if it could be permanent, so what?!”
“Enough!” Li Changyu’s order stopped everything. One of his hands held his head and the other pointed as he gave more commands. “This party is over. Bring Xiao Hao back to his yard and make sure he is guarded carefully. Concubine Wu Shanjin is sentenced to death. Carry him out to the dungeon.” Li Changyu took an unsteady step forward, his eyes squinting.
Qin Yuze moved towards Li Changyu so fast that he was just a fluttering whirl of expensive fabric. He clung to Li Changyu’s nearest arm, coiling his limb around it.
“Your Majesty, you suffered such a scare. You need to take care of your health!”
Before Jin Xiyan had to say something, Li Changyu was looking at him and had a hand stretched out to him.
“Empress Li…”
Jin Xiyan went to him, and Li Changyu put that hand on his shoulder with a tight squeeze.
“You have been wronged,” Li Changyu said with a strained smile, then addressed Qin Yuze, “I will accompany the Empress back to the Phoenix Palace and ensure he receives proper care.”
But Qin Yuze did not look like he would back down. He put a hand on Li Changyu’s chest, “But Your Majesty, your headaches–”
Li Changyu gave another tight squeeze, prompting Jin Xiyan to firmly cut in. He physically did so, stepping in between Qin Yuze and Li Changyu to block him as Li Changyu pulled his arm out from Qin Yuze. Li Changyu placed that very same arm around Jin Xiyan.
“This Wife humbly thanks His Majesty for his care,” he said, though his eyes were solely on Qin Yuze as he spoke. “His Majesty is so kind and considerate.”
With that, they left the quietly fuming Qin Yuze in the Great Hall. Li Changyu dismissed his Father and Brother, muttering something about how alpha pheromones made his headache worse. It was he, Meimei, and the bun-haired scholar that escorted Li Changyu back to the Phoenix Palace. By the time they reached the moon gate, the more obvious it was that he had to help support Li Changyu’s weight.
Suddenly, Shen Pei appeared. She frowned when she saw them and went to help Li Changyu inside. They went to the main chamber, where Shen Pei fought with a fussy Li Changyu to get into the bed. In order to speak freely, Jin Xiyan ordered Meimei to fetch Bowen so they could prepare a bath. It was the next best thing he could think of to get rid of her while the physician worked on his hands.
“Physician – ah, I have forgotten your name – do you have a sedative?” Jin Xiyan bobbed his head in Li Changyu’s direction. “I am afraid he’s been–”
“Li Jiyu. Drugged, yes,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. He had wrapped Jin Xiyan’s hands in no time with a cool, viscous liquid in between the wrappings. “An aphrodisiac. A powerful one, I assume. It is thanks to Cousin’s self-discipline and Your Majesty’s constitution that he could hold out so long.”
“Not your Cousin!” Li Changyu slurred from the bed.
Jin Xiyan ignored it and looked at Shen Pei, telling her the events of what happened. Li Jiyu tended to Li Changyu now while Jin Xiyan got to the point that stuck out at him the most.
“Wu Shanjin could not have done this alone, and I think whoever had planned it set him up from the start.”
Shen Pei touched a thumb to her chin in thought, “So the poison was for the Prince all along?”
“Yes, and no.” Jin Xiyan shook his head. “He was targeted, because it would implicate Li Changyu. Wu Shanjin thought he was poisoning Li Changyu, but he is so much of an idiot that he could be manipulated this way.”
“If this complicates things any further, Your Majesty…” Li Jiyu came back to sit beside them, “My Brothers and I believe that grass was what was laced in the tea the night Your Majesty died.”
“The Soldier’s Grass? In my tea?”
“As it was said before…the grass would normally just make you relax. More than a cup, then you probably would fall asleep faster.”
Jin Xiyan took a moment to process this. His attention strayed to Li Changyu, on the bed and looking like he was asleep but in a fitful dream. His brow was knit together, fists clenched tight, but he did not look disturbed.
“If someone was to be drugged with an aphrodisiac, and then took the Soldier’s Grass…could that have any adverse interactions?” Jin Xiyan turned his head back to the Physician, waiting for his answer.
To his credit, Li Jiyu did not answer right away. He considered this possibility and all other probabilities into consideration. After he reached a conclusion, he nodded.
“It is possible. Without knowing all the ingredients in the aphrodisiac, or its subproperties, it could either enhance the grass’s effect, or…”
“…result in death?”
“Precisely, Your Majesty.”
“So it is possible that I was not meant to die that night, but just appear poisoned…” Jin Xiyan stood up as more of the plot unfolded before him, “and the evidence of the grass would be on the cup. This would have been the proof needed for Li Changyu to say he poisoned me and killed himself.”
Shen Pei frowned, “But why go through all that trouble?”
Because I still did not know who Li Changyu was to me, and if I woke up…Jin Xiyan was almost too ashamed to admit it, but he confessed. “I would have ordered the decimation of the Li Family.”
The truth sat heavy between them, while Li Changyu was fast asleep. Sighing, Jin Xiyan could only guess some more, “Without the Li’s, the Northern territories would be open for the taking, and a war would ensue with my best soldiers now gone.”
“So this enemy could be anyone,” Li Jiyu pointed out. “A foreign enemy, someone here who wants to depose you…or perhaps,” Li Jiyu jerked a thumb towards Li Changyu, “someone closer?”
That managed to get a little smile out of Jin Xiyan. He shook his head then looked back at Li Changyu. “I do not suspect the Li Family any longer, but it does not narrow our list of potential suspects.”
Except for Jin Xiyan who had a new face that was on top of that said list: Qin Yuze. He did not doubt that he drugged Li Changyu with the hopes of hypnotizing him. He could not stomach thinking about what else Qin Yuze had planned to do. If Li Changyu suffered a fraction of what he did under Qin Yuze’s assaults, Jin Xiyan would order his death immediately.
But, he couldn’t. As Wu Shanjin pointed out, he did not have the Empress’ Phoenix Seal. In order to overpower Qin Yuze, he would need the seal. And even if Qin Yuze was not the culprit pulling the strings behind everything, Jin Xiyan needed to secure a powerful foothold for Li Changyu. The next step was obvious…
He would have to speak to his Royal Grandmother.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
What a beautiful surprise!! I’m glad your back
Thank you dearest reader for your patience!
Ahhhh waiting for him to make things right!
He will! This author promises!
💃🏾💃🏾thanks for the chapter 😍
You are most welcome, and thank you for reading!
Wow we can finally see how JXY really is with memories . . He is actually a clever one not that stupid unreliable JXY that we know of.
Im surpised and excited seeing the new chapter! Thank you!
I promised you Jwel that our ML would be reliable!
I am now at ease. It seems that its time to hide the slippers im planning to throw at JXY 😆
This pearl is back! Thank you!
Thank YOU!
One evil down, 10000 more to go!
This harem is so evil, I hope they all get what they deserve in the end. Also my theory is that all of this is the first prince’s doing, he is way too suspicious.
Thank you so much for the chapter! I hope you are doing well!
I am glad you are reading, and developing theories! I am always curious to who are the suspects on my reader’s minds.
Haha Jin Xiyan can’t catch a break! The hair is wrong. His seat is humiliating. Proving his innocence hurts his hands. He doesn’t have authority in the harem. And now his wife is finally the one with the aphrodisiac but not only can he not play, Li Changyu is resisting about 600 times better than he did when he took the heat drugs himself 😂. So. Qin Yuze’s part in his lethal poisoning was probably accidental 😑. We should still check his hands every day, just to be safe. Hotter the better!
Hello Auntie!! I am glad you enjoyed this chapter, if anything to make fun of JXY. But has he been redeemed in your eyes?
He’s getting there. It helps to remember that his ability to make informed decisions had been taken from him for years. He did suffer like I hoped he would when he realized exactly how badly he’d been hurting Li Changyu. I almost wondered if his Emperor father had forbidden their marriage to protect Li Changyu from his idiot son 😄.
Lemme kill that bitch personally 😃
Author~ you’re so lovely and devious~ you wont miss one character being murdered by the reades right?~
You will be getting more of QYZ in the next chapter so prepare yourself!
Thank you.. glad u are back I thought u forgot us.. such a surprise I can’t wait to see QY die
Hello maai <3 one of my faithful readers. I am happy to be back too!