You Yuji’s eyes showed a look of surprise.
The master of the Poison Pavilion sneaked into the palace and burned down Yuanlong Hall?
“This is outrageous!” Emperor Chen was furious.
The ominous peach, Princess Huarong’s affair, and the completely clueless Crown Prince were already enough to displease Emperor Chen. Hearing the eunuch’s report made him even angrier, and he strode towards Yuanlong Hall.
“Your Majesty!” The chief eunuch tried to block him. “The Imperial Guards have surrounded the master of the Poison Pavilion and will surely capture him alive. It is too dangerous for Your Majesty to go personally!”
“Out of my way!” Emperor Chen kicked the chief eunuch aside and marched towards Yuanlong Hall.
Seeing the chief eunuch kicked to the ground, the Crown Prince, who initially wanted to persuade the Emperor, swallowed his words and, along with the other princes, followed the Emperor to Yuanlong Hall.
— If the Emperor went personally and they didn’t, wouldn’t that make them seem cowardly?
Thus, seeing their father go, the princes also had to follow.
“The master of the Poison Pavilion? Is he very scary? I heard his entire body is covered in poison. If he looks at someone, they could die from the poison…” Chen Lingyan shuddered.
Princess Huarong glanced at her and said disdainfully, “Don’t believe such nonsense!”
Princess Huarong strode ahead, heading towards Yuanlong Hall.
Others, too, were curious about the legendary master of the Poison Pavilion. They thought that since the Imperial Guards had surrounded him and even the Emperor was there, it should be safe. One by one, with their attendants, they followed.
After all, everyone knew of the master of the Poison Pavilion, but few had seen him. Today, with him captured by the Imperial Guards, they might never get another chance to see him…
“Let’s go!” Chen Lingyan looked at the dazed You Yuji. “What, are you scared?”
You Yuji snapped back to reality and hurried to catch up with Princess Jinnan.
Princess Jinnan didn’t initially want to join the commotion, but since the other princesses suggested going together, she decided to go. She looked at You Yuji and said, “If you’re not feeling well and don’t want to go, you can rest in the front hall.”
“I’ll accompany you, Princess.” You Yuji smiled faintly.
On their way to Yuanlong Hall, they saw the blazing inferno from afar. Even from a distance, they could feel the heat waves.
“Is that the master of the Poison Pavilion?” someone exclaimed.
Everyone looked in the direction pointed out.
You Yuji had already spotted the master of the Poison Pavilion.
— Flames engulfed Yuanlong Hall, and the master of the Poison Pavilion stood on the highest roof, walking leisurely across the tiles.
Many palace servants were pouring water to extinguish the fire, and numerous Imperial Guards surrounded the blazing Yuanlong Hall, encircling the master of the Poison Pavilion on the roof.
You Yuji stared in shock at the master of the Poison Pavilion on the roof, wondering what he was doing. Didn’t he care for his life? Even if he wasn’t afraid of being captured, wasn’t he afraid of the flames beneath him?
The Master of the Poison Pavilion, who had been wandering on the rooftop of Yuanlong Hall, suddenly stopped and looked over from afar.
You Yuji wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but she felt as though he had seen her. Was it an illusion? She was just a customer who bought medicine from him; he probably wouldn’t have any different feelings towards her. It must be an illusion, being so far away. She must have seen it wrong.
“Heavens! Is he a madman?” Chen Lingyan widened her eyes. “If someone wants to die, do they have to die so spectacularly?”
The commander of the Imperial Guards shouted, “I advise you to surrender immediately!”
A burst of hoarse laughter rang out above the sea of flames. The twisted, bizarre laughter spread far and wide, carried by the blazing fire, lingering in the air for a long time.
The female spectators who originally came to watch the commotion slowly turned pale, each showing signs of fear. Even the expressions on the faces of the men grew cautious.
Waves of heat rolled over their cheeks. You Yuji widened her eyes, staring at the person on the rooftop, growing increasingly anxious.
Emperor Chen squinted at the person above the sea of flames.
He had originally intended to capture this person alive and use him for his own purposes. But now, with such blatant provocation of the emperor’s authority, he could no longer allow this person to live. He said in a deep voice, “Release the arrows!”
You Yuji involuntarily took a step forward.
… Her fake death medicine.
Arrows flew all at once.
In an instant, dense arrows shot towards the sea of flames, covering the sky and darkening the heavens.
You Yuji involuntarily took another step forward. She widened her eyes, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the black figure above the sea of flames. She clearly saw that the person in black remained calm and composed even as the arrows flew towards him. With one hand behind his back, he looked in her direction.
Just as You Yuji’s heart tightened completely, she saw the black figure make a subtle movement, stepping on the glazed tile in front of him.
In an instant, thousands of green glazed tiles soared high.
The sky, darkened by the dense arrows, was instantly dyed green by the shining glazed tiles.
Exclamations rang out in You Yuji’s ears.
“Red fire, black arrows, green tiles…” Si Que’s face slowly revealed a smile under the mask. “Now for some blue.”
A huge blue smoke suddenly exploded on the rooftop of Yuanlong Hall. In an instant, everyone could see only this one blue color. Even the raging sea of flames was completely enveloped by the overwhelming blue smoke.
Si Que stood in the blue smoke, lightly sniffing its scent. He spoke slowly, “Sister, do these fireworks look good?”
He chuckled lowly, with a hint of mischief.
Unfortunately, it was too far for You Yuji to hear.
Blue smoke burst from the rooftop of Yuanlong Hall, slowly spreading around and quickly drifting towards the crowd.
“Guards! Protect His Majesty!” The Chief Eunuch’s sharp voice urgently called out.
Almost everyone covered their mouths and noses, fearing the mysterious blue smoke might be poisonous.
However, You Yuji still gazed in the direction of the rooftop of Yuanlong Hall. The thick smoke had long obscured her vision, and she could no longer see the person on the rooftop. She did not cover her mouth and nose; instead, she gently sniffed the smoke drifting before her.
She detected a faint scent of iris flowers.
While the blue smoke lingered for a long time, Si Que had already left Yuanlong Hall. He exited through the northwest gate, and the guards standing at attention at the gate had vacant eyes, as if they couldn’t see him at all.
Si Que left the palace and looked back towards Yuanlong Hall. Even from this distance, he could still see the sky over there covered with the eerie blue smoke.
He could have played a little longer, but stopping his medication had indeed taken a toll on his body.
“Sister, we’ll make do for now.” He took off his mask, wiping the blood from the corner of his lips with his fingertip.
Many events had transpired in the palace that day, and it was almost evening by the time You Yuji left the palace with the princess consort. As they reached the palace gates, You Yuji stood beside the carriage, letting the princess consort board first.
She glanced into the distance and saw Princess Huarong.
Princess Huarong didn’t wait to return to her residence; she began to severely punish Qi Mingcheng right at the palace gates. She sat in her carriage, ordering her subordinates to heavily flog Qi Mingcheng through the open window with a cold expression.
A strong man like Qi Mingcheng was bound hand and foot, curled up on the ground, while Princess Huarong’s men mercilessly whipped him.
Chen Lingyan saw this too and muttered, “Why provoke her of all people? It’s asking for trouble.”
After saying that, Chen Lingyan also boarded the carriage.
You Yuji called her maid Zhenxu over and gave her some quiet instructions before getting into the carriage herself.
The princess consort looked over, “What did you instruct your maid to do?”
Seeing the princess consort’s gaze, You Yuji’s heart tightened. She maintained her composure and softly explained, “So many things happened in the palace today, and I didn’t get to eat much. I wanted to get some pastries from Cuixiang Tower, so I sent her to buy some. The pastries from that place are quite good; I’ll have her bring some to you as well.”
The princess consort didn’t respond immediately. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, “I heard you went to Princess Huarong’s room after changing your clothes. I didn’t know you were acquainted with her.”
Chen Lingyan looked over curiously.
With a gentle smile, You Yuji softly said, “I intended to inform you after we returned to the residence. I invited Princess Huarong to visit our place. It’s like this…”
You Yuji paused, giving Chen Lingyan a smile before continuing, “I heard that Princess Huarong adopted a son from her husband’s cousin’s family after her own daughter passed away years ago. He’s now of age to discuss marriage, is well-mannered, and excels in both academics and martial arts.”
The princess consort was taken aback. Chen Lingyan was currently considering marriage prospects, and one of the candidates was this young gentleman from the Cui family. She looked at You Yuji again, smiling and nodding, “You are considerate.”
“With the princess consort not feeling well, it’s just my duty.” You Yuji replied warmly.
Chen Lingyan looked from one person to the other and asked, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
The Princess Consort of Jinnan ignored her daughter. She felt a bit annoyed, blaming herself for not raising her children properly. With her daughter behaving this way, she needed to be more thoughtful when finding her a husband.
Upon returning to the mansion, as soon as You Yuji stepped inside, Baisui leapt down from the rack at the door and landed on her shoulder. Startled, You Yuji turned to look at it, lovingly patted its head, and carried it in her arms as she walked inside.
She glanced towards the cleansing room and asked, “Is Princess Que in the cleansing room?”
“Yes,” Baohe replied, “The Princess went in to bathe not long ago.”
You Yuji nodded, gently put Baisui down, and turned to the side room to change her clothes. The elaborate palace attire she wore today was somewhat heavy and uncomfortable after wearing it for a long time.
After changing, she came out and saw that Si Que was still in the cleansing room. She took a medical book, sat by the window with Baisui in her lap, and began to read.
She had read about ten pages when Zhenxu hurriedly returned with pastries from Cuixiang Tower.
“How did it go?” You Yuji asked, her eyes still on the book.
“Dead. Beaten to death by Princess Huarong’s men and thrown into the mass grave!” Zhenxu recalled Qi Mingcheng’s death and patted her chest.
You Yuji finally looked up. She pondered for a moment and said, “Have Zhuo Wen send someone to confirm that he’s completely dead.”
Zhenxu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Madam. I’ve already sent someone. He’s definitely dead!”
Only then did You Yuji completely relax.
“Send some pastries to the Princess Consort,” she instructed.
Zhenxu nodded and quickly walked out.
You Yuji gently stroked Baisui’s neck, her eyes lost in thought, repeatedly pondering the events of the day.
From the moment she decided to kill Qi Mingcheng to the moment he breathed his last, exactly twenty-four hours had passed. The tight timeframe didn’t allow her much time to perfect her plan. She had to repeatedly recall if there were any flaws.
She had secretly tampered with the longevity peaches while the Jiangshan Map was thrown high to block everyone’s view. Although the peaches were now being examined by the palace servants, the substance she used was very similar to the ink used for the congratulatory words on the peaches. Even if someone discovered the tampering, it would be difficult to suspect her, given that she had been performing under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The accusation that Qi Mingcheng intentionally humiliated Princess Huarong was now baseless with his death.
Qi Mingcheng’s past arrogance had offended many courtiers. Even if someone suspected foul play, they wouldn’t suspect her.
Moreover, the Emperor wanted Qi Mingcheng dead.
So no one would investigate thoroughly.
You Yuji put down the medical book and glanced towards the cleansing room, frowning slightly—why was Ah Que taking so long in there?
She set Baisui down and stood up, heading to the cleansing room.
Inside the steamy cleansing room, Si Que sat in the water, his eyelashes lowered, asleep.
You Yuji gently placed her hand on his cold, damp cheek, looking at his delicate features, feeling a surge of pity. Since he didn’t have long to live, she would do everything she could to protect him.
