Tianyuan was startled into a shiver. It was an open secret throughout the court that the Crown Prince was not destined for a long life.
These princes had long been anticipating the Crown Prince's demise to contend for the Eastern Palace and the empire, and now there was an additional contender—the Junzhu.
"The mere thought of someone harboring such intentions..." Xiao Huayong's eyes, usually veiled in brilliance, suddenly darkened with gloom, "...makes me want... to eliminate every last one of them."
A chill ran down Tianyuan's spine. He knew full well that His Highness was not jesting. Hastily, he said, "Your Highness, you must trust the Junzhu. She is certainly not that kind of person."
In truth, not only was the Junzhu not that kind of person, she hadn't even wanted to marry in the first place. If possible, she would likely have preferred to remain with the Northwest King and his heir in solitary widowhood. If she were to become a widow, it would probably be for life.
Xiao Huayong's expression eased slightly, but he remained silent, leaving no one to guess his thoughts.
The competition grounds were bustling with excitement. At this moment, Yangling Princess had just emerged from the palace, her face grim. Her mind was filled with the words she had just overheard. She had done nothing improper; her entanglement with Munuha was entirely due to Shen Xihe's schemes.
She had become pregnant for no reason, forced by His Majesty to abort the child. Yet, she had missed her monthly cycle for a month, and after taking the medicine, she had indeed bled. She had been pondering where things had gone wrong all this time, and only now did she realize she might have fallen victim to Shen Xihe's machinations once again.
Shen Xihe's goal was to ensure she could never escape her control. If Munuha learned of this, he would surely claim she had orchestrated it that day. He might refuse to marry her, and since everyone who needed to know about her affair with Munuha already did, whom could she marry if not him?
Men of low status would be unable to protect her—after all, Shen Xihe had even killed Liang Zhaorong!
She must find evidence of Shen Xihe's treachery and expose her before His Majesty. That was her only path to survival!
She cornered the doctor who had misdiagnosed her and extracted from him where such medicine could be purchased. She wanted to send someone to obtain it but feared her attendants might have been bribed by Shen Xihe—especially since her previous incident with Munuha had occurred precisely because Shen Xihe had corrupted one of her maids.
That maid had already taken her own life, leaving her with no recourse. She had sent someone to investigate the maid's origins and discovered her family had encountered trouble. Shen Xihe had given her a choice: one life in exchange for another.
With this precedent, she dared not assign anyone the task. As for whether the doctor was deceiving her, she didn't believe he would dare—she had caught him in his misdiagnosis! If he dared lie to her, she would present the evidence to His Majesty. With his life at stake, the doctor would never dare mislead her.
But Yangling Princess never imagined that this trip out of the palace would be one from which she could never return.
She had just entered the clinic Shen Xihe had arranged when, not long after, Munuha also stepped inside.
Forced to participate in the competition, Munuha was in a foul mood, aggravated by the incessant chatter of his retinue. He couldn't let them discover his condition, or they would abandon him—a prince incapable of producing an heir had no right to contend for the throne.
Ordering everyone to stay behind, Munuha wandered the streets alone, trying to recall when he had been ambushed and who had used such underhanded tactics against him. It was then that he overheard a wandering doctor murmuring to someone.It turned out to be another vendor selling aphrodisiacs. Just as he was about to walk away, he overheard a customer discreetly asking if there was any medicine that could make an impotent man stand tall again.
The itinerant doctor then teased him with a few mocking remarks before shamelessly demanding an exorbitant sum of money. Only then did he mysteriously lead the customer in a certain direction. Munuha, as if guided by some unseen force, followed them and witnessed them entering a clinic.
After hesitating for a moment, Munuha also entered the clinic. When the doctor inquired about his needs, he found himself too embarrassed to speak. The doctor, assuming he didn’t understand the Han language, offered to find an interpreter and asked him to wait. Munuha stopped him, not wanting the matter to draw attention.
The two stood in a stalemate, and the doctor, suspecting Munuha was there to cause trouble, was about to throw him out when the man who had entered earlier with the itinerant doctor emerged, beaming with joy and clutching his medicine. Munuha immediately pointed and said, “I want the same medicine as him.”
The doctor’s face lit up with sudden understanding, his gaze drifting downward for a moment. Before Munuha could react with anger, the doctor politely ushered him inside, saying, “Please come in for a consultation, sir. Medicine cannot be prescribed carelessly. Even with the same symptoms, the underlying cause may differ.”
Munuha followed him into the room. The doctor asked him to wait briefly while he fetched a specialist in this particular ailment.
Sitting in the bedroom, Munuha noticed the fragrant smoke curling from an incense burner nearby. His mind was wholly occupied with the hope of a cure, and he even found the scent unusually sweet and pleasant. He couldn’t resist taking a deep breath.
Soon, he began to feel weak all over. Realizing he had been tricked again, he immediately stood up, fumbled for the whistle on his person, but his hand drooped weakly before he could bring it to his lips. He collapsed to the ground.
Before losing consciousness, it dawned on him that both times he had been ambushed, it was because of incense...
“The princess said the effects of this incense won’t last long. We need to force some knockout drug down his throat,” Mo Yuan instructed. Following his orders, the doctor administered the prepared knockout drug to Munuha.
“Rest assured, General. The dosage is slightly higher than usual. He should remain unconscious for about half an hour,” the doctor reported after administering the drug.
“Proceed as the princess instructed,” Mo Yuan nodded. He then hoisted Munuha over his shoulder and, upon receiving the all-clear signal from the guard at the back door, swiftly exited through the rear. Another person followed closely behind, carrying Yangling Princess.
As the polo match neared its end, someone rushed over with a pale face and whispered something into Liu Sanzhi’s ear. Liu Sanzhi’s expression turned grave, and he cautiously approached the Youning Emperor. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor’s face darkened, and he abruptly stood up.
At that moment, on the field, Wang Erlang was repeatedly jostled into a position directly facing Xiao Huayong. The Youning Emperor’s sudden rise drew everyone’s attention, and his grim expression brought the match to a halt.
As if someone hadn’t noticed, the ball was passed directly to Wang Erlang. Reacting instinctively, Wang Erlang swung his mallet, sending the ball flying straight toward Xiao Huayong. The crowd gasped in alarm.
The Youning Emperor, who had been about to leave, turned back, his gaze icy. Shen Xihe also rose to her feet involuntarily.
Just as the ball was about to hit Xiao Huayong in the face, Tianyuan struck it away with his palm. Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the shattered ball released a cloud of white powder that scattered across Xiao Huayong’s face. He immediately fainted.
“He’s fainted again…” Shen Xihe remarked expressionlessly.She suddenly realized that Xiao Huayong's dizziness was exactly like what she experienced each time she used incense—it never boded well and surely meant he was scheming against someone.
Her gaze followed the direction of the ball and saw someone tumble down from their horse with a thud.
Finding the person somewhat unfamiliar, she asked Zhenzhu, "Who is this?"
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