The hour was late today, and with the Supreme Emperor's coffin having just departed, it would be inappropriate to engage in boisterous polo games for amusement. After consulting with a few trusted ministers, the Son of Heaven decided to hold the polo match the following day, selecting a suitable location that would neither cause too much disturbance nor prevent the various tribal chieftains and foreign envoys who wished to attend from entering.
The yellow dappled horse chosen by Zun Wang was taken along with him to the Sifang Hall outside the Secretariat, where both were detained under guard. "To prevent you from insisting the horse was swapped again," the official in charge remarked as one led the horse and another the Tuyuhun youth southward. Li Yuangui still had some doubts and wanted to question Zun Wang, but as he moved to follow, he suddenly heard a call from behind.
It was Yang Xinzhi and his mother, along with Wei Shufen, who had been standing beside them. They were now surrounded by several officials engaged in a heated discussion, with Yang Xinzhi's loud voice shouting, "Fourteenth Young Master!" Li Yuangui hurried over and asked, "What's going on?" His gaze inadvertently fell on Wei Shufen first, and when their eyes met, both quickly looked away.
"The wine vessel used by that Tuyuhun assassin to poison His Majesty," one official pointed at Wei Shufen, "this young lady from the inner court took it and refuses to hand it over to us. This won't do! Endangering the state is one of the Ten Unforgivable Crimes—this case is of grave importance, not to be treated lightly! We ask Prince Wu to intervene."
The three officials who had gathered wore ceremonial hats and robes, and though Li Yuangui couldn't recall their names, he vaguely remembered them as functionaries from the Palace Service Department, the Court of Judicial Review, or the Ministry of Justice. Wei Shufen had taken the poisoned wine vessel used by Zun Wang and refused to surrender it? Puzzled, he turned to the eldest daughter of Chancellor Wei.
Wei Shufen didn't deny it. Instead, she carefully handed Li Yuangui a silk-wrapped bundle—covered with her own shawl—and said, "Prince Wu, please take a look."
Her tone was cold and distant, and Li Yuangui felt a pang of sadness but could do nothing about it. Unwrapping the layers of cloth, he revealed a long-spouted, slender-necked, wide-bellied gilded wine ewer with intricate engravings resting in his palm.
This wine vessel... looked all too familiar.
The golden ewer's surface was finely textured, its engravings smooth and flowing, depicting a mythical beast with a dragon's head and a horse's body galloping through clouds, its posture spirited and lifelike. Li Yuangui removed the lid and peered inside. Some wine remained, and the interior was divided into two separate chambers by a thin copper plate, ensuring the liquids never mixed.
Instinctively, Li Yuangui examined the dragon-shaped handle and easily found two small holes beneath the scales on its neck. When Zun Wang had poured the wine earlier, he had covered one hole with his thumb, releasing ordinary wine from one chamber for the poison-tester to drink without issue. When serving the Son of Heaven, he covered the other hole, releasing the poisoned wine from the second chamber—a trick no outsider could detect. With such a complex and precise vessel at his disposal, he must have felt confident in executing his plan.
The investigating officials crowded around to see. Li Yuangui demonstrated how the poisoned ewer worked, and they gasped in astonishment, cursing the "treacherous Tuyuhun villain" for his cunning and madness. Suddenly recalling something, Li Yuangui tilted the ewer to examine the engravings on its base.
"Your Highness!" A hand reached out to steady the ewer. "Be careful not to spill the poisoned wine inside! This is crucial evidence!"
The grip was surprisingly strong, almost as if trying to wrest the ewer away. Li Yuangui looked at the man, recognizing him as an official from the Court of Judicial Review, and frowned as he asked—"Evidence? What more evidence is needed? The former Crown Prince of Tuyuhun publicly attempted to assassinate the Holy Sovereign, witnessed by all, and he himself confessed to the crime. Does this case even require a trial?"
"While that may be the case, Prince Wu, you must be aware of Judge Sun's temperament," the man said with a wry smile. "Whether it makes sense, whether it aligns with the emperor's will, or whether a trial is necessary—once a verdict is recorded, it must be backed by both confessions and material evidence, ensuring no injustice upon review. Since the Tuyuhun traitors attempted to poison the Son of Heaven, the poisoned wine must be brought back to the Supreme Court as evidence, examined by the coroner, and then sealed for storage... Please, Your Highness, do not make this difficult for your humble official."
As he spoke, he tightened his grip, attempting to wrest the item away. Li Yuangui naturally refused to let go, but the man's strength was considerable, and the two remained locked in a stalemate. Suddenly, a massive hand descended like a palm leaf, seizing the neck of the pot and effortlessly pulling it toward Li Yuangui.
"Cease this insolence!"
It was Yang Xinzhi who intervened, his enormous eyes glaring furiously at the Supreme Court official, his tone and demeanor still carrying the habitual authority of Prince Wu's household steward. Li Yuangui was momentarily amused but then felt a pang of sorrow.
"Listen, esteemed official," Wei Shufen interjected from the side, "your intention to take the poisoned wine back to the Supreme Court as evidence is impossible."
What did she mean? All the men present turned to look at her. The eldest daughter of Chancellor Wei flushed slightly as she removed the lid from the golden pot in Li Yuangui's hands, turned it over, and gestured to him: "Prince Wu, pour some of the poisoned wine for me."
Her slender fingers, delicate as spring onions, cradled the lid like a blooming flower...
Li Yuangui steadied himself and examined the pot carefully before pouring a small amount of the dark green liquid from one of the inner chambers into the lid Wei Shufen held. The liquid looked terrifying, bubbling ominously—anyone would assume it was poisoned.
Wei Shufen lowered her head, watching as Li Yuangui poured the wine for her. Then she raised her long lashes, giving him a sorrowful smile, and lifted the lid to her lips, swallowing the green liquid in one gulp.
"A-Fen!"
Cries of alarm erupted around them. Li Yuangui's mind went blank as he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the slender girl, his only thought being, "I won't live without her."
To his surprise, Wei Shufen pushed against his chest with both arms, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. "What are you doing... I told you, this isn't poisoned wine!"
Not... poisoned wine?
"This is the Emerald Algae Nitrate Solution we women use in spring for Almond Spot Ringworm. Elder Sister Ying... the High Truth Master developed this new formula over the past two years. It looks frightening, but it's actually harmless—soothing and even whitens the skin. I've used it often this year and recognized the scent as soon as I held the pot. Who would have thought someone would use it to fake poisoned wine..."
Fake poisoned wine... Of course, Li Yuangui realized.
Kang Su-mi and Li Chengqian, despite their meticulous planning to ensure nothing went wrong, would never take the risk of having an enemy assassin approach the Son of Tang with actual poisoned wine. Whether successful or not, the act itself was a grave crime. Kang Su-mi, that cunning old fox, would never expose himself to such danger. So even the wine in King Zun's pot was fake—after all, King Zun wouldn't taste it himself to test it...
"How did the cosmetic formula used by Yingniang and you end up in Kang Su-mi's hands?" he asked Wei Shufen. The girl thought for a moment..."That's right. Back in early spring at the vegetable garden north of the Wei River... the foreign girl Fen Dui from your household had an unbearable itch from rashes. I told her this remedy, and she must have remembered it and passed it on to her old companions at the Office of the Protectorate General..."
Wei Shufen was already blushing, but when she mentioned "the vegetable garden north of the Wei River in early spring," her gaze flickered away shyly. Li Yuangui also recalled the days they had spent together there, his face warming with a bittersweet ache in his heart.
"Even if it's not poisoned wine, this Golden Pot is—"
"This Golden Pot is now in my custody!" Li Yuangui cut off the official from the Supreme Court. "By the special decree of the Son of Heaven, I am investigating two secret cases, and this Golden Pot is crucial evidence. If Judge Sun Dali wishes to examine it, tell him to come to me directly."
The moment he uttered the word "We" (used by royalty), Li Yuangui suddenly felt that his status as the Son of Heaven's younger brother had finally proven useful for once... Though it wasn't good for much else, it worked well enough for intimidating mid-to-low-ranking officials. The officer glared at him indignantly for a moment but ultimately yielded, though he insisted that "Your Highness must sign a receipt for this humble official to report back to the office." Fortunately, they were close to the outer offices of the Secretariat, so borrowing paper and ink to write the receipt wasn't too troublesome.
Amidst this commotion, another stir arose from Yang Xinzhi's side. His birth mother, Princess Dehua of Sui, had been standing quietly for so long that she finally collapsed from exhaustion, fainting on the spot. Yang Xinzhi and Wei Shufen hurried to support her, calling for help and a sedan chair. In the chaos, Li Yuangui only had time to hastily instruct Wei Shufen—though he wasn’t sure if she heard him clearly:
"Return to the Purple Void Monastery... Find that box, find that pot!"
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