With a deep breath, Zi Yin shook his head, banishing the unsettling conjectures from his mind. He couldn't allow himself to succumb to paranoia and baseless accusations. He needed concrete evidence before casting such serious aspersions on Gong Yijun's character. The Emperor was his friend. His only friend. Zi Yin wouldn't let an illusion and Zhan Sheng drive we wedge between them. It was more than likely just Chen Shu, a demon masked in human form. That had to be it and nothing more.
Then next day Zi Yin was determined to see Zhan Sheng. They had to talk and he knew that it couldn't wait anymore. His servants gathered around him as he strode through the palace corridors, his expression carefully impassive. However, just as he rounded the corner, his ears caught snippets of gossip that floated through the air.
"Did you hear? Zi Yin, with his hands chained and surrounded by guards, somehow managed to poison the Devil Venerable!"
