Li Jun and Ryuusei were escorted inside the palace, and both stood in front of the large throne of the emperor. It was made of wood that was magnificently carved in detailed patterns and covered with real gold. The pillars surrounding the throne were red, representing the Han dynasty.
"Imperial majesty."
Both of them kneeled down on their knees and bent their forehead to touch the ground with two arms bent in front of them. The kowtow was an act for showing deep respect in ancient China, and everyone had to do it when facing the emperor.
"Lift your head."
They stood up simultaneously, head facing the ground, as they used their fist's right hand to cover their left hand. Then, they bent their arms in front of them and bowed down. They kept their heads down and their bowing pose as the emperor spoke,
"I have the deepest gratitude for saving my son's life." Han Ling's voice was deep and powerful, but Li Jun couldn't see his expression at the moment. He doubted that the emperor actually cared about Liu Xing.
He continued, "Elaborate to me: what exactly caused the poisoning?"
Slightly lifting his head up, Li Jun started talking in a low and respectful voice, "I believe it was the Sorghum, sir. Prince Xing showed signs of cyanogenic glycosides poisoning, and under-processed sorghums can accumulate cyanide, hence have the potential to poison the consumer."
The emperor lifted his eyebrows, "I was also served the sorghum, how am I fine?"
"Only prince Xing's dish was raw, and some crops are more poisonous than others."
Emperor Han Ling frowned, "The dishes served here are heavily monitored, and I doubt the cook would make such a mistake. Unless…"
…It was intentional. Someone wanted to poison Liu Xing.
He put his right hand on his forehead and leaned back on his throne. After Jun finished talking, he bowed his head and went back to normal position.
"I have to admit, I somewhat expected this. Many of our soldiers were assassinated in the past few months; however, we couldn't yet catch the culprit."
He continued with an intimidating voice, "I shall appoint you, along with General Officer Ryuusei, to investigate this case. You have my permission to enter wherever required. You better not waste my time."
Such that, they both were escorted out of the main palace, and to the door of the vast city of the outer court.
"I think he was threatening us…" Ryuusei whispered.
Li Jun nodded, "definitely. We better finish this fast."
"But the courts are so big! How are we supposed to know where the assassin is?"
Jun turned to one of the soldiers that was escorting them. He was there during the conversation, so he assumed that the emperor trusted him. "Mister, do you know where and how the other soldiers were killed?"
He paused, trying to think, then said, "I remember one died in the medical room when he got injured, and another eunuch was pushed into the cold lake during winter and drowned, both of which happened in the inner court."
"How did a soldier die in the inner court's medical room? I thought only females and eunuchs were permitted to enter that place." Ryuusei questioned.
"That is the strange part. Court ladies stated that they didn't witness the soldier walking in at all, and they had only seen him dead in the medical room."
Li Jun looked at Ryuusei and said, "At least we know that the culprit probably lives in the inner court. Let's head there."
"Aye aye!"
.
.
"A man?"
"Is that a new eunuch?"
"With that beauty, maybe she's a new consort!"
"He looks more like a man to me…"
Whispers emerged as all the gazes were focused on Li Jun and Ryuusei once they entered the inner court. It was unusual, no, really rare to see actual men entering the inner court because only the emperor, his family, and womens were permitted to enter.
Nevertheless, the scenery inside the court was really fresh and peaceful with lushful trees and flowers growing along the path. It was hard to doubt that so many people were assassinated here.
Although he knew they were mostly talking about Ryuusei, it still made Jun extremely uncomfortable. "Are we almost there yet?" He turned towards the soldier that was accompanying them.
He nodded and pointed to a small building, "That is the medical room."
From just opening the door, strong Chinese Herb smell flooded into their faces. The scent was slightly bitter, yet refreshing and helped their heads to calm down.
"Huh, there is no one here? No doctors or apothecaries?" Li Jun questioned the tall soldier next to him who shook his head in response,
"The inner court's medical room doesn't have an apothecary; they are stationed at the outer court. If the injury is not an emergency, court ladies and eunuchs use this room to heal themselves." He explained.
Li Jun walked around the room surrounded with wooden shelves. Different types of herbs and medicines were organized neatly on top of the shelves. He couldn't help but pause and examine all the different plant species he had never seen before.
"Wow, is that actually Lingzhi mushroom?! I've always wanted those but they're so expensive…Are those dried seahorses?! What do they even use them for? I need to read more into this…"
"Ahem."
Jun didn't realize that he rambled, and regained his consciousness after the soldier reminded him. He wanted to take those medicines home so badly.
"Anyways, let's think of a plan." Li Jun faced Ryuusei who attentively listened to him, "Based on the information I gathered, I hypothesize that the culprit would offer the injured soldier some medical help, and then assassinate them in this closed room."
"Why do you think that?"
He elaborated, "Why? Because why else would an injured man use the medical room in the inner court instead of the outer one with an apothecary? Someone must've accompanied the men in here and assassinated him. I don't have a lot of proof, but it's most likely based on what we know."
"Fair enough. So, what should we do?" Ryuusei lifted one of his eyebrows as he relied on Li Jun. He sighed and tried to think.
"Hm…"
As Ryuusei had an idea, his face lit up, "Ah! How about I pretend to be injured and see what happens? That way, the culprit might show up and attempt to kill me." He explained to Li Jun.
"That is… pretty smart." Although he hated complimenting other people, this was a fairly decent idea.
Afterwards, Li Jun and Ryuusei thought out their plans and walked to the outside door of the inner palace. Jun was carrying the tall man on his back, screaming for help. "A General Officer is poisoned! HELP HIM!!!!"
"That was the most halfhearted acting ever, Jun." Ryuusei, on his back, whispered.
"Shut up, Ryuusei. You're supposed to be injured right now." He whispered back in a slightly scolding tone. The soldier that came with them was just witnessing from further away.
Suddenly, they clear soft and delicate footsteps coming from behind them. Following the sound was a rumble of a few more steps. Li Jun could smell the sweet perfume from afar, and turned his back to see a beautiful lady with dark hair. Her Hanfu was significantly more flashy and meticulous than other ladies.
"Did I hear that someone was poisoned?" An angelic voice came out of her mouth as she asked pitifully, looking at Ryuusei as if he was a sick bunny.
"H-He was poisoned, my lady…" Li Jun didn't drop the act and pretended to be surprised.
The lady, who seemed to be in her late 20s, walked closer to examine his conditions and said while smiling, "How about I help him in the medical room?"