Unmindful of the man behind him, ShangGuanCY reached the doorway to MuJinling's elegant room and kicked it open.
Hearing the noise, ChengSangMo and MuJinling inside both looked up to see the door flying off its hinges and an irate ShangGuanCY storming in.
"ShangGuanCY, why such an early visit today?" MuJinling spoke first, trying to calm the situation.
ShangGuanCY then noticed ChengSangMo in the room and sneered, "MoLan Prince, looking well, aren't you?"
ChengSangMo, expressionless, took his time before responding, "Why such fury this early in the day, Prince of ChengSangJY?"
Ever since a certain incident, ChengSangMo had been openly antagonistic towards ChengSangJY, often insulting him in public. Naturally, ShangGuanCY didn't get along with him and retorted sarcastically, "MoLan Prince seems to be in good spirits, still frequenting brothels despite your frail health. Must be challenging, isn't it?"
ChengSangMo simply smiled wryly, looking down before responding, "No need for ChengSangJY's Prince to worry about my health."
Their snide exchange frustrated MuJinling, who leaned back, rubbing his forehead, resigned to watching the drama unfold.
"I think the Prince would do well to spend more time recuperating at home," ShangGuanCY shot back.
ChengSangMo just tapped on the table, sipped the tea before him, and sighed, "You're right, I should be going. I won't disturb your reunion then," and he got up to leave.
ShangGuanCY watched ChengSangMo exit before turning his anger towards MuJinling, who was still playing with his pipe, oblivious to ShangGuanCY's glare. Suddenly, ShangGuanCY grabbed MuJinling by the collar and dragged him from the main hall to a back room, slamming him against the wall.
"MuJinXB, have you lost your mind? Testing him with poisoned arrows. What if it had hurt JY?" ShangGuanCY's voice was low, almost like a growl.
Unperturbed, MuJinling looked up at ShangGuanCY and responded softly, "The whole act must be convincing. Didn't you ask me to test him? Are you dissatisfied?"
ShangGuanCY then pushed MuJinling away, stepping back with a headache and challenged, "How could you be so sure he would arrive in time to save JY?"
"It wasn't certain, but he still made it, didn't he?" MuJinling replied nonchalantly.
"You! If he hadn't arrived on time, it would be JY lying injured now. Did you consider that?" ShangGuanCY accused bitterly.
MuJinling straightened his collar, walking back to the main hall to retrieve his dropped pipe, playing with it as he spoke, "Of course, I considered that. But he claims to be a physician. Wouldn't it be strange if he couldn't handle a simple Golden Scorpion poison? Besides, you wanted to know if he posed a danger to JY. If JY had been poisoned and he didn't help, that would make him even more suspicious."
Though ShangGuanCY found logic in his words, he was still upset about risking ChengSangJY's life, warning, "You had planned for the possibility of JY getting hurt in your test! I don't care what you plan against the Xiao family, but I warn you, do not harm JY in any way, or forget our past camaraderie—I won't be lenient!"
MuJinling simply smiled, patting ShangGuanCY reassuringly on the chest, "Relax, relax! I wouldn't dare harm your precious royal brother, not in a hundred years."
ShangGuanCY finally calmed down enough to sit, but when he picked up the teacup, realizing ChengSangMo might have used it, he set it aside with distaste.
MuJinling quickly got a fresh cup, filled it, and handed it over with a placating tone, "Alright, ShangGuanCY, let's put this matter to rest. I'll inform you in advance of any plans next time. My apologies for this oversight, how about I make it up to you?"
ShangGuanCY grudgingly accepted the tea, warning, "Don't let it happen again."
MuJinling then leaned closer, smiling more warmly, "And the Emperor, how will you explain this incident to him?"
ShangGuanCY indeed knew MuJinling too well. He understood that if MuJinling had a plan, it would be thorough. He stared at him without uttering a word.
"I've said it before, we need to play this out completely. Fifty miles north of the city, there's an inn called LaiYou. Officially, it's an inn, but in reality, it's a covert unit under Empress Xiao, specialized in gathering intelligence from the capital. I've already set everything up for you, from the evidence to the capture. You just need to send MuChuan and his team to take care of it. The previous incidents with the poisoned salt and the attempted assassination of the young prince were all their doing, orchestrated by a group from the North, the MoLan prince's assassins, and General Lin has already dealt with them!" MuJinling said confidently, pointing his finger decisively.
Listening to MuJinling's arrangement, ShangGuanCY couldn't help but chuckle, "You certainly know how to kill two birds with one stone. Have you calculated that Empress Xiao won't thoroughly investigate this?"
"For years, the Xiao family has nurtured various powers in secret. The Emperor must be aware of it. The number of covert operatives outside the capital is not large, mostly under the control of the Moon Pavilion. The closest covert unit to the palace is within this inn. If we can use this incident to dismantle their covert guards in the city, whether it's true or not, the Emperor will hope it's true." MuJinling smiled confidently.
MuJinling's calculations were indeed correct. After hearing the details, ShangGuanKing only warned ShangGuanJY to be extra cautious in the future and rewarded LiLuoning for his service, then called it a day.
A few days later, outside the Imperial Study, ShangGuanJY was about to greet his father when he ran into ShangGuanMo, who had just come out of the study. The two walked towards each other, with ShangGuanJY lowering his head, not daring to meet ShangGuanMo's gaze.
ShangGuanMo walked up to JY, deliberately stopped, glanced at the Crown Prince beside him, and said, "Little JY, you've become quite aloof. Ever since becoming the Crown Prince, you don't even greet me when we meet?"
"Mo... Mo ge, Your Highness." ShangGuanJY just called out softly, keeping his head down.
"The title of 'Brother' suits you better, Crown Prince. I cannot bear to be called 'brother' by you. After all, everyone in the court believes that the attempt on the Crown Prince's life outside the palace was carried out by my people." ShangGuanMo leaned in close to the bowed head of ShangGuanJY, emphasizing the last few words.
As it turned out, the Emperor summoned him to the palace early that day to inquire about the attempt on the Crown Prince's life, testing how much he knew about it.
Although ShangGuanMo grew up in the capital, anything related to the Northern MoLan was always associated with him, simply because his birth mother was a MoLan princess, and he carried the blood of the North in him.
Because of an incident years ago, ShangGuanJY always felt deeply guilty when facing ShangGuanMo. After all, everyone said it was his mother who caused ShangGuanMo, who could have galloped on horseback, to now wheeze and cough even after a few steps. ShangGuanMo's resentment towards him was only natural.
"I... "
ShangGuanJY's eyes reddened with some grievances. After all, ShangGuanMo used to be the closest person to him. Now, he might be the person in the palace who detests him the most. Every time he thought about it, it felt like a stab in his heart.
Ignoring the aggrieved ShangGuanJY beside him, ShangGuanMo gave a disdainful snort and left without even looking back. He left ShangGuanJY standing there, trying hard to suppress the feelings of injustice in his heart.
And all of this was observed by a eunuch from the palace not far away, and soon the information reached Empress Xiao's ears.
"Does the Emperor suspect ShangGuanMo?" Empress Xiao muttered to herself, listening to the report from the eunuch.
Although the Crown Prince was unharmed in the assassination attempt this time, Empress Xiao indeed lost an elite covert guard. On the surface, the Emperor's suspicion of ShangGuanMo due to this incident might have shaken his position in the Emperor's heart. But in reality, it was a huge loss for the Xiao family.
The Xiao family had built up this covert guard inn in the capital for many years, so how could it be easily destroyed by the mistakes of ShangGuanCY and LinMuChuan? Was it a coincidence, or was it intentionally done? If ShangGuanMo didn't do this, then who else could have easily discovered the location of their covert operatives?
"Give this to the purchasing eunuch and tell him to leave the palace immediately to handle it." Empress Xiao pointed to a letter on the table and ordered.
In the Imperial Study, ShangGuanJY presented the incense sachet he obtained from the Jingyuan Temple to the Emperor.
"JY, this trip to Jingyuan Temple was indeed uneventful. You must be more careful in the future. I've appointed LinMuChuan to select personal guards for you. From now on, whenever you leave the palace, they must accompany you, understood?" ShangGuanKing advised with emphasis.
"Father doesn't blame me?" ShangGuanJY was somewhat surprised that not only was he not forbidden to leave the palace because of this incident, but he was also assigned guards.
"What fault is there for you, my child?" ShangGuanKing responded as he read through the reports.
Upon hearing that he was not prohibited from leaving the palace due to this incident, ShangGuanJY was actually quite happy in his heart. He then said, "The blessing sachet from Jingyuan Temple is indeed effective. As the Emperor, you should not be disturbed by evil spirits. The abbot instructed me to hang this sachet in your quarters to ensure your well-being." ShangGuanJY said respectfully.
ShangGuanKing, seemingly indifferent, suddenly asked, "Was this trip to Jingyuan Temple Mr. Li's idea?"
"No, this trip to Jingyuan Temple would have resulted in my demise if it weren't for Mr. Li's selfless rescue."
"Hmm, I see. JY, you were also frightened on this journey. I've prepared your favorite peach pastries for you, and your mother has arranged for you to rest for three days. Take good care of yourself."
"Thank you, Father."
After ShangGuanJY left, ShangGuanKing's expression suddenly became serious. He pondered for a long time with his head down, then called a nearby eunuch and quietly ordered, "Summon LiLuoning to the
palace."
When LiLuoning arrived at the Imperial Study, it was already dusk, and occasionally one could see palace maids and eunuchs passing by with lanterns.
Guided all the way to the door of the Imperial Study, LiLuoning was instructed by a young eunuch to wait for a moment while he went to report.
Waiting outside the door, LiLuoning looked around and made sure there was no one nearby. Then he used his fingers to perform a subtle gesture, drawing a pattern in the air.
Opening his eyes again, everything in LiLuoning's eyes was only black, white, and gray.
Looking at the surroundings of the Imperial Study, LiLuoning thought to himself, "Evil spirits come in various forms and attach themselves to different places. But the only possibility for an evil spirit to constantly haunt a place is if the bones of an unjustly killed person are buried nearby. Although the voice seems to be coming from near the Imperial Study, the building is guarded by spirits, and ordinary evil spirits cannot easily enter. However, if the bones are buried nearby along with the belongings of the person seeking revenge, only that person will be able to hear and see the evil spirit."
Just then, the young eunuch called him inside.
In the Imperial Study, Chengsang Beikun looked at Li Luoning in front of him, after sizing him up, he asked, "Mr. Li not only understands the art of medicine but also gained entry under Sima Jijiu's tutelage. Your profound knowledge is beyond doubt. But I wonder, where did you acquire this medical knowledge?"
Li Luoning responded, "Your Majesty, I am but a humble person with shallow knowledge. What little I know is probably not even half of what Mr. Sima knows. My understanding of medicine is merely some methods learned from wandering folk healers, hardly worth mentioning."
"Wandering folk healers? I've heard that the ancestors of physicians were almost all folk healers before they became doctors. So, do you also know about folk healing?" Chengsang Beikun asked.
"I do not know folk healing, Your Majesty, but I do have some knowledge of the mysteries of Yin and Yang. I presume Your Majesty summoned me here late at night because of the nightmares mentioned by His Highness the Crown Prince," Li Luoning replied.
Chengsang Beikun naturally understood Li Luoning's implication and asked, "Oh? So, from your perspective, what caused my recent nightmares?"
Only then did Li Luoning look up, surveying the room. In his eyes, everything around him was in black, white, and gray, except for a strange red glow coming from a potted plant by the window. He walked over and broke off a branch from the potted plant, then turned around and asked, "Has there been any construction work near Your Majesty's palace recently?"
This caught Chengsang Beikun off guard. Construction in the palace was a big deal, and even if he wasn't aware of it, he should have seen it. He responded, "There has been no construction within the palace."
A eunuch nearby seemed to remember something and whispered to Chengsang Beikun, "Your Majesty, the new vegetable garden you ordered behind the Imperial Study."
Chengsang Beikun recalled that he had indeed ordered a small vegetable garden to be opened behind the Imperial Study a few days ago. He explained, "But it's just a vegetable garden outside the Imperial Study."
Li Luoning, holding the broken branch, asked, "Was this plant moved to the Imperial Study recently?"
"Mr. Li has sharp eyes. This cotton flower is a tribute from the Rakshasa Kingdom, which was moved to the Imperial Study recently. His Majesty said that looking at flowers and trees would ease his mind when he's tired of reading memorials. So, some flowers were planted around the new vegetable garden behind the study," responded Liu Gonggong.
"Is there a problem?" Chengsang Beikun noticed the strange look on Li Luoning's face.
"Your Majesty, can you let me take a look at the area behind your Imperial Study?" Li Luoning guessed right; the eerie red color indeed came from the flowerbed behind the Imperial Study. After inspecting the surroundings, Li Luoning pointed to an unflowered bush and said, "It's here!"
Chengsang Beikun signaled to the eunuchs nearby, and they started digging under the bush.
After a while, they heard a muffled sound, and a young eunuch said, "We've found it."
Li Luoning hurried forward to inspect. As he suspected, what they dug up under the cotton flower was a skeleton wrapped in Chengsang Beikun's handkerchief.
After the eunuchs gathered the bones, they were brought in front of Chengsang Beikun. The eunuch responsible for clearing the land was trembling with fear, kneeling on the ground and begging for forgiveness.
Chengsang Beikun looked at the bones with a cold expression and asked, "According to Mr. Li, have these bones been causing my nightmares?"
Li Luoning nodded slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, this is a vengeful spirit. It haunts because someone desecrated the remains of another. By burying these bones along with the personal belongings of the person seeking revenge, the nightmares can be relieved. Once these bones are properly buried, the nightmares will cease."
Chengsang Beikun glanced at Liu Gonggong, who waved his hand, and the kneeling young eunuch and the bones were taken away.
"Mr. Li already guessed that my nightmares were caused by this vengeful spirit?" Chengsang Beikun asked.
Li Luoning smiled faintly and said, "On the day when the Crown Prince went to the Jingyuan Temple, it seemed like an assassination attempt, but it was more like preventing him from going there. Although the arrows were poisoned, the antidote was conveniently located in the rear mountains of the temple. This proves that the attacker did not truly intend to take a life."
Chengsang Beikun agreed with Li Luoning's analysis. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You risked your life to save the Crown Prince and think for his well-being. You understand medicine and the mysteries of Yin and Yang. The Crown Prince has been in the palace for a long time and is not familiar with the outside world. This time, leaving the palace may have leaked information, allowing the malicious to take advantage."
Li Luoning was waiting for Chengsang Beikun to say this. He immediately added, "General Lin has returned to the capital and can accompany His Highness for protection at any time. The previous assassination attempt happened in the suburban forests. If the Crown Prince only moves within the city, no one would dare to attack him so boldly. But as the Crown Prince and future emperor, it's also beneficial to interact more with the common people."
Chengsang Beikun nodded, considering Li Luoning's words reasonable. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Alright then. From now on, on the first and fifteenth of each month, Jingyun is allowed to leave the palace, but he must record his observations and experiences and submit them to me upon return."
In the Crown Prince's study,
Upon hearing the news that Jingyun could leave the palace, Lin Huaichu praised Li Luoning ecstatically, "Really? Sir, you're amazing. Not only did you prevent Jingyun from being blamed for the assassination attempt, but you also secured him permission to leave the palace twice a month. You're like a deity, a saint to be admired."
Li Luoning smiled gently, reminding him, "But it comes with conditions. After each outing, the Crown Prince must record his observations and experiences and submit them to His Majesty for review."
Upon hearing that there would be more writing to do, Lin Huaichu's enthusiasm died down instantly. He muttered, "Ah, I knew it. How could His Majesty suddenly allow Jingyun to leave the palace so generously? So, it's because of this. I got excited for nothing."
Chengsang Jingyun, on the other hand, didn't mind. For him, being able to leave the palace was already a great thing. He smiled and bowed to Li Luoning, saying, "Sir, you risked your life to save me before, and now you've secured my permission to leave the palace. I am grateful beyond words."
Li Luoning just smiled gently and said, "In the future, if the Crown Prince
wants to become a wise and benevolent emperor, he must understand the sentiments of the people. I'm just adding another task for the Crown Prince."
In the Empress Dowager's chamber,
"Permission to leave the palace? Has the Emperor gone mad? Not only does he not urge the Crown Prince to study diligently, but he also permits him to waste time outside the palace. I guess that Grand Tutor Li doesn't want to stay anymore. Guards, issue a decree immediately to dismiss him from his position and banish him from the palace," Empress Dowager Xiao said angrily.
Hearing that the Emperor allowed Chengsang Jingyun to have a break from the palace on the first and fifteenth of each month, Empress Dowager Xiao was about to explode. In her eyes, this was just an excuse for the Crown Prince to evade his studies. She had granted him permission to pray outside the palace earlier, out of consideration for his filial piety, and he almost lost his life. Now, not only did he not learn his lesson, but he also wanted to wander outside even more.
"My lady, it seems that Li Luoning... is not so easy to deal with now," a maid reminded softly.
"Why can't we deal with him? He's just a small-town physician. I can still handle him," Empress Dowager Xiao was still furious, and her thoughts were not as clear as usual.
"I heard that he found the cause of His Majesty's nightmares with just a glance. His Majesty's nightmares are a problem that even the palace physicians couldn't solve. If you dismiss Li Luoning now, it might tarnish your reputation as someone who can't alleviate His Majesty's worries. This person seems to be quite talented; perhaps it's better to win him over," the maid advised persuasively.
Empress Dowager Xiao finally realized this, calming herself and considering the maid's words. This Li Luoning indeed had considerable skills. Although he was sent into the palace by the Shangguan family, there seemed to be no connection between him and Shangguan Jinshuo. If she could use him for herself, she might gain more control over various aspects of Jingyun's affairs in the future.
"Arrange a private meeting with this Li Luoning. I want to see him alone," Empress Dowager Xiao ordered.
In the deep of the night,
A figure could vaguely be seen flying over the eaves, finally leaping into the half-moon window of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Behind the gauze curtains, Muhualing seemed to have expected someone to come. Lying lazily beside the bed behind the curtains, the candlelight flickered, casting a faint glow on his sharp profile. He held a bamboo pipe lightly between his fingertips, and the smoke he exhaled carried a subtle floral fragrance.
"Lord Ling."
"What's the news?" Muhualing asked in a cold voice.
"The whereabouts of Tong Youyun's mother have been found," the shadow guard replied, then handed over a sealed letter.
Muhualing took the letter, glanced at its contents, and his foxy eyes suddenly curved. He smiled and said, "As expected. No wonder the Xiao family's people can't do anything right now."