LUO FAN
I stopped in the middle of the courtyard and looked around. A strange silence prevailed. It almost felt like the mansion was deserted.
I sighed and continued my way to the laboratory.
New Year was only two days away. Every year, people had been anticipating the grand festival to welcome a new chapter of their lives, but this time, there would be none of that.
Due to the passing of the beloved crown prince, Emperor Yin had ordered that the festival be canceled and declared a whole month of mourning for the departed.
That must be the reason why the whole place was so quiet.
The whole of Xianru Empire must be grieving at the moment. Even though I had only seen the prince twice and had never even conversed with him, a heavy load had been weighing in my chest ever since I had heard of his death. I felt like I was to blame for everything. Ruan Yanjun had entrusted me to find a cure for the prince, and I failed.
It made me feel so inadequate.
On the other hand, whoever had done this to Prince Sheng must be the only one rejoicing and was still freely moving about.
I wondered what was taking them too long to find out the culprit. The emperor had the most reliable intelligence in the palace. Unless they had already found out but were only holding back information.
"Priest Luo!"
A woman's anguished cry alarmed me I almost dropped the small dish in my hand. I quickly placed the dish on the table and headed to the receiving area to check who had arrived.
I found a petite woman standing by the door. She rushed toward me and held me on each arm. Her grip was tight, but she did not mean to hurt me. She only needed something to grasp as if her life depended on it.
"Tell me the truth, Priest Luo!" she wailed in between sobs. "Who poisoned my son? I'm begging you! Tell me the truth!"
I immediately understood that this was the crown prince's mother, Consort Fei.
"Your Highness." I held her on the shoulders to help her stand straight, but the more that she grabbed my sleeves and cried.
"You're an alchemist. You should at least know who made that poison that killed my son! Do you?"
"Your Highness, forgive me, but—"
"Priest Luo, don't hide things from me as well. Everyone's hiding things from me. My son is dead! I need to know who killed him! Who made that poison that killed my son?"
Another woman entered, probably her handmaiden, and tried to pull Consort Fei away from me, but she was in so much distress she could not be reasoned with. She kept pleading for me to tell her the truth, and I really had no information to tell her. I did not know what to do either.
"Consort Fei." Ruan Yanjun's domineering voice echoed as he entered the laboratory.
The moment Consort Fei heard him, she let go of my sleeves and turned to Ruan Yanjun. Right before everyone's eyes, she went down on her knees before him.
"Lord Ruan," she cried. "Please help me! I want revenge! I want to seek justice for my son's death! Help me! Please tell me what you know! I beg you!"
Ruan Yanjun sighed. "Consort Fei, you disgrace yourself. Stand up."
Instead of obliging, Consort Fei lowered her head on the floor and continued to sob, as if hoping that Ruan Yanjun would take pity on her.
"Even if you cry and kneel there for a day, I have no information to give you."
Suddenly, she raised her head. "It's Consort Xi, isn't it? That was why she returned to Fuhai a week ago and took Prince Bai with her because she knew that sooner or later, she'd be found out. Am I correct, my lord?"
"Those are still suspicions. We have no evidence yet."
"But who else will harm my son? She's the only one with a motive."
"Consort Xi is not the only one with a son vying for the position of crown prince. Although her sudden disappearance made her more suspicious than the others, it's not enough to prove her guilt. We have rules and procedures that must be followed."
"Then my lord, at least tell Emperor An to send Consort Xi and her son back here. They can't just run away after murdering my son."
"Why don't you ask your husband to do that?"
"His Majesty is too soft. He won't listen to me. He won't even fight for his son."
Ruan Yanjun sighed. "Your husband is a wise man. He knows what he's doing. His inaction does not mean he does not seek justice. He waits for an opportunity."
Consort Fei continued crying.
"Consort Fei, go back to the palace and spend time with your son while he's still here. If you seek revenge, at least wait until your son is buried."
A man, whose frame I recognized as General Xu, entered and pulled Consort Fei to her feet. "Your Highness, His Majesty has asked me to bring you back."
Consort Fei kept sobbing but did not resist when her handmaiden approached her and helped her towards the door.
"Lord Ruan," General Xu cupped his hands before Ruan Yanjun. "I apologize for the trouble. I'll take my leave." He turned towards me and nodded. "Priest Luo."
I returned his courtesy and watched him leave.
The room had turned very quiet all of a sudden.
"It's my fault," I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. I was still hearing the anguish in Consort Fei's voice, and my heart was breaking for her. "I failed to find a cure."
I felt Ruan Yanjun's hand on my shoulder. "You did what you could. Don't blame yourself."
I looked at him. I wished I could see the look in his eyes and find out if this was indeed the devil that they called him to be.
If he were a devil, why is he being so considerate to me? Despite my failure, he remains good to me.
"You've found out the culprit a long time ago already, have you not, my lord?" I asked.
He answered with a deep sigh.
"I don't mean to meddle, but I feel for Consort Fei. With the passing of her son, only justice can ease her pain."
"A-Fan," he said. "Let's not involve ourselves with family matters."
I was dumbfounded. From what he said, I could only surmise that the culprit was a family member. Consort Fei's suspicion must be correct.
I lowered my head. In that case, this was only for Emperor Yin to handle. No wonder even Ruan Yanjun had not taken any action. "I understand."
He sighed again. "I'll go to the palace to see through the crown prince's funeral. I might not be back until midnight. So if you need anything from me, tell me now."
I shook my head. "There's nothing for now, my lord. Be careful on your way."
He chortled. "A-Fan, if you're concerned about my safety, there's no reason for you to worry. Only fools will dare try anything on me."
The concern that I had expressed yielded me a slap on the face.
What was I thinking? Of course, no one will be foolish enough to dare harm the most powerful cultivator on the continent, unless it's someone named Wang Bei.