A thick stinking smell spread through the whole room, making one sick. Those maidservants and mamas all covered their noses and mouths, quickly opened the windows for ventilation.
Old Prince Jing who was in coma suddenly made a few light coughs and slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Murong Xueâs beautiful face right before his eyes, he was a little surprised, âXueâer?!â
Murong Xue responded and smiled at him, âMy lord, are you feeling better?â
With the stinking smell lingering on his nose, Old Prince Jing frowned. He looked at the silver needles and wounds on his chest, and then turned to that half a bow of black blood, he immediately understood what had happened. He nodded slightly, âMuch better. What poison is it?â
âI donât know the name. But I could tell it could damage oneâs heart arteries.â In modern society, Murong Xue had learnt about all kinds of poison that could damage oneâs nerves, brains and internal organs, etc.. Different medicinal materials for those poisons produced different smells.
In the stinking smell had a rather light smell of a kind of medicinal materials, which was specially used to damage oneâs heart arteries.
Ye Yichenâs face immediately darkened. So all this wasnât an accident. Someone did it intentionally. âWhen would it attack after one gets poisoned?â
After some calculation, Murong Xue said, âIn two to four hours.â The higher toxic, the sooner. According to Old Prince Jingâs symptoms, it should have attacked after it got into his body for two to four hours.
âBut my father has stayed in the mansion all these days. He even seldom went out of the yard. But he got poisoned in the mansionâŠâ Ye Yichen didnât finish his words, but everyone on site knew what he was pointing at.
Prince Jing Mansion was heavily guarded, plus Old Prince Jing had superb kung fu. No one could sneaked into the mansion and poison him without him noticing. So it should be an inside job.
All maidservants and mamas looked at each other and then lowered their heads, holding their breath. Poisoning Old Prince Jing was a capital crime. No one wanted to invite trouble in.
Ye Yichen cast a glance at every maidservant, mama, servant and guard, and then laid his eyes on Murong Xue, âCan you find the source of the poison?â
âUrghâŠâAfter thinking for a moment, Murong Xue nodded, âIâll try.â This kind of poison was pricey and rare. So he/she wouldnât use it all for once. As long as he/she had some left, she could collar him/her out.
Looking at her confident eyes, Ye Yichen was a little surprised. There were nearly a hundred people counting in all the maidservants, mamas, servants and guards⊠To find the suspect among so many people wasnât an easy thing. He was only asking actually, but she promised!
âBeibei!â called Murong Xue at the door, smiling.
Following her eyes, Ye Yichen saw a puppy get up on the floor and hopped towards them.
Its snow-white hair was as smooth and soft as the silk. And it nearly became one with Ouyang Shaochenâs long robe when it lied down at his feet.
Bark! Bark! Bark! Beibei ran before Murong Xue and wagged its snow-white tail at her.
Murong Xue then put the half bowl of black blood by its nose, âSniff and take us to somewhere else where it has the same smell.â
Bark! Bark! Beibei sniffed the black blood, rolled its eyes and then, swoosh, jumped out of the room and ran away.
Ye Yichen immediately followed up!
And those guards, servants, maidservants and mamas all rushed out to follow Beibei: This is Prince Jing Mansion! Who was bold enough to poison Old Prince Jing under so many pair of eyes?! Who could it be?
After getting out of the main courtyard, Beibei kept running, first ran across a pavilion, then a bridge, and finally ran into a guest house.
Up on the gate was written Lotus Courtyard, two lively and vigorous big words. Ye Yichen looked kind of shocked. He hurriedly walked in, seeing Beibei was digging with its snow-white front jaws under a pear tree. And soon a pit over ten centimeters deep came into sight.
Beibei stopped digging and then barked at Ye Yichen!
Ye Yichen moved forward and saw a corner of a gilding box in the pit. With a little strength and he took it out from it.
After rubbing off the mud quickly, Ye Yichen saw the whole box was gilded, carved with beautiful hollow redbud. And in the middle of each flower bud was inlaid a ruby, making it extra exquisite and ostentatious.
Ye Yichen crumbed the hanging gold lock and opened it. Three small china bottles were laid side by side, one light cyan and two white.
Murong Xue moved forward, took the light cyan one and opened it. She sniffed it slightly and said, âThis is the poison we are looking for.â
Ye Yichen stared at the light cyan bottle, wearing a complicated expression.
Murong Xue corked it up and then took up the white one on the left. She unplugged it, sniffed, and then her eyes shone, âThis one is the antidote!â
âReally?â Ye Yichen was a little surprised.
âYeah. Thereâs the poison and thereâs the antidote. Whatâs the fuss?â said Murong Xue. She then took the last one and sniffed, âThis one is highly toxic. With only one drop could it kill a adult without any traceâŠâ
Because this one could cause brain death. After taking it in, one would be like sleeping, but he/she would never wake up. So however skillful a doctor was, he/she could never find out the real cause of deathâŠ
Ye Yichen looked grim-faced. He slowly raised his eyes and saw Qin Yuyan was moving towards them on a wheelchair pushed by Yingying. She was wearing a loose violet long dress. Her palm-sized face looked pale and sick, making her quite pitiful. But in his eyes, that face was not pitiful but extra ironic!
âQin Yuyan, do you have any words for yourself?â
Being questioned by Ye Yichen, Qin Yuyanâs slim body suddenly shivered. She tried to stay calm and forced a smile, âYichen, what happened?â
âStop pretending! Keep your eyes wide open and see what this is!â Ye Yichen grabbed the two bottles of poison and dropped them at her feet. Pia! Pia! They were smashed to pieces, with black brown poisonous fluid spreading on the ground, causing kind of erosion.
Qin Yuyan popped out her eyes, âItâs poison?â
âTo be more precise, itâs the poison my father got, which belongs to you!â Ye Yichen gazed at Qin Yuyan indifferently, with something flashing in his eyesâŠ
Qin Yuyanâs face immediately turned a dead pallor. She shook her head, âIt doesnât belong to me. I mean it.â
âBut we dug it out under the pear tree in your yard!â said Ye Yichen coldly. Qin Yuyan was the first and only one who had ever lived in Lotus Courtyard. So it could only be her.
âSomebody set me up!â Qin Yuyan scanned those maidservants, mamas and guards one by one. When she saw Murong Xue, her eyes shone, âitâs Murong Xue! She set me up! Itâs herâŠâ\n