067

067

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

The eldest princess walked forward step by step, and the emperor, seeing this, pretended to step down from the platform and help her up.

"My daughter has grown so much!" It sounded like a sigh, or perhaps a sudden realization after rarely seeing her that she was of marriageable age.

The real show was just beginning when Xu Huanong took his seat.

With a wave of his hand, the emperor summoned the entire troupe of musicians to the stage, and with the sound of music, the scene began to liven up.

Jiang Chaoyu felt a little bored, but when she looked around, she found that everyone's attention was focused on the stage. However, this made it easier to move around.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she left her seat. Pretending to have a stomachache didn't seem strange at all.

Yam originally wanted to go out with Jiang Chaoyu, but Jiang Chaoyu declined and told her to stay in her seat. Then she had Cuicui follow behind her.

Once we left the banquet area, the rest of the place seemed quiet.

However, this was not the time to admire it. She had just asked Cui Cui to deliver a message, and before she had taken more than a few steps, the carrier pigeon appeared in front of her again. She opened the letter and, as expected, it was exactly as she had thought.

It is unknown where Xu Ninghui is, but the letter has already revealed that he has placed someone by the emperor's side, just waiting for the emperor to drink that cup of poisoned wine.

However, the poison takes an hour to take effect, by which time they will have already escaped and will not suspect them at all. This is a foolproof plan.

He simply couldn't kill the eldest princess. Xu Ninghui also expressed his apologies in the letter, saying that he probably wouldn't be able to see his senior uncle Li's body.

Jiang Chaoyu thought the idea sounded feasible, but how could someone who could rise to the position of emperor easily replace the people around him without the emperor knowing?

"Cui Cui, what do you think?" Cui Cui had been following him around, and sometimes she would understand what he meant just by frowning, and this time was no exception.

"Madam, I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Yes! It's not that simple. Unless the emperor is fishing, who will ultimately benefit this time?

Jiang Chaoyu was puzzled, so she decided to just see through it. She had been out for a while, and it was time to go back.

Just as they were preparing to return, Yam suddenly appeared in front of them, saying, "Madam, something terrible has happened!"

Although Shanyao said something was wrong, she didn't seem flustered at all. Instead, Jiang Chaoyu frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart. "What's wrong?"

"The Princess has been poisoned!"

"What!"

How could that be? Xu Ninghui just sent me a message, saying that he would only poison the emperor. But now the plan has changed. Could it be that he did it?

Jiang Chaoyu had no choice but to return to the banquet with Shanyao. Upon entering, she found everyone still in their original positions, with the addition of some soldiers. However, she noticed that the familiar person was no longer behind the emperor, wondering if they had been discovered.

"Madam, please sit down. The Emperor has ordered that no one is allowed to leave."

Jiang Chaoyu glanced at the people at the banquet. Some had frowned, some had long faces, and some sat calmly with no expression.

Jiang Chaoyu asked Shanyao in a low voice, "How long has this been going on?"

"The lady had only been gone a short while when the princess offered a toast. She was poisoned as soon as she drank it, and even the emperor didn't have time to drink the poison. When the princess was vomiting blood, someone tried to assassinate the emperor in the chaos, but was subdued."

Hearing these words, Jiang Chaoyu's fingers dug into her flesh, but she didn't feel any pain. Her mind was filled with thoughts of whether that person had killed her.

What if he implicates Xu Ninghui?

"Don't worry, Madam. The imperial physician has already examined her, and the Princess is fine now."

Jiang Chaoyu couldn't listen to any of this; everything was in chaos. If Xu Ninghui's target was Princess Xu Huanong, then he wouldn't have attacked the Emperor. But now the Emperor hadn't succeeded, and they didn't even know who had harmed the Princess.

Things were far beyond my control; it seems I had underestimated the situation.

There was no other place to go at this time, but since he hadn't eaten anything earlier, he was actually a little hungry. He picked up a piece of pastry and was about to put it in his mouth, but then he remembered that the princess had been poisoned, and suddenly felt that the pastry might also have been poisoned.

The male and female relatives were seated in different positions, and moreover, they were quite far apart, so she couldn't see Zeng Chenhua at all, and had no idea what he was thinking at that moment.

With soldiers guarding the area, the letter is unlikely to be sent out.

Fortunately, the letter had been destroyed when he arrived. Looking at the palace maids searching him, the emperor seemed to be trying to find clues from the people at the banquet.

"Yam, you don't have anything on you, do you?"

"No."

What a wonderful banquet has turned out like this. Less than half an hour later, someone came and whispered something to the emperor. No one knows what they said, but the emperor turned and left in a hurry without saying a word.

Judging from the situation, Jiang Chaoyu thought that the eldest princess was doomed and might not be able to be saved, so the emperor had to take a look.

But something's not right. How could the eldest princess die so easily? Besides, the person who poisoned her would definitely postpone the onset of the poison. This method of dying instantly upon ingestion seems very similar to the forbidden drug that the Crescent Moon Sect once possessed, namely, the drug that causes sudden death and feigns death.

This medicine can cause the poisoned person to bleed from all seven orifices and die on the spot, and then remain in a state of suspended animation for seven days before reviving on the eighth day. During this process, everything they do is just like that of a dead person. However, there wasn't much of this medicine available at the beginning, and the master forbade its production, so it was stopped. But the Crescent Moon Sect still has some left over.

Xu Ninghui never mentioned using this medicine, so it seems this traitor knows quite a bit about the Crescent Moon Sect. We hadn't caught him before, but he's still swaggering around.

After another hour, a palace servant announced that the princess had suddenly fallen ill and was feeling unwell, and that everyone could return to their residences.

The envoy who arrived was quite shocked to witness this scene, but the emperor arranged for him to stay outside the imperial city and enter the capital the next day.

Who could it be? That traitor is incredibly patient, lurking in the Crescent Moon Gate for so long. No! Or perhaps that person is the one right in front of me, but who could it be?

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Jiang Chaoyu realized that the person was...

What are you thinking about?

Before Jiang Chaoyu could figure it out, Zeng Chenhua appeared behind her. Seeing her absent-minded look, he became curious. He wondered when it had started, sometimes he could hear Jiang Chaoyu's thoughts, and sometimes he couldn't.

Perhaps it was she who discovered it.

Jiang Chaoyu turned around and found Zeng Chenhua looking at her with concern in his eyes. Her first words were, "It's nothing."

Since Jiang Chaoyu said it was nothing, Zeng Chenhua stopped asking and stopped her from leaving, saying, "Have you forgotten? A carriage is coming to pick us up."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu remembered something and immediately looked at Zeng Chenhua's legs.

Back at the manor, she had grown accustomed to Zeng Chenhua not using his jade cane, and now, seeing him suddenly felt strange. Her face, which had been somewhat serious just moments before, now held a smile as she said, "It feels a little strange for a moment."

Zeng Chenhua took Jiang Chaoyu's hand and said gently, "It's alright, you'll get used to it once you get back to the manor."

When I held her hand, I noticed it was a little cold. I had been staring at her blankly from behind, and I hadn't even noticed it now.

However, it was a bit inconvenient at this time, so they just held hands.

Seeing the couple so affectionate, Jiang Yuyao, who was walking from a distance, felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She hadn't seen her sister in so long. She had caught a glimpse of her from afar at the banquet earlier, and seeing how different she looked, she felt a little sad.

But the master at Kinjoji Temple said it would be soon. When the time was right, she would donate blood again, and her real sister would return.

"Little sister, what are you looking at?"

Jiang Yunxin, who was standing to the side, noticed that Jiang Yuyao was staring in Jiang Chaoyu's direction and couldn't help but speak up. Besides, when did my sister start to care so much about her younger sister, Jiang Chaoyu?

Previously, she was either sarcastic or cynical towards Jiang Chaoyu, but it's rare to see her looking so nostalgic now.

"It's nothing, it's just that the thought of her being happy now makes me sad." The words and tone were the same as always, making Jiang Yunxin realize that the Jiang Yuyao who had shown lingering affection just now was just his illusion.

Looking at the look of disgust on her face, it seems I was overthinking things.

"Once your brother succeeds, you will be the happiest woman in this capital city."

As if he held great power over something, Jiang Yunxin made no attempt to hide his arrogance. However, his words struck Jiang Yuyao as odd, though she remained silent and did not respond.

Jiang Chaoyu felt like someone was watching her, making her feel uneasy. Just as she was about to turn around when she felt the gaze on the back of her head, the carriage arrived in front of her.

Zeng Chenhua told Jiang Chaoyu to get on the carriage first, and Jiang Chaoyu simply ignored him and boarded the carriage directly.

Once they were in the carriage, Zeng Chenhua took Jiang Chaoyu's hand in his own, and rubbed it as if he felt she was very cold.

Seeing Zeng Chenhua's actions, Jiang Chaoyu couldn't help but smile wryly, "I'm not cold, my hands are just like this."

Zeng Chenhua, who knew Jiang Chaoyu well, didn't believe it. She had said the same thing before, but after that, Jiang Chaoyu's hands were never cold again, so her words were all lies.

"My hands are cold, and I want to get some warmth."

Hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu was even less convinced. She could clearly feel that Zeng Chenhua's hands were much warmer than hers, so why was he blatantly lying?

Hearing his words, Jiang Chaoyu couldn't help but retort, "You're lying through your teeth, you liar."

Zeng Chenhua didn't deny it, but instead smiled gently as he looked at Jiang Chaoyu and said in a very soft voice, "Okay, okay, I'm a liar. Then, kind-hearted girl, can I lie to you?"

Jiang Chaoyu didn't pull her hand away, and then pretended to be reluctant as she said, "Who told me to be so kind? You're lying."

"Then I thank you very much, Miss." After saying that, he didn't forget to continue rubbing Jiang Chaoyu's hands to warm them up. The journey back to the manor was quite long, long enough that Zeng Chenhua had already warmed Jiang Chaoyu's hands.

They had set off at dawn, but it was already dark when they arrived at the manor.

But as soon as she stepped off the carriage, Jiang Chaoyu smelled the aroma of food and looked at Zeng Chenhua with bright eyes, "You ordered the kitchen to be set up?"

Zeng Chenhua nodded as if he were seeking credit.

"Oh, you're so kind!"

Zeng Chenhua was surprised to receive praise for the meal he had cooked. He regretted that he should have cooked it himself.

Just as Jiang Chaoyu was happily walking towards the mansion, she turned back and saw that Zeng Chenhua looked somewhat unhappy, and she guessed what was going on.

She turned around and helped Zeng Chenhua up, whispering in his ear, "I'll be even happier if you cook for me next time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zeng Chenhua's unhappiness vanished, and he could hardly believe what Jiang Chaoyu had said. "Really?"

Of course!

Zeng Chenhua was even happier to hear this. He grabbed Jiang Chaoyu's hand and pulled her into the room. "Then I'll add another dish for you now."

Seeing Zeng Chenhua's enthusiastic expression, Jiang Chaoyu pulled him back, ready to show off her skills, "Next time, I want to see the whole table covered in your work."

These words coaxed Zeng Chenhua into already imagining what dishes to make next, but he still wanted to focus on the present.

Zeng Chenhua leaned close to Jiang Chaoyu's ear and asked, "So what do you want to eat next time?"

Sometimes, Jiang Chaoyu's ears really are her own weakness. As soon as Zeng Chenhua got close, Jiang Chaoyu couldn't stand the tingling sensation. This feeling made her body go limp, and she couldn't help but want to hide to the side.

But Zeng Chenhua caught up with her again, so Jiang Chaoyu had no choice but to cover his mouth and agree, "I like anything you make."

Zeng Chenhua's eyes were bright, and Jiang Chaoyu looked intently into them, seeing only herself reflected in them.

For a moment, she forgot that his lips had kissed her palm, and that tingling sensation returned...