Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 446: I Suspect This Matter Is Related to Zhaixing Pavilion

Chapter 446: Chapter 446: I Suspect This Matter Is Related to Zhaixing Pavilion

At midnight, the Imperial City was engulfed in silence, with only a full moon hanging high in the sky.

In the hostel, Qi Yu stood by the window for a while and caught sight of a black figure dashing towards him from the direction of the Imperial Palace, slightly raising his eyebrows.

It wasn’t long before a faint knocking sound came from outside the room.

Qi Yu opened the door, and the newcomer took off the black veil that had been covering their face, revealing a beautiful face—it was Shi Zhou.

"How are things in the palace?" Qi Yu welcomed her into the room and poured her a cup of tea while asking.

Shi Zhou took the teacup, sipped with an indifferent air, and then said, "Just as you predicted, someone indeed poisoned the Emperor’s sleeping pills."

Qi Yu’s eyes twinkled, and he said with a somewhat mocking tone, "I suppose the second Prince must be quite restless now."

Seeing him appear omniscient, Shi Zhou grew curious, "Did you guess early on that the second Prince would arrange someone to poison the medicine?"

But Qi Yu shook his head, "In the second Prince’s original plan, there was no step involving poison."

"Hmm?" Shi Zhou looked at him, even more puzzled, "But..."

Knowing what she wanted to ask, Qi Yu smiled and slowly said, "The second Prince had already planted his people in the Imperial Hospital, and he was very familiar with the Emperor’s illness, knowing full well the severity of his declining health. All that was needed was patience for a few days, and the Emperor would die from excessive fatigue. There was no need for him to bother with poisoning, which not only was redundant but also risky, as it could give others something to hold against him."

Hearing this, Shi Zhou finally nodded in understanding, "He wanted to frame Master Mo and you, which is why he deliberately had someone poison the medicine."

"Exactly," Qi Yu said, touching his chin with a sly glint in his eyes, "It’s just a pity that he’s bound to miscalculate."

After saying this, he remembered something else, turned to Shi Zhou, and asked, "What is Ning Yue doing now?"

Upon mentioning this, Shi Zhou slightly furrowed her brow, "She isn’t in the Holy Maiden Temple, and I’ve searched every other place in the palace, but I haven’t found any trace of her."

Qi Yu’s eyes darkened, and after a moment of silence, he said, "It’s okay, I know where she is."

Shi Zhou wanted to follow up, but seeing his serious expression, and although there was a trace of worry in his eyes, there was no panic.

It seemed that something must have happened.

She considered it carefully for a while before saying to Qi Yu, "Just now, I also went to the Zhaixing Pavilion and saw another person there."

"Who?" Qi Yu collected his thoughts and quickly asked.

Shi Zhou said, "Jiutu. All the guards around were dismissed, and he was standing alone on the Zhaixing Pavilion."

Qi Yu was stunned for a moment, then thoughtfully said, "I’ve always ignored him. In this affair, whether he willingly became Ning Yue’s accomplice or was forced to do so, is still unknown. It seems I shall meet with this esteemed State Preceptor tomorrow."

Elsewhere, the second Prince was in his study, waiting for news from the palace.

Li Ming’an was sitting by his side, watching him display a trace of smugness, yet inwardly he frowned.

It was already so late; the poison should have taken effect by now.

And since there had been no bad news from the palace until now, it meant that the second Prince’s scheme might have been discovered and possibly failed.

But being dependent on others, he wasn’t in a position to expose the truth outright and could only sit in silence, continuing to wait.

Until the third watch of the night, the Hidden Guard sent to gather intelligence had not returned.

The mood of the second Prince shifted from the initial composure to growing impatient and anxious.

"Damn it, they’re all useless! To investigate a matter, how could it take them so long!" the second Prince cursed vehemently as he struck the table in front of him, nearly toppling the inkstone.

Just as he spoke, a hurried voice came from outside the door, "Your Highness!"

Upon hearing this, the Prince’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly said to the person outside the door, "Come in!"

The Hidden Guard entered, head bowed, not daring to meet his gaze. After kneeling and presenting his respects, he said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

Instead of the expected good news, the Prince’s face turned bleak upon hearing these distressing words. With a frosty gaze fixed on the kneeling figure, he demanded, "What’s the terrible news? Speak quickly!"

The Hidden Guard replied, "Imperial Physician Xu has been arrested."

"What?" This news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving the Prince dumbstruck for a long while.

Imperial Physician Xu was his agent, carefully planted in the Imperial Hospital. He had been undercover for many years, always maintaining his cover. How could he have been caught just this time?

There must have been someone interfering!

The Prince slammed his fist on the table, his anger palpable at the thought of his years of planning falling apart just as success was within reach, making his teeth itch with frustration.

"Imperial Physician Xu has always been cautious and meticulous; how could he be caught this time?" the Prince thought, growing angrier by the moment.

The Hidden Guard described in full detail the news he had gathered within the palace, "Your Highness, Imperial Physician Xu had successfully poisoned the medicine, but when he delivered it to the Emperor, the State Preceptor discovered it, using a silver needle to test for poison, and caught him red-handed."

Upon hearing the words "State Preceptor," the Prince’s brows furrowed deeply, "At this hour, why would the State Preceptor be in the palace?"

"According to the guard stationed outside the hall, in the evening, the Emperor suddenly summoned the State Preceptor. No one knows what they discussed. Until late at night, when Imperial Physician Xu delivered the medicine, the State Preceptor was still in the hall," the Hidden Guard reported.

"Are you saying my father summoned the State Preceptor alone and kept him in the palace, without him leaving at all?" The Prince had an intuition that this affair was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

No significant event had occurred in the Imperial City today, so why would my father suddenly summon Jiutu to the palace?

And how did Jiutu so coincidentally discover the matter of Xu Wei administering poison?

The more one thought about it, the more anomalies one found, and even the Hidden Guard could not ferret out any more information.

The Prince waved his hand to dismiss the Hidden Guard.

After the Hidden Guard closed the door, he then turned to Li Ming’an and asked, "What do you think about this matter?"

Although Li Ming’an had been sitting to the side, listening to the whole story unfold, he was still baffled and could only say, "Perhaps it was just a coincidence."

"A coincidence?" The Prince chuckled darkly, "My father wouldn’t summon Jiutu without reason; something must have happened—something that all of us are unaware of, yet is of utmost importance."

At this point, he could no longer be concerned with Xu Wei’s life or death; he knew Xu Wei did not have the courage to betray him.

After all, Xu Wei’s family was in his grasp; if Xu dared to utter a single word detrimental to him, Xu Wei knew what would become of his family.

As for how Xu Wei defended himself, and what his fate would be.

He didn’t care.

Since no one from the palace had come to his residence, it was clear that Xu Wei had not divulged who was behind the plot.

Li Ming’an, not wishing to meddle in the affair, ventured cautiously, "Your Highness, what do you think is the Emperor’s purpose in summoning the State Preceptor into the palace?"

The Prince’s eyes narrowed as he speculated, "I suspect it has something to do with the Zhaixing Pavilion."

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