The truth had come to light, and the chief culprit had been caught. After studying the rouge box filled with arsenic for a long while, Li Yuanying left the jade box on the table, braced his hands on the armrests, and struggled to stand.
Madam Li stepped forward to support him. Looking over his coarse cloth garments, she said, "I'll have Cai Wei and the others hurry and make new clothes."
Li Yuanying's voice was weary and flat. "One must not repeat one's mistakes. There is no longer any point in clinging to these old rules to evade Chang'an's scrutiny. From now on, when my clothes are dirty, wash them and let me wear them again."
Seeing how dreadful his complexion was, Madam Li said no more. She helped him back behind the screen and settled him down to rest.
Prince Shao had always governed his household with unfailing rewards and certain punishments, tempering severity with leniency. Once his orders were issued, everything proceeded smoothly. Apart from those carrying them out, the uninvolved servants did not even know what had happened in the Western Courtyard. Princess Consort Cui continued to receive all the honors due to the mistress of the household.
Everything seemed to have returned to its proper course. By evening, however, Li Yuanying had developed a fever.
The damage caused by arsenic would not vanish the moment he took off the poisoned clothes, much less the harm accumulated over years. Prince Shao had only endured this long because his constitution had originally been strong. Although the truth had surfaced that his baleful aura was actually poisoning, Madam Li still kept Huo Qilang at his side. She firmly believed that the good fortune this woman brought could do more than ward off poison.
Following the physician's instructions, Huo Qilang