Tang Zhuyun said, "It's just arsenic."
The guards. "..."
That's all?
Isn't arsenic poisonous enough?
Tang Zhuyun retorted, "Who are you looking down on with such an unchallenging poison?"
Xiu'er cursed, "Trying to show off your skills in front of Lu Ban's door! They're blind!"
Linlin retorted, "The people we've offended should know us very well."
Tang Zhuyun seemed to be deep in thought.
Linlin is right.
Isn't it enough that she's already showing off her medical skills in the capital?
Even though she kept a low profile, she still saved the emperor.
The assassins these days are a bit contradictory. Successfully poisoning someone clearly means they're no ordinary person; but how could they not even know this much about her?
Something's not right here.
The Prince of Jin was clearly deep in thought as well.
They couldn't continue their journey until the matter was thoroughly investigated, so the group paused their trip and stayed overnight.
However, the investigation did not go smoothly.
For the first two days, nothing was found, even though almost every rat hole in the restaurant had been searched.
However, not only was the murderer not found, but there were not even any clues.
The Prince of Jin ordered his men to continue investigating the newcomers to the restaurant in the past few months.
The guard was so worried his hair was almost white.
They really did their best, and they investigated everything.
Another day passed, and while Prince of Jin was talking with Tang Zhuyun, a guard came excitedly to report that they had found a suspicious woman.
"A woman?" Tang Zhuyun was somewhat surprised.
"Your Highness, it was a woman," the guard reported. "Someone recalls seeing a young woman near the restaurant a few days before the incident, and she inquired about some things."
"Where are they?" the Prince of Jin asked coldly.
The guard lowered his head, his voice immediately becoming much softer. "We're still looking... but we already know the woman speaks with a Beijing accent!"
The Prince of Jin ordered him to continue the investigation.
The guards breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Zhuyun laughed and said, "Look how scared you've made him. Investigating a case doesn't happen that quickly. Anyway, we don't have anything important to do, so let's take our time."
The guards have been working day and night these past few days, which has certainly been very difficult for them.
Xiu'er muttered to herself, "A Beijing accent... could it be an old acquaintance? But which of the young women we know has such abilities?"
After thinking it over and over, it still doesn't match up.
"If we're talking about someone with such abilities, I can only think of Nanxing," she concluded.
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
"Your Highness," Xiu'er suddenly exclaimed, "Do you think it could be a remnant of the Xiao Family? Are there female assassins like Nanxing who are plotting revenge for Noble Consort Jia?"
Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. Wasn't Tang Zhuyun the one who killed Noble Consort Jia?
The cup that day was poisoned, but subsequent examination revealed that only Tang Zhuyun's water was poisoned; the water in everyone else's cup was not poisoned.
This was precisely what angered the Prince of Jin the most.
What they wanted to touch was the very heart of his.
Prince of Jin said, "The Xiao Family did indeed have four top-tier guards back then: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. However, only Vermilion Bird was a woman. Of the other three, I am certain that two are dead, and the fate of Azure Dragon, the only one remaining, is unknown."
Xiao Pang might know.
Azure Dragon was utterly loyal to Xiao Pang.
However, Xiao Pang harbored no hostility towards Prince of Jin or Tang Zhuyun, so it shouldn't have been him.
Xiao Pang stayed with them the whole time.
However, he never appeared in front of Yanran. He spent his days sitting in his carriage and stayed indoors when he needed lodging.
Moreover, the existing clues point to a woman, making it even less likely to be Azure Dragon.
Tang Zhuyun joked, "Maybe it's a woman who secretly loves the prince and wants to take my place!"
Xiu'er pouted.
How could that be possible?
You should cherish it.
However, now that the young woman has been located, we should have more clues in a few days at most.
While they were talking, Linlin listened Jingjing, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, he suddenly spoke up, "I have a guess, but I don't know if it's right or wrong..."
"Tell me about it," said the Prince of Jin.
"I think this person seems to be making fun of us."
"Teasing?"
"Yes, it was just a prank," Linlin said. "I have a feeling that she wasn't trying to poison anyone, but rather to prove herself, that she could poison someone without anyone noticing, so we wouldn't be able to find her."
Everyone pondered Linlin's words. Tang Zhuyun said, "If you call it teasing, I think it could also be considered a demonstration."
It's like, "Look, I can jump around and deliberately annoy you, and you can't do anything about it."
Lin Lin said Linlin, "They all make sense."
But what was the young woman's motive behind her teasing or demonstration?
It can't just be a prank.
After a moment of silence, the Prince of Jin said, "They could also be used as bargaining chips."
Everyone was somewhat stunned.
Tang Zhuyun asked, "Are they here to negotiate? What are they going to talk about?"
"Let's wait and see. I think she might show up to us on her own." Prince of Jin's eyes were deep.
Xiu'er muttered, "Why do I feel like Zhou Yanhui all of a sudden?"
Tang Zhuyun and Prince of Jin said in unison, "No."
Putting everything else Zhou Yanhui's appearance, which is not of our kind, is just too conspicuous.
When doing such clandestine things, one cannot be easily identified.
Tang Zhuyun: I have a sense of crisis that someone is eyeing the meat in my bowl.
Although few people admire the Prince of Jin, his admirable qualities are those who are truly exceptional.
For example, herself.
For example, Zhou Yanhui.
For example, this potential "love rival".
She had anticipated that her "love rival" might appear, but she hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.
That night, as she and the Prince of Jin were preparing to go to sleep, a guard secretly brought in a young woman.
The girl was only fifteen or sixteen years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, charming and lively. She wore a bright red cloak trimmed with white fox fur, and even in the dim light, she was radiant and beautiful, her beauty undeniable.
Those dark eyes, darting around, held a girlish charm that made it impossible to look away.
Tang Zhuyun: On how accurate a woman's sixth sense is.
Youth is an asset; she finds everyone she looks at pleasing to the eye.
The Prince of Jin frowned and asked, "Why are you here?"
Oh my, you actually know each other?
You idiot!
"Brother Prince of Jin, it's been years since we last met, I've missed you terribly..." the woman said, her voice clear and melodious, like a nightingale's song.
For some reason, Tang Zhuyun thought of Little Huang Rong.
That energy and spirit are really similar.
"Hey, be serious, it's my rival in love!" Tang Zhuyun reminded herself; now was the time to sound the alarm.
After all, the Prince of Jin was so unpopular with women that she once thought no woman would be close to Prince of Jin.
Now it seems that's not the case.
--It's not that it won't happen, it's just that the time hasn't come yet.
The Prince of Jin, however, had a gloomy expression and showed no mercy towards the beautiful woman.
His voice was icy cold as he cut to the chase. "Did you poison the princess's cup?"
His aura turned unusually cold, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Tang Zhuyun suspected that if the woman answered "yes," the Prince of Jin would immediately slap her.
"I was actually right there that day." The woman seemed to know the Prince of Jin somewhat, and instead of answering directly, she giggled, "Besides, my sister-in-law's medical skills are superb, and I've admired her for a long time. Even if she hadn't noticed, I would have alerted her in time."
Tang Zhuyun: So, I should thank you?
"Brother Prince of Jin, don't scare me like that!" the woman pleaded, her voice overflowing with sweetness. She then turned to Tang Zhuyun and pleaded again, "Sister-in-law, please say something for me!"
Tang Zhuyun: "Excuse me, but what... where did you come from?"