In a dim, secluded chamber, Jun Beiyue sat coldly in the seat of honor, half his face obscured in shadow, his sharp, cold features radiating an air of ruthless authority.
“My lord, the Princess Consort’s pulse is actually entirely normal, but based on the pulse readings, it appears she’s been poisoned with something highly similar in symptom to consumption,” Imperial Physician Gu reported honestly.
“Huajin?” Jun Beiyue asked, his voice cold and distant.
“If it were Huajin, there would be absolutely no sign of improvement. From the day she entered Consort Yi’s palace until today marks exactly seven days—if it were Huajin, she would die without fail today!”
Imperial Physician Gu spoke earnestly. He’d remained puzzled ever since examining Han Ziqing’s condition in her chambers. It seemed Prince Yao had chosen his consort with remarkably sharp judgment this time—this Second Miss of the Prime Minister’s household was no ordinary woman indeed.
“So then, Consort Yi administered Huajin’s poison, deceiving even Imperial Physician Chen’s diagnosis—meaning she must have secretly swapped it out for a different poison?” Jun Beiyue said coldly.
“Precisely! My lord, had you not been cautious enough to have this old servant keep a close watch, we very well might have been deceived ourselves!”
Imperial Physician Gu remained baffled. Han Ziqing had always kept a low profile, and while her resistance at the Splendor of the Nation had been rather fierce, such a reaction was understandable given the severity of the humiliation she’d suffered—she was clearly no fool, after all.
But no one could have guessed she possessed such remarkable capability, managing to evade Consort Yi’s poisoning attempt entirely. And when exactly had Prince Yao first seen through her disguise?
Seeing Jun Beiyue remain silent, Imperial Physician Gu hesitated a moment before continuing, “My lord, Consort Yi may not actually possess Huajin’s poison herself… could it be that His Majesty…”
Before he could finish, Jun Beiyue laughed. “Here I thought Father had simply gone along with my wishes out of concern over Chu Tiange’s impending visit—I hadn’t expected him to have kept such a vicious backup plan in reserve as well.”
If Han Ziqing were to die, then no matter what imperial edict had been issued, the position of Prince Yao’s Princess Consort would remain vacant, and there would be no wedding ceremony at all.
Imperial Physician Gu said nothing, not even daring to imagine the Emperor’s fury had the Prime Minister’s household announced the edict only to find Han Ziqing perfectly fine.
This time, it seemed Prince Yao had actually been outmaneuvered—and it was Han Ziqing herself who had unwittingly saved the situation.
“What of the Enchantment Fragrance in her body?” This was the matter Jun Beiyue had been dwelling on all along.
Back at that palace banquet, having arrived late, he’d been punished with three cups of wine to drink—wine which Consort Yi had drugged through the Emperor’s own hand. He’d known full well it was poisoned, yet had no choice but to drink it, only to discover it was none other than the long-lost Enchantment Fragrance.
The Enchantment Fragrance was the oldest and most potent aphrodisiac poison known throughout the continent of Longyuan, utterly without antidote. Once afflicted, one either succumbed to the poison and died, or transferred it to a woman through intercourse—who would then either transfer it onward to another man, or succumb to the poison herself.
For Consort Yi to have administered such an aphrodisiac, she must certainly have had a woman already arranged and waiting. He hadn’t even dared risk using any woman within Prince Yao’s own household, and had instead fled to the Splendor of the Nation—only to end up, by sheer chance, with Han Ziqing.
That night, his only concern had been curing the poison, paying no mind to who the woman actually was. It wasn’t until the following day, when Han Ziqing’s ordeal caused a citywide scandal, that he’d taken any notice of her at all.
What surprised him most of all was that Han Ziqing had, remarkably, still shown no signs of the poison taking effect, even now!
Imperial Physician Gu shook his head repeatedly. “My lord, this humble servant must admit his own incompetence—this servant cannot detect any trace of the Enchantment Fragrance within the Princess Consort’s body, and dares not draw any hasty conclusions.”
“You can’t detect it?”
Jun Beiyue was taken aback. If the poison simply hadn’t manifested yet, it might be attributable to some quirk of her constitution—but for it to be entirely undetectable was truly implausible. Imperial Physician Gu was, after all, the foremost physician within the palace, the very best in all of Da Zhou!
Undetectable didn’t necessarily mean absent—and if its absence couldn’t be confirmed either, that meant there was no telling whether this poison might yet erupt, or when it might do so.
“My lord, forgive this servant’s boldness, but under such circumstances, Han Ziqing is not well suited to the position of Princess Consort at all,” Imperial Physician Gu said earnestly. He’d overheard the entire conversation between his lord and Han Ziqing in the room, and had to admit that this woman truly seemed a perfect match for Prince Yao. But if this Enchantment Fragrance were to erupt entirely outside their control, would Prince Yao truly be willing to risk being cuckolded?
“The Enchantment Fragrance originates from Nanzhao, doesn’t it,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.
“Precisely so. This servant has already sent men to investigate—the poison has long since been considered lost to history, its source untraceable. All that’s known is that no more than five doses could possibly still exist,” Imperial Physician Gu reported earnestly.
Jun Beiyue’s cold eyes darkened in thought over something, and he simply waved a hand, signaling Imperial Physician Gu to leave.
“My lord, forgive this servant’s presumption, but this servant truly cannot understand why you insist on marrying her. There are far better ways to make use of her talents!” Imperial Physician Gu advised.
To his lord, the position of Princess Consort was, in truth, nothing more than a mere formality. His lord’s original plan had, after all, been to simply go along with the Emperor’s wishes and choose Han Xi’er instead.
Everything said in that room just now had merely been meant to keep Han Ziqing from growing suspicious.
Why insist on marrying her, then?
Jun Beiyue suddenly smiled, a light, quiet smile, saying nothing at all, merely waving Imperial Physician Gu away once more. In the dim light, only the brilliant gleam in his eyes remained visible.
Meanwhile, Ziqing had just finished breakfast and was waiting in the reception hall to take her leave of Jun Beiyue.
The three of them stood by the doorway, Ziqing dressed in thin, simple white gauze, looking all the more haggard for it. She asked quietly, “Hongyi, on the twenty-third of last month, did Prince Yao return to the capital?”
“The twenty-third?” Hongyi frowned, thinking back, and after a long moment answered with certainty, “Yes, he returned that very evening. It happened to coincide with the Emperor hosting a banquet at Consort Yi’s palace. The Prince returned to the residence, changed his clothes, and headed straight into the palace.”
“When did he return to the residence?” Ziqing asked again. Cautious as she was, how could she possibly take Jun Beiyue’s account entirely at face value?