Chapter 765: Chapter 766: Leave Now

Xiao Chenglin’s eyes were icy.

"I truly do not know what Mr. Fan is talking about."

He looked up at Emperor Muwu and bowed with his hands clasped.

"Father Emperor, Mr. Fan appears to have lost his mind. I implore you to summon an Imperial Physician at once to examine him, lest his derangement lead him to spout more filth and defile your ears—"

"Me, spouting filth?"

Fan Chengzhuo pointed at himself as if he had just heard the world’s greatest joke.

"Prince Jing! All these years, I have been utterly loyal to you. It was you! You drove me to this dead end!"

Emperor Muwu closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.

Ye Chutang glanced at him from the side and noticed the faintest frown crease his brow. His lips were somewhat pale.

’Looks like his heart is acting up again...’

Even though Ye Chutang had specifically given him medicine earlier, it likely couldn’t handle every possible situation.

Ye Chutang asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, would you like to rest for a moment?"

Emperor Muwu shook his head.

The matter was of great importance, involving a Prince and a Princess. He had to oversee it personally.

"Chutang."

Emperor Muwu lifted his chin.

"Since Prince Jing says Fan Chengzhuo has gone mad, you go take a look."

Xiao Chenglin’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, tightened. He instinctively looked at Ye Chutang.

’How could I have forgotten she was here!’

Ye Chutang bowed her head respectfully. "Yes."

With that, she turned and walked over to Fan Chengzhuo, preparing to take his pulse. However, the moment she reached out her hand, Fan Chengzhuo harshly refused.

"Don’t bother!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Fan Chengzhuo’s mouth. He raised a hand to wipe it, but couldn’t seem to wipe it clean.

A strange, twisted smile appeared on his face—part bitter, part despairing.

"At this point, I know there’s no way out for me alive. I never planned on walking out of this Qiyuan Hall!"

But he would never choose to die for nothing!

"Your Majesty!"

Fan Chengzhuo’s voice suddenly rose, sharp and hoarse.

"All that has happened—don’t you find it strange? Both this guilty subject and Princess Yuhe were afflicted with a poisonous insect. This is the Capital City! How many people could possibly do such things so quietly?"

Emperor Muwu said nothing.

It felt like a string in Xiao Chenglin’s mind was being plucked relentlessly.

He said in a low voice,

"I swear! I have never done such a thing to Mr. Fan! The poisonous insect in his body, and the words he has spoken, have nothing to do with me! If I am lying, may I be struck by lightning—"

"Swear?" Fan Chengzhuo sneered, his face full of ridicule. "Prince Jing, in what capacity are you swearing right now? If you believed in karma, you would never have done those things!"

Xiao Chenglin faltered.

Fan Chengzhuo looked angrily at Xiao Lansi. "And you! Utterly foolish! Do you really think he’s reliable? With me as a prior example, haven’t you considered whether there was something fishy about Princess Consort Jing’s death all those years ago!?"

Xiao Lansi’s head snapped up!

This was her greatest sore spot. She could be indifferent about anything else, but not this—

But she had already investigated what happened back then. It was all Jiang Qingmei’s doing, and she had gotten her revenge. For Fan Chengzhuo to suddenly say this...

Xiao Lansi instinctively looked at Fan Chengzhuo, and recalling her own recent torment, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.

’Could it be that all of this was truly part of his plan?’

’Were she, Fan Chengzhuo, and perhaps many others, just pawns to be discarded after use?’

Xiao Lansi didn’t know the answer.

Her mind fell into turmoil again. She swayed and staggered backward.

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze shifted between her and Xiao Chenglin, his expression thoughtful.

"Princess Yuhe, if you have any grievances, you may report them to the Holy Emperor. As for what happened that day, I’m afraid the Princess is the one who can explain it most clearly."

"I..."

The last line of defense in Xiao Lansi’s heart was crumbling.

She gritted her teeth and finally turned her gaze to Ye Chutang.

"If you give this back to me, I’ll talk!"

Everyone looked at Ye Chutang.

No one had expected that Ye Chutang, who seemed the least involved in this tense situation, would suddenly become the most crucial link.

Ye Chutang paused, then gave a slight nod.

"Alright."

She raised her hand, untied the cord from her wrist, walked over to Xiao Lansi, and leaned down slightly to offer it to her.

"If the Princess wants it, please, take it."

Xiao Lansi stared blankly at the Turquoise Bead as tears welled up again, silently streaming down her face.

She slowly reached out her hand.

But the moment she touched the bead, a sharp pain shot through her entire body!

She cried out in pain and collapsed, trembling, to the floor. Her body curled up like a shrimp as she began to convulse.

CLINK—!

The cord was pulled loose, falling in a tangled heap on the floor with a faint, crisp sound.

Xiao Lansi lay on the ground, reaching for the bead, but she couldn’t move. In an instant, she was drenched in a cold sweat.

Blood, bright and glaring, trickled from the corners of her mouth and her nose.

Ye Chutang’s brow furrowed.

"This is bad! The poisonous insect inside her has been triggered!"

Xiao Lansi had been suffering the torment of the Life and Death Gu. It hadn’t been so severe at first, but after she was locked up and unable to meet with Shui Xingqiu to neutralize the poisonous insect, her condition had worsened.

On top of that, with so much happening today, the immense mental shock had caused the poisonous insect to flare up again on the spot!

Emperor Muwu immediately asked, "She can’t die yet! Do you have a way to neutralize this poisonous insect?"

Ye Chutang shook her head.

"This kind of poisonous insect is extremely potent. Even I am powerless against it. If it isn’t neutralized in time, I’m afraid... the Princess’s life will be in grave danger."

Emperor Muwu’s heart sank.

He didn’t actually care if Xiao Lansi lived or died, but with the matter still unresolved, how could he let her die just like that!?

"Then what other way is there?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Emperor Muwu’s mind. Suddenly, his expression firmed.

"The poisonous insect... the poisonous insect... Nanhu! Go! Immediately send someone to summon Si Kouji and his people!"

...

A certain residence in the Capital City.

The rain gradually subsided, but the sky remained gloomy, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Shui Xingqiu stood under the covered walkway, the unease in his heart growing stronger.

"Teacher, what are you looking at?"

Tuoba Yu, who was able to get out of bed today, slowly shuffled over. He followed Shui Xingqiu’s gaze but saw nothing and asked, bewildered.

Shui Xingqiu glanced back at him.

"It’s nothing. I just feel that this rain in the Capital City came on too suddenly... Your Highness, are you feeling much better today?"

Tuoba Yu nodded.

"Much better. It’s all thanks to your care, Teacher."

Shui Xingqiu listened distractedly.

Si Kouji approached from a distance, holding an umbrella.

Tuoba Yu asked curiously, "It’s raining. Why did Lord Si Kou go out just now?"

Shaking the rainwater from his umbrella, Si Kouji explained, "It was coming down so hard. I was afraid the roads would get muddy and we’d be delayed a few more days, so I went to check. It’s fine, it won’t affect us. But speaking of which, it’s strange. Something seems to have happened in the south of the city. It caused quite a commotion."

He looked around and lowered his voice.

"I heard that Shen Yanchuan himself led the Black Cavalry Guard out—"

"What!?"

Shui Xingqiu and Tuoba Yu were both stunned.

Tuoba Yu hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened?"

Si Kouji frowned. "I only overheard some passersby discussing it. It seems... they raided a pharmacy in the south of the city and arrested several people. Oh, right, there was a woman among them who was taken to the palace alone! I don’t know who—"

A jolt went through Shui Xingqiu’s heart!

He immediately grabbed Si Kouji’s shoulders. "Do you know the woman’s identity!?"

Si Kouji hadn’t expected such a strong reaction and was momentarily stunned. "N-no, I don’t know... The woman was put into a carriage as soon as she appeared, and it was raining hard. No one got a good look at her face..."

As he spoke, he turned to Tuoba Yu again.

"Your Highness, the Capital City seems to be in a bit of chaos. Perhaps we should leave sooner rather than later?"

Before Tuoba Yu could speak, Shui Xingqiu suddenly declared, his voice firm as steel:

"No! We leave now! Have someone pack our things immediately. We depart in a quarter of an hour!"

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