Zhou Huairang quickly completed the two tasks assigned by his master, sent someone to find Doctor Bai, and also sent out the prince's letter of complaint.
Now, the only task left is to find the other person who has been poisoned.
"Chongzhou is an important town in Dongling, with hundreds of thousands of common people. Trying to find someone with a red string on his wrist is like looking for a needle in a haystack." Zhou Huairang reported to Zhao Mian, "So there is a custom in Chongzhou: whoever is chosen by the national teacher will go to the largest inn in the city, Qinghui Tower, order a pot of daughter's red wine, and wait for the other person to come forward and recognize him."
Zhao Mian said indifferently: "We live in Qinghui Building."
"Yes, Your Highness." Zhou Huairang said, "So I plan to go to the front hall and wait according to the rules. Your Highness, do you want to join us?"
Zhao Mian said: "No, you don't go either."
Zhou Huairang didn't understand: "Ah? But..."
"If we go first, we will be waiting for him. He can just not show up first, observe us secretly, and then wait for an opportunity to act." Zhao Mian patiently explained to his not-so-smart companion, "Don't put yourself in a passive position. If the enemy doesn't show up, neither will we. Do you understand?"
Zhou Huairang suddenly realized: "I understand, I understand."
Therefore, Zhou Huairang took the initiative and secretly observed the guests coming and going in Qinghui Building without exposing himself. Unexpectedly, he observed for two whole days, observing every corner of Qinghui Building, but he did not see any guests who ordered a pot of Nv'erhong.
It was observed that Zhou Huairang had gone a little crazy. He found every guest who came in suspicious and wanted to roll up their sleeves to take a look at their wrists. Occasionally, he would even drag Shen Buci to join him in his crazy behavior.
"This girl in the pink dress is quite charming. If she is the other poisoned person, it is not unacceptable, but she is still not worthy of our Highness. At most, she can be a concubine in the East Palace."
"I hope it's not this lady boss. Your Highness is only eighteen years old. If he brings a Dongling woman in her forties back to Nanjing, the Prime Minister will probably really destroy the Dongling Kingdom."
"It's over, could it be that fat guy gnawing on the pig's head? Old Shen, go check his hands!"
Shen Buci asked Zhou Huairang: "Why have you been able to live so long beside His Highness?"
Zhou Huairang asked the waiters at Qinghui Tower. According to past experience, once the red string of the Imperial Master was tied, the two people who were forced to be a matchmaker would recognize each other in Qinghui Tower at the latest early the next morning, and sometimes even in the middle of the night.
The lucky ones who married higher were overjoyed and cried out that their ancestors' graves were smoking; the unlucky ones who married lower covered their faces and cried, and wanted to commit suicide; those who married lower, some were relieved, while others were greatly disappointed... In short, the quarrel can last for most of the day.
This time, no one came for two days, which is really strange.
Shen Buci guessed: "Perhaps, that person has something important to do and is unable to come."
Zhou Huairang disagreed: "He has been poisoned. If he doesn't come, he will die. What could be more important than this?"
After listening to the conversation between the two, Zhao Mian said, "Or maybe he thinks the same as we do and doesn't want to be the passive party."
After discovering that he was bewitched, he did not immediately go to Qinghui Tower to "recognize his relatives", which shows that he was not panicked. He was able to hide his identity and take the initiative, which also proved that he had enough patience.
If this is true, that person may not be an ordinary citizen who is easy to control.
Also, how can an ordinary person deserve to be tied with a red string with him.
Everyone said that Wan Huameng had no rules when choosing people to cast the spell on, and it was all based on his mood. But he chose himself, the prince of Nanjing, who had an extraordinary identity. So, could the other person not be as simple as he seemed
Now is the time to see who has more patience. Zhao Mian believes that he will not lose. He has Nan Jing, his father and the prime minister behind him. He will always have a way out, but the other party may not.
"Keep waiting." Zhao Mian ordered, "I don't believe he won't come."
Two days later, they finally received the news.
At that time, Zhao Mian was in the room reading secret reports sent from various places. As he was reading, his eyes fell on his wrist.
His skin color was the same as his father's, much paler than most men. This paler color made the red line look even brighter, as if it had been cut by a sharp blade.
How did Wan Huameng do it? Shen Buci said that the place where Wan Huameng put the poison on him was probably in Liu's mansion. After Miss Liu died, Liu's mansion was in chaos, and Wan Huameng mixed in the crowd and picked him to put the poison on him.
Who is the one.
Zhao Mian recalled the people he had met in Liu's house one by one, and did not find anything wrong. If he had to say it, it was Miss Liu's personal maid. It was too bold for a teenage girl to yell at Wan Huameng's people. But she was young after all, and it was understandable that she was too sad to speak without restraint.
The sound of hurried footsteps broke Zhao Mian's thoughts.
"Your Highness," Zhou Huairang asked anxiously, tripping over the threshold as he entered. "He's here! Your Highness, another person who has been poisoned has finally appeared!"
Zhao Mian's heart moved. As expected, the other party couldn't hold back any longer, and he won.
He covered his wrist with his sleeve without revealing a word and said, "First tell me whether it's a boy or a girl."
Zhou Huairang panted: "Male... Male."
Zhao Mian said "hmm", his mentality was very stable: "Continue."
Zhou Huairang looked as if he didn't know where to start: "He... He is a rough man."
Zhao Mian frowned, but his attitude was still okay: "How thick?"
Zhou Huairang gestured: "Very thick."
"Is he also a blacksmith?"
Zhou Huairang shook his head: "No."
Zhao Mian had a bad feeling: "Is that a pig butcher?"
Zhou Huairang continued to shake his head. He was not being mysterious, he just wanted to give His Royal Highness some more time to prepare himself mentally: "Not really."
Zhao Mian was angry: "What on earth is that? Zhou Huai told you not to think that just because the emperor wants me to be friends with you, I dare not break off relations with you!"
Zhou Huairang knelt down with a plop, and pulled Zhao Mian's clothes, wanting to cry but without tears: "He is a fish killer! Your Highness, he is a fish killer!"
Zhao Mian was stunned.
Zhou Huairang just said that the man was killing... killing something
How could he be related to a fish killer? Would a fish killer be better than a blacksmith
Zhao Mian heard himself say, "Say it again carefully."
"Your Highness, the person who was poisoned with both male and female Gu together with you is a fishmonger named 'Li Er'. Li Er..." Zhou Huairang swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling, trembling with fear, "He has been killing fish in the market for twenty years!"
Twenty years?!
Zhao Mian was stunned and blurted out: "How old is he?"
Zhou Huairang observed his master's expression and said carefully, "Your Highness, Li Er is thirty-two years old this year."
After being in a trance for a long time, Zhao Mian took a deep breath and asked, "What does he look like?"
Zhou Huairang considered his words carefully: "Nothing special?"
Zhao Mian questioned: "If he was just an ordinary citizen, why didn't he go to the inn to meet me the day before yesterday?"
Zhou Huairang honestly told the truth: "Because he is too dark, his wrist is so dark that you can't see the red line on it. I didn't find it until today."
Zhao Mian: “…Oh.”
"Your Highness?" Zhou Huairang cautiously asked, "Your Highness, are you okay?"
Zhou Huairang wiped his sweat and agreed repeatedly: "Yes, yes, as long as we can find the antidote, we don't care if it's a blacksmith or a fish killer, we won't need it!"
Zhao Mian said "hmm", and with the demeanor of a prince, he asked calmly, "Where is the fish killer now?"
Zhou Huairang said: "It's on the first floor of the inn."
"Then let's go." Zhao Mian's face was grim. "I want to see how evil the 'Crown Princess' Wan Huameng has found for me is."
The first floor of Qinghui Building was more lively than usual. All the guests gathered around a table with a pot of girl's red wine on it. The man sitting at the table was naturally one of the people who was poisoned by Wanhua Meng.
Zhao Mian did not go downstairs, but stood on the second floor and looked down. He deliberately put on a veil to cover his face. The identity of the visitor was unknown, and he did not want to face him in person.
In addition to the locals of Dongling, Chongzhou also had secret agents from other two countries lurking in Dongling. It was possible that some of them had seen him in Shangjing, Nanjing. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he should be extremely cautious.
Zhou Huairang and Shen Buci stood behind him on both sides. Zhou Huairang pointed to the corner of the first floor and said, "Sir, that's the one! The darkest one!"
Zhao Mian said unhappily: "Don't be so loud, I'm not blind."
The master, his servant and his two companions lowered their heads and looked towards the corner of the first floor. Their movements were surprisingly uniform.
Zhao Mian looked left and right, up and down. The more he looked, the gloomier his face became, and the tighter his brows furrowed.
The fish killer was wearing a coarse linen shirt and had a dark face. His facial features could be considered regular, but there was nothing outstanding about him. There were many wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a scar across the bridge of his nose.
The guests surrounding him were all there to watch the fun. They had even stopped eating because they wanted to see which matchmaking the Imperial Master had chosen this time, and what kind of wife a fishmonger at the market could marry.
"If you can marry a rich lady like that blacksmith last time, it would be a great honor for your ancestors!"
"What's so good about it! Miss Liu has hanged herself!"
"If you ask me, don't set your standards too high. A woman under 40 should be enough - right?"
The fish killer sat in the middle of the crowd, and the people around him were talking non-stop. He looked at this person, looked at that person, and occasionally agreed with them.
"Yes Yes Yes."
"Silly girl."
"Yeah."
Zhou Huairang asked: "Your Highness, what do you think of this person?"
Zhao Mian's evaluation was just four simple words: "Dark skin, extremely ugly."
Zhou Huairang didn't dare to refute.
The fish killer was not that ugly, just an ordinary man, and black skin has its own special features. In the past, the Western Xia Desert was rich in dark-skinned beauties, both men and women wore cool clothes, revealing a part of their waists, and hung jingling jewelry on their bodies, which was very exotic.
If the fish killer changed into Xixia clothes, it would definitely look better than now. However, Xixia had been destroyed by Beiyuan, and Xixia clothing would probably disappear with it.
There are many beauties in Nanjing, most of whom are white as jade. The royal Zhao family has even more beauties. Your Highness has seen many handsome men, so his standards are naturally high. If the reference of Your Highness the Crown Prince is the Nanjing royal family, then everyone is ugly.
Zhou Huairang laughed dryly and said, "Look, sir, this Li Er actually has a pretty good figure."
Most Dongling men are not very tall, but even when the fish killer is sitting, you can see that he has a slender figure and seems to be taller than Shen Buci.
There was ice in Zhao Mian's voice: "So you like this kind of dark and tall guy. I know what kind of marriage I will arrange for you in the future."
Zhou Huairang said with a sad face: "I was wrong."
Zhao Mian stared at the dark figure, still unable to believe it: "He has really only been killing fish for twenty years? It looks like he has been killing fish for thirty years. He is so old."
Zhou Huairang whispered, "Sir, thirty years ago, Li Er was only two years old."
Zhao Mian couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he suddenly turned his face away, thinking out of sight, out of mind.
—How dare you tie him together with a fish killer named Hei Pi? There is no way he and Hei Pi are compatible at all. Is Wan Hua Meng blind
Zhou Huairang asked: "Sir, should we go down and recognize each other?"
Zhao Mian thought for a moment in his anger and said, "There are so many people talking at this time, there is no rush."
As the wait for another poisoned person to show up was long in coming, the guests who were watching the fun could not wait any longer. The onlookers gradually dispersed, leaving Li Er alone to wait in boredom.
Zhao Mian still did not move. Li Er was probably hungry, so he asked the waiter for a bowl of wonton noodles and ate it with great concentration, enjoying it very much.
His eating manners were as rough as his personality, and he finished a whole bowl of noodles in no time. Perhaps he ate too fast, he choked halfway through, and hurriedly poured himself a glass of water, pounding his chest with one hand while guzzling tea with the other.
He looks even less intelligent than Zhou Huairang.
But the more Zhao Mian watched, the more he felt something was wrong: "We stood here and watched the fish being killed for quite a long time."
Zhou Huairang didn't understand what Zhao Mian meant: "Yes."
Zhao Mian asked again: "If you were being stared at like this, would you notice anything?"
Zhou Huairang thought for a moment and said, "It should be possible." Human intuition is very strange. Even if there are no eyes behind you, you can still feel someone behind you sometimes. Besides, they didn't deliberately hide their gaze just now.
Zhao Mian pondered, "But the fish killer didn't react at all, and didn't even look in our direction. Since he came to Qinghui Tower, he naturally wanted to recognize the other poisoned person. It would be fine if he didn't look around nervously, but he even ate the wonton noodles so happily. Should we say he is heartless, or that he doesn't care at all."
Zhou Huairang said: "Maybe it's because he is particularly slow?"
"Or maybe he noticed it and just acted like nothing happened."
"Ah, so he was pretending?"
Zhao Mian said: "Do you remember what the Prime Minister taught us? Oftentimes, what we see is often what others want us to see."
This time Zhou Huairang followed his master's train of thought: "Your Highness, are you saying that there might be something else going on with the killing of the fish?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Er seemed to finally notice their gazes. A confused look appeared on his dark face, and he looked up towards the second floor.
Just before their eyes met, Zhao Mian turned and walked away, saying, "Of course, it's also possible that he's just blind and stupid."
Zhou Huairang chased after him and asked, "Then Your Highness, how can we tell whether Li Er is really stupid or just pretending to be stupid?"
A bunch of tricks such as playing hard to get and retreating when the enemy advances emerged in Zhao Mian's mind. He felt that they were all troublesome and a waste of time.
Finally he said, "Ask first."
Zhou Huairang blinked: "What if he doesn't answer?"
Zhao Mian did not hesitate: "Then fight."
Shen Buci understood what he meant: "I will go now."
(End of this chapter)