Since Madam Ge reported back to the palace that day, there has been no news from Imperial Concubine Mei. Only Mei was worried and secretly sent someone to the General's Mansion to get information. She was relieved to learn that Chu Xinian was still safe.
In fact, Chu Xinian was not only safe, he was like a fish in water in the general's mansion. Because Xie Jingyuan didn't seem to care much about things, as long as Chu Xinian didn't make any big noise, no matter what strange actions he made, the other party would most likely turn a blind eye.
For example... caught a box of ants
The weather is not warm yet, so ants are not active. Chu Xinian took a lot of effort to catch dozens of them. After all, he didn't know where to catch mice.
Xie Jingyuan was afraid of the cold and still stayed indoors. He was lying on the bed watching the soldiers, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Chu Xinian doing something furtively in the window.
He originally didn't want to care, but his interest was aroused, so he watched Weiwei's fall unnoticed.
Chu Xinian dipped a brush in honey and drew a line from the window frame to the house, and placed five ants at the starting point. The ants were disoriented for a while, and then began to crawl slowly into the house along the trace of honey. When they were about to crawl into the house, they turned around and fled to other places.
Small animals are born with a keen sense of touch, and they seem to know that the house is extremely dangerous.
Chu Xinian entered the room, and under the watchful eyes of Xie Jingyuan, he took out the aromatherapy ball hanging on the bedside and put it into his sleeve. He also asked the servants brought from Quyang Hou Mansion to move out all the incense burners, incense tripods and flower arrangements in the room. The inner room became empty in an instant.
Xie Jingyuan raised his eyebrows slightly: "Chu Xinian, do you want to rebel?"
Chu Xinian stood by the window, lowered his head and used his fingertips to tease the ants in the box, lowered his eyes and said, "It's a nice day today, these things are damp, it's good to dry them in the sun."
Besides, it was Xie Jingyuan who wanted to rebel, not Chu Xinian.
Xie Jingyuan threw it away and said slyly, "What do you want to do? Tell me, and I can help you."
He put on the mask again during the day, and the other half of his face seemed to be unable to see the light, so it was covered tightly and not exposed to the scorching sun and people's hearts.
Chu Xinian didn't say anything. He was a serious person, and he wouldn't speak casually before his inner guess was confirmed. He just said, "Just basking in the sun."
He was waiting for the smell in the room to dissipate. Standing by the window, the warm sun was leaning in. The whole person was like a jade sculpture, like a banished immortal. I don't know why such a person would be regarded as a fool by the people.
Yun Que quietly stepped forward, pretending to wait on the side, and while serving tea, he lowered his voice and said to Chu Xinian, "Sir, I have found out everything."
She helped Aunt Wang, who was washing clothes in the backyard, wash clothes for several days. Aunt Wang was so happy that she almost accepted her as her goddaughter. During the chat, she also found out a lot of secrets of the mansion.
Chu Xinian took the teacup she handed over and glanced at Xie Jingyuan inconspicuously: "Speak."
Yun Que whispered, "General Xie didn't live here before. He lived in Yuhen Pavilion in the South Courtyard. There was a room inside that was heavily guarded. Another deputy general of Jiuyong took turns to guard it. But for some reason he suddenly moved out half a year ago."
Chu Xinian thought that Xie Jingyuan might have noticed the poisoning and moved to a new place, but he was still poisoned after moving around. He handed the teacup to Yun Que, indicating that he knew about it and asked her to leave.
As expected, the military list should be hidden in Yuhen Pavilion.
Remaining traces, remaining hatred...
Chu Xinian chewed on these two words repeatedly, tasting some different meanings. Seeing that the smell in the room had almost dissipated, he released three more ants, and this time they followed the traces of honey and crawled into the house.
Xie Jingyuan appeared at the window without knowing when. He was wearing a black wind cloak on his shoulders and occasionally coughed. I thought Chu Xinian was playing something, but it turned out to be ants.
"You really have still got a childish heart." Xie Jingyuan's expression was ambiguous and his words seemed to be both praise and criticism.
If you change the meaning of this sentence, it means the same as calling someone childish.
Chu Xinian saw a few stupid ants carrying honey around on the window frame, and inexplicably remembered Yun Que's words about Xie Jingyuan moving to a new place. He spoke softly, then realized something was wrong and restrained himself, but his eyes were still full of deep meaning.
Xie Jingyuan's mouth froze: "What?"
He is a military general and dislikes those civil officials whose minds are more cunning than sieves. However, Chu Xinian seems to be more cunning than those civil officials, and some careless actions will arouse his vigilance.
Chu Xinian saw that the ants had already crawled into the house, and said, "Nothing, I just think these ants are very interesting, but a little stupid."
He was now certain that the source of the poison was one of these fragrant objects, but he didn't know which one it was. After all, only by finding it could he follow the clues and find the murderer.
Xie Jingyuan had no interest in ants. When he saw an ant crawling to the side of his shoe, he slowly crushed it to death, and said to Chu Xinian in a sinister tone: "What's the point of playing like this? I once saw a man covered in wounds, drenched in molasses, tied up in front of a thousand troops, and eaten by insects and ants. It was much more interesting than this."
He was deliberately scaring people again. Chu Xinian nodded seriously, agreeing: "It's really interesting."
He had never seen a living person being eaten into a skeleton by insects and ants before. If he saw it next time, he would really like to study it.
Xie Jingyuan: “…”
Xie Jingyuan finally realized that ordinary tricks could not scare Chu Xinian. There was a little more subtle interest in his eyes. He turned around and went back to the bed without saying a word, and continued to watch his soldiers.
Chu Xinian continued his own experiment. He took out the aromatherapy ball from his sleeve, ordered someone to hang it back in the house, and put the ants in again, only to see that they were all crawling around.
Chu Xinian followed the same procedure, took away the incense ball, replaced it with an incense burner, and the ants crawled in.
In the end, only the flowers in the vase were left.
But what's wrong with flowers in a vase
Chu Xi did an experiment a few years later. He only placed flowers in the house, but ants still crawled in.
From the above experiments, we know that when the three or two of them coexist, they are toxic, but when they exist alone, they are non-toxic.
Is it mixed with poison
Chu Xinian was slightly surprised. He didn't expect that there were such advanced poisons in ancient times. He wrote down his first research manuscript in this dynasty and was about to conduct the second elimination experiment when he saw a gatekeeper suddenly rush into the house and kneel on one knee to report to Xie Jingyuan: "General, the prince is here to visit—"
Chu Xinian's pupils shrank when he heard that. Crown Prince? !
Since ancient times, emperors have had many sons, and the current emperor is no exception, but there are only a handful of people who are capable of competing for the throne. Crown Prince Yin Chenghao is the legitimate son of the previous queen, and he is the eldest son, so he should be a favorable candidate for the throne. However, since the queen passed away, he has become increasingly reckless and chaotic, and his talent is mediocre, so he is not favored by the emperor.
After his rebellion failed, Yin Chenghao was directly imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. On the day the new emperor ascended the throne, he was ordered to hang himself and was buried with the rites of a prince.
Just before Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan got married, the prince was punished with house arrest for three months because of his poor performance. It was almost time for him to be released. Unexpectedly, the other party came directly to the general's mansion.
Not a good time...
Xie Jingyuan obviously knew that Chu Xinian had thought of something. He frowned, threw down his soldiers and stood up: "Take the Crown Prince to Yuhen Pavilion, I will go there later."
Seeing this, Chu Xinian put his experiment on hold for the time being and concealed his plan in a harmless manner: "The crown prince is here in person, the general and I will go to greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
When you are in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, how can you not see the heroic appearance of Emperor Taizong and the romanticism of Li Bai; when you are in the Qin Dynasty, how can you not see the ambition of the First Emperor and the treacherousness of Zhao Gao. Although the Great Yan Dynasty was fictionalized by Chu Xinian, he is full of interest in every character. If he is, he wants to meet and study them.
Xie Jingyuan paused after hearing this, and stared at Chu Xinian with narrow eyes: "Why do you want to go?"
Chu Xinian said as a matter of course: "Of course I will fulfill my duties as a subject."
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin are sworn enemies. Chu Xinian seemed to be completely unaware of how sensitive his identity was. It would have been fine if he didn't hide, but he had to rush forward.
Xie Jingyuan thought of the prince's reckless nature and frowned: "Why should I take you there?"
Chu Xinian always found countless irrefutable reasons. She was dressed in white, lowered her brows and said, "Since the general has married me, you and I are naturally one. No matter what we do, we should be together."
Marrying a man is definitely a humiliation for Xie Jingyuan in this life. He should have been angry when he heard this, but he didn't. He suddenly grabbed Chu Xinian's throat and pressed him against the wall. The cold mask scraped against his ears, making him feel like he was walking on the edge of a knife: "According to you, if I am shattered to pieces and doomed, should I drag you down with me? Hmm?"
Xie Jingyuan lowered his head, looking sickly and sinister, and his eyes beneath the mask became deeper and darker, like an evil ghost crawling out of hell, ready to devour anyone.
"It should be so."
Chu Xi Nian's words froze the expression on Xie Jingyuan's face. He held Xie Jingyuan's cold hand and slowly pulled it down from his neck, always calm and unhurried: "If the general is doomed one day and wants to take me with him, Xi Nian will accompany him."
Lying won't hurt you. It doesn't matter whether Chu Xinian's words are true or false. What matters is...
"General, let's go. Don't keep His Royal Highness the Crown Prince waiting."
"… "
Xie Jingyuan stared at him intently, not knowing what he was thinking. After a moment, he slowly withdrew his hand. He turned and walked out of the house, saying, "Follow me."
As soon as he left the house, he was hit by the cold, and the sun hanging in the sky did not relieve it a bit. Xie Jingyuan couldn't help coughing twice. At this moment, he suddenly had a wind cloak on his shoulders, and Chu Xinian's voice rang in his ears: "Just wait a few more months, and the weather will warm up."
His fingertips were slender, and he fastened the cloak in two or three strokes before withdrawing his hand.
Xie Jingyuan looked up at him, said nothing, and walked straight towards Yuhen Pavilion.
The system dinged: Please note that the villain's blackening degree has been reduced to 97
After that, he added: The results are a bit poor, and the speed is a bit slow, dear, please keep working hard
Chu Xinian: “…”
To be honest, he still hadn't figured out what the darkening degree was, and why it was decreasing. The only thing he was sure of was that what the system said was like some kind of gas, smelly and useless.
Chu Xinian followed behind slowly, observing the route through the palace as he walked. He found that there was a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps. It was indeed guarded more tightly than an iron barrel. No wonder Chu Jiaoping was helpless with the military list.
Yuhen Pavilion is in the South Garden. When Xie Jingyuan arrived, the prince was already waiting in the inner room. He walked up the steps, glanced at Chu Xinian, and said in a cold voice: "If you annoy the prince, I will not plead for mercy."
His words revealed a lot of information, for example, the prince hated the whole family and had no good feelings towards Prince Jin and his party, including Chu Xinian.
"I can only consider myself unlucky." Chu Xinian didn't seem panicked at all.
Crown Prince Yin Chenghao, born to the late Empress Liu, is the eldest son of Emperor Yan. He was reckless and impulsive when young, and as he grew older, he became increasingly stubborn, unable to distinguish between loyalty and stupidity, and indulged in the pleasures of sex and pleasure.
In the 28th year of Qisheng, the crown prince gathered his friends, plotted to murder his brothers, and raised an army to rebel, intending to usurp the throne. He was captured by the King of Jin in front of Tai'an Gate. The Emperor of Yan was furious and deposed the crown prince and imprisoned him in the East Palace.
In the winter of the 35th year of Qisheng, the Emperor of Yan passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne. He ordered the deposed Crown Prince Chenghao to hang himself and be buried in the imperial mausoleum.
When Chu Xinian saw the man in the yellow python robe sitting in the room with no manners and a sloppy look, his ending in the original story quietly emerged in his mind. After reacting, he shook his sleeves and saluted with Xie Jingyuan: "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Crown Prince Yin Chenghao is impulsive and irritable, with a reputation for mediocrity, while Chu Xinian is an equally dissolute dandy.
He came to see Xie Jingyuan today, firstly to visit the patient, and secondly to discuss important matters. When he saw someone coming, he subconsciously wanted to speak, but who would have thought that there was a man in white with an extraordinary temperament following behind him, and he could not help but pause.
Yin Chenghao had never seen Chu Xinian before, so he stood up subconsciously, thinking that Xie Jingyuan had brought a great man, a counselor or a strategist like Crouching Dragon or Phoenix, to introduce to him. He barely stood up, suppressed his excitement, and cast a puzzled look at Xie Jingyuan: "Who is this...?"
Xie Jingyuan couldn't say anything. He said coldly, thinking, is this the person I'm going to marry
Chu Xinian stared at the prince for a while, and found that his personality was the same as before, and he was slightly relieved. He introduced himself gracefully: "Chu Xinian, the second son of Quyang Hou, greets His Royal Highness the Prince."
Yin Chenghao's excitement was immediately chilled as if someone poured a bucket of water on him. It turned out that he was not a master, but a mortal enemy. As expected, he looked unfriendly, and sat down again, asking suspiciously, "Are you Chu Xinian?"
On the side of King Jin
Chu Xinian stood up and said, "Yes."
Yin Chenghao thought to himself, isn't Chu Xinian a dandy? How come he doesn't look like one? His tone changed from suspicious to hostile: "I heard that you ran away with a prostitute from a brothel on your wedding day, abandoning General Xie. Is this true?"
Is the prince trying to stand up for his subordinates
Chu Xinian glanced at Xie Jingyuan.
Xie Jingyuan had already sat down, with his head lazily tilted, as if he was watching the show.
Chu Xinian was calm and composed: "Of course not. Xinian's wedding day was hijacked by villains, so I was unable to attend. It was not intentional."
Yin Chenghao waved his hand in disdain: "Whether you are intentional or not has nothing to do with me. I will go to the palace later and ask my father to cancel this marriage. You can go to Quyang Marquis's mansion."
Xie Jingyuan paused after hearing this.
Yin Chenghao knew that Concubine Mei had bad intentions, but she took advantage of the time when he was under house arrest to persuade the emperor to grant Xie Jingyuan a marriage, which was intended to cut off his arm. He said that he would not let this marriage happen no matter what.
Chu Xinian thought that Yin Chenghao was indeed a fool and reckless. He could say such things casually. I'm afraid he said them without even thinking about them. It was expected that he would not be able to defeat the King of Jin.
As for what the other party just said, asking the emperor to cancel this marriage, it is nonsense.
Because this marriage was not only mixed with Concubine Mei's calculations, but also the emperor's calculations.
Compared with the original work, the character of the prince does not seem to have collapsed. After Chu Xinian confirmed this, his goal had been achieved, and he continued: "Your Highness the Prince is right, Xi Nian will take his leave first."
Yin Chenghao was very satisfied with his tact. Finally, there was someone who was not so annoying beside King Jin: "Go ahead, go ahead."
Chu Xinian stepped out of the door and turned his head inadvertently, but saw Xie Jingyuan staring at him. Without thinking much, he closed the door.
The courtyard was lush and green, with patches of green-stemmed trees, and black fruits fell all over the ground. Chu Xinian walked down the steps, looked up at the sun and squinted, wondering why Xie Jingyuan, who held military power, would choose to be loyal to a fool prince
Maybe... when the Xie family was implicated, all the civil and military officials in the court avoided them, and only the crown prince Yin Chenghao begged for mercy...