After dinner, Sui Sui wanted to go to Prince Chen's Mansion. Since Huan Jiong's death, the palace had been locked and became an abandoned garden. After searching at night, she could go to the palace treasury the next day to check the relics confiscated from Prince Chen's Mansion, and search the Shang Pharmacy as well. Huan Xuan's life was at stake, and she didn't want to delay for a moment.
However, after the Chen Wang Mansion was confiscated, it returned to the emperor's palace. To search the palace, Huan Xuan had to have an imperial decree or token. Naturally, Huan Xuan refused and scolded her. She had taken the antidote for only more than ten days, and the remaining poison had not yet been completely eliminated. She rushed from Zhaoying to Chang'an without stopping, first went to Taiji Palace to see the princess, and then came to Chang'anfang. Calculating the time, it is likely that she did not stop along the way. Although he could not see her face clearly, he knew she was weak when he touched her cold body.
Sui Sui knew that she couldn't persuade him, so she had to give up. She sat by his bed for a while, and when he fell asleep, she went back to her room to sleep.
She lay down on the bed, closed the curtains, and felt the strength drained from her body in an instant. She had fought many battles that seemed doomed to fail, but she had never been so scared as she was now, because this time her enemy was invisible and intangible, it was fate, it was death itself.
Although she played it down in front of Huan Xuan, she actually had no confidence in finding the antidote. Only she knew how scared she was, but she could not show the fear and despair in her heart. Huan Xuan's life was only a thin strand like a spider's silk, which would be broken by a breath. If a person lost the desire to live, death would grab him faster.
She could only suppress her fear deep in her heart, until she felt suffocated.
If I can't save him... As soon as this thought came to her mind, she suppressed it, but loneliness still enveloped her like the dark night.
She looked at the pitch-black ceiling and suddenly realized that the loneliness that followed her everywhere had left her a long time ago, perhaps even earlier than she thought, perhaps when they spent the summer together in the garden behind the mountain pond, perhaps when they rode horses together in the training ground, or perhaps when he taught her how to use a knife in a serious manner.
Her identity was fake, and their beginning was entangled with mistakes, accidents and lies, but the warmth and satisfaction of their companionship were real, as was the tacit understanding.
He chased her to Heshuo, and she hid in the secret room, listening to the noise outside, and even felt a little envious of Lu Suisui.
When she returned to Chang'an again, she didn't even realize that there was a hint of expectation hidden in her heart, until she saw Huan Xuan sitting on the horse in the wind and snow, she found that at that moment a trace of joy passed through her heart.
Perhaps it is precisely because they have all experienced loneliness that they can make each other feel less lonely.
Unconsciously, he stubbornly dispelled the loneliness of the cold night and painted her pale and monotonous life with a strong and vivid color.
Even if he stayed in Chang'an and she returned to Heshuo, and they were separated from each other from then on, she would not be lonely as long as she knew that there was someone in the world who completely understood and knew her.
They could be like two lonely stars gazing at each other from afar, using their light to warm each other's cold nights, but if he was gone, she would be surrounded by heart-breaking loneliness again, and she could no longer endure the loneliness.
Sui Sui tossed and turned until midnight and she fell asleep exhausted. When she woke up the next morning, her head still ached slightly.
She got up, washed, changed her clothes, and drank two cups of strong tea before she felt better.
After obtaining Huan Xuan's token from Gao Mai, she took a few guards and went to the Prince of Qi's Palace with Huan Minggui.
Huan Minggui had nothing to do, so he volunteered to go with her.
Sui Sui was more than happy to do so. Although Prince Yuzhang and Huan Jiong did not have much contact with each other, they were cousins after all and knew each other better than she did. Maybe if she went to Prince Chen's Mansion, she could think of some clues that she had previously overlooked.
Prince Chen was not favored. Although he was allowed to leave the palace and build his own residence because his mother was one of the four concubines, and he did not have to live in the Ten Princes' Residences with other concubines, the scale and location of the Prince's residence could not be compared with those of the legitimate princes, and it was also far behind that of Prince Yuzhang.
The palace is located in Shengpingfang, and the East Market is several blocks further east, almost reaching the outskirts of the city.
Sui Sui rode his horse in front of the palace gate and saw that the red lacquer on the gate was mottled and the copper was covered with verdigris. Prince Chen had been demoted to a commoner, and the spears in front of the gate had long been removed. It looked like the residence of an ordinary official or wealthy family, far from the grandeur of Huan Xuan's Shanchiyuan.
The guards stepped forward to unlock the door and pushed open the door. The door hinges made a harsh creaking sound, and a group of people walked around the screen door and rode their horses inside.
After the Qi Wang case was exposed, all the people in the mansion, including Concubine Shu's mother's family, were executed, exiled, or sent to the music school. I don't know if it was because of this, but the house was filled with an ominous atmosphere, and the house seemed to be decaying faster than other houses. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the trees and beams had become nests for crows and sparrows. The steps were covered with moss, and the red lacquer railings could no longer show their original color.
The wind blew through the tattered window paper and rotten windows, accompanied by the rough cries of crows, making the atmosphere eerie even in broad daylight.
Huan Minggui felt a chill on his back and scratched the goose bumps on his arms: "Where does General Xiao plan to start the search?"
As he spoke, he unconsciously leaned closer to Sui Sui, as if General Xiao could suppress evil.
Sui Sui thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to his bedroom first."
You can often see something from where a person lives.
The two of them stepped into the main courtyard and passed through three courtyards. The further they went in, the quieter and more eerie the surroundings seemed to become.
When he arrived at the bedroom door, he checked it carefully. He found that the door was not bolted and the seal was broken because Huan Xuan had sent people to search it not long ago.
They pushed open the door and walked into the room. As soon as they entered, they found that the house was extremely dark, with tall and narrow windows, nearly half the size of an ordinary house. There were a lot of curtains and screens in the room, and they were all dark colors, especially the draperies, which were either dark purple or brown, as if they were covered with congealed blood.
Sui Sui walked to the bed and took a look. He could vaguely see traces of added bricks on the windowsill. It was obvious that he had ordered people to reduce the size of the window after he moved into the palace. He seemed to have intentionally made his residence dark and cold, like the lair of wild animals.
Huan Minggui couldn't help but think of the tragic scene when Huan Jiong's body was found in the wilderness. He was a little hesitant, but he volunteered to help, so he had to bite the bullet and follow in.
There was dust and cobwebs everywhere. After taking a quick look around, I could tell from the traces on the floor, bed, and boxes that Huan Xuan's men had searched the place thoroughly.
When the Chen Palace was confiscated, all the money, rice, and valuables were taken into the palace treasury. However, perhaps for ominous reasons, the bed, desk, screen, and furnishings remained in their original places.
Sui Sui asked Huan Minggui, "Has Prince Yuzhang been here before?"
Huan Minggui shook his head: "Huan Jiong never lets anyone enter his inner courtyard."
He looked around and asked, "Why isn't there even a mirror in this room?"
He is a person who looks in the mirror wherever he goes. He can't imagine how a person can live without a mirror.
Sui Sui said, "He probably doesn't want to see himself."
Huan Minggui couldn't help but sigh. Although Huan Jiong's appearance was not flattering, he didn't expect that this man had loathed himself to such an extent.
Sui Sui ordered the guards to light lamps and candles and search the bed, cupboards, boxes and chests, even the frames of the screens and the interlayers of the curtains.
She herself raised the candlestick and walked towards a dark doorway opposite the bed.
This is one of the entrances to Huan Jiong's secret room. Originally, there was a cabinet blocking the secret door, but it was moved aside during the confiscation.
Many powerful people would dig secret rooms and passages in their houses, so it was not surprising that someone like Huan Jiong dug a secret room under his bedroom.
As Sui walked up the stairs, Prince Yuzhang hesitated for a moment, but had to follow.
It was even more damp and cold underground. As I held onto the stone wall and moved forward, I could feel the condensed water vapor on the stone wall seeping into my body through my fingertips, making me feel cold all over.
Huan Minggui asked, "Is this secret room where the Fangshis make poison?"
Sui Sui said, "There is a Danfang for refining poisons. I heard that this is just a place to store medicine and test poisons on living people."
Huan Minggui shuddered and nearly slipped and fell.
Fortunately, the stone steps were not too long, and they quickly reached the secret room.
Sui Sui used an oil lamp to light the candle lamp embedded in the stone wall.
In front of them was a stone room about four or five meters square, with a stone bed in the middle of the room and wooden shelves on the walls on both sides, which were originally used to store medicine, but now the medicine had been taken out and only the empty shelves were left.
The wall opposite the entrance was empty, with a two-foot-high Sumeru stone pedestal on it. No one knew what it was used for.
Sui Sui checked the pedestal and found it was carved out of a single piece of white stone, without any gaps or places where things could be hidden.
Huan Minggui didn't care about getting his clothes dirty. He took out a handkerchief and brushed the dust off the stone bed, then sat down. This place was eerie and scary, and his legs were shaking a little.
Sui Sui gave him a strange look and didn't tell him that this stone bed was probably where Huan Jiong's "medicine man" lay, and that there were iron chains connected to the four corners of the stone bed.
The secret room must have been the place that was searched most thoroughly. Even the gaps between the bricks had probably been carefully searched. Sui Sui did not stay here for long and continued to walk back down the stairs.
Sui Sui walked outside again and searched the hall, study, storeroom and other places one by one.
The warehouse was almost emptied, with only a few boxes of documents left.
Sui Sui thought about it, called the guards and ordered: "Find a few people to transport these to Shanchiyuan."
Huan Minggui was surprised and asked, "You have to go and see so many things in person?"
Sui Sui nodded: "Maybe we can find some clues from it."
Huan Xuan’s people must have checked to see if there were any prescriptions or anything like that in there, so there might be other clues.
After searching Prince Chen's mansion thoroughly, the sun had already set before they knew it.
After leaving the palace, Huan Minggui felt a little disappointed: "It's a pity that I worked so hard for nothing."
Sui Sui said: "It's not like I gained nothing." At least she had a deeper understanding of Huan Jiong.
Huan Minggui said, "It's getting late, shall we go back to Shanchiyuan for dinner?"
The two of them didn't have lunch, and he was already starving.
Sui Sui said, "Your Majesty, please go back first. I still need to go to Penglai Palace to check the accounts of the Chen Palace when it was confiscated."
Huan Minggui was surprised: "General Xiao has been tired all day, and his face doesn't look good. Let's go back to have a meal and rest, and go to Penglai Palace tomorrow."
He paused and said worriedly: "If General Xiao collapses from exhaustion, Your Majesty will be even more worried."
Sui Sui said: "Thank you for your kindness, Prince Yuzhang. I don't know how my own body works."
She smiled and said, "If I really need to rest, I won't force myself."
Huan Minggui had no other choice but to say, "The young prince and General Xiao should go together."
Sui Sui did not stop her and got on the carriage immediately. She did not have time to waste.
The carriage stopped for a while when passing the East Market. The guards went to buy some Hu cakes and poured a few pots of strong tea, which was their dinner.
In addition to money, rice, and other items seized from Prince Chen's mansion, all the utensils were stored in a warehouse.
Sui Sui searched all those things, and borrowed the accounts from the time when the government office was raided from the eunuch and took them back to look at them.
The moon was already at its zenith when he returned to Shanchiyuan. He went to the bathhouse for a quick bath and then buried himself in the documents moved from Prince Chen's mansion.
Sui Sui first showed the accounts of the palace in the year before his death. Although Prince Chen was not favored, the emperor did not treat this son badly. He still had quite a lot of land and property. Although his annual income could not be compared with that of the legitimate emperor, it was indeed not small.
In addition, Concubine Shu had been in charge of palace affairs for several years. Even if she was not a greedy person, she must have had plenty of money. She was very generous to her only son and would reward him with a lot of things during every New Year.
However, the property confiscated from the palace was just a drop in the bucket compared to his land income, which means that he spent a lot of money on unknown things, and the accounts in this regard are also unclear.
It was as if there was a bottomless pit for him to fill.
Sui Sui knew that Huan Jiong was a frequent visitor to the prostitutes in Pingkangfang, and suspected that he was spending a lot of money in those brothels, so he went to ask Huan Minggui. Huan Minggui said, "If Huan Jiong was willing to spend a lot of money, the prostitutes in Pingkangfang would not avoid him. People in Chang'an who are involved in the prostitution know that Prince Chen is notoriously stingy."
He paused and said, "In the entertainment industry, the customer's appearance and figure are secondary. If you are willing to spend money, those people can praise him to the sky."
That means it flowed to other places.
Sui Sui couldn't figure it out, and somehow felt that the matter should be investigated thoroughly.
After working on the account books for more than an hour, it was late at night and she was exhausted. However, she did not dare to stop, for fear that the moment of delay would be the most critical moment.
She put down an account book and frowned. She heard footsteps behind her and thought it was Chun Tiao, so she said, "Sister Chun Tiao, please make me a pot of tea and make it stronger."
She gave the order while taking out the next account book from the box, but there was no reply from "Chun Tiao".
She sensed something was wrong and turned around, only to see Huan Xuan standing at the door with a cane and a cloak.
Sui Sui felt a little timid: "Why is your Majesty here?"
Huan Xuan walked into the room and asked: "If I don't come, will you stay overnight?"