Chapter 513: Turning the Tables
Chapter 513: Turning the Tables
Prince Jin spent quite some time in his son’s room, doting on him with all the affection of a loving father. Only when his son yawned repeatedly did he reluctantly leave.
Before he left, he specially instructed his son to rest and recuperate, not to worry about anything for the next few days, and to just wait for his Enthronement Ceremony.
"Indeed, it is my Enthronement Ceremony."
Someone removed the human skin mask from their face and leaned back in the chair lazily, "I haven't worn it in a long time, so it feels a bit uncomfortable."
A bald eagle landed on the windowsill, glaring at the man with a grumpy expression.
Lu Yuan curled his lips and raised an eyebrow, "If you keep giving me that look, Your Highness, I’ll cut off your jerky."
The bald eagle slammed its paw on the table: I am a mighty overlord with ten strips of jerky! Do I need your jerky?
Lu Yuan: "Twenty strips."
The bald eagle immediately hopped over and rubbed its head against the man’s hand, chirping softly, "Chirp~"
Twenty strips were impossible, but promising a big reward was a different story.
Lu Yuan wrote a note and tied it to the bald eagle’s claw.
The bald eagle flew off to deliver the message.
Lu Yuan stroked his chin, "I accidentally infiltrated Prince Jin’s residence. How is that not considered infiltrating the enemy’s inner circle?"
Life is a grand cycle. The deception he once used on Xun Chancellor was now being employed again at Prince Jin’s residence.
"Prince Jin doesn’t seem to know about my disguise skills. Did Gongsun Yanming forget to inform him, or did Xun Chancellor withhold information from Gongsun Yanming?"
Lu Yuan thought about it and concluded that the latter was more likely.
Xun Chancellor, the mysterious traitor from the Miao Borderlands, the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion… perhaps there were even more forces involved, forming a complex and calculating alliance.
Since he was dealing with tigers, he needed to be cautious.
Once he understood the key points, Lu Yuan felt more at ease.
He lay down on Lu Qi’s bed and waved the human skin mask in his hand, "One good trick can carry you through life."
With the experience of impersonating Luo San at the Chancellor’s residence, impersonating Lu Qi was no problem.
However, Prince Jin’s precautions against him were clearly more stringent than Xun Chancellor’s were against Luo San. He still needed to be careful.
"Even his own son he doesn’t trust. This uncle is even more cold-blooded and ruthless than I imagined."
The bald eagle flew to the main courtyard of the Crown Prince’s Mansion and landed on the windowsill of Lu Yuan’s room.
The black-clad figure immediately recognized the bald eagle, the one that had fought to the death with General Hu’s golden eagle.
He frowned.
A delicate hand removed the note from the bald eagle’s claw and fed it two strips of jerky.
The bald eagle carried the jerky to the roof and enjoyed its feast.
Meng Qianqian read the note, burned it with a candle, and said calmly, "I underestimated Prince Jin. With such a mindset, he is no ordinary person."
They say that a father’s qualities are reflected in his son. Lu Qi played the role of a pig eating a tiger, so why not Prince Jin?
When they went to the mountain to invite Master Ziwu, Lu Qi deliberately sealed his inner strength and walked up the mountain with Lu Zhaoyan, gasping for breath, leading people to believe his martial arts were mediocre.
It wasn’t until the Horseback Archery Contest that it became clear his powers were profound.
And Prince Jin’s abilities were even deeper.
He appeared to be a man of great talent and vision, but upon closer inspection, he seemed to lack some stability and means.
Tonight’s test of Lu Qi revealed that his apparent shortcomings were deliberate weaknesses.
The black-clad figure didn’t respond.
He sat on the bed and touched the human skin mask on his face.
The mask had been applied too quickly, and he hadn’t even reacted at the time.
Meng Qianqian said, "I advise Crown Prince Changsun not to touch it."
The black-clad figure’s lips moved, but he held back his words.
Meng Qianqian walked up to him and opened a small medicine box, "Crown Prince Changsun, please let Xiao Jiu examine your injuries."
The black-clothed man looked suspiciously into Meng Qianqian's eyes.
Meng Qianqian met his gaze unflinchingly. "It was His Highness, the Crown Prince, who sent for Xiao Jiu from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. Please trust Xiao Jiu's medical skills."
The black-clothed man opened his mouth as if to ask something but then swallowed his words.
Meng Qianqian used scissors to cut away the blood-soaked part of the man's trousers. "The hidden weapon is poisonous. I need to drain the toxic blood. Please bear with the pain."
The black-clothed man finally spoke. "You don't need to keep calling me 'His Highness.' You know who I am."
Meng Qianqian took out some painkillers. "Please take these."
The black-clothed man turned his face away. "I don't need them."
Meng Qianqian didn't insist. She took out a knife, sterilized it over the candle flame, and then made a cut on his swollen thigh.
Dark, poisonous blood gushed out immediately.
He winced in pain, his brows knitting together.
Meng Qianqian used a copper basin to catch the blood, squeezing the wound as she spoke. "For the best treatment, please stay in bed for the next few days and rest well."
The black-clothed man said with a self-deprecating tone, "In three days, the truth will still be revealed. Are you going to create an identical wound for him as well?"
Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "I don't understand what you mean, Your Highness."
The black-clothed man looked deeply at Meng Qianqian, then closed his eyes and lay down.
Meng Qianqian finished treating his wound, bandaged it, and left a bottle of medicine. She then picked up her small medicine box and left the room.
A moment later, Xier pushed open the slightly ajar door. "Young Master, here are your clothes."
Lu Qi looked at Xier, who was holding the clothes. "You don't know who I am?"
Xier widened her eyes. "Of course I know, Young Master!"
Lu Qi pressed his lips together. "You may go."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Xier left the room but then poked her head back in. "Young Master, are you hungry? The kitchen made your favorite Yangchun noodles."
Lu Qi was about to refuse, but his stomach growled.
Xier giggled. "I'll bring you some Yangchun noodles right away, Young Master!"
Lu Qi lay on the wide bed, his eyes gradually taking on a complex expression.
Meng Qianqian went to Lu Zhaoyan's room.
The effects of the narcotic drug had worn off, but Lu Zhaoyan still felt weak. He sat in a chair, his face pale, and asked, "How is his wound?"
Meng Qianqian replied honestly, "It's quite severe. If the wound had been just a bit to the side, his right leg might have been crippled."
Lu Zhaoyan sighed softly.
Meng Qianqian said, "Your Highness, may I check your pulse?"
Lu Zhaoyan nodded.
Meng Qianqian then recounted what Lu Yuan had told her through the hunting hawk. "Prince Jin wasn't lying. He truly didn't succeed, and Your Highness did not get poisoned."
Lu Zhaoyan pondered for a moment. "Strange. When they took me away, they had countless opportunities to poison me. Why didn't they succeed? Could it be that tonight was really just a test for Lu Qi?"
Meng Qianqian thought for a moment. "The test for Lu Qi is likely genuine."
Lu Zhaoyan said, "I blame myself for giving him that bottle of golden wound medicine. I thought I had been discreet, but Prince Jin still discovered it."
Meng Qianqian shook her head. "Even without the golden wound medicine, something else would have made Prince Jin suspicious. In the end, it's his own suspicious nature that makes him distrust even his own son."
Never test someone's loyalty, for when the test begins, you have already started to lose.
(End of Chapter)
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