On Our Wedding Night, I Discovered the Crown Prince's Hidden Illness-Chapter 878: The Situation Is Suspicious

Ye Zhenyu said, "There will always be opportunities."

The two embraced tenderly for a moment, then Ye Zhenyu instructed the maid to escort Zheng Liqi back to her courtyard.

Zheng Liqi, assisted by the maid, left the study but did not return to her courtyard. Instead, she asked a servant, "Where did the butler go?"

The servant raised his hand and pointed in a direction, "To the Princess, the butler is having Ah Lea select a courtyard."

The maid asked Zheng Liqi, "Princess, shall we follow?"

Zheng Liqi gazed momentarily in the direction pointed out by the servant, then withdrew her gaze, "Let’s go back first."

The butler of the Prince Mansion worked for Ye Zhenyu, so if she went before Ah Lea, the butler would report it to Ye Zhenyu.

She could not leave the mansion recklessly at present. Thinking of this, she told the maid as they walked, "Go to the Prime Minister’s Mansion and say that I miss my family, and let them come to the Prince Mansion."

The more she thought about Ye Zhenyu’s words, the more she doubted them.

No matter what plan would deceive Ye Yiheng, the man himself was shrewd; how could he be easily fooled?

Moreover, Ye Zhenyu had indeed taken a woman as a concubine, which was true. If her family did not appear at this moment, Ye Zhenyu would think she was too easy to manipulate.

It’s time to let Ye Zhenyu know that he cannot do without the support of the Zheng Family.

The maid nodded, "I understand, I will escort the Princess back to her courtyard before going to the Prime Minister’s Mansion."

--

Eastern Palace.

Ling Lang sorted out the required medicinal herbs and delivered them to the bedroom.

"Crown Princess Consort, all the herbs you requested are here."

Leng Yu Yan checked them one by one and nodded, "That’s correct, thank you!"

Ling Lang smiled sheepishly, "No need to thank me, Crown Princess Consort. I still want to learn from you; the ratio of herbs to water is fixed. What is the method you want to use to make pills?"

He had made other pills before, all of which were large and single.

In truth, the fundamental problem was that he strictly adhered to the proportions of the herbs, but the resulting quantity was always limited, which had been a constant source of frustration for him.

Leng Yu Yan spoke slowly, "Some herbs can be directly used as medicine; others need to be decocted to extract their juice. Some herbs require the distilled essence from steaming. Each herb needs to be prepared according to its characteristics, and not just with a single method."

Upon hearing these words, Ling Lang suddenly realized, "Thank you, Crown Princess Consort, for your guidance!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Leng Yu Yan then asked, "Now that you know different herbs require different methods to extract their medicinal properties, do you specifically know how?"

Ling Lang shook his head.

She advised, "This matter requires careful consideration. You have made significant achievements in poison identification; medicinal properties and toxic properties have similarities."

Implied was that identifying medicinal properties was like identifying toxic properties; methods and approaches could be adaptable.

Excited, Ling Lang bowed, "Thank you, Master, for your teachings!" He paused for a moment before straightening up to take his leave.

Leng Yu Yan stopped him, "I have something to ask you, please stay."

"Crown Princess Consort, please just call me Ling Lang."

Others called him "Sir" out of respect for his skills.

Now that he called the Crown Princess Consort "Master," how could he take the liberty of having the "Master" call him "Sir"? Wouldn’t that create confusion?

Leng Yu Yan smiled softly, raising her hand to indicate he should follow her outside the bedroom for a walk. Ling Lang understood and followed her.

"You became the Crown Prince at seven and moved into the Eastern Palace. Did you enter then as well?"

Ling Lang matched her pace and replied softly, "I was found by His Highness after he was poisoned with cold poison. I have been by his side since then, both to detoxify him and to protect him from other toxins. However, back then, he wasn’t only affected by cold poison; other poisons had already taken root long ago without causing any immediate effect."

"How many toxins have you blocked for His Highness over the years?"

"I recall last year, before the Crown Princess Consort married His Highness, you delivered pastries on a rainy day. Unfortunately, the rain washed them, making it impossible to identify the poison they were covered in. Including the large and small instances, there have been dozens of cases."

Leng Yu Yan smiled, "You dare to say it; that day, Consort Xian attempted to harm His Highness through me. For that, Consort Xian even sent people to follow me, so I had to fall and destroy the pastries."

"Master’s medical skill is remarkable, and I deeply admire it. Otherwise, given His Highness’s current state, I dare not imagine what would happen."

"Ling Lang, I now have a query. Ji Qingyu and His Highness were both poisoned with cold poison, and the antidote could not be found. Why was the Ji Family able to find just one antidote, and only one?"

"This..." Ling Lang frowned, "Master, as you said, the situation is genuinely suspicious. If the Ji Family can find an antidote, why can’t the Tian Family?"

Leng Yu Yan said, "I must ask His Highness about this matter."

Ling Lang offered, "I will accompany Master there."

The two turned around and headed towards the study in the small building.

Ye Yiheng, seeing them approach, asked indifferently, "Why have you come again?"

Leng Yu Yan quickened her pace, "Your Highness, Ling Lang just delivered herbs to me, and I thought of a matter I want to ask."

"What matter?"

"Your Highness and Ji Qingyu were both poisoned with cold poison. Can you elaborate on the circumstances then?"

Ye Yiheng set down the wolf brush in his hand and recalled, "When Mother Empress passed away, Imperial Aunt took me in to live at Marquis Jiangyang Mansion for a while. It was during that stay that I was poisoned with cold poison."

Recalling the past, Ye Yiheng laughed at himself, "It’s quite laughable; when Mother Empress passed, I didn’t feel much grief. Imperial Aunt thought I was deeply saddened, so she took me in. One day we dined together, and Ji Qingyu and I ate the same dish, falling unconscious soon after. It was diagnosed by the Imperial Physician as cold poison, which required an antidote within 24 hours, or it would be life-threatening. Aunt and Uncle found an antidote in time, but there was only one. I heard Aunt insisted on giving it to me alone. Father Emperor ordered the antidote to be split in half."

Leng Yu Yan nodded, "Ji Qingyu also mentioned this situation to me."

Ye Yiheng was puzzled, "Did Yanyan discover something amiss about this matter?"

Ling Lang could not help interjecting, "Master’s question is if the Ji Family could find an antidote, why couldn’t the Tian Family?"

"That’s rather close for a ’Master,’" Ye Yiheng smiled faintly, "I also once harbored this suspicion, suspecting the cold poison was ordered by the elder."

Leng Yu Yan brow furrowed tightly, "If not Father Emperor, then who?"

Ye Yiheng shook his head, "Regardless, many of the poisons in my body were indeed ordered by the elder. But the cold poison was truly fierce, capable of triggering multiple toxins in the body at once."

"How was your relationship with Ji Qingyu back then? Before residing at Marquis Jiangyang Mansion, had a pastry been given to Hu Sisi in the palace? At that time, Hu Sisi and Ji Qingyu were being matched by their elders." Leng Yu Yan asked, "Is there any connection between these events?"

Ye Yiheng pondered briefly and said, "Back then, Ji Qingyu and I competed for the same dish. If he was the one who poisoned it, his demeanor was too natural. But, if he intended to avenge Hu Sisi and deliberately concealed his intentions, testing the poison himself..."