"I don't know yet!" Dongfang Heng gently embraced Shen Lixue's small waist, letting her lean against him, and played with the military tally in his hand, a sharp, cold glint flashing in his deep eyes: "With this military tally, I will be able to find out that person's identity soon!"
"Look at this silver needle!" Shen Lixue placed the half-blackened silver needle in front of Dongfang Heng: "Can you see anything different?"
Dongfang Heng examined it carefully: "Black silver needles, extremely poisonous!"
"That's not all!" Shen Lixue used her dagger to gently scrape a little black blood from the silver needle, placed it on a piece of pure white paper, lit a candle, and smothered the paper with it. The black powder seemed to come alive, moving slightly.
Dongfang Heng narrowed his sharp eyes slightly: "What's going on?"
“It’s a Gu poison. Dongfang Han isn’t poisoned, he’s been poisoned by a Gu poison!” Shen Lixue said, each word distinct and her gaze grave.
Dongfang Han was seriously injured and on the verge of death. Even with the best medicine, he would never recover his health. Yet, he appeared in Dongfang Heng's Fengsong Courtyard in high spirits because he was controlled by a Gu poison. It was the Gu poison that gave him that seemingly normal, fake health.
"At first glance, Dongfang Han's symptoms look like poisoning. Using poison to cover up the truth, this kind of Gu poisoning is very clever!" The doctor was very experienced and simply thought that Dongfang Han had been poisoned by a powerful poison.
Even Shen Lixue initially thought Dongfang Han was poisoned, but when she carefully examined the silver needles after they were pulled out, she realized that he had been poisoned by a Gu!
"How did you tell that Dongfang Han was poisoned by Gu?" Dongfang Heng raised an eyebrow at Shen Lixue. Even with his sharp eyes, he hadn't noticed that it was Gu, not poison!
Shen Lixue brandished the silver needles in her hand: "I've been to Qin Ruoyan's place a few times. She used Gu to teach people a lesson in front of me. I secretly applied acupuncture to them, and this is what they looked like after the silver needles were removed!"
The people of southern Xinjiang are the most knowledgeable about Gu poison, and the two Gu poison masters of the royal family are both in the capital!
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened: "The Gu poison in Dongfang Han's body must have been administered by Qin Junhao or Qin Ruoyan!"
Shen Lixue blinked and looked at Dongfang Heng: "Did I tell you that I ran into Dongfang Zhan and Qin Junhao talking outside the post station? They have a very close relationship!"
"The mastermind behind this is Dongfang Zhan!" Dongfang Heng's deep voice suddenly rose, his sharp tone not a question, but a statement of certainty.
“It should be him!” Shen Lixue nodded. Qin Junhao and Dongfang Zhan were no longer just ordinary friends. They must have reached some kind of agreement and were definitely cooperating with each other.
Dongfang Heng's gaze instantly turned as deep as a pool, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. In order to scheme against him, Dongfang Zhan did not hesitate to use himself as bait, deliberately letting the assassins kill him, and then luring Dongfang Hong to the Holy King's Mansion to search for the military token, setting a trap for him. He really hoped that he would die a horrible death.
"Dongfang Heng, what are you planning to do?" Dongfang Zhan had already taken action against Dongfang Heng; they could no longer sit idly by and wait for their doom.
Dongfang Heng stretched out his large hand in front of Shen Lixue, his jade-like fingers spreading to reveal an antique wooden plaque in his palm, and asked mysteriously, "What is this?"
"The imperial city guard's military tally!" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Dongfang Heng, not understanding his intention.
"What is its function?" Dongfang Heng continued to ask.
"The military tally can command 30,000 guards near the imperial city!" Shen Lixue said casually, then suddenly paused, looking up at Dongfang Heng: "You're not planning to use it to rebel, are you?"
"Why not?" Dongfang Heng asked instead of answering, a hint of mockery flashing in his sharp eyes, clearly indicating that his previous words were just a joke.
"You don't have that much ambition!" Shen Lixue didn't know how many people craved the throne of the emperor, but she did know that Dongfang Heng didn't care for that position.
Leaning against Dongfang Heng's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, Shen Lixue looked up at him and said softly, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"To seize the throne!" Dongfang Heng answered decisively, looking down at the woman in his arms. Her face was radiant, her lips were rosy, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her deep, clear eyes were filled with doubt and confusion, as if to say, "You're not serious, are you?"
Dongfang Heng chuckled, his eyes filled with even more amusement. He gently kissed Shen Lixue's cherry-red lips, their intimate breaths swirling between them. He mumbled a few words: "My army has always only fought against the Subei people. I wonder how effective it would be against our own people. We must try it when we have the chance!"
In the stillness of the night, the entire mansion was quiet. A luminous pearl was embedded in the wall of the main room of the Zhan Prince's mansion, casting a warm glow throughout the room. The carved bed was simple and elegant, and the sapphire blue curtains fluttered in the wind. Dongfang Zhan sat on the edge of the bed, wearing an outer robe, holding a book and reading intently. His lips were slightly pursed, and his face was a little pale.
Suddenly, a soft sound came from outside the door. Dongfang Zhan said calmly, "Come out, there's no one around!"
"Squeak!" The slightly closed lattice window was pushed open, and a figure darted in. The white brocade robe was elegant and otherworldly, but the golden vines embroidered on it exuded a gloomy and eerie aura, making people feel fear: "Prince Zhan, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
Dongfang Zhan didn't even look up, his gaze still lingering on the book: "Do you have something to discuss with me?"
Qin Junhao looked at Dongfang Zhan, whose face was pale and whose lips were bloodless, and said with a mocking expression, "Come and see how Zhan Wang's injuries are!"
"The poison has been neutralized, you won't die!" Dongfang Zhan said calmly, his gaze undisturbed.
Qin Junhao looked at Dongfang Zhan, pondered for a long time, and said, "Prince Zhan, you could have used other methods to plot against Dongfang Heng, why did you have to use yourself as bait?"
Qin Junhao himself dared not try that kind of potent poison lightly, yet Dongfang Zhan used it without a second thought. The imperial physician Chen in the palace was quite capable; he spent five days working tirelessly to finally pull Dongfang Zhan back from the brink of death.
“The Qingyan royal family are not fools. If it were just an ordinary poison, the emperor might not have taken it seriously!” The fact that Dongfang Zhan was poisoned with an incurable toxin shows that the person who poisoned him was ruthless and would torture him severely after capturing him.
Qin Junhao's lips twitched. The Azure Flame Emperor was Dongfang Zhan's father. In order to eliminate a formidable enemy, he even used his own father. When such a person becomes ruthless, he truly doesn't recognize even his own family.
"Did the coroner find any flaws in Dongfang Han's case?" Dongfang Zhan put down his book, raised his eyes to look at Qin Junhao, his gaze sharp as a knife, carrying a domineering and arrogant aura, completely devoid of his usual gentle and refined demeanor.
Dongfang Yi and his son Dongfang Han have always been so useless. They have never succeeded in doing anything he asked of them, wasting all his hard work and planning.
"You can rest assured about the Gu I used. Everyone will think it's poison, no one will suspect me, and it won't implicate Prince Zhan!" Qin Junhao said confidently, patting his chest to solemnly assure them. How could the Qingyan people, who knew nothing about Gu, possibly see anything wrong with the Gu they used in the Southern Frontier?
"Crown Prince Qin, did you come to the Zhan Prince's residence just to greet me?" Dongfang Zhan was extremely intelligent. He could tell from Qin Junhao's inattentive gaze when he spoke to him that he had other purposes.
"Take a look at this!" Qin Junhao's eyelids darkened as he handed Dongfang Zhan a few sheets of paper.
Dongfang Zhan took the paper with a puzzled look, quickly glanced at it, and his sharp eyes narrowed instantly: "What is this?"
"Dongfang Heng is mobilizing the Subei army!" Qin Junhao said, enunciating each word clearly.
The note recorded the situation of the Qingyan border troops. Everything was normal with the troops in the southern border and the western border. However, one-third of the troops in Subei were heading to the capital. The general in Subei was Dongfang Heng. Without his orders, how could the troops dare to return to the capital on their own? "Dongfang Heng wants to rebel!"
"That's impossible!" Dongfang Zhan interrupted Qin Junhao sharply, his sharp eyes flashing with cold light.
"Why is it impossible?" Qin Junhao raised an eyebrow at Dongfang Zhan, a half-smile on his face: "Everyone yearns for the throne of the emperor!"
"Dongfang Heng has no ambition to become emperor!" When Dongfang Zhan attacks his opponents, he first thoroughly understands them, finds their weaknesses, and delivers a fatal blow. He has been Dongfang Heng's enemy for many years and knows Dongfang Heng's character and conduct very well.
Dongfang Heng was exceptionally capable and had made numerous military achievements, but he had no ambition to become emperor. It was precisely because he had no ambition that Dongfang Zhan stole the military tally and framed him.
When the plan failed and the military tally fell into Dongfang Heng's hands, he was not panicked, because he was certain that Dongfang Heng would not rebel. The military tally was of no use to Dongfang Heng. He even planned to use the military tally to frame Dongfang Heng again!