At once, Jing Yuanchu put on an awkward smile. Jing Donghua looked down at them and laughed, “Yuanchu, you have the credit but still remain humble. I’ll reward you.”
Jing Yuanchu stood up quickly to express his gratitude. Then, it was time for officials to remonstrate, and all of them started their harangue. This part indeed played a role in solving problems. However, later on, it became an occasion where they sang the praises of the emperor. Right when Jing Donghua was tired of their praises, a young man suddenly stood up and advised, “Your Majesty, please forgive my outspokenness. I’ve investigated Heavenly Master Lin before and found that people didn’t hear of him until last month. Your Majesty, please stay cautious before we ascertain his identity.”
The statement stirred up discussions. Some disagreed, and some agreed. People who disagreed with him also stood up to argue with him. “Young man, you know nothing. The world is full of wonders. We all know at the very beginning that Heavenly Master Lin has traveled to many countries and didn’t come to West Xia until last month. Moreover, he cured His Majesty’s long illness. Young man, do you say so because you envy Heavenly Master Lin who claimed such a big credit?”
“It doesn’t make sense.” The official who served three emperors said. “We should be cautious.” Then, he looked up and down at Heavenly Master Lin warily.
Jing Donghua didn’t give any comment at once. Instead, he picked up a cup of lukewarm tea from the table. Not fully recovered, he could not drink wine now.
His silence seemed to be a catalyst that pushed everyone to argue about Heavenly Master Lin. At once, the banquet became a war of words until a charming female voice cut in. “Ho, I hear you are arguing from afar. Insiders know you’re arguing, but for outsiders, they may think the palace is on fire.”
A woman in flamboyant clothes who was as pretty as the peach flowers in March showed up at the entrance. Imperial Concubine Lian, who had delicate makeup, rosy lips and pink cheeks, looked like a fairy who just landed on the earth. She carefully dressed herself up and looked more gorgeous and enchanting than before. All people thought her beauty was beyond description.
Several young officials already couldn’t hold themselves. Noticing this, Imperial Concubine Lian covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled. She looked up at Jing Donghua and said in a sweet voice, “Your Majesty, please forgive me for coming late. I was held up by some trifles just now.”
Jing Donghua remained composed and answered, “Who dares to blame you in the palace?”
“I think you dare.” Only Imperial Concubine Lian dared to flirt with the emperor in public. She walked to her seat, charmingly and gracefully. Looking up at Imperial Concubine Lian in the corner, Qin Yunuan thought she was appreciating a painting of a beauty.
But If Qin Yunuan’s eyes did not deceive her, she saw Imperial Concubine Lian looked down a bit to take a glance at Leng Changxi and seemed infatuated. Although she looked back quickly, Qin Yunuan sensed out of her intuition and sensitivity that Imperial Concubine Lian was not innocent.
“She just stared at you.” Qin Yunuan picked up chopsticks to pretend to take the perch in plate and said to Leng Changxi in a low voice
“Yes.”
“Yes? Just this?” Qin Yunuan tried to keep calm, but she was so angry and jealous. No woman, including her, could stand that another woman looked at her husband affectionately, although she knew they should focus on more important things now.
“She’s weird.” Leng Changxi saw that Imperial Concubine Lian sat close to Jing Donghua in a coquettish manner. “She saved us when I took mother out and met with some trouble. But I know she can’t be our ally. The reason why she saved me is just to oppose the one who wants to kill me.”
“But according to our investigation, Imperial Concubine Lian was a servant girl in Jing Yuanchu’s mansion before. Later, she changed her identity to serve in the palace and got promoted step by step. Jing Yuanchu must have helped her with this. She works for Jing Yuanchu who wants to kill you, but why did she save you before?” Qin Yunuan analyzed in a low voice, and then she figured it out. “We shouldn’t try to figure out what relationship they have. We only need to know they two are not simply a master and a servant. This is an opportunity for us.”
“Right.” Leng Changxi nodded.
The quarrel turned white-hot. Imperial Concubine Lian didn’t care about this and just focused on picking up food for Jing Donghua. She had a light fragrance on her which calmed people and made them forget about worries.
“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?” Eunuch Xue, the eunuch in charge, who served Jing Donghua, cautiously reminded him who was absent-minded.
Jing Donghua came to his sense and saw Heavenly Master Lin was looking at him. There seemed to be something sparkling in his eyes attracting Jing Donghua.
“Your Majesty, many officials ask to investigate my identity and medicine I made for you. What do you think of this?” Heavenly Master Lin had no legs. He couldn’t stand up, so just stooped. In this way, he looked humbler.
Jing Donghua murmured. His voice was so low that no one could hear him.
“Your Majesty?” Master Lin’s voice was tender and enchanting. “Your Majesty, do you believe in these so-called loyal officials or me, who saved your life?”
Jing Donghua looked weird, like a lost soul. He turned his head slowly and said to Heavenly Master Lin, “I believe in you because you saved me. Come here. I’ll reward you.”
Jing Donghua said this very slowly.
Heavenly Master Lin frowned a bit and replied, “Your Majesty, I can’t walk. I’m afraid…”
“Don’t worry.” Jing Donghua looked in blank as if he was enchanted. “Help Heavenly Master Lin to sit next to me.”
At once, some eunuchs moved Heavenly Master Lin’s chair. Jing Yuanchu was calm at first but seeing this, he became worried.
“Look. I’ll reward you with this jade dragon head. With it, you can order guards in the palace, and no one dares to doubt your identity anymore.”
Officials were in an uproar. Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi watched them in silence. Heavenly Master Lin, who was confused just now, suddenly became ecstatic. True, whoever gained the power to govern 30,000 guards in the palace would become like this.
“Come closer, and I’ll give it to you.” Jade dragon head was actually a black ring Jing Donghua wore on his right index finger. He always wore it. Seeing he took off the ring slowly, Imperial Concubine Lian couldn’t hold her joy.
Jing Donghua grasped the ring in his palm and stood up. When he was ready to hand it over to Heavenly Master Lin, his eyes lighted up. His cruelty and shrewdness made Heavenly Master Lin realize that he was in a trap.
However, he couldn’t run away. Jing Donghua held tight the ring and directly pulled off the bamboo-made flower sachet Heavenly Master Lin wore. He reached forward to vigorously squeeze Heavenly Master Lin’s throat with his strong hand.
Officials were in an uproar again. They didn’t know what happened. Why did the emperor who claimed to reward Heavenly Master Lin suddenly fly into a rage?
“Your Majesty?” Imperial Concubine Lian stood up anxiously. But Jing Donghua didn’t spare a glance to this charming imperial concubine. He waved his hand, and guards flooded in to besiege all people with two of them directly arresting Imperial Concubine Lian.
“Your Majesty, why do they arrest me? I did nothing wrong.”
Jing Donghua turned back to take a look at her and then said to officials while pointing at Heavenly Master Lin, “This ignorant old man deliberately offered to treat me but attempted to control me through venomous insects. Even tearing him apart is not enough to relieve my anger.”
Same as Qi, West Xia had also suffered much from venomous insects, so had exerted strict control on such witchcraft. Thus, when hearing that Heavenly Master Lin used venomous insects to hurt the emperor, officials who spoke up for him just now all shut their mouth up and hid themselves.
Jing Yuanchu wanted to say something but didn’t. He couldn’t stand out at this time. It was still early.
But Jing Donghua already saw his expression. He looked at Jing Yuanchu sharply and asked, “Yuanchu, you want to say something?”
Jing Yuanchu answered softly, “I just think, maybe we should make an investigation first… I mean using venomous insects is a felony, so we have to make a thorough investigation to completely eradicate such accidents.” Jing Yuanchu gave a cruel and ferocious look at Heavenly Master Lin who wanted to say something but couldn’t because of being squeezed by Jing Donghua.
“Thorough investigation?” Jing Donghua raised his head and gave a look at Qin Yunuan, who immediately stood up.
It was her? Jing Yuanchu hated her more when looking at her.
Jing Donghua handed over the flower sachets of his and Heavenly Master Lin’s to Qin Yunuan. At once, a eunuch handed a wooden tray over. Qin Yunuan gashed sachets with a knife and poured spices out, of which some were venomous insects’ favorite herbs. Qin Yunuan hadn’t finished pouring all spices out, but two insects fell out of sachets.
One was darker, while another was pure white. They were in different sizes.
“This is the parent insect,” Qin Yunuan said when pointing at the larger dark insect. “And that is the subsidiary one. The venomous insect cultivation method is exclusive to villagers outside the Yeren Valley. People can control how the subsidiary insect behaves by controlling the parent one. Thus, they can control the mind and behavior of people who take in the subsidiary insect.”
