Chapter 5
After the girl left, Ji Qingzhou made his way to the courtyard.
His injuries had initially caused him such pain that he nearly fainted. Each step felt like a tearing agony, and as the pain intensified, it became somewhat numb. Ji Qingzhou avoided the patrolling guards and finally returned to the courtyard. As soon as he entered the door, he felt a wave of weakness and nearly collapsed.
“Why are you so late returning?” Tu Dayou’s voice came from the side. Ji Qingzhou felt his arm lighten as Tu Dayou supported him. Ji Qingzhou intended to hide his condition but was too weak to put on a brave front, so he leaned on Tu Dayou for support.
“You’re still alive…” Ji Qingzhou said hoarsely.
“You guessed correctly. Fortunately, I didn’t take any action,” Tu Dayou said as he helped Ji Qingzhou inside, speaking quietly, “Wang Ye was indeed cautious. He didn’t eat anything at the palace banquet, and his attendants checked his wine cup and food after the banquet ended.”
If Tu Dayou had acted, the regent would have remained unharmed, but he would surely have been in grave danger.
Tu Dayou helped Ji Qingzhou back to his room. Once he lit the candle, he noticed Ji Qingzhou’s face was devoid of color. His clothes were torn, and his white undergarments were stained with a lot of blood, presenting a distressing sight.
“You’re injured?” Tu Dayou asked with concern.
“Where is Master?” Ji Qingzhou asked, gripping the edge of the table, unwilling to sit down. His injuries were in sensitive areas, making it uncomfortable to sit.
“Master has already retired for the night,” Tu Dayou replied. “Wait here. I’ll get an imperial physician.”
Although palace servants generally did not have the privilege of calling an imperial physician, Tu Dayou, as a disciple of Chief Eunuch Yao, had connections and could manage to find one without too much trouble.
Unexpectedly, Ji Qingzhou grabbed Tu Dayou’s arm and said hoarsely, “No one must know about my injuries. If this gets out, I’ll be in serious trouble.” Tu Dayou was startled. Ji Qingzhou continued, “Please, Brother Dayou, get me a set of clean clothes. I need to take a bath first.”
Tu Dayou, though not lacking in intellect, did not press further. He quickly found a set of clean inner garments and prepared hot water in the bathhouse before helping Ji Qingzhou to it.
“Take your bath first. I have some medicine in my room. I’ll bring some cloths to help bandage your wounds later,” Tu Dayou said.
“Thank you,” Ji Qingzhou said, avoiding Tu Dayou’s gaze. He added, “But I probably won’t need it.”
Tu Dayou did not think much of it at the time. When he returned with the ointment and cloths and saw Ji Qingzhou’s attire, he began to realize what had happened. Despite his youth, Tu Dayou had been in the palace long enough to have witnessed and heard many things. The state of Ji Qingzhou’s torn clothes and the location of the blood stains, coupled with Ji Qingzhou’s pained expression when walking, gave him a clear idea of the situation.
“Who…did this to you?” Tu Dayou asked, frowning.
“You’d better not know,” Ji Qingzhou’s voice, strained by the steam, conveyed a sense of helplessness. “This is all my fault; I can’t blame anyone else.”
Tu Dayou did not press further. He took the bloodied clothes and tossed them into the furnace to burn. When he returned, Ji Qingzhou had finished bathing and was wearing clean inner garments. However, the low neckline of the garments exposed some of the red marks underneath.
“Are we…just going to let this go?” Tu Dayou asked, turning away with visible anger.
Ji Qingzhou sighed and said, “I wish it could be so simple, but it’s unlikely to be that easy.”
Tu Dayou’s expression changed when he heard Ji Qingzhou’s words. He asked, “What do you plan to do? Tell me. You saved my life tonight, so even if it means risking my own, I’ll help you get justice.”
“That person is beyond our reach,” Ji Qingzhou said.
Tu Dayou was taken aback. He let Ji Qingzhou lean on his shoulder as he bent down to help Ji Qingzhou put on his shoes and socks.
“If you’re willing, there’s a favor I need from you,” Ji Qingzhou said.
Tu Dayou looked at the young man and asked, “What is it?”
Ji Qingzhou’s gaze lowered slightly, and he spoke quietly, “Does Master have a disciple named Gao Liang? Do you know him?”
Tu Dayou was surprised and replied, “I know him well. The youth is clever but unreliable, so Master punished him by making him guard the Fengxian Pavilion.”
“Please go find him for me,” Ji Qingzhou said. He tried to move forward but accidentally tugged at his injury, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and whispered instructions to Tu Dayou until Tu Dayou nodded in understanding.
Although Tu Dayou was worried, he knew the matter couldn’t be delayed. He handed Ji Qingzhou a small porcelain jar and quickly left the courtyard.
Once he was gone, Ji Qingzhou opened the jar and discovered that it contained wound medicine.
Meanwhile, at the Regent’s residence.
Dong Dong was kneeling outside the screen, a bead of cold sweat on his forehead.
He was the most trusted attendant of Regent Li Zhan and had always been valued highly.
Tonight, the regent attended a palace banquet. To ensure everything went smoothly, Dong Dong had put in a lot of effort. Fortunately, the event concluded without incident. However, he had not anticipated that the biggest oversight would occur after the banquet.
The regent had a deep bond with the late emperor and frequently visited the Fuxian Pavilion to pay his respects. During such times, the regent preferred solitude and did not like his attendants to accompany him. Normally, Dong Dong would have waited outside the Fengxian Pavilion if he was not following the regent inside. However, tonight he was delayed by other matters.
By the time he arrived at the Fengxian Pavilion, it was too late…
“How is the investigation going?” a cold voice came from behind the screen, making it hard to discern the emotion.
Dong Dong replied, “Report to the regent, the drug was mixed with the incense. The dosage was substantial. As long as the incense was lit and one did not leave immediately, even someone with the strongest willpower could not withstand it.”
“Hiss…” There was a barely audible hiss of inhalation from behind the screen.
Dong Dong quickly added, “If Wang Ye is injured, please let an imperial physician examine you!”
“Handle what you need to handle first,” Li Zhan said coldly.
“Subordinate has already arranged for people to find the palace attendants on duty at Fengxian Pavilion today. Once located, they will be severely interrogated to force them to reveal the mastermind!” Dong Dong said.
Li Zhan, behind the screen, paused slightly upon hearing this, as if he was lost in thought. He glanced down at the intersecting scratches on his body and applied some ointment to the bloodied wounds. The sharp pain surged, causing him to involuntarily recall the images he had struggled to forget.
The young man’s face had been hidden in darkness from beginning to end, but the heartbeat, breathing, and even the warmth of his body seemed to be engraved deeply in Li Zhan’s memory, surfacing unexpectedly.
“Keep this matter quiet. Once you find the person, bring them to see me,” Li Zhan said coldly.
He was curious to see who had the audacity to scheme against him.
Meanwhile, the guards at the residence quickly tracked down Gao Liang.
However, when they arrived, they did not notice that Tu Dayou was lurking in the shadows, observing everything.
After Gao Liang was quietly taken away, Tu Dayou hurried back to the courtyard.
Ji Qingzhou, exhausted, had already fallen asleep on the couch.
Tu Dayou, seeing the young man’s tired face, was reluctant to wake him but was concerned that any delay might lead to danger. Thus, he steeled himself and roused Ji Qingzhou.
“Brother Dayou?” The young man opened his eyes, a hint of confusion in his gaze.
Tu Dayou spoke softly, “I’ve taken care of the matters you instructed.”
“Thank you,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
“However…” Tu Dayou hesitated before continuing, “Not long after I left, I saw Gao Liang being taken away… You…”
Tu Dayou seemed unsure but eventually asked, “Was that person… Wang Ye?”
Ji Qingzhou was momentarily startled, then realized that since the people who took Gao Liang were from the regent’s residence, Tu Dayou would have guessed as much.
“Outrageous!” Tu Dayou, seeing the expression on the young man’s face, knew he had guessed correctly. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Beast! I should have poisoned him with a drug instead!”
Ji Qingzhou reached out to cover Tu Dayou’s mouth but accidentally pulled on his wound, causing him to inhale sharply. Seeing this, Tu Dayou quickly supported him and said, “You’re injured, don’t move.”
“Brother Dayou, you must remember, the incident at the palace banquet should not be mentioned again,” Ji Qingzhou said. “Otherwise, whether it’s the person behind the scenes or the regent himself, neither will spare you.”
Tu Dayou nodded quickly. He was not a reckless person; he was simply angered by witnessing the treatment Ji Qingzhou received from the regent right after being saved.
“Will you be….able to get through this safely?” Tu Dayou asked.
“I can only take a gamble,” the young man replied weakly. “If the regent remains calm and doesn’t let this minor plot provoke him into a rage, I might have a chance. But if he gets extremely angry and insists on uncovering the truth, I may not even see the sunrise tomorrow.”
Tu Dayou’s face turned troubled, but there was nothing more he could do.
At that moment, he realized just how powerless he was as a mere palace attendant in this deep palace.
Meanwhile, Gao Liang was brought to the regent’s residence with his eyes covered.
When Li Zhan heard Dong Dong’s report, his hand, which was tending to his wounds, trembled slightly in pain, causing him to frown.
He donned his outer robe and went outside, glancing at the young attendant with his hands bound and thrown on the ground.
With just that glance, Li Zhan said coldly, “He’s not the one.”
Dong Dong was taken aback, puzzled as to how the regent could identify so quickly whether the young attendant was the right person they were looking for.
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