Chapter 16 Poisoned
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“I don’t have any other intentions. I just thought that the Xu family has been loyal for generations, and since you are a descendant of the Xu family, I should take care of you,” the Crown Prince casually served Chu Xie some dishes and said as if it were a passing thought, “If I can truly overthrow Chu Xie, from then on, you don’t need to return to the Northern Region. It’s bitterly cold up there, and your frail body wouldn’t be able to handle it. I wonder how you managed to survive there for the past dozen years.”
This was clearly a test.
There was more to his words.
Chu Xie became increasingly uneasy, suspecting that the Crown Prince might already be doubting that he was the real Xu Chunmu.
Although the Crown Prince appeared nonchalant, he had been observing Chu Xie’s expression the whole time.
Seeing him furrow his brow and fall silent for a while, his eyes seemingly avoiding something.
He thought that it had come to this point, and he had no choice but to firmly stick to his identity. He said, “I’ve been living like that in the Northern Region for over a decade. I’m used to it.”
“What can you do if you return to the Northern Region? Are you really planning to lead troops into battle? It’s rumored that your grandfather has given you command of three hundred thousand soldiers… Ah Mu, with your current condition, can you even ride a horse, let alone hold the reins?”
The Crown Prince’s voice was calm, and he pretended to be teasing. Chu Xie, meanwhile, tried to read the other man’s expression from the corner of his eye. He noticed that there was no trace of amusement in the Crown Prince’s gaze; instead, it seemed like he was suppressing something.
Chu Xie’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately thought of the Crown Prince’s cold and sinister look on that moonlit night when the Prince had aimed a knife at his heart.
Indeed, Xu Chunmu was a young general in command of three hundred thousand troops, a far cry from his current fragile and ailing appearance.
How could he explain this?
Chu Xie’s mind was racing, and he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat on his forehead. He spoke with a silver tongue, “Leading troops into battle isn’t just about wielding swords and spears. Although my physical strength is lacking, my knowledge of military strategy is no worse than my older brother’s.”
After saying this, he noticed that the Crown Prince had averted his gaze. Chu Xie breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that this was a trap, and the Crown Prince was indeed deeply suspicious.
Chu Xie just wanted to quickly finish this scene and go home to sleep.
You’re not even touching your food.
The dishes on the table were getting cold, but Jiang Yanchi hadn’t taken a single bite. He had also nearly finished his drink, and the flush on his face faded away, returning to his usual cold and stern demeanor.
The person in front of him seemed impervious to persuasion, maintaining an attitude as if nothing could penetrate his defenses.
Every word seemed to choke him, leaving him feeling utterly helpless.
“Xu Chunmu, do you like the Imperial City?”
The Crown Prince’s finger curled, absentmindedly tapping the tabletop with his fingertip, hinting at his inner restlessness. “How about finding someone in the Imperial City, just like your brother, and getting married?”
There was a clear look of confusion in his eyes, and he even sneaked a glance at Chu Xie.
After considering for a while, Chu Xie said, “I quite like the Northern Region. I’ve grown accustomed to the freedom there, and besides, I’m not worthy of the noble ladies in the Imperial City.”
The tapping finger came to an abrupt halt.
Jiang Yanchi let out a long sigh, as if he wanted to say something more but couldn’t find the right words. He raised his hand, not knowing what to do with it, and absentmindedly scratched his forehead.
It wasn’t a misconception; Chu Xie felt that an unusual awkwardness had settled between them.
But why was it awkward?
He hadn’t left any room for doubt in his response, and it had been a polite one at that.
Chu Xie tried looking at the Crown Prince, suggesting, “Shall we… continue eating?”
Finally, they could proceed with the plot.
Chu Xie was relieved.
“Sure.”
The Crown Prince, however, seemed unenthusiastic.
Chu Xie raised his chopsticks with a pause. What happened? Weren’t you just happy a moment ago? He added some greens to Jiang Yanchi’s bowl and said, “Eat more.”
The Crown Prince seemed taken aback.
Chu Xie knew that the poison was in the middle dish, the one with the roasted mountain chicken. Just as he extended his chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat, he heard an unexpected statement.
“What if someone in the imperial city takes a liking to you?”
The meat fell into the soup bowl with a splash.
“I… I’m just the second son of the Marquis’s residence… Everyone calls me Young Marquis as a tease, but in reality, the Marquis title can only be inherited by my older brother, Xu Changling. Someone like me with no prospects… I mustn’t mislead anyone’s daughter…”
Chu Xie was starting to panic. What was going on with the Crown Prince?
He didn’t use the prepared script he had before setting out, and the pacing of this plot didn’t seem right.
It seemed like, for some reason, he wanted to use the pretext of marriage to keep himself detained in the Western Capital’s imperial city as a hostage.
But now, bearing the identity of Xu Chunmu, he had no reason to either win over or suppress anyone.
Chu Xie couldn’t make sense of it.
However, his intuition, honed over many years of following plots, told him that when the opponent started behaving oddly, he usually found himself on the brink of danger.
“What if…”
“I already have someone I like.”
Chu Xie smiled gracefully and, as if to please, placed another bite of food into the Crown Prince’s bowl. “Your Highness, you don’t need to worry about my marriage.”
After a significant numerical fluctuation, the mechanical notification from the system exploded in his mind: “Xu Chunmu’s character compatibility is 65%, exceeding the passing line. Host, keep up the good work!”
“…?”
The rescue of the young Crown Prince hasn’t even started yet, so why did the character compatibility suddenly increase?
Chu Xie found that he really couldn’t understand the changing pattern of the fit score for Xu Chunmu’s character.
The Little Crown Prince, however, didn’t touch his chopsticks at all.
Chu Xie carefully selected several dishes for him and put them in his bowl, “Your Highness?”
Why aren’t you eating!? The food has gone cold! Don’t you want to continue the plot?!
The Little Crown Prince slowly lifted his head, his expression showing no emotion, just a very obedient look, and asked, “Which family’s girl is it in the Western Capital? How about I help you make a match…”
“No, there’s no need,” Chu Xie hesitated, unable to avoid the topic, “I really like her, but she doesn’t like me. I’m not worthy of her, so I shouldn’t hold her back.”
“From the Western Capital?”
“Fr, from the Northern Border,” Chu Xie instinctively denied.
“Oh,” the Little Crown Prince finally picked up his chopsticks and ate a small piece of green vegetable.
Chu Xie sighed in relief, seeing the Crown Prince finally eating, thinking that the plot could progress.
He reached out for another piece of roasted mountain chicken hanging by the stove.
“Which noble family’s daughter from the Northern Border is it?” Jiang Yanchi asked again.
Seriously, can’t he just drop it?
Chu Xie froze, and Jiang Yanchi lightly added, “Within the Northern Border, there’s even a girl you, Little Marquis Xu, can’t match?”
It sounded like teasing, but not quite.
His gaze was fixed, clearly waiting for an answer.
Chu Xie concentrated, forced to put down his chopsticks once again.
After searching his mind for a while, he realized there weren’t any well-known noble families in the Northern Border.
D*mn it, there really weren’t any.
Not to mention the Northern Border, even in the entire Great Wei, there shouldn’t be anyone whom Lord Xu, Marquis Zhenguo’s grandson, couldn’t match.
He cleared his throat lightly, with a hint of worry in his eyes, and said, “Honestly, I’m physically weak, in a world where everyone enjoys their freedom and gallops through the endless snow-covered wilderness. Even if I have the Xu family name, how many of the prominent families would really consider me… Besides, there’s my older brother to inherit the marquis position. If I don’t come to the Western Capital to make a name for myself, I’m afraid I’ll never get married in this lifetime…”
Jiang Yanchi listened attentively. His expression softened in the beginning, but as Chu Xie continued speaking, for some reason, a hint of darkness flickered in his eyes.
Suddenly, he stood up, causing the dishes and cups on the table to clang.
His face turned somewhat ugly.
“So, you came to the Imperial City of the Western Capital for this?”
It seemed like he didn’t want to look at the man in front of him. He turned around and paced in front of him, then suddenly leaned in, and this time, his words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
“All this disregard for everything, just to achieve success with me and marry your beloved?”
Chu Xie looked at the table full of cold food, at the protagonist who seemed inexplicably angry, and didn’t stop talking, hurriedly saying flattering words.
“I naturally admire Your Highness for your character and abilities, which is why I swore to follow you to the death…”
Jiang Yanchi’s chest rose and fell a few times as he listened, his eyes showing a hint of red.
“Your Highness, isn’t this meal… supposed to be a celebration banquet? Aren’t you going to eat…?”
Hurry and eat! How can I save you if you’re not poisoned?
Chu Xie’s anxiety was growing. The fit score for Xu Chunmu’s character had finally reached 65%, and if this plot didn’t progress, it would all go to waste.
What’s going on? Why is tonight’s plot so strange? It’s like I can’t grasp the point of it.
Jiang Yanchi paced around for a while and finally entered the inner chamber without looking back.
Staring at the plate of roast chicken, Chu Xie hesitated.
This time, he picked up a piece and put it in his own bowl.
If the Little Prince refused to eat, but he ate it, the plot completion score could increase by five points. It was better than completely missing this plot.
Chu Xie picked up the heavy piece of meat.
Anyway, he had the antidote with him.
If they weren’t caught in the act, and if both Chu Xie’s plot and Xu Chunmu’s plot failed, that would be a real disaster.
“Your Highness, please sit down, let’s eat some more?” Chu Xie made a final effort.
But for some reason, he seemed to have offended Jiang Yanchi. The prince went back to his inner chamber and didn’t respond for a long time, keeping to himself.
After a while, he said, “You eat, and when you’re done, have someone clear the table.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I won’t.”
Chu Xie fell silent.
After a while, another muffled voice came from inside, “At least eat something, don’t starve yourself.”
Chu Xie furrowed his brows, and his hand even trembled a bit. He opened the system and desperately asked, “I can’t proceed with this plot, is there any other way?”
The system took a while to understand the situation and then looked at Chu Xie who was about to eat the piece of meat, saying, “Host, You want to eat it yourself?”
It was instantly moved to tears… He hadn’t seen such a dedicated host in centuries.
“But… don’t forget, your body is frail, what if the medicine kills you directly? Maybe… you should just miss this part of the plot…”
There was only a year and a half left.
The entire plot would be completed. Both Xu Chunmu and Chu Xie would die on the night the young emperor ascended the throne…
The condition for rebirth was a plot completion score of over 80% and two character fit score of over 60%.
The future plots were becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. The two separate subplots of poisoning the crown prince and saving him were all hinging on this small piece of meat.
He had to be reborn.
Chu Xie stuffed the meat into his mouth and chewed for a while…
Well, it actually tasted pretty good.
“Host…” The system clutched its handkerchief tightly, shedding tears.
“I’ve digitized the antidote and put it in the space. If the medicine prescribed by Jiang Yanchi and the imperial physician doesn’t work or if it’s too late to save me, you must administer it promptly,” Chu Xie instructed seriously.
D*mn it, seeking wealth in danger.
He didn’t care anymore; he swallowed it in one gulp.
He exhaled deeply and immediately felt a sharp pain in his stomach. There was a drip, and a drop of blood flowed from his nose, falling onto the back of his hand.
“By the way… Don’t just stand there… Give me a pain relief BUFF, for heaven’s sake…”
The system immediately granted him a pain relief BUFF with maximum intensity of 90%.
Chu Xie instantly felt much better, but the blood on the back of his hand was bothering him, so he tried to wipe it away.
But before he could clean it, his vision suddenly went black.
***
Inside the inner chamber, Jiang Yanchi was sitting with a troubled heart. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash from outside, and before he could react, he saw the person clutching onto the table and chair as if he was about to collapse.
His breath caught in his throat.
He barely caught the limp body and immediately smelled a pungent odor.
He turned his head and saw a mouthful of dark blood being spit out into his arms.
The tiny flames of unknown origin in his heart were extinguished, leaving only a piercing coldness.
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