Chapter 49: Dare To Eat Poison?
Yue Tang said, “What did you discover?”
“Besides the eulogy you left in the fire basin, there is also the Du Family’s determination to desperately cover up the truth. After the He Family incident came to light, the Du Family has been doing everything possible to conceal the truth.
“When I first heard about the He Family matter, I was merely guarding against Du Minghuan secretly engaging in corruption and perverting the law behind my back. Who would have thought that following the trail would lead me all the way to Fei Yun Temple.
“These past few years, I have stationed hidden sentries outside the Du Family day and night. I wouldn’t say I know everything about Du Minghuan’s background, but I understand at least eighty or ninety percent.
“He doesn’t have the capability to orchestrate the entire encirclement and ambush layout, let alone carry it out and then hide it flawlessly until now.
“So I’m certain there is another mastermind behind him. But my people have watched him for years and haven’t even detected the forces backing him, which shows how tightly they guard themselves. It was with the intent of venturing deep into the tiger’s den that I came here today.”
At this point, he glanced at Yue Tang’s expression and cleared his throat again: “Of course, you must have already figured out that this wasn’t the Du Family’s idea, which is why you’ve been hiding your identity until now.”
With similar family backgrounds, for disciples like them who were born to face all sorts of deceptions in the world, he could understand Yue Tang’s line of thinking.
Only by letting the world continue to believe that Princess Yongjia had long since died, and even the murderer think the conspiracy had succeeded, could she gain the upper hand right under her enemy’s eyelid.
Yue Tang silently gazed toward the doorway, then said, “Does the Du Family know about ‘Wang Huan’?”
“Naturally not.” Yan Bei said, “Your actions were so secretive that I guess he only discovered there was another true culprit behind the He Family matter, and knows nothing else. And if I hadn’t recognized your handwriting, I wouldn’t have linked you to Prince Duan’s Mansion either.”
Yue Tang paused slightly at the phrase “recognized handwriting,” then nodded.
Yan Bei studied her expression and quietly asked, “Do you believe me now?”
Yue Tang turned her head to glance at him, then looked back at the courtyard of this marquis’s mansion outside the door.
Her earlier wariness toward Prince Jingyang’s Mansion had no substantial basis to begin with; it was merely based on stance, automatically placing Yan Bei in the Du Family camp.
Now that A Li had been rescued by him and raised so well, she could no longer claim that the conspiracy three years ago was inevitably connected to him.
But she didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she looked toward the chrysanthemum bushes, where Lan Qin was gently leading A Li in play.
The cherishing revealed in Lan Qin’s eyes was no less than Yue Tang’s own.
If not for that accident, she, who had already reached marriageable age, should by now have a husband and her own children.
Right now, all these people around her had their life’s hopes pinned on Yue Tang.
If Yue Tang made any mistake, everyone would be doomed beyond redemption.
After a moment of silence, she withdrew her gaze: “Speaking of which, I still need to apologize to you. I wronged you back then.”
Yan Bei didn’t take it to heart.
If speaking of back then, everyone had their own motives; no one was innocent.
Given the way she had taken revenge on the He and Zhang Families, and the knife she was hiding in her sleeve right now, she was definitely not the type to feel the need to apologize to him.
This could only mean she still regarded him as an outsider.
But then again, since she had personally written the divorce letter back then, it meant she had already made up her mind to part ways.
Whether she was Wang Huan or Yongjia, the fact that he had been sent away was undeniable.
Thinking of this, Yan Bei’s face darkened again.
He had been in the capital for three years, and the former emperor’s former promise that Princess Yongjia would marry a husband, give birth to a child, and establish her eldest son as the heir of Prince Duan’s Mansion—he had heard it so often his ears had calluses.
A Li was the heir she had borne for Prince Duan’s Mansion, which meant that back then she had taken a liking to his body, and her repeated proposals to him were just to have a child with him!
And since all she wanted was the child, that meant she had planned from the start to discard him.
After all, the former emperor hadn’t said she couldn’t bring her husband into the prince’s mansion!
And since the mansion had publicly announced back then that Yongjia was to marry a husband and give birth to a child, wasn’t he, Yan Bei, not even a proper husband, merely a son-in-law?
So this “sorry” of hers was meant to apply to the words “son-in-law”?
Yue Tang saw his unpleasant expression and knew he had figured it out, so she smiled again, rubbing a pill between her fingertips: “Getting angry all the time isn’t good.”
“I’ll be angered to death by you sooner or later.”
Yan Bei rolled his eyes.
Yue Tang’s smile deepened as she suddenly asked him, “Do you know the Hua Family?”
Yan Bei abruptly paused. “A Hua Family member is with you?”
How could he not know the Hua Family? He had been searching for a Hua Family member for three years!
Yue Tang said, “The Hua Family has an ancestral poison called Bone-Eroding Powder. Depending on the dosage, it has effects of varying durations.
“This one in my hand won’t harm the body in any way for three months after ingestion. But once the three months are up, it will gnaw at the bones and erode the tendons, causing all the blood vessels in the body to rupture and leading to death.”
At this point, Yue Tang dropped the pill into his teacup. “You already know that next I’m going after the Du Family.
“Three months’ time should be about enough.
“If everything you said earlier is true, then drink this cup of tea and ensure my safety for three months, how about it?
“Once I’ve investigated the person behind the Du Family, I’ll naturally give you the antidote.”
The pea-sized pill dissolved instantly in water, quickly turning the cup of green tea into a scarlet soup.
Yan Bei’s gaze shifted to Yue Tang’s face.
The Hua Family’s medicine was a unique secret technique.
Setting aside all the entanglements of past events, as long as Yan Bei drank this cup of tea, to obtain the antidote, he would naturally do everything possible to protect her in the future.
Even if he didn’t help, there would be no reason for him to reveal her identity or work against her secretly before she gave him the antidote.
A poison limited to three months could both eliminate the hidden danger of Prince Jingyang’s Mansion as the Du Family’s backer, and secure safety for herself—this move was utterly brilliant!
And how could Yan Bei refuse?
If he refused, his sincerity would vanish.
All the previous words would be nothing but fart.
In her eyes, he would become a complete liar.
If he really dared, after the Du Family was destroyed, he, Yan Bei, would be next!
But a woman so clear-headed and ruthless in her methods was truly the first Yan Bei had ever met.
He laughed.
Then he picked up the cup of tea and drank it all in one go.
The scarlet tea soup flushed his cheeks; he showed the empty bottom of the cup: “How’s that?”
Yue Tang’s eyes flickered slightly, and after a long moment, she looked at him and smiled:
“I concede.”
Under the autumn light, her smile was enchanting as a flower, leaving Yan Bei momentarily dazed.
“You’re not annoyed?” Yue Tang asked.
Yan Bei flicked his robe sleeve: “When facing matters of survival, such decisiveness is only right. If I were you, I’d probably be even more overbearing!”
Yue Tang’s smile deepened, and she fell silent.
Having grown up under the protection of imperial power, she understood the intrigues of the imperial court better than anyone.
Prince Jingyang’s Mansion still had interests entangled with the Du Family. Unless the Yan Family completely cut ties with the Du Family, no one could guarantee there wouldn’t be variables.
The person she had once known and respected was Cheng Qi, not the Prince Jingyang who held great power.
Unless she was absolutely certain, compared to blindly trusting others’ words, she preferred having control of her own safety for greater security.
However, Yan Bei’s decisiveness and magnanimity had still surprised her.
