Bai Lixin and Bai Liwu’s coronation was already on the agenda even without Prince Li Chige’s arrival. Within a few days, Bai Lixin was named Crown Prince and Bai Liwu, the Benevolent Prince. He was also conferred the Benevolent Palace.
Emperor Shengyuan planned to issue an imperial decree to betroth Xu Ying to Bai Liwu not long after the two were crowned.
However, Bai Liwu unexpectedly fell ill a few days after leaving the Imperial Palace. His spirit was greatly reduced within a few days, and he didn’t know the cause.
As he lay in bed, Bai Liwu thought of the tantalising fragrance he breathed in every night in the palace, and he suddenly became very anxious and uncomfortable.
“Someone! Someone! ” Bai Liwu was lying on the bed. His whole body was weak. “Someone come quickly!”
The people who followed Bai Liwu to the magnificent Benevolent residence were his confidants and palace maids. His maid heard Bai Liwu’s voice, and she hurried to ask, “Your Highness, this servant is here. What are your orders? ”
“Where is the white cloud wood fragrance bestowed by my father? Quickly take it out and light it. ”
The palace maid looked at the tripod stove in confusion and said, “Your Highness, this servant already lit the white cloud wood incense and it has not been changed.”
Bai Liwu’s eyes were red, “How can that be? That is not that smell at all, no! ”
Bai Liwu had always been gentle and elegant. When had he ever shown such a man-eating demonic look? The palace maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and said, with trepidation, “Your Highness! This maid is sorry, but this is indeed the white cloud wood incense. The servant maids have lit it for you every night ever since you said that you liked it, and we have never changed it.”
Bai Liwu took two deep breaths, feeling his qi and blood surge. His breathing stalled, his eyes rolled over, and he passed out.
The palace maid was so scared that her arms and legs were weak as she stumbled out of the room, shouting, “Someone, go and get the doctor! The prince has passed out! ”
The palace maid had never seen Bai Liwu in such a state, so she was already at a loss for words. There was a lot of commotion at the Benevolent Palace, and news of Bai Liwu’s weakness and unexplained fainting spread like wings throughout the palace and even the Snow Kingdom.
Bai Liwu heard the descriptions of him outside, and his heart was filled with anger.
What did they mean when they said he was depressed and faint because he was not given the crown prince position?
What did they mean that he was dying soon?
What did they mean when they called him a sick seedling?
If someone wasn’t fanning the rumours, how could the story of his collapse have gone viral?
Eunuchs had been coming to see him every day ever since he fell ill, but he had shown no improvement. His long, firm body began to fade away at a rate visible to the naked eye. His eyes became dark and sunken. His face was a waxy yellow, and he looked like a sickly child at first glance.
There was a steady stream of visitors who shook their heads and sighed as they left.
How could such a handsome young man have become like this?
Because of what had happened to Bai Liwu, the Emperor put the marriage on hold and recruited medical practitioners from all over the world to find a miracle doctor.
In the meantime, however, someone took the lead to ask Xu Ying, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, to marry him, and the marriage was agreed upon in just over a month.
Bai Lixin heard about this, and he smiled at Xiahou Chun, “The Xu family was really quick to act. They were eager to marry their daughter off.”
“Maybe it’s just a pair of young people who fell in love and just happened to catch up.” Xiahou Chun took a sip of his wine and sighed, “Good wine!”
“Naturally! How can the wine made from my recipe not taste good? Does General Xiahou like it? ”
“It’s the best on earth!”
“Haha, you have a good eye.” Bai Lixin also poured a small cup of wine for himself and took a sip, “I have been visiting my brother from time to time over the past month, and his health is getting worse and worse. Does General Xiahou know any miracle doctors who can help him? ”
“I am a reckless man with thick skin and good qi. I have had good luck and have not suffered any fatal injuries ever since I joined the army. I am usually treated by military doctors, so I don’t know any miracle doctors. ”
“Ha! Then General Xiahou should think hard about where to get a miracle doctor, otherwise ……” Bai Lixin stood up haughtily and kicked Xiahou Chun in the leg, attempting to knock him to the ground.
Xiahou Chun swayed slightly and stayed still.
“……” Bai Lixin used another kick, but Xiahou Chun looked straight at him and remained still.
Bai Lixin withdrew his foot with a stunned expression, “Hey, get down on your knees!”
With a snap, Xiahou Chun neatly dropped to both knees!
Bai Lixin: “……” is this bastard voice activated?
With a dry cough, Bai Lixin lifted his trouser leg and put his foot on Xiahou Chun’s shoulder. He bent down and leaned close to Xiahou Chun’s face to look at him squarely. “Otherwise, the charge of murdering the Benevolent Prince is punishable through all nine clans!”
Xiahou Chun looked straight at Bai Lixin with innocence and integrity, “I don’t understand what Your Highness is talking about.”
“Heh, you and the Minister of Rituals are friends from long ago. Xu Ying, the daughter of the Minister of Rituals, has been patiently waiting to be married all these years, so why is she in a hurry to get married now? ”
“It’s a family matter for the Xu family as to whether their daughter gets married or not. How would I know? ”
“Xiahou Chun, you are quite a ghost. Let me ask you, what did you do at night when you changed into your night clothes and went to my brother’s room? If you don’t tell me, I’ll have the guards capture and torture you to death.”
“How did Your Majesty see that?” Xiahou Chun asked, frowning.
“Look at my hand,” Bai Lixin said, holding out his left hand’s five fingers to Xiahou Chun’s eyes, “I had a feeling I had been sleeping too deeply every night for some time. I was suspicious, so I secretly hid a silver needle in my hand. Sure enough, you sneaked into my room late at night and hit my sleeping acupoint. ”
Xiahou Chun followed Bai Lixin’s hand and saw that the ends of his fingers were red and swollen with single needle holes. His eyes darkened, and he let out a sigh. “Your Highness, why bother? I went to Bai Liwu’s bedchamber for no other reason than to return what he had given you in the first place. ”
“What was it?”
“Ecstasy grass. The red coral pillow he gave Your Highness that day had ecstasy grass hidden in it. If Your Highness had slept on it, you would have been in Prince Bai Liwu’s place today. So no matter how pitiful the Benevolent Prince is, he does not deserve Your Highness’s pity. How would he have ended up in this situation if he didn’t have the desire to harm others? ”
Bai Lixin was shocked… Bai Liwu put ecstasy grass in the red coral he gifted him?
Ecstasy grass was like a drug. No, it was even more toxic. No wonder the Imperial Physician could not tell what was wrong with Bai Liwu after examining him for so long. It’s because that kind of herb was only available to the royal family of the Yue Kingdom! Few people of the Yue Kingdom had ever seen it, much less those of the Snow Kingdom. How could they know its medicinal properties?
The royal family of the Yue Kingdom… So the Kalou Kingdom has colluded with the Yue Kingdom?
Bai Liwu had been kind to him for more than ten years, so Bai Lixin didn’t want to be ruthless towards him. But he never expected that this seemingly pure and kind brother would be so insidious as to use such harmful means to deal with him.
Over and over again!
Bai Lixin sneered. Wasn’t his behaviour consistent with, at best, a white lotus from an F-rank world?
The more you want something, the more I’ll take it further away, so that you can’t reach it even though it’s right in front of your eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Lixin withdrew his foot and continued to look at Xiahou Chun. “General Xiahou, I misunderstood you. Please rise quickly.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“In that case, someone wanted to harm me when I fell off my horse that day. Did General Xiahou really fail to find the real culprit? It seemed the General already knew everything. Is it that General Xiahou was afraid I wouldn’t be able to withstand the blow, so he kept it to himself? Was the person behind my injury that time royal brother Bai Liwu? Was he also behind the sudden death of the eunuch in the prison? ”
Xiahou Chun hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, “Your Highness, it is just as you have said.”
“Okay, I understand. Let this matter come to an end. General Xiahou should not mention it to others. Although the real culprit has been found, he is my brother who has been protecting me for many years, so General Xiahou can pretend that the culprit disappeared into thin air. I will report to my father later and send General Xiahou out of the palace. I am grateful to General Xiahou for protecting me over the past several days.”
“Your Highness is asking me to leave?” “Bai Liwu is now poisoned by the ecstasy grass, and although it has not yet been discovered, they will soon figure it out,” Xiahou Chun said, stunned. “If Bai Liwu thinks that His Highness has harmed him, won’t you be in danger? ”
“As I said, General Xiahou’s purpose was to find the real culprit. Now that the matter has come to light, your mission is over. What General Xiahou needs to do now is to find out what means my royal brother used to obtain the ecstasy grass. It is only available in the Yue Kingdom’s Imperial Palace. How could my royal brother have got it if it was not gifted by a member of the Yue Kingdom’s royal family?”
Xiahou Chun was speechless as he listened. If he insisted on staying with Bai Lixin, he would be charged with not thinking of the greater good. But he felt unwilling to leave. Why did it feel like he had been set up?
That afternoon, Emperor Shengyuan called Xiahou Chun to the imperial study and gave him a round of praise. He compared him to the Vermilion Bird in the sky, the Green Dragon in the water, the basalt in the mud, and the White Tiger in the forest before sending him away.
As Bai Lixin slept that night, a dark ghostly figure drifted into his room in the otherwise quiet night sky.
The figure walked silently and came to Bai Lixin’s bedside.
Bai Lixin suddenly murmured, “Who is it?”
As soon as the dark figure paused, Bai Lixin sat up from the bed and tried to catch the man in black.
The man in black was swift. His body reversed and he came behind Bai Lixin. With a slight movement of his hands, he had Bai Lixin under his control. He casually picked up Bai Lixin’s hairband and tied it around them.
The man in black then removed the veil covering his mouth and nose and used it to cover Bai Lixin’s eyes before he said, in a deep voice, “Don’t move!”
Bai Lixin and Bai Liwu’s coronation was already on the agenda even without Prince Li Chige’s arrival. Within a few days, Bai Lixin was named Crown Prince and Bai Liwu, the Benevolent Prince. He was also conferred the Benevolent Palace.
Emperor Shengyuan planned to issue an imperial decree to betroth Xu Ying to Bai Liwu not long after the two were crowned.
However, Bai Liwu unexpectedly fell ill a few days after leaving the Imperial Palace. His spirit was greatly reduced within a few days, and he didn’t know the cause.
As he lay in bed, Bai Liwu thought of the tantalising fragrance he breathed in every night in the palace, and he suddenly became very anxious and uncomfortable.
“Someone! Someone! ” Bai Liwu was lying on the bed. His whole body was weak. “Someone come quickly!”
The people who followed Bai Liwu to the magnificent Benevolent residence were his confidants and palace maids. His maid heard Bai Liwu’s voice, and she hurried to ask, “Your Highness, this servant is here. What are your orders? ”
“Where is the white cloud wood fragrance bestowed by my father? Quickly take it out and light it. ”
The palace maid looked at the tripod stove in confusion and said, “Your Highness, this servant already lit the white cloud wood incense and it has not been changed.”
Bai Liwu’s eyes were red, “How can that be? That is not that smell at all, no! ”
Bai Liwu had always been gentle and elegant. When had he ever shown such a man-eating demonic look? The palace maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and said, with trepidation, “Your Highness! This maid is sorry, but this is indeed the white cloud wood incense. The servant maids have lit it for you every night ever since you said that you liked it, and we have never changed it.”
Bai Liwu took two deep breaths, feeling his qi and blood surge. His breathing stalled, his eyes rolled over, and he passed out.
The palace maid was so scared that her arms and legs were weak as she stumbled out of the room, shouting, “Someone, go and get the doctor! The prince has passed out! ”
The palace maid had never seen Bai Liwu in such a state, so she was already at a loss for words. There was a lot of commotion at the Benevolent Palace, and news of Bai Liwu’s weakness and unexplained fainting spread like wings throughout the palace and even the Snow Kingdom.
Bai Liwu heard the descriptions of him outside, and his heart was filled with anger.
What did they mean when they said he was depressed and faint because he was not given the crown prince position?
What did they mean that he was dying soon?
What did they mean when they called him a sick seedling?
If someone wasn’t fanning the rumours, how could the story of his collapse have gone viral?
Eunuchs had been coming to see him every day ever since he fell ill, but he had shown no improvement. His long, firm body began to fade away at a rate visible to the naked eye. His eyes became dark and sunken. His face was a waxy yellow, and he looked like a sickly child at first glance.
There was a steady stream of visitors who shook their heads and sighed as they left.
How could such a handsome young man have become like this?
Because of what had happened to Bai Liwu, the Emperor put the marriage on hold and recruited medical practitioners from all over the world to find a miracle doctor.
In the meantime, however, someone took the lead to ask Xu Ying, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, to marry him, and the marriage was agreed upon in just over a month.
Bai Lixin heard about this, and he smiled at Xiahou Chun, “The Xu family was really quick to act. They were eager to marry their daughter off.”
“Maybe it’s just a pair of young people who fell in love and just happened to catch up.” Xiahou Chun took a sip of his wine and sighed, “Good wine!”
“Naturally! How can the wine made from my recipe not taste good? Does General Xiahou like it? ”
“It’s the best on earth!”
“Haha, you have a good eye.” Bai Lixin also poured a small cup of wine for himself and took a sip, “I have been visiting my brother from time to time over the past month, and his health is getting worse and worse. Does General Xiahou know any miracle doctors who can help him? ”
“I am a reckless man with thick skin and good qi. I have had good luck and have not suffered any fatal injuries ever since I joined the army. I am usually treated by military doctors, so I don’t know any miracle doctors. ”
“Ha! Then General Xiahou should think hard about where to get a miracle doctor, otherwise ……” Bai Lixin stood up haughtily and kicked Xiahou Chun in the leg, attempting to knock him to the ground.
Xiahou Chun swayed slightly and stayed still.
“……” Bai Lixin used another kick, but Xiahou Chun looked straight at him and remained still.
Bai Lixin withdrew his foot with a stunned expression, “Hey, get down on your knees!”
With a snap, Xiahou Chun neatly dropped to both knees!
Bai Lixin: “……” is this bastard voice activated?
With a dry cough, Bai Lixin lifted his trouser leg and put his foot on Xiahou Chun’s shoulder. He bent down and leaned close to Xiahou Chun’s face to look at him squarely. “Otherwise, the charge of murdering the Benevolent Prince is punishable through all nine clans!”
Xiahou Chun looked straight at Bai Lixin with innocence and integrity, “I don’t understand what Your Highness is talking about.”
“Heh, you and the Minister of Rituals are friends from long ago. Xu Ying, the daughter of the Minister of Rituals, has been patiently waiting to be married all these years, so why is she in a hurry to get married now? ”
“It’s a family matter for the Xu family as to whether their daughter gets married or not. How would I know? ”
“Xiahou Chun, you are quite a ghost. Let me ask you, what did you do at night when you changed into your night clothes and went to my brother’s room? If you don’t tell me, I’ll have the guards capture and torture you to death.”
“How did Your Majesty see that?” Xiahou Chun asked, frowning.
“Look at my hand,” Bai Lixin said, holding out his left hand’s five fingers to Xiahou Chun’s eyes, “I had a feeling I had been sleeping too deeply every night for some time. I was suspicious, so I secretly hid a silver needle in my hand. Sure enough, you sneaked into my room late at night and hit my sleeping acupoint. ”
Xiahou Chun followed Bai Lixin’s hand and saw that the ends of his fingers were red and swollen with single needle holes. His eyes darkened, and he let out a sigh. “Your Highness, why bother? I went to Bai Liwu’s bedchamber for no other reason than to return what he had given you in the first place. ”
“What was it?”
“Ecstasy grass. The red coral pillow he gave Your Highness that day had ecstasy grass hidden in it. If Your Highness had slept on it, you would have been in Prince Bai Liwu’s place today. So no matter how pitiful the Benevolent Prince is, he does not deserve Your Highness’s pity. How would he have ended up in this situation if he didn’t have the desire to harm others? ”
Bai Lixin was shocked… Bai Liwu put ecstasy grass in the red coral he gifted him?
Ecstasy grass was like a drug. No, it was even more toxic. No wonder the Imperial Physician could not tell what was wrong with Bai Liwu after examining him for so long. It’s because that kind of herb was only available to the royal family of the Yue Kingdom! Few people of the Yue Kingdom had ever seen it, much less those of the Snow Kingdom. How could they know its medicinal properties?
The royal family of the Yue Kingdom… So the Kalou Kingdom has colluded with the Yue Kingdom?
Bai Liwu had been kind to him for more than ten years, so Bai Lixin didn’t want to be ruthless towards him. But he never expected that this seemingly pure and kind brother would be so insidious as to use such harmful means to deal with him.
Over and over again!
Bai Lixin sneered. Wasn’t his behaviour consistent with, at best, a white lotus from an F-rank world?
The more you want something, the more I’ll take it further away, so that you can’t reach it even though it’s right in front of your eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Lixin withdrew his foot and continued to look at Xiahou Chun. “General Xiahou, I misunderstood you. Please rise quickly.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“In that case, someone wanted to harm me when I fell off my horse that day. Did General Xiahou really fail to find the real culprit? It seemed the General already knew everything. Is it that General Xiahou was afraid I wouldn’t be able to withstand the blow, so he kept it to himself? Was the person behind my injury that time royal brother Bai Liwu? Was he also behind the sudden death of the eunuch in the prison? ”
Xiahou Chun hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, “Your Highness, it is just as you have said.”
“Okay, I understand. Let this matter come to an end. General Xiahou should not mention it to others. Although the real culprit has been found, he is my brother who has been protecting me for many years, so General Xiahou can pretend that the culprit disappeared into thin air. I will report to my father later and send General Xiahou out of the palace. I am grateful to General Xiahou for protecting me over the past several days.”
“Your Highness is asking me to leave?” “Bai Liwu is now poisoned by the ecstasy grass, and although it has not yet been discovered, they will soon figure it out,” Xiahou Chun said, stunned. “If Bai Liwu thinks that His Highness has harmed him, won’t you be in danger? ”
“As I said, General Xiahou’s purpose was to find the real culprit. Now that the matter has come to light, your mission is over. What General Xiahou needs to do now is to find out what means my royal brother used to obtain the ecstasy grass. It is only available in the Yue Kingdom’s Imperial Palace. How could my royal brother have got it if it was not gifted by a member of the Yue Kingdom’s royal family?”
Xiahou Chun was speechless as he listened. If he insisted on staying with Bai Lixin, he would be charged with not thinking of the greater good. But he felt unwilling to leave. Why did it feel like he had been set up?
That afternoon, Emperor Shengyuan called Xiahou Chun to the imperial study and gave him a round of praise. He compared him to the Vermilion Bird in the sky, the Green Dragon in the water, the basalt in the mud, and the White Tiger in the forest before sending him away.
As Bai Lixin slept that night, a dark ghostly figure drifted into his room in the otherwise quiet night sky.
The figure walked silently and came to Bai Lixin’s bedside.
Bai Lixin suddenly murmured, “Who is it?”
As soon as the dark figure paused, Bai Lixin sat up from the bed and tried to catch the man in black.
The man in black was swift. His body reversed and he came behind Bai Lixin. With a slight movement of his hands, he had Bai Lixin under his control. He casually picked up Bai Lixin’s hairband and tied it around them.
The man in black then removed the veil covering his mouth and nose and used it to cover Bai Lixin’s eyes before he said, in a deep voice, “Don’t move!”
