Chapter 59: Slow-Acting Poison

Lin Guanguan was an extremely talkative woman.

Tang Zhaozhao quite liked her lack of pretense. During their conversation, she had inadvertently taken the other woman's pulse without revealing the slightest hint of unnaturalness.

It was only after her mother and Lin Guanguan entered the inner hall that a subtle shift occurred in her eyes.

Lin Guanguan was not suffering from a normal illness; she had been poisoned with a chronic toxin.

This poison was insidious in that ordinary physicians would merely assume the afflicted person was physically weak and prescribe nourishing remedies.

Yet the more nourishing the remedy, the weaker the patient would become, until she finally perished from being too frail to absorb the tonics.

Someone wanted Aunt Lin dead. Whether it was her husband or someone else, Tang Zhaozhao had no way of knowing for the time being.

"What is Zhaozhao looking at?"

Suddenly, a flippant voice sounded behind Tang Zhaozhao.

Tang Zhaozhao knew who it was just by the voice. She did not turn back, merely banishing the deep gloom from the depths of her eyes.

"Third Highness, instead of staying with His Majesty and the ministers to discuss affairs of state at a time like this, running over here truly shows how terribly idle you are."

Murong Si, the Third Prince, was not the least bit annoyed upon hearing this.

He chuckled and said, "Zhaozhao truly breaks my heart. I came here solely for the sake of seeing you sooner."

Tang Zhaozhao turned her head and met Murong Si's eyes, which naturally carried a gloomy undertone.

"Murong Si, if you are that terribly idle, why don't you go check on Consort Liu? I hear she is having a rather miserable time."

Murong Si assumed an attitude of complete indifference. "Could Zhaozhao have misunderstood something? Could it be that you're jealous?"

Tang Zhaozhao could not be bothered to deal with this glib fellow.

Seeing her turn around to leave, Murong Si suddenly said, "Do you truly believe Murong Tian is the culprit?"

Tang Zhaozhao paused in her steps. "Otherwise?"

Murong Si walked up to Tang Zhaozhao, looked into her eyes, and said earnestly, "As far as I know, Murong Tian was not even in the palace that day."

Tang Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow. "And so?"

Murong Si said with a knowing smile, "So Zhaozhao already knew. Blame me for meddling."

Tang Zhaozhao curved her lips. "Since the Third Highness says so, you must have uncovered something. Why not share it?"

Murong Si curled his lips into a smile. "It's not out of the question if Zhaozhao wants to hear it, but what benefits would this prince receive in return?"

A silver needle suddenly appeared in Tang Zhaozhao's hand.

Wearing a smile that was not quite a smile, she said, "Third Highness must have forgotten that the gu worm inside your body can currently only be cleansed by me."

Murong Si said dejectedly, "Zhaozhao, you are far too unlovable. As a young lady, you really shouldn't be pulling out needles all the time."

He made a motion as if to press down Tang Zhaozhao's arm.

However, Tang Zhaozhao did not let him make contact. With a sideways step, she evaded his touch and simultaneously retrieved the silver needle in her hand.

"If you're not going to speak, I'm leaving."

A trace of helplessness flashed across the depths of Murong Si's eyes. "Though the Li family appears on the surface to be part of Murong Tian's faction, in reality, they are not."

Tang Zhaozhao frowned and asked, "On what grounds?"

"Li Mingyang seemingly leans on the Empress for support, but the strange thing is that whenever the Empress has asked him to handle matters on several occasions, he has brushed her off with various excuses.

"Even when the Empress wanted to make a move on multiple occasions, she was dissuaded by him.

"Would a man like that truly pledge his allegiance to Murong Tian?"

Murong Tian was the Empress's son, and Li Mingyang depended on the Empress, so he naturally ought to plan for Murong Tian's future.

Yet this man not only failed to plot for Murong Tian but repeatedly obstructed him, which made him worthy of deeper investigation.

Tang Zhaozhao looked at Murong Si. "Who does the Empress want to deal with?"

Murong Si smiled faintly. "Naturally, any prince she wishes to target."

Tang Zhaozhao rolled her eyes. That statement was equivalent to saying nothing at all—pure nonsense.

Seeing that Tang Zhaozhao was about to leave, Murong Si hurriedly said, "I heard that Li Xueying and Murong Qing spent a period of time together day and night in their youth.

"Li Mingyang was once the teacher of my fifth younger brother. Do you suppose such a possibility exists?"

Tang Zhaozhao halted her steps once more, turning back to meet Murong Si's playful gaze.

"You suspect him?"

Murong Si spread his hands. "I suspect every single prince. Has Zhaozhao never suspected me?"

Tang Zhaozhao curved her lips. "You are indeed more suspicious than Murong Qing."

Murong Si instantly put on an expression of deep injury.

Tang Zhaozhao's ears suddenly twitched, and she changed the subject. "Third Highness, my mother is still waiting for me in the inner hall, so I won't chat with you any longer."

Before Murong Si could reply, he saw an unfamiliar young woman walking toward them.

"Cousin, so you're here. I've been looking all over for you."

Before she even arrived, Zhao Mengyue's voice preceded her.

Seeing Tang Zhaozhao about to walk toward her, Zhao Mengyue quickly quickened her pace.

Feigning an accidental glance at Murong Si, she then spoke again to Tang Zhaozhao.

"Cousin, who is this young gentleman?"

Zhao Mengyue had discovered that the men of this ancient era truly seemed tailor-made to capture her heart.

There was the gentle and refined Crown Prince before, as well as the ethereal Fifth Prince Murong Qing.

And now, this gloomy-looking man perfectly matched the trope of the tragic and powerful male lead.

How could her furtive little glances escape Murong Si's notice?

When it came to beautiful young women, this Third Prince had always maintained an attitude of turning no one away.

The smile he revealed completely clashed with his naturally somber appearance.

Yet it genuinely and fiercely made Zhao Mengyue's little heart flutter.

Zhao Mengyue felt as though she was becoming dazzled by the choices; she genuinely wanted all of them.

Seeing her expression, Tang Zhaozhao could not help but raise the corners of her lips.

"This is the Third Highness. Cousin might as well stay and keep His Highness company in conversation."

Naturally, Zhao Mengyue wanted to stay.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and just as she was about to speak, she realized Tang Zhaozhao had already brushed past her and entered the inner hall.

She hadn't waited for her answer or cared whether she agreed at all.

Seeing her leave, Zhao Mengyue decided it was just as well. She tried her best to put on a natural demeanor.

"Third Highness, I am Zhaozhao's cousin, Zhao Mengyue."

With her head slightly lowered, she completely failed to notice the flash of coldness and disdain that crossed Murong Si's eyes.

When she looked up again, that trace of chill had already vanished.

It was replaced once more by Murong Si's flippant and smiling persona.

Tang Zhaozhao walked into the inner hall, scanned her surroundings, and soon spotted her mother's figure seated at a table.

At that moment, Lin Guanguan, who was seated beside her mother, caught sight of her and immediately waved, calling out, "Zhaozhao, come over quickly. Where on earth did you run off to just now?"

A smile graced Tang Zhaozhao's face as she walked toward the two of them.

She took a seat in the space between her mother and Aunt Lin.

Lin Guanguan pushed a plate of pastries directly in front of her and said, "These are Dragon's Beard pastries, available only within the palace. They are exceptionally delicious and impossible to buy outside. Have a taste."

Seeing this, Tang Zhaozhao picked one up and took a bite. The texture was soft and glutinous, with a moderate sweetness that was indeed superb.

The look of squinting, blissful enjoyment on her face

pleased Lin Guanguan immensely.

"So Zhaozhao is also a little foodie. In this regard, you don't take after your mother at all, but rather resemble me somewhat."

Lin Guanguan loved to eat, but ever since her health deteriorated, she had partaken of such treats much less frequently.

Now, seeing Tang Zhaozhao eating with such delight, she added, "Not only do I love eating, Aunt Lin is also a master at cooking. When you have free time, come to my residence, and I'll whip up a few dishes for you to try."

Tang Zhaozhao did not refuse and grinned brightly. "Alright!"

Seeing the two of them getting along so harmoniously, Song Rongzhi felt a swell of happiness in her heart.

Yet she remained deeply worried about Lin Guanguan; she had tried to question her health several times earlier, but the other woman had continually deflected and evaded the subject.

This left her momentarily uncertain whether she ought to press the matter further.