Seeing the situation, the look in Lin Yun's eyes changed.
They had thought Prince Changqing had everything prepared. But now, it seemed that was not the case. Prince Zuo Cheng's methods were a level higher; he had already factored Prince Changqing's actions into his own calculations. Or perhaps, this was a game orchestrated by both Prince Changqing and Prince Zuo Cheng from the start.
"Chongqing Bird, is there a way to cure the poison on him?" Lin Yun inquired.
Since Prince Changqing was already poisoned, the rest of the script was easy to imagine. With no one else present in the hall, the moment Prince Changqing died from the poison, everyone would point the finger at Lin Yun. And Prince Zuo Cheng could use that opportunity to pressure the Emperor to act against him.
In the end, Prince Zuo Cheng knew everything.
The Chongqing Bird chuckled. "The poison on him is not difficult to deal with. As long as you know about it beforehand, he can be saved. But how do you know that Prince Changqing himself is unaware that he's been poisoned?"
Today's setup was clearly within Prince Zuo Cheng's calculations. The method was crude, but very effective. It was just a pity that Lin Yun's abilities were destined to resolve it all with ease.
"Your Highness, how long do you intend to delay with me?" Lin Yun's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Prince Changqing. "In another half an hour, the poison will take full effect. Does Your Highness intend to use this opportunity to frame me? Or are you simply unaware of all this?"
Lin Yun had no intention of hiding anything. Instead, he laid the truth out plainly. He was also very curious to see whether Prince Changqing knew the truth and had chosen to cooperate with Zuo Cheng, or if he was simply an unwitting pawn in Zuo Cheng's scheme.
Prince Changqing was taken aback. "What nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly be poisoned?" He shook his head, naturally refusing to admit it.
Lin Yun's smile widened. "It seems Your Highness is unaware that you have already been cast aside like a pawn by Prince Zuo Cheng. If things continue at this rate, and Your Highness does not neutralize the poison in your body, everything will be over."
Prince Changqing's expression was not good. He hadn't paid the matter much mind before, thinking he would just persuade Lin Yun to leave this place of right and wrong. He never thought he himself would be the one drawn into the mess.
But even now, he couldn't fully believe what Lin Yun was saying. It sounded logical, but there were still some fatal flaws. Prince Changqing remained stubborn.
"Do you know who I am? I am a Prince of the Daye Dynasty. Even if Prince Zuo Cheng truly wanted to kill me, he would have done a cleaner job. What's more, I pose no threat to him, and I have always done my utmost to maintain the stability of the Dynasty. Under these circumstances, what reason does he have to kill me?"
Even though Lin Yun had laid it all out, he still refused to believe it.
Lin Yun slowly rose to his feet. Seeing Prince Changqing's self-righteous appearance, he simply placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly infused a stream of Yuan Qi.
Stimulated by the Yuan Qi, the poison quickly revealed its true effects. A jolt of intense agony twisted Prince Changqing's expression into a savage mask.
"How is this possible? How dare that man Zuo Cheng make a move against me?"
Prince Changqing had never imagined that Zuo Cheng would actually try to kill him. It wasn't until he felt that excruciating pain that he finally understood that Lin Yun's words had not been a joke.
Seeing the look of disbelief on the Prince's face, Lin Yun just smiled serenely. "Many problems in this world cannot be explained with common sense. Just like this situation now. Your Highness believed Prince Zuo Cheng would never act against you because you have cooperated many times before. But now, if Zuo Cheng wants to completely stop the Emperor from moving against him, the best way is to kill both you and me."
Every move Prince Zuo Cheng made was to force the young Empress, Chen Suning, to reveal her true strength. She was, after all, the Emperor of the orthodox bloodline. Even if Zuo Cheng had rebellious thoughts, he had to carefully consider whether he could handle the trump cards that she might play at any time. This time, using Prince Changqing to eliminate Lin Yun was a way to see if the Empress had any other means to protect him.
Hearing Lin Yun's explanation, Prince Changqing's heart went cold. He had hoped to maintain the stability of Wangjing. If things continued as they were, perhaps the entire Daye Dynasty could have existed for much longer. But now, it seemed that possibility was gone.
"So, since you already know the truth of all this, what do you plan to do?" Prince Changqing asked, looking at Lin Yun with curiosity.
Lin Yun smiled. "Since Prince Zuo Cheng wants to use this incident to frame me, I might as well play along with his plan."
After seeing the situation unfold, Lin Yun immediately knew what he had to do. Since Zuo Cheng wanted to frame him, he would let the scheme proceed. He would let Zuo Cheng's frame-up succeed. But he had no intention of letting Prince Changqing actually die. After all, the Prince could still help him turn the tables in the end.
"Behind Prince Zuo Cheng is the renowned Shangqing Temple. Although they don't usually act, when he finally rebels, those people certainly won't let the opportunity slip by."
Prince Changqing nodded repeatedly. "Now that you mention it, I remember. If that man Zuo Cheng truly wants to rebel, there is another key problem he needs to solve." He took a deep breath. "The Daye Dynasty has, over these many years, grown from weakness to become great and powerful. To have existed for so long, it naturally must possess sufficient strength. And the most critical part of that lies with the Dynasty's most mysterious guardians: the Dynasty Wardens."
This was the most secret power of the entire Daye Dynasty, and also its strongest fighting force. It was precisely for this reason that Prince Zuo Cheng had not yet dared to act rashly. He was afraid that the Dynasty Wardens still existed. And in the hands of the Empress, there were likely even more hidden measures.
"So, this time, we will let Prince Zuo Cheng believe he has succeeded." Lin Yun couldn't help but marvel; with his panel, he could solve any problem smoothly. He hadn't even imagined this affair could be handled so easily.
Afterward, Lin Yun helped Prince Changqing neutralize the poison in his body. At the same time, he refined a pill and gave it to him. It was a feigned-death pill. After swallowing it, one could maintain a state of suspended animation for seven days. This state was incredibly realistic; no matter what methods an opponent used, they would not be able to see through the deception.
Previously, Prince Changqing had wanted to persuade Lin Yun not to disrupt the situation in Wangjing. But now, he had completely switched sides to ally with him.