"Let me make this clear! The Eldest Prince is the most favored heir of our King of Bei Xiang!
If anything happens to him, there will be war between Bei Xiang and Tian Sheng!"
"Hold him down."
Emperor Xuanwu frowned and signaled the guards to restrain the increasingly agitated heir of Prince Lian more firmly.
The revelation that the Eldest Prince of Bei Xiang had another poison in his system was unexpected, even to Him.
After all, in the Simulation Life Selection System, there had been no mention of such a thing from beginning to end.
Which meant, at the very least, the Eldest Prince would not die while still in the territory of Tian Sheng. At most, it was just one more layer of trouble added to the mess.
Emperor Xuanwu turned back to the imperial physician, His voice now tinged with clear displeasure.
"Continue. What of this other poison in his system? Can it be cured?"
"It is not severe. It can be treated."
The physician nodded quickly.
"This poison, too, is not deadly. It causes dizziness and nausea. It may also... it may also induce a temporary state of madness."
Temporary madness?
The heir of Prince Lian immediately recalled how the Eldest Prince had, just moments ago, insisted on calling him a giant frog, then beat him black and blue with his fists. He nearly burst into tears on the spot.
He knew he didn't look like a frog!
Did that wretched poisoner have any idea how badly he'd been beaten?
Even now, his eyes were still bruised black!
Forced back to the ground again, the heir of Prince Lian was heartsick, humiliated, and furious. He struggled so violently that even the two strong guards holding him down nearly lost control.
"You're too vicious! And you have the audacity to accuse us?
It was clearly someone on your side who poisoned the Eldest Prince first!"
"Your Majesty."
At that moment, Li Dehai, who had been standing quietly on the side like a shadow, finally stepped forward. Bowing low, he walked silently to Emperor Xuanwu's side and spoke in a voice loud enough for all to hear.
"Earlier, when this servant escorted Sheng An Princess and her group as they departed, Her Highness gave me one final instruction."
"What was it?"
In the Simulation Life Selection System, every time an option related to Yun Shu appeared, the outcome was invariably favorable.
Now, whenever Emperor Xuanwu heard her name, His brow would unconsciously smooth.
"What did that little rascal say?"
"Her Highness said that the Eldest Prince had previously brought back a kind of mushroom from Nan Yue, one said to be exceptionally delicious.
However, the mushrooms had already been sun-dried into mushroom chips by the time he returned.
Furthermore, the Eldest Prince had mentioned in passing that he had eaten the same mushrooms on the way to Tian Sheng, so Her Highness could not confirm whether these were the same variety she had once read about in a book."
Li Dehai spoke respectfully, his tone steady.
"The book said that when these mushrooms are fresh and properly cooked, they are indeed very flavorful.
But if eaten raw, or after being left overnight, or in any other spoiled or improperly prepared state, they are highly likely to cause poisoning.
Mild cases result in nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations. In more severe cases—"
He stopped short, not daring to voice the final outcome.
But everyone present understood what he meant.
The heir of Prince Lian was the first to object.
"That's impossible! If that were true, then why didn't the Eldest Prince fall ill when he ate them on the way here?"
"Princess Sheng An anticipated that you might not believe her."
Li Dehai replied calmly.
"Her Highness said that if anyone had doubts, I was to ask this on her behalf:
'Today, the Eldest Prince consumed five of the Nan Yue mushrooms. How many did he eat while traveling here?'
She also added that if you still refused to believe her, the Bei Xiang delegation likely still has some of the mushrooms left. You are welcome to eat a few more yourself—and then you'll understand."
The heir of Prince Lian: "…"
The Eldest Prince was obsessed with food.
Those Nan Yue mushrooms were his prized treasure.
Back when they were en route to Tian Sheng, he'd hoarded them so tightly that he only threw one into his own soup after much hesitation.
Indeed… he hadn't eaten much at all.
Could it be that what the Tian Sheng Princess said was true?
That the mushrooms themselves were the problem?
The heir of Prince Lian fell silent, no longer so stubborn in his denial.
He shuffled forward on his knees, clearly frustrated.
"If that is the case, then I ask Your Majesty to summon the Eldest Prince's attending servant.
He was the one who first suggested drying the mushrooms and bringing them back. He has also been the one carrying and guarding them this entire time.
Let him come here and eat those mushrooms in front of everyone present.
If the mushrooms truly are poisonous, then the servant deserves to die for his negligence.
But if they're not, I demand that the Emperor of Tian Sheng give Bei Xiang a proper explanation."
"Go."
Since His precious Xiao Wu said the mushrooms were problematic, then they certainly were. Emperor Xuanwu showed not the slightest hesitation. He immediately ordered the servant to be brought into the Lin De Hall.
And, in an act of particular thoroughness, He even had a large pot prepared.
All the dried mushrooms—several catties' worth—that the Eldest Prince had so carefully hoarded since returning from Nan Yue, were soaked in water and dumped into the pot.
Because of the sheer quantity, they did not even have to wait long.
Before long, the servant collapsed mid-meal.
There could be no clearer proof.
The heir of Prince Lian fell silent, his face pale as ash.
Emperor Xuanwu, however, was quite pleased, and turned to Li Dehai with words of praise for Yun Shu.
"Who would've thought Our Xiao Wu knows so much. Had she not happened to read about these poisonous mushrooms in a book, they might have pinned this entire incident on Us.
"It is as they say: dragons birth dragons, phoenixes birth phoenixes. Princess Sheng An is so clever—she must have inherited that from Your Majesty!"
Li Dehai flattered with practiced ease, his words smooth as silk. Master and servant shared a moment of satisfaction.
The only person left out entirely was the Empress, whose gaze had turned bitter with resentment.
Everything was about Yun Shu. The Emperor praised her. Even that bootlicker Li Dehai, who understood the Emperor best, praised her.
If this went on, wouldn't there come a day when the Emperor believed Yun Shu was not only the best among his children—but even worthy of the throne?
Yun Shu...
If she had known this wretched girl would become such a threat, she would never have spared her simply because she was a girl.
She had a growing premonition: if Yun Shu was not eliminated, she would one day become a major obstacle to the Crown Prince.
While the Empress stewed in her venomous thoughts, the Dragon Shadow Guard agents whom Emperor Xuanwu had sent out earlier to investigate the poisoning incident finally returned to Lin De Hall.
The palace maid who had previously snuck out to meet the Eldest Prince had once been favored by the Empress. Her family lived just outside the capital, and they had been silenced two days ago. Traces of the house being searched were found.
From beneath a loose floor tile under the bed, the Dragon Shadow Guard discovered a pair of earrings that belonged to the Empress—clearly a gift once given as a reward for a favor.
Because they were hidden so well, the people sent by the Empress to clean up the mess had failed to find them.