Chapter 376

Hearing Long Yelin address Hu Xiaotian that way, Ji Feihua immediately understood that Hu Xiaotian must have rendered meritorious service today.

Hu Xiaotian then stood up, silently bowed his head to Ji Feihua as a greeting; doing so in the Emperor's presence already gave Ji Feihua ample face.

Long Yelin briefly recounted what had just happened, smiling at Hu Xiaotian and said, "I am wondering how to reward Xiaotian; Feihua's arrival is timely—please give me your advice."

Qin Yutong

Long Yelin nodded, seeming to also approve of Hu Xiaotian.

Ji Feihua said, "Such a loyal and filial subject naturally deserves a generous reward; I think we should grant him a Panlong Gold Medal, allowing him unrestricted entry to the palace."

Hu Xiaotian previously had the right to enter the palace, but not at any time, and some places were off‑limits; with this medal, apart from a few restricted areas like Piaomiao Mountain, he could move freely throughout the palace and come and go as he pleased.

Xiao Ya (nickname for Wen Ya)

Hu Xiaotian quickly knelt and shouted "Long live the Emperor," thanking the sovereign for his grace.

Ji Feihua added, "Your Majesty, I have not finished speaking."

Grand Eunuch Ji

Ji Feihua said, "The beardless youth has not yet seen his parents since entering the palace; I think father and son should meet. It is natural for kin to reunite. I hope Your Majesty will grant this favor."

Long Yelin pondered, then said, "Father‑son affection is a basic human relation; if you wish to meet, you may. With this Panlong Gold Medal I bestow upon you, no one will dare to gossip."

Hu Xiaotian kowtowed repeatedly; Ji Feihua this time granted him a great favor. Ji Feihua's talent lies in knowing what others desire; if he were given gold, silver, and silks, Hu Xiaotian would certainly not be moved, but when it comes to family ties it is different. Previously he had taken Hu Xiaotian to see Hu Buwei's couple in private, but now, with the Emperor's words, Hu Xiaotian can openly visit his parents—this favor is no small matter.

Long Yelin had Hu Xiaotian rise, glanced at the empty teacup, and only then thought of Wen Ya. He softly said, "Summon the Talented Person."

Wen Ya was crying, tears like pear blossoms, her lovely eyes slightly red, arousing pity. Hu Xiaotian watched, secretly noting that her acting was also exceptional; actually, in that situation Wen Ya could only pretend to be pitiful and innocent, and she had no good response. If the Emperor was truly poisoned, whether or not she was the mastermind behind it, she could not avoid responsibility. Coming before Long Yelin, she choked and sobbed, "Your Majesty, Xiao Ya did not expect this to happen; seeing Your Majesty in such agony, Xiao Ya is powerless, truly deserving of death; I beg Your Majesty to punish me." She sought to place herself in a deadly situation to later survive, first begging for punishment.

Sir

Long Yelin said, "Xiao Ya, this illness is my own sudden affliction; do not blame yourself." As he spoke he glanced at Qin Yutong beside him, seemingly seeking her opinion; Long Yelin was suspicious, and although he sensed his problem might be serious, he could not yet be certain.

Guard

Places:

But Hu Xiaotian beside him interjected, "I dare to add a remark; this matter still seems somewhat suspicious."

Everyone's gaze turned to him; Ji Feihua's eyes were full of expectation, Wen Ya's eyes full of panic and incomprehension, and Hu Xiaotian actually intended to harm himself.

Da Kang Guo

Hu Xiaotian said, "This dragon crystal would not normally flare up inside the Emperor's body; surely His Majesty's drinking this tea triggered the latent illness, causing the sudden outbreak. Thus the tea may not be poisonous, but that does not prove this cup of tea is problem‑free."

Wen Ya's face turned pale; "Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian, you are so vicious, actually throwing someone into a well and then stoning them!" Wen Ya trembled as she said, "Your Majesty, please see clearly; Xiao Ya knows nothing about this matter." By saying that, she essentially absolved herself; in this situation she is like a clay Buddha crossing a river—barely able to save herself, let alone protect the wutong tree.

Ji Feihua felt greatly relieved; she had indeed not misjudged him, and Hu Xiaotian had not disappointed her expectations.

Conscience

Hu Xiaotian said, "Illness enters through the mouth; some diseases require dietary avoidance. Whether this tea is problematic still needs careful examination; before the results are clear, it is hard to dispel suspicions about certain people." He turned to Qin Yutong and said, "Physician Qin, you are an expert in this; you should be able to verify whether there is any hidden agenda in this pot of tea."

Wen Ya said: "Hu Xiaotian, are you saying I poisoned the tea?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I didn't say that, nor did I say the tea definitely had poison, and I dare not suspect the Talented Person. But this matter came about suspiciously; just now the Talented Person had me pour tea, yet Wutong insisted on doing it, and immediately the Emperor suddenly fell ill. At this point, one cannot help but suspect. Emperor, Lord Ji, I am wholly loyal, devoted to the Emperor until death, with no malicious intent to slander anyone."

Ji Feihua slowly nodded and said: "Your Majesty, Hu Xiaotian makes sense; in my view, this matter indeed needs thorough investigation, and the maid who brewed the tea must be carefully interrogated."

Wen Ya, tears streaming down her face, knelt with a pear-blossom-in-the-rain look: "Your Majesty... Xiao Ya has frightened you; please punish me."

Long Yelin sighed, stood up, and said: "I haven't blamed you; do I still not trust you? I am really tired, I'll return to the palace first." After saying that, he turned to Ji Feihua and said: "Investigate this matter thoroughly and report back to me."

"Yes!" Ji Feihua shouted loudly.

A crowd respectfully saw off Long Yelin, but the atmosphere in the Mingyue Palace did not ease in the slightest with the Emperor's departure; instead it grew more oppressive. Ji Feihua gave Wen Ya a cold glance: "Someone! Bring that maid here!"

Wutong was quickly brought forward by two Guards, and as soon as she arrived she cried out in protest: "Talented Person, I'm innocent!"

Ji Feihua snorted coldly: "Innocent? A little maid of the Mingyue Palace with ulterior motives, plotting to harm the Holy One—aren't you afraid of being executed by lingchi? Hurry up and confess honestly who ordered you to do this."

Wutong cried sadly: "I never poisoned anyone, and no one ordered me to!"

Ji Feihua angrily said: "Bold! Even now you still dare to deny it."

Hu Xiaotian was about to interject, but was forced back by Wen Ya's two gazes like blades of hatred; he swallowed saliva, lowered his eyes to the ground, after all feeling guilty; this guy still has some Conscience; today he is actually out to settle a private grudge, deliberately framing Wutong; he certainly knows the Emperor's illness has nothing to do with Wutong; on the contrary, Wutong helped him a lot—if Wutong hadn't insisted on making the tea, perhaps everyone would have suspected him.

Wen Ya said: "Lord Ji, Wutong is my maid; you say someone is behind her—could that person be referring to me?"

Ji Feihua chuckled, his phoenix eyes shifting, his slender white hand like an orchid picking up the Lan-colored headband beside his ear and slowly sliding it down: "Zajia believes the Talented Person would never do such a thing; Wen the Grand Tutor is loyal and devoted, a pillar of Da Kang Guo—how could his daughter betray the Holy One?"

Wen Ya showed no fear before Ji Feihua, coldly saying: "The pot of tea the Emperor just drank is still here; a simple test will prove my palace's innocence."

Ji Feihua looked at the teapot, but saw Qin Yutong slowly taking it away, softly saying: "This pot of tea should be fine; details still need me to take it back for my master to examine thoroughly, and I believe we'll have a result soon."

Surprisingly, Ji Feihua was very courteous to Qin Yutong, nodding and saying: "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Qin."

Hu Xiaotian felt a bit strange; Qin Yutong is merely a female disciple of Xuantian Guan, and given Ji Feihua's status there's no need to be courteous to her—it seems Qin Yutong is not just that simple. Although Hu Xiaotian has known her for a while, aside from knowing she is a disciple of Master Ren of Xuantian Guan, his understanding of her is quite limited.

Qin Yutong took the evidence and took her leave; Ji Feihua surprisingly did not stop her, and Hu Xiaotian felt even more astonished—if that teapot fell into his hands, wouldn't he hold the power of life and death over Wen Ya? If he simply insisted the tea was poisonous, Wen Ya would have no way to defend herself; even if she could luckily escape blame, Wutong would certainly not escape, surely doomed.

After Qin Yutong left, Ji Feihua also decided to depart, ordering his subordinates to take Wutong away.

Wen Ya firmly refused: "Lord Ji, Wutong is my palace's maid; before this matter is clarified, her guilt cannot be proven, and no one has the right to take her away."

Ji Feihua sneered: "This maid is suspected of plotting to harm the Emperor; keeping her by your side, Talented Person, aren't you afraid of suffering the consequences yourself?"

Wen Ya said: "Whether there is suspicion or not, we can only wait for the results; if it is proven she is responsible, my palace will be the first not to let her off."

Ji Feihua slowly nodded and said: "Zajia will remember the Talented Person's words." He turned and left, and from behind came Wen Ya's cold voice: "Little Beard, you go see Lord Ji off on my palace's behalf."

"Yes!"

Hu Xiaotian followed Ji Feihua to outside the Mingyue Palace; a few of Ji Feihua's attendants wisely withdrew to wait at a distance. Ji Feihua smiled at Hu Xiaotian and said: "Not bad!"

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward and whispered: "Commander, why didn't you take the teapot?"

Ji Feihua laughed: "Even if we prove the teapot is poisonous, it wouldn't show the Talented Person's involvement; in big matters, one must be patient—you'll understand later." He glanced toward the Mingyue Palace, then whispered: "Go back quickly."

There's still half a day until the New Year; don't hold onto your Monthly Tickets—cast them all for Zhangyu! Zhangyu doesn't rest during the New Year, the more he writes, the more! With this attitude, Monthly Ticket! You deserve it! (To be continued~^~)