novelSusiti Chapter 58 The pill is still in his sleeve—I'm not in a hurry.
Chapter 58 The pill is still in his sleeve—I'm not in a hurry.
Dong Yun brought one person with him.
The former chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy. Surname Huang. Seventy-three.
He spent forty years in the palace. He took Liu Bei's pulse and prescribed medicine for Zhuge Liang.
Before entering the imperial study, Dong Yun explained the rules.
"Look and leave. Don't mention it. Don't write it down. You weren't here today."
The old doctor was nodding.
Dong Yun took out a section of bamboo tube from his sleeve. The opening of the tube was sealed with wax.
"Test this."
The wax was removed. The tube was facing down. A brownish substance rolled onto the white porcelain dish.
The size of a bean. Rough surface. Uneven color. One spot is black.
Doctor Huang examined the needles closely for a while. He didn't touch them. He then reached for the silver needles on the table.
A layer of powder was scraped off the rim of the dish. I held it to my nose and smelled it.
Put down the silver needles.
Take a thin copper sheet from the medicine box. Sprinkle the powder onto it.
A wine lamp was lit. A copper sheet was placed over the fire to heat.
It turned into powder.
A dark green stain appeared on the copper sheet.
Huang Yizheng stopped.
"My lord. This is aconite."
Dong Yun did not respond.
"Refined. Extremely pure. When ground into powder and added to soup or rice, it is colorless and tasteless."
"How much of a quantity can be fatal?"
Dr. Huang is extending one finger.
"This one. Crush it. That's enough."
Dong Yun took the porcelain dish back. He sealed it in the bamboo tube and tucked it into his sleeve.
"Dr. Huang, today you are examining a grain of wheat that has been worm-eaten."
The old doctor was carrying his medicine box and walking away without the slightest hesitation.
Having spent forty years in the palace, I know what to forget and what I haven't seen without being taught.
-
The Imperial Study.
Liu Shan was reviewing Jiang Wan's documents regarding the verification of merchant registration in Jianwei. His pen never stopped.
Dong Yun entered. The bamboo tube rested on the corner of the table.
"Aconite. One pill is lethal."
Liu Shan paused for a moment. A small dot of ink bleeds out. He doesn't wipe it away.
"Did you put it back exactly as it was?"
"As it is. Zhou Fu's changed clothes are still in the laundry room. The sentry took them out, checked them, and then sewed them back up. The stitches match."
"Won't he find out?"
"No. My men are better at cooking than him."
Liu Shan put down his pen.
"Qian Dafu went to Liu An. Have you found the person in between?"
Dong Yun pulled a strip of silk from his sleeve.
"Found it."
Liu Shan took it.
"A kitchen servant named Chen San. He entered the palace last autumn. His guarantor was also Liu An."
It's Liu An again.
"Chen San goes out of the palace to buy supplies every five days. He goes through the south gate. On his way back, he always passes by the entrance of Yongxing Inn."
"Have you met with Qian Dafu?"
"There was no direct encounter. But the sentries kept watch for seven days. On two occasions, Chen San slowed down when he passed the inn's entrance. There was also a new earthenware jar on the inn's windowsill."
"Earthenware jar".
"The first time it was empty. The second time it was stuffed with cotton cloth. The cotton cloth wrapped something. Chen San brought it back to the palace. That evening—Liu An went to the laundry room."
Liu Shan's fingertips paused for a moment at the edge of the silk strip.
"Chen San last went out of the palace to buy things a few days ago."
Four days ago.
The goods were picked up four days ago. Liu An held onto them for three days. He only stuffed them into a hidden bag last night.
Liu Shan retrieved the diagram from a hidden compartment. (A red ink brush.)
Two words were filled in that empty circle.
Chen San.
The line is finished. Seven people. A chain. The end point is his livelihood.
-
"Your Majesty, should we collect it now?"
Liu Shan did not answer.
Stand up. Walk to the window.
The sunlight outside the window was bright. Zhou Fu was squatting on the floor in the corridor, wiping the stone steps.
One stroke at a time. The rag is wrung dry. The movements are precise and methodical.
Liu Shan stared at him for a long time.
"No, we won't accept it."
Dong Yun opened his mouth slightly.
"Let Zhou Fu keep that aconite in his hand."
"His Majesty--"
"He has aconite. I know that. He doesn't know that I do."
Liu Shan turned around.
"This aconite is the first one. Whether there will be a second or a third one—we have to let him finish his journey."
"When he made his move, whose orders he received, and how he carried it out—if we catch him now, we'll cut off all traces of that."
Dong Yun clenched his fist and then released it.
"Remove the aconite. Replace it with a fake medicine made from wheat flour."
Liu Shan shook his head.
"He can tell the difference between real and fake. You can tell just by pressing his finger against it."
The hall was quiet for three breaths.
"He checks the hidden pockets every day. As long as they're still there—he doesn't touch them."
"The day the secret pocket is empty."
Liu Shan's thumb pressed into the indentation.
"That's the day he's going to make his move. Chen will catch him."
-
into the night.
Zhuge Liang has arrived.
I didn't bring any strategy. I entered empty-handed.
After listening.
The feather fan rested on his lap. He hadn't moved it for a long time.
"Your Majesty, would you like to change your bedchamber?"
Liu Shan looked up.
When Zhuge Liang said this, his gaze was not on the map.
It fell outside the window. In the direction of the corridor.
"No change."
"They changed it. They knew they'd been exposed. They backed down. Four months of investigation wasted."
Zhuge Liang did not try to persuade him further.
"Over in Qianwei—"
"Jiang Wan has started checking Zhao Ping's cloth shop tax books today."
Liu Shan pushed Jiang Wan's official document over to him.
"Three cloth shops. Two years' worth of accounts. The difference between the amount of goods purchased and the declared tax is three times."
Zhuge Liang turned two pages. Then he closed the book.
"The Prime Minister's office will issue a document tomorrow. Tax inspections will be conducted on all merchants in Jianwei County. Zhao Ping will not be the sole target; he will be investigated along with everyone else. This is intended to cover up the operation."
"it is good."
Zhuge Liang stood up. He took two steps. Then he stopped.
"Your Majesty, will you be able to sleep tonight?"
Liu Shan leaned back in his chair.
"Prime Minister, since the first year of Jianxing, I have placed a dagger under my pillow every night before going to sleep."
Zhuge Liang didn't say anything more. He pushed open the door and went out.
-
The curtains moved. (Chen Dao's words.)
"Zhao Ping received a notice from the tax collector today. He immediately overturned the table and smashed the teacups. After the tax collector left, Zhao Ping sent a servant out on a fast horse."
Which direction?
"North. Direction to Chengdu."
Liu Shan pressed his thumb into the indentation for a moment.
Zhao Ping couldn't hold out any longer. The falsified accounts of the three cloth shops couldn't withstand scrutiny. He needed to pass on a message.
The messenger will enter the Jianwei Guild Hall.
Liu Shan pulled a strip of silk from his sleeve. Two lines of text were written on it.
First line: Back gate of the Jianwei Guild Hall. Add two more people to keep watch. Whoever comes—draw their face on them.
Second line: The time that guy arrived in Chengdu. Calculated perfectly. The moment he entered the guild hall—that was when he made his first appearance.
Fold it neatly. Tuck it into the gap in the curtain.
"Give it to Dong Yun."
The curtain was taken away.
The diagrams were still spread out on the table.
A single aconite seed. Placed in the sleeve of the man twenty paces away.
Liu Shan opened the third draft of the Northern Expedition strategy. Fourth Route. Wei Yan. Deputy General to be determined.
I picked up my pen. But didn't write anything.
Without removing this hidden dagger by my side, I can't fight the battle in the north with peace of mind.
The order cannot be changed.
Footsteps passed by outside the threshold. Light. Xiao Shunzi's steps.
Three breaths later, another footstep. Even lighter. Almost inaudible.
Zhou Fu.
Liu Shan didn't look up. His thumb sank into the dent. It reached the bottom.
[End of Chapter]