Chapter 239

Jiang Yin lowered his eyebrows obediently and said, "After being shot and falling off a cliff, even if he had nine lives he would have had a hard time escaping. Our men are still searching around the bottom of the cliff. He was poisoned and couldn't have gone far."

Prince Shu's body leaned on his knees, and he looked at Jiang Yin gloomily, "It's been so long and you still haven't found the corpse?"

Jiang Yin frowned without saying a word.

It had already been ten days since they received the news that Zhao Changdu had been shot. They still hadn't found the corpse yet, afraid that Zhao Changdu had escaped another disaster.

Fortunately, he had the arrow smeared with poison at the right time. Even if Zhao Changdu survived the fall, he may not be able to detoxify quickly.

This poison was called Bone-Penetrating Fragrance, the most fierce drug in legend.

Back when he took the seat of Prime Minister, he found an ancient medical book from the imperial medical department that listed all kinds of poisons that he had never seen on the market before.

After becoming Prime Minister, he had organized countless medical books and secretly took that book back to the Jiang house for his own use.

Although that book was still in the Medical Department now and he couldn’t get it with his current status, it didn’t matter. He could still remember a few poisons, especially the two that left the deepest impression — Lovesickness Emaciation and this Bone-Penetrating Fragrance.

Those who were poisoned by this, if they did not detoxify within three days, the poison would seep into the bone marrow little by little, eventually reach the internal organs, and become incurable. The victim’s skeletal structure would emit a strange fragrance as they took their last breath, and their whole body would turn to dust and vanish without leaving behind a complete corpse.

No matter where Zhao Changdu ran, the result would still be death in the end.

As he thought of this, he looked up again with a faint smile, "Don't worry, Your Highness. He won't live long after being poisoned."

Prince Shu looked at him distrustfully for a few moments, but Jiang Yin remained as steady as Mt. Tai.

Since Jiang Yin had volunteered to be his advisor, he had done a few things that were quite satisfactory.

Prince Shu didn’t completely distrust Jiang Yin, it was just that this person exuded a strange sense of stability all over.

He was a nobody, a child of an ordinary family. Because his reputation was so bad that the court abandoned him. But in his eyebrows and eyes, he faintly revealed the demeanor of a poised ruler.

Prince Shu felt irritated in his heart, "You said it would take a month, but now it's almost two and a half months. Why hasn't Gu Ying taken the initiative to come to me yet?"

Jiang Yin lowered his chin and said, "Don't be impatient, Your Highness. The medicine may not have taken effect yet. What’s more, even if the effect of Lovesickness Emaciation starts, she still needs to see Your Highness as soon as she opens her eyes to truly fall in love with you."

Li Yang was extremely unhappy, "Jiang Yin, you’re not deceiving me, are you?"

Jiang Yin smiled slightly, "I dare not deceive Your Highness." Li Yang snorted coldly, "I suppose you don't dare. Just that I’m eager to get Gu Ying now. After Zhao Changdu dies this time, you’d better make her love me quickly. Otherwise, when I return to Bianjing from Yueyang, I will tear you into pieces."

Jiang Yin's expression remained unchanged. There was only a lingering domineering aura hidden at the bottom of his calm and unfathomable eyes, like the deep and unmeasurable sea.

His calm gaze belonged only to those who had control over everything.

Sometimes Prince Shu felt that Jiang Yin was the one who looked like the ruler, while he himself was just a despicable clown.

As he thought of this, Prince Shu raised his foot and kicked Jiang Yin hard in the chest.

"Get out!"

Jiang Yin clutched his chest with squinted eyes, then bowed and retreated from the carriage.

Han Lin was waiting outside. Seeing his master come out, he frowned, "Young Master, are you alright?"

Jiang Yin raised his hand with a look of forbearance in his eyes. He glanced coldly at Prince Shu's carriage, "It's nothing serious. Have you found the person I asked you to look for?"

Han Lin said, "Yes, I found him."

Jiang Yin's mouth curved up slightly, "Bring him to me in a few days."

Han Lin said, "Yes, Young Master."

The master and servant had just turned to leave when they ran into Zhou Yan walking towards them.

"Master Zhou."

Zhou Yan was from the Zhou family, not a top family but a century-old noble family.

He was eight feet tall with an imposing appearance. Wearing a long light blue gown, black jade belt, he had a handsome face that was cold and elegant. With bright and clear eyes, he looked just like a gentleman under the trees.

He nodded indifferently to Jiang Yin as a greeting, then walked straight into Prince Shu’s carriage.

Jiang Yin’s eyebrows tightened.

Han Lin asked puzzledly, "Young Master, what’s wrong with this person? Is there a problem?"

Jiang Yin was silent for a while. Zhou Yan didn't stand out much in his previous life. He was just a military officer who was loyal to the Eastern Li imperial family without taking sides.

Later he became the minister of the Ministry of War, and of course Jiang Yin had helped with that.

Zhou Yan was a talented man, but he was not easy to fool around. He was the disciple of Lord Ning and had great respect for the Ning family. The Ning family belonged to the line of Prince Duan. Although Zhou Yan didn't take sides, he was biased towards Prince Duan in his heart.

In his previous life, if it hadn't been for Zhao Changdu, Zhou Yan probably wouldn't have cooperated with Jiang Yin.

Now they opposed each other as enemies.

As Jiang Yin thought of this, he still felt a little annoyed. "Zhao Changdu's life can no longer be spared."

Han Lin said expressionlessly, "This subordinate will personally go to kill him."

The icy stars danced in the north wind. Jiang Yin stood in the wind, remembering Gu Ying’s indifference when she tried to assassinate him. He lowered his eyes and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, "That's good too. However, if you find him, don't take his life directly. Break his limbs and tendons and bring him to me. I have something to say to him."

An old friend he hadn't seen in two lifetimes.

It would be a pity if he didn't get to see Zhao Changdu’s face.

When the time came, after seeing him, Jiang Yin had to tell Zhao Changdu well about the things from their last life when Gu Ying married him.

Jiang Yin got excited again with satisfaction and triumph in his eyes as he returned to his carriage.

...

End of March.

A black carriage rattled into the Yueyang region.

The heavy snow had stopped and green clouds were gathering on the horizon.

All the official roads leading into Yueyang were destroyed. In the valley of Banma Slope, there was a pile of rubble mixed with ten disordered corpses.

Gu Ying and Huai An checked the clothes and ornaments on the corpses.

Huai An's expression was grave and his eyes turned red. He choked with sobs, "Mistress, it's the Qilin Army!"

Every corpse lying among the rubble had the flaming mark of the Qilin Army and wore the exclusive tokens of the Qilin Army around their waists.

Huai An clenched his fists tightly until the veins popped out, wanting to draw his sword and kneel in front of those corpses.

Gu Ying grabbed him.

"Huai An."

Huai An looked up with bloodshot eyes, "Mistress!"

Gu Ying said in a deep voice. "How does the Crown Prince treat the Qilin Army?”

Huai An said in deep sorrow, "The Crown Prince treats the Qilin Army like his own brothers!"

Gu Ying smiled brightly, and her tender and fair little face was filled with radiance, adding some charm to her grieving eyebrows from the past ten days or so, "Then it’s very likely that these people are not the Qilin Army’s brothers."

Huai An was stunned, "Huh?"

Gu Ying said, "The Crown Prince's corpse is not here, meaning that he must still be alive. If the Crown Prince is still alive, would he just watch the Qilin Army’s brothers’ corpses being abandoned in the wild?”

Huai An awkwardly scratched his head, "What the Mistress said makes sense... But these..."

Gu Ying cleverly said, "Maybe this is the Crown Prince's plan."