latelenovela Chapter 494
Chapter 494
Meanwhile, Dongfang Wan'er visited the Crown Prince at his residence. Although the Crown Prince was bedridden, he mustered his strength to sit up upon seeing Dongfang Wan'er. Dongfang Wan'er took the Crown Prince's pulse, her brow furrowing slightly, already having formed a judgment in her mind.
Just then, a servant came to report that there seemed to be something unusual happening at the Crown Prince's place. Dongfang Wan'er and the Crown Prince exchanged a glance and decided to go and investigate. When they arrived at the Crown Prince Jingchu's courtyard, they heard Li Yanran's painful cries coming from inside the room. Dongfang Wan'er was startled and quickly went inside. She saw that Li Yanran was pale and covered in red rashes, looking quite terrifying.
Dongfang Wan'er immediately rushed forward to check and discovered that she had been poisoned with a slow-acting poison. She turned to look towards Dongfang Mingzhu's courtyard, a guess forming in her mind. At this moment, Jing Chu also panicked, questioning everyone about what had happened. Dongfang Wan'er pondered for a moment, deciding to treat Li Yanran first, while secretly resolving to find the person behind the poisoning. A hidden storm was about to unfold in this mansion.
The night was as dark as ink, thick and impenetrable. Candlelight flickered in the Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters, casting jagged shadows on the walls. Li Yanran lay curled up on the bed, her body convulsing uncontrollably. Large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, soaking the brocade quilt embroidered with twin lotus blossoms. Her screams shattered the silence, each one like a sharp knife piercing the hearts of everyone present.
Dongfang Wan'er's expression was solemn. Her fair fingers swiftly probed into the medicine pouch, like a nimble butterfly, instantly retrieving several silver needles. Her brows furrowed, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Li Yanran's acupoints. With a slight twist of her wrist, the silver needles were precisely inserted. Each needle was placed with all her focus and expectation, attempting to build a barrier against the spread of poison with these small needles.
Under Dongfang Wan'er's acupuncture, Li Yanran's cries of pain gradually subsided, no longer so heart-wrenching. However, her paper-white face and weak breathing indicated that her condition was still critical. Dongfang Wan'er approached the Crown Prince, her voice extremely low but unable to hide her anxiety: "Your Highness, we must find an antidote as soon as possible. This poison is unpredictable and its origin is unknown; it's extremely potent, and ordinary antidotes are completely ineffective."
Jing Chu, usually so composed, was now filled with anxiety, his eyes blazing with worry and anger. He turned abruptly and sternly ordered the servants in the hall, "Investigate everyone in this courtyard thoroughly, leave no one unpunished! Find the poisoner!" The servants, upon receiving the order, scattered like ants and hurriedly began their work.
Just as everyone was frantically busy, a series of light footsteps approached from afar. Oriental Pearl, with graceful steps, slowly entered the hall. Dressed in magnificent robes, her face held just the right amount of surprise, and she drawled, "Oh dear, what's going on here? Why is everyone so flustered?" Her tone suggested she was completely unaware of the chaos before her.
Dongfang Wan'er turned her head, her gaze sharp as a knife, and coldly landed on Dongfang Mingzhu. Without hesitation, she said, "I suspect you are involved in this matter. Who else but you would do such a thing to Yanran?" Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mingzhu was taken aback at first, then let out a sharp, cold laugh, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes: "Dongfang Wan'er, don't make false accusations! You're just trying to use this opportunity to frame me and get rid of this thorn in your side!" The two were on the verge of exploding, and the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.
At this moment, Crown Prince Jingchu strode forward, his posture upright and his expression dignified. He slightly raised his hands and said in a deep voice, "Stop arguing! Wan'er, focus all your efforts on treating Yanran first. Put everything else aside for now. We'll settle things one by one once Yanran is out of danger." His voice carried the innate aura of a superior, like a heavy hammer, silencing the two who were on the verge of exchanging blows.
Dongfang Wan'er took a deep breath, suppressing her suspicion and anger towards Dongfang Mingzhu, and turned to prepare the antidote. Her delicate hands moved among the various herbs, sometimes grinding, sometimes mixing, her focus so intense that it seemed the entire world consisted only of the medicine in her hands. Time slowly passed in the tense atmosphere, and finally, the antidote was successfully developed.
Dongfang Wan'er carefully helped Li Yanran up and slowly fed her the antidote. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on her. After a long while, some color gradually returned to Li Yanran's face, and a glimmer of light appeared in her previously lifeless eyes. Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, their tense nerves finally relaxing.
However, as Dongfang Wan'er watched Li Yanran gradually recover, she knew in her heart that this turmoil was just the beginning. The mastermind hidden in the shadows would certainly not let it go, and even more dangerous conspiracies awaited them ahead.
Just when everyone thought the crisis was temporarily averted, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the hall. A guard rushed in, panting, and said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The First Prince's study has inexplicably caught fire, and the fire is raging fiercely. I'm afraid all the important documents inside will be destroyed." Jing Chu's expression changed, and he immediately led his men to the study. Dongfang Wan'er, suspicious of the fire's origin, followed them. Upon arriving at the study, the fire was already raging, and everyone worked tirelessly to extinguish it. After the fire was extinguished, a forged letter of treason was discovered in the ashes, bearing the Crown Prince's seal. Dongfang Mingzhu immediately screamed, "This must be the Crown Prince trying to frame the First Prince!" Jing Chu was shocked and furious. Dongfang Wan'er, however, calmly considered the situation. She felt that someone had deliberately orchestrated this to further sow discord between the Crown Prince and the First Prince. She decided to investigate secretly, find the person behind this turmoil, and clear the Crown Prince's name.
Night fell, a vast black silk ribbon enveloping the Eastern Palace. The candlelight flickered within, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Dongfang Wan'er stood in the hall, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with grave concern. She knew perfectly well that this matter was a tangled mess, extremely difficult to resolve. If the truth could not be uncovered quickly, His Highness the Crown Prince would be doomed, unable to clear his name even with a hundred accusations.
Dongfang Wan'er feigned composure, subtly surveying her surroundings and observing the expressions of everyone present. Her gaze, like a sharp knife, swept across each face. Suddenly, she caught a fleeting glimpse of smugness in Dongfang Mingzhu's eyes; though brief, it didn't escape her notice. Dongfang Wan'er's heart skipped a beat; it seemed Dongfang Mingzhu was indeed involved in this matter.
Just then, a thin servant boy stepped forward with trembling steps. His legs trembled slightly, and his voice was tinged with fear as he stammered, "Sir... a few days ago, I saw Miss Oriental Pearl's personal maidservant loitering around the study suspiciously."
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mingzhu's face turned deathly pale, then flushed red, as if someone had struck a sore spot. She hurriedly took a step forward, waving her hands and loudly protesting, "You little rascal, you must have seen wrong! How dare you slander me in broad daylight! Did someone instigate you to do this?!" Her voice was sharp and shrill, her face filled with anger and resentment.
Dongfang Wan'er didn't even glance at her, having already made up her mind to interrogate the maid as soon as possible. She knew that the maid was likely a key witness, and if she could pry the truth out of her, everything would come to light.
So, Dongfang Wan'er, accompanied by several guards, hurriedly arrived at Dongfang Mingzhu's residence. However, the moment they pushed open the door, the room was empty; the maid was nowhere to be seen. Dongfang Wan'er's eyes instantly turned cold. She looked around and saw the scattered items on the table and the hastily fallen hairpin on the floor, further convincing her that Dongfang Mingzhu must have tampered with things behind the scenes and deliberately let the maid go. But now, without any witnesses, her suspicions and the servant's one-sided testimony were simply not enough to convict Dongfang Mingzhu.
Dongfang Wan'er was not discouraged; she began to reorganize her thoughts. Suddenly, she remembered the letter that had triggered this disaster, bearing a crucial seal. She decided to start her investigation with the seal, hoping it might provide a breakthrough.
Dongfang Wan'er carefully took out the seal and placed it under the candlelight, examining it closely. Her gaze was focused and determined, not missing a single detail. Finally, she discovered several extremely fine scratches on the edge of the seal, almost imperceptible unless viewed up close. Dongfang Wan'er's heart skipped a beat; it seemed the seal had indeed been tampered with. She secretly speculated that someone had first stolen the seal, forged the letter, and then deliberately set fire to destroy the evidence, attempting to cover up all the crimes, and that Dongfang Mingzhu was very likely the mastermind behind it all.
To confirm her suspicions, Dongfang Wan'er secretly arranged for several trusted individuals to investigate Dongfang Mingzhu's recent movements, looking for any suspicious activity. She herself decided to continue searching for the missing maid. She knew the maid was a key to solving the mystery; once found, the truth would be revealed.
A battle to uncover the truth and expose the conspiracy unfolds quietly in the shadows. Dongfang Wan'er holds only one belief: no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie ahead, she will get to the bottom of the truth, clear the Crown Prince's name, and prevent the conspiracy within the mansion from spreading unchecked.