Jade Without Fragrance

   Chapter 199 Murder

   "Cousin girl is back?" After hearing the message from Princess Jing sent by the maid, Qi Shuo thought about it, changed his coat and went to the main courtyard.

  Sun Xiuhua saw Qi Shuo and stood up: "Cousin."

   "Cousin is here." With a smile on his lips, Qi Shuo greeted Princess Jing, "Mother."

  Princess Jing pointed to the chair beside him: "Sit down quickly. Xiuhua specially went out of the palace to celebrate Qiong'er and the others' birthdays. The two of them went wild. Let's have a meal together."

   Qi Shuo sat down according to the words and looked at Sun Xiuhua: "Second brother and younger sister are not on their birthdays. It is inconvenient for my cousin to go out of the palace. Actually, there is no need to bother."

   "I miss my aunt too, it's rare to have a chance to leave the palace." Sun Xiuhua smiled softly.

After   Qi Shuo greeted each other, he ate the vegetables silently.

Sun Xiuhua picked up the teapot on the side and poured a cup of tea for Princess Jing: "I know I've made my aunt angry, so I will toast you with tea instead of wine today, so please forgive me. Here, I only have my aunt... "

   After listening to Sun Xiuhua's words, Princess Jing felt a little uncomfortable.

   The twin sister left early, and it was a small family, so it was inevitable that the niece would be confused when she looked forward to the powerful. If she doesn't care about this, and she is left alone in the palace, she may not have a good ending in the future.

   At that time, she felt sorry for her sister who died young.

   That’s all, let’s look forward.

   Seeing Princess Jing drinking from the teacup, Sun Xiuhua was a little lost.

  Aunt is not angry anymore?

  Thinking of what to do, her heart clenched tightly, and she felt a huge sense of panic, but she couldn't refuse.

  Prince said that the effect of the medicine will not strike on the spot. She could get out anyway if she did, but if she didn't do it, there would be no way she could survive in the East Palace in the future.

  Sorry, I just want to live a good life.

  Sun Xiuhua silently persuaded herself, gently picked up the cup, poured tea, and handed it to Qi Shuo.

   "I haven't congratulated my cousin on the good marriage with the second girl Lin."

   Qi Shuo lowered his eyes and fell on the cup for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you cousin."

  Sun Xiuhua raised his glass and drank, his eyes fell on the opposite side unconsciously.

  Qi Shuo raised his glass, and just brought it to his lips and suddenly coughed.

   Seeing him put the cup down, Sun Xiuhua's eyes tightened, and the hand holding the cup couldn't help tightening.

   "Sorry, I caught a cold a few days ago." Qi Shuo explained apologetically.

  Sun Xiuhua couldn't bear to look at the cup in Qi Shuo's hand, showing a concerned look: "Is my cousin better?"

   "It's already healed. Occasionally, my throat gets a little itchy. I'm sorry." Qi Shuo said, and picked up the cup again.

  Sun Xiuhua watched him drink the tea, and was so nervous that he forgot to breathe. Only when he confirmed with his own eyes that the cup that was put back on the table was half empty, did the hanging heart fall.

  It's done!

   Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn't sit still.

   What if the prince was coaxing her? What if Qi Shuo vomits blood and dies?

   She took a sip of tea to calm down the feeling of suffocation, and wanted to flee back to the East Palace immediately.

   "Cousin is not feeling well?" The person who drank the tea didn't look any different and looked at Sun Xiuhua with concern.

Sun Xiuhua didn't dare to meet those clear eyes, and rubbed the teacup with her eyes down, "No, it's just that I seldom talk to people in the palace, and I only feel at home when I come back, and I feel a little unspeakable in my heart. "

   Princess Jing took her hand and said, "Xiuhua, this is your home."

  Qi Shuo sat with him for a while and put down his chopsticks: "Mother concubine, cousin, I'm done eating, so I won't bother you to speak your own words."

   "Cousin, go get busy." Sun Xiuhua said impatiently.

   Princess Jing also smiled and said, "Go."

   Qi Shuo gave Sun Xiuhua a deep look, got up and left.

  Sun Xiuhua was horrified by this sight, and she stayed on pins and needles until the afternoon, and finally it was time to say goodbye.

  She only returned to the East Palace, and the prince passed by.

"how?"

   "The concubine put the medicine in the tea and he drank it."

   "Are you sure you've drunk?"

  Sun Xiuhua nodded: "My concubine watched him drink it with her own eyes."

  The prince smiled: "Just say I did not find the wrong person, Huaer, you are really smart."

  Sun Xiuhua showed a wry smile, her face turning pale: "His Royal Highness, the concubine is worried—"

   "What are you worried about?" The prince showed impatience, "Didn't I tell you, it will take three or two days for this medicine to take effect. When he has diarrhea, who can think of you?"

   "Does it really take two days to take effect?"

   "Can I lie to you?"

   Seeing the prince's face sullen, Sun Xiuhua didn't bother anymore: "This way, the concubine can be at ease. The concubine is afraid that my aunt's suspicion will come to me, and it will not be easy to get along with in the future."

The prince    smiled disapprovingly: "You don't have to go out all year in the East Palace, why are you worried about this? Well, put your heart back in your stomach, this matter has passed."

  Prince got the result he wanted and left shortly after.

  Sun Xiuhua sat blankly, motionless for a long time.

   The palace maid who came in changed new tea and served it.

  Sun Xiuhua, like being stung by a bee, hissed: "Take it!"

  In the palace of King Jing, the teacup that Qi Shuo had used was taken away by the servant girl, Changning, as soon as it was removed by the maid.

   "Why do you want this? These cups are all in the book, and if one is missing, it won't match." The maid asked curiously.

  Changning directly stuffed a silver ingot: "Sister took it to buy a flower hairpin to wear. Our son is useful, please don't tell me, I will send it back later."

   The maid held the silver ingot and smiled: "Then you can send it back sooner."

  What the prince wants, of course, a maid will not refuse to give it.

  Changning hurried back to Qi Shuo's residence with a teacup.

   "Sir, bring it here."

   Qi Shuo took the teacup and put it on the table, staring at the remaining tea in the cup.

   "Sir, is there something wrong with this cup?"

   "Bring a silver needle."

  Changning's expression was startled, Qi Shuo glanced at it before he realized it, and quickly fetched the silver needle.

   "Try it." Qi Shuo raised his chin towards the teacup.

  Changning took a deep breath, held the silver needle and carefully put it into the tea. After a while, he took it out. Seeing that the color of the silver needle had not changed, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

   "Look at your son."

  Qi Shuo frowned and thought for a moment, then walked to the window sill holding the teacup.

   There is a fish tank on the windowsill, and two small fish are swimming happily in it.

   A few drops of tea fell into the jar, smashing into small puddles. The little fish was startled and swam away, and soon came back.

   An hour later, Changning's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Sir, both fish are dead!"

  Qi Shuo, who was reading quietly, put down the scroll and walked over with his feet raised.

   Not long ago, the lively little fish turned out its belly and stopped moving in the water.

   "Go and invite Doctor Zhu."

  Doctor Zhu is a famous foreign doctor. Last year, he was invited by the Jingwangfu to see Qi Shuo's heart disease, so he stayed.

  Changning went out in a hurry, and brought Doctor Zhu back not long after.

   "Why is the prince looking for the old man?"

  Qi Shuo pushed the cup in front of Dr. Zhu: "I want to ask Dr. Zhu to check, what poison is in this cup."

  Doctor Zhu's expression did not change at all after hearing this, and he picked up the water glass.

   (end of this chapter)