[Three Kingdoms] Burning incense and sacrificial wine

The reason why Diaochan chose to wait on the most remote trail in Dong Zhuo's mansion was because the whereabouts of this scholar named Xi Zhicai was very secretive, and every time he came and went to Taishi's mansion, he would choose a remote and uninhabited route.

If Xi Zhicai came to the banquet today, she would very likely run into him on the road.

Or because of God's pity, Diao Chan waited for nearly a quarter of an hour in the begonia forest on both sides of the path, and finally the person she wanted to wait for came.

She took off her veil and rushed down the road as fast as she could.

Xi Zhicai heard hurried footsteps on the left, and was about to turn around when someone bumped into him, causing him to stagger.

"Hold, I'm sorry!" A clear and flustered female voice sounded from my ears, followed by a flurry of hands and feet. The woman in the maid's attire finally regained her balance, and looked at him worriedly and coweringly, "Damn it, I really shouldn't... ...are you all right?"

Seeing the other party's pale face, Diao Chan, who was halfway through the play, forgot the deliberate disguise for a moment, and couldn't help asking.

"Nothing." With his left hand clenching into a fist and pressing on his chest, Xi Zhi resisted the strong cough, and waved at Diao Chan, "Get back...and be careful, don't bump into other people again."

Diao Chan was taken aback.

She was ready to be embarrassed, and even imagined the worst outcome.Unexpectedly, instead of blaming her, the other party asked her to be more careful...

Mingming's face turned pale from being hit by her, as if he would fall down at any moment...

Dazed, Xi Zhicai had already bypassed her and walked away step by step.

Diao Chan came back to her senses and turned around abruptly.

His back was tall and firm, his steps were firm and steady, and he didn't look seriously ill at all.

But Diao Chan, who had been in close contact with her just now, knew that the man was just trying to hold on.

If it was someone else who was offended by a reckless maid, the scolding would be light, but he didn't complain at all, and he was even afraid that she would offend others again, so he specifically ordered...

Such a gentleman...

Diao Chan's originally steadfast and hard heart was shaken a little.

No, that's not the case.Diao Chan secretly thought.If he was really a gentle person, why did he become Dong Zhuo's aide and help the evildoer?The only blame is to blame him for making suggestions for Dong Zhuo, harming the people, and doing things that are utterly devoid of conscience.If they hadn't used her father and intended to use him as a bait to deal with people with lofty ideals, how could his father have offended Dong Zhuo because of his inexperienced medical skills, and caused this murderous disaster?What's more, when she bumped into Xi Zhicai just now, she had already played the trick.Now that she has already taken the first step of revenge, she can't help but regret it.

Diao Chan made up her mind not to think about it.She was about to leave when she stepped on something that hurt her feet as soon as she stepped out.

Looking down, there was a blue cloth pouch lying on the ground, the opening was wide open, and a small half of the bamboo slips fell out.

Diao Chan picked up the cloth bag, there was still residual heat on it, it should have been left behind by the scholar named Xi Zhicai just now.

Xianxian took out the bamboo slip with her hand, opened it and saw that it was almost impossible to hold the hard thing.

This handwriting... Diao Chan's eyes widened in disbelief.

She flipped through from beginning to end, and saw two words at the end of the signature: Xihuan.It is indeed Xi Zhicai's handwriting.

She took out another ruler book from her bosom, compared the two, and confirmed that it was from the same person.

How could...? !

Diao Chan's heart set off a stormy sea.

How could this Xi Zhicai be the one who wrote to warn her father to leave early? !

Even though her father was in distress, it was all because of her father's reluctance to leave. The scholar who saved the villagers and left a message to remind them has a real kindness to their father and daughter.

Diao Chan was so upset, she shivered and took the bamboo slips and ruler book back into her arms, and hurried to the direction where Xi Zhicai left.

No, absolutely not—

etc--

Diao Chan paused, then moved forward at a faster speed.

If Xi Zhicai was the benefactor who wrote the letter to warn her father, then...

Could it be that he is...his friend who walked with Cui Lang?

Xi Zhicai served Dong Zhuo, and was Dong Zhuo's chief adviser, did Cui Lang know?

Must not know, Cui Lang once asked her who Dong Zhuo's most trusted adviser was, and he must not have known that his friend was actually his enemy... If Cui Lang knew...

Diao Chan put all her thoughts behind her and concentrated on chasing Xi Zhicai.Now is not the time to think about these things, you have to catch up with people and take "that thing" back.

But Diao Chan chased along that road for a long time, and looked all the way along the way but couldn't find the other party's figure.She broke out in a cold sweat in anxiety, and was about to go back and look for it again when she was stopped by a maid who happened to bump into her.

"So you are here? The housekeeper has been looking for you for a long time, and everyone is busy with banquets. Come quickly."

Diao Chan was extremely impatient, and couldn't find a way out for a while: "I...my stomach hurts." Because she rarely lied, her voice was a little weak.

Fortunately, because she chased all the way, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and the bloodshot eyes soaked in tears had not subsided yet, so she really looked like she had a stomachache.

The maid did not suspect him, and gave her a sympathetic look.

"But you have to come here. We are short of manpower now, and the chief steward has clearly ordered you to be taken back. Please be wronged first, bear with it. It will be fine soon."

Diao Chan had no choice but to follow the maid.

When the butler saw her, he first reprimanded her, scolding her for being lazy recently and often not being able to see anyone.Diao Chan made a humble apology, and the housekeeper cursed a few more words. Due to time constraints, she had to lightly reveal the matter, and asked her to arrange the venue together with a group of maids.

Because she is concerned about Xi Zhicai, Diao Chan is in a hurry to go to the kitchen to get back something that was plotting against Xi Zhicai. She proposes to the butler that she wants to go to the kitchen to help, but the butler sneers and rejects it without hesitation.

"Want to be lazy again? It's not up to you."

Diao Chan's face turned pale, and she didn't dare to mention it again.

She waited from Sishi until the afternoon, until the banquet started, but she didn't find a chance to retrieve "that item", let alone look for Xi Zhicai.

As the time approached inch by inch, Diao Chan's palms became wet, and she stood in a corner of the hall, hiding behind a pillar and looking anxiously at the gate.

Now there is another way, which is to wait for the opportunity to walk to Xi Zhicai's side before the banquet begins——

"Clang clang-"

The chime bells sounded beautifully, and the banquet officially began.

Diao Chan looked out the door more and more anxiously, literati and military generals filed in one by one, and sat down on the short tables on both sides.

Finally, a slender gray figure appeared at the gate.

Diao Chan's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward holding the wine vessel in her hand.

"Diao Chan, there is not enough wine in the hall, go to the backyard and find someone to bring an altar with you."

Diao Chan froze at the halfway inserted voice: "But..."

"Go!" The housekeeper glared at her, obviously paying attention to her for a long time.

Diao Chan didn't dare to make extra troubles, so she had to do so.

When she came back, the hall was full of people.

Time is running out.She found Xi Zhicai's place and thought of serving behind him, but there were already two other maids standing behind Xi Zhicai, so there was no room for her.She wanted to be cheeky to ask the housekeeper, but she was afraid of attracting the housekeeper's suspicion.

While hesitating, Dong Zhuo came.

When Dong Zhuo came, the audience was silent.

Diao Chan didn't dare to act rashly, and quickly returned to her position to stand still.

The housekeeper asked her to screen wine for the generals in the front row, and Diao Chan agreed.

She absent-mindedly arranged for the general, and almost poured the wine out of the glass.She regained her senses in time and quickly stopped pouring the wine.

A big hand took the glass and drank it down.

"Come again." The man said.

Diao Chan heard a familiar voice and took a peek. Coincidentally, that person was Lu Bu again.

Lu Bu also noticed her, and glanced at her without looking away.

Diao Chan didn't pay attention to Lu Bu at the moment, she stared at Dong Zhuo, watching his every move nervously.Seeing him take the wine glass handed over by the waiter, he picked up the silver chopsticks on the table and lightly touched the wine liquid.

After the chopsticks were taken out, the tip of the silver chopsticks in contact with the wine was stained black.

The closest wine maid's legs went limp, and she knelt down, the wine jar in her hand fell to the ground, and the shards scattered everywhere.

The whole hall suddenly became silent, Dong Zhuo held up the chopsticks whose tops were dyed black, his face was gloomy like a Rakshasa.

All the servants knelt down and pleaded guilty.The butler forced himself to be calm and said, "Please punish the crime, Grand Master."

Dong Zhuo slapped his chopsticks on the table heavily: "Who dares to poison me, I will definitely tear him to pieces!"

The housekeeper was busy listening to Dong Zhuo's ears, reassuring that he had checked all the wine and dishes with a silver needle when he was in the kitchen, and all the wine was fine at that time.

Dong Zhuo stared at him gloomyly, making him break out in cold sweat.

"Remember what you said." Dong Zhuo actually believed what the housekeeper said.All the servants in the mansion knew his habits, so it was unlikely that he would do something as stupid as poisoning the wine.Since the people in the mansion can rule out half of the suspicions, then those who came to the banquet today have to check it out.

"Quickly go and find out." Dong Zhuo ordered the housekeeper to summon the servants in the hall to inquire about it, the housekeeper did so, and came back to report to Dong Zhuo.

Except for the servants, none of the guests had ever approached the kitchen.However, the hall here is full of wine vessels before the banquet, and anyone who enters the hall before the banquet is suspected.

"I have a word."

An unknown counselor under Dong Zhuo's command said, "Grand Master, why don't you investigate one by one? The person who poisoned him committed crimes in the hall, under the watchful eyes of everyone and time is tight, there must be something wrong."

His words caught Dong Zhuo's attention: "In your opinion, what should we do?

"Poison, is it an invisible thing? This poison is soluble in wine. If a person wants to poison, he must cover it with a wide sleeve. Since the poison is poisoned in the sleeve, the poison is very likely to stick to the sleeve. Grand Master Let someone carefully examine everyone's sleeves and hands, immerse them in water, and use silver needles to examine them one by one, and maybe they can find that person."

Oh, whimsical.

Li Ru sneered in his heart.

Since the poisoner dared to poison in full view without being noticed by others, how could he be an ordinary person?It is bound to be courageous and well-prepared.How can such a person with both courage and ability be so stupid as to put poison on his sleeve?Even if it really got on by accident, I would have found an excuse to go out and deal with it long ago, and wait for you to catch it?

Although he thought so, Li Ru didn't say a word.Because the proposal of the Unknown Counselor is in his favor.Regardless of whether the poisoner can be found out in the end, let's clear his suspicion first.

Even if nothing can be found out in the end, Dong Zhuo's anger is still borne by this fool's staff, and has nothing to do with Li Ru.

"Just do as you say." Dong Zhuo asked his soldiers to control the gate of the hall, not letting anyone out.

The guards brought many water basins, including the steward and many maids, everyone dipped their hands and sleeves into the basins and tested them with silver needles.The vast majority of people passed the test, and no one had a problem.

Diao Chan also passed successfully, quietly looked at Xi Zhicai who was still under the control of the guards, and her heart was raised to the top.

How much she had hoped that the plan would come true, how much she now hopes that the plan will fail.

If Xi Zhicai was killed by Dong Zhuo because of her...

Soon, the water basin used for inspection was moved in front of Xi Zhicai.