Fish hunting (5)

A hot wind filled with the pieces of burnt grass swept across the burning field strewn with spears. Warriors lay everywhere, drenched in their own, long-stained, blood. Their bodies were mutilated. Someone's skull was pierced, someone's arms and legs were cut off, someone was stabbed in the back with a blade. All of them–strong, brave, confident of their victory, brave men– were now lying on the dirty black ground, and their long silver-embroidered cloaks had lost all luster.

There, somewhere in the middle of this field, was a very young guy. He bent over the body of his friend, who was mortally wounded during the battle. A bloody sword protruded from the dying man's stomach. The guy carefully laid his friend on the ground and peered into his glass eyes. The wounded man inhaled the heat of the fire heavily and said something to the guy above him. His speech was short. He didn't have enough strength for more. Death rose up in front of him like a black shadow, not going to wait for the end of his monologue. She swung his huge scythe and cut off his life line, preventing the guy above him from properly saying goodbye to the deceased.

The young man lowered his head onto his friend's face and cried as if he had not cried all his life before. It seemed that something had broken off in him at the moment of his friend's death. His gaze went dead, and a heart-rending, strangled scream came from his mouth.

***

Yang Jinglong jumped up on the bed. His body was drenched in cold sweat. He rubbed his face with a wet palm a couple of times and tried to come to his senses.

It was still the middle of the night outside the window. The moonlight flooded the room, making the scared guy's face turn paler than death.

– That dream again.

The prince dropped his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. Thoughts swarmed in his head, preventing the guy from relaxing properly. His eyes were throbbing with pain, and the dead silence was chilling to the marrow of his bones. The prince could not sleep that evening.

As a result of a sleepless night, the guy passed through the morning like a lifeless doll. He did not show up for breakfast, and the only person with whom he somehow interacted during the day was only the beautiful Mei Baijie. The girl asked about his well-being and prepared a fragrant herbal tea. It made the prince's head hurt much less.

A cloudy rainy day overshadowed Yang Jinglong's already disgusting mood, and from the very morning he had a premonition that something unpleasant was coming.

The prince's expectations were fulfilled. Towards noon, a servant ran into his room with an announcement:

Your Highness, General Qing Zixiao requests an audience. A masked man came with him, whom the guards suspect of an assassination attempt. He refuses to talk, and General Qing covers for him.

– Qing Zixiao? – The prince asked, hoping that he had heard something wrong.

– Yes, Your Highness

«That annoying idiot again»

– Did you ask what he needs?

– He said that he would tell you everything as soon as you accept it.

Yang Jinglong tiredly massaged his temples with a bitter feeling of hopelessness and ordered:

– Let him in

The general entered the prince's chambers, leading a short guy behind him. The stranger had a ridiculous mask on his face, which he took off as soon as he got into the room.

Yang Jinglong's eyebrows arched as soon as he saw his face. He had never expected to see his younger sister in such a strange appearance.

The prince seemed to have never paid much attention to Yang Yulan before. He was not interested in her life and well-being. He didn't care about her position in the family and the sudden clouding of her mind. And this is only partly his fault. Yang Yulan herself never took the initiative in communicating with him.

He didn't even want to know how the eldest imperial princess got to this event and why she was walking around in men's clothes. He didn't care for the most part.

– I need your help, big brother – the girl announced, getting straight to the point.

– What are you talking about?

– I came here because Your Highness has enough influence in the palace and can help me in my business.

The prince sat down in a chair at his desk and looked the girl straight in the eyes.

– What kind of help do you need?

– I have an idea who the poisoner you're looking for might be. But for that, I need to see the poison that was found at the tea party. As far as I know, you have it now.

– The Empress gave it to me last night. But I don't quite understand what you're getting at.

– I have a suspect and I need to confirm my guesses.

– Do you have any proof of his guilt?

– Not yet, but..

– How can you suspect someone without proof?

Yang Yulan did not know how to answer this question.

– Is this some kind of entertainment in your opinion?

– Listen, I have no desire to mess with you right now. Go and do something else.

– Guards!

– Wait! I have something. Trust me.

– I don't want to hear it.

Yang Jinglong's indifference puzzled the girl.

– Shouldn't you consider all the options you have? Do you care who tried to kill your fiancee?

–Absolutely not – the prince retorted, and signaled the servants to escort her out.

General Qing stood nearby, not knowing if he should intervene.

– Don't you really care that the peace you've been trying to achieve for so long will turn into a war again because of one incident. What if the princess harbors a grudge and annuls the marriage – the princess objected, breaking away from the guards.

– I hope she will do it.

– But then your warriors sacrifice may become meaningless.

Yang Jinglong suddenly froze after these words and cautiously raised his eyes. Some depressing thought seemed to flash through his mind.

He signaled to the guards, and they led the girl back into the tent. The man relaxed back in his chair and waved his hand.

– Tell me what you have there.

Delighted, the girl began to list all her guesses, simultaneously taking out a suspicious red grass from her bosom.

– May I see the poison, Your Highness?

The prince bent down to one of the drawers in his desk and took out a bag containing tea leaves. He placed the bag in front of her and opened it so that its contents could be seen by everyone in the room. Yang Yulan approached the table and looked closely at the evidence, comparing it with the one in her hands.

– It's not the same grass.

– But how can it be. Everything matched so perfectly – Yang Yulan lamented.

– It can't be. I was sure that the culprit was the first prince.

– What did I miss?

The prince waited for a while and then spoke again.

– If that's all, then..

–No, wait – Yang Yulan interrupted him. The girl felt the grass that was lying on the table.

– It's not the tea that's poisoned! There is something else in the grass. White. It looks like.. Powder? 

– I don't understand.

– Haa.. How troublesome – Yang Jinglong was starting to really lose his patience. His headache and dizziness made themselves felt again. Today was definitely not the best day for investigations – if that's all. Then please get out of here.

– With all due respect – Qing Zixiao finally broke into the conversation. It seemed to him that the princess had really discovered something significant – I don't think you can treat your sister like that.

– You seem to be allowing yourself too much. Ever since the day you snuck into my palace with your stupid advices.

– It was not my initiative. You know perfectly well that the Empress herself sent me.

– But you could immediately understand that you were not welcome and get back to your country.

– I get it!! – The girl shouted. – The two guys flinched and stopped their argument.

– This powder. I can guess where she might be from.

– If it is really poisoned, then it can be assumed that this powder is one of the products that the Golden Orchid Society sells to women. My maid is there and she has told me a lot about him.

– Only a woman can buy powder and cosmetics of this type. And quite rich and influential. It is usually sold so that girls can get rid of their husbands. So the buyer is so influential that she was able to avoid even this condition.

– And what does this give us? – The prince asked.

Yang Yulan was amazed at his lack of foresight.

– Which of the women did not leave the room all day today? Who is not allowed to break in with a search? Who has enough influence to persuade a servant working at the imperial court, and who could be stupid enough and not prudent enough to commit such an act?

– And who is it?

Hearing Yang Yulan's guesses and the name of the suspect, the second prince was not surprised at all. He only threatened the girl a little wearily:

– You know that if you are really right, and she is the poisoner, we have no right to reveal her identity.

– If the upper class and the envoys of the Northern Bay find out about this, the consequences will be irreparable.

– Of course, Your Highness.

– I'll go and talk to her myself.

– Be gentle with her.

That was the end of the conversation with the prince and the couple of the princess and the general walked towards another building.

This time, Yulan decided to enter the room alone. She asked the general to distract the guards and slipped into the tent herself.

Yang Yulan pulled back the bedroom curtain and found her suspect sitting by the bed in tears.

– Who's here? – The girl was scared when she heard the sounds of footsteps.

– Your sister – Yang Yulan took off the fish mask again

Yang Shifei was taken aback. She stared at her guest for a while and didn't even blink.

– I'm here because you're suspected of poisoning Princess Shin Zuzhou. The Crown Prince already knows about everything.

– What?

In fact, Yang Yulan was not one hundred percent sure of Yang Shifei's guilt, so first she decided to test her with a kind of bluff.

– I don't understand what you're talking about – Yang Shifei gradually began to recover from the shock.

– Stop it and just admit it. It'll be easier for both of us.

– I repeat to you! I don't understand what you're talking about! – The youngest princess started to get angry and finally got up from the floor.

– Are you sure? – Yang Yulan clarified, thereby further exasperating her sister – Then maybe I should call the Empress? She'll figure out very quickly if you're lying or not.

– My mother will not listen to me, but she will definitely believe her beloved son.

– Are you threatening me? – Yang Shifei's eyes filled with tears again. Her face was flushed and distorted, either from rage or sadness.

– I don't care. It wasn't a secret.

– Just so you know, I wasn't going to kill her – Yang Shifei mumbled in a trembling voice.

– People don't die from this poison. She would have lain with a fever for a day, and then walked around with red spots on her face for a couple of months. But that's it. There is no particular threat to life. However, this creature was so pissed off. How was I supposed to know that she would kill Aunt Mao? Poor thing. She did not deserve such a death – after finishing, the princess sat down on the floor again and absently covered her face with her hands.

– What Aunt Mao?

Ha-ha – Yang Shifei smiled bitterly – You don't even remember her. She raised you and me from the cradle, you're crazy!

Yang Yulan did not understand what she was talking about and decided to just continue the interrogation.

– Why would you do that? Why poison Shin Zuzhou? She's an important person after all. You might have undermined the deal between our countries.

– You don't understand anything. You've never understood.  – the princess started to become really angry – You never understood how envious I was when other girls got all they wanted just because of their good looks. Am I not pretty enough? I tried so hard to attract attention to myself, and as a result, no man ever dedicated his booty to me at the competition. Not once. For all these years. I was so angry and so... I just wanted a little revenge and that's it.

– Did you poison her just because she won? – Yang Yulan couldn't believe it.

– I poisoned her because she thinks too much of herself.

– Look, I'm sorry about the competition, but what you did is very dangerous.

– YOU'RE LYING! – Shifei shouted – You're not sorry! You're selfish! And you always have been. You're the only one who's gone crazy and forgotten everything. I remember everything perfectly well. I remember how you used to treat me. I remember how you took men away from me. You thought you were so special. So untouchable. I hate you!

Yang Yulan realized that the situation was getting out of control and the interrogation had gone into an incomprehensible direction. She decided to make a quick retreat before the conversation took a disastrous turn at the end.

– Get lost – Yan Shifei snapped and

Yang Yulan immediately left the tent without answering.

She put the mask back on and went to tell the general what had happened.

There was no man at the exit. As well as the guards.

– He must have taken them somewhere.

At the same moment, as soon as the girl left the tent, she was grabbed by the collar, dragged back and forcefully slammed against the nearest wall.

The attacker was Princess Shin Zuzhou, who appeared from nowhere

– So you got caught! – The princess announced, forcefully pinning the stranger against the wall.

Yang Yulan panicked, but without wasting a second, she escaped from the attacker's hands. The princess rushed at her again, trying to rip the mask off her face, but Yang Yulan successfully avoided the attack.

Then another girl came out of the bushes. Her face was hidden by a black cloth.

Yang Yulan realized that she was ambushed and needed to come up with something quickly.

– The system! – she whispered and ran in the direction of the saving forest.

– Catch her! – there was a shout from behind.

– The system. Move me to the spam point! Right now!

As soon as the girl disappeared from the field of view of the other characters, the system immediately came into action. Within seconds, Yang Yulan had moved from the forest back to the White Lotus Pavilion.

The girl in black, who was chasing her, searched unsuccessfully in the bushes for some time in an attempt to find the fugitive, but realizing that the trail had completely disappeared, she returned to her mistress to report the escape

The Northern Princess, upon hearing about this, violently hit the wall nearby. It immediately went into fiery cracks.

– Shit!

– If you show up in front of me again, I'll incinerate you on the spot! – She shouted into the void in a fit of anger.