With still-reddened eyes, Ye Xi couldn't help but break into a radiant smile. Shen Zhou immediately nodded.
"Of course it's okay."
"But, wait until I persuade my grandfather. From then on, in public and in private, you must call me A Zhou."
Persuading Prime Minister Shen? That would probably be something for the next life.
Without a second thought, Ye Xi nodded in agreement.
They set a time limit of ten days. After making the agreement, Ye Xi, along with Ling Yan and the others, left in a hurry.
She still wanted to check if there were any Wu'ai Fruits in other places.
It wasn't that Ye Xi thought Shen Zhou would go back on his word. She just didn't want to put all her eggs in one basket. The more places she searched, the more chances Yi Yuan would have of survival.
Since Shen Zhou wasn't the mastermind behind the scenes, then the purple-clothed man that day must have had another dose of the antidote on him!
Using herself as bait, she should be able to lure the person out.
Anyway, the other party didn't seem to intend to take her life. Once she lured out the mastermind, she could take the opportunity to read their mind. It would be a two - fold gain to find out the other person's identity and why they wanted to capture her alive.
Having made up her mind, Ye Xi returned to the prince's mansion with a heavy heart.
Early the next morning, the news that Yi Yuan had been seriously injured in an assassination spread throughout the capital.
Emperor Zhaohuan was furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation.
He even changed into plain clothes after court and came to visit in person. Along with his personal eunuch, Father Zhang, and his personal guards, Yi Zhen also came.
The group came in a hurry. Hun Yuan, who was supposed to be "cultivating outside", was caught off guard and climbed over the wall like a gust of wind to Ye Xi's Zhihong Garden next door.
Emperor Zhaohuan sat upright beside the bedside.
The majestic emperor's eyes were full of concern, but it was hard to tell how much of it was genuine.
He carefully asked about Yi Yuan's condition and the details of the assassination that day. Remembering her previous speculations, Ye Xi answered the emperor's questions with a mix of truth and falsehood.
The emperor didn't say much. It was unclear whether he believed her or not.
Only Yi Zhen, with an indignant look on her face as if standing up for Ye Xi, said,
"These thieves are too audacious! Right under the emperor's nose, they dared to openly abduct a good girl. And they seriously injured a current prince. They're simply lawless!"
"Miss Xi, think carefully. Didn't those thieves have any special physical features, speech, or behavior? As long as you can recall one thing, it'll be an extra clue."
Ye Xi quickly glanced at the immovable Emperor Zhaohuan beside her, her eyes full of fear and panic.
"Really not. They were all wrapped up tightly, only showing a pair of eyes. They didn't say a single word and just came up to grab people..."
"Your Majesty—"
Ye Xi knelt down on the ground with a thud. Her eyes suddenly turned red, and she reached out tearfully to grab the emperor's hem and trouser legs.
"Please, Your Majesty, seek justice for A Yuan. You must catch the thieves..."
There was a sudden tightness on her wrist. Father Zhang dutifully grabbed Ye Xi's hand that was about to touch the emperor from the side. With a kind face, he turned her around and comforted her, saying,
"Miss Xi, don't be too sad. His Majesty loves Prince Yu'an, his younger brother, the most. He will definitely catch the thieves and avenge Prince Yu'an."
[Phew—So close! Almost let her touch the emperor's body!]
[His Majesty is in a bad mood right now. If this Miss Xi touches him today, my bottom will be in for a beating when I get back!]
Ye Xi: ...
It seemed that reading the emperor's mind was even more difficult than she thought.
Reluctantly withdrawing her hand, Ye Xi replied,
"Yes, Father Zhang is right. It was my recklessness. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"It's all right,"
Emperor Zhaohuan waved his hand indifferently.
"You're just deeply in love. When one cares too much, one tends to act rashly."
Ye Xi quickly responded and temporarily gave up the idea of reading the emperor's mind. She didn't act rashly anymore.
After all, those strange assassins yesterday were really skilled, especially the purple - clothed man.
Last night, she had carefully re - thought about the scene at that time. Although that person had won because of the poison, his martial arts should be on par with Yi Yuan's.
The reason for using the poison was, firstly, to take Yi Yuan's life, and secondly, probably to quickly abduct her and avoid any further trouble.
The one with the greatest suspicion was actually Emperor Zhaohuan, not Yi Zhen.
Otherwise, the Shen family would have taken action earlier.
The emperor said some polite words neither too seriously nor too lightly. He repeatedly told Ye Xi to take good care of Yi Yuan, saying that she could summon the imperial physicians at any time and report to the palace immediately if there was anything wrong. Only after fully demonstrating the principle of "an elder brother is like a father" did he lead the group away.
Yi Zhen didn't say much either. She just gave Ye Xi a very strange look, said the usual words hoping that Yi Yuan would recover soon, and then followed the emperor back to the palace.
As soon as Emperor Zhaohuan left, Qiao Yan, Yun Qi, Liu Mengxian and others came one after another.
Ye Xi didn't hide anything. She told them the general situation, including the fact that she had misunderstood and gone to find Shen Zhou, but omitted many unimportant conversations in between.
These were all trustworthy people. The more people there were, the more help there would be.
It was a pity that none of them had heard of this strange poison. Even Yun Qi, who had grown up on the southwestern border, didn't know about it, let alone the Wu'ai Fruit.
Fortunately, Ye Xi had been mentally prepared, so she changed the topic and talked about her plan to lure the snake out of its hole.
"This is too dangerous,"
Yun Qi was the first to object.
"The other party's origin is unknown. Just based on your one - sided judgment that they want to capture you alive. But what about after they capture you? How can you be sure they won't harm you?"
"Yes,"
Qiao Yan nodded in agreement.
"I can understand your concerns. But now Prince Yu'an is still in a coma, and you're going to put yourself in danger. If something happens to you, wouldn't Prince Yu'an's injuries be in vain?"
Liu Mengxian didn't say anything about the danger. She just held the teacup and said,
"Putting aside those concerns, how sure are you about this?
"Not to mention that those people know that Prince Yu'an has been poisoned and is in urgent need of the antidote. They won't be so stupid as to show up within these ten days.
"Just as you said before, those people are so highly skilled in martial arts that even Prince Yu'an could barely match them. None of us here may be able to defeat them.
"Even if we successfully lure out the snake, we probably won't be able to get the Wu'ai Fruit.
"Xiao Xi, using yourself as bait to lure the enemy only works when the enemy doesn't know. You're usually so smart. Don't lose your composure at this critical moment."
When it came to persuading people, it had to be Liu Mengxian.
Every word clearly analyzed all the pros and cons.
Yun Qi and Qiao Yan both gave her an appreciative look.
How could Ye Xi not know what Liu Mengxian said?
She was just scared, very scared.
Scared that Shen Zhou couldn't get the antidote, scared that Yi Yuan would never wake up again, scared that she might go crazy if she did nothing during these ten long days that felt like ten years.
Ye Xi was silent for a long time. Suddenly, she lowered her head, her voice as heavy as the gloomy sky before rain.
"A Yuan... He risked his life to protect me. I just... I also want to do something for him."
Everyone's hearts sank. They stepped forward lovingly, wanting to comfort Ye Xi, but didn't know what to say for a moment.
The atmosphere became solemn.
Outside, Yi Yaofeng ran in with Lian Yi.
"Sister Xi, Sister Xi..."
Yi Yaofeng's little face was flushed as she gasped for breath.
"Lian Yi has something to tell you."