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Silver was often used for royalty in terms of everyday objects from cutlery, dishes bowls, combs, as it was believed to be able to detect poison. The surface of the metal becomes tarnished after immersed in suspected poisoned food or liquids.

The next day, the weather suddenly intensified and the chills soon turned into icy deposits. The courtyards were now heavily cloaked with a thick layer of snow.

Early in the morning, Gui Sen had made his way to visit the country’s important guests at their stay.

Perhaps it was an unspoken standard for Fan Jia, even the men of were not an exception to the rule of ‘beauty’. Gui Sen had presented himself, dressed head to toe in black. Even his cape was made from a glimmering material that was jet black. Gui Sen’s pale skin was translucent and flushed with blood from bracing the cold. His complexion matched the flakes of snow that he had gathered on his cape. One couldn’t deny that he was handsome and elegant under a certain light and his presence demanded brilliance.

Feng Ming had originally intended to hibernate longer in his cosy bed. However, his plans were disrupted when Chiu Lan and his two other maids tugged the weary Prince out of bed and he certainly didn’t go without a fight. When they eventually dragged him out they assisted the Prince in making himself presentable to his guest, naturally it was best if he received his visitor than keeping him at bay.

“You are quite an early bird, my Royal Uncle in-law.” When Feng Ming stepped out from his private quarters he was greeted with the sight of Gui Sen sitting casually sipping on a cup of tea. Feng Ming cupped his hands together and raised them to bid the man a greeting of respect.

Feng Ming had woken from slumber, and was content with staying warm and toasty indoors hence there was no plans to leave this comfort. Naturally, he was dressed for the occasion, adorning an exquisite purple silken gown. His neck, wrists and waist were girted with trimmings from a deer pelt that Chiu Lan had especially chosen to compliment his outfit. Even though what he was wearing was decided on the spur of the moment, Feng Ming pulled it off with grace and a noble temperament which was very unique to his overall appearance.

Upon lifting his head to look at the Prince, Gui Sen’s eyes lit up, he arose from his seat and grinned.

“Gui Sen has purposely paid a visit to congratulate Prince An He. Yesterday, Prince’s unparalleled talents and prestige has already made the Third Princess yield. The display you made has awakened a yearning in the Third Princess, persuading her heart towards Xi Rei. The Third Princess has expressed her wishes to our great King, so that she may be able to return to Xi Rei with the Prince’s entourage.”

To everyone’s surprise, the turn of events was running very smoothly, no one would have fathomed that the Third Princess would scramble to seal the deal at such a lightning pace.

All that escaped Feng Ming’s lip was a stunned noise, “Ah!” He turned his head towards Official Xia and General Tong, and they both had an equal expression of disbelief drawn on their faces.

“Additionally, the King believes that the death of An Xun and Xi Rei’s involvement should be pardoned, hence, the King has already given orders to Fan Jia’s army to immediately withdraw.”

In an unhurried manner, Gui Sen gave the foreign group the most important piece of news.

General Tong laughed out whole heartedly, clapping in delight and proclaiming, “This is great!”

Official Xia saluted Gui Sen, and sincerely spoke, “Thanks to the generous assistance of King Gui Sen, otherwise our success would have not been possible. Xi Rei will never forget your Highness’s benevolence.”

Gui Sen returned with a smile, shaking his head in denial of his part, “You flatter me. Gui Sen naturally had to help family.”

The modest man turned towards Feng Ming and an amicable manner told him, “Three days later, the King will personally summon the Prince and invited to a grand feast. Meanwhile, for the next two days, Prince An He can enjoy his time and appreciate Fan Jia’s winter scape. How does it sound if Gui Sen introduce you to areas of interest?”

Feng Ming didn’t really have anything he could or could not do whilst he was in Fan Jia, but hearing that he would be able to go out and play, he quickly recalled Gui Sen’s fine-looking looking stallion he had met earlier and was just about to nod his head when Lie Er interrupted.

“Prince, during these next two days perhaps we can slip out and head off and blend in, so we can try out all the delicacies amongst the civilians? “

Official Xia immediately continued, “Ah, that’s right, if everybody knew that we are an envoy from Xi Rei, then we won’t be able to experience the everyday lifestyles of the people in Fan Jia. We’d certainly miss out on the daily customs.”

“If this is what you’d like, naturally I can take the Prince to visit the commoners.”

Lie Er interjected with a dubiously statement whilst smiling, “Your Highness, you stand out with your impressive demeanour and you are well recognised in this country, how would you be able to play a meagre civilian?”

Gui Sen face blanked, “If that’s the case, then perhaps Gui Sen will not accompany the Prince.”

The older man turned to give Lie Er a disdained look before directing his attention to Feng Ming. In semi-scathing voice he finished, “Prince, Gui Sen has other matters to attend to today, I shall take my leave.”

Once Gui Sen was out of sight, Feng Ming scratched his head and swivelled to focus his confusion onto his servants. His face scrunched up in a frown, “For what reason were you all treating Gui Sen with such a terrible attitude? He was going out of his way in kindness to accompany me. Perhaps I would have even had the chance to get his permission to ride his horse...”

Official Xia kept an enigmatic expression on his face as he patted his whiskers and persisted in his silence.

Lie Er ignored Feng Ming’s antagonising glare, and for a while he didn’t reply but he finally answered with a degree of respect for his master, “Prince, Gui Sen only ran into a snag yesterday and he was completely dejected and depressed, so why would he appear normal to give us good tidings?”

“I don’t know...” Feng Ming was perplexed with what he was meant to be getting from Lie Er’s words, and he wasn’t ashamed to ask his subordinate the answer, “Tell me why?”

Lie Er stole a furtive glance at Official Xia, and offered the Prince a smile in return for all the pressing, “I’m just a lowly servant, how would I know. However, Official Xia should certainly know.”

Feng Ming immediately placed his attention to the old man.

Under many sets of watchful eyes, Official Xia paused in his therapeutic strokes of his whiskers. Sighing, he finally submitted, “The Third Princess is excessively impatient. Gui Sen is overly enthusiastic about it all, and the Great King of Fan Jia is acting too warm towards us. There is certainly something wrong under these circumstances. Old Xia is currently unable to digest the inner workings of this dilemma. However, it is not a simple one. Prince must take caution and proceed with care.”

General Tong reinforced, “That’s right, Fan Jia is very different from Xi Lei, Prince absolutely cannot leave this building at will.”

Inwardly Feng Ming cursed, even if I was in Xi Lei, I couldn’t even leave my quarters at whim.

Seeing everyone keep a grave expression on their faces, Feng Ming couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear. He arched his shoulders in discomfort and scolded, “Alright, everything is always suspicious, did King Rong send you to scare me on his behalf?”

After all, he knew something was wrong with the smooth sailing he was riding, so he could only be obedient and stay in the hotel, only to watch the snow fall on to the landscape from his window. Chiu Lan, Chiu Xing, Chiu Yue and Lie Er accompanied him by playing and keeping the Prince entertained. General Tong and his men remained indoors to secure the premise and only Official Xia slipped out to carry out business. No one knew what he was getting up to.

----

When night fell, Official Xia scuttled back in a hurry.

General Tong immediately pulled the old man aside, and the two spent what seemed forever, exchanging whispers in a private area.

Feng Ming and Lie Er received news of Official Xia’s return, and the two young men caught sight of the engaged pair and quickly joined the party.

“Official Xia?” the Prince prompted.

The advisor abruptly turned to the Prince and gave him a polite salute, “Oh, Your Royal Highness.”

“Official Xia you’ve been absent all day.”

“That’s right, and it has been quite rewarding.” The old man stroked his beard, and motioned his audience to settle down on a seat around him so he could divulge closer details of his new insights.

“There are two matters at hand, firstly, the informants I have sent have returned. It appears that last night, the great king of Fan Jia suddenly fell ill to a strange disease, he almost died in the morning and it has been a miracle that he has recovered. After his brush with death, he immediately summoned the Third Princess to his Palace.”

Feng Ming’s eyes wedged wide open, he scratched his head in disbelief, “To knock on death’s door the night before and to be soundly alive by the morning. Hey, it looks like Fan Jia’s medicine is well developed.” He swiveled quickly to Lie Er and made a note, “Sometime before we head back to Xi Rei, we should make sure we recruit a Tai Yi from Fan Jia to take with us.”

Lie Er shook his head in disapproval, “In terms of medicinal studies and knowledge in this world, is there anyone that could match Official Xia’s expertise in this area? There’s certainly something suspicious about this situation.”

Everyone was on common ground with that idea, all their eyes focused on Official Xia in anticipation.

The old man nodded, “Indeed, not that I wish to gloat. According to Old Xia’s experiences, the King’s illness has only been countered temporarily. Rather his health is like an arrow at the end of its flight. In less than three days, Fan Jia may be mourning at his funeral.”

Feng Ming let out a startling shout.

“What! That…that…can’t…the King of Fan Jia is hosting our farewell banquet exactly three days later.”

Lie Er remained calm, he dipped his head in thought before asking the trusted advisor, “Official Xia, how can you be so certain that the King of Fan Jia would die?”

Official Xia stood proudly and fondled his beard, giving off a slight smile. “According to my inquiries into Fan Jia King’s symptoms, it appears that this was not a sudden impact from an unknown serious illness. In fact, all his symptoms are akin to that of being poisoned over a long duration. It is only coincidental that his symptoms flared to life threatening levels in the past day. To the best of my estimations, he has been slowly absorbing the poison.”

It was the beginning of another Royal conspiracy, Fan Jia and Xi Rei were sharing the bad luck in this department, and not even the highest position in the kingdom was spared from this devious plot.

Fortunately for me, I’m just a counterfeit Prince and in three months I’ll be tossing in my white towel, to enjoy my auspicious retirement.

Feng Ming patted his chest, and asked in a low and cautious voice, “Considering the King has been poisoned, have they not caught the culprit?”

“Slow acting poison is extremely hard to come by, and only a handful of people in this world would know the potency of the raw materials, and for the effect to manifest after such a long time, along with the myriad of perplexing symptoms which are similar to other diseases. Even after a bout of illness one would not detect traces with a silver needle **. The cycling pattern of illness and recovery would repeat several times, two or three times usually before death would finally overwhelms the victim.”

General Tong’s eyebrows knitted together, “Who is so bold, daring to harm the head of state, Fan Jia’s King?”

“Since it is a slow acting poisoning, the culprits are likely people surrounding the King. Firstly, we must place hunting the murderer aside as we must focus on our own pending issues.”

The old man flicked the fan he always held in his hands open, and waved it a few times before turning his attention to Feng Ming.

“Prince, the Third Princess attitude towards Gui Sen is very strange and old Xia here has figured out why there is strain between the two.”

“Xia, please speak your mind.”

Official Xia rose from his seat, and with his eyebrows arched and he slowly walked concentric around the table, he finally turned to face the crowd with his opening explanation, “Firstly, why would the Third Princess be so eager to relocate to Xi Rei. It could be that she anticipated her father having a short reign, and once the good King is dead, whether it is her first or second in-law that takes the throne, either way would be disadvantageous for her. It is logically, better that she left as early as possible and seek refuge in another country.”

This speculation was extremely reasonable, and everyone was obviously clear on the Third Princess’s intelligence and surely it didn’t only cover the field of mathematics.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Secondly, why would the King order the withdrawal of the army?” The man paused here and gave them all a cheeky smile leaving them to guess, “Anyone have the slightest clue to why?”

Feng Ming and the rest bowed their heads down, a flash hit the Prince instantly.

“Is it because of Ruo Yan?”

Xia applauded the Prince’s reponse, “Prince, your mind is sharp and on track. Indeed, it is due to Ruo Yan’s presence.”

General Tong pushed forth, “Considering Ruo Yan’s sudden proposal to the Third Princess for her hand in marriage it is an obvious measure to seize the throne. The Great King of Fan Jia is no fool that sits ideally.”

“The King is well aware that whatever disease he has been plaguing his body has seeped well into his vital organs and is beyond a cure. Prior to his death, he would want to see his most beloved daughter leave the country in safe passage to Xi Rei. This exchange comes with a personal favor of his withdrawal of Fan Jia’s army in Xi Rei. He wishes to leave his country on the path of a prosperous future and if Fan Jia happens to encounter any complications there would be one more ally to lend a hand.”

Official Xia’s one man show successfully became a relay of input, and each participant contributed to unravel the overall situation.

Even Lie Er voiced his speculation, “The Third Princess appears as if she does not care for such worldly matters, however, she is King Fan Jia’s most valuable chess piece. As long as she is in Xi Rei and is in favor of the Crowned Prince, it would be easy for any requests to send out troops to solve problems.”

The man servant continued.

“Moreover, a large garrison of his military is currently far away from home, if the King is about to pass over, of course he would want the army to return, it would help contain any unsettlements or uprisings during the country’s mourning period.”

Feng Ming bit his lower lip, and concluded in dismay, "That is to say, even without my stellar performance in front of the Princess, she would have agreed to return with me to Xi Rei. Well, here I was thinking the mathematics I’ve retained from high school was actually useful to me.”

Official Xia consoled him, “Prince, why dismiss yourself in such a manner? If it wasn’t for the Prince’s outstanding efforts in front of the Third Princess, how would the King feel assured in Xi Rei’s capabilities to safe guard the Princess or aid the country in need. Furthermore, he may have been compelled in accepting Ruo Yan’s proposal, and only declined due to his confidence in Xi Rei’s Prince.”

Feng Ming was pleased with the old man’s reasoning, and dimples formed as a smile eased across his lips. His brows lightened with the change in his mood and he returned to his usual lively self. If Rong Tian was by his side at this very moment, it is very likely that the man wouldn’t be able to resist sneaking a kiss.

The advisor went on to say, “Thirdly, there has to be motive behind why Gui Sen has been so accommodating.”

The Prince was eager to show his flare, raising his hand with enthusiasm.

“That’s due to the possibility that Gui Sen also knows the grave danger the illness is placing the King in, and he is the most prospective person in line to inherit the throne. Naturally it would have him prancing around in high spirits, what’s more, he’d hope we’d whisk the Third Princess to Xi Rei which would mean he would have one less thorn in his side.”

General Tong shook his head in disagreement, “Prince’s speculations are quite sound but I do not feel Gui Sen is in a rush to have us depart, in fact I sense he’d hope we’d stay even longer.”

“That’s right, ideally he would desire that we remain until the period a new King ascends the throne.”

Official Xia nodded and he reached for his cup of hot tea that was sitting on the table and took a sip before further commenting.

“Gui Sen was eager to pass us the message so early in the morning, and strangely offered to escort the Prince without any hesitation. This is his move to keep the envoy in a relaxed state, to assure us that Fan Jia’s King’s condition is not serious. In case there is truly a Royal burial to take place soon, we will have to remain for the Third Princess’s sake and we would be required to accompany her until the King has been appointed.”

Feng Ming was perplexed by the idea and he questioned the motive sarcastically, “Why would we need to stay? Surely they don’t intend to fatten us up with their supplies and let us overstay our welcome?”

Official Xia suddenly lowered his voice and the corners of his lips drew upwards into a mysterious grin.

“As long as I disclose one important factor to Prince, Prince would immediately understand.”

The old man deliberately paused perking the attention of his listeners as they anticipated the next line.

With a smile he continued, “After finding out Ruo Yan was in Fan Jia, I had organised spies to monitor his whereabouts and movements. Does the Prince know, after yesterday’s session with the Princess, where was his next destination?”

The gears were in motion inside Feng Ming’s brain, then his face immediately soured and he blurted out, “Gui Sen?”

“That’s right. He went to see Gui Sen. As his proposal failed, the Princess is no longer any use to him, and expectedly he would seek to ally himself with the one next in throne.

Feng Ming shook his head, “That’s doesn’t seem correct, how would Ruo Yan know that the King would die soon?”

“Ruo Yan is a well versed man and extremely knowledgeable therefore there is not much that could be concealed from him. Moreover, he would have been aware of the King’s medical history. Although the King’s previous attacks have never been as severe this time, there would have been notable signs of the King’s ailing wellbeing.”

Feng Ming nodded in agreement, inwardly he thought:

If this is the case, Ruo Yan is indeed a force to be reckoned with. His ambitions and thirst for power gives him premise to instigate the poisoning of Fan Jia’s King.

The Prince scrunched his face and asked the old man, “Ruo Yan and Gui Sen are dealing in the shadows, there’s a large chance it would be matters to assist Gui Sen’s accession to the throne.”

“Hmph! So what if Gui Sen gets his seat, what does Ruo Yan receive in return? No wonder Gui Sen has been acting so certain that he is undoubtedly first in line. However, what I still don’t comprehend is, why would Gui Sen need us to remain in the country? Does he have plans to harm the Third Princess?”

It seems as if it was better he had kept his questions to himself, once he had opened his mouth and shot his queries off like rockets, everybody’s face turned stiff and stern.

All their eyes stared at their master.

Feng Ming blinked innocently, “What’s the matter?”

General Tong seemed a bit embarrassed and he turned his face away from the Prince. Official Xia pinched his beard and closed his eyes.

Only Lie Er didn’t shy away from the question, in fact he was trying to contain his giggles.

Moving closer to Feng Ming he whispered gently into his ear, “Prince, Gui Sen isn’t after the Third Princess, he is after you.”

“What? Harm me?” Feng Ming’s eyes shot wide open, “What does he have against me?”

Lie Er didn’t give him an answer straight away, but instead gave the Prince a good sizing by looking him up and down and he clicked his tongue before responding, “Prince, when you lock eyes with people, not only Gui Sen, but even Lie Er feels like his bones have melted.”

General Tong swung his head back and scolded the servant’s insolence, “Lie Er, you are merely a lowly attendant, how dare you address the Prince in such a manner? Don’t think that the Prince favors you that you can disregard the difference in status.”

Lie Er shrunk back and bowed his head down after being reprimanded for his actions.

Feng Ming tugged at Lie Er’s sleeve chasing clarity, “Do you mean Gui Sen…he…”

When Feng Ming thought about it, he could recall Gui Sen’s eyes watching him attentively and the man always smiled as he monitored him. The thought alone, sent a chill down his neck.

Lie Er shot a glance at General Tong, then again he moved over to his master and whispered, “It’s not a problem for us if Gui Sen is after you, we are more afraid that you are part of his dealings. Gui Sen and Ruo Yan may have been making arrangements for the transition of the throne. One of the conditions may be Your Highness.”

“What?” Just the mere thought of being traded between the two men left him a bitter taste and he could imagine the sinister appearance of both men during their secret meetings.

Goosebumps suddenly washed over every inch of his skin and the hairs on his body stood up simultaneously.

With a shaky voice he reasoned, “That’s impossible, I’m the Prince of Xi Rei, how can they dare to use me…”

What came to mind was Gui Sen taking him hog tied and manhandling him over to the clutches of Ruo Yan, the scene that played out in his brain immediately left him numb.

Official Xia exclaimed, “If we were to remain to see the King’s funeral, Fan Jia will sooner be in Gui Sen’s control, there will be no restraints on what they would dare to commit!”

THUMP!

General Tong suddenly gave the table a pounding which startled everyone.

He stood up abruptly and raised his eyebrows, and in a heavy voice said, “Fan Jia is facing huge imminent changes, there is no time to lose, we must set out to leave as soon as possible.”

Feng Ming was still in a state of shock by the tiger’s roar, trying to settle his nerves back to resting state however he was the first to agree with the general. His head bobbed up and down furiously like a chicken pecking at specks of grain on the ground.

He repeated, “Yes, that’s right. We should take heed and leave as soon as possible.”

“Prince is seeing the matter in the same light as your humble Xia.” The official batted his fan a few times.

“However, we can’t just up and go as we please. We are honorary guests from afar, whom want to take the Third Princess away, in the least we ought to hold a discussion with the Third Princess and the King before we can take leave.”

“Alright, let’s see that we pay a visit to the Third Princess this very night and gain her word in person that she will return with us to Xi Rei.”

Official Xia continued, “General Tong, if we make our move tonight and approach the Princess. Naturally, she would seek an audience with her father. If everything goes as plan, we could be expected to be summoned to see the King as early as tomorrow, and then we can ask to take leave directly.”

Feng Ming nodded, “Okay, let’s do it this way.”

Finally after making proper arrangements, General Tong set off in a hurry, rushing towards the Third Princess’s residence.