allonlinenovel Chapter 319 Testing
Chapter 319 Testing
It was pitch black inside the tent, and one couldn't see one's hand in front of one's face. Only the thunderous snoring of Chen Yue could be heard from the bed.
The servant walked towards the bed quietly, his steps as light as a cat's, without making a sound.
As a martial artist, he has excellent night vision and can see things in the darkness as if it were daytime.
When he came to the bed, the servant did not rush to act. He carefully took out a small paper bag from his arms. In the dim light, a strange smile appeared on his face.
Then he tiptoed to the table, opened the paper bag, and slowly poured the powder into the teapot.
When Chen Yue woke up from a hangover, he must have been extremely thirsty. According to his usual habit, the first thing he would do was to drink some water.
What the servant had just put into the teapot was not a deadly poison that would kill instantly upon contact with blood, but a drug that would paralyze the entire body and render a person unable to resist.
The servant knew that killing someone directly was too risky and would easily expose his whereabouts. However, this hallucinogenic drug could achieve his goal while making everything appear flawless...
At the same time, in the main tent not far away, Chu Lingfeng was sitting at the desk, tapping the table casually with his fingers, and looking at the endless darkness outside the tent from time to time.
The atmosphere tonight was particularly strange, giving him a vague feeling of unease.
Suddenly, there was a slight sound of footsteps outside the tent. Chu Lingfeng's hand suddenly stopped and his eyes became sharp in an instant.
Li Yuanhong was seen walking slowly into the tent alone.
He was wearing a low-key yet luxurious robe. The moonlight shone on his body, outlining his tall figure. He did not bring any followers with him. Such behavior made Chu Lingfeng's heart alarm bells ring, and he could not help but think over and over again in his heart.
The room was dead silent. Chu Lingfeng did not light a light. In the dim moonlight, the two of them sat on either side, both speechless for a moment.
Chu Lingfeng's mind was racing as he tried to guess the purpose of Li Yuanhong's late night visit. He knew that in this situation, speaking rashly would likely expose his true colors, so he chose to remain silent and wait for the other party to act first.
At this moment, Li Yuanhong was racking his brains to think about how to start this conversation.
On the surface, he was the imperial envoy appointed by Emperor Zhao to handle the affairs of suppressing bandits, but in fact, Emperor Zhao also gave him an extremely secret and difficult task - to test Chu Lingfeng's loyalty to the court.
Thinking of this task, Li Yuanhong looked up at Chu Lingfeng opposite him.
In the moonlight, Chu Lingfeng's face looked a little stern. Although the former Prince Chu had fallen into such a state now, he still couldn't hide the pride in his bones.
Chu Lingfeng waited for a long time, but Li Yuanhong showed no intention of speaking.
He secretly admired Li Yuanhong's patience. Then, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he took the initiative to say, "Master Li, you are visiting me so late at night. Is there something confidential that requires you to discuss with me under the moonlight?"
His voice was low and magnetic, echoing in the silent tent.
Li Yuanhong was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that the once glorious Prince Chu could still be so calm and composed in such a situation, and even be in the mood to joke.
He originally thought that when Chu Lingfeng saw him, a close minister of the emperor who came from Kyoto, he would definitely be eager to inquire about the situation in the capital, especially the current situation of the Prince Chu's Mansion.
Thinking of this, Li Yuanhong smiled gently and said slowly, "Prince Chu, you're joking. The moonlight is so beautiful tonight, and I just wanted to come and chat with you on a whim."
His tone was relaxed and casual, but his eyes were always fixed on Chu Lingfeng's every move.
Chu San, hiding in the corner, listened to the seemingly meaningless conversation between the two people, feeling helpless and speechless. He wanted to rush out and ask directly, but he knew his identity very well, so he could only suppress his anxiety and continue to hide in the dark.
Unexpectedly, after hearing what Li Yuanhong said, Chu Lingfeng had an idea in his mind.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked directly, "Master Li, please stop beating around the bush. Was it the Emperor who sent you here?"
His eyes revealed confidence and determination, as if he had seen through everything.
Li Yuanhong was shocked when he heard this. He never expected that Chu Lingfeng was so sharp that he could guess his purpose at once and even directly attribute it to Emperor Zhao.
A flash of panic flashed across his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
Chu Lingfeng was not surprised to see Li Yuanhong's reaction.
He knew too well the twists and turns of the court. As a close minister of the emperor, Li Yuanhong naturally knew that the Chu Palace was now in decline due to the crime of treason.
If it were someone else, they would avoid it as much as possible, so why would they come quietly in the middle of the night?
Therefore, he concluded that Li Yuanhong must have been instructed by Emperor Zhao.
The night grew darker, the candlelight flickered in the tent, and the light and shadow intertwined on the faces of Chu Lingfeng and Li Yuanhong.
Having already recognized that the other party was sent by Emperor Zhao, Chu Lingfeng had no intention of dealing with him any further and asked directly: "Lord Li, since you are sent by the emperor, why not tell me directly, what exactly does the emperor want?"
His eyes were as sharp as torches, staring at Li Yuanhong intently, trying to catch a clue from his expression.
Li Yuanhong looked at Chu Lingfeng's calmness and couldn't help but admire him secretly.
Since the other party had already guessed it, he no longer concealed it. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Prince Chu, to be honest, the emperor has long known that the Chu Palace was falsely accused of collaborating with the enemy. However, the incident happened suddenly, and the losses in that battle were heavy. The court was in an uproar. Even though the emperor wanted to protect the Chu Palace, he was forced by pressure from all sides and was powerless. He had no choice but to exile you to this East China Sea island."
His voice was low and sincere, and there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"This matter is deeply entangled, with fierce factional strife and the struggle between the prince and the crown prince even more turbulent. After the fall of the Prince of Chu's Mansion, the Marquis of Huo's Mansion was not spared either, and many capable ministers and generals in the court fell from power one after another."
"Your Majesty is so wise, how could he not notice anything? Later, even the crown prince was assassinated and fell into a coma, and has not woken up since then. The power in the court was instantly unbalanced and became one-sided. The emperor then realized that someone was secretly stirring up trouble and trying to disrupt the country of our Great Zhao." At this point, Li Yuanhong's face showed a trace of worry.
"The Emperor sent me here this time to contact you secretly and share this information with you. The Emperor hopes that Prince Chu will understand that he has never given up on the Chu Palace, nor has he forgotten the great military achievements it has made for the Great Zhao."
After Li Yuanhong finished speaking, he looked at Chu Lingfeng quietly, waiting for his response.
Recalling the time when Emperor Zhao gave him this secret mission, he was filled with shock. These confidential matters were not something that he could know at his level, but the imperial order was difficult to disobey. Since Emperor Zhao had chosen him, he made up his mind to get things done properly.
In his opinion, the Chu Palace has always been the right-hand man of Emperor Zhao and an important pillar of the Zhao Dynasty. As long as Emperor Zhao keeps a clear mind and remembers the contributions of the Chu Palace, there will definitely be hope for the Chu Palace to be revive.
At the same time, in the main tent, the person who drugged the person was hiding in the darkness, keeping his eyes fixed on the movements outside the tent, waiting for an opportunity to escape.
He knew very well that people were most sleepy when it was almost dawn. At this time, the guards outside the tent were the most lax, and it was the best time for him to escape.