Palace Coup 54

When he actually produced the formula, Xie Miaoxuan felt a trace of astonishment.

Had he really managed to investigate it in such a short amount of time?

However, upon seeing clearly what was written inside, she felt that this was only to be expected.

She heard him explain, "The Golden Elixir does indeed use Five-Stone Powder as its primary formula, but there are certain discrepancies. An extremely bizarre and exotic medicinal ingredient has been added to it. At present, only the basic formula has been figured out, and it will take a little more time to uncover the exact nature of that bizarre element."

"I have experimented with this Golden Elixir. After feeding it to chickens, ducks, and mice, they all exhibited symptoms of extreme intoxication. An hour later, they would go mad, savagely biting their companions and then tearing into their own flesh. Throughout this process, even if they bit through their own hearts, they still would not draw their last breath until every drop of blood in their bodies had drained away and they died of desiccation."

"Perhaps it was because chickens, ducks, and mice are too small and died too quickly, so I found a man on the verge of death. After the man consumed it, he unexpectedly... went on to serve several women in a single night, crying out in delight as he met his end."

Hearing this, she remained silent for a long time.

She seemed to have some inkling, yet at the same time, she understood nothing at all.

As the two of them spoke, they walked toward the foot of the mountain.

Just as they reached the base, they saw a young boy flailing his arms and running toward them in a frantic rush, as if he had laid eyes on a savior.

"My Lord," Sun Yanli had searched frantically for Xie Miaoxuan for half the day. Finally spotting her at the foot of the mountain, he could no longer hold back his trembling voice, and tears streamed down his face.

"Grandfather is missing! Early this morning, he followed the ox cart of the old shepherd from the neighboring village into the capital, but when the cart returned, Grandfather did not come back with it. A whole day has already passed—I beg you, please help me!"

She exchanged a glance with Xie Yuangu、, and both saw a foreboding premonition in each other's eyes.

She grabbed the horse's reins and vaulted into the saddle.

He leaned down and pulled Sun Yanli up behind him.

Xie Miaoxuan shouted toward Xie Xiao, who was still drilling the men in the distance, "Take ten men and come with me!"

Just before the city gates closed, Xie Miaoxuan stepped into the capital for the very first time.

The lights of countless households were gradually illuminating, and shadows flickered across the streets.

Ever since he sold his entire inventory of face powder to a handsome stranger from out of town, Mang had harbored an extraordinary enthusiasm for outsiders.

Catching sight of more than a dozen people whose attire differed entirely from the chest-baring noble youths pursued in the capital, he reckoned that a business opportunity had arrived and was tempted to hawk his wares.

He waited eagerly for them to approach, feeling somewhat puzzled as to why these people were searching everywhere in the bustling market district.

From the looks of it, they seemed to be searching for something rather than strolling around for leisure.

Yet when he caught sight of Xie Yuangu、 once again, his eyes involuntarily lit up.

It was him! The handsome out-of-town gentleman who had bought so many boxes of rouge that day.

When the young woman beside him turned around, Mang's eyes lit up even more. Even with his eyes, which dealt with countless women daily and had seen every kind of beauty under the sun, he felt an overwhelming impact; this appearance was simply dazzling enough to blind a person.

Her face was like the moon at the edge of the sky, her skin like the snow of midwinter, and her eyes like the cold springs of a clear stream—strikingly magnificent beyond compare.

A detached and aloof aura surrounded her entire being, instantly capturing his gaze.

For a long time, he could not find his voice, but finally took the initiative to greet Xie Yuangu、, "...Sir, is the rouge you bought last time still working well? I have new stock in today, would you care to take a look?"

Xie Yuangu、 glanced at him for a brief moment before recalling who this person was.

He and Que Si had previously purchased piles of cosmetics from this very street vendor for Xie Miaoxuan.

Seeing this overly familiar vendor, Xie Miaoxuan cut him off and tossed a silver ingot toward him. "Have you seen an old man with entirely white hair, about this height, with a mole on his left cheek pass by here?"

Catching the silver ingot, Mang smiled from ear to ear. He thought carefully, and the smile on his face suddenly vanished. "Could it be... an old man who came to the market with an ox cart this morning, wearing coarse hemp garments and straw sandals, and looking rather like a scholar?"

Seeing the vendor's smile instantly vanish, Xie Miaoxuan's heart sank.

"It's him. Where is he?"

"The lady should go take a look near the pig-slaughtering alley."

Xie Miaoxuan led her men directly toward the place he indicated.

Leaving the vendor Mang to sigh in solitude, "...What a pity."

This path was entirely different from the bustling market; it was a dark alley, sparsely populated and teeming with beggars.

Holding out broken bowls and shivering in the cold wind, some beggars wanted to step forward to beg when they saw Xie Miaoxuan approach, but upon seeing the fierce retinue of guards behind her, they quickly retreated back into the shadows.

They stared with wide, vigilant eyes, full of wariness.

Xie Miaoxuan did not halt her steps until she spotted the frail figure of an old man huddled in a corner.

Beneath him lay a pool of foul blood.

She rushed forward and carefully parted the disheveled hair covering his face.

"Grandfather!"

Sun Yanli burst into howling tears.

Xie Miaoxuan drew a sharp breath. There was a fist-sized hole beneath Wen Lao's chest; his hands and feet were already ice-cold, and his blood seemed to have completely drained away.

She tested his breath and a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.

The wound was offset a fraction away from his heart.

"He still has breath!"

"Grandfather! Grandfather, wake up! It's Aman, it's Yanli."

"Wen Lao, Wen Tu!"

Familiar weeping and calling echoed in his ears. Wen Tu bit down hard; having not yet seen Sun Yanli one last time, he was reluctant to close his eyes.

Feeling the urge of something trying to tear itself away from his body.

He mustered every last ounce of strength and breathed desperately.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Xie Miaoxuan wrapped her arms around his shoulders, preparing to lift him up. "Hold on, I'll take you to a physician."

"It's too late..."

Wen Tu gently tugged at Xie Miaoxuan's sleeve, but the weight of his hand felt like a thousand pounds, pinning her in place.

"My Lord... I beg your mercy. I entrust Yanli to you. His nature is pure and kind, and in the future, he will surely be of use to my Lord."

Xie Miaoxuan closed her eyes, her voice raspy. "...Agreed."

With trembling hands, Wen Tu drew out a candied hawthorn skewer he had been tightly clutching inside his tunic. "This is the candied hawthorn Grandfather bought for you. In the future, you must obey my Lord."

Weeping bitterly, Sun Yanli nodded frantically, tears and mucus smearing his entire face. He grabbed the candied hawthorn skewer and bit down hard on his cheek to swallow the wailing in his throat.

Wen Tu smiled with relief. Being able to see his grandson one last time before dying, he could finally close his eyes.

His hand drooped limply.

Two distinct tear tracks carved clear paths down his dust-stained face.

"Grandfather, no!"

Xie Miaoxuan clenched her fists tightly. The first person to call her Lord had died in her arms.

He Ya stood in the secluded pavilion, quietly watching the scene unfold in this unattended street corner. Gifted with extraordinary natural hearing, she could perceive sounds beyond the reach of ordinary people.

She murmured softly, "Could it be... the Lord?"

Sensing something, Xie Miaoxuan suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze locking with a pair of charming, autumn-water eyes.

The woman standing in the street-facing pavilion was gently waving a silk fan. With a face no larger than a palm, even across this distance, one could see the moist ripples within those apricot-shaped eyes.

She cast a radiant, captivating smile toward her.

Tilting her head slightly, her shimmering gaze locked onto her, her expression so fixated it seemed as though she harbored complete and utter devotion, her large apricot eyes filled with unspoken emotion.

Amidst the shifting of her brows and eyes, there was a beauty that transcended both masculinity and femininity.

The person on the bridge is watching the scenery, unaware that they are also the scenery in the eyes of someone else.

From the very first moment He Ya laid eyes on Xie Miaoxuan, she knew with certainty that this was an extraordinary young woman.

Beautiful, truly beautiful, yet possessing a commanding authority and imposing dignity typically found only in men.

"Beauty, why stand by the window? Come over and drink," Shi Chong pushed aside his jade cup, stretching out a hand to pull her closer. A beauty leaning by the window admiring the moon was breathtaking; ever since catching a glimpse of her at the Grand Commandant's estate that day, he had been utterly captivated.