Labor, Capital, And Friends Are Emperors - Chapter 4

Bai Yi followed the lead of the young eunuchs nearby, learning how to serve Xiao Shiyun’s meal. He first used communal chopsticks to place a small portion of food onto a communal plate and then used a silver needle to test it for poison. After confirming it was safe, he placed the food onto the Emperor’s plate. One had to eat the food from the communal plate before moving on to the next dish.

Being an Emperor was clearly not easy; even eating a meal was frustratingly restrictive. Perhaps this was the unique caution reserved only for the royal family.

Guo Fu asked, “Does Master Bai understand now?”

“Yes, I understand,” Bai Yi replied. He picked up a piece of rib, placed it on a plate, took out a needle, and pricked it into the meat. He held the needle up to the sunlight. There was no poison. Of course there was no poison; the whole procedure felt quite silly.

Scientifically speaking, trace amounts of toxins could accumulate through the food chain. Toxins could be added to the water used for crops, and the resulting cabbage could be fed to pigs. Finally, a specific part of the pig could be cooked and eaten daily. Over time, chronic toxins would accumulate in the body, and a silver needle could never detect them. Alternatively, one could serve non-toxic dishes like pumpkin and crab together, which would also be undetectable.

Just as Bai Yi was about to put the needle away, a flash of light caught his eye. The silver needle seemed to have turned slightly dark.

Bai Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Refusing to believe it, he pulled out another needle and pricked it into the meat. When he pulled it out, it was perfectly clean. Had he seen it wrong?

Xiao Shiyun’s brow furrowed. “Are you performing acupuncture on a pig?”

“No, why did I think the needle turned dark?” Bai Yi handed the needle to Xiao Shiyun to see.

Xiao Shiyun’s expression darkened. His face remained unchanged from its usual stoic state, but a smirk curled his lips. “What could possibly be wrong? You are being far too fussy.”

Bai Yi placed a fresh piece of rib onto Xiao Shiyun’s plate. Xiao Shiyun lifted it, examined it in the air for two seconds, and took a small bite to chew.

“Hey, do not eat it! I really think there is something wrong with the needle!” Bai Yi grabbed Xiao Shiyun’s wrist.

“Guo Fu, take him away,” Xiao Shiyun said, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief before taking a sip of sake.

“Xiao Shiyun, I am truly done with you! If anything happens, do not come looking for me,” Bai Yi said, quickly trying to distance himself from any blame.

Xiao Shiyun looked up at Bai Yi, his eyes like pools of dark ink. He said, “What are you afraid of? If something happens, no one escapes.”

A sense of unease enveloped Bai Yi. He returned to Jingqian Hall filled with worry. He had only served Xiao Shiyun’s food once; surely there would not be a major problem?

As the saying goes, one’s fears often come true. In the middle of the night, the area outside the hall was lit by a sea of fire. Rows of soldiers holding torches systematically detained prisoners.

“Seize all criminals who attempted to poison the Emperor! Take everyone who was present at Huaran Pavilion today to the celestial prison!”

Bai Yi had just sat up in bed when two soldiers burst into the side hall, grabbed his arms, and forced him into a carriage. In the chaos, he encountered Guo Fu, who was holding his fly whisk. “Guo Fu, what happened to the Emperor?”

Guo Fu looked stern and serious. “His Majesty has been poisoned by a strange toxin. You had better stay in the celestial prison for now.”

“How could it be? I told you that dish was problematic.”

“Take him away immediately!” Guo Fu flicked his fly whisk and urged the officials.

The iron chains of the dark prison were locked. Bai Yi was pushed into a cell containing fifteen other prisoners. Seeing a newcomer, three cooks from the Imperial Kitchen surrounded him. One gave Bai Yi a fierce shove. “Was it you who poisoned him and got us all involved?”

Bai Yi was pushed against the wall, but no one saw the gloomy look in his eyes. He lifted his head and said, “Shut up. Wait until the Ministry of Justice comes to question us.”

“Wait for your father! It was you who caused this!”

Bai Yi reached out and grabbed the man’s throat, his fingers tightening. He said softly, “Be a good boy. I said we wait for the Ministry of Justice, understand?”

Things would probably be fine. He had not poisoned anyone, so who exactly was trying to harm Xiao Shiyun? Frustration surged in Bai Yi’s chest, and he felt a sudden need to vent his anger. After releasing the man, no one dared to cross him or even come near him.

Bai Yi leaned against the wall in the corner with his arms crossed, calmly recalling the recent political situation. The General of the West had returned in triumph, and simultaneously, the second daughter of the General’s household had become engaged to the Third Prince. Their wedding was set for the twenty sixth of next month. If those two powers united, the Third Prince might rebel. However, above the Third Prince was the Second Prince and the Empress Dowager’s faction. Who was the Emperor trying to eliminate through this?

The Jingzhou government was under the Empress Dowager’s influence. Bai Yi worked out the plan in his mind and waited for someone to summon him.

After a while, a jailer opened the door. “Bai Yi, come with me.”

Two jailers escorted Bai Yi to a solitary cell in the deepest part of the prison. The ground was covered in bloodstains that had not been cleaned, and a blurred skeleton hung from a cross shaped rack. The jailers unlocked the chains on the rack, and the skeleton slumped to Bai Yi’s feet. As Bai Yi passed it, he stepped on a finger bone, which crumbled into powder with a loud crack.

Now, he was the one to go onto the rack. With his hands shackled, Bai Yi could not move. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice picked up a whip and struck Bai Yi hard on the waist. He asked venomously, “Bai Yi, do you confess your crime?”

“The Vice Minister is doing well, I see. If I have committed a crime, how would I dare not confess?” Bai Yi laughed despite the whip wound on his abdomen.

The Vice Minister leaned in and used the whip to choke Bai Yi’s neck. “How is the mission progressing?”

“To answer the Minister, everything is well. The poison has been added to the wine. Chronic death by Nine Cauldron Red.”

“Are you sure you succeeded?”

“If you do not believe me, wait until the thirteenth to see the results,” Bai Yi said with a raised eyebrow. “Everything is within your control, Minister.”

The thirteenth was a good day. Someone who deserved to die was about to die.

Behind the red gauze curtains in the shadows of the cell, a well defined hand appeared. On the index finger was a purple chalcedony ring, which the hand began to rub slowly. The ring tapped against the chair. The Vice Minister released the weakened Bai Yi and quietly led everyone out.

The hand pulled back the curtain, and a figure stepped down the stairs to tilt Bai Yi’s chin up.

“I did not realize Master Bai had such a hidden identity. It truly shocks me.”

Bai Yi suddenly looked up at the newcomer. Xiao Shiyun? It made sense; he was so clever that he must have known all along.

“I lied to the Vice Minister, I lied to the Empress Dowager, and I lied to the Emperor. I deserve ten thousand deaths.”

“I know you did not poison the food because I was the one who poisoned it. Since you have chosen to be my man, you must understand who you are working for from now on.”

“My heart belongs entirely to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wants someone dead, they must die, and I am no exception.”

“Stop with the hypocritical lies. There is only you and me here.” Xiao Shiyun released the chains on Bai Yi’s wrists. “However, you still need to stay here for a few days. I will come to fetch you in three days.”

Once untied, Bai Yi’s knees were too weak to stand. Xiao Shiyun grabbed his waist, slung him over his shoulder, and walked toward the area behind the curtain. Behind the red gauze was a hidden space. Although it could not compare to Jingqian Hall, it was equipped with tea, chairs, a bed, and even a few books to pass the time.

Xiao Shiyun placed Bai Yi on the bed and unbuttoned his prison uniform, revealing his lean waist and abdomen.

“What are you doing?” Facing Xiao Shiyun while half naked, Bai Yi no longer felt the openness of the previous times. He felt a sudden, inexplicable tension in the air.

“Applying medicine.” Xiao Shiyun took a container of golden sore ointment from his sleeve and took a small amount on his fingertip.

Applying medicine for me? Bai Yi hardly dared to use it. He asked hesitantly, “There is not a fee for this medicine, is there?”

Xiao Shiyun felt a lump in his throat. After a long pause, he stood up and threw the container at Bai Yi. “Five taels of gold per bottle. Use as needed.”