"Welcome, sister-in-law," the third prince, Yan Che, greeted Yunxi warmly and politely as he welcomed her arrival.
Finally, after much deliberation, Yunxi decided to work with the third prince on the matter of the poison.
"You must be surprised that I suddenly asked for permission to visit you," said Yunxi, shortly after sitting down in front of the third prince.
"You could say that, but rather than surprised, I'm more curious about your request, sister-in-law. Surely there is something important, isn't there?"
Yunxi nodded. she did not deny it, and the third prince seemed to immediately understand the emergency that forced Yunxi to see him.
Yunxi could not trust people indiscriminately, but the third prince could be considered a neutral party. Because the position of heir to the throne had already been determined, namely Yan Ling, who currently held the position of crown prince of the Ming empire.
If Yan Ling could not ascend the throne for some reason, then the next candidate would of course be Yan Xiao as the second prince.
Both Yan Ling and Yan Xiao had strong power and supporters, so the third prince could be said to be unable to compete with the two of them, unless Yan Ling and Yan Xiao died.
In addition, Yunxi wanted to use this moment as a tool to make the third prince indebted to her, so that she could ask for his help later if she needed it.
"So, you must know that I come from the Wang family, who have the ability to see the future through dreams."
Deg!
Yan Che widened his eyes, hearing something quite surprising.
To be honest, he had never heard of it.
"I... To be honest, I don't know about that, sister-in-law."
Yunxi smiled, she knew that. Because this was just her fabrication.
"Is that so? Then can Your Highness keep this secret between just the two of us?"
Hearing Yunxi's question, Yan Che nodded slowly. Yunxi smiled and said,
"To be honest, the Crown Prince also doesn't know about my ability. So far, only my servants and a few members of the Wang family know about it."
"I understand."
"Thank you. So, I will get straight to the point of our meeting, because I know you must be busy. I came here today because I had a dream that the third prince would be poisoned during your inauguration as the head of the imperial legal bureau, which is coming up."
"What?"
"I know this is shocking. But because this matter concerns the safety of someone else as well as myself, I decided that I could not remain silent."
Hearing Yunxi's words, Yan Che felt even more surprised. This matter also concerned Yunxi? Why?
"You yourself...? You mean it has something to do with you?"
"That's right. That's why I came to see you. After I had that dream, I immediately conducted a thorough investigation based on the similarities between the events in the dream and the circumstances around me. After matching many things, I discovered that someone had put poison in the tea I was going to give you."
Yunxi paused for a moment, watching the third prince's reaction. The man in front of him looked shocked, but still tried to appear calm in front of Yunxi.
Yunxi knew that the third prince still doubted her, so she continued speaking to convince the third prince.
"I already know who the culprit is. But what is surprising is the person behind the culprit."
Yan Che, who had been trying to remain calm, was now unable to control his expression, even though he remained silent.
"The servant who put the poison in the tea was Zhang Zhining, the personal servant of Concubine Liu Qinmei, and the two of them received orders from—"
Yunxi deliberately paused, and the third prince could no longer contain his curiosity. He asked urgently,
"Who? Who ordered the two of them?"
"Her Majesty the Empress," replied Yunxi calmly.
"What??? How is that possible??"
Yunxi knew that the Empress had been trying to establish a relationship with the Emperor's third concubine, who was also the mother of the third prince.
Although she did not know the reason why the Empress wanted to hurt Yunxi and kill the third prince, Yunxi was certain that there were many secrets behind all the events in her first life. That was why, when she found out that Concubine Liu Qinmei was communicating secretly with the Empress, Yunxi wasted no time in starting to investigate the relationship between the two people discreetly.
"I know you are surprised, but in this circle full of ambition for power and wealth, everyone has their own interests. And they will not hesitate to stab each other in the back to achieve their own goals."
"You mean, the Empress wants to get rid of me? That's impossible. Her two sons are the strongest candidates to ascend the throne."
"That is if her goal is to make her offspring the emperor. Not to rule this empire under her own feet."
"I don't understand."
"The current marriage between the Empress and the Emperor is a political marriage between the Ming Empire and the Yuan Empire as a form of peace agreement and ceasefire between the two after continuous war. But, all that could change if the Empress intends to take power and then hand over the Ming Empire to Yuan, then become queen of both. Of course, she would have to get rid of the emperor's descendants so that the empire would have no heir. And that starts with the easiest one, which is you."
"Th-that's impossible..."
"Why?"
The third prince couldn't find the answer.
"In that case, forget about it for now. I will investigate it. For now, let's focus on the poison I mentioned earlier. So, is the third prince willing to cooperate with me to catch the culprit in front of many people?"
Yunxi asked. The third prince looked at her with curiosity,
"What can I do to help you, sister-in-law?"
"I need you to drink the tea and get poisoned."
"What?"
"Don't worry, my servant has replaced the poison and the effect will only make you cough up blood. I have also prepared the antidote. So, you just need to drink the tea and then get treatment. I'll take care of the rest."
"B-but, will I really be safe?"
"Yes, I guarantee it. I've thought this through carefully. If Your Highness still doesn't believe me, we can make a written agreement."
Yan Che looked at Yunxi, who appeared calm but had a serious look in his eyes. Yan Che said,
"Alright, I will trust you, brother-in-law. So... How will the plan be carried out?"
Yunxi smiled contentedly. HlSe then began to explain her plan in detail. Before entering the room, Yunxi had already used soundproofing magic. So, no one could hear her conversation with the third prince.