CHAPTER 620: CHAPTER 514 TURNING THE TABLES ON THE ENEMY

The Prince Jin stayed in his son’s room for quite a while, displaying the utmost care of a loving father, before reluctantly leaving amid his son’s constant yawns.

Before departing, he specifically reminded his son to rest carefully, saying there was no need to think about anything in the coming days—just focus on waiting for the conferment ceremony.

"It truly is my conferment ceremony."

A certain someone removed the human skin mask from their face, leaning lazily against the chair back. "Haven’t worn this in a while—it feels rather unfamiliar."

A bald hunting eagle landed on the windowsill, glaring at a certain man with extreme annoyance.

Lu Yuan curled his lips and raised an eyebrow: "Show me that attitude again, and I’ll dock your jerky rations."

The hunting eagle slammed its claws on the table: This overlord has ten pieces of jerky—an absolute tycoon! Who needs your lousy jerky?

Lu Yuan: "Make it twenty."

The hunting eagle immediately hopped over, rubbing its head affectionately against the man’s hand, chirping in a high-pitched voice: "Chirp~"

Twenty might be impossible, but dreaming about it wasn’t out of the question.

Lu Yuan wrote a note and tied it to the hunting eagle’s claw.

The hunting eagle went off to deliver the message.

Lu Yuan stroked his chin. "By pure chance, I ended up inside Prince Jin’s Mansion—doesn’t that count as infiltrating the enemy’s heart?"

Life is truly a colossal cycle; the trick used by Prime Minister Xun is now being employed once again in Prince Jin’s Mansion.

"Prince Jin doesn’t seem to know I possess disguise techniques. Was it Gongsun Yanming who failed to warn him about me, or is Prime Minister Xun withholding information from Gongsun Yanming?"

After pondering for a moment, Lu Yuan figured the latter was more likely.

Prime Minister Xun, the mysterious Miaojiang traitor, the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion... perhaps even more factions were involved in this intricate and calculating web of schemes.

Since they’re dealing with a tiger, naturally they must remain vigilant.

Having understood the crucial points, Lu Yuan found himself more at ease.

He lay down on Lu Qi’s bed, shaking the human skin mask in his hand. "A single trick can take you far."

After his experience impersonating Luo San at the Prime Minister’s Mansion, impersonating Lu Qi was easily done.

However, Prince Jin’s suspicions toward him were clearly greater than Prime Minister Xun’s suspicion of Luo San—caution was still necessary.

"Not even trusting his own son—my dear uncle is colder and more ruthless than I imagined."

The hunting eagle landed on the windowsill of the main courtyard at the Crown Prince Mansion.

A black-clad man immediately recognized this eagle—it was the same one that had fought a deathmatch against General Hu’s golden eagle.

He frowned.

A delicate hand removed the note from the hunting eagle’s claw and fed it two pieces of jerky.

The eagle carried the jerky up to the rooftop, feasting on it with unrestrained joy.

Meng Qianqian read the note, then burned it with a candle, remarking with a calm and relaxed attitude: "Truly underestimated Prince Jin. With this temperament, he’s no ordinary player."

It’s often said that the son takes after the father. If Lu Qi is playing the fool while hiding his strength, isn’t Prince Jin doing the same?

Back then, when they went up the mountain to invite Mr. Zimu, Lu Qi deliberately sealed his inner strength, walking uphill alongside Lu Zhaoyan until he was gasping for breath. It was enough to make people believe his martial arts skills were mediocre at best.

It wasn’t till the archery contest that his profound skills were revealed.

Yet Prince Jin’s tactics were even more deeply concealed.

Though he’s renowned for his talent and ambition, upon closer examination, he often seems slightly lacking in composure and strategy.

Tonight’s probe against Lu Qi revealed that his "slight shortcomings" were merely intentional disguises.

The black-clad man said nothing.

Sitting on the bed, he raised his hand to touch the human skin mask on his face.

The mask had been applied too hastily; he hadn’t even reacted at the time.

Meng Qianqian said, "I advise Prince Changsun to stop fiddling."

The man’s lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but he ultimately held his tongue.

Meng Qianqian walked up to him, opening a small medicine box. "Prince Changsun, please allow Little Nine to examine your injuries."

The black-clad man cast a suspicious glance into Meng Qianqian’s eyes.

She met his gaze openly, without flinching. "The Crown Prince sent someone to summon Little Nine from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. Please trust Little Nine’s medical expertise."

The black-clad man opened his mouth as if to ask something, but he swallowed the question.

Meng Qianqian used scissors to cut open the blood-soaked fabric of his pant leg. "The hidden weapon was poisoned. I need to drain the toxic blood. Please bear with the pain, Prince Changsun."

The man finally spoke: "You don’t need to keep calling me Prince Changsun. You know who I really am."

Meng Qianqian fetched the painkiller. "Please take this, Prince Changsun."

He turned his face away. "No need."

Meng Qianqian didn’t insist. She sterilized the knife with candle flame, then pressed it to his swollen thigh, cutting into the flesh with precision.

Dark, poisonous blood immediately gushed out.

The man winced, his brow furrowing tightly from the pain.

Meng Qianqian caught the dripping blood in a copper basin as she worked to expel more from the wound. "For optimal recovery, please refrain from getting out of bed for the next few days and rest thoroughly."

The man said with self-mockery: "In three days, the truth will come out. Do you plan to have him replicate the exact same injury to cover for me?"

Meng Qianqian remained calm. "I have no idea what Prince Changsun means."

The man gazed deeply at her for a long moment before closing his eyes and lying back down.

Meng Qianqian finished treating his wound, wrapped it in gauze, placed a bottle of medicinal powder on the table, and left the room carrying her tidied medicine kit.

Soon after, Xi’er pushed open the partially ajar door. "Young Master, your clothes."

Lu Qi glanced at Xi’er, who was holding the garments. "Don’t you know who I am?"

Xi’er widened her eyes and replied, "I do! You’re Young Master!"

The black-clad man pressed his lips together. "You may leave."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Xi’er exited the room but popped her head back in. "Young Master, are you hungry? The kitchen just prepared your favorite spring noodles."

The man was about to refuse, but his stomach suddenly growled audibly.

Xi’er giggled. "This servant will fetch your spring noodles right away!"

Lying in the spacious bed, the black-clad man’s expression slowly became more complicated.

Meng Qianqian entered Lu Zhaoyan’s quarters.

Lu Zhaoyan had managed to neutralize the effects of the knockout drug in his system but still looked fatigued.

Sitting on a chair with a pale complexion, he asked, "How is his injury?"

Meng Qianqian reported truthfully: "Severely injured. A quarter of an inch more, and he might’ve lost the use of his right leg."

Lu Zhaoyan gave a low sigh.

Meng Qianqian offered, "Shall I check your pulse, Your Highness?"

Lu Zhaoyan nodded.

After doing so, Meng Qianqian relayed the message brought by the hunting eagle: "Prince Jin didn’t lie. He indeed failed in his attempt. Your Highness is not poisoned."

Lu Zhaoyan mulled over this. "Strange. I had already been taken away. They had countless chances to poison me—why didn’t they succeed? Could tonight have truly been just a test targeting Lu Qi?"

Meng Qianqian considered this. "A test of Lu Qi—most likely genuine."

Lu Zhaoyan reflected: "It was my fault for giving him that bottle of golden sore medicine. I thought I’d concealed it well, yet it still tipped off Prince Jin."

Meng Qianqian shook her head. "Even without the incident involving the golden sore medicine, something else would’ve triggered Prince Jin’s suspicions. It comes down to his deeply distrustful nature—he doesn’t even trust his own son."

Never attempt to test the depths of someone’s heart, for once the testing begins, something is already lost.