Everything had gone wrong, it was unusual. Never in all his political career had there been this many mistakes. It seemed the Left Chancellor would have a bone to pick with him later, but until then, he needed to salvage the situation.
Shang Buluo sat at his desk in his study, rubbing the tips of his fingers together. It was an age old habit, formed from often rubbing the blood that got on his hands in battle and during interrogations. Now it was his way of keeping his body busy while his mind worked.
Several days earlier, he'd planned on removing the second prince from the competition between royal heirs to the throne. With a good reputation and strong backing, he was a difficult person to pull down. But anyone could be destroyed if done in the proper way. General Shang had plotted to use the Yan family and their large gathering to cause a big scene in the capital. Minister Yan Yifeng was the perfect man to use as well, being high-ranking yet expendadable at the same time. Should anything happen to him or his family, the emperor would surely seek justice for him and punish the evil-doer with no mercy.
In order to do this, Shang Buluo had investigated the Yan family and found that the second daughter, Yan Wei, had sensitive lungs, and the average poison would easily kill her. She was also the perfect choice for a victim, as she was not the eldest daughter, nor one most people knew of. By causing her death, minister Yan would certaintly bring the matter up to the emperor who would send the fourth prince to uncover the truth. With this, Shang could pin the blame on Wei Rongxie and charge him with the murder of a high-ranking official's daughter.
As a prince, he wouldn't be sentanced to death, but he would be exhiled from the capital and stripped of his title. Never again would he be a threat to the first prince and his chance of becoming the next emperor.
Its a shame though, the second prince is too lucky. Even now, my well made out plans have fallen through, giving him the opportunity to escape. The general's fingers halted their motion and he glanced to the doors of his study, almost absent-mindedly.
"Tian Hui, enter!" He called.
A moment later and his attendant rushed through the entrance and approached his master's desk, and bowed. "Yes?"
"Send word to Chancellor Jun, I must meet with him."
"Yes, my lord." Tian Hui bowed and hurried out.
Shang Buluo leaned back in his seat. Though the opportunity to frame the second prince for murder was gone, there was still another way to get rid of him, and the consequences he would face would be far greater.
...
"What have you found about the head wrap? Is it poisoned?" Rongxie asked.
The second prince sat outside in his courtyard, now dressed in his royal garments, while admiring his garden. Da Ming stood by his side, holding the head wrap at a distance with a cloth. He sighed.
"Your guess was correct, your highess. This fabric has indeed been laced with a foreign poison, but not lethal. It's effect is mainly to cause light headed-ness, and unclear thinking. The Yan's neice showed signs of these symptoms, most likely having been introduced to too much of the rare herbs."
Rongxie nodded his head thoughtfully. "That means that we can't use that as evidence. Since whatever is on it isn't exactly deadly, then whoever used it wouldn't be charged with murder. Have you discovered its origin yet?"
Da Ming bowed regretfully. "Not yet, but we're still investigating. We should have the answer soon. What does your highness think about this plot? Who do you suspect to be behind everything?"
These were the questions that plauged the prince already, though he could guess the answers. Not many had the nerve nor power to attempt killing an official's close family member, and what could be gained from it was unclear. Rongxie had many questions regarding this matter, and no one to provide clues. It was a sudden dead end.
"This poison is not deadly and Lu Meiwan only fainted? Its possible she wasn't the real target, after all, she's only a newcomer to the family and doesn't hold any influence." The prince's mind raced. "If she wasn't the target, then one of her cousins or aunt's might've been. Da Ming, what do you know of the other women in Yan mansion? Do any of them have health issues?"
Da Ming tilted his head towards the ground, his own thoughts running through the information he knew. Nothing seemed to stand out though, and he shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I will find out quickly your highness!"
Rongxie nodded. "Good, I need to know by the end of the day. By the way," He turned. "Has either of my brothers been acting strange lately, any odd instances about them?"
It was a sensitive thing to mention, and both knew it. In the fight for the throne, it would be unusual if none of the princes used improper means to win. With the cunning and well connected eldest prince, and a ruthless man like the fourth prince, Rongxie was wise to keep an eye on both of them.
"No, your highness. Our spies have reported back that both princes are the same as before."
"Hmm." The second prince waved his hand, dismissing his attendant.
Da Ming brought his hands together in a salute and left the room silently. Rongxie looked out over the lovely gardens he spent so much money on maintaining. The flowers were colorful and beautiful, but if one wasn't careful, could be killed by the delicate plants. He felt as if he was in the same situation. He'd had the feeling that something was off with the events taking place in the capital, especially with what happened in the Yan mansion. It was like a fish swimming in the murky waters and he needed desperately to catch them, to save himself.
Rongxie thought about what he knew and tried to peice everything together. If only he could have a little more information, then maybe he could figure the whole thing out. But for now, he'd have to wait for answers to the questions which troubled him.
...
"Are you sure? Second miss suffers illness in her lungs?" Rongxie knew he had a lead now.
"Yes your highness, Yan Wei was most likely the target at yesterday's gathering. If she died, I'm sure Minister Yan would investigate, and that would lead him to discover other things. But something tells me that might be a good thing either."
Da Ming leaned against a thick wood pillar and glanced around. His more casual appearance didn't match the strict and powerful aura of the second prince. The two stood in a pavilion overlooking the river that flowed through the city, the day was dark and rainy.
"I know what you're thinking, and I agree. However, all we can do is follow this trail, find who's at the end of it, and see what they're up to. Whether it be someone from eldest brother's faction or fourth brother's."
"Your highness, forgive my bold words but-" His attendant pursed his lips. "Maybe you should be more ruthless as the fourth prince. If you keep hesitating, and doing things by the rules, you may be the next target... but not as lucky as miss Yan."
His words struck the second prince's heart. His other followers, and even his mother, had advised him the same way, but he couldn't manage to do so. It wasn't in him. If he wanted to win the fight for the throne, then he'd do it the right way, and so everyone would accept him. But of course, it would be unwise not to use the intelligent brain he'd been blessed with. So here he stood with his attendant working on finding out who in the capital was attempting to cause unrest amongst the officials.
"I know, Da Ming. But I'll do things my way, and I believe that everything will turn out because of that." Rongxie smiled and placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Now, what do you make of the current situation?"
Da Ming's face became serious and concentrated, his brows lowing over his dark eyes. "My first questions are, who would gain from an angry official's actions over his daughter's death? What would they gain? If we can answer those two, then we'll get somewhere." He started. "If there is an investigation, the farthest they could lead it back to, would be the man in the market who sold the headwrap.
This was a valid point, and the two questions were very important. But right now, it seemed like the trail was cold, and it'd be too hard to set it on fire again. The priority now would be to find the mysterious seller, and see what secrets he kept.