The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 128: Stirring Up Trouble (4)

"What? So ruthless?" Yun Qianyue felt a chill rush over her, despite the heat that plagued her body. She snapped, "How could I have been poisoned with such a drug? Tell me, what are its properties, and under what conditions can it be triggered?"

"The Enchantment Elixir is made from the strongest aphrodisiac pollen in the world. It was first created by a notorious rogue a hundred years ago. Its terror lies not only in its potency—capable of killing the victim in two hours if untreated—but also in the fact that it is triggered by a colorless, odorless compound called the primer. Anyone who has ingested this primer will be poisoned upon contact with any kind of pollen or floral fragrance," Rongjing explained slowly.

"So you're saying I ingested the primer earlier, and it was triggered by pollen afterward?" Yun Qianyue pondered, mentally retracing her day. She continued, "I didn't go anywhere today. I stayed with you, then went back to my room, and afterward came to the Nanshan Wishing Tree. I felt fine until I came down from hanging the prayer ribbons there. The tree was covered with sachets, all filled with pollen, so it must have been there that the Enchantment Elixir was activated, right?"

"The primer must be ingested at least half an hour before it reacts with pollen. Based on the timing, you probably didn't ingest it at the Wishing Tree; instead, it was likely triggered by pollen there. The presence of pollen, especially from a flower known as the Love Flower, intensifies the effects of the primer, creating the most potent reaction possible. Think back—when do you think you might have ingested the primer?" Rongjing replied.

Yun Qianyue frowned, thinking hard. "I was only at the Wishing Tree for about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea. Walking there from the North Courtyard was also about the same time, no more than half an hour in total. Before that, I'd just come from my room. Could I have ingested the primer in my room?"

"It seems likely," Rongjing replied.

"Who would want to harm me? Cailian, Ting Xue, Ting Yu... Wait, could it have been my brother Yun Muhan?" Yun Qianyue asked.

"Yun Shizi was also poisoned by the Enchantment Elixir," Rongjing replied calmly.

"What?" Yun Qianyue was shocked. "You mean my brother was poisoned with it as well? So it really was something in my room? Then, could it have been Cailian, Ting Xue, or Ting Yu who did this? They could easily put something like that in my food."

"The primer has to be ingested either in food or drink. Did you eat or drink anything after you returned to your room from mine?" Rongjing asked.

"I ate half a box of pastries that Cailian said were sent by Princess Qingwan. And I drank a cup of tea," Yun Qianyue recalled, feeling a chill as she remembered.

"Then it must have been either the pastries or the tea," Rongjing nodded.

Yun Qianyue considered this. Cailian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu were all sincere, and she had always treated them well. It was hard to believe they would harm her. That left the pastries, which must have contained the primer. Frustrated, she muttered, "My maids wouldn't do this to me. So, Princess Qingwan must be responsible. I've never wronged her. Why would she target me? Doesn't she like my brother? If she wants to marry him, why go after me too? Is she out of her mind?"

Rongjing ignored Yun Qianyue's string of questions and continued calmly, "I sent Xian Ge to call your brother to my courtyard. I knew you didn't want to return to the Yun Prince's residence, so I planned for us to stay longer at Lingtai Temple. I told him you didn't wish to see Master Lingyin and that fate couldn't be forced. But before I could say anything else, I noticed something odd in Yun Shizi's expression, a sign of the Enchantment Elixir's effects. Without revealing it, I exchanged a few words with him and then let him leave. Once he left, I intended to follow him discreetly to find out more."

"And then?" Yun Qianyue recalled how, after leaving her room, she had encountered Yun Muhan, who had just exited Rongjing's courtyard. No wonder he was so quick to reach her. Thinking about it, she clenched her fists in anger. "So it was Princess Qingwan! If she wanted to seduce my brother, she could've done it after we returned to the capital. But targeting me too? That's pure madness."

"It can't be confirmed yet that she's responsible. The Enchantment Elixir is a forbidden drug, and it wouldn't be easy for a princess to obtain it. Although, since she often leaves the palace, it's not impossible that she could get her hands on it," Rongjing said gently. "I didn't notice anything unusual about you at first, and since your hidden guards were nearby, I wasn't concerned. I planned to follow Yun Shizi to see what was happening. I hadn't realized you'd just ingested the primer. Otherwise, I could have prevented it from taking effect."

Yun Qianyue thought back to that moment. She had just eaten the pastry, so it made sense the effects weren't noticeable yet. "So what happened when you went to Princess Qingwan's quarters?"

"She was poisoned by the Enchantment Elixir as well," Rongjing replied.

"What?" Yun Qianyue blinked, surprised. "So my brother had no choice but to be taken down?"

"Taken down?" Rongjing asked, puzzled.

"Meaning, he had no option but to sleep with her. They were both under the influence, so it'd resolve the effects for both of them," Yun Qianyue gritted her teeth. The heat surged hotter within her, the burning sensation almost unbearable. Only where her skin touched Rongjing did she feel some relief.

Rongjing paused before shaking his head. "No. Your brother preferred to die rather than succumb to the poison."

"So loyal?" Yun Qianyue was stunned. "It's not like Princess Qingwan is unattractive. He wouldn't lose anything. Why wouldn't he just go through with it and be done?"