The apothecary clerk immediately became wary. "What does this patron want it for?"
Zhu Ci smiled. "Don't worry, I only need a single petal. I wonder if you have any here?"
One petal?
The apothecary clerk sized up this guest, seeing that he wore a scholar's cap, he knew he was a scholar, but he still said cautiously, "I must go and ask the shopkeeper."
Zhu Ci nodded, not at all surprised by the other man's caution.
Mandrake is toxic throughout. Ever since it became used in medicine, it has been strictly controlled in every dynasty, so it is only natural for a pharmacy to be cautious when selling it.
After the shopkeeper of the pharmacy came out, Zhu Ci could tell at a glance that this person came from a noble or wealthy background. After inquiring cautiously, the shopkeeper said, "One tael for two cloves is certainly possible, but it is best to register your identity, honored guest."
If a poisoning incident actually occurred, it would be easier to trace the source; otherwise, his entire family would end up in prison.
Zhu Ci naturally didn't care; after using the identity of a traveler to register at the inn, he went elsewhere to buy Chuanwu and Caowu.
Once these three things were mixed together, they became the famous Knockout Powder.
In addition to these two medicinal ingredients, he also bought several sets of ordinary clothing, intending to disguise himself as a destitute scholar later.
Afterward, he bought another jar of wine. He did not get up until noon the next day, having wasted time, then had the inn serve him food.
When he took out the wine pot, Akuan and Ahong hurriedly advised, "Young Master, wait, the two of us still have to drive the carriage and ride horses, so we cannot drink."
Zhu Ci smiled and said, "Don't worry, this is the famous local rice wine, not strong liquor. Just have a little bit."
Akuan and Ahong hurriedly took the wine pot to pour the wine.
Zhu Ci picked up his wine cup and used his sleeve to shield it, pouring all the wine directly onto the cloth inside his sleeve.
Akuan and Ahong had no choice but to decline and drink a few cups as well.
Zhu Ci ate his meal leisurely. Although the Knockout Powder was effective, it worked very slowly, taking at least half an hour to an hour to take effect, so he had no choice but to stall for time.
After finishing the meal right on schedule and having the place cleaned up, he once again feigned that his travel permit had been lost and searched for it in a panic.
After helping him search for a while, Akuan and Ahong suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded.
Zhu Ci turned his back to them to pack his belongings, only breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the sound of the two men collapsing.
After moving the two eunuchs onto the bed, he packed his things and quickly led his horse out of the stables and departed.
To avoid taking their lives, he had administered a very small dose. These two might wake up at any moment, he had to leave quickly. Since riding a horse was forbidden within the city, he could only lead the horse by the reins as he made his way out of the city.
As a result, upon arriving at the city gate, he discovered that two squads of the Bingmasi had begun driving the civilians into the narrow alleys.
Zhu Ci glanced at the city gate and saw that heavy troops had also begun to guard the entrance, causing his heart to sink.
This shouldn't be aimed at him, right?
It hadn't even been half a shichen since leaving the inn; Akuan and Ahong certainly wouldn't be awake yet, even if they were, they would likely try to find their own way first.
Even if they had gone to find the Prefect of Jiaxing, they wouldn't have arrived this quickly.
Unless the Emperor knew that he and Zhu Ci were not in the procession; however, if Zhu Yousong dared to arrange for people to arrest them so openly, he wouldn't have resorted to secretly arranging assassins.
Zhu Ci gripped the reins tightly, standing amidst the crowd with an expression as calm as usual, even asking with a look of curiosity, "Brother, what is going on here?"
Although the military authorities were constantly driving the crowds away, Zhu Ci observed that there were more people at the city gates than anywhere else, most likely having come to watch the spectacle.
That man said in a local dialect, "Wait, the Marquis of Huating is entering the city."
The Marquis of Huating?
Fu?
Zhu Ci breathed a massive sigh of relief; as long as they weren't there to arrest him, it was fine.
Before long, the Marquis's ceremonial procession began to slowly enter the city.
Zhu Ci stood amidst the crowd, feigning the same curiosity as everyone else as he looked on.
The carriage Fu was riding in approached slowly. With the carriage windows open, Zhu Ci could see the Marquis of Huating sitting inside reading a book at a single glance.
What surprised him was that the Marquis of Huating was actually wearing something similar to a veiled hat inside the carriage.
Soft white gauze covered Zhu Ci's face, making it impossible to see clearly; he highly doubted how the other person could see the words in the book while wearing such a thing.
Besides that, the most surprising thing was the hand the other person revealed.
Those hands were slender and elegant, with knuckles like bamboo, but the skin was so pale it was almost translucent. Because he was standing in the front row, Zhu Ci could even see the veins and vessels on the back of the hand.
Those were definitely not the hands of a healthy person.
Just as he was thinking about these things, the carriage slowly passed by his location, that mysterious Marquis of Huating suddenly turned his head to take a look.
In that instant, even through the thin veil of the crowd, Zhu Ci felt as if his gaze had met the Marquis of Huating's for a fleeting moment.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: So mysterious, people who act like this are usually not good people. A kitty hides in a cardboard box to observe secretly. jpg
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Chapter 23
Inside the carriage, Fu withdrew his gaze and said, "Send someone to inform Chunsheng and Qiulu so they don't need to stay there anymore."
The attendant tending the charcoal brazier immediately responded, then turned and made a gesture to the outside, giving a few low instructions.
After finishing all this, he asked with some confusion, "Marquis, are we no longer looking after the Crown Prince?"
The Crown Prince has already left; he will not return to that relay station.
The attendant was surprised. "How did you know?"
Fu Cai put down the book in his hands and said, "Just now, there was a youth by the roadside leading a chestnut horse. Send someone to watch him, see where he is going, report everything he does along the way truthfully."
The attendant was astonished. "That is the Crown Prince? Why is he here? Are we not going to capture him and bring him back?"
Fu let out a light chuckle. "No rush. This Marquis wants to see what purpose he has, wandering alone under a false name."
The attendant was clearly also somewhat puzzled: "Even for a dignified Crown Prince, even if he were traveling incognito, he should still have people following him. How could he be out all alone?"
Fu did not answer. He did not know why, but he thought it was very likely that His Highness the Crown Prince had simply shaken off the people following him.
The spy's news arrived early the next morning.
However, that was not the result Fu wanted to know.
He put down the chopsticks in his hands and asked unhurriedly while wiping his hands, "Are you saying we've lost the person we're following?"
The attendant immediately knelt on one knee. "I beg the Marquis to punish me."
“I have underestimated him.” Fu put down the cloth. “Go and receive your punishment on your own.”
The attendant gave a low response and said, "Marquis, do you wish to send more people? The people sent previously said the direction the Crown Prince is traveling seems to be toward Suzhou Prefecture."
Suzhou Prefecture.." Fu lowered his eyes and said after a long pause, "Go investigate.
..
Zhu Ci looked up at the mulberry tree overhead, only after confirming that no one was around did he feel at ease. He sat under the tree, letting the chestnut horse graze, while he took a short rest.
It must be said that there is a significant difference between riding for pleasure and using a horse as a means of transportation.
After traveling for only half a day, he felt as if he were about to fall apart.
Of course, the most important thing was that there was a segment where he had been running for his life, which was even more exhausting.
There was no other way; he had to run.
When he was leaving the city gate, he felt as if someone was watching him, after walking for a while, he was even more certain that someone was following him.
However, the opposition was also very cunning, with people constantly coming and going on the official highway, he could not catch those two no matter what methods he used.
Zhu Ci could not ignore his own safety just to catch the people, most importantly, if these two individuals had ulterior motives, wouldn't going to a remote location play right into their hands?
Even if they didn't originally intend to take his life, what if they discovered his identity was exposed and killed him to keep it a secret?
After thinking it over several times, Zhu Ci decided he still wanted to find a way to shake those two.
Along the way, he continued to follow the official highway. The highway was crowded with people; no matter how brutal those two thugs were, they wouldn't dare commit violence on the official highway in broad daylight.
Similarly, he had no chance to shake off his pursuers, so he had no choice but to change his plans.
He had originally intended to head straight for Tongli in Suzhou Prefecture, but now he had no choice but to make his stop in the closer Pingwang.
After entering Pingwang, he went straight to an ordinary inn to stay. His room was on the second floor of the inn. As he went upstairs, he intentionally walked a bit slowly, out of the corner of his eye, he indeed saw the two people following him had also come to this inn to stay.
Once the target was identified, everything would be easy.
Zhu Ci feigned ignorance, leaving his luggage upstairs before turning and heading out the door again, allowing those two to follow him.
He first went to the Ju Lai Money Exchange to exchange a large-denomination banknote for smaller ones, took the opportunity to exchange ten taels of silver into loose silver to carry with him.
After finishing the exchange, Zhu Ci had just stepped out of the money exchange when he bumped into a youth.
The two people following him were at a considerable distance, only seeing that His Highness the Crown Prince help the person up very cordially, speaking several words in a kind and gentle manner, finally even giving him a piece of broken silver.
Although they didn't know what he was saying, it wasn't surprising to the two of them.
Along the way, they had come to realize that this Crown Prince was quite frail and possessed a soft heart; his respect for the elderly and love for the young was hardly different from the ideal gentleman described by scholars.
However, to be safe, they sent one person to follow the youth, wanting to see if there was anything strange.
The other followed Zhu Ci back to the inn.
Upon returning to the room, Zhu Ci breathed a small sigh of relief. Even though the inn's rooms weren't very soundproof, even though the stalker was in the adjacent room, at least they couldn't stare at him openly; at most, they could only listen to the sounds coming from his room to judge whether he had stepped out.
Zhu Ci acted as if he had noticed nothing, continuing to eat and drink as usual. After finishing lunch, he went to the latrine.
Of course, he had someone following him to the latrine, but this time, Zhu Ci stopped in his tracks and looked at that person.
The man wore a wide-brimmed hat characteristic of this era, he even lowered the brim when Zhu Ci looked his way.
Sigh, these people have no manners.
This hat is meant for shade. What are you shading in the middle of winter? It makes it look like you have ulterior motives.
Zhu Ci indeed showed a strange expression on his face; after all, it would only be a problem if he had reacted normally upon seeing someone in such unusual attire.