At the bed, Tao Hua had finally sat up, his feet dangling off the edge. Next to him, Shan Si sat closely; to his right was an open tin of poultice. He had Tao Hua's arm propped on his leg, back-side up, and was carefully applying it against the affected area.
Not once did Tao Hua flinch, regardless of the pain. Instead, his eyes shifted toward Shan Si's every gentle movement, his lashes lowered in guilt.
Wu Mi was by the door, sending Fang Jian off with Qian Jue, so Tao Hua took the moment to apologise. Under his breath, he said, "I'm so sorry, Shan Si. I'm really sorry. I should have told you sooner, and I—"
"We'll worry about that later," Shan Si replied, reaching over and wrapping his arm up in gauze. Each time Tao Hua glanced up at his expression, he couldn't read it, and that was already too much for him to handle.
So, he just looked away at anything else. The wall, the books, the quilt, wishing he could just lie down and wrap himself up in it.
At the sound of a click! Shan Si glanced up to find Wu Mi strolling her way back, without worry.
"Well?" he inquired, now that it was only the three of them. "Now that it's the three of us, what is it you have to say?"
"There are rats in the palace, Your Highness. Whether it's one or many, I'm unsure."
Tao Hua just stared down at his arm in confusion. Not once did Shan Si pause or contemplate; he continued smoothing out the gauze instead.
When Tao Hua peered up at Shan Si, he found that not even his expression showed any sign of distress.
He asked, "Who?"
"That's what I'd like to know." Wu Mi flipped her skirt, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Let's get the important details out of the way first. Look up, Tao Gu."
Positioning her hand toward Tao Hua's face, she loudly snapped her fingers, jolting him back to sensibility. Though he struggled heavily with looking into her eyes, he still tried.
"How far do you think His Highness can get if you don't speak? Do you expect him to do everything for you?" One look at Shan Si's twisted expression scowling at her, and Wu Mi already knew the optics. She let out a frustrated sigh and said, "If that's what you want, fine! But it doesn't do him any good."
The thing was, Tao Hua wanted to put forth effort, but with everything happening, from his guilt to the pain, and all above, how much could he offer that these two couldn't.
"Just get to the point already," Shan Si frustratingly complained.
"Patience. Before I get your explanation of what happened, I first want to explain to His Highness just what type of poison we're dealing with."
"I…" Shan Si looked down, his brows pinching. "I just don't get why anyone would want to poison him."
"And why would a jealous concubine sabotage a harem? Your Highness, I ask that you remove your bias—for his sake."
"…Fine," Shan Si just glared at her, before side-glancing Tao Hua, who was merely rubbing along his gauze, tracing the seams. He had a look of defeat written on his face, and it wasn't hard for Shan Si to tell just what went through that little mind of his.
Typically, in most situations, Shan Si absolutely despised being played for a fool, but with Tao Hua, he couldn't quite find it in himself to be angered.
Therefore, he implored the situation for Tao Hua's sake entirely.
"What's your hypothesis?"
"If it's what I suspect it to be, the poison is a weak strain, one that isn't difficult to concoct."
"So it's not suited for someone who prefers to complicate things…" Shan Si muttered, as if saying it to ease himself more than anything else.
"Not quite. It takes understanding both your victim and alchemy to choose this poison. Had Tao Gu been honest from the beginning, the poison wouldn't have had such a major impact on him."
It was one jab after another, all making the guilt in Tao Hua's stomach churn.
"What are you trying to say?" Shan Si asked, trying to keep his composure.
"What I'm saying is that the culprit knew Tao Gu well enough to use such a weak poison and bet on its success. Usually, it works in tandem with one's thoughts, muddling them and often sending the victim into turmoil. Usually paired with a searing pain enough to drive someone crazy.
"Think of it as a form of torture, but one not often used due to its low effectiveness. Someone like me or His Highness wouldn't be impacted," Wu Mi explained, holding out the clay jar. "Tao Hua made for the perfect victim due to his weak resolve; that's how simple it is. One look at his actions, and you can already tell he's vulnerable. Luckily, weakness is quite easy to shield using the right methods."
Tao Hua gripped his arm. Though it was true, did she have to say it so matter-of-factly?
Noticing this, Shan Si ordered, "Get to the point and stop dawdling, Wu Mi."
"Fine. What I'm saying is Tao Gu should have lost his mind long ago, and something is stopping it from happening. I don't know if it's intentionally done by the culprit, or if there's more to him than meets the eye," Wu Mi stated, passing the elixir to Shan Si. "We know as much as Tao Gu offers us. Have him take this a few hours before bed—trust me, Your Highness. We'll at least know if I'm right after he's slept."
Holding the clay jar, Shan Si examined it, but the way his brows pinched suggested he felt something was amiss. He placed the elixir in his sleeve and said, "Clearly you have your suspicions, Wu Mi, just fucking say them already."
She laughed bitterly. "Me? I wasn't there in General Wan's study that day, so I'm in no position to explain. Why not ask that wife of yours you so readily trust?"
Shoulders slumping, Tao Hua parted his lips, hesitating before finally saying something. That something?
"I'm so sorry, Shan Si," said with every bit of effort in trying to hold back his emotions.
Chapter end.