Chapter 23, how about spending the night together?
How cunning, so devious...
If it weren't for her unintentional thought, she probably wouldn't have been able to imagine, no matter how hard she racked her brain, that the secret to her weight gain might be hidden in this crab roe paste!
She crushed the crumbs between her fingertips, clapped her hands to shake off the residue, and turned her gaze to the neatly arranged and artistically presented pyramid-shaped crab roe paste on the table. The small piece at the top of the tower had already been taken by her, leaving only a conical shape with the top cut off.
Huangfu Chang'an tried to recall and realized that almost every time she saw the palace maids taking away the leftover crab roe paste, it was in this shape.
Speaking of which, it was a very common sight, something most people wouldn't pay attention to. Even Huangfu Chang'an herself didn't pay much attention to it, which is why she repeatedly excluded the crab roe paste from her suspicions, even though she knew that her male favorite, Lan Yi, might be involved.
However, upon careful consideration, there was much more to it.
Because of the way the crab roe paste was arranged in this shape, anyone would instinctively go for the topmost piece. It would be inconvenient to reach for other parts, and there was a high chance of ruining the entire plate of pastries. So Huangfu Chang'an usually only ate the top few pieces, especially the one at the very top!
In other words, that particular piece of pastry had a 99% chance of ending up in Huangfu Chang'an's mouth.
Furthermore, Lan Yi and the palace maids all claimed that the original owner of this body loved eating this pastry, and it was made by Lan Yi, her most favored male favorite. So, before she transmigrated here, this body must have consumed much more crab roe paste than now, almost on a daily basis!
Damn it! That's it!
Looking at it from a different perspective, it was easy to deduce that as long as someone tampered with that small piece of crab roe paste, no one would notice anything, even if the rest was divided among the palace maids - all of them were harmless, pesticide-free, residue-free, and pollution-free three-nothing food!
And even if Huangfu Chang'an occasionally didn't touch that thing, if other palace maids mistakenly ate a few pieces, in small doses, it wouldn't result in noticeable weight gain.
Tsk tsk... such meticulous thinking, such deadly methods! Is it because they can't directly stab her with a knife that they came up with this plan to fatten her to death?!
This is so damn malicious! It's even more insane than slow torture!
Huangfu Chang'an didn't know what tricks the hidden mastermind played before Lan Yi entered the palace, but at least now she could be certain and convinced that there was definitely something wrong with this plate of crab roe paste! Otherwise, she couldn't think of a second reason why Lan Yi, such a proud and dignified man, hadn't smashed his head against a wall to prove his innocence after suffering such humiliation, and why he couldn't be driven away!
Afraid of death? Worried about being mocked?!
Hmph! Did he think she would believe his explanation? At least from her observation, she didn't see him as a cowardly guy. Otherwise, when he received thirty lashes that day, he would have cried and begged for leniency, instead of gritting his teeth and enduring it silently.
Those were thirty lashes! Even if they were on the buttocks, if someone had a weaker constitution and developed a disease or something, they could end up dead.
Didn't you hear the great Hungarian pioneer singing on the hill?
"Life is precious, love is even more valuable. If it's for the sake of freedom, both can be abandoned!"
Tsk tsk, he even refused to leave the palace when she offered to send him away. He would rather stay in the Eastern Palace, enduring a miserable life with this despised infatuated fatso, than to show any signs of having ulterior motives. He thinks she's a fool, doesn't he? Well, very well!
She wanted to see what kind of person this damn scoundrel, who had been tricking her for so many years, really was! Damn it, it infuriated her!
Huangfu Chang'an glared angrily at the plate of crab roe paste, finding it more and more annoying. In the end, she couldn't help but brush it off her sleeve and onto the floor--
"Xiao Zhaozi, I accidentally spilled the crab roe paste. Go and ask Lan Yi to make another plate and bring it over."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Huangfu Chang'an wasn't an impulsive person. Her years as a professional assassin had already polished her temperament. She could control even the most intense emotions. Although she did feel angry now and wanted to take a big knife and slash from the Eastern Palace to the Western Palace, and then from the South Gate to the North Gate!
But after all, those were her speculations and deductions. She didn't have enough evidence to accuse anyone, not even Lan Yi!
So, as the first step, she needed to figure out what was mixed into the crab roe paste that caused her to gain so much weight. It had stumped the senior doctors in the Imperial Medical Institute, and even she, a genius doctor with three medical doctoral degrees, hadn't noticed anything!
Indeed, the inner palace was a good place to test one's abilities. Those with weak minds definitely couldn't survive. That little fool managed to survive until now before meeting her demise... Father, you've worked hard!
While Xiao Zhaozi hadn't returned yet, Huangfu Chang'an shouted in the empty room, "Bai Su, come out for a moment."
Two seconds later, a certain elegant royal bodyguard flashed out splendidly, kneeling down with one knee on the ground.
"What does Your Highness command?"
Although it wasn't the first time Huangfu Chang'an had seen this posture, she couldn't help but marvel. Emma, it's so effective! If emergency services were this efficient, the chances of saving injured people would definitely be top-notch!
"I want to know if there are any famous alchemists or similar experts in the imperial city. Those who can concoct elixirs or immortality potions, for example."
Bai Su didn't know why Huangfu Chang'an was asking this, but she carefully considered it and truthfully answered.
"Are there any alchemists who can concoct an elixir of immortality? As for alchemy... I believe some of the officials in the Taiyin Court may have some knowledge in that area."
Huangfu Chang'an shook her head.
"I don't want government officials. Are there any reputable alchemist in the common folk?"
Having recently transmigrated to this world, she was still unfamiliar with the entire world, especially this perplexing and scheming palace. She kept her distance and remained cautious, especially since, based on her observations, aside from her doting imperial brother, everyone else despised her to the core and almost wished to strangle her.
The palace was so dangerous, she couldn't act openly. What if she happened to encounter an official who was her sworn enemy? That would ruin her plans.
Upon hearing Huangfu Chang'an's question, Bai Su quickly understood her intention and recommended a sorcerer who had some reputation among the common people.
"There's a Taoist temple in the north of the city, and the venerable Chen Yue Shi is skilled in alchemy and medicine. He provides free medical consultations to the people every fifteenth of the month and it is said that he has cured many difficult and miscellaneous illnesses... Would this person be suitable for Your Highness?"
Someone who could practice alchemy and had knowledge of medicine would be ideal!
Huangfu Chang'an's face lit up. "Then let's find him!"
She had already examined the crab roe paste and eaten it without noticing anything amiss. So, she couldn't rely on her naked eye or taste buds to detect anything. She could only analyze it through experimentation. However, ancient times did not have such good experimental conditions, so she had to find an alchemist to try and find a breakthrough.
"When does Your Highness plan to leave the palace?"
"There's no time like the present, so today!"
Seeing Huangfu Chang'an's excited expression, Bai Su couldn't bear to dampen her spirits.
"The Bai'an Mountain is quite high, and there's only a small stone path leading up the mountain. The venerable Chen Yue Shi only comes down for medical consultations on the fifteenth of every month. Today is the first day of the month, even if Your Highness shows the crown prince's waist token, I'm afraid the venerable won't come down... Does Your Highness really not want to wait a few more days?"
Huangfu Chang'an waved her hand.
"I can't wait anymore! Can't you see how urgent I am?"
Knowing that her mistress insisted on enduring hardships, Bai Su realized that further persuasion would be futile. She refrained from saying more and sighed inwardly... That mountain is really high!
After Lan Yi brought in the crab roe paste again, Huangfu Chang'an felt annoyed just looking at his face. She couldn't directly beat him up, so she thought for a moment and approached him with a swaying motion. She grabbed his hand and discreetly tucked it into her embrace, gently asking him.
"Xiao Lan, after you left earlier, I carefully thought about it. I have been neglecting you lately, even though you were my most beloved male attendant in the past. Although I have forgotten the past, you haven't committed any major offenses, and actually... I quite like you... So, in order to prevent others from bullying you, why don't you... come to attend to me tonight?"
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