“My Lord, should we refuse…” Liang Bo asked, glancing at Jun Mohan.
“Let him send it in. I’m rather hungry,” Jun Mohan said after a moment of thought.
Leng Ruo Li stood to the side, saying nothing. In truth, she had already signaled her agreement with Jun Mohan’s decision.
“Very well, this old servant will open the door and let him in.”
Upon saying this, Liang Bo walked out of the house to the bamboo fence gate, opened it, and invited Ju Jian Xing in. However, Ju Jian Xing refused to enter the house.
“Uncle Liang, I have already eaten. This is for the three of you. I won’t be coming in,” Ju Jian Xing said to Liang Bo with a smile.
“Since that’s the case, then as you wish. I thank you on behalf of the Prince and Princess Consort.”
Noticing Ju Jian Xing’s slightly awkward expression, Liang Bo did not press him further.
Afterward, Ju Jian Xing handed the bamboo basket filled with food to Liang Bo and hurried away.
Liang Bo watched Ju Jian Xing leave, immediately closed the bamboo fence gate, and returned to the house.
“My Lord, Princess Consort, should we eat this food?” Liang Bo asked the couple.
“Uncle Liang, please open it and take a look first,” Leng Ruo Li said.
Liang Bo nodded slightly at her words.
He then lifted the lid of the bamboo basket. The first layer contained stewed eel and a small dish of greens, which smelled quite fragrant. Liang Bo took out these two dishes, then lifted the second layer. The second layer held a portion of stir-fried chicken with chili and a bowl of white rice. Although the portions of the dishes and rice were not large, they would be enough to fill the stomachs of the three of them to about half-full.
“Li’er, is there something wrong with this food?” Jun Mohan asked, glancing at the dishes Liang Bo had taken out of the bamboo basket.
“Yes, this bowl of white rice has been laced with a mesmerising powder. It’s a slow-acting, colorless, and odorless poison. This shows the poisoner is extremely skilled,” Leng Ruo Li said, pointing at the bowl of rice on the table.
Hearing this, Liang Bo immediately became enraged. He cursed in a low voice, “This scoundrel (referring to Ju Jian Xing) indeed has ill intentions. Then, Princess Consort, how should we handle this food?”
“These dishes are not poisoned and can be eaten. However, since you two know that someone has poisoned you, you probably can’t eat this food anymore. But if we openly discard this food or leave it on the table uneaten, he will notice that we are wary of him and become more cautious, making it harder for him to reveal himself.”
“Why don’t we play along? I’ll pretend to have eaten all this food, succumb to the poison, and fall unconscious on the table. Then, we can see what that person truly intends to do. What do you two think?”
Leng Ruo Li said meaningfully, revealing her plan.
“Alright, Li’er, we’ll do as you say and pretend to be unconscious.” Jun Mohan agreed with Leng Ruo Li’s plan.
“But this food on the table… perhaps this old servant could take it to the backyard and bury it in a hole?”
Liang Bo glanced at the items placed on the table.
“Uncle Liang, no. If my guess is correct, Ju Jian Xing is likely hiding nearby, monitoring our every move. If you take these things to the backyard and bury them, he will definitely see you,” Leng Ruo Li said with a smile, looking at Liang Bo.
“My Lord, Princess Consort, this won’t do, and that won’t do either. If we don’t deal with them soon, Ju Jian Xing might come to clear the dishes,” Liang Bo said, sounding a little anxious.
“Don’t be afraid! Uncle Liang, close your eyes for a moment. I’ll show you a magic trick.”
Although Liang Bo was filled with suspicion and didn’t understand what “magic trick” Leng Ruo Li was talking about, he obediently closed his eyes.
A moment later, Leng Ruo Li told Liang Bo to open his eyes.
He saw that the three dishes on the table had vanished into thin air. He was stunned on the spot.
“Princess Consort, these dishes…” Liang Bo pointed at the empty dishes on the table.
Leng Ruo Li did not answer Liang Bo directly. She quickly put a finger to her lips and made a silencing gesture.
Jun Mohan also raised his finger and pointed outside the courtyard. Liang Bo turned to look outside, immediately closed his mouth, and then the three of them swiftly sat down and slumped onto the table, feigning unconsciousness.
Ju Jian Xing shouted “Uncle Liang” three times from outside the courtyard’s bamboo fence, but received no response.
He then reached out, opened the bamboo fence gate, and walked in with a smug expression. He entered the house and saw the Prince, Princess Consort, and Liang Bo all lying on the table as if unconscious.
The corners of Ju Jian Xing’s mouth turned downwards, revealing a sinister expression. His small eyes were as narrow as his heart.
“Haha, you’ve finally fallen for my trap,” Ju Jian Xing laughed heartily.
After laughing, he still felt uneasy. He shouted loudly a few more times near the ears of the Prince and Princess Consort and Liang Bo. Seeing that they showed no reaction, Ju Jian Xing finally felt relieved.
He then ran out for a moment, found a cart from outside, placed it outside the small courtyard, and then dragged the three unconscious people from inside the house onto the cart.
As he dragged Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mohan, he even glanced at them lewdly, patted their faces a few times, and then pushed the cart away.
Thus, Ju Jian Xing pushed the cart, bumping and scraping, taking the three of them to a small grove behind the village. He arrived at the base of an ancient tree covered in thick vines.
“Master, I have brought them,” Ju Jian Xing said respectfully towards the middle of the thick vines.
After he finished speaking, he stood by the ancient tree covered in thick vines and waited for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Then, he heard an old voice, indistinguishable as male or female.
“Enter!”
“Yes, Master!”
Ju Jian Xing said, cupping his hands respectfully.
Instantly, the thick vines on the ancient tree moved aside, revealing a large opening. Ju Jian Xing nimbly pushed the three people from the cart into the opening.
However, he did not notice that while he was talking to the person inside the tree hollow with his back to the three people on the cart, the Prince and Princess Consort had already thoroughly observed their surroundings. After he finished speaking with that person, they closed their eyes again.
Subsequently, the three of them were pushed into this large tree hollow by Ju Jian Xing.
However, what was surprising was that behind this tree hollow was actually a spacious and dark rock cave. It was dim and cool inside, and the sound of dripping water could be heard. The silence was enough to instill fear.
Only a beam of sunlight shone down from the top of the rock cave, adding a little light to it. Otherwise, the cave would have been pitch black, making it impossible to see one’s own fingers.
“Where are they?”
The aged voice inside the rock cave asked Ju Jian Xing, with its back still turned.
“Oh, they are on the cart that I pushed in,” Ju Jian Xing replied.
Hearing his answer, the figure slowly turned around.