Fu Jing Shu's face darkened. "Go wait downstairs."
With that, he slammed the door shut.
King, thankfully quick to dodge, narrowly avoided having his nose smashed. He touched his prominent nose bridge and turned to head downstairs.
"No good deed goes unpunished… I shouldn't have bothered preparing breakfast for you all…"
When Fu Jing Shu and Shen Qing Qing had tidied up and came downstairs, they saw a simple breakfast laid out on the table: a few slices of bread, some sausages, a couple of fried eggs, and a cup of milk for each of them.
"Come, eat. After this, we'll go back for the final battle."
Shen Qing Qing hadn't felt anything amiss after taking a bite, but Fu Jing Shu looked up at King, seemingly surprised.
This guy could actually fry an egg quite well.
Yet, he looked like someone whose fingers had never touched anything practical, and even preparing breakfast was incredibly simple.
It was quite unexpected.
However, he didn't say anything. He had seen King's expectant gaze, but he chose to ignore it.
Dream on if you expect praise from him!
King's hopeful gaze fell, and he took a bite of bread, but a flicker of a smile quickly crossed his eyes.
After finishing their meal, the three prepared to leave.
The road back to the palace was not smooth. They were obstructed along the way, but they dealt with all the challenges. Most difficult of all, the palace gates were in sight, yet they were guarded, with everyone entering and exiting being scrutinized.
They hid in the shadows and overheard the situation.
Apparently, assassins had entered the palace last night and poisoned the King. An investigation was underway, and ministers and princes were all staying in the palace to care for the King.
Therefore, the guards at the palace gates were extremely strict, and everyone entering or leaving had to be thoroughly searched.
Shen Qing Qing bit her lip. "We need to find a way in. I wonder how the old man is doing… Has he figured out the antidote? The King's condition…"
They couldn't wait.
King, however, had great confidence in the old man. "Don't worry, that old man will definitely succeed. The problem now is that it's difficult for us."
If they couldn't get in, they couldn't bring out the special medicine, and they wouldn't be able to see the old man.
Even if the old man had the antidote, he probably wouldn't dare to give it to the King easily, as they were outside within Pei Xi's sphere of influence.
"I'll distract them. You find an opportunity to go in."
King made a decision in an instant.
Shen Qing Qing strongly disagreed. "Are you crazy? If they catch you now, who knows what they'll do to you? And they'll definitely use you to threaten us."
"Do you think I'll be caught that easily?"
"Absolutely not," Shen Qing Qing, fearing he might run, grabbed his wrist and held him back, much to King's helplessness.
Just then, Shen Qing Qing's peripheral vision caught sight of a car approaching.
The passenger window was open, and she saw the person inside. It was Nicole.
"We have a way."
…
Meanwhile, inside the palace, the old man's research had made significant progress, but with guards outside, he kept it quiet.
When Pei Ji came to see him and inquired about the antidote, the old man shook his head.
Pei Ji's face was filled with disappointment. "It's alright, we'll try again. We definitely can. I believe in you."
The old man looked at him with a complex expression and remained silent for a long time. As Pei Ji was about to leave, he suddenly asked,
"Has the girl returned?"
"No." Pei Ji turned, his eyes slightly red. He hadn't slept for a day and a night, and was now relying solely on sheer willpower to stay upright. "Don't worry, I've already asked a friend to go look for them. I'll bring them back as soon as I find them."
The forces within the palace couldn't be used, but his friends outside could still help.
Perhaps Pei Xi didn't take him seriously and didn't worry about him seeking help, as he hadn't blocked his communication with the outside world at all.
However, he could understand it from another perspective.
His father was in mortal danger. As long as he wanted his father to live, he had to keep it a secret.
The old man waved his hand and turned back to fiddle with his collection of bottles and jars. Pei Ji sighed and gently closed the door.
He went to see his father.
His father now lay in bed, completely unconscious. His mother and eldest brother were by his side, and Pei Xing also visited from time to time.
He did the same.
The main thing was not to have too many people around. The old man had said that too many people would reduce air circulation, which was not good for the King.
So, the four of them took turns watching over their father.
At this time, he wouldn't trust anyone else with his father's care.
Fortunately, Pei Xi had only locked them up and hadn't restricted their freedom to move around the palace.
But they couldn't leave.
Pei Ji was aware of Pei Xi's orders, but he was in no mood or capacity to deal with them at the moment.
He patted his mother's shoulder. "You should go rest. My second brother and I will look after Father. Second Brother will be here shortly."
The Queen's complexion was also not good. She had only recently recovered from a serious illness, and now she was weak and pale.
Yet, she insisted on staying. "I need to be here for your father."
Pei Ji was worried. "Mother, you can't endure this. I believe Miss Shen will return soon, and the poison doctor will also find the antidote quickly."
The Queen turned to look at him. "Poison doctor? Have you asked the poison doctor?"
Pei Ji hesitated. Seeing his mother's fragile state, he felt he couldn't say too much and therefore nodded, giving her hope.
"The poison doctor said that with a little more time, the antidote will be developed."
The Queen's heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally eased a little. With red eyes, she said, "That's good. Then your father will be saved."
Pei Ji's heart ached.
His mother's and father's affection for each other had truly remained the same for decades.
Meanwhile, at the main entrance, a search was underway. Nicole's car was stopped at the gate, and she poked her head out of the passenger window.
"What are you doing? You're stopping even my car?"
"Apologies, this is the Fourth Prince's order. We are merely acting on orders, please do not make things difficult for us."
Nicole was very displeased. "Who's making things difficult? I'm here to see the Fourth Prince. I heard the King was poisoned, and he must be very worried. As his fiancée, I have the right to visit him. If you don't let me in, I'll have my father arrest all of you!"
Besides his own title, Duke Chapulin was also in charge of palace security.
He had the authority to deal with the guards.
Upon hearing this, the guards indeed became fearful.
"Miss Nicole, we are also acting under orders. How about this: let us go through the motions. As long as everyone else thinks we've searched, you can enter."
The other party had made a concession, and Nicole agreed.
"Search."
Since they said it was just for show, it involved merely peeking inside the window. Nicole's car was followed by three other cars.
Each driver was a bodyguard with dark glasses and tight lips.
When the guard looked at the last car, he vaguely saw that there seemed to be someone inside and leaned in to look.
"What?" The bodyguard blocked him.
"Let me see inside," the guard insisted, trying to peer in.
"This is a gift Miss Nicole has prepared for the Fourth Prince. Do you want to open it now?" the bodyguard's voice was calm, laced with amusement. "If you want to unpack the gift for the Fourth Prince, that's fine too, but I need to ask Miss Nicole first. Miss Ni…"
He made a move as if to call out, and the guard, remembering Nicole's difficult temperament, quickly stopped him.
"Forget it, forget it. I won't look. You can go."
The cars drove in one after another.
Nicole didn't look back. Naturally, she didn't notice that another car had joined the convoy behind hers.