Chapter 325

“What do you have to say, young doctor?” Counselor Wu, an advisor to the Emperor, asked. His long white beard swayed as he spoke, catching Xihao’s attention. Xihao was about to say something, but was interrupted.

“Counselor, why would you listen to the nonsense of this child? I believe the only issue we need to discuss about him is how he’s interfering with the competition,” Yi Dai said nervously. Royal Physician Zhu noticed Yi Dai’s anxious behavior and sensed something was amiss between him and the large man in front of him.

Being just a royal physician from a subordinate region of the Hu Empire, it wouldn’t be wise to become an adversary to them. Therefore, Royal Physician Zhu’s demeanor changed slightly.

His eyes fell on Xihao’s messy, unorganized answer. But upon closer inspection, he was astonished because the child’s answer was correct. Compared to the previous answer, which lacked detail and had some misunderstandings, the one-year-old’s response was accurate.

This increased his curiosity about the young boy, but not in a negative way, at least not while Master Wu was present.

“Master Yi, it seems the child’s answer is correct,” he stated, causing Yi Dai to freeze in shock.

He looked at Royal Physician Zhu, who had initially supported him but had now declared that the one-year-old’s answer was accurate! What did this mean? Yi Dai had just accused Xihao of causing trouble, but now the physician accompanying him confirmed that the child’s answer was correct. Wasn’t this like slapping him in the face?

“Even if it’s correct, shouldn’t the answer be something his mother told him?” Yi Dai insisted.

“The judges would never allow such cheating. If answers were shared, it would have been stopped immediately,” Representative Ma interjected. Seeing himself surrounded, Yi Dai became furious.

“Fine, fine. If it’s correct, then let’s move on. Let’s find answers to other questions. Otherwise, if Royal Physician Zhu doesn’t answer any questions, he can’t blame me,” Yi Dai was smart. He grabbed Royal Physician Zhu’s arm and tried to drag him away as quickly as possible. The physician was reluctant to oppose him. As the other party dragged him away, he had no choice but to follow.

However, as they were walking past Counselor Wu, the old man placed his hand on Yi Dai’s shoulder.

The weight of the arm made Yi Dai feel as if his own arm would break. His face turned dark as various thoughts raced through his mind, realizing that the root of this trouble was... the one-year-old child!

This meant if the child was no longer able to speak...

Thud!

Just as he thought this, the malice in his eyes had to pause. Who would have thought that the counselor, who had a smiling face, could suddenly appear as a demon?! His gaze at Yi Dai seemed to convey that he knew everything. It was as if Counselor Wu understood all of Yi Dai’s thoughts. So, the only choice was to die peacefully or to die in torment!

People said that Counselor Wu was the most frightening person in the region, second only to the Emperor. Initially, Yi Dai did not believe it because he had never worked with the counselor before. Seeing only his smiling face, Yi Dai assumed that such a person must be the weakest in the region. He had thought that if not for his intelligence, the Emperor wouldn’t have appointed him to the special position of counselor!

But now he knew. That fear, he only knew it by looking into the other person’s eyes!

“Stay and listen. I have a feeling this involves you,” Counselor Wu said, smiling as always. He no longer looked at Yi Dai, who had collapsed to the ground, but turned his gaze to the young boy who had spoken earlier.

Previously, he had heard that Furen Mu from the Bai Region had saved Representative Ma. The Ma manor, like his own Wu manor, often had people falling ill or dying. He had ordered investigations into the causes and searched for the culprits, but found nothing. When he heard that the Ma manor’s issues were due to a poison that was hard to detect, he tried to investigate but found no abnormalities.

He had thought that he should meet Furen Mu to have her check for any hidden issues. But before they had a chance to discuss anything, he happened to overhear her son speak about it.

"Young doctor, why don’t you share the details?" He flashed a sweet smile at Xihao again, but the little boy, feeling scared, hid behind his mother, Yueqian.

"T-The investigation, let my mother handle it," he said. Yueqian flicked his forehead immediately.

You created this situation, and now you won’t finish it? She had already helped Representative Ma once, and helping another might seem too deliberate. Besides, she wanted Xihao to gain some influence here. Initially, she thought he could try to befriend a prince of similar age or a powerful young girl here. She didn’t expect such a significant opportunity to present itself so easily.

But now little Xihao didn’t want to take it and was passing the task to her?

"O-Ouch, that hurts!" He exclaimed when she flicked his forehead.

"Tell Master Wu what you know."

"Haha, little one, I won’t punish you. Go ahead and tell me something interesting," Counselor Wu said encouragingly. Xihao slowly stepped out from hiding, clutching one of Yueqian’s hands and one of Mu Heng’s. It was as if he believed that if anything happened, his parents would protect him. They were his comfort and security.

"There is poison at Wu’s household. The poison dissolves in the waterfall."

"Hmm? What do you mean, in the waterfall?"

"In the waterfall," Xihao repeated. He believed that just saying this should be enough for the other party to understand, right?

The reason for the constant troubles and weak health of the people in the Wu manor, except for Counselor Wu and the sole surviving son of the long-deceased third wife... was that the women liked to play in the waterfall. Which houses didn’t have women? Only Counselor Wu’s and the house of the third wife’s son.

He was the only one without any sisters. No, he was the only one without any siblings left. And he hadn’t married yet, as he was only fifteen years old. Counselor Wu wasn’t one to indulge in frivolities. He didn’t value having many wives for his son; instead, he preferred spending time on studies. To earn favor, he dedicated all his time to reading books, and this plan had been quite successful.

However, someone without a mother and maternal family to support him, like he was, would find it hard to become the next heir despite the favor he received. Being smart, he understood this well.

Back to the present, Counselor Wu gave a few orders to his subordinates, who then left to investigate. Yi Dai’s face turned pale. He couldn’t comprehend how this child knew so much, including details that no one else should know. But this child knew all of this?!

The operations in the Wu manor were more meticulous than in the Ma manor because they had to handle things themselves. Investigating this was dangerous as it would bring trouble upon them all. Everyone knew how formidable the Wu manor was. The mere vigilance of Counselor Wu in detecting anomalies proved how difficult it was to infiltrate.

Yi Dai’s eyes trembled violently as he waited in silence for the investigation to conclude. Soon, the large man who had left returned, holding a bottle of perfume commonly used by women.

"This is the perfume that your furens and daughters frequently use. An initial examination revealed that it contains poison that can harm anyone who inhales it," the other party reported, causing Counselor Wu’s expression to darken immediately.

He had previously ordered thorough investigations but had overlooked something so simple? Who would have thought that the perfume required detailed scrutiny? His people had even bought perfumes from the shop for testing without alerting anyone.

Unexpectedly, this perfume was specially made for the Wu manor!

Was someone plotting to harm them to this extent? It was a truly cunning plan! Using the scent that clung to the body after bathing to weaken the men in the household while causing even more severe suffering for the women—what kind of scheme was this?!

The reason he was unaffected was likely because the women he would spend the night with did not go to play in the simulated waterfall. They had to bathe and prepare in the pavilion to welcome him, so he didn’t inhale the poisonous scent.

“Find the culprit. The Wu manor will not let anyone play tricks so easily. They must pay for the losses they’ve caused!” Counselor Wu spoke earnestly and gravely before looking at Xihao in surprise.

In truth, he had suspected that this child was unusual, but he hadn’t expected his words to be so accurate. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

"A monk taught me." Without waiting for Counselor Wu to ask, Xihao spoke up his own excuse first.

"A monk?" Counselor Wu paused for a moment. However, as an advisor to the emperor, he was well aware of the affairs of various regions, big or small. He remembered that there was a holy monk in the Bai Region. But normally, didn’t this monk usually avoid worldly matters unless absolutely necessary? So then...

“Oh, I heard that the monk had made many predictions about Xiao Mu. No wonder he taught Xiao Mu.” Representative Ma, who had visited the Bai Region and heard about this, clapped his hands as if he had figured things out, even though his understanding was only superficial.

This action was to protect Xihao, as a way to repay Yueqian for her previous help. Seeing that Counselor Wu was about to corner Xihao, he stepped in to defend him.

“Is that so?” Counselor Wu, of course, understood Representative Ma’s intentions. But he was not an ungrateful person. Although he was wise and could discern what was right and wrong, it was already unusual for a one-year-old child to be so knowledgeable. Still, he didn’t make it a point of contention.

After all, the boy had already become a benefactor of the Wu manor. Not only should he not be doubted, but he should be rewarded! Unknowingly... Xihao had gained a large-bodied ally!

“Well then, I won’t disturb you any longer. There are matters in the Wu manor to handle. Enjoy the event. I only came to check on things before reporting to the emperor. If it weren’t for the coincidence that the young doctor saved me, we might never have known the cause.” The Counselor said, glancing one last time at Yi Dai, who was confused and frightened.

“Official Yi, we can discuss this later. I’ve heard you’ve been quite close with my son recently. I wonder what you’ve been talking about. I’ll invite you all to have a conversation another day.”

Counselor Wu said before leaving.

Before dealing with outsiders, he would have to check on his admirable son to see what he was up to!The duty of a wise person is not to scheme against their own family, but to protect it! It seems the other party has misunderstood.