The old man sat down next to Han Xin at the table, and Han Xin poured him a cup of tea. The steam curled up between them as the old man continued, "The sleeping thorn plant isn’t easy to find. It grows in the grasslands of the east. To gather enough of it, someone would have had to travel for months and then return the powder to Yige. It’s too much work for a poison when there are plenty of others that are more easily accessible and cheaper. They especially brought it for a wolf in my opinion."
Han Xin nodded thoughtfully. "If the sleeping thorn flower is addictive to wolves, would that make them aggressive?"
The old man took a sip of his tea, savouring the warmth. "Yes, the wolf would become aggressive if it didn’t get its fix. It would follow that scent until it found what it needed."
Han Xin’s mind raced as he recalled Peng Xiu’s words: "Would you have preferred it was you." The realisation hit him like a bolt of lightning. Based on her words it meant someone had tried to use the wolf to attack him. But who?
A regular wolf wouldn’t be easy to control and send his way so they used this method to ensure their objective was achieved. But what was their objective?
If it was to kill him then there were better alternatives to achieve that. The purpose must not have been to kill him because he would still be able to deal with the wolf, but it would have been a bit more difficult. He looked at his uncle, his expression thoughtful.
Han Zhan reached into his sleeve and pulled out an envelope, carefully unfolding the paper inside without touching it. "What about this?" Han Xin asked, turning to his uncle. "It had faint traces of poison, but we couldn’t determine which one."
The old man raised his brow wondering what sort of enemy did his nephew provoke. He took the envelope and walked back to the other room. He took a whiff of the paper, his eyes narrowing in concentration. He began running a series of tests, taking much longer than he had with the wolf.
While they waited, Han Zhan turned to Han Xin. "What do you make of the wolf attack?"
Han Xin leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "I think someone wanted to use the wolf to attack me for some purpose. But the princess intercepted it before it even reached the hot spring."
Han Zhan nodded slowly still unable to reconcile the image of Peng Xiu saving Han Xin. It didn’t make any sense. "So, the wolf was coming to the hot spring, attracted by the sleeping thorn poison."
"Mm," Han Xin replied. "If we search the hot spring area, we might find traces of it."
Just then, the old man returned, his face grave. "The poison on the paper is something quite sinister. Its underground name is Draught of Love," he confirmed. "But it is mixed with something I can’t quite identify yet. Whoever did this is skilled, very skilled. They made it extremely potent and addictive. As the receiver touches the paper reading those words they mistake the physical reaction for love. The downside to such a poison is that too much exposure will result in mental deterioration thus it isn’t worth using it to win someone’s heart."
Han Xin’s eyes hardened. Logically, it could only mean that Peng Xiu was using the paper on the crown prince of Zhen, but something went wrong, and it didn’t work. A young man walked in and handed the old man a small pouch.
"This is the antidote for the sleeping thorn poison," he explained. "Just in case anyone is exposed to it. I have written down the method for concocting the medicine. Any good physician can make it, and the patient must drink it for the next three days."
Han Zhan carefully packed away the pouch and the instructions. With the important matters resolved the enthusiastic uncle offered them some breakfast, but Han Xin shook his head. "We need to get back," he said. He had to go to the hot spring and find the poison used to lure the wolf.
As expected, the old man was so unhappy but he still packed up some steamed buns and scallion pancakes for them. He handed them to Jun De and told his nephew to come back and visit soon.
Han Xin nodded. He wasn’t sure when he would be able to visit again. Right now, he was more worried about the situation with the poison . As they walked back to the town gates, his attention was caught by a shop with women walking in and out, their arms full of beautiful, colourful dresses.
When he realised what he was thinking he looked away. He couldn’t help but wonder what possessed him for him to have the sudden urge to buy one for Peng Xiu. He didn’t know if he would have to account for the potatoes when choosing a size. His brow furrowed trying to recall the exact size. His gaze lingered on the fruit stall with loquats and peaches. Han Zhan noticed what Han Xin was looking at but chose to remain silent. They left the city, a group of soldiers following behind them.
When they reached the camp, he dismounted his horse his eyes involuntarily glancing at the carriage nearby. There wasn’t much activity around it. He turned his gaze away and went to the hot spring with his cousin to take a look but there was nothing.
Their trip there wasn’t useless though because they found traces of someone having freshly dug something near the hot spring. Some trees even had traces of the white powder having sprinkled on them. It seemed there must either be a spy among them or they were being followed.
When they returned to the campsite Han Zhan sat down on a log, waiting for food. Han Zhan joined him, settling down with a relaxed air. "Do you want someone to call her Highness?" he asked, his tone casual. He knew that his cousin had been thinking of speaking with her ever since they left the town which was why he suggested it.
Han Xin shook his head, biting into a scallion pancake. Something inside of him was shifting and he didn’t like it one bit. It was the kind of feeling that he couldn’t control. His instincts were telling him to stay as far away from her as possible and he would make sure to limit their interaction.