Zhou Huairang quickly completed the two tasks his master assigned him. He sent people to find Doctor Bai, and His Highness’s letter of complaint was also sent out.

Now, all that remained was the task of finding the other person afflicted with the Gu poison.

“Chongzhou is an important town in Dongling, with hundreds of thousands of ordinary people alone. Finding someone with a red thread on their wrist among them is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Zhou Huairang reported to Zhao Mian, “Therefore, Chongzhou has a custom: whoever is chosen by the Imperial Advisor should go to the largest inn in the city, Qinghui Inn, order only a pot of Nu’er Hong wine, and wait for the other person to come forward to recognize them.”

Zhao Mian said indifferently, “We’re staying at Qinghui Inn.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Zhou Huairang said, “So, your subject plans to wait in the front hall according to the rules. Does Your Highness want to join me?”

Zhao Mian said, “No, and you shouldn’t go either.”

Zhou Huairang didn’t understand, “Ah? But…”

“If we go first, we will be waiting for him. The other party can simply not show up, observe us in secret, and then seize the opportunity to act,” Zhao Mian patiently explained to his not-so-bright attendant, “Don’t put yourself in a passive position. If the enemy doesn’t show himself, neither should we. Understand?”

Zhou Huairang suddenly understood, “I understand, I understand.”

Therefore, Zhou Huairang took the initiative, secretly observing the guests coming and going at the Qinghui Inn without revealing himself. Unexpectedly, he observed for two whole days, scrutinizing every corner of Qinghui Inn, yet he didn’t see a single customer ordering a pot of Nu’er Hong wine.

By the end of the observation, Zhou Huairang was almost driven mad. He looked suspiciously at every incoming guest, wishing he could roll up their sleeves to check their wrists. Occasionally, he would drag Shen Buqi into his frenzy.

“That girl in the pink dress has a certain charm. If the other person affected by the Gu is her, it wouldn’t be unacceptable, but she’s still not worthy of our Prince. At most, she could be a concubine in His Highness’ Residence.”

“I hope it’s not the proprietress. His Highness is only eighteen. If he brings back a woman from Dongling in her forties to Nanjing, the Prime Minister might really destroy Dongling.”

“Damn it, could it be that fat guy gnawing on the pig’s head? Old Shen, go take a look at his hands!”

Shen Buqi asked Zhou Huairang, “How have you managed to survive so long by His Highness’s side?”

Zhou Huairang had inquired with the staff at Qinghui Inn. Usually, once the Imperial Advisor’s red thread was tied, the two people forcibly matched would recognize each other at Qinghui Inn by the next morning at the latest. Sometimes, they would arrive as early as midnight.

The lucky one who married up would be overjoyed, exclaiming that their ancestors’ graves were smoking with good fortune. The unlucky one who married down would cover their face and weep, threatening to kill themselves. Those who married someone of equal status would either breathe a sigh of relief while others would be greatly disappointed… In short, it would be a commotion for the better part of the day.

This time, two days had passed and no one has come. It was indeed a strange matter.

Shen Buqi guessed, “Perhaps that person has important matters to attend to and cannot come.”

Zhou Huairang disagreed: “He’s been infected with the Gu. Not coming is courting death. What could be more important than this?”

After listening to their conversation, Zhao Mian said, “Or perhaps they feel the same as we do. Unwilling to be the passive party.”

Not rushing to Qinghui Inn to “recognize” their match after discovering they’d been infected with the Gu suggests that person isn’t flustered. Their ability to conceal their identity and take the initiative proves they have considerable patience.

If that’s the case, that person might not be some easily controlled commoner.

Indeed, how could an ordinary person be worthy of being tied with him by the red thread?

Everyone says that Wan Huameng chooses people to inflict with the Gu without rhyme or reason, acting entirely on a whim. But if he selected him, the Crown Prince of Nanjing, who is no ordinary person, could the other person also be more than meets the eye?

Now it’s a game of who has more patience. Zhao Mian believes he won’t lose. He has Nanjing behind him, his father the Emperor, and the Prime Minister. He always had a way out, but the other person might not.

“Continue to wait,” Zhao Mian ordered. “I don’t believe he won’t come.”

Two days later, they finally received news.

At that moment, Zhao Mian was in his room reading secret reports sent from various places. As he read, his gaze fell on his wrist.

His skin tone was the same as his father’s, fairer than most men. This fairness made the red thread stand out even more, as bright as blood, as if drawn on by a sharp blade.

How did Wan Huameng do it? Shen Buqi said that Wan Huameng most likely inflicted the Gu on him at the Liu residence. After the death of Miss Liu, the Liu residence was in chaos, and Wan Huameng blended with the crowd and conveniently selected him to inflict with the Gu.

…Who could it be?

Zhao Mian recalled everyone he had met at the Liu residence, but found nothing amiss. If he had to say something, it was it would be Miss Liu’s personal maid. A teenage girl dared to yell at someone from Wan Huameng’s side; she was being a bit too bold. But she was young after all, and it was understandable that she was unrestrained in her speech due to excessive grief.

A burst of hurried footsteps broke Zhao Mian’s thoughts.

“Your Highness,” Zhou Huairang urgently requested an audience, nearly tripping over the threshold as he entered. “It’s happened! Your Highness, the other person with the Gu has finally appeared!”

Zhao Mian’s heart stirred. As expected, the other party couldn’t hold back anymore. He had won.

Without revealing any emotion, he covered his wrist with his sleeve and said, “Tell me first, is it a man or a woman?”

Zhou Huairang panted, “Man…man.”

Zhao Mian “hmmed,” remaining composed: “Continue.”

Zhou Huairang looked like he didn’t know where to start: “He…he’s a rough man.”

Zhao Mian frowned, remaining relatively calm: “How rough?”

Zhou Huairang gestured: “Very rough.”

“Could he also be a blacksmith?”

Zhou Huairang shook his head: “No, no.”

Zhao Mian had a bad premonition: “Is he a pig butcher, then?”

Zhou Huairang continued to shake his head. He wasn’t deliberately being mysterious, he just wanted to give the Crown Prince some time to prepare himself mentally: “No, no.”

Zhao Mian was angry: “What is he then? Zhou Huairang, don’t think just because Father Emperor wants me to be good friends with you that I won’t cut ties with you!”

Zhou Huairang plopped down on his knees, grabbed the hem of Zhao Mian’s robe, and tearfully pleaded: “He’s a fishmonger! Your Highness, he’s a fishmonger!”

Zhao Mian was stunned.

Zhou Huairang had just said that the person was a…a what?

How could he be associated with a fishmonger? Would a fishmonger be better than a blacksmith?

Zhao Mian heard himself say, “Say it again carefully.”

“Return…returning to Your Highness, the person who shares the male and female Gu with you is a fishmonger named ‘Li Er’. Li Er, he…” Zhou Huairang swallowed, his voice trembling, “He’s been selling fish in the market for twenty years!”

Twenty years?!

Zhao Mian paused, and blurted out: “How old is he then?”

Zhou Huairang observed his master’s expression, carefully saying, “Your Highness, Li Er is thirty-two years old this year.”

After a long daze, Zhao Mian took a deep breath: “What does he look like?”

Zhou Huairang carefully chose his words: “Plain… unremarkable?”

Zhao Mian questioned, “If he’s just an ordinary commoner, why didn’t he go to the inn to meet me the day before yesterday?”

Zhou Huairang honestly told the truth: “Because he’s too dark-skinned. His wrist is so dark that you can’t see the red thread on it. He only discovered it today.”

Zhao Mian: “…Oh.”

“Your Highness?” Zhou Huairang tentatively inquired, “Are you alright?”

Zhao Mian was silent, silent, and silent again, and then said, “It doesn’t matter, I will find the antidote.”

Zhou Huairang wiped his sweat and echoed repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes, as long as we can find the antidote, whether he’s a blacksmith or a fishmonger, we won’t need him!”

Zhao Mian hummed in agreement, maintaining the Crown Prince’s composure, and calmly asked, “Where is the fishmonger now?”

Zhou Huairang said, “He’s on the first floor of the inn.”

“Then let’s go.” Zhao Mian’s face was cold and stern, “I want to see just how dark the ‘Crown Princess’ Wan Huameng has found for me.” 

The first floor of Qinghui Inn was even more lively than usual. All the guests were gathered around a table, on which sat only a jar of Nu’er Hong wine. And the man sitting at the table was naturally one of the Gu-poisoned individuals selected by Wan Huameng.

Zhao Mian didn’t go downstairs, but stood on the second floor, leaning on the railing, gazing downwards. He had deliberately put on a veiled hat to conceal his face. As the newcomer’s identity was unknown, he didn’t want to reveal his true appearance.

Besides the Dongling locals, Chongzhou also harbored spies from the other two kingdoms, lurking in Dongling. Some of them might have seen him in Nanjing’s capital. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to be extra cautious.

Zhou Huairang and Shen Buqi stood to his left and right respectively. Zhou Huairang pointed to a corner on the first floor and said, “Young Master, it’s him! The darkest one!”

Zhao Mian was displeased. “Don’t be so loud. I’m not blind.”

The master and his two servants leaned forward, peering down at the corner on the first floor. Their movements surprisingly synchronized.

Zhao Mian looked left, looked right, looked up, and looked down. The more he looked, the darker his face became, and the tighter his brows furrowed.

The fishmonger was dressed in coarse linen clothes and had dark skin. His features were barely passable, with nothing outstanding about them. There were quite a few wrinkles around his eyes, and a scar ran across the bridge of his nose.

He was surrounded by onlookers. Everyone had stopped eating to see which household’s marriage the Imperial Advisor would arrange this time. What kind of wife could a fishmonger from the market possibly marry?

“If you can marry a wealthy lady like that blacksmith did last time, that would truly be your ancestors smiling in their graves!”

“What’s so good about that? The Liu family’s daughter already hanged herself!”

“If you ask me, don’t be too picky. As long as it’s a woman, under forty, that’s good enough – wouldn’t you say?”

The fishmonger sat in the middle of the crowd, listening to the chatter. He looked at this person, looked at that person, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Silly girl.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Zhou Huairang asked, “Your Highness, what do you think of this person?”

Zhao Mian’s evaluation was a simple four words: “Dark skin, extremely ugly.”

Zhou Huairang didn’t dare to argue.

The fishmonger wasn’t extremely ugly, just a plain, ordinary man, and dark skin had its own special charm. In the past, the Western Xia desert was known for its dark-skinned beauties, both men and women, who wore revealing clothes, exposing a section of their waist, adorned with jingling jewelry, giving them a unique exotic flair.

If the fishmonger were to change into Western Xia attire, he would definitely look better than he did now. But Western Xia had been conquered by Beiyuan, and Western Xia clothing would probably disappear along with it.

Nanjing was known for its beauties, most of whom had fair, jade-like skin. The royal Zhao family had even more stunningly beautiful people. His Highness, the Prince, had seen too many handsome men, so his standards were naturally high. If the Crown Prince was using the Nanjing royal family as a reference point, then everyone would be ugly.

Zhou Huairang chuckled dryly and said, “Young Master, you see, this Li Er actually has a very good build.”

Most Dongling men weren’t very tall, but even sitting down, one could see that the fishmonger was slender and seemed even taller than Shen Buqi.

Zhao Mian’s voice was as cold as ice: “So you like this kind of tall and dark man. I know what kind of marriage I’ll arrange for you in the future.”

Zhou Huairang looked pained. “Your subject was wrong.”

Zhao Mian stared at the dark-skinned figure, still unable to believe it. “Has he really only been selling fish for twenty years? He looks like he’s been doing it for thirty, so old.”

Zhou Huairang whispered, “Young Master, thirty years ago Li Er was only two years old.”

Zhao Mian couldn’t bear to watch any longer and abruptly turned his face away, preferring not to see.

How dare they tie him together with a dark-skinned fish monger? There’s not an ounce of  compatibility between him and that person. Is Wan Huameng blind?*

Zhou Huairang asked, “Young Master, should we go down and acknowledge him?”

Zhao Mian, after a brief consideration amidst his anger said, “There are too many ears and mouths here right now, there’s no rush.”

Since the other Gu-infected person hadn’t shown up, the onlookers who were watching the fun could not wait any longer. The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Li Er, who waited listlessly.

Zhao Mian still did not move.

Li Er was probably getting hungry, so he ordered a bowl of wonton noodles from the waiter, and buried himself in eating, thoroughly enjoying the meal.

His eating manners were as rough as he was. He devoured the whole bowl in no time. Perhaps he ate too quickly, because he choked halfway through. He hastily poured a cup of water, pounding his chest with one hand while gulping down tea with the other.

He looked even less intelligent than Zhou Huairang.

But the more Zhao Mian looked, the more he felt something was off. “We’ve been standing here watching the fishmonger for quite a while.”

Zhou Huairang didn’t understand Zhao Mian’s point. “Yes, we have.”

Zhao Mian continued, “If it were you, and someone was staring at you like that, would you sense it?”

Zhou Huairang thought for a moment and said, “I probably would. Human intuition is amazing. Even if you don’t have eyes in the back of your head, you can sometimes feel when someone is behind you. Especially since we weren’t exactly trying to hide our gaze just now.”

Zhao Mian pondered, “But the fishmonger hasn’t reacted at all, not even a glance in our direction. He came to Qinghui Inn, so he must want to recognize the other person who’s been poisoned. You’d think he’d be nervously looking around, but instead he’s eating wonton noodles with such relish. Is he just oblivious, or does he simply not care?”

Zhou Huairang suggested, “Perhaps he’s just particularly slow-witted?”

“Or perhaps he noticed, but is pretending nothing happened.”

“Ah, so he’s faking it?”

Zhao Mian said, “Remember what the Prime Minister taught us. Often, what we see is what others want us to see.”

This time, Zhou Huairang followed his master’s train of thought: “Is Your Highness saying that this fishmonger might be more than meets the eye?”

Just as he finished speaking, Li Er seemed to finally notice their gaze. A confused expression appeared on his dark face, and he looked up towards the second floor.

Just before their eyes could meet, Zhao Mian turned and walked away, leaving behind the words, “Of course, it’s also possible that he really is just both blind and stupid.”

Zhou Huairang followed him, asking, “Then Your Highness, how should we tell if Li Er is truly stupid or pretending?”

Zhao Mian’s mind conjured up a bunch of strategies involving playing hard to get, advancing and retreating, and other convoluted tactics. He found them all troublesome and a waste of time.

Finally, he said, “Ask him first.”

Zhou Huairang blinked. “What if he doesn’t answer?”

Zhao Mian didn’t hesitate. “Then beat him.”

Shen Buqi understood perfectly. “Your subordinate will go now.”