Jade of Another World

The news of Crown Prince Nangong Chen's engagement to Peng Yingchun, the eldest daughter of the Right Chancellor, swept through the entire capital like a whirlwind. The marriage was the talk of the town, with everyone praising it as a perfect match. With the Crown Prince's marriage as a guarantee, the Right Chancellor's position in the court would be even more secure, while the Crown Prince, with the support of the Right Chancellor and his powerful backers, would have a significant advantage in consolidating his position as the Crown Prince.

But all of this felt like sharp blades piercing Lin Wan's heart. Dejected, she returned to the Lin family mansion, went straight to her room, slammed the door shut, and collapsed onto the bed, bursting into tears. Her sobs were heart-wrenching, as if she were releasing all the pent-up grievances, resentment, and despair she had accumulated over the past few days.

Upon hearing her daughter's heartbreaking cries, Madam Liu was extremely anxious. She rushed to Lin Wan's door, knocking and calling out anxiously, "Wan'er, Wan'er, what's wrong? Open the door and let your mother in!"

Lin Wan was immersed in her grief. Madam Liu couldn't wait any longer. She instructed a maid to open the door, then quickly went to the bedside. Seeing her daughter's red and swollen eyes and haggard appearance, her heart ached and her eyes reddened.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, gently helped Lin Wan sit up, and pulled her into her arms. While patting her back, she softly comforted her, "Wan'er, don't cry. I know you're suffering, but things have come to this. If you keep crying like this, you'll hurt yourself."

Lin Wan leaned against her mother's chest, sobbing as she said, "Mother, why? His Highness the Crown Prince clearly promised me that he would give me a title, but why did he get engaged to Peng Yingchun? What do I lack compared to her? Is it just because she is the legitimate daughter and I am an illegitimate daughter?"

Hearing this, Madam Liu felt a pang of sorrow. She understood the reason perfectly well. She sighed softly and said, “Wan’er, I suspect it really is because of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Peng Yingchun, as the legitimate daughter of the Right Chancellor, has a background that can provide more support to the Crown Prince than yours. In the court, those powerful families value more than just talent and appearance. His Highness the Crown Prince, wanting to solidify his position, will naturally choose to form a marriage alliance with the Right Chancellor's family and leverage their power. Although our family was his first choice before, we made a miscalculation back then, which led to our current predicament.”

Lin Wan bit her lip, her eyes filled with resentment, and said, "Yes, Mother."

“We initially planned to bring that little bitch Lin Wan back, but she’s no longer the weak woman she once was. She’s repeatedly opposed us, and now she’s even causing the Crown Prince to drift further and further away from me. What are we going to do? If we had known this would happen, we should have followed the original plan and avoided any future troubles,” Aunt Liu sighed.

"It's not too late to carry out the plan now, Mother. This time we must eliminate this threat forever. Without her, I am still the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion," Lin Wan said with a fierce look in her eyes.

Madam Liu quickly covered Lin Wan's mouth and said nervously, "Wan'er, keep your voice down. Don't let others hear about this. Lin Ning is not an easy target anymore." The mother and daughter whispered for a while before Madam Liu left.

The engagement banquet of Crown Prince Nangong Chen and Peng Yingchun, the eldest daughter of the Right Chancellor, was a grand event in the capital. The entire Eastern Palace was decorated in a magnificent and resplendent manner, exuding a festive atmosphere. Guests, dressed in gorgeous attire, smiled and offered their best wishes to the newlyweds.

Lin Wan was filled with resentment and hatred. The Crown Prince hadn't wanted to invite Lin Wan, fearing she would cause trouble. However, the Consort Xi, unaware of the sordid affair between the Crown Prince and Lin Wan, considered the bigger picture and said, "If we don't invite her, others will think we're petty. Besides, inviting her is the only honorable thing to do. We will still bring her into the family in the future, but given her status, she should be aware of her place. She should be grateful for the opportunity to stay by your side." The Crown Prince had no choice but to agree to the Consort's suggestion, but he was still worried about Lin Wan, as she was undoubtedly blaming him. He had sent people to meet her a few days ago, but she had refused. Therefore, he had arranged for several trusted subordinates to hide and watch her.

Lin Wan stood out starkly from the festive atmosphere. Ever since the Crown Prince chose to get engaged to Peng Yingchun, she had been driven mad. She blamed Lin Ning, stubbornly believing that if Lin Ning hadn't stolen the limelight that should have been hers, the Crown Prince wouldn't have treated her this way. Before Lin Ning returned, the Crown Prince had always been obedient to her, indulging her every whim. She also hated Peng Yingchun; how could that fool possibly win the Crown Prince's favor? She had always been her follower, and now, one after another, they were making things difficult for her. So she secretly vowed to make them all pay the price.

On this grand day of the Crown Prince's engagement banquet, Lin Wan meticulously planned a scheme. Those who had wronged her could not be allowed to get away with it. She knew that today, with so many guests at the Eastern Palace and the scene so noisy and lively, it was the perfect opportunity to strike. Even if something went wrong, investigating it would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

Lin Wan first went through great lengths and bribery to obtain an extremely rare and vicious poison from a mysterious figure in the martial arts world. This poison resembled a seasoning, making it difficult even for the most experienced poison experts to detect. However, its toxicity was extremely potent; once ingested, the poisoned person would experience excruciating pain and bleed from all seven orifices within moments, dying a gruesome death.

To ensure the plan went perfectly, Lin Wan began making arrangements in advance. She secretly bribed Xue San'er, a gambling addict in the kitchen of the Eastern Palace who desperately needed money, with a large sum of money. The assistant chef was initially hesitant, but faced with the heavy sum of money Lin Wan offered, he ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and agreed to help her.

On the day of the engagement banquet, the kitchen was a hive of activity, with chefs busily preparing exquisite dishes, leaving no time for anything else. The bribed assistant chef seized the opportunity, and when no one was looking, tremblingly sprinkled poison into the steamed sea bass. This steamed sea bass was Lin Ning's favorite dish, and Lin Wan, wanting her to ingest the poison, had subtly arranged for the poisoned dish to be placed on Lin Ning's table. Once everything was ready, the assistant chef wiped the large beads of sweat from his forehead, nervously glancing around. Seeing that no one had noticed anything amiss, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued with his work as if nothing had happened.

Before long, one after another, delicious-looking dishes were served on the banquet table. Lin Ning was dressed in a fresh and elegant manner today. She sat in the banquet hall, looking at the table full of delicacies, and was in a pretty good mood. She was thinking that things had been quite peaceful lately. Of course, she knew about Lin Wan and the Crown Prince's affair, and she thought that Lin Wan might be planning to make a move against Peng Yingchun.

The poisoned steamed sea bass was placed in front of Lin Ning. Looking at this familiar and beloved dish, Lin Ning's eyes showed a hint of joy. Just as she was about to pick it up with her chopsticks, Nangong Jin seemed to sense something was wrong. His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes. He reached out and gently stopped Lin Ning's arm, lowering his voice to say, "Miss Lin, wait a moment. Something seems off about this dish."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ning was startled at first, then looked at Nangong Jin. Seeing his serious expression, which didn't seem like he was joking, she quickly put down her chopsticks, her eyes filled with doubt and worry, and asked softly, "Your Highness, have you discovered something amiss?"

Nangong Jin shook his head and said, "I just have a gut feeling that the seasoning for this fish doesn't seem to suit it. I'm not sure yet. I'll have someone check it out." After saying that, he gave a wink to the guard behind him. The guard understood and immediately retreated silently, heading towards the kitchen to investigate the fish.

Lin Wan witnessed this scene from a short distance away and was immediately terrified, her face turning deathly pale and her palms sweating profusely. She never expected that Nangong Jin would notice something amiss at this crucial moment. Her originally foolproof plan now seemed to be on the verge of failure. Her heart leaped into her throat, and her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to deal with this sudden turn of events. However, she couldn't come up with any good solutions for the moment and could only silently pray that she wouldn't be discovered.

Meanwhile, the wedding banquet was still in full swing, with singing and dancing, and the guests laughing and chatting, completely unaware of what was happening.

The guard was extremely efficient and quickly returned to Nangong Jin's side, whispering in his ear, "Your Highness, after investigating, I found that the plate of fish had indeed been tampered with, but we can't find out exactly what was put in it yet."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Jin's heart skipped a beat. His gaze subtly swept across the banquet hall, quickly locking onto Lin Wan, whose expression seemed somewhat unnatural. He instantly understood that Lin Wan must be behind all of this. This vicious woman had actually poisoned someone again; she was utterly despicable.

Nangong Jin had the fish that had been tampered with removed, but to his surprise, the fish was taken to a corner of the kitchen and then served on the dining table by the servants.

The table where the fish was served was Peng Yingchun's family home. When Peng Yingchun came over to chat and laugh with them, she looked at the dishes in front of her, elegantly picked up a piece of fish, put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, and praised the delicious taste of the dish.

But not long after, Peng Yingchun's complexion began to change. She first frowned slightly, as if sensing her discomfort. Then, a sharp pain struck her. She clutched her stomach, her face instantly turning deathly pale. Large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and her lips trembled as she said with difficulty, "Your Highness... I... I feel so bad..."

Upon seeing this, Nangong Chen was greatly alarmed and quickly helped Peng Yingchun up, anxiously calling out, "Yingchun, what happened to you? Quickly, go and summon the imperial physician!"

This shout immediately plunged the entire wedding banquet into chaos. The emperor and the imperial concubine both had grim expressions, and the guests stopped what they were doing and looked in astonishment at the crown prince's table. The originally festive atmosphere was instantly replaced by tension and panic.

Upon hearing the news, the imperial physicians rushed over and surrounded Peng Yingchun, taking her pulse and examining her symptoms. However, as time went by, Peng Yingchun's condition worsened. She was bleeding from all seven orifices and was on the verge of death.

The imperial physicians' expressions also turned extremely grave. One of the older physicians wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said to Nangong Chen in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess... she has likely been poisoned with an extremely potent poison. We are truly powerless to help. We can only do our best to stabilize her condition, but..."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Chen trembled with rage and roared, "Who on earth dared to commit such a heinous act at my wedding banquet? I will find this person and have them torn to pieces!"

Lin Wan was stunned when she saw this scene. She never expected that the plate of poisoned fish would end up on Peng Yingchun's table. Looking at Peng Yingchun's miserable and dying appearance, she felt both scared and excited. She was scared that her conspiracy would be exposed, but excited that if Peng Yingchun really died, the position of Crown Princess would still be hers.

Nangong Jin watched all this coldly, secretly relieved that she had discovered and switched the fish in time, thus saving Lin Ning. At the same time, she wondered why that fish had been placed on Peng Yingchun's table. Were these all coincidences?

Seeing that their engagement banquet had turned into such a tragic situation, the Emperor and Consort Xi's faces were already very gloomy, and their anger was rising rapidly.

The emperor slammed his fist on the table, making the cups and saucers shake, and roared, "This is outrageous! How dare they poison my crown prince on his joyous occasion! This is utterly lawless! Nangong Jin, I order you to investigate this matter thoroughly immediately. Whoever it is, once the truth is revealed, they will be severely punished!"

Consort Xi, standing to the side, was both angry and anxious. She had eagerly anticipated this engagement banquet, hoping to celebrate the marriage of her cousin Yingchun and her son, allowing Yingchun to marry into the Eastern Palace in grand style, thus making the Right Chancellor an asset to her son's struggle for the throne. Now, with tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Your Majesty, you must give Yingchun justice! She's so young, how could she have suffered such a cruel fate?"

Just then, the imperial physicians who were treating Peng Yingchun exchanged glances, all seeing helplessness and despair in each other's eyes. Finally, the leading physician stepped forward tremblingly, knelt down before the emperor and Crown Prince Nangong Chen, and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, we are truly powerless. The poison that the Crown Princess has been afflicted with is too potent; the toxicity has already spread throughout her body. We have tried every possible method, but we cannot stop it. The Crown Princess... the Crown Princess is probably beyond saving."

When the news that the imperial physician declared Peng Yingchun's death was beyond saving spread, the entire wedding banquet was shrouded in a heavy gloom, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Right Chancellor Peng Lai stood frozen in place, seemingly unable to accept this cruel reality. His eyes widened as he stared intently at his lifeless daughter lying there, his lips trembling slightly, unable to utter a single word for a long time. After a moment, as if finally regaining his senses, his legs gave way, and with a thud, he knelt directly in the direction of the Emperor. His eyes reddened, and his voice choked with sobs and grief, he cried out, “Your Majesty! My daughter, Yingchun, today should have been a joyous occasion, yet she has suffered this calamity! How… how can I accept this! I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter, to find the mastermind behind it all, and to bring justice to my daughter and to the Peng family!”

When the Right Chancellor knelt down, the surrounding ministers all gasped. They all knew that the Right Chancellor was always a calm and composed person, and his current loss of composure showed that he was extremely grief-stricken.

Upon hearing this devastating news, the Right Prime Minister's wife was struck dumb. Her vision blurred, she swayed a few times, and then collapsed to the ground. The maids and servants around her cried out in alarm and rushed to help her up, but the Right Prime Minister's wife had already fainted, and the scene descended into chaos once again.

Right Chancellor Peng Lai heard the commotion behind him, turned around and saw that his wife had fainted. He was extremely anxious, but he could not get up to check on her at the moment. He could only shout to the servants beside him, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly help the lady downstairs and take good care of her. Call the imperial physician to see her!"

Then, he turned back and kowtowed heavily to the emperor, continuing, "Your Majesty, my daughter has always been obedient and sensible, and she and His Highness the Crown Prince are deeply in love. Today's wedding banquet is a joyous occasion that so many people have been looking forward to, but it has been ruined by this vicious person. If the poisoner is not brought to justice, I... I simply cannot swallow this insult!"

Seeing the Right Chancellor's grief-stricken yet resolute appearance, the Emperor felt a surge of anger. He said with a gloomy expression, "Minister Peng, rest assured, since I have ordered Prince Xian to thoroughly investigate this matter, I will definitely get to the bottom of it. No matter what the background of the person behind this is, I will never tolerate it!"