Chapter 56: Beset with Dangers

Xie Ning frowned deeply.

To be honest, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a tricky dark sorcery.

The cultivation and skill of the mastermind behind the scenes were far beyond his imagination.

"Is there really no other way at all?" Li Qingzhi asked, looking deeply unwilling.

"It is not that there is no way at all."

Xie Ning paused to ponder for a moment. "It simply requires time, and we must find the medium used for the spellcasting. This dark art cannot be cast out of thin air; there must be some object acting as a catalyst hidden away in some corner of the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility."

Li Qingning caught on immediately.

"You mean we need to find that evil object, just like last time?"

"Precisely."

Xie Ning nodded. "Only by finding the source can I prescribe the right medicine. However, I have already had people search this bedchamber back and forth several times over, and yet we have found nothing suspicious."

Frustration was written all over Li Qingning's face.

"If it cannot be found, it only means the culprit has hidden it extremely well. No matter how deeply it is concealed, however, a fox will eventually show its tail."

Looking at the lifeless Empress Dowager lying on the bed, Xie Ning already had a preliminary plan forming in his mind.

Panicking now would be useless.

Since the mastermind had laid out this trap, their goal was precisely to throw them into disarray and overwhelm them.

"It seems our wedding will have to be postponed."

As soon as Xie Ning said this, both Li Qingning and Li Qingzhi were stunned.

Li Qingning, in particular, stared blankly at Xie Ning, her beautiful eyes instantly filling with guilt and apology.

"Xie Ning, I'm sorry..."

She bit her lower lip, her voice trailing off.

"Brother-in-law, how can that be! The imperial decree has already been issued, how can it just be postponed on a whim! As for Her Majesty... Her Majesty is being attended by imperial physicians, it won't be delayed!"

From Li Qingzhi's perspective, his sister's happiness was the most important thing of all.

Seeing the pair of siblings looking like this, a warm feeling stirred in Xie Ning's heart, and instead, he smiled.

"What on earth are you two imagining?"

He chuckled softly.

"Do I look like such a petty person? When I say the wedding is postponed, it is not to blame you, but rather because I believe postponing it is for the best."

"Ah?" Li Qingning raised her head, looking at him in bafflement.

Even Li Qingzhi was completely bewildered. How could postponement possibly be a good thing?

Xie Ning looked at them and explained with a serious expression, "Just think about it. The Empress Dowager is gravely ill right now, and countless eyes both inside and outside the palace are watching us closely."

"Especially that person hiding in the dark. Didn't he go to such great lengths to stir up all these troubles precisely to watch us lose our footing and become too overwhelmed to take care of ourselves?"

"If we hurriedly hold our wedding at a time like this, it would be against propriety and invite public criticism."

Xie Ning paused, a cold smirk touching the corner of his lips.

"Since he wants to drag this out, we will play along and drag it out with him. Conveniently, I have some personal matters of my own to attend to during this period."

Li Qingning, being clever and perceptive, understood Xie Ning's meaning instantly.

Xie Ning was comforting her while also letting her know that he had his own plans, hoping to spare her any psychological burden.

A wave of warmth instantly surged through her entire body.

"I understand." Li Qingning nodded heavily, the worry and guilt in her eyes replaced by steadfastness.

"Xie Ning, thank you."

"What is there to thank me for? You are my future wife; if I don't look out for you, who should I look out for?"

Xie Ning said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Nearby, the young Emperor Li Qingzhi looked at their intimate and harmonious interaction, feeling a mixture of envy and joy in his heart.

"Brother-in-law, what are these personal matters you mentioned?" Li Qingzhi asked out of curiosity.

Xie Ning glanced at him and smiled. "Children shouldn't pry into adult matters."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt it was somewhat inappropriate, given that the person before him was, after all, the Emperor.

However, seeing that Li Qingzhi did not seem to take it to heart, Xie Ning's mind was put at ease.

He rubbed his nose and turned his gaze to Li Qingning.

"Your Highness, although I cannot cure the Empress Dowager's condition completely for the time being, I can stabilize her state so that it does not deteriorate further. I will need some items, and you must help me prepare them."

"Name them. As long as I can find them, I will certainly get them for you," Li Qingning said immediately.

Xie Ning nodded and reeled off a list of items.

"Cinnabar, yellow paper, and a wolf-hair brush—these are the basics. In addition, I need a piece of the highest-grade warm jade, an uncarved jade embryo, the larger the better."

"Also, check the imperial treasury to see if there is any centennial agarwood."

None of these items were ordinary treasures, especially the warm jade embryo and the centennial agarwood, which were worth a thousand pieces of gold and practically impossible to find.

Yet, in the royal inner treasury, they would surely still be obtainable.

Li Qingning memorized the list item by item and immediately gave orders for them to be prepared.

"Oh, right," Xie Ning recalled something else. "You must assign your most trusted people to guard the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility. Every single person entering or leaving, as well as all food and daily necessities, must be strictly inspected."

"Especially those spices and ornaments—have them all removed for now. I suspect that the medium used for the spellcasting is very likely hidden among these everyday items."

"Understood, I will make arrangements right away," Li Qingning replied.

Having settled all of this, Xie Ning stayed with them a little longer.

Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to take his leave.

There was nothing more he could do to help in the palace for the moment, and the rest was simply a matter of waiting.

Waiting for Li Qingning to gather the items, and waiting for the mastermind behind the scenes to reveal another flaw.

As for himself, it was also time to return and deal with the mess inside his own Marquis's Mansion.

Before leaving, Xie Ning suddenly remembered the matter regarding the Dowager Grand Madam.

He felt it necessary to give Li Qingning a heads-up.

Pulling Li Qingning aside, he asked in a low voice, "Do you know about the Great Buddha Temple in the suburbs?"

"The Great Buddha Temple?" Li Qingning was slightly startled. "I know it. It's a royal temple with very flourishing incense, and Her Majesty used to go there often to worship the Buddha."

"The Dowager Grand Madam of the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion recently returned from there," Xie Ning said, a hint of mockery in his tone.

"As soon as she came back, she tried to force me to break off our engagement."

Hearing this, Li Qingning's expression changed.
"What? How dare she!"

"Because she is my grandmother, that's how." Xie Ning shrugged. "However, I've already shut her down."

He briefly recounted what had happened today at the Fusheng Hall.

When Li Qingning heard Xie Ning say he was going to drag the entire family down to the marketplace to be beheaded, she couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter.

She could vividly imagine the expressions of those people being scared out of their wits at that moment.

"You, really..."

She cast a reproachful yet affectionate glance at Xie Ning, her eyes brimming with smiles.

After the laughter faded, her expression grew serious once more.

"However, what you said about the Dowager Grand Madam possibly being tampered with is no trivial matter."

"Indeed," Xie Ning's expression also turned solemn. "I suspect there is something wrong with that Great Buddha Temple."

"For Jia Yibo to be able to invite my grandmother back from there, and for her to trust him implicitly and defend him at every turn, is highly abnormal."

"I want you to help me investigate this Great Buddha Temple and find out what kind of trickery is going on inside."