Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!

Chapter 689 - 688: Flower Dew

That person was evidently the target they were seeking this time, the imposter Prince Lan who had taken over the nest for more than a decade.

This Prince Lan was dressed in luxurious clothing. Although his face appeared very old, his eyes gleamed with an intelligence that belied his age.

The steward led a few people to the center of the courtyard, looked at them, and asked with a smile, "I wonder who among you is in charge?"

Lu Qing nodded at him and took a step forward.

"Then please follow me. The other guests can make themselves comfortable, feel free to indulge, no need for courtesy," the steward indicated to Lu Qing and said to the other seven people, "This is our king’s hospitality. You’ve had a tiring journey, so please be seated."

Upon hearing that Lu Qing was to go alone to the hall, while the others had to stop there, the talisman rune looked at Lu Qing without a change of expression, and after receiving Lu Qing’s signal, remained calm without any reaction, adopting a languid demeanor, and, along with Zhu Yu and others, casually found a place not too far from the hall with a good view and sat down.

Chang Yu sat next to Zhu Yu, not letting Lin Kun follow closely, fearing his overly protective demeanor would arouse suspicion.

Although Lin Kun was unwilling, he understood that the Young Master’s considerations were reasonable, so he could only sit with Liao Yu and the others at a nearby table.

Dishes were continually placed on those tables, and maidservants kept coming to take away the empty wine jugs and replace them with ones filled with wine. Although the origins of the guests around were unknown, they appeared used to such a scene, finding nothing odd about sitting there and feasting while the sun was high.

After Zhu Yu sat down, she appeared very relaxed, picked up the wine glass on the table, playing with it, and used chopsticks to pick at the food in front of her, seemingly ready to enjoy it, yet she did not put any food into her mouth.

The place already exuded an eerie atmosphere; she dared not easily ingest the food and drink.

Pretending to be relaxed and enjoying herself, she discreetly kept an eye on Lu Qing and Prince Lan in the hall, noticing that the two seemed to be engaged in some conversation, with Prince Lan appearing quite interested, actively inquiring about many things to Lu Qing. Lu Qing remained calm and composed, responding appropriately, indicating that the conversation was going well.

During this time, Prince Lan seemed particularly enthusiastic, even offering a toast to Lu Qing, to which Lu Qing responded, drinking the wine in his cup respectfully and "draining it in one gulp."

Seeing this, Chang Yu couldn’t help but worry, sneaking a glance at Chief Historian Yu.

Zhu Yu, however, remained composed, knowing that Lu Qing had a wine pouch in his sleeve. He was quite adept with this trick.

After a while, suddenly a musician switched to a different tune, one with exotic overtones. At the same time, a group of scantily clad Dancing Girls suddenly appeared, dancing lightly in the center of the courtyard. Each was young and beautiful, their dance bewitching, quickly capturing the attention of the courtyard guests.

Being a woman herself, Zhu Yu wasn’t particularly affected by the glimpses of bare arms and fragrant shoulders under the thin veils of the Dancing Girls. Instead, she looked somewhat bewildered and couldn’t help but gaze at the Dancing Girls’ faces, trying to catch their eye movements as they spun and twirled.

It was indeed not a warm time of year.

Even though Lan Country was somewhat warmer than Jin Country, Shuo Country, or the more northern Jie Country, it was still limited. As she sat there wrapped in thick clothes, she could feel little warmth, yet those Dancing Girls, in their light sheer dresses, displayed no sign of being troubled by the cold, nor showed the slightest shiver.

Finally, as one Dancing Girl turned around, she caught sight of the girl’s eyes.

The eyes were beautiful yet hollow, devoid of any brilliance. While the smile on her face was charming, her eyes were unfocused, as if seeing nothing.

Indeed, something was amiss!

As Zhu Yu was affirming this in her heart, she suddenly noticed the Dancing Girls each pulling out a Sheep Fat Jade Bottle from who knows where, holding it in one hand, while using the other to hold a flower, dipping the stem into the dew in the Sheep Fat Jade Bottle and starting to sprinkle it towards the surrounding guests.

Upon seeing this action, alarm bells rang in Zhu Yu’s mind, intuitively sensing that something was wrong. She hurriedly feigned accidentally knocking over her wine cup, spilling wine over herself and Chang Yu beside her, and pretended to lower her head to wipe it off, while quickly pulling Chang Yu under the table.

As she was about to hide herself, she was a little too late, and a few drops of flower dew were sprinkled directly onto her face and the back of her hand.

Zhu Yu crouched down, using the table to shield herself, and wiped the dew off her face and hands with her sleeves and collar.

The flower dew’s fragrance was somewhat sinister, giving Zhu Yu a very bad premonition.

Ordinary flower dew favored by women, however fragrant, ultimately derives its scent from the blossoms themselves, wouldn’t be particularly strong, and one could still discern from which flowers the scent originated.

But the flower dew that had just splashed on her was indistinct, its fragrance impossible to identify, leaving a vague sense of unease in her heart.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for the atmosphere around them to change. Previously, the guests were merely drinking, chatting, and feasting, but gradually they became restless, each turning red-faced, their eyes dazed. Initially, they just appeared that way, but after a while, some began to lose their decorum, standing up, climbing over tables, and running toward the Dancing Girls in the middle of the courtyard.

Before long, others started to abandon all restraint, and the scene became chaotic.

Zhu Yu felt she hadn’t been affected, secretly checking her pulse under the table, confirming it was stable and normal, which relieved her, silently grateful for the detoxification pills Yan Daoxin had provided them beforehand.

She signaled to the talisman rune, who understood her meaning. Though they had successfully avoided the flower dew and hadn’t been touched by it, they now feigned drunkenness, sitting at the table and swaying unsteadily.

Liao Yu, Lin Kun, and the others, seeing this, followed suit, blending in with the guests, appearing quite normal and not standing out at all.

Lu Qing sat below the hall, unaffected by the flower dew, so he didn’t need to pretend either. Originally needing to converse with Prince Lan, after the Dancing Girls began sprinkling flower dew, Prince Lan’s focus quickly shifted from Lu Qing to the courtyard.

He seemed very interested in the noisy scene in the courtyard. His eyes followed the movements of the people, and rather than feeling displeasure at their lack of decorum in broad daylight, he seemed quite entertained.