Li Qian picked up one of the small bottles. Without opening the stopper, he held it beneath his nose and sniffed. “Zhiluo flower pollen mixed with the smell of soil.”
Mu Xueshi laughed and clapped his hands. “Exactly! But I dug that dirt out of my own shoes!”
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s gloating grin, Li Qian did not know whether to laugh or sigh. He said gently, “I already knew it was dirt scraped from a shoe, and that it had been there for about a month and a half.”
Now it was Mu Xueshi’s turn to look embarrassed. He had expected his little prank to make Li Qian lose his composure because he wanted to see the young man blush. Instead, Li Qian had known all along, which was probably why he had not opened the bottle.
“Hmph…” Mu Xueshi pouted and deliberately made things harder for him. “If your nose is that good, then tell me where I picked up this pollen.”
“Young Master Xue picked up this soil at the hour of Xu on the eighth day of the third month, when he went to Taixin Garden to admire the flowers,” Li Qian said with complete confidence.
Mu Xueshi’s eyes widened in shock. He circled Li Qian several times, then gave him a thumbs-up. “I never realized the real expert was right here!”
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s adorable expression, Li Qian explained, “Within ten li, Taixin Garden is the only place where this flower grows. And does the Zhiluo flower not bloom only at the hour of Xu on the eighth day of the third month? For someone who loves flowers as much as Young Master Xue, surely you would not need to test me on something so small. You were only teasing me, weren’t you…”
“Stop…” Mu Xueshi’s expression suddenly changed. He caught Li Qian’s sleeve and cut him off.
Seeing his face change, Li Qian immediately fell silent. The playful tone vanished, and he stood nearby watching Mu Xueshi with concern.
I should have thought of it sooner… Mu Xueshi murmured. Yinglan flower… Zhiluo flower… It’s the same principle. They only bloom at fixed times. The Zhiluo flower simply has stricter requirements for both time and place.
“How far is Taixin Garden from the Grand Tutor’s manor?”
“On horseback, less than the time needed to drink a cup of tea.”
“What about on foot?”
“On foot, roughly one shichen, about two hours.”
The moment Li Qian finished speaking, Mu Xueshi sat down blankly. His expression was so complicated that he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
So it had been this simple. He could take this little bottle back right now and close the matter. After struggling for so many days, nothing more than dirt from a pair of shoes could clear his name. Once his innocence was established, what was he supposed to do next?
Keep investigating the case?
Probably not. Since he was not the culprit, there was no reason to exhaust himself over the investigation. He still wanted to find the real murderer and untie the knot in the Third Prince’s heart, but he knew he had something even more important to do.
Should he really tell the Third Prince the truth about his identity and ask him to help recover the silver coin?
No. The instant Mu Xueshi thought of it, cold spread through his body. He was not afraid that the Third Prince would become angry and refuse to let him return. He was afraid the prince would hear the truth, throw him out immediately, and from then on treat him like a stranger.
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s strange reaction, Li Qian knew he must have discovered something important. Not wanting to interrupt his thoughts, he quietly closed the door and left Mu Xueshi alone inside.
Mu Xueshi stared at the small bottle without truly seeing it. Suddenly something struck him hard on the head, and he collapsed forward onto the table.
Through the haze, Mu Xueshi vaguely saw a dark figure slip into the room. The figure touched and manipulated his face for a moment, then quickly disappeared through the window.
“So hot…” Mu Xueshi murmured. A fierce wave of heat suddenly surged toward his lower abdomen, making his whole body feel as though it were burning. He tried shifting position to ease it, but the moment his aroused body brushed the hard bed, the discomfort only became more unbearable. Mu Xueshi recognized the sensation and could hardly believe desire had overtaken him so quickly.
He wanted to call for help, but doing so now would only invite trouble. He could feel his reason rapidly losing ground to his body. He considered relieving himself with his own hand, yet doing such a thing in Li Gui’s room would be mortifying if anyone discovered him. With no better choice, he tried desperately to suppress the heat.
Staggering to the table, Mu Xueshi grabbed a silver pitcher and poured its contents over his lower body. The water was warm and did nothing to help. Eyes reddening with urgency, he searched for somewhere else he could find water, only for someone to enter the room.
The last thing Mu Xueshi wanted to see right then was a woman, especially a beautiful one. The seductive smile at her lips immediately brought the Third Prince’s cold smile to mind. Mu Xueshi had never intended to do anything improper here; at most he had planned to drink a little wine and listen to music. If something happened now, he could not imagine the expression waiting for him when he returned.
The woman approached. Mu Xueshi backed away step by step, waving to show that he did not need that kind of service. She ignored him, walked straight over with alluring steps, and pushed him onto the bed.
“Young Master, this girl will take good care of you.”
Her sweet voice sent cold sweat down Mu Xueshi’s back even as his drugged body reacted. When she began touching him intimately, his already weakened self-control rapidly gave way to the stimulation.
Mu Xueshi’s breathing grew faster. Before long, the woman had removed his clothes and begun using her mouth against his chest before moving lower. The sensation swept through him like an electric current. Under the influence of the drug, his remaining reason collapsed, and when she reached the most sensitive part of his body, he could not suppress a low sound or stop himself from responding.