Xue Yu-Yan was pouring the tea for Jian Guozhi and found he was in deep thought. "Jian Ge seems lost these days. Is everything alright?" Xue Yu-Yan asked humbly. 

Jian Guozhi did not want her to worry, so he lied. "Everything is fine." He picked the teacup and sipped the chamomile tea. "It's refreshing," He said and put the cup down. 

"Jian Ge can share with me if he is troubled," Xue Yu-Yan politely said. "He shall not keep it to himself." She blew the air over the tea surface before taking a sip. 

"Xue, I spent most of my childhood with Yongzheng and Rong Zemin. While growing up, the teachings I got, I imparted them as well, mostly to Yongzheng. They were not good things to be taught. But because I was naive, I did not understand that it could bring some serious repercussions in the future," Jian Guozhi pronounced. He had a menacing yet troubled expression on his face. 

Xue Yu-Yan understood a little from his words that Prince Yongzheng was doing something evil. She was also aware of the Second Prince's nature. After all, she had heard about him from her father. 

"What did Jian Ge teach Brother Yongzheng? To my knowledge, Prince Yongzheng was always cunning… even his mother is!" Xue Yu-Yan remarked. 

Jian Guozhi chuckled. "I made him the person which he is today. If I had acted as an ideal Elder Brother, then he would not have turned this way," he regretted. 

"Jian Ge, did you try to talk with Brother Yongzheng? What exactly has Brother Yongzheng planned?" Xue Yu-Yan asked. 

Jian Guozhi sipped the tea and shook his head. "You do not need to know. I will not come to you today. I have some pending work to complete. So, have your dinner without me," Jian Guozhi stated. He had finished the tea and left the chamber. Xue Yu-Yan turned sad because for the past few days, Jian Guozhi was under stress and he was not ready to share anything with her. 

Jian Guozhi had decided to talk to Yongzheng once more. He had the hunch that Yongzheng would do something big if was not stopped at the right time. He turned to Yongzheng's chamber but found Sheng Li, who was coming from the front side. 

They both greeted each other. Sheng Li looked around and then gazed at Jian Guozhi. "Lili told me to talk to you regarding our Second Brother." Jian nodded his head and told Sheng Li to follow him. 

Once they reached the chamber of Jian Guozhi, Sheng Li asked him again. Jian Guozhi had thought to hide the truth about Yongzheng's face from Sheng Li, but since Ying Lili had already informed him, there was no use to hide anything from him. However, he wanted to make sure that Sheng Li would not lose his temper. 

"Brother Sheng, Brother Yongzheng wants to," his voice quivered while eyes flickered, "ki-kill the Crown Princess." He finally said. Sheng Li clenched his fists. Jian Guozhi told him everything about Yongzheng. 

"Brother Sheng, let me handle this matter," Jian Guozhi requested Sheng Li, who refused. 

"First Brother, it has a risk. Second Brother can even harm you," Sheng Li stated. "I will handle it in my own way. However, I need your help. I will give a chance to Brother Yongzheng to change," He proclaimed. 

"What if he refuses to change? I know Yongzheng better than anyone. That's why I think I should handle the matter with him," Jian Guozhi suggested. 

"Brother Jian, Brother Yongzheng will not listen to you. If you think that he will listen to you, then you are wrong. I still cannot believe that I almost got deceived by him," Sheng Li gritted his teeth. He wanted to punch Yongzheng for speaking ill about Ying Lili. 

"He did not change a bit all these years," Sheng Li snickered and slammed his hand on the table. 

"What has Brother Sheng thought?" Jian Guozhi asked. 

"I will tell you after two days. I still need to scrutinize Brother Yongzheng's moves. Thank you for informing Lili about all this. Father is sick, and if he finds his one son is still on the path of vengeance, then his health might deteriorate," Sheng Li expressed his concerns towards his father's health.

"You are right. We cannot let this out. Even a few Court Ministers will try to take advantage of this. We need to do everything quickly. Also, there is no trace of the poison bottle that Brother Yongzheng handed to the servant. The Crown Princess has told me to search about the servant," Jian Guozhi asserted. 

'Whom could he possibly plan to poison?' Sheng Li wondered. 

~~~~~

"Did you mix it well?" Yongzheng asked while sipping the wine. 

"Yes, Your Highness," the unknown person replied to Yongzheng, who smiled.

"Leave and never step inside the borders of Luoyang," Yongzheng commanded the person. He bowed and vanished from his sight. 

Yongzheng opened the drawer of the table and took out a tiny wooden box. He put the wine glass over the table and then opened the wooden box. There was one white pill in it. 

He took it out and peered at it. "There is only one antidote to this poison. Sheng Li, now you will kneel in front of me and beg me for it. I surely will hand this to you but only on one condition," Yongzheng murmured and smirked. "To save the person dear to you, you need to give up on the throne and also leave the Palace." 

He laughed evilly and put the pill back into the wooden box. "I will not let you rule over the Han Empire, neither do I let your woman rule over us men," Yongzheng muttered. 

Suddenly he heard the clink of the flower vase. He lifted his gaze and found the broken vase near the second door. He immediately stood up and walked near it. "Who's there?" He shouted and pushed the curtains away. He kept walking and went outside the chamber. 

He asked his Eunuch if he saw someone, who refused. Yongzheng knitted his brows.. 'How could the vase break? Did someone hear?' Yongzheng wondered and got tense. 

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