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Chapter 338 Alertness
Fu Wen stood inside the courtyard gate, making sure the old steward and the others had gone far away, before returning to stand guard by the door of the guest hall with Fu Lu, so that Lu Qing and the others could talk inside.

“I’ve smelled that scent in the palace before. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s very similar.” Zhu Yu leaned close to Lu Qing’s ear and whispered to him, “It was that time when you and I went to the palace to meet the emperor. You went to court, and I was waiting outside when I smelled it on a palace eunuch.”

The eunuch said that he was of low status and not qualified to wear incense, and that the fragrance on his body must have come from when he was serving the noble people in the noble people's palace.

The fragrance that clung to the eunuch could later be smelled again in the Southern Study.

Lu Qing listened to her words with a calm expression throughout, seemingly without any particular surprise.

Or perhaps it was because Lu Zhang and Lu Yan were sitting on the other side that he was so reserved.

“There is no fragrance on the silk, nor on the dye.” Lu Qing pondered. “It seems that the fragrance on the long dress was added during the weaving process or when it was made into a dress.”

I just don't know how long it can be preserved.

You said it's not exactly the same as what I smelled before, are you sure?

"I'm absolutely certain." Zhu Yu nodded. "My sense of smell is pretty accurate."

Lu Qing nodded and said nothing more. He gestured for Zhu Yu to sit down and asked the others about the events of the previous night.

Almost everyone had the same reaction: they didn't feel particularly tired at first, but they fell asleep shortly after returning to their rooms. Falling asleep was indeed very sudden and without warning, as if they had fainted.

When they woke up again, it was always after dawn, and they had a splitting headache, but no other discomfort.

The fact that they all reacted in the same way is enough to show that something strange happened in this small building last night.

The talisman and the runes, upon receiving the order, began searching upstairs and downstairs. After a long day of searching, they returned and told Lu Qing that they had checked everything thoroughly, but found absolutely nothing, not even the incense burner or the chimney.

The two of them even checked under the bunk bed, and there was absolutely no possibility of any hidden passage or mechanism.

"Aside from sleeping like a log last night and having a headache this morning, we haven't had any other symptoms. There's no sign of anyone sneaking into the room, and none of our belongings are missing. So... what was the person who drugged us for?" Lu Yan asked, puzzled and finding it somewhat unbelievable. "It couldn't have been just to drug us so we wouldn't be able to sleep, could it?"

"You know what, the possibility you mentioned actually exists." Lu Qing smiled slightly. "What if someone can't sleep, and the night is long and they're bored, so they want to go for a walk?"

This courtyard is only so big. What if we went outside?

"You mean someone's afraid we'll sneak out of the yard and wander around outside at night when they're less vigilant?" Lu Yan slammed his hand on the table. "Good heavens! They're so guilty, they're clearly up to something!"

“Of course there are ghosts, but what’s unclear now is when exactly this sleeping potion was given to us, and how it managed to make all of us fall for it without exception,” Lu Qing reminded the others.

"Could the problem lie with dinner?"

Lu Zhang made a guess, but as soon as he said it, he was met with a glare from Yan Daoxin. He realized that Yan Daoxin had inspected the food the day before and confirmed that there were no problems before everyone ate it. His words clearly implied that he was questioning Yan Daoxin's abilities.

He quickly added, "Since Chief Secretary Yu said the day before yesterday that there might be a colorless and odorless incense that people couldn't detect, then perhaps there's also a secret medicine that can be put into food and blend into its original flavor, making it undetectable?"

Yan Daoxin glanced at him unhappily. If he didn't have to maintain a dignified and otherworldly demeanor in front of outsiders, he probably would have rolled his eyes long ago: "So in your opinion, I confirm whether there is a sleeping potion by tasting it with my tongue? If the taste of a sleeping potion is so obvious, would anyone be stupid enough to swallow it even if they clearly feel that the taste is wrong?"

A drug that can be mixed into food shouldn't have any noticeable taste. The reason I was able to confirm it was because—

Forget it, why should I tell you so much? Believe it or not, it's up to you. From now on, don't eat or drink anything, just endure it.

Lu Zhang's face turned red after being rebuked so mercilessly by Yan Daoxin.

Lu Yan, standing to the side, felt particularly pleased and almost gave Yan Daoxin a thumbs up on the spot.

Zhu Yu felt that now was not the time to argue, fearing that their conversation would become increasingly awkward, so she spoke up on Yan Daoxin's behalf, saying, "I also think the problem is not with the food."

We didn't eat together at the time. Some people ate in the guest hall, and some ate in their own rooms. After dinner, the servants came to collect the bowls and chopsticks a while later.

Up until this point, we were all fully conscious.

If someone had drugged our food, we probably wouldn't have even had time to wait for the servants to clear the plates before we were all sprawled out and lying on the ground.

Yan Shu also agreed: "I can confirm that."

When the servants came to take away the bowls and plates, it wasn't even completely dark outside yet. Afterwards, I stayed in the room alone for a long time. When it got completely dark, I got up and lit a candle. At that time, I felt refreshed and not tired or sleepy at all.

After that, I don't know how much time passed, and I don't even know what happened, I suddenly fell into a deep sleep.

Roughly calculating, it hadn't been more than an hour since we finished eating.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhang quickly nodded: "That's right, I didn't think it through just now."

Yan Daoxin's expression softened slightly. He waved his hand, appearing magnanimous and not wanting to hold a grudge against Lu Zhang.

"No matter what, we need to be more vigilant tonight," Lu Qing reminded him.

Yan Daoxin touched the medicine gourd at his waist and shook it: "I have a lot of medicines here to refresh our minds. Let's all take them tonight. Then I'll see who it is and what method they used to make us all unable to hold on!"

Everyone agreed, and the topic was dropped.

The day passed peacefully. Except for mealtimes, Yan Daoxin spent the rest of the time in his room pondering how to prepare incense.

As the sun set, the servants from Fairy Castle came to deliver dinner once again.

This time, for convenience, everyone gathered around the large table in the guest hall to finish their meal. After the servants took away the bowls and plates, Yan Daoxin distributed the Awakening Pills to everyone and watched them swallow them with warm water.

"This time there's no problem. My 'wake-up pill' works very well. Unless someone knocks you out from behind with a stick, no one will be able to get confused!" he said confidently to the others.