Truth revealed-2

I was just in charge of selecting tea leaves at first but with bribing and sweet talking landed to vice steward. It took me just three months to reach that position.

At the fourth month of that year I was informed of a visitor. Though in doubt I went to meet the visitor and was surprised to see the merchant who had helped me. He seemed happy yet sad at that time when asked he told me to meet him outside the palace. He gave me the name of the place where he was staying and left.

Thus next week after bribing the book keeper I went out of the palace to meet that man. Upon meeting he told me that he was schemed and nearly killed by his second step brother.

He also told me that his pregnant wife and mother were in his brothers hand as captives. He showed me the scars from being poisoned. He told me that his business had also been snatched and after his escape he was threatened to do something for his brother in return for his family.

When I asked he replied that his brother wanted a permission to own the sole trade of supplying silk in the capital. As he was my benefactor I offered my help to him.

He said that only when the emperor passes the edict would it be possible to do so. I was scared as never had I have been in the presence of emperor nor the authority so I said how it was impossible for me to help him.

He then begged and kneeled crying that if I agreed he has a way to achieve it. He said that his wife was already three months pregnant and feared that his brother would kill his wife along with the child and his old mother.

Having an old mother of my own I felt sympathy towards him also with the fact that he was my benefactor. Thus agreed to help him.

He said that first I need to become a head steward, for that he had prepared a small corn sized pill. He told me that if I give these pills to the head steward for three months once a week then he will die peacefully. The pills would rapid the aging of his internal organs by twenty years ahead, till the organs would fail to work.

As the head steward was already in his fifties, the condition for the pill met perfectly. From then each week I met the man and took that pill for the head steward and after the completion of third month he passed away peacefully and without any suspicion.

At the final week he told me that his brother has send him a message with two pills. According to the letter these pills were a very strong illusional pills. Once taken a person would be in a daze state for a minute where they would do as ordered.

The letter also mentioned that this pills were to be taken by the royal couples at the same time, on the same day. His brother would send a person to discuss about the trade.

The plan was to have the person appear when both the royal couples were in the dazed state and finalize the deal in form of edict stamped by the emperor.

I was hesitant, if caught then the life taken will not just be mine. But he assured me that everything will be fine just like the time when I had used the powder on my physical examination.

He also offered me to bring my family in the capital and help them settle nicely. He told me that I just have to prepare two sets of tea liked by royal couples and have it sent with the serving maid on the chosen date. The rest was up to his brother's person to accomplish.

The chosen date was the first month of the new year when all the merchants would visit the palace to promote their new goods. After the discussion we agreed to meet only at the first week of the first month of the new year before taking action.

As agreed but suprising me he had brought my family to capital. Even had a very nice house bought under my mother's name. He had introduced himself as a friend of mine infront of my family.

After spending some time with my family he and I went to a separate room where he passed me those two pills for the next day. He also informed me that he would be leaving capital along with his brothers men after succeeding, to retrieve his family from his brothers clutches.

As a safety measure he had bought some men and have them send earlier if his brother refuses to hand over his family. He told me once he is able to have his family secured he will bring them to visit me and my family.

We wished luck to each other and to see again in favorable conditions. I did as told, that day I had send two sets of tea with each pill dissolved in one through serving maids hand.

As I was not allowed to enter the vicinity I didn't know the situation happening inside. After the day ended with merchants leaving, I bribed the guard and asked him what had happened inside.

He told me that merchants have brought their goods, some were admired by the royal couples resulting in rewarding the merchant and so on. But there was no mentioning of the edict. As I couldn't ask openly I left it at that.

I was nervous thinking something went wrong with the pill and worried about the family of the merchant and mine. As I had just left the day earlier it was not possible to leave the palace on the next day.

A week passed and nothing seemed wrong with the royal couples which eased my worries of the pills being something else. I went to visit my family to ask if they received any news from my friend.

Learning that there was none I instructed them to keep an eye if they receive any and also not to mention about him to outsider for his life would be in danger.

Weeks passed to months and years just like having dissapeared I thought he met with bad fortune. As I didn't know where his home was wasn't able to ask about his well-being.

Even after three years passing no news came thus firmly have me believed that he must have fallen under his viscious brother hands.

Until the royal couples were poisoned and diagnosed by your lordship. The time line is to the point when I had the tea passed. I am still under the doubt as whether he had me fooled from the beginning or that he himself was a pawn of his brother.

I accept to have my hand on passing the pills but true as the sky and earth didn't know it was poison pills and not the illusional pills. Even if having eaten 10 lions heart this one doesn't even dare to dream about poisoning the royal ones.

So qinwang your lordship whatever the punishment this one accepts just beg for ones innocent family's safety." Telling the entire truth he cried like a child and begged for his family's safety.