"Yue''er, you..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The Xuanwu Emperor cradled Jiang Xinyue''s face, but saw it filled with pain and fear. She shook her head, "Your Majesty... I beg you to let me and Little Tuantuan leave the pce. I''m begging you..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
She cried so fiercely and miserably, almost wailing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Kind-hearted people always be frightened when faced with such vicious schemes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The Xuanwu Emperor held her tightly, kissing her tears away again and again: "I will find the true culprit behind this. I will eliminate all those who attempt to separate us."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
A destructive rage grew in the man''s eyes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
What had he done wrong?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
What had Yue''er and Little Tuantuan done wrong?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
They merely loved each other, had they vited some heavenlyw?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
To make his Yue''er constantly targeted, framed, and scared to the point of not wanting to stay in the pce anymore.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
So many people wanted to separate them, unwilling to see him happy. He was determined to make all those people regret it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"So..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The Xuanwu Emperor held Jiang Xinyue''s face, tenderly wiping away her tear stains, his eyes reddened as he said: "Yue''er, don''t talk about leaving the pce, leaving me anymore... I can''t be without you and the child."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Just thinking about the pce no longer having Yue''er and the sixth prince made his heart feel empty, unable to even feel pain.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
He could not... absolutely could not lose them, mother and son.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Xinyue''s crying gradually stopped under hisforting words, turning into sobs: "I... I''m really scared."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Living in Xihuo Pce, where someone died, then moving to Hexi Pce, where someone else died - how could a fragile woman not be afraid of the cruelty in the back pce?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The Xuanwu Emperor brought the clinging Jiang Xinyue inside. By the time they entered the flower hall, Jiang Xinyue had tidied her clothes and hair, wiped away her tears, and followed behind the emperor with the cold, imposing air of a favored consort.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"These people..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Four eunuchs and one pce maid were all tied up, kneeling in the middle of the hall.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Chuan stepped forward, pointing at them and said: "Your Majesty, these two servants are menial eunuchs from Hexi Pce. They were caught red-handed spreading news after Wet Nurse Cheng was burned to death. Those two, one is Little Qian from the Empress Dowager''s pce, one is Little Yin from Consort Rong''s pce. They were waiting for news toe out of Hexi Pce. This pce maid... she''s very tight-lipped, refusing to say which pce she''s from."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Your Majesty, we''ve been wrongly used!" Little Qian kept kowtowing, "This servant was following the Empress Dowager''s orders to deliver something to Consort Rong. On the way, I met Little Yin, so we walked together. We only came over because we saw the fire, truly not to spy on Hexi Pce!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Little Yin also nodded vigorously: "This servant is innocent..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
As for the pce maid, she seemed not to have expected to be caught, and hadn''t even prepared an excuse. She only red hatefully at Jiang Xinyue.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Tang Shiliang, dislocate her jaw."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Crack!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The pce maid had a look of determination in her eyes, but before she could bite down on the poison hidden in her mouth, Tang Shiliang quickly stepped forward and dislocated her jaw.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
She cried out in pain, and a small pill that had been hidden at the tip of her tooth rolled onto the ground.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Yan the Imperial Physician picked it up, peeled off the outeryer of the pill, and shook his head at the concerned emperor: "It''s amon mixture of arsenic and oleander found in the pce."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Many oleander nts grew in the imperial garden, but very few consorts knew they were poisonous.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Ingesting it would cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, slow heartbeat, and even death.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Add some arsenic to enhance the toxicity, and it would be hard not to die.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The Xuanwu Emperor''s fingers tightened: "Send her to the Investigative Bureau. Tell the Bureau Chief that if he can''t get useful information out of her mouth, he should prepare for punishment himself."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The eunuchs from the Empress Dowager and Consort Rong''s pces had consistent stories, and Little Qian even carried a food box.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Magpie opened it to look, and it was full of famous snacks and pastries from the Jiangnan region.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
If they weren''t lying, then the investigation would have to start with the two menial eunuchs from Hexi Pce.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"This servant... this servant doesn''t know who the messages were passed to, this servant never saw... Every time this servant just left the message outside the back door, under the flower pot by the wall. After this servant left, someone would naturallye to retrieve it. But Your Highness... this servant only passed on a few messages, and never did anything to harm Your Highness or the sixth prince. Please, Your Highness, spare this servant."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The other little eunuch trembled, stammering so much he could barely speak clearly: "This... this servant... this servant''s sit...situation is si...simr to his. This servant passed... passed messages for... for money. They gave... gave a lot of money. Your Highness, Your Highness please spare this servant, this servant will never dare to do it again."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Wang Dequan, go to Consort Rong''s pce and the Empress Dowager''s pce, have theme to collect their people."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
As for how they would be collected, that was up to Jiang Xinyue to decide.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Another eunuch ran in from outside: "Your Majesty, Consort Li from Yanxi Pce... Consort Li hasmitted suicide!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"What?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The Xuanwu Emperor was stunned at first, then widened his eyes to look at the messenger eunuch, and finally clenched his fists behind his back, the tumultuous emotions in his eyes finally settling into calmness: "Is she... dead?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The eunuch lowered his head, inexplicably feeling afraid: "When... when she was discovered, she had already breathed herst."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Consort Li... how could she havemitted suicide?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"This was found in Consort Li''s pce."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The eunuch didn''t dare dy, handing over a thick stack of letters with both hands.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Those letters had traces of tears blurring some of the words, each line cursing the Xuanwu Emperor and Jiang Xinyue.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Thenguage was extremely vicious. Even if she hadn''tmitted suicide, if these letters had been discovered, it would have been a death sentence anyway.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Soon after, more pce servants rushed in: "Your Majesty, some items were found in Yanxi Pce, please take a look."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Arsenic, oleander, phosphorus powder, cotton wool...<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
All the evidence pointed to Consort Li as the mastermind behind everything.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
After the Empress Dowager and Consort Rong hurried to Hexi Pce, they were informed that the Emperor and Favored Consort Jiang had gone to Yanxi Pce, so the two rushed there as well.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The crime of plotting against a royal child, even for the Emperor''s birth mother who held the position of Empress Dowager, if proven guilty, would likely face death.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
No wonder she didn''t dare dy in this matter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
It was alreadyte into the night when the Empress and Consort De received the news and arrived btedly. In the main hall of Yanxi Pcey the body of Consort Li, dressed in splendid clothes and wearing beautiful makeup.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
She seemed to have prepared for death, adorning herself particrly beautifully.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Her maid Xia He, upon seeing Jiang Xinyue, rushed over like a madwoman. Blocked by the guards, she still cursed loudly: "Jiang Xinyue, you slut, you killed my mistress!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0