Seeing the second imperial prince's impudence, Xiao Zhengxin immediately reprimanded him. "Tianqing, don't be rude to esteemed wangfei!"
Xiao Zhengxin was the second imperial prince's maternal grandfather, but in terms of seniority, he should be calling Long Tianqing 'Second Imperial Prince'.
That's how he usually addressed him, but the situation was completely different now.
Without Xiao Zhengxin and the Duke of Qin's backing, both Noble Consort Xiao and the second imperial prince would suffer calamity.
"Grandfather, we're all on the Duke of Qin's side. Of course she has to save mufei!" the second imperial prince said unhappily.
He used to be the most favored imperial prince, even more so than the crown prince. Now that his status had plummeted, he couldn't get used to it.
Like his imperial father, he'd always been dissatisfied with His Highness Duke of Qin. Crown Prince Long Fei Ye, on the other hand, had always respected the man. But who knew that he'd end up on the Duke of Qin's side?
He and his mufei had been kept in the dark by his grandfather for so long! The second imperial prince couldn't accept it. If possible, he'd choose his imperial father, because he was already planning to depose the crown prince. As for his loyalty to the Duke of Qin, he had been played like that at the birthday banquet. How could he still have a chance to shine?
"Tianqing, don't be so impudent!" Xiao Zhengxin said sternly.
Long Tianqing was resentful. "In any case, she has to save mufei!"
Han Yunxi really didn't know why Emperor Tianhui had given up on the perfectly fine Long Tianmo in favor of this idiot! Even if Long Tianmo was bedridden for a few more years, his IQ and EQ were still 100 times higher than Long Tianqing's!
Han Yunxi only understood Emperor Tianhui's misgivings after she found out about the imperial uncle's wealth. Of course, that was a story for another time.
"Esteemed wangfei, please forgive me. I beg esteemed wangfei to save Yuru for His Highness's sake!" Xiao Zhengxin begged bitterly.
Actually, Long Tianqing was wrong. It wasn't that the Xiao Clan had helped the Duke of Qin, but that the Xiao Clan's current status, his position as Left Prime Minister, and Yuru as Noble Consort were all thanks to the Duke of Qin's help.
Han Yunxi would naturally save Yuru if she knew it was Long Fei Ye's territory. Even if Xiao Zhengxin didn't beg her, she'd still do it.
"Don't worry, as long as she's really innocent, I'll definitely reveal the truth!"
Han Yunxi got into the sedan chair as soon as she finished speaking. She didn't argue with Long Tianqing and didn't blame him at all.
Xiao Zhengxin couldn't help but sigh with emotion. This woman was so magnanimous. She deserved to be called Qin Wang's legal wife!
Han Yunxi was taken directly to the scene of the crime, the bedroom of Imperial Concubine Yun.
There were quite a few people present, including the empress dowager, Noble Consort Xiao, Emperor Tianhui, and a few court ladies. To Han Yunxi's surprise, Duanmu Baiye, Chu Tianyin, and Chu Qingge were all present!
This was Emperor Tianhui's family affairs, so why were these outsiders getting involved?
Isn't Emperor Tianhui afraid of airing his dirty linen in public?
Seeing Han Yunxi enter, the empress dowager was delighted. "Yunxi, you've finally come. Everyone's been waiting for you!"
This old Empress Dowager, no matter when she saw her, would always smile kindly and amiably. People who didn't know would think that their relationship was very good!
Han Yunxi was already used to it and went to greet her with a smile. "Yunxi greets Esteemed Empress Dowager and His Majesty."
But the empress dowager actually helped her to her feet. If this was any other time, the empress dowager would be warm and cordial, but she wouldn't act like this!
This time, it was highly likely that she was the one who'd framed Noble Consort Xiao. They already had evidence and witnesses, so why didn't they close the case early? Why did they ask her to help with the investigation? How strange!
Could it be that they were lusting after her Medicine Fan? What trap was waiting for her this time?
"Yunxi, the evidence and witnesses are all here. Noble Consort Xiao is the true culprit behind the poisoning, but Miss Chu says otherwise. She says there's something wrong with the poison. It's not that I don't believe Miss Chu, but … "
As the empress dowager spoke, she smiled helplessly. "Only when I found you did I feel at ease."
As it turned out, Noble Consort Yun's death coincided with Emperor Tianhui's meeting with Duanmu Baiye and the Chu siblings in the imperial gardens.
When Eunuch Luo went to report, Chu Qingge accidentally overheard him. She immediately expressed her knowledge of poisons and volunteered to take a look.
By the time she arrived, the empress dowager was already preparing to convict Noble Consort Xiao, but Chu Qingge said there was something wrong with the poison.
Although Emperor Tianhui had only given Noble Consort Xiao the cold shoulder and hadn't touched her, he should still be on the empress dowager's side under the current circumstances. Unexpectedly, he attached great importance to Chu Qingge's words and wanted her to investigate the matter instead.
That was simply absurd!
The shrewd empress dowager immediately sensed something fishy between Emperor Tianhui and Chu Qingge. If she guessed correctly, her lustful son had taken a liking to Chu Qingge!
Chu Qingge came from one of Western Zhou's famed Chu Clan, a great general's family.
Given the current relations between Western Zhou and Tianning, and her background as a great general, she'd be the head of the Noble Consorts if she married into the imperial family.
Everything in the imperial harem was under the empress dowager's control, so she naturally wasn't afraid of an investigation. She wanted nothing more than to raise Noble Consort Xue to the throne, so how could she allow anyone to compete with her?
Thus, the empress dowager thought of Han Yunxi, the woman who'd humiliated Chu Qingge at the birthday banquet.
Actually, Chu Qingge hadn't volunteered herself to please Emperor Tianhui at all. She had no idea that Emperor Tianhui had already taken a liking to her when she played the zither at the empress dowager's birthday banquet.
Nor did she know that Emperor Tianhui's harem had such complicated relationships.
Her reasons for doing so were simple: she wanted to stir up some trouble and let Long Fei Ye know she was still in the capital. That way, he'd hear news about her from Long Fei Ye.
Han Yunxi knew poisons, but so did she!
What Han Yunxi didn't, she did!
If Long Fei Ye could gain the support of Western Zhou's Chu Clan, then he'd have more leverage against Emperor Tianhui!
As soon as the empress dowager finished speaking, Han Yunxi had no idea what she meant when Emperor Tianhui spoke up. "Muhou, Miss Chu's poison skills are exquisite. Erchen is quite at ease."
Han Yunxi grew even more perplexed at his words. What were Emperor Tianhui and the empress dowager singing?
Cold as Chu Qingge spoke up, "Esteemed Empress Dowager, the poison found in Noble Consort Xiao's quarters is the same as the one that poisoned Noble Consort Yun. But if this poison is fatal, it'd take an entire bottle. There's only half a bottle left, so it's obvious that you're framing her!"
Han Yunxi glanced at the bottle and recognized it as red Snow Dipper. It was as Chu Qingge said, poisons could only be poisoned if the entire bottle was used up.
But there was still half a bottle left, so there had to be something fishy going on.
"Miss Chu, do you mean to say that I'm framing Noble Consort Xiao?" the empress dowager asked bluntly.
Noble Consort Xiao and the court lady remained kneeling on one side without a word.
Chu Qingge was a virtuous and virtuous person. If not for the difference in status, she wouldn't have put the empress dowager in her eyes, either. Her actions at the birthday banquet had already earned her disdain.
"Qingge doesn't dare. Qingge's only speaking the truth," Chu Qingge replied mildly.
"Yunxi, what do you say?" the empress dowager turned to Han Yunxi.
Although Han Yunxi wasn't sure what the empress dowager and Emperor Tianhui were planning, she had a clear goal: to save Noble Consort Xiao.
"There's definitely something fishy about the remaining half bottle of poison."
Compared to Chu Qingge's "obvious framing," Han Yunxi's words were more prudent and intelligent.
At the very least, the empress dowager felt comfortable listening to them.
But Chu Qingge only snorted disdainfully. "Coward."
Han Yunxi didn't mind. With a smile, she asked, "Esteemed Empress Dowager, are you planning to give this case to Yunxi?"
"Of course. Since there's something fishy about it, then we should investigate it thoroughly. We can't let the true culprit get away scot-free. That's why we shouldn't frame a good person!" the empress dowager declared justly.
"Then some unrelated people can …"
Before Han Yunxi could finish, Emperor Tianhui spoke up. "Muhou, since it was Miss Chu who discovered something fishy, Zhen thinks it's better to let her investigate the case. Zhen wants to see Miss Chu's poison skills for myself."
Han Yunxi couldn't help but wonder if Emperor Tianhui had taken Chu Qingge's knockout powder or something! Why was he siding with her so much?
After some observation, Han Yunxi really did discover that Emperor Tianhui was looking at Chu Qingge differently.
Her suspicions grew as a bold guess formed in her heart. But she wasn't sure if Chu Qingge had realized the truth herself.
"Emperor, this is …"
The empress dowager was about to refuse when Chu Qingge spoke up. "Esteemed wangfei, how about this? We'll investigate our own cases and see who gets to the bottom of the truth first!"
"Heheh, that's a good idea! Then it's settled, "Emperor Tianhui agreed impatiently.
A cold smile flickered past the empress dowager's eyes before she said, "Since the emperor has said so, you two can investigate on your own."
Han Yunxi was in a bad mood. Chu Qingge had already fallen into her hands twice, so why wasn't she giving up?
Did she think investigating a case was a game? What was there to compete about?
If it wasn't Noble Consort Xiao who'd been framed today, Han Yunxi would never play with her!
Seeing that Han Yunxi had no objections, Chu Qingge hastened to add, "Esteemed wangfei, what do you plan to do if I find out the truth first?"
"Noble Consort Xiao's innocence and Noble Consort Yun's death all depend on the truth. If you find out the truth, the empress dowager and His Majesty will naturally reward you handsomely. What else do you want?" Han Yunxi countered seriously.
Chu Qingge was at a loss for words.
Still, she quickly adjusted herself. Even if this was a gamble with no chips or rewards, as long as she found out the truth first, she could trample Han Yunxi beneath her feet!
Han Yunxi's poison skills were already famous in Tianning and Cloud Realm Continent. As long as she beat Han Yunxi, her name would spread throughout Tianning as well.
"Qin Wangfei, how about we set a time limit of three days?" Chu Qingge asked.
"Up to you," Han Yunxi didn't care.
On one side, Duanmu Baiye had been paying attention to Emperor Tianhui's eyes the entire time. If Emperor Tianhui had taken a fancy to Chu Qingge, then his apology for Yao Yao would go smoothly.
Chu Tianyin was paying attention to Emperor Tianhui as well. Although he disliked his little sister's foolish actions, he thought that it might be a good thing if she could stay in Tianning!
With a time limit of three days, Han Yunxi and Chu Qingge both settled down in the palace for the sake of investigating the case.
When Long Fei Ye found out, he immediately sent Zhao mama into the palace to wait on them and told her not to leave their side at all.
It was only the first day, but Chu Qingge and Han Yunxi were both staying in Noble Consort Yun's palace to investigate the case. Emperor Tianhui actually came straight after court ended …
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