"What did you discover?" The Emperor's expression was unfathomable. The Crown Prince smiled again and looked at Xia Qing, "Divine Doctor Xia, tell Imperial Father about your discovery."
Xia Qing hurriedly bowed respectfully and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this commoner observed Princess Yi's corpse and saw that her expression was slightly ill. The livor mortis was also somewhat strange, and the color was even more peculiar. A medical practitioner must be rigorous and careful, and must not make a single mistake. Although Princess Yi is of noble birth and this commoner has already overstepped his bounds by peeping into the corpse, he must not overlook anything. A medical practitioner is especially taboo to overlook a leopard through a tube, so this commoner boldly took a closer look. Once I looked, I discovered that Princess Yi's lips were black and blue, and there were tiny red spots on her body. Her limbs were not stiff, and her hair was also clotted … "
This person was a medical fanatic, and his long-winded ramblings left everyone in the hall scratching their heads in confusion. However, Xia Qing herself was completely unaware of it, and when she talked about the symptoms, she still spoke with great interest and seriousness. Even the Emperor's face showed some impatience. Finally, when Xia Qing finished talking about the suspicious points on Princess Yi's body, he said, "From this commoner's observation, I know that Princess Yi consumed a type of 'Xianji powder'. This powder is colorless and odorless, and when fed to the mouth, as long as it is supplemented with perfume, the corpse will remain in a state where it was not long after death. This commoner smelled the perfume on Princess Yi's body, and concluded that Princess Yi was poisoned with 'Xianji powder'."
"Nonsense!" Empress Shu couldn't help but say, "What Xianji powder? He Yi was clearly killed by Jiang Ruan!"
"Your Ladyship, please do not be impatient." Xia Qing was still unhurried, and spoke seriously with assurance, "This commoner knew that there was something fishy about it, so I used the method that Master taught me to remove the 'Xianji powder' in Princess Yi's body. After Princess Yi removed the drug that interfered with the coroner's vision, the corpse would no longer lie, and the time of death would appear. This commoner saw that Princess Yi's wound was blue, and looking at the time, it was at least one day earlier than the coroner's judgment. "
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the throne room.
Xia Qing's words implied that Princess He Yi had already died long before Jiang Ruan had gone to Mu Feng Pavilion. In this way, Jiang Ruan's crime of murder was not established. On the contrary, what Xuan Pei and the Crown Prince had just said seemed to be true. Furthermore, Xuan Pei said that it was Xuan Lang and Princess He Yi's palace maid who brought Princess He Yi to the Cleansing Wind Pavilion. Why would Xuan Lang be with Princess He Yi's corpse? Wasn't it very likely that Princess He Yi was killed by him? This was just a case of a thief crying thief.
Xuan Lang's expression changed greatly. However, the appearance of the Crown Prince and Xuan Pei today was truly too sudden. It had already caused his mind to become slightly muddle-headed. Coupled with the sudden appearance of Xia Qing, it completely messed up his plans. Xuan Lang was a brainless person. He only relied on the fact that Xuan Li was in the palace to do things. Who would have thought that Xuan Li would also be estranged from him? Today, Xuan Li must be planning to watch with folded arms. Xuan Lang's mind was in a mess and he could not think of any other way. He could only futilely say, "No, you are lying. I saw Princess He Yi die in her hands with my own eyes. At that time, Princess He Yi was still fine!"
Empress Shu was also somewhat suspicious of Xia Qing's words. She was not a divine doctor and naturally could not see anything wrong with Princess He Yi's corpse. At first, she thought that this matter was done by Jiang Ruan and wholeheartedly wanted to put Jiang Ruan to death. Who would have thought that at this moment, Xia Qing would suddenly say such a thing? If it was really as Xia Qing said, then Princess He Yi had died a day ago at the Cleansing Wind Pavilion. Who was the real murderer? Although Empress Shu disliked Jiang Ruan because of Princess He Yi, she was also unwilling to let the real murderer who killed her daughter get away scot-free. Moreover, she could not accept the feeling of being deceived by someone else. Immediately, her willowy eyebrows rose and she shouted, "Xia Qing, is what you said true?"
"Of course it is true." Although Xia Qing was somewhat indignant at being questioned like this, she still explained in a good temper, "Although this commoner travels everywhere, this commoner has opened my medical shop in Jinling for so many years. No one has ever said anything wrong about my medical shop, nor would I destroy my own reputation. This commoner has already seen Princess He Yi's corpse. At this moment, the medicine has been removed. If Your Ladyship does not believe me, you can find a coroner and an imperial physician to examine the corpse and see if what this commoner said is false. "
The reputation of the Jinling Divine Physician was well-known in the Great Jin dynasty. Among the physicians of the Jin dynasty, his words were priceless advice. Who would doubt that his diagnosis was false? If they doubted it, then they would be going against the entire medical profession of the Great Jin dynasty. Xia Qing was a straightforward person, and his character was praised by everyone. Since he had already said so, no one doubted that he was wrong.
The Crown Prince also followed up, "Imperial Father, this son has just had the Imperial Medical Bureau and the palace coroner re-examine the corpse. It is indeed as Divine Doctor Xia said, He Yi died before that day at the Cleansing Wind Pavilion."
The Emperor's expression changed slightly. Empress Dowager Yi De's hands, which were hidden in her sleeves, gradually unfurled and slowly stroked the ruby armour. She faintly said, "Lao Si, what else do you have to say?"
"No, that's not it …" Xuan Lang had never thought that Xia Qing would have such a trick up his sleeve, catching him off guard. However, at this time, it was already difficult to turn the tables. The Emperor looked at him with a thoughtful gaze, causing Xuan Lang to be unable to help but feel apprehensive. He had planned for so long, pretending to be weak and harmless for so long. Seeing that his great cause was about to succeed, could it be that today, all his previous efforts would be for naught?
"Fourth Brother, ben gong knows that you admire Hong 'an Princess, but you cannot use such an underhanded method." The Crown Prince smiled. "Moreover, Deputy General Jiang's life and death are unknown at the frontlines. You did not hesitate to frame Hong 'an Princess. This is really too despicable."
It would have been better if he hadn't said it. Once he did, everyone immediately thought of the matter of Jiang Xin Zhi. Just now, Xuan Pei had said that Xuan Lang wanted to use He Yi's death to force a marriage. Why would he force a marriage without any rhyme or reason? If he really came for the beauty, then if he couldn't obtain her, then he would destroy her. Moreover, he had also thrown in a Princess He Yi. The gains did not make up for the losses. If it was because of the military power in Jiang Xin Zhi's hands, then it was very possible.
Although Jiang Xin Zhi's current position was very awkward, if he advanced, he would have meritorious service. If he retreated, he would be able to take over military power. No matter what, marrying Jiang Ruan would be a worthwhile transaction. If Xuan Lang had such intentions, then everything made sense. However, after understanding this, everyone could not help but sigh in their hearts. Originally, they had seen this incompetent Fourth Prince following behind the Crown Prince every day. They had not expected him to have such ambitions and schemes. He really could not be underestimated.
Xuan Lang looked resentfully at the Crown Prince, who responded with a smile. Ever since he had received Jiang Ruan's reminder, although the Crown Prince was a brainless person, he did not have the temperament to allow himself to be trampled upon. He especially hated those who betrayed and deceived him. He believed that he had treated Xuan Lang well, but who knew that the results of his investigation would reveal that Xuan Lang had a close relationship with Xuan Li. When he thought of how Xuan Lang had originally only put on an act and acted like a brother, the Crown Prince felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly. In the early years, there were some inexplicable matters that had been proven to be Xuan Lang's doing. The Crown Prince had long been extremely angry with Xuan Lang. Now that he had found an opportunity, he naturally wanted to suppress him to death. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. If Xuan Lang had treated the Crown Prince with some sincerity, he would not have fallen to the state where he was today.
Immediately after, the commander-in-chief of the army, Gu daren, entered the palace hall to report, "Replying to Your Majesty, this official found bloodstains and torn clothing in the abandoned well in the palace. It was identified that it was worn by Junzhu."
If Jiang Ruan had really killed the person, then Xuan Lang would have seen it at the time. How would he have had the time to take off Junzhu He Yi's clothes and run to the abandoned well a few miles away to throw them away?
The Crown Prince shook his head and said, "Fourth Brother, it is not that I want to criticize you, but killing your own sister for the sake of Hong 'an Junzhu is somewhat inexcusable. I know that you and Consort Shu have a deep relationship. When you did something wrong when you were young, it was Consort Shu who spoke up for you in front of Imperial Father. If you killed He Yi like this, how sad would Consort Shu be? You see, she trusted you so much and never doubted you. "
As soon as he finished speaking, the expression on Consort Shu's face changed greatly. Xuan Lang also froze on the spot.
The Crown Prince's words were indeed correct. Imperial Consort Chen appeared gentle on the surface, but in reality, she was arrogant. Normally, she walked very far away from the other three consorts. Consort Shu was arrogant and willful by nature. Moreover, she had no children, so she did not pose a threat. She had been favored by the Emperor for some time. In the past, Xuan Lang had deliberately tried to curry favor with Consort Shu, hoping that Consort Shu would say a few good words about him in front of the Emperor.
Now, with the Crown Prince's words, everyone's spearhead was directed towards Consort Shu. Indeed, after Consort Shu lost He Yi, the first thing she did was to make things difficult for Jiang Ruan. However, she completely trusted Xuan Lang's words. If Xuan Lang and Consort Shu had a close relationship, could there be an inside story? Once an imperial consort in the palace had ambitions, her actions were extremely frightening. Could it be that Consort Shu was also aware of He Yi's death, but she had colluded with Xuan Lang to force Jiang Ruan into marriage? What was their purpose? Naturally, it was because Consort Shu had no children and He Yi was only a woman. If Xuan Lang had power in the future, or even if he could sit in that position, Consort Shu would also be able to get a share of the pie.
The heart of an emperor was especially sensitive to these matters. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor's gaze shot straight towards Consort Shu.
Although Consort Shu was arrogant and willful in the palace, she was well aware of the pros and cons. While secretly hating the Crown Prince for dragging her into this, she hurriedly raised her voice and said, "I did not expect that I would trust you so much, Fourth Prince. Yet, you have harmed He Yi like this. Your Imperial Majesty," she looked towards the Emperor and two streams of clear tears fell from her beautiful face, "You must seek justice for this consort ah!"
This meant that she had come to suppress Xuan Lang. Only in this way could she stop the mouths of the public and show that she and Xuan Lang had not conspired at all. At this point, Xuan Lang had been deserted by his own people.
The Emperor flew into a rage, "Guards, take the Fourth Prince away and send him to the Ministry of Justice to be imprisoned. He will be tried again the next day!"
"No, Imperial Father, it wasn't me..." Before Xuan Lang could think of a countermeasure, he heard this sentence and immediately lost his head out of fear. He only cared about begging for mercy and crying out that he was innocent.
However, at this time, it was too late for him to say anything. The Crown Prince, Xuan Pei, Xia Qing, and now Official Gu had all practically confirmed that he had lied. And Xuan Pei's words of discord had finally caused Xuan Li to shut his mouth at this time. Perhaps Xuan Li himself did not intend to lend a helping hand. After all, abandoning a rook to protect the general had always been his style.
Empress Dowager Yi De sighed deeply, "Unfilial descendant, full of nonsense."
If the scene in the main hall of today's trial in front of the Emperor were to spread out, it would inevitably become a joke. This was a scandal related to the Imperial Family. Xuan Lang had done such a thing, and it was smearing the Imperial Family's name. The Emperor's face was almost about to be trampled under his feet. Empress Shu slumped weakly in her chair. She had originally thought that everything that had happened today had been Jiang Ruan's doing. Now that it had been proven that it had been Xuan Lang's doing, she hated Xuan Lang, but at the same time, she was deeply worried about her own future.
Princess He Yi had already died, and for so many years, she had not been able to give birth to a son or daughter in the palace. Now that a new person was about to enter the palace, what kind of favour could she receive? Without the support of the latter half of her life, the Emperor began to doubt her. Imperial Consort Chen had been so doted on by the Emperor that she had almost obtained half of the Emperor's heart. So what if she was the most doted on in the six palaces? Just because she said she would be banished to the Cold Palace, she would be banished to the Cold Palace. How long could this superficial favour last?
Perhaps she and Imperial Consort Chen would soon meet again in the Cold Palace. Empress Shu's lips suddenly overflowed with a faint smile that was unspeakably bitter. She took another deep look at Jiang Ruan. In today's matter, if she could not see that someone was secretly helping Jiang Ruan, then she would have lived all these years in vain. She was only a small di daughter of the Jiang family, how could she use so many people to work for her? Looking at today's matter, not a single drop of water could be leaked, and not even the slightest clue could be found, but in the end, her goal had still been achieved. Her life was really good.
The Emperor's trial in front of him could be considered to have come to an abrupt end. The turbulent undercurrents were naturally seen by the hundreds of officials. After this, it was bound to set off a considerable storm in the court. Whether there would be a new team, or whether there would be people renouncing darkness for light, these were all matters for the future.
After Xuan Lang was taken away, the Emperor's face was already so gloomy that it could drip water. After announcing the dismissal of the court, he left with Eunuch Li's support. Empress Dowager Yi De thought about it, and only asked GuGu Yang to tell Jiang Ruan to return later, before following her back to the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful.
The hundreds of officials gradually retreated, and Xiao Shao strode to Jiang Ruan. He looked at her and asked with a frown, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Jiang Ruan shook her head, but her gaze fell on Xuan Pei, who was standing to one side and looking at her with a smile. After a pause, she walked over to Xuan Pei and stood still in front of him, "What did you do?"
Xuan Pei smiled at her. This child was born beautiful, so this kind of innocent smile would only make people feel dazzled. Where was the calmness and steadiness from before? It made people feel that this was nothing more than an innocent child acting spoiled to his mother. Mother?
Jiang Ruan was slightly stunned. She only felt that time flew by, and she had returned to the deep palace of her previous life, when mother and son were joking and playing. Xuan Pei smiled and acted spoiled to her, his smile bright and beautiful.
"Junzhu once helped me out of a difficult situation. The grace of a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring. This prince is only doing what is meager, and I hope that I can be of help to Junzhu." Xuan Pei said seriously, but the gaze he looked at her unconsciously carried a bit of a spoiled look.
Xiao Shao lowered his eyes and looked at Xuan Pei thoughtfully. Suddenly, he frowned and pulled Jiang Ruan behind him to block Xuan Pei's burning gaze. He said indifferently, "Meddlesome."
When Xuan Pei saw Xiao Shao's actions, he was also very dissatisfied. He looked at him with some hostility and said, "What does this have to do with you?"
"She is my person, and her matters are all under my control." Xiao Shao said.
Zhao Guang, who wanted to ask about Jiang Ruan's situation, walked over and heard this sentence. He almost fell over. He took a few steps forward and said in a low voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? Little brat from the Xiao family, if you continue to talk nonsense and ruin our family's Ruan girl's reputation, don't blame this old man for being impolite!"
Xuan Pei blinked, looked at Zhao Guang, and said sweetly, "Old General Zhao."
Zhao Guang also looked at Xuan Pei suspiciously. He could also see that Xuan Pei was clearly deliberately helping Jiang Ruan out of trouble. Moreover, this Thirteenth Prince, who had almost never appeared in the rumors, was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. After all, Zhao Guang had been in the court for so many years, and he had a good eye for people. He did not dare to underestimate Xuan Pei. Today, he had saved Jiang Ruan, so it was inevitable that Xuan Pei would have his own plans. Zhao Guang respectfully said, "Your Thirteenth Highness." However, in his heart, he was suspicious. Why did this Xuan Pei look at his family's Ruan girl like a fledgling? If he lacked maternal love, he should look for the Empress or the Empress Dowager. What was the point of looking for Jiang Ruan? Jiang Ruan was still a virgin.
The Crown Prince also walked over. He glanced at Jiang Ruan, then looked at Xuan Pei meaningfully before saying, "Congratulations, Junzhu, for safely escaping a calamity."
"Many thanks to Your Highness, the Crown Prince, for speaking up for justice." Jiang Ruan smiled in response.
The Crown Prince smiled, "You are welcome. If you want to thank someone, thank Thirteenth Younger Brother. Thirteenth Younger Brother and I are just taking what we need. He treats you very well. "After saying this, he left without looking back.
These words caused everyone to be slightly shocked.
Xiao Shao looked at Xia Qing, who was still standing to the side, arranging her medical box, and said, "Xia Wu."
Xia Qing was startled, as if she had just noticed Xiao Shao's appearance. She hurriedly jogged over, stood beside Xiao Shao, and called out, "Third Older Brother."
These two people had both been apprenticed to a master on Jia Nan Mountain, and their master was Teacher Ba Qi. They were also fellow disciples of the Copper Sect. However, compared to Xiao Shao's casual life-saving skills, Xia Qing had studied medicine through and through. She had read all the medical books on Jia Nan Mountain. As the saying goes, if you are sincere, you will see results. Thus, she could be considered to have inherited a good legacy.
At this moment, the baby-faced youth looked excited. However, Xiao Shao coldly said, "Why did you enter the palace?"
"The Crown Prince allowed me to enter the palace." Xia Qing said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that as long as I entered the palace to examine the corpse, he would give me the 'Shi Nan Medical Manual'. Third Older Brother, you don't know, but Master said that the 'Shi Nan Medical Manual' is a record of the pain caused by the human body's bones. It can be said to be a very rare medical manual. I originally looked for it for a long time, but I couldn't find it. I didn't expect that it would be in the palace. As soon as I heard His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mention this, I rushed over without stopping. You must know … "
Once Xia Qing started talking about medical books, he talked non-stop, ignoring the astonished gazes that were directed at him. Xiao Shao interrupted him, "Why did the Crown Prince want you to examine the corpse?"
"I don't know," Xia Qing said, "But Third Older Brother," he looked around, "I didn't expect you to be here. Why don't we call Lao Qi and go out for a drink?" If there was anyone here who had a calm expression and wasn't affected in the slightest by the atmosphere just now, he was the only one.
Xiao Shao glanced at Jiang Ruan, who nodded slightly. Xiao Shao turned back and said, "Okay."
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