Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 730 Who wrote this? (First update)
This "family dinner" didn't end until late at night.

During the banquet, Princess Qinyang's worries were resolved, and she drank to her heart's content. Prince Yannan and Ye Yunfeng, on the other hand, did not touch a drop of alcohol because they had to return to their military camps afterward.

However, the atmosphere was pleasant and harmonious, and everyone left happily.

Ye Chutang originally intended to send someone to deliver it, but the Prince of Yannan politely declined.

"We'll take Yue'er back to her residence first, and then head straight back to camp," said the Prince of Yannan. "We've already caused you quite a bit of trouble today."

Ye Chutang could understand the implication in his words.

At this very moment, countless eyes, both openly and secretly, are watching this place.

The news that the Prince of Yannan and his daughter visited the Ye family and stayed there for a long time, only returning home around midnight, will likely spread quickly before tomorrow morning.

If people were to see Ye Chutang's people traveling with them again, it would inevitably lead to more speculation.

Ye Chutang, however, did not care. She shook her head and smiled, "My friendship with Princess Qinyang is well known in the capital. Prince Yannan has also been kind to Afeng. Our family has no way to repay him. It's just a banquet. What's there to care about?"

The King of Yannan was taken aback, then laughed heartily and said loudly, "That's right!"

The two families already had a good relationship, so if someone wanted to make a fuss about it, they wouldn't mind having a meal.

Instead of hiding it, it's better to be open and honest!
The Prince of Yannan felt both ashamed and admiring, and his gaze towards Ye Chutang was filled with even more appreciation.

He was shortsighted. Although Ye Chutang was a woman, her magnanimity and temperament far surpassed those of countless men!

Perhaps because Ye Chutang had cleared the poison from his body, the Prince of Yannan felt completely refreshed.

He composed himself and smiled, "Then we'll take our leave. I was planning to bring Yue'er to the palace tomorrow, but she's too drunk, so we'll pass. Ah Feng hasn't been drinking, so he can come along."

Ye Chutang understood immediately.

Tomorrow, the Nanhu people will arrive, and there will surely be another lot of trouble.

The Prince of Yannan intends to have a serious talk with the other party.

In this matter, Ah Feng occupies an extremely special and crucial position.

So whether he likes it or not, he's going to get dragged into this mess...

Ye Chutang curtsied and said earnestly,
"Ah Feng is young and doesn't understand things yet, so we can only rely on you to teach him more."

The Prince of Yannan offered her a token gesture of support, but declined her offer.

“Miss Ye, you are too kind. Since Ah Feng is my subordinate and has made great contributions in battle, I will naturally protect him.”

Ye Chutang was certain in her heart.

"Then... thank you very much."

……

After seeing off Prince Yannan and his entourage, Ye Chutang took Xiao Wu back to her room.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Xiao Wu went around to Ye Chutang, shook her hand, and looked at her expectantly.

—Sister, will Fourth Brother be bullied tomorrow?

Although she was young and didn't understand many things, she heard clearly what her elder sister and the Prince of Yannan had said.

Ye Chutang tapped her nose, chuckling and teasing her.

"You really can hide anything from me. But don't worry too much. Besides your fourth brother, many other people will be going to the palace tomorrow. Even if someone targets him, there won't be any problems."

After hearing this, Xiao Wu frowned.

—If Fourth Brother is such a good person, why would anyone target him?
The only answer she could think of was... Nanhu!
Xiao Wu stretched out his hand and gestured, looking somewhat indignant.

—Is it just because Fourth Brother arrested someone?

Ye Chutang hesitated for a moment. "It's just a guess."

Tuoba Yu has a special status, and having suffered such a great loss this time, he will definitely not let it go.

They wouldn't openly confront the Prince of Yannan, but Ah Feng was different.

They might think that Ah Feng is an easy target, and even if they can't do anything to others, they should at least take it out on Ah Feng to vent their anger.

Of course, these were all just Ye Chutang's assumptions.

Look closely...

"I wonder if the head of the Shui family is a smart man."

Seeing that Ye Chutang wasn't too worried about it, Xiao Wu finally felt relieved and turned over to fall into a deep sleep.

……

It's quiet at night.

Xiao Chenglin was unable to sleep. The lamp in his study was dim, and he sat in his wheelchair, motionless for a long time.

"So, the Gu poison in Fan Chengzhuo's body was neither planted by Shui Xingqiu nor related to that person?"

In the quiet of the night, Xiao Chenglin spoke slowly.

"Yes." The attendant bowed his head and answered respectfully, "During this time, that person has stayed in the room and hasn't gone anywhere."

Xiao Chenglin frowned, but he couldn't figure it out.

"If it wasn't the work of those two, then... who was it?"

"Your Highness, since this afternoon, rumors have been rampant in the capital. The news that Fan Chengzhuo has been poisoned by a Gu poison has spread far and wide, and... everyone says it's a very potent Gu poison. Not to mention the capital, even among the Southern Barbarians, there are probably very few who possess such abilities. Perhaps I should investigate further? Now that we've narrowed down the search, I should be able to find out soon—"

Xiao Chenglin raised his hand.

The chief immediately fell silent.

Xiao Chenglin narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at him sideways. "You heard this news, and others naturally heard it too. In such a short time, the entire capital knows about it, which shows that those people had no intention of hiding it at all, and may even have deliberately spread it."

The attendant was taken aback, vaguely realizing something. "Your Highness means... there's something fishy going on here? But Fan Chengzhuo and Zheng Baosu have already committed capital crimes. His Majesty is furious and has sentenced them to death, which doesn't seem wrong. Besides, this news couldn't have been kept secret anyway. Wouldn't it be better to use this opportunity to make an example of them?"

That makes some sense.

However, Xiao Chenglin merely twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a hint of cold mockery.

"You still don't understand him enough. You don't really think that someone who can hold that position for decades can't even control his temper, do you?"

The servant was stunned.

"Xie Anjun was also involved in this matter, yet he was dragged out and beheaded, while Fan Chengzhuo and Zheng Baosu were spared. Could it be that the lives of these two are more valuable than Xie Anjun, who has only recently inherited the title?"

The Marquis of Zhongyong's family fought alongside the army to conquer the land and achieved numerous military exploits. Even now, they still have influence within the military.

Even so, Xie Anjun was still executed.
The vast Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion was destroyed in an instant. What did Fan Chengzhuo and Xie Anjun have to worry about?
The attendant hesitated before asking, "...Then, is His Majesty doing this to force Fan Chengzhuo to reveal the person behind him?"

If you think about it that way, everything makes sense.

The smile on Xiao Chenglin's face gradually faded, as if covered by a thin layer of ice and snow, cold and intimidating.

“You’re right, but… Fan Chengzhuo has already been poisoned by Gu. When he dies is entirely up to the person who poisoned him.”

The servant suddenly realized something, his eyes widening sharply. "That's right! Even if he's imprisoned and tortured daily, his life and death are completely out of his control! Unless, unless—"

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Chenglin's eyes.

"Unless... this poison was planted by the person who imprisoned him!"