I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 289 Fabricating Crimes
Consort Shu was shocked to hear this. Why was she suddenly investigating these things? Could it be that someone was trying to harm her daughter right under her nose?

Thinking about this, she couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly instructed Yan Hui: "You personally lead the two imperial physicians to check everything the princess might encounter, including pillows, bedding, and clothes."

"Yes, sir." Yan Hui accepted the order and led the way for Physician Wu and Physician Zhuang.

Xiao Jingfan gave Zhou Yuande a wink, and Zhou Yuande quickly followed.

Consort Shu turned to her personal maid and instructed, "Bring all those who serve the princess here and have them wait outside the palace." If any problems are discovered, none of them will escape!
The nanny immediately went to do it.

Chu Liuzheng followed into the hall, picked up the little princess and shook her, secretly shaking his head.

[Tsk, the investigation is going in the wrong direction; the problematic item isn't with the princess.]

Xiao Jingfan: ?

Tell me where it is!

Chu Liuzheng stared into the little princess's big, dark, and bright eyes. Seeing the little girl smile at her, she couldn't help but smile back.

[The little princess is so cute! Parents' looks definitely have a big influence on their children. Hmm... how can I subtly remind the tyrant without seeming too obvious?]

Chu Liuzheng had a headache.

Xiao Jingfan was also quite troubled.

The little princess got tired of playing with the tassels on the buttons and reached out her little hand to grab Chu Liuzheng's swaying earrings instead.

Chu Liuzheng dared not let her catch him, so he quickly took off the earring and put it into his purse.

The little princess pouted unhappily, her big eyes glaring accusingly at Chu Liuzheng, looking like she was about to cry.

Chu Liuzheng was at a loss for how to coax her when Consort Shu couldn't help but step forward and reach out her hand, saying, "Give it to me, the princess is a little shy."

Chu Liuzheng glanced at the emperor beside him, and seeing that the emperor did not intend to stop her, he carefully placed the princess in Consort Shu's arms.

Holding the soft, warm baby in her arms, Consort Shu finally felt at ease and leaned in to kiss her daughter's little face.

The little princess hugged her affectionately and returned the kiss with a pout.

The mother and daughter were gazing at each other tenderly, but Chu Liuzheng was secretly getting anxious.

[Stop kissing! The problem lies in the cosmetics Consort Shu used! They've been mixed with Cold Marrow Powder; long-term use will be fatal!]

Xiao Jingfan: !!

He glanced at Consort Shu, his eyes as cold as ice in the dead of winter.

It was only because Consort Shu was so focused on her daughter that she didn't notice, otherwise she would have been quite startled.

Xiao Jingfan got up and walked over, reaching out to the little princess: "Come here, let Father hold you."

Consort Shu looked at him, unable to hide her surprise.

Why is everything so unusual today?

The little princess loves being held by her father, the emperor.

She happily jumped into Xiao Jingfan's arms, her little fingers picking at the golden dragon embroidery on his chest, wanting to peel it off and stick it to her own clothes.

"Your face is dirty." Xiao Jingfan fabricated a story, wetting a handkerchief to wipe his daughter's face and hands.

[Tsk tsk, even a tyrant has moments of patience. Humans really have no resistance to cute things. This is a lucky coincidence, though; naturally, the less poisonous stuff you ingest, the better.]

Chu Liuzheng felt that the scene before him was very kind to his eyes.

She rummaged through the gossip in the system. [The Cold Marrow Powder is colorless and odorless, extremely rare.]

[Consort Shu was an adult, and her resistance was stronger than that of a child. She naturally ate little to maintain her figure and hadn't noticed any loss of appetite. When she woke up this morning to find her skin sallow and haggard, she assumed it was from taking care of the little princess and didn't pay any attention. Little did she know that someone had laced her cosmetics with a cold-marrow powder.]

The little princess often kisses and hugs her mother, getting a lot of makeup on her. Being so young, even a small amount can cause discomfort.

If this is delayed any longer, symptoms such as morning nausea and hot palms should appear. Any doctor with poor skills, or one unaware of the existence of Cold Marrow Powder, would easily misdiagnose this as food stagnation. By the time the poisoning actually develops, it will be too late to cure.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfan's heart tightened. He changed to a clean handkerchief and continued to carefully wipe his daughter.

The little princess felt ticklish from his rubbing, and while dodging, she grinned and giggled.

Looking at his daughter's lively and adorable appearance, Xiao Jingfan's lips curled up slightly, and the icy look in his eyes melted a little.

He asked Consort Shu, "Did the imperial physician summon the princess to examine her today?"

Consort Shu said, "I saw it yesterday afternoon, but not today."

"Hmm." Xiao Jingfan turned to look at Chu Liuzheng and asked, "Is Feng Jing in the palace?"

[Brother Feng doesn't need to report to me when he leaves the palace, how would I know?]

But seeing the emperor's look that seemed to say, "If Zhou Yuande knew, you should stay away from me if you don't," Chu Liuzheng quickly checked the system and replied, "Your Majesty, Doctor Feng has left the palace to provide free medical services at the charity clinic."

Xiao Jingfan nodded and ordered the Imperial Guards, "Bring the person here."

Consort Shu asked in confusion, "Both Imperial Physician Wu and Imperial Physician Zhuang are here, why did His Majesty summon Doctor Feng?"

Xiao Jingfan said, "Feng Jing is a disciple of the Ghost Doctor. His medical skills are superb and his methods are unpredictable. I want him to examine the princess."

Consort Shu was somewhat surprised. Before entering the palace, she had heard of the Ghost Doctor's reputation for "reviving the dead and restoring flesh and bone." She never expected that the young doctor was actually the Ghost Doctor's apprentice. She had really misjudged him before.

Xiao Jingfan held his daughter's small hand, glanced at Consort Shu, or rather, at the thin layer of powder on her face and the undisguised fatigue between her brows, and softened his tone: "I have heard that you have worked very hard to take care of the princess. When Feng Jing arrives, I will ask him to prescribe a medicine to help you recover."

Consort Shu was taken aback, and a sudden wave of tenderness washed over her. She clenched her handkerchief, looked at the little princess, and smiled slightly: "The princess is my life. For the princess, I am willing to do anything."

It took the two imperial physicians an hour to examine the princess's residence, and they concluded that everything was normal and there was no problem.

Even though Xiao Jingfan already knew from his heart that the poison was in the cosmetics used by Consort Shu, he was naturally more at ease after the two imperial physicians had examined everything.

He turned his head and glanced at the reflection of the figures on the screen.

Feng Jing has already entered the palace and is currently examining Consort Shu and the little princess behind a screen, but there are no results yet.

Xiao Jingfan thought for a moment and then instructed the two imperial physicians to examine the items used by Consort Shu again.

No one found it strange, since the mother and daughter spent every day together, and it would be more reassuring to check together.

Yan Hui led the two imperial physicians away, and Xiao Jingfan said to Chu Liuzheng, "You should also go and take a look, and be careful."

"Yes, sir." Chu Liuzheng accepted the order and left.

While others were checking their pillows, bedding, teapots, teacups, and snacks, she lingered in front of her dressing table, picking up and examining each box containing rouge and face powder.

Yan Hui had been secretly watching her. Seeing this, she walked over, glanced at the things on the table, and asked, "Is there something wrong with it?"

“These don’t seem to be from the palace.” Chu Liuzheng picked out five carved wooden boxes and placed them together.

Yan Hui glanced at them and said, "These are the latest rouge from Rongdezhuang. The Xie family specially asked someone to send them to the palace. When Consort Xie came to see the little princess before, she gave some to Your Highness."

Rongdezhuang is the most famous rouge shop in Jiangnan. Its rouge and face powder are extremely popular. Every time a new product is released, it sells out within a day. You can't buy it without having some connections.