Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 15 Nine mistresses? Aren't you afraid of working yourself to death?
Yunniang almost jumped up, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.

"Rong'er, why aren't you sleeping? Did I wake you up?"

It turned out to be a little girl.

Yunniang was already a rare beauty among ordinary people, and this little girl, around ten years old, although young, had a fair face that shone with a captivating light, clearly a beauty in the making. She and Yunniang shared a slight resemblance in their features, only Yunniang's was more refined.

At this moment, the young girl gently grasped Yunniang's hand, her clear worry showing in her bright eyes, and her brows furrowed slightly.

Yunniang gently ruffled her hair, trying to relax her tone.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm just a little bothered by what happened during the day. But you saw it, didn't you? Those older brothers and sisters who came today all seemed like very nice people, and they really did help us. The people guarding outside are there to protect us. So Rong'er, don't worry about me. Get some sleep, okay?"

The girl was clearly still worried, but she obediently followed her instructions and left.

That night, Yunniang didn't sleep a wink.

The next morning, after enjoying a lavish meal at the palace, Jiu Que discovered that only Chunyu Shuang was dining with him. He could accept Wei Yuan, since he was a palace guard and the adopted son of Grand Supervisor Jiu Fu; perhaps he was resting at his adoptive father's place. But what about Xie Mingchen?

"Doctor Xie went to the freezer to see Yu Lang's body."

Chunyu Shuang wiped her hands and slowly told Jiu Que, who was looking around.

Oh?
Jiu Que paused for a moment. Could it be that Xie Mingchen had a new clue?

Indeed. Xie Mingchen, who rushed back, brought back shocking news to a woman named Jiu Que Chunyu Shuang.

“The poison Yu Lang was poisoned with was quite complex. We couldn’t identify what kind of poison it was at the time, but we could tell it was poisonous from the symptoms he exhibited. Besides the food he ate at the palace banquet, I found a small piece of leftover pill in his stomach.”

"Elixir?"

Jiuque seemed to be deep in thought.

"Does Yu Lang like taking pills? But I've heard that almost all pills are poisonous. Especially those with heavy metals like mercury and cinnabar, which are extremely harmful to the human body. Could he have been poisoned by these pills?"

Everyone was somewhat surprised.

At this time, people still held elixirs in high esteem. After all, these were elixirs refined from the essence of heaven and earth, and most Taoists who were not skilled enough would even cause their furnaces to explode! Refining a batch of elixirs was no simple matter.

But according to Ying Jiuque, this elixir cannot be taken?
Whether they believed it or not, no one directly refuted it, but Xie Mingchen was quite agitated.

"So Princess Ying thinks the same way. I once reported the drawbacks of the elixir, but alas..."

Judging from Xie Mingchen's dejected appearance, it's clear that no one believes him anymore.

This is simply a drawback of our times. Try giving someone a pill of dubious origin in modern times and see what happens.
"So that pill was poisonous?"

Xie Mingchen shook his head regretfully.

"There's too little remaining pill to verify if it's poisonous, but Yu Lang must have ingested it after going to the side hall, because when the head physician first examined his pulse, Yu Lang showed no signs of poisoning." "So, that pill really was poisonous. Doctor Xie, did Yu Lang have any remaining pills on him?"

"No, there's only this."

Jiu Que thought it was something important, but when he looked at it, it turned out to be a yellow paper talisman. However, it was different from ordinary talismans; it looked more like a folded paper package, just big enough to hold a pill.

These days, even elixirs are using scarcity marketing?
"That's a clue."

Tell Xie Mingchen to keep the package safe, as it's a significant clue. It's all thanks to Xie Mingchen, so Ying Jiuque decided to put him in charge of it.

After tidying up, the group left the palace again. As they exited the palace gate, a dark figure suddenly appeared.

Upon seeing that it was Wei Yuan, Ying Jiuque finally understood what it meant to appear and disappear without a trace.

Unlike his taciturn nature, Wei Yuan had already obtained a considerable amount of firsthand information. Contrary to expectations, he didn't hoard it; instead, he generously shared it with Ying Jiuque and the others.

"Yu Lang has nine concubines, scattered in different streets and alleys. We have already sent people to invite them, and each of their courtyards has been taken into control. We can go and check on them at any time."

Receiving this news before setting off brought a sigh of relief to everyone; at least the investigation hadn't been fruitless. However, Jiu Que's focus was rather peculiar.

"No, something doesn't seem right to me. Yu Lang is just a scholar, without any parents or relatives to support him. Although he's the top scholar, he's only recently passed the exam and hasn't even become an official yet. Where would he get so much money to support nine mistresses? And isn't he afraid of working himself to death?"

She vividly remembered that although Yunniang and Jinhua's courtyard was small, it was exquisitely furnished and in a prime location. Some of the furnishings were even extremely delicate, costing at least a hundred taels of silver. Keeping one was fine, but keeping nine…

Where did Yu Lang get so much money?
On the way, everyone was still discussing this matter. If he had some business outside, it would be one thing, but Wei Yuan's men had already checked the deeds under Yu Lang's name and found that he didn't actually own any estates or shops, and even those courtyards were rented. This didn't make sense.

Unable to understand, Jiu Que put the matter aside for the time being and went to the courtyard where the concubines were being held. Perhaps because the case was of great concern to His Majesty, the officials handling the case were not negligent. At this moment, there were still seats for the nine women, each with a different charm, inside the room. However, the moment Jiu Que entered, she felt a strange sense of tension and anxiety in the air.

Before entering, Jiu Que had already received word that these nine women had remained silent since their imprisonment. Even when they saw each other, they didn't speak, seemingly unaware of one another. As for the tension, anyone would feel nervous being suddenly taken away by tall, burly government officials.

"Clap clap clap!"

He clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention to himself, and then looked at Yunniang and Jinhua with a smile.

"I've already met the two elder sisters yesterday. Now, let's get to know the rest of you. I am Ying Jiuque, here at His Majesty's request to handle the case of the sudden death of the top scholar Yu Lang at his birthday banquet. Unfortunately, you nine are Yu Lang's concubines. Yu Lang was not yet married, so you were his closest people. Could you please explain clearly what Yu Lang did yesterday and the day before? Don't worry, once things are cleared up, everyone can leave here and go home soon, and Yu Lang can finally have some peace and quiet."

In the silence, Jiu Que smiled.

"So, who wants to go first?"

After a brief silence, a frail-looking woman with a slightly sickly appearance stepped forward.

"Ahem, I am Fuliu, and I live in Lotus Lane. The other evening, Yu Lang came to my place. He was going to stay here overnight, but he received a letter from a child on the street and left in a hurry."

(End of this chapter)