The prince is more stable

Chapter 622 There Must Be a Trace
Wherever you walk, you will leave traces.

There is no such thing as a flawless crime; there is only a lack of eyes to see it.

The same applies to the palace. Zhao Hao didn't think the people who plotted to harm the young prince were particularly clever. With careful investigation, some clues would naturally come to light.

"The medicine was prepared by the Imperial Pharmacy. After it was prepared, palace servants tested it for poison. The eunuch Gong Jing then sent a palace maid to Consort Liu's palace, where the wet nurse fed it to the little prince. Sometimes Consort Liu would feed him herself," the eunuch replied respectfully.

Zhao Hao narrowed his eyes into slits and said calmly, "The people who brew medicine at the Imperial Pharmacy are all recorded. Find out who this person is, and also Gong Jing and the wet nurse. These three are key figures. Find a way to get them out of the palace. I need to control them."

The eunuch lowered his head: "Yes. Every day, a garbage cart leaves the palace. If we can control it, I will hide the three of them in a hidden compartment of the garbage cart and transport them out of the palace."

After a pause, the eunuch cautiously continued, "But today... the Crown Prince of Chu was ordered to investigate a case, but the chief eunuch, Gong Jing, obstructed him. The Crown Prince ordered Gong Jing to be flogged twenty times, and he was presumably seriously injured. Later, Consort Liu took him back to her palace..."

Zhao Hao was taken aback, then laughed: "That idiot Gong Jing actually dared to provoke my son. When my son was guarding the border, he had tens of thousands of soldiers under his command, and he killed so many Liao soldiers that their heads rolled. The Liao people called him the God of Slaughter. This idiot actually dared to show off in front of my son. Hehe, what a fool who doesn't know what's good for him."

After a pause, Zhao Hao said, "Even the seriously injured Gong Jing needs to be taken out of the palace. I only need him to have a breath left."

"Yes."

Zhao Hao narrowed his eyes in thought. The person who brewed medicine at the Imperial Pharmacy, Gong Jing, the wet nurse…

There must be something wrong with one of these three people.

If any one of these three people was bribed by Zhao Ji, then that alone would be enough to send Zhao Ji to hell.

Zhao Hao had his own judgment; in this case, he always felt that the imperial physicians were innocent.

Because the imperial physicians only prescribe medicine, but the prescriptions are easy to verify afterward. Even if the imperial physicians had the intention to harm the young prince, they would never tamper with the prescriptions unless they planned to die together with the young prince.

So the only remaining possibilities are problems in the three processes of preparing the medicine, delivering the medicine, and administering the medicine.

"My son was ordered to investigate the case. How far has he gotten?" Zhao Hao suddenly asked.

"The Crown Prince found out that a steward in Consort Liu's palace named Zhang Xiang had accepted five hundred taels of silver and sent out the young prince's prescription. However, the person who accepted the prescription is very mysterious and has never been seen."

"The Crown Prince believes that this case may be related to the Imperial Pharmacy, meaning that there was a problem with the medicine preparation process. The Crown Prince is sending people from the Imperial City Guard to conduct a thorough investigation of the Imperial Pharmacy."

Zhao Hao revealed a proud look: "As expected of my son, he is indeed very clever and thinks the same way as me."

After saying that, Zhao Hao stood up, dusted off the hem of his robe, and said indifferently, "Then so be it. You handle this matter well, and I will buy you a mansion in Bianjing to ensure you have no worries for the rest of your life."

The eunuch bowed with delight, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

…………

The Imperial City Guard had set up hidden sentries outside the side hall of Consort Liu's palace. Zhang Xiang stood outside the side hall, pacing back and forth under the window where he often contacted the mysterious person, for an entire day.

The result was not good; there was no one around the side hall, and they couldn't wait for anyone.

Zhao Xiaoqian's entrapment plan has failed.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian realized that he couldn't pin his hopes on something with such a slim chance. With the young prince dead and the palace in turmoil, who would risk meeting Zhang Xiang under such circumstances?
If we keep waiting like this, we probably won't see anyone for half our lives.

Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian decisively changed the plan and ordered the Imperial City Guard to arrest and question the relevant personnel of the Imperial Pharmacy.

Imperial City Guard, Ice Well Affairs.

Throughout the entire night, piercing screams and desperate pleas for mercy echoed from the ice well.

Half of the eunuchs from the Imperial Pharmacy were taken away by the Imperial City Guard. They were all people who were directly or indirectly involved in the process of preparing and administering medicine to the young prince.

At Zhao Xiaoqian's command, all of these people were taken away by the Imperial City Guard, and then subjected to severe torture before being interrogated separately.

Zhang Xiang, the steward of Consort Liu's palace, stood absentmindedly in the prison of Bingjingwu, listening to the screams coming from all over the prison, each one making him tremble with fear.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the prison's interrogation room, still with his legs crossed, ignoring the screams.

Pointing to Zhang Xiang, Zhao Xiaoqian said to Wei Jie, "Take him with you. In front of each cell, have him listen to the voice and see if he can identify the person who delivered the prescription."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhang Xiang and said, "Although you haven't met him, you should be able to recognize his voice through the window of the side hall, right? The Imperial Pharmacy is highly suspicious. Most of the people who were in contact with the young prince during the medicine-making process are here. Go and listen to them one by one. Hopefully, you can give me good news."

Zhang Xiang was led out by Wei Jie with trepidation.

Before leaving, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly called out to Wei Jie: "Check the mouths of all those people at the Imperial Pharmacy to see if they have any poison hidden in their teeth. We can't let them bite down and break their teeth just when we're about to find the real culprit. We absolutely cannot allow such a ridiculous thing to happen."

"Your Highness, rest assured, Liu Dan checked them one by one before they were put into prison."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Old Liu is good. The Imperial City Guard must give him a big bonus afterward."

Zhang Xiang was taken away, while Zhao Xiaoqian sat alone in the signing room, his nose twitching a few times before he frowned.

The smell in Bingjingwu was truly unbearable. I don't know how Liu Dan could stand it after being in there for so many years. No wonder he's becoming more and more perverted. Zhao Xiaoqian, being such a precious person, naturally wouldn't stay in there unless necessary, so he decisively got up and left the prison.

Just as he was about to step out of Bingjingwu's courtyard, he saw Zheng Chunhe coming towards him.

Zheng Chunhe stood outside the courtyard with a friendly smile on his face, holding a whisk in his hand, having waited for quite some time.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian come out, Zheng Chunhe quickly went to greet him. As soon as he stepped into Bingjingwu's courtyard, he suddenly felt a chill on his back, and then goosebumps rose all over his body. A thick, oppressive atmosphere was like a pair of big hands, tightly choking his throat, making it difficult to even breathe.

Zheng Chunhe's expression changed drastically. He quickly took a few steps back and left the courtyard, and the situation immediately improved.

Blinking in disbelief, Zheng Chunhe tentatively took a few more steps forward. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, that familiar feeling returned, making his hair stand on end and his breathing difficult.

Zheng Chunhe hurriedly retreated, looking at Bingjingwu's courtyard with suspicion and disbelief, his face pale.

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed, walked out of the courtyard, and winked at him: "It's very strange, isn't it? When I first entered Bingjingwu, I felt the same way. It was like entering the gates of hell. I felt very uncomfortable. It took several visits to get used to it."

Zheng Chunhe wiped away a cold sweat and said with a wry smile, "Your Highness, this place... is indeed eerie."

Zhao Xiaoqian said quietly, "I reckon there are too many wronged souls inside, and their resentment lingers year after year. In places you can't see with your naked eye, you're surrounded by friends from the spirit world..."

Zheng Chunhe's face grew increasingly grim: "Your Highness... this servant is only here to deliver a message; the Emperor summons you."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily: "Let's go, let's go together."

Zheng Chunhe turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something. He then clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect towards Bingjingwu's courtyard, muttering, "I'm sorry for disturbing you, please forgive me..."

Funing Hall.

Zhao Xu made an exception and did not handle state affairs today. He was sitting behind his desk, staring blankly at the memorials on the table, lost in thought.

Zhao Xiaoqian entered the hall to pay his respects, but Zhao Xu was still in a daze.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him curiously and repeated loudly, "Your subject, Zhao Xiaoqian, is here to pay homage by imperial decree."

Zhao Xu finally realized what was happening and then smiled.

"Zi'an is here, please have a seat."

After serving the tea, Zheng Chunhe quietly withdrew, leaving only Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian in the hall.

Zhao Xiaoqian took a sip of tea and said, "Your Majesty, I was just about to report to you that there has been some progress in the case of the young prince."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian reported on the findings of his investigation over the past two days.

The Imperial City Guard started their investigation from the Imperial Medical Bureau, then traced it to Consort Liu's palace, and finally identified the Imperial Pharmacy as a suspect. Now, those involved in the Imperial Pharmacy have been taken to the Ice Well Office for rigorous interrogation, and there may be results soon.

Zhao Xu listened quietly, his face expressionless. After Zhao Xiaoqian finished speaking, Zhao Xu nodded slowly: "Zian is good. He is indeed my right-hand man. I knew that I would never let you down in any matter I entrusted to him."

After a pause, Zhao Xu continued, "Judging from the current situation, it shouldn't be long before Zi'an finds the real culprit, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly and said, "I dare not make any promises, but everything leaves a trace. Since someone did it, it will definitely be discovered sooner or later. I can only say that I will do my best to handle it quickly, give Your Majesty an explanation, and also avenge my poor nephew."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu's eyes reddened, and he remained silent for a long time before calming down.

"I summoned you here today to provide you with a clue."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes widened in astonishment, and he sat up straight: "The Emperor also has a lead?"

Zhao Xu nodded: "Yes, this morning, before dawn, the palace patrol officers reported to me that a suspicious person was hiding in the bushes by the palace wall of Consort Liu's palace. The patrol officers noticed something was wrong and immediately gave chase, but the person was very agile and disappeared while running and hiding."

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback: "Is this true? Could this person be an assassin?"

Zhao Xu shook his head: "The times are critical. This person is hiding outside Consort Liu's palace. We don't know what he's up to."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked perceptively, "Does His Majesty believe this person is related to the case of the young prince?"

Zhao Xu looked at him, his gaze unfathomable: "If you were me, wouldn't you become suspicious?"

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's quite possible. The young prince has not been dead for long, and this person is hiding outside Consort Liu's palace. It is indeed likely related to the young prince's case."

Then Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "It's a pity that this person got away, and the clues have finally been lost."

Zhao Xu's lips curled into a smirk as he slowly said, "Don't you want to know which direction that person fled in?"

"where?"

Zhao Xu looked into his eyes and said, word by word, "The Empress's palace."

(End of this chapter)