The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

The hall was quiet for a moment, and you could hear someone breathing.

In fact, Li Fengyao was skeptical of the eunuch's testimony for the time being, after all, the Prince of Jin's filial piety towards the emperor was obvious to all.

If anyone disrespects His Majesty, Prince Jin will be the first to roll up his sleeves and rush forward.

But... you can know a person's face but not their heart. After all, in the royal family, there are quite a few brothers who appear to be on good terms but secretly wish each other dead.

—Their emperor was the first to be affected, and for a long time, the first thing he did every morning was to curse Prince Gong to die young.

As for the Prince of Jin...

Both are sons of the emperor, but one is the supreme ruler, sitting on the throne; the other is exiled to a fiefdom, forbidden to return to the capital without an imperial edict. Over the years, it's hard to guarantee that he won't develop rebellious intentions.

If they are not truly innocent, then they are unfathomably cunning.

"Your Majesty, we can't extract any more information from the assassins... If it really is the Prince of Jin, what does Your Majesty intend to do with him?"

Li Fengyao asked, "Should we arrest and interrogate the Prince of Jin?"

They are blood relatives, and the Empress Dowager is still alive, so things probably won't go so smoothly.

Xie Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "Let me think about it. You may leave now."

……

The palace is only so big. Even if the news of such a big event as the emperor's assassination attempt on New Year's Eve were to be suppressed, it would not be completely airtight.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Empress Dowager and Xie Changqing arrived early in a hurry.

"Brother, are you alright?"

Upon learning of Xie Ling's assassination attempt, Xie Changqing was frantic with worry.

What are those lackeys good for? With so many people protecting him, how could they still let the assassin get close to the Emperor? All the useless servants on duty should be sent to the Censorate for a visit.

Xie Ling said in a calm tone, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Staring at his left hand, which was wrapped up like a pig's trotter, Xie Changqing's eyes widened like saucers. "You call this nothing serious?"

Xie Ling rarely showed a hint of helplessness, "It's because your sister-in-law is too worried about me, which made her a bit nervous. She insisted on pestering me like this, and I couldn't stop her."

Empress Dowager: "..." Is he crazy? Who wants to listen to his boasting?

Xie Changqing broke down and covered his head in despair—enough, enough!

He came to check on their health, not to listen to them flaunt their affection.

Seeing that Xie Ling was still in the mood to show off, the Empress Dowager knew that he was indeed not in any serious condition. The mother and son were not close to begin with, so the Empress Dowager gave him a few more instructions and left.

Xie Ling kept Xie Changqing with him.

The latter was overjoyed. "Brother, is there anything I can do? How did the interrogation of the assassin go? Who was the mastermind?"

Xie Ling did not answer directly.

He glanced at Xie Changqing and asked an unrelated question, "Changqing, you were sent to your fiefdom when you were eleven or twelve years old. Have you ever resented me during these years alone there?"

Xie Changqing was taken aback.

There's definitely no hatred, but there's a bit of resentment.

For the first two years after arriving in my fiefdom, I was unfamiliar with the place and the people. The mansion was full of unfamiliar faces, and I had no one to talk to. I felt lonely and desolate.

Xie Changqing had no desire to stay in Yuezhou. That godforsaken place was where it snowed for half the year at a time and was as cold as an ice cellar.

But he was a prince, and could not return to the capital without an imperial edict.

Thinking that he might never be able to go back for the rest of his life, Xie Changqing would sit alone by the window every night, looking at the sky to see if it was the same as the moon in Shengjing. Then he would bite his blanket and silently shed tears, feeling extremely aggrieved.

I gradually adapted to life there by slowly hypnotizing myself.

Now that time has passed, he knows that his elder brother still cares about him as his younger brother, and he has let go of his resentment.

"Why are you asking this, Your Majesty? That's all in the past."

"Is it really over?"

Xie Ling's gaze was deep, carrying a scrutinizing quality that Xie Changqing had never seen before. "Then why did you send an assassin to kill me?"

It was like a bolt from the blue. Xie Changqing was completely stunned, like a fish that had been thrown ashore and was stranded, unable to find its way.

What the hell? He sent assassins?

What kind of assassin did he send?!

"Wait, wait! When did I—" Xie Changqing suddenly came to his senses, his voice changing, "Brother, the assassin confessed that I ordered him to do it?"

Xie Ling did not answer, but her meaning was already quite clear.

Sometimes silence is the answer.

Xie Changqing's rage surged to the heavens, "Which scoundrel slandered me! Your Majesty, have someone bring the assassin here. Let's confront him face to face. If I've ever harbored any disloyalty for even a second, I'll slit my own throat on the spot to prove my innocence!"

"If the assassin is deliberately trying to sow discord between us brothers, let him be torn to pieces, suffer all seventy-two kinds of torture in the imperial prison, and be unable to live or die!!!"

Xie Ling frowned. "Tangtang is still sleeping. Keep your voice down."

Xie Changqing was forced to lower his voice, still seething with anger, "Brother, you should believe me, right? How could I possibly hurt you..."

Xie Ling didn't reply, but only asked, "Where were you on August 16th?"

August 16th?

The topic jumped too quickly, and since half a year had passed, Xie Changqing couldn't remember what he had done at all.

The fifteenth of August is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and also my elder brother's birthday. On the sixteenth of August, he was...

Xie Changqing frowned and thought for a long time, then suddenly his expression froze.

"I met Xie Jingyu at Fuyun Pavilion," Xie Ling had already said for him. "Is that right?"

Xie Changqing stammered, a hint of guilt in his voice, "Brother, I..."

"As my own brother, you should know that the person I hate most is Xie Jingyu, without exception."

Xie Ling asked, "When did you two start hooking up?"

Xie Changqing knew, of course, that his elder brother loathed Xie Jingyu to the core.

They were practically ready to use witchcraft to curse him to death.

In fact, Xie Changqing also hated Xie Jingyu to death. He pretended to be upright and honest on the surface, but in reality, he was a scoundrel.

It's one thing to be childhood sweethearts, but to go and brag to the emperor, saying that "I will never get Qi Yitang in this lifetime," is just so annoying.

Our last meeting was purely by chance; he never made the first move to meet.

It's all that damned Xie Jingyu's fault. He deliberately staked out his trail and said some provocative things. He smashed his cup and left. He never expected that people would use this against him. He's been wronged to death.

"Brother, I admit I did meet with Xie Jingyu, but he deliberately ambushed me. I have absolutely never had any private dealings with him!"

Xie Changqing was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. "I know you don't like him, and I hate him too. How could I possibly conspire with him to harm you..."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened. "Brother, I really didn't... I could never have hurt you..."

Xie Ling asked, "What did Xie Jingyu say?"

Xie Changqing's lips trembled a few times, and his voice lowered, "He said... back then, when you, my brother, issued an edict to send me to my fiefdom, it was my sister-in-law who instigated it. Because my sister-in-law dislikes you, she can't stand to see us brothers doing well. She also said... that the evil concubine is bringing disaster to the country, and that the country and the nation will be ruined by women in the future."

Xie Ling: "Sending you to your fiefdom is my decree, and has nothing to do with your sister-in-law."

"I know!" Xie Changqing quickly replied, "Brother, I didn't believe him at all!"

Even if it were truly Qi Yitang's bad idea, he wouldn't dare to go against her.

After all, she was the apple of her brother's eye and the apple of his eye; he, her own brother, couldn't compare.