Pin Shanhe

Jun Anning finally breathed a sigh of relief and gave Shen Fu a grateful look.

If something like this happened, most people would run away as fast as they could, but unexpectedly, she risked being blamed to speak up for her mother.

Shen Fu smiled back at her; hadn't she just helped her too?

At this moment, the most furious person was Jun Qiyuan.

He never expected that Shen Fu, who had always kept a low profile, would actually get involved in the palace intrigue.

The situation was very unfavorable for Consort Ning just now, and the Emperor clearly became suspicious of her, but it was reversed because of a word from Shen Fu.

Damn it, she ruined his plans!

However, he quickly came up with a solution.

"Father, since Consort Ning is the person in charge of today's palace banquet, she should recuse herself before finding out the truth. Second brother should also not be involved in this matter. Why not leave this matter to me to investigate? I will find the culprit as quickly as possible and give everyone an explanation."

Jun Qiyuan was very confident about this, feeling that his identity was perfectly suitable and that his father had no reason to refuse.

As long as he can take the initiative in this matter, how to execute him is entirely up to him.

No matter what, he must seize this opportunity to crush the Second Prince's faction in one fell swoop!

Seeing that Emperor Yong was about to agree, Shen Fu was extremely anxious.

If Jun Qiyuan were to investigate, everything I did tonight would have been for nothing.

But she couldn't very well speak out again, otherwise it would be too obvious and arouse suspicion.

Just as they were at a loss for how to proceed, a cold, deep voice suddenly rang out—

"It is certainly a good thing that the Fourth Prince volunteered, but he should also learn from Consort Mei's lesson to avoid getting burned."

Even without looking up, Jun Qiyuan knew who the voice belonged to.

His hands clenched into fists hidden in his sleeves as he struggled to suppress the anger surging within him.

"King Xuan, what do you mean?"

The man ignored him completely and looked at Emperor Yong instead.

"I believe that someone is trying to poison the seventeenth prince. Their motives are definitely not simple. There may be a bigger conspiracy behind it, and it may even be related to the matter of choosing an heir."

His words hit the nail on the head, instantly arousing the interest of everyone present.

Recently, there has been much discussion in the imperial court about the matter of establishing an heir.

Even if the ministers dared not make a scene openly, they secretly acted independently.

Emperor Yong had naturally heard about it and understood the implied meaning, and his expression instantly became serious.

"This matter will be investigated by the Prince of Xuan. A result must be given before dawn."

"Father..."

Jun Qiyuan was naturally unwilling and wanted to say something, but was directly interrupted.

"My mind is made up, and no one may object."

Jun Jingyan wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Prince Xuan is indeed the most suitable candidate. He has always been leading troops outside the capital and has not participated in court affairs, so he can act impartially and without favoritism. Your subject believes that Prince Xuan will surely be able to find the real culprit and restore peace to the palace."

Shen Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I never expected the man to come to the rescue at such a crucial moment.

As the man stood up, he gave her a meaningful look, making her feel inexplicably guilty.

Could he have actually guessed something?

That shouldn't be happening!

Throughout this incident, she was a "passive party," and no one could find any flaws in her.

……

Today's palace banquet is destined to be impossible to continue.

No one had any interest in drinking and moon-gazing anymore; they just wanted to wait for the final result.

King Xuan was known for his strict military discipline and strategic brilliance on the battlefield; it was unexpected that he would also be so adept at investigating cases.

They quickly made progress and brought over the relevant individuals involved in the case.

A young eunuch volunteered to report that he had seen Pearl, the head maidservant of the Imperial Concubine, outside the Imperial Kitchen.

She opened the lid of the pastry and asked what was inside.

If his testimony is true, then Consort Ning would naturally become the prime suspect.

The Imperial Concubine, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. "You're talking nonsense! Pearl caught a cold and has been bedridden for three days straight. She hasn't left Chuxiu Palace at all. How could you possibly have seen her?"

The little eunuch insisted that he had seen it!

If you don't believe me, you can call Pearl to come and confront me.

A cold glint flashed in Shen Fu's eyes.

In their past life, when they found the pearl, she was already a corpse.

The dead not only could not testify, but also became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the imperial concubine.

The death of the seventeenth prince, the emperor's fury, and the instigation of others all led to his demise.

Just like in her previous life, Pearl was carried in.

In her previous life, however, she bled from all seven orifices, her lips turned black, and she was completely lifeless.

This time... although his face was pale and bloodless, he was still breathing.

Upon arriving, Pearl immediately contradicted the eunuch's testimony, saying that she had been suffering from a high fever for several days and was unable to get out of bed.

The Imperial Concubine, out of compassion, allowed her to rest and recuperate before returning to duty.

Everyone in the entire Chuxiu Palace can testify to this!

So how could she possibly be outside the imperial kitchen and commit poisoning?

One of the ministers in the crowd remarked, "The people in the Chuxiu Palace are all their own people; how can that be considered proof?"

While the testimonies of the palace servants in Chuxiu Palace were indeed insufficient to be believed, there were other witnesses as well.

Another person was brought in...

This man is an imperial physician named Zhao Xu, who is on duty at the Imperial Hospital tonight.

According to his confession, he went to Chuxiu Palace an hour earlier to examine the palace maid Zhenzhu.

Xiao Xuanjin immediately asked, "When did you go to Chuxiu Palace, and when did you leave?"

"Your humble servant arrived at 3:45 AM and left at 5:45 AM. The Imperial Medical Academy's records contain detailed information."

Everyone's expression changed.

If I remember correctly, the little eunuch said he saw the pearl at 3:45 AM!

At that time, the imperial physician was still treating her, how could he possibly be out of the way to poison her outside the imperial kitchen?

Someone is clearly lying!

Xiao Xuanjin then looked at the young eunuch and questioned, "So, you really saw pearls outside the kitchen?"

The young eunuch was clearly flustered, and his tone became hesitant and stammering.

"It was already dark, and the lights were dim, so I couldn't see very clearly. I just thought that person looked a lot like Aunt Pearl, so..."

"How dare you lie before the Emperor!"

The little eunuch was so frightened that he wet himself and fell to the ground.

Now that things have come to this point, the situation is quite clear.

He must have been bribed to frame the Imperial Concubine!

Emperor Yong flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the table.

"Drag him away and torture him severely until you find out who is behind this."

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

No matter how much he begged for mercy, he was still dragged away.

Soon, the sounds of caning rods and agonizing screams could be heard from outside.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Jun Qiyuan's back.

He clearly sensed that things had spiraled out of his control and were developing in an irreversible direction.

If the investigation continues, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Just as I was feeling a little uneasy, the sounds outside suddenly stopped.

His heart leaped into his throat.

If the other party really does betray him, I'm afraid...