Demoting my wife to a concubine? After being reborn, I turned around and married into the imperial f

At this critical moment, Chu Xunzhen raised his right hand.

With a flash of silver light, three silver needles shot out from Chu Xunzhen's bracelet and pierced straight into Dahei's body.

The next instant, Chu Xunzhen pounced on Da Hei's body, its sharp teeth slicing across Chu Xunzhen's shoulder, leaving a sharp bloody mark.

Big Black's raised paws fell limply downwards, and the whole bear fell backwards.

Chu Xunzhen then pressed down on it.

Chunxi rushed forward, exclaiming in alarm, "The Princess Consort is injured! Quickly, fetch the royal physician!"

She helped Chu Xunzhen down from the bear.

Chu Xunzhen's gaze fell on the servants and maids watching, and he said coldly, "No one in the courtyard is allowed to leave."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

The steward dispatched guards to surround everyone in the courtyard.

Nangong Yue had just finished the morning court session and hadn't even left the palace when Anshun quietly approached him and reported, "The Princess Consort is injured."

He boarded the carriage and hurried back.

Inside the Ninth Prince's Mansion.

Chu Xunzhen applied medicine to himself before stepping out of the room, his gaze fixed coldly on the thirty-five people in the courtyard.

Just now, one of the thirty-five people shoved her hard.

Otherwise, the tranquilizer darts fired from the bracelet would have been enough to knock Dahei unconscious, and she wouldn't have been injured.

Feeling the stinging pain in his shoulder, Chu Xunzhen's gaze fell on the eight people.

"You, and you, and the last one, and the fifth from the bottom in the third row... all eight of you, leave."

The eight people Chu Xunzhen was pointing to were the eight people standing opposite her.

At that moment, the eight people within her field of vision could not have been the ones who pushed her hard from behind.

She was using the process of elimination.

Of the thirty-five people, eight were removed, leaving twenty-seven.

Of the twenty-seven people, if you remove the loyal Chunxi, there are still twenty-six left.

Granny Hua arrived, her gaze cold as she looked at the group. She pulled Chunxi behind her and said to Chu Xunzhen, "Your Highness, most of these twenty-six people are servants born into the household, and there are five other servants who were just bought yesterday."

Her gaze turned cold as she stood up and said, "Granny Hua, when Anshun returns, give him the list of these twenty-six people, and he will handle it himself."

"Yes."

Granny Hua accepted the order and left. Chu Xunzhen returned to her room and began making Gu poison.

Just then, Nangong Yue returned to the mansion.

"Sister, are you alright?" Nangong Yueren's voice rang out before she even entered the room.

Chu Xunzhen smiled and said, "Your Highness, I'm fine."

Nangong Yue, leaning on her crutch, suddenly walked over and said, "Sister, let me see your injury."

Chu Xunzhen lifted her robe, revealing her fair and delicate shoulders.

Suddenly, a trickle of blood seeped from the wound on Chu Xunzhen's left shoulder, soaking the gauze.

"Sister, let me change your dressing."

Chu Xunzhen nodded and called out to the courtyard, "Chunxi, bring in the gauze and medicine for the Prince."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chunxi brought in a basin of water, placed the gauze and ointment on a plate, hurriedly closed the door, and left.

Nangong Yue removed the gauze from Chu Xunzhen's face, revealing three bloody claw marks.

"Was it dried by Dahei? It must have been drugged," Nangong Yue said.

"I was just about to talk to you about this when Big Black Hair went berserk and ran towards me. Someone pushed me from behind, otherwise I wouldn't have been hurt. I've already locked up those twenty-six suspects."

Nangong Yue's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.

His sister, whom he valued more than his own life, was almost murdered in his palace.

"Sister, it's my fault. If I hadn't been so careless, I wouldn't have let that troublemaker stay in the palace, causing you to get hurt."

Chu Xunzhen shook his head and chuckled, "It's alright, Your Highness. The secret guards are already investigating. I believe they can find out who pushed me."

"Anshun, go and inquire about the progress. I need to know the results before midnight tonight."

"Yes."

Nangong Yue gently cleaned Chu Xunzhen's wound with a rag.

He applied a layer of herbs to her wound and then wrapped it with gauze.

The gauze on Chu Xunzhen's fair shoulder was conspicuous and unsightly. Nangong Yue leaned down and kissed Chu Xunzhen on the forehead.

"Sister, they all deserve to die. If we can't find out the truth, then we shouldn't investigate at all; we should just kill them all."

So many people failed to protect my sister, failed to see who pushed her. They must have been protecting each other. If that's the case, then they might as well not live.

"Anshun, those twenty-six people, not one of them was left alive."

As soon as Nangong Yue gave the order, the people trapped in the courtyard turned pale and immediately shouted, "I saw it! It was Huan'er who pushed her! It was Huan'er who pushed the princess!"

The maid, referred to as Huan'er, turned pale instantly and knelt on the ground.

"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! They conspired to frame me! I saw them do it, but they're all pinning it on me!"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Anshun sneered, "The Princess Consort inquired before only to apprehend those who harmed her and spare your lives. You didn't speak then, and you're only speaking now? Too late!"

"Wait a minute." Chu Xunzhen smiled, pointed to the porcelain bottle in his hand at An Shun, and said, "This is newly developed Truth Water. One sip for each person."

Anshun took the porcelain bottle and gave each person a sip.

Nangong Yue's gaze fell on Chu Xunzhen, and she said, "Sister, how can you be so kind and compassionate?"

His cold gaze swept over the twenty-six servants and maids, and his chilling voice rang out: "According to my usual practice, I would have killed you all. Since my sister is merciful and has given you a chance, cherish it."

Upon hearing this, all twenty-six maids and servants knelt on the ground, trembling, and spoke in unison.

"Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Your Highness."

The truth-telling gu that Chu Xunzhen just refined was the truth-telling gu.

She mixed the truth-telling potion into ordinary water.

Chu Xunzhen looked at the servants and maids, walked up to them, and asked them one by one, "Did you push me just now?"

Upon hearing this, the maid shook her head.

Chu Xunzhen didn't care and walked up to the next person to ask.

One by one, until the twentieth person, Huan'er, who had just spoken, Chu Xunzhen asked, "Did you push me just now?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Huan'er's expression changed, and she immediately vomited, saying, "Yes, it was I who pushed the Princess."

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Anshun stared in shock at the porcelain bottle in his hand.

The Princess Consort always surprises people.

The potion inside the bottle was so magical that those who drank it revealed the truth without needing to be interrogated.

Why did you push me, the princess?

As soon as Chu Xunzhen finished asking the question, Huan'er's lips moved, and she bled from all seven orifices and died.

Everyone was shocked.

Some of the more timid maids even screamed in fright.

Chu Xunzhen continued to question the remaining six people.

Those six people were not familiar with Huan'er, and knew nothing about her when asked.

Nangong Yue's expression was grim. "Anshun," she said, "investigate thoroughly. Who has had contact with this maid in the past three months?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chu Xunzhen said to Eunuch Anshun, "Starting today, martial law will be imposed on the Prince's mansion, and manpower will be increased. In addition, the identity and background of every servant and maid in the mansion will be thoroughly investigated."

After Chu Xunzhen finished speaking, he walked to An Shun's side and whispered to him, "Know the status of everyone's closest relatives. Make sure that their loved ones are not being held hostage by the enemy."

"Yes." Eunuch Anshun looked at Chu Xunzhen in surprise.

The princess is meticulous and thoughtful, probably even more so than the prince.

"Zhenzhen, come with me."

Nangong Yue, leaning on her cane, walked to Chu Xunzhen's side and said.

Although Chu Xunzhen was puzzled, she still followed behind him.

Just then, from afar, the two saw a woman in purple dancing in the garden.

Her dance moves were graceful and her figure was delicate and boneless.

This is actually Qin Youmeng.

She was barefoot, standing on the grass, spinning rapidly in mid-air with one toe on the ground.

"What a nice view!"

The maids couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Nangong Yue paused, but in an instant, she leaned on her cane and ran towards Qin Youmeng's direction.

Qin Youmeng noticed Nangong Yue's gaze and became even more smug.

She's nothing like that fool Lin Qiao'er, who played the guqin until her fingers were swollen and sore.

She wanted to capture the heart of the Ninth Prince.

As Nangong Yue approached, a hint of smugness appeared deep in Qin Youmeng's eyes.

Nangong Yue stretched out her right hand and reached out to grab her.

Qin Youmeng was already considering whether to seduce the prince using a coy or play hard to get approach.

But the next moment, Qin Youmeng was pushed away by Nangong Yue without any mercy.

"How dare you! Who gave you permission to dance here?"

Nangong Yue's expression was cold and detached; she showed no sign of being bewitched by her.

Chu Xunzhen stepped forward and said coldly, "Miss Qin, your courtyard isn't here. Next time you want to dance, dance on your own turf. You've ruined my herbs."

Nangong Yue's expression turned cold as she said, "Anshun, calculate the value of the herbs she trampled. Make her compensate for it."

"Yes," Eunuch Anshun replied, glancing at Qin Youmeng with a playful expression.

Qin Youmeng was shocked.

She was just moments before lost in the beautiful dream that Nangong Yue was already captivated by her, but now she had to wake up.

With a thud, she knelt down on the spot, begging for forgiveness: "Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort, please forgive me. Youmeng didn't know that medicinal herbs were planted in this field. I didn't mean to."

The beauty sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Chu Xunzhen looked at her and couldn't help but want to go forward and wipe away the tears in her eyes.

No wonder she was sent by the Empress.

Tsk tsk! That tearful look is truly heartbreaking.

Nangong Yue didn't give her a friendly look. He coldly stared at Qin Youmeng and said, "Miss Qin, since you like dancing and have even trampled the herbs, then you can stay in this courtyard and keep dancing. Shou San, you stay here and watch Miss Qin dance."

"Yes."

Qin Youmeng's smile froze.

Chunxi followed behind Chu Xunzhen, a smile playing on her lips.

Trying to seduce their prince? The prince is completely devoted to his master.

Chu Xunzhen looked regretful.

The medicinal herbs that Qin Youmeng trampled earlier will take more than half a year to grow back to this height.

"Sister, are you unhappy? Come on, cover your eyes first, I have something to show you."

Chu Xun was puzzled, but he still obediently tied the black cloth strip in front of his eyes.

She was led forward by Nangong Yue.

"We're here, sister."

Chu Xunzhen smiled and said, "Hmm?"

Nangong Yue smiled and said, "Sister, please remove the blindfold."

Chu Xunzhen suddenly looked up and lifted the black burlap cloth that was tied to her eyes with her right hand.

The next moment, she was stunned.