Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

Xiao Heng twirled her wine glass in her hand, her gaze sweeping over Ling Xianru, who seemed lost in thought at the table, before subtly shifting away: "What are you complaining about? Since you injured your leg, why aren't you taking better care of it?"

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician says my leg will never allow me to walk normally again! But my horse is an old horse that has been with me for three years. It wouldn't have gone mad for no reason. I can't swallow this, so I checked its excrement and found that someone had fed it some wood thorns! Wood thorns are poisonous. It was only after it ate them that it went mad and threw me off its horse!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng also became nervous: "If that's the case, then it's premeditated murder, which could endanger many others. Or has Minister Ke recently offended someone?"

Who did you offend?

However, he happened to witness this scene while strolling through the woods that day when he had nothing to do.

It can't be said that he saw it very clearly, after all, it was quite far away and the trees were blocking the view, so he might not have seen it very clearly.

It was the scene where the Prime Minister removed his hand from the Empress's face.

He thought he was seeing things, so he quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. When he looked again, he saw the Empress tilting her head back to speak with the Prime Minister.

He naturally couldn't hear what was being said.

But the expressions of those two people at that time always gave him a strange feeling.

Furthermore, considering what the prime minister had said at the palace banquet earlier—that the woman he admired had already married someone else—he came up with a bold idea.

Could it be that the Prime Minister is after the Empress?

He was restless and the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Later, he met another official on the way. He was so flustered that he told him what had happened without thinking much about it.

Who knew that the man was a loose tongue, and before the night was even over, he had spread the news everywhere.

Even more outrageous, it was said that the Prime Minister had a secret rendezvous with a young woman in a small grove, and was caught red-handed by His Majesty, though no one could clearly see what the woman looked like.

Damn it, when this got out, everyone pinned the blame on him.

The first thing anyone said was: "I heard from Lord Ke—"

No wonder he became a thorn in Ling Xianru's side. He just couldn't believe that it wasn't Ling Xianru who attacked the horse from behind with that leg!

But he absolutely couldn't say these words in front of Ling Xianru, so he had no choice but to kneel down and plead for permission, despite his injured leg: "Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly for me."

"Whoever used such insidious tactics behind the scenes has violated the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty!"

He refused to believe that the emperor would not suspect the prime minister after he had made such a fuss.

If we don't investigate, we'll be ridiculed by the world when we're left with a bad reputation.

Although Ling Xianru held a high position and had risen higher and higher over the years, reaching a level that no one could match, he had already offended her, so he was not afraid to offend her to the end.

The emperor certainly wouldn't let him get away with it.

Once the relationship between the emperor and his ministers soured, Ling Xianru's position became precarious.

This is exactly the situation he wants to see!

After Lord Ke finished speaking, Xiao Heng remained silent for a moment, then asked Shen Mingxiu, "What does my beloved concubine think?"

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler. Since Lord Ke finds this situation suspicious, why not let Your Majesty clear his name?" Shen Mingxiu said, then exclaimed, "Should I have not intervened in this matter?"

Wei Rong glanced at her with a half-smile.

Whether she truly didn't want to get involved, or had already become involved, she could tell for herself.

What was originally just a rumor has become such a big deal overnight, and it even specifically targets her and Ling Xianru.

Even a fool could guess that this was inextricably linked to Shen Mingxiu.

She was there that night in the woods. After the confrontation, she learned the truth and her love for Ling Xianru turned into hatred. Needless to say, she hated Ling Xianru, the empress, and her ambition to replace her was written all over her face.

Then it becomes obvious who spread those rumors.

Wei Rong didn't care much about the rumors, because at this point, it was pointless for her to care about such trivial things.

"I think what my beloved consort said is quite right," Xiao Heng smiled gently, "And what does my dear minister think?"

This is a blatant and obvious challenge!

Has the Prime Minister's three years of power finally come to an end?

That's right. In the past three years, who else has risen to power the fastest in Da Jing besides Ling Xianru?

He rose rapidly through the ranks, secretly forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. His momentum had long surpassed that of many others, making him the envy of many.

If his affair with the Empress can be confirmed, then when the court is reshuffled in the future, everyone will have many more opportunities.

Therefore, many people were calculating and keeping a watchful eye on how Ling Xianru would respond.

"Of course we must investigate. With His Majesty's carriage here, how could someone dare to poison him? What if His Majesty were endangered? Wouldn't that be absurd?"

Who would have thought that Ling Xianru not only didn't stop him, but also actively promoted it? Was he really not afraid of finding out who he was, or was he innocent and had no guilty conscience at all?

Xiao Heng's gaze lingered on his face for a long time.

He kept rubbing his fingers against the wine glass, seemingly nonchalant.

After a long silence, he stopped laughing and said loudly, "Very well, then investigate. I want to know who drugged Minister Ke and what their purpose was."

Zhu Er cautiously observed his master's expression and slowly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Ling Xianru over there simply drank a glass of wine without any reaction.

However, it won't be easy to find out about this matter.

A few days later, the hunt was drawing to a close.

Just as the bandages on Wei Rong's leg were being removed, the messenger sent by Wei Jin to inform her arrived.

She glanced at Physician Qian, and without much hesitation, opened the secret letter in front of him.

The more I looked, the more something seemed off about his expression.

He glanced at Physician Qian one last time and said, "You may leave now."

Physician Qian found it rather strange, but he said nothing and withdrew after receiving the order.

The tent flap swayed gently, and Wei Rong relaxed her shoulders, sinking into the back of the chair, looking extremely tired.

Qiaoyu was terrified: "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

She hurriedly took the secret letter from Wei Rong's hand, read it word by word, and was shocked: "This—"

"Ah Xing has caught Fu Wentao and is heading back."

Wei Xing is her younger brother, and she knows his personality well.

When his father died, he said he would stay in the southern border region and not rest until he avenged his father.

He has indeed grown very quickly in the past six months.

But—who told him about Fu Wentao?

Wei Xing was young after all, and he did things entirely out of passion. If he knew that his father's death was a conspiracy from the beginning, he would definitely lose his composure.

She only informed Wei Jin in a secret letter that Fu Wentao was not dead, and Wei Jin would send people to the southern border to look for him.

But finding it so quickly is impossible.

Unless someone hands Fu Wentao over to Wei Xing.

In any case, things have come to this point, and Wei Rong has no way out.

She has evidence of Fu Wentao's treason, but she has no proof of who ordered him. She must bring him back to Dajing alive for a face-to-face confrontation.

This matter must absolutely not be known to Xiao Heng.

"Pass on my order: have Wei Jin dispatch all the elite troops of the Wei family to ensure the absolute safety of A Xing and Fu Wentao!"