Empress in her second playthrough: Something's not right with this plot!

Therefore, he could only promise Li Yunsheng that he would invite Doctor Sun to hand over the antidote in order to save Shangguan Xuanran.

"Your Majesty, no!"

Tears streamed down Shangguan Xuanran's face uncontrollably, even though she had just thought of Mr. Sun.

But unexpectedly, the Empress actually mentioned this person.

This was a deal with Li Yunsheng, and the deal had just appeared in her mind, but it was quickly rejected.

Shangguan Xuanran took a deep breath, his voice weak and choked with emotion.

"With Your Majesty's words, I would have no regrets even if I were to die."

If the Empress wants to save her, she must promise Li Yunsheng that she will ask Physician Sun to save him.

That would be tantamount to trading the throne for her life; her own life wasn't worth it.

Jiang Qingying immediately understood. Shangguan Xuanran didn't know that even if she didn't save Li Yunsheng, Li would still be able to cure the poison.

However, she didn't offer much explanation.

"Guards, summon Li Yunsheng to the palace. He says he is ill and cannot come, so carry him here!"

Chapter 16 Li Xiang is not that kind of person!

Li House.

Liu Quan entered the hall.

"Your Excellency, the wife of the Minister of Justice requests an audience."

"Who?" Li Yunsheng asked, somewhat puzzled. "Cui Yan's wife?"

"Yes, she's waiting outside the door."

"Let her in."

Before long, a beautiful woman gracefully entered the hall, followed by a maid.

"This humble servant greets Prime Minister Li."

"What business does Madam Cui have with me?"

Madam Cui stopped keeping everyone in suspense.

"I manage the Shangpin Shop. Yesterday I heard that Your Excellency had ordered a set of clothes, so I specially delivered it to Your Excellency's residence."

She knew they needed it urgently, so as soon as it was finished, she personally delivered it over.

Upon hearing that the cheongsam was finished, Li Yunsheng unconsciously raised an eyebrow.

"I never expected that the owner of Shangpin Shop would be Minister Cui."

"It's all thanks to the Prime Minister's support."

Madam Cui gave a wink, and a maid stepped forward carrying a brocade box.

The brocade box was opened, and inside was a set of clothes.

Li Yunsheng stood up and picked up the purple cheongsam.

Silky fabric, vibrant colors, exquisitely elegant style, serene yet alluring, classic yet subtly sexy.

She was like a beauty that could topple kingdoms, so stunning that one could not bear to look away.

With a simple lift of her head, she captured the exquisite beauty of her body in a way that was deeply etched into the heart.

Deep purple is not a color that ordinary women can pull off, but Li Yunsheng was confident that the Empress could.

"What a beautiful cheongsam."

Madam Cui smiled sweetly to the side.

"As long as the Prime Minister is satisfied."

"Satisfied, very satisfied. Shangpin Shop's craftsmanship is indeed well-deserved."

Li Yunsheng put the cheongsam back into the brocade box. Only then did he notice that there were five silver notes worth one thousand taels of silver inside the box.

"Madam, what is the meaning of this?"

Madam Cui explained.

“Those below are blind; how can Shangpin Shop accept the Prime Minister’s money?”

“Hey—” Li Yunsheng waved his hand dismissively, “I never bully people with my power. Of course, you have to pay for what you buy.”

"Your Excellency's presence at Shangpin Shop will greatly enhance its reputation. Please do not refuse our invitation."

Li Yunsheng glanced at the silver note again; this was the first time he had ever received money.

The feeling of receiving money as a gift is indescribable.

So this is what it feels like to be a corrupt official.

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."

Li Yunsheng put the cheongsam back into the box and covered the banknotes again.

At this moment, Liu Quan strode into the reception room.

"Your Excellency, Minister of Justice Cui Yan requests an audience."

"Oh?"

Li Yunsheng glanced at Madam Cui in front of him; the two of them had run into each other today.

"Let him in."

Fei Su and his steward had no connection to the poisoning, and Xiao Lian, the only one who knew who was behind it, was also dead.

However, Li Yunsheng did not give up on this matter. Once something is done, it is impossible to leave no trace.

Therefore, he ordered Cui Yan to investigate the person who killed Xiao Lian, and it seems that he has already found out.

A moment later, Cui Yan walked in and immediately saw his wife standing in the hall.

"Madam, what are you doing here?"

Seemingly afraid that Cui Yan would misunderstand, Madam Cui quickly explained.

"The Prime Minister ordered a dress from our Shangpin Shop, and I've come to deliver it to him."

Li Yunsheng spoke first.

"Minister Cui, please have a seat."

Cui Yan realized what was happening and hurriedly bowed.

"Prime Minister Li, the matter you instructed us to investigate has been clarified."

"Sit down and talk slowly."

Cui Yan did not speak immediately, but Madam Cui understood.

"Since Your Excellency has official business to discuss, I shall take my leave."

The maid placed the brocade box on the table next to Li Yunsheng, and then followed Madam Cui out.

After the two left, Cui Yan continued to speak.

"As you instructed, I sent men to capture the person who tortured Xiaolian to death."

Under severe torture, he finally confessed that he was a spy for the State of Wei.

"A spy for the Wei Kingdom?!"

This result was both reasonable and unexpected.

Li Yunsheng suspected that Xiaolian's death might not be so simple, but he never expected that Weiguo was behind it all.

The State of Wei was a coastal state that bordered the State of Chu.

Although there have been occasional frictions along the border between the two countries in recent years, the overall situation has been relatively peaceful.

In the original story, Wei Guo did not appear much, so Li Yunsheng did not pay attention to it.

Unexpectedly, the poisoning was related to the State of Wei.

Defend the country!

Suddenly, Li Yunsheng remembered something and interrupted Cui Yan, who was about to continue speaking.

"Liu Quan, go quickly and bring Madam Cui back!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Quan, who was serving nearby, quickly ran towards the door.

Cui Yan was somewhat nervous and puzzled. As soon as the mention of Wei State's spies came up, Prime Minister Li started pursuing his wife. What did this mean?

"Prime Minister?"

Li Yunsheng did not explain the reason: "It's okay, please continue."

Cui Yan even began to suspect that his wife might also be a spy for the State of Wei.

He swallowed hard and continued.

"As Li Xiang predicted, the death of that maid named Xiao Lian was not an accident, but rather something that person did on purpose."

"What else did they find out during the investigation?"

"That person was just following orders and didn't know much."

As for the reason for killing such a maid, he didn't know.

Li Yunsheng remained silent and began to ponder the ins and outs of the whole matter.

Fei Su was highly respected in the army, but his comrades and subordinates were concentrated on the southwestern border, which was the area bordering the State of Wei.

Fei Su was not the one who poisoned the body, but someone else led him to mistakenly believe that Fei Su was the one who did it.

Use someone else to do your dirty work!

Therefore, you become a knife in someone else's hand.