Xiao Muchen stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mingxi. He lifted his head and spoke with a solemn expression, “Royal Father, ever since the deaths of the Fifth and Sixth Brother, no other royal sons have perished in the palace. I never expected that, after all these years, someone would attempt to murder a prince again. I am both shocked and fearful. I implore Royal Father to investigate this matter thoroughly.”
The hall fell into complete silence. The deaths of the Fifth and Sixth Princes had long since been unspoken of, yet now Duan Wang was bringing them up again. Even Consort Shu felt her heart skip a beat.
Ning Qin Wang furrowed his brows slightly, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately remained silent.
The Empress pressed her lips tightly together, suppressing her displeasure. Xiao Muchen bringing up the dead princes was nothing short of a slap to her face.
The deaths of two princes reflected her failure as Empress.
He was putting her on the spot, forcing her to take a stance.
She remained silent, merely turning her head slightly to look at the Emperor.
The Emperor noticed her gaze but did not return it. Instead, he looked at Duan Wang. “Who do you suspect?”
“This son is incompetent, Royal Father. I truly do not know who would bear such deep resentment against me as to resort to poisoning.” Xiao Muchen’s face was filled with grief.
Duan Mingxi: …
Every word Xiao Muchen spoke made it sound like someone was deliberately targeting him as a prince. Was he trying to clear her name?
Just as she was thinking this, the Emperor spoke again. “How can you be so certain the poison was meant for you and not for Duan Mingxi?”
“Royal Father, Miss Duan has been back in the capital for less than a year. How many people could she possibly know? Moreover, though she has been granted the title of Duan Wangfei, she and I are not yet married. Who in the palace would go out of their way to target her and take her life? I truly cannot think of anyone.”
The Empress was even more furious upon hearing these words. Xiao Muchen was claiming innocence, yet every sentence was an accusation in disguise.
He didn’t need a knife to wound—his words alone were enough to cut like arrows.
Utterly infuriating.
“Ning Wang, what do you think?”
Ning Qin Wang’s eyes reddened as he immediately stepped forward. “Royal Brother, I only want justice for Yan Er and to find the true culprit.”
In other words, whatever was happening in the harem was not his concern. He did not care. If asked, he would simply claim ignorance.
The Emperor listened to his younger brother’s words and then finally turned to the Empress. “Are you telling me you truly knew nothing about what the Punishment Bureau did?”
The Empress immediately rose and replied, “Your Majesty, I was in the Chongzheng Hall early this morning and knew nothing of what transpired at Kunde Palace. I truly do not know how things escalated to this point. Perhaps it would be best to summon the people from Kunde Palace and question them directly.”
She was extremely cautious. Not knowing what exactly had happened at Kunde Palace, she dared not say too much lest she expose herself. Instead, she chose to blur the issue, leaving herself room to maneuver.
The Emperor gave her a long look before finally saying, “Since that is the case, I will have Ding Zhao investigate this matter.”
The Empress’s heart sank, and her face stiffened slightly.
Ding Zhao was loyal only to the Emperor. If he were put in charge of the investigation, she would have no way to interfere.
After a brief pause, fearing the Emperor might grow suspicious, she quickly responded, “I obey Your Majesty’s command. Steward Ding has always been thorough in his work; I am sure he will uncover the truth.”
Consort Shu’s eyes lit up in surprise. She hadn’t expected the Emperor to assign the investigation to Ding Zhao.
As long as the matter was handled outside the harem, she had nothing to worry about.
Ding Zhao was impervious to bribery. Trying to sway him was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
The Emperor turned to Ding Zhao. “Go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Ding Zhao bowed and withdrew.
The Emperor then looked at the gathered individuals. “You are all dismissed.”
Seeing the exhaustion on the Emperor’s face, even Ning Qin Wang chose to hold his tongue. The crowd bowed and exited together.
Outside the Chongzheng Hall, the Empress maintained a composed expression as she addressed Ning Qin Wang. “You should return quickly. I’m sure Ning Qin Wangfei and Yan Er are waiting for you.”
Ning Qin Wang gave a slight bow. “I take my leave.”
Without sparing a glance at Consort Shu or Duan Wang, he turned and strode away.
The moment he was gone, the Empress dropped all pretense, her face darkening. It was only then that she noticed Zhang Mingde waiting outside the hall.
A bad feeling crept into her heart, but she could not afford to appear weak in front of Consort Shu. She said, “Consort Shu, you had best conduct yourself properly.”
Consort Shu, hearing this veiled warning, immediately retorted, “Empress Niang Niang, I have always behaved with propriety—unlike some, who are two-faced.”
The empress was too lazy to argue with the consort, giving Zhang Mingde a glance before leaving with large strides.
Zhang Mingde cast a cold, gloomy gaze over the consort and her group before stepping forward to follow the empress.
Once he left, a trace of mockery flashed across the consort’s face. As she walked toward Cuiwei Palace, she spoke to the others, “It’s best that Ding Zhao investigates this matter…” She suddenly clapped her hands. “I almost forgot to tell the emperor about the assassination attempt you encountered last night.”
Xiao Muchen replied, “No rush. This matter might be related to the poisoning issue. I’ll tell Ding Zhao, and he’ll report it to Royal Father.”
“Good, this is better than us directly complaining,” the consort smiled, her expression softening as she looked at Mingxi. “You did well today, responding appropriately in front of His Majesty.”
You didn’t seize the opportunity to complain, not even mentioning anything about the situation in Kunde Palace.
What happened in Kunde Palace would be thoroughly investigated by Ding Zhao. Having His Majesty hear it from Ding Zhao’s mouth is much better than Mingxi directly questioning it.
For someone so young, her maturity is surprising, and the consort felt both pleased and gratified. Her son really has good judgment.
When the consort was Mingxi’s age, she couldn’t have swallowed such a grievance. She didn’t care about what was appropriate, just venting her anger first.
That’s why she only attained the position of consort and missed out on becoming the noble consort.
But she didn’t regret it. Being at the top doesn’t always mean it’s a good thing.
Mingxi smiled shyly at the consort’s praise. “I was just worried about causing trouble for you and Wangye, and I thought His Majesty has sharp eyes. Even if I don’t speak, he’ll find out sooner or later, so there’s no need to create unnecessary attention.”
“That’s exactly right.” The consort smiled. If she had understood this principle earlier, she wouldn’t have been suppressed by the empress all her life and could’ve overturned her a long time ago.
Xiao Muchen stopped at a fork in the road, turning to his mother. “I’ll send Xixi out of the palace and won’t disturb you at Cuiwei Palace. You’ve worked hard today, so go back and rest.”
Consort Shu: …
Was he saying that she, his mother, was in the way?
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger, but couldn’t. “Go away, go away! I’m annoyed just seeing you.”
Kids grow up, and they no longer need their mothers.
Xiao Muchen said, “I’ll take my leave.”
Mingxi hesitated as she saw Xiao Muchen looking at her. She bowed to the consort. “I take my leave.”
Consort Shu: …
What else could she say?
At this moment, she didn’t feel like saying anything.
Fuming, the consort walked off.
Mingxi couldn’t help but smile at the consort’s behavior. So this is what the consort is really like.
Xiao Muchen looked at Mingxi and smiled. “Are you so happy?”
Mingxi said, “I just think the consort is really good.”
“She’s your future mother-in-law, of course, she treats you well. As for others, it’s not necessarily the same.”
Mingxi: …
At this moment, she suddenly understood the consort’s complicated feelings.
