"Second Prince, are you curious as to why Huo Qi is still alive?"

Nangong Chiyu looked at him with an aura of coldness.

The emperor's expression was also not good. Judging from what Nangong Chiyu said, something else must have happened last night.

"Prince Yu, what's going on?"

Nangong Chiyu clasped his hands in a fist and said, “Your Majesty, when I interrogated this assassin last night, I obtained a lot of information. However, in the latter half of the night, when the Chiyu Army was changing shifts, someone tried to take the opportunity to kill the assassin to silence him.”

The implication is that the person who killed Nangong Qing was no ordinary person.

"What does Your Highness mean by this? Do you suspect that I, the prince, am trying to harm my third brother?"

Before the emperor could say anything, Nangong Jingyao became anxious.

"Whether it is true or not, His Majesty will know the answer after interrogating the assassin."

Last night, Nangong Chiyu personally interrogated Huo Qi and learned from him why they wanted to assassinate Nangong Qing. Every reason was logical and pointed to Nangong Jingyao.

This matter concerns the royal family; it would be more appropriate for His Majesty to handle it personally.

Nangong Jingyao looked at Huo Qi, hoping he would keep his mouth shut. He might be dead, but he shouldn't forget that Huo Qi had a family.

"Hmph! How dare you! Speak! Why did you attempt to assassinate the Third Prince? And who are you working for? Confess and I will spare your family."

Huo Qi knelt on the ground, silent, his whole body trembling.

"Your Majesty...it's not my fault, I was forced into it..."

The emperor exuded righteousness, and his mere presence as a ruler was enough to intimidate people.

"Speak, don't force me to torture you in the main hall."

Huo Qi turned to look at Nangong Jingyao, and then kowtowed to the emperor repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, I say, I dare not beg for my life, but my mistake should not implicate my family."

Assassinating a prince is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of one's family, but if one is not the mastermind, the punishment may be lighter.

"Your Majesty, it was the Second Prince. The Second Prince ordered us to kill the Third Prince. We were all obeying the Second Prince's orders. If we didn't follow his orders, we would only die."

The emperor had long suspected Nangong Jingyao, and now he was looking at him with even sharper eyes.

Nangong Jingyao was in a panic. He had no choice but to think about this matter, and he didn't even know why things had become out of his control.

He used to be able to do everything with ease, but now it seems like he feels powerless no matter what he does.

“Father, this assassin has slandered me. My third brother is my comrade-in-arms. How could I possibly harm him?”

The emperor then looked at Huo Qi and ordered Huo Qi and Nangong Jingyao to confront each other.

"Your Majesty, it's because of the reservoir construction supervision. The Second Prince wants to injure the Third Prince so that he can seize the supervision power himself."

If this motive holds true, it all depends on what Nangong Jingyao says.

“Father, I argued with you about the right to oversee the construction, but when it was finally given to my third brother, I had nothing to say. As for the construction of the country, no matter who does it, as long as it is done well, I will not say anything.”

Based on this alone, how could I possibly kill my third brother? Not to mention that he is a prince, even if he were an ordinary citizen, any accident would be investigated by the government.

Your son does not believe he is so foolish as to be so stupid. He has just competed with his third brother for the power to supervise the reservoir construction. If he were to act now, he would be the first person suspected.

Father, I am truly innocent! Someone must be trying to frame me and deliberately made this assassin say such things.

Moreover, when my third brother was assassinated, I was preoccupied with the matter of the Crown Princess and had no other considerations. Last night, all my troops went to Wanxiu Pavilion; Father can investigate this."

Nangong Jingyao wanted to use Xing Sisi's death to distract the emperor.

"Vice Minister of Agriculture, is what the second son said true?"

The emperor knew that Wanxiu Pavilion made cotton-padded clothes, and that it was Su Luo's business.

"Yes! The Second Prince said that I killed the Second Prince's wife, and he brought his soldiers to arrest me."

Upon hearing this, the emperor flew into a rage, grabbed a teacup, and threw it at Nangong Jingyao's feet.

"Well done! You are indeed my good son. You didn't even ask what was right or wrong before leading troops to arrest important officials in the court. Do you have no respect for the law?"

Su Luo is Nanning's lucky star. If she were captured by Nangong Jingyao, who knows what would happen to her.

Then there's Minister Xing and his wife, who entered the palace before dawn today, claiming that the Second Prince was murdered and that they had found evidence.

One by one, they've given the emperor a real headache.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of your health," the head eunuch reminded him from the side.

Seeing that the emperor's thoughts were somewhat disordered, Nangong Chiyu offered him some words of advice.

"Your Majesty, this matter seems complicated, but they have a connection. For example, the Second Prince is the prime suspect in the assassination attempt on the Third Prince."

The sudden death of the Second Prince's wife also concerns the Second Prince. As for why the Second Prince would blame the Princess, that remains to be explained.

As Minister Xing just mentioned, he has evidence to prove that the Second Prince's Consort was murdered. Let's hear what Minister Xing has to say.

If these matters all concern the Second Prince, there might be some connection between them.

This is a headless case. The assassin's words may be false. The emperor should first look at Minister Xing's evidence.

The princess consort was always gentle and in poor health, so her sudden death didn't raise too many questions. However, if she was murdered by someone else, then the situation would be different.

"Minister Xing, you said that the Second Prince's Consort was murdered, but who exactly murdered her?"

Minister Xing was over fifty years old and had only one legitimate daughter. His daughter unfortunately passed away, and his white hair increased overnight.

"Your Majesty, I do not believe that my daughter died without a reason. After investigating all night, I finally found out the reason. My daughter was murdered. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for my daughter."

Nangong Jingyao frowned. The Second Prince's wife had passed away, and now Minister Xing no longer even addressed her as "Princess Consort." Did they really think that the Princess Consort had been angered to death by him?

"This won't do. Minister Xing must trust him: 'Father, I know who killed the Crown Princess. It was the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.'"

Nangong Jingyao turned to look at Su Luo, pointing at her with absolute certainty.

"Father doesn't know that the Deputy Minister of Agriculture made a new type of menstrual belt in Wanxiu Pavilion. It was this that killed the Crown Princess."

“Father, I am ashamed to say such a thing, but the Princess Consort is innocent. She was murdered, and I will do everything I can to seek justice for her.”

The emperor sat up straight. He trusted the imperial advisor and Su Luo, but he couldn't guarantee that Su Luo's actions wouldn't go awry.

"Second brother, tell me why."

"Good! The imperial physicians have a record of the Second Prince's wife's illness. She has been bleeding since giving birth, and it has been difficult to cure."

After hearing that Wanxiu Pavilion had made a new menstrual belt, Madam Xing bought a lot of them for her to use.

This item was indeed quite convenient for the Princess's illness, but that menstrual pad cost the Prince's wife her life. Your Majesty ordered the imperial physician to examine her; the Prince's wife suffered severe hemorrhage, and that was the cause.