Chapter 73: Suicide

After these words were spoken, everyone around was stunned.

The eagle that had been hiding inside came out without hesitation upon hearing her words: "Yes, this prince is here!"

Seeing him walk directly to Qiandeng without any hesitation, the Crown Prince's face changed drastically, and his voice became tense: "Lingling, how can you not understand the seriousness of such a matter?"

"Your Highness, Princess Lingling knowingly broke the law and disregarded the imperial decree. Her crime is unforgivable!" Xiao Fuyu covered her face with tears, unable to hide the smug look that flashed across her eyes. "Your Highness, please summon the judge immediately and expose Princess Lingling's crimes to the public!"

The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment, then heard Qian Deng speak calmly. "I'm certainly at fault in this matter, but I'd like to ask, Princess Changyi, the truth behind the Grand Princess's death hasn't been fully revealed yet, yet you refuse to rest in peace and observe mourning at home. Instead, you're intent on exploiting your mother's death to stir up trouble and attack the Changhua Palace. Is this the way of a son? No wonder I heard Princess Gao couldn't rest in peace. So this is the reason?"

"What? Now that the Lingling County Princess's crimes have been exposed, she's turning against me?" Xiao Fuyu retorted angrily. "What do you mean by using my mother's death to stir up trouble against your Changhua Palace? The Huihe prince killed my mother, and the three judicial departments have already reached a conclusion. You even had a hand in it. How come now that you've been caught red-handed shielding the murderer, the truth hasn't been revealed yet?"

"Previously, all signs pointed to Prince Mingjiu, leading me and the Three Judges to believe he was indeed the suspect. But now, I've re-investigated the case and discovered a new, crucial lead. Princess, would you be willing to take a look?"

Xiao Fuyu gritted his teeth and said, "The three judicial departments have already made a judgment on the cause of my mother's death. No matter what you come up with, it will not exonerate the murderer!"

Qian Deng smiled slightly: "What if this thing came from your princess's mansion, and it was something your mother left for you before she died? Wouldn't Princess Changyi be interested?"

"Humph, my mother was murdered by thieves. I didn't even see her for the last time. How could it be..."

Xiao Fuyu's throat suddenly choked, and the rest of the words were stuck in his throat.

She saw a letter in Qiandeng's hand.

It was a special gold-sprinkled envelope unique to Princess Gao's Mansion. It had peony flowers embossed in gold powder on it, and it was extremely luxurious.

On the envelope, the familiar handwriting of Princess Gao was clearly visible: the four words "From my beloved daughter".

Xiao Fuyu opened his eyes wide, looking terrified as if he had seen a ghost.

"Princess, do you recognize what this is?" Qiandeng opened the envelope and pulled out a corner to show it to her and the prince.

That corner was the signature, and it clearly read "Mother's last words."

The prince's astonished gaze fell on Xiao Fuyu, and she stared at the letter intently, her lips instantly turning pale, and she trembled so hard that she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Qian Deng raised the letter in his hand and stared at her drastically changing expression. "Princess Changyi, this is a letter your mother, the Grand Princess of Gao, left for you before she passed away. The contents of the letter...I believe I don't need to explain it in detail, right?"

"No, impossible..." After a moment of shock and panic, Xiao Fuyu rushed forward and grabbed the letter fiercely, trying to snatch it back from Qiandeng's hand, "Give it back to me! How dare you steal my mother's relics..."

She pounced on him, but Qiandeng did not dodge or dodge, allowing her to snatch the letter from his hand and tear it into pieces like a madman.

Seeing her like this, everyone around her was shocked, even the prince was stunned.

Xiao Fu Yu tore it up randomly and was about to throw it into the ditch by the roadside when he discovered that the letter paper inside was completely blank.

The letter paper stuffed inside had nothing on it except the four words of signature.

She suddenly came to her senses and remembered the letter that was carefully hidden in the secret compartment of the secret room, and then she realized that she had fallen into a trap.

She was furious and threw the torn letter in her hand towards Qiandeng fiercely: "Lingling County Princess, you are so bold! How dare you forge a letter from the Grand Princess!"

The prince frowned and looked at Qiandeng, as if trying to figure out the purpose of her actions.

Qian Deng let the scattered paper scraps fall on him, staring intently at Xiao Fuyu, asking word by word, "If it's fake, why is Princess Changyi so frightened? Judging from your expression, the Grand Princess must have left you a final letter, right?"

Fear filled Xiao Fuyu's heart. She quickly thought about how to turn things around. Her voice trembled, "Your Highness, the Lingling County Lord wants to harm me. She has framed me and slandered me..."

"Your Highness, your words and actions are rather strange. I was just joking with you, but why did you first accuse me of stealing the princess's relics and then desperately try to destroy them?" Qian Deng studied her expression and asked calmly, "Are you saying that the things your mother left behind must not be seen by others?"

Seeing Xiao Fuyu gritting his teeth, unsure how to respond, Qiandeng gestured towards the door, "Princess Changyi, please come in. Some things shouldn't be discussed in public at the door. Why not sit inside and have a cup of tea and discuss it in detail?"

After entering the inner hall of Changhua Palace, all outsiders were dismissed, leaving only the Crown Prince, Qian Deng, Xiao Fu Yu and Ming Jiu, four people related to the case, which also saved the dignity of Princess Changyi.

Seeing Xiao Fuyu's pale face after seeing the letter, and thinking about the unexpected death of Princess Gaoguo and the suicide note she left behind, the prince's voice became deeper: "Changyi, what's going on?"

Xiao Fuyu had already prepared an excuse as he walked in: "Your Highness, that letter is exactly the same as the ones my mother wrote to me before she died, so I thought it was stolen. But after I got it, I thought, they can come to kill my horse, so how can they take an empty envelope from our princess's mansion? Besides, Cui Fufeng in her mansion is well-versed in calligraphy. He must have forged my mother's handwriting and lied that it was her last work, which scared me! So I tore up the letter in anger, and it turned out to be an excuse for them to slander me!"

"Princess, please stop being so humble." Mingjiu proudly placed his hands on his hips and raised his chin towards her. "Let me tell you, when I shoved the horse's head into Princess Bashang's bed that day, I happened to see that letter. I didn't realize how important it was, so I didn't rush to tell Xianzhu. I only saw the words 'Mother's last words' inside. And now, you're harming me because of that!"

He spoke unclearly, so Qian Deng explained to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, please understand. There is indeed a hidden story behind the drowning of the Grand Princess of Gao State. Prince Mingjiu once sneaked into the Princess's residence and read the suicide letter she wrote to Princess Changyi. This led to Princess Changyi's framing of her, and also caused the Three Courts to misjudge the case."

The prince's gaze fell on Mingjiu. Thinking of how he had previously instructed Qiandeng, his expression turned slightly grim. "Are you saying that the imperial court wronged the Huihe prince?"

Qian Deng naturally had to preserve the court's reputation. "When Prince Mingjiu discovered the suicide note, it severely damaged Princess Changyi's plans. Therefore, she meticulously plotted, employing various tactics to frame the princess. From the banana leaves found in the Qujiang River Bay to the gold foil and pearl flowers that appeared on Prince Mingjiu's body, she attributed them all to Princess Changyi. This misled the court judges, ultimately leading them to mistakenly identify her as the murderer, damaging the relationship between the ally and the emperor."

"Your Highness, I didn't do it. Princess Lingling slandered me!" Xiao Fuyu was furious and denied it flatly.

"I saw the letter myself, so it must be correct! There was clearly a letter, and there was clearly a final note! I even taught Cui Fufeng, and he wrote it just as I told him! If it weren't exactly the same, why would you be so scared when you saw it?" Ming Jiu folded his arms and snorted proudly, "What a pity! It's useless for you to harm me. Xianzhu will find the truth and save me!"

"And judging by the princess's reaction, the existence of the letter is undeniable." Qian Deng glanced at the pale-faced Xiao Fuyu and asked the Crown Prince, "In your opinion, Your Highness, how could the Grand Princess foresee the future and leave a suicide note for her daughter? In other words, under what circumstances would someone leave behind a will to explain their final wishes?"