Murder in the Imperial Court

A sudden feeling of shame crept up on her, and Yuanli angrily hit Qi Heng, saying, "Read the words, not the pictures!"

After reading the first two sentences, Qi Heng became serious and took out the "Huajian Zishilu" to study it carefully. His expression became focused as he flipped through the book.

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly strange. She shared the same quilt with him, and he was studying a copy of "Huajian Zishilu" very seriously in his hand.

If an outsider who is not aware of the situation saw this, who knows, some shocking version of the story would spread out of the mansion the next day.

"Where did you get this book?"

Yuanli told him everything that happened on the Moon-Watching Terrace, but he didn't seem surprised at all about the Third Prince's extravagant behavior.

The next day, early morning.

Yuanli got up early and went to Qi Heng's room, only to see Chu Xiao standing outside the room with sleepy eyes waiting, while Qi Heng was writing memorials furiously in the room.

Noticing her approach, Qi Heng said without hesitation, "Come over and take a look if you're curious."

The memorial read: "After a thorough investigation, the Third Prince fell into the water while drunk and drowned..."

Next to the memorial was a perjury autopsy report. Yuanli said in confusion, "Sir, you are lying with your eyes open."

"Tsk, how can you talk like that? I wrote what His Majesty wanted the common people and ministers to see, not the truth of the matter itself. The Third Prince's syphilis has reached a near-fatal stage. Even if he doesn't drown, he will die of an internal organ disease soon."

"You mean, his death is related to the emperor?"

Qi Heng paused his writing and coughed, and Chu Xiao closed the door outside the house.

"Well, the Third Prince's obsession with women is a well-known fact among the important officials in the court. If he drowned while drunk, others would at most laugh at him for a while and just treat him as a useless person as always. But if he died of an internal disease, the way His Majesty raised his son would be criticized."

Yuanli's brain was working rapidly. Everything made sense now. The emperor had given three days to conduct a thorough investigation, but he killed the coroner to show his attitude.

Unexpectedly, Qi Heng was so bold as to conduct the autopsy himself, which undoubtedly made the suspicious king think too much.

The recipe for the incense altar came from the Third Prince. That night, the Emperor wanted Qi Heng to be infected with syphilis.

But he is not completely inhumane. The burden inside is not too heavy, and he has the possibility of self-control. It all depends on Qi Heng's luck.

If Qi Heng escapes this calamity, this incident will only serve as a warning. If Qi Heng falls victim to this calamity...

The emperor's mind is so cruel, let alone he is Xiao Yan'an.

"The current emperor is extremely biased. The empress and queen died young, leaving no legitimate son. He is devoted to her and has never appointed another empress. Anyone who suggested appointing a successor was beheaded, and no one dares to bring it up again. He doesn't show any preference among the other princes and princesses. To him, they are nothing more than reserves for the throne, useless pieces or pawns. But when it comes to government affairs or reputation, there is only one way to go."

Countless people and things were telling of Xiao Yan'an's infatuation with her, and some even sighed, but she only felt scared after hearing it.

"What are you thinking about?" Qi Heng paused and asked, "If A'li were the emperor and empress in this story, what would she think if she knew about the emperor's infatuation?"

"The world only sees the emperor's infatuation with her, but few have heard that she was once the Princess of Liangzhu, Prince Wen, whose love for her husband, Prince Wen, was praised by the people. Although the emperor's infatuation is extreme, there is no other emperor in all dynasties who can reach this level. His love is undeniable. But if I were her, I would only feel fear. No matter how good he is, when I have my husband, Prince Wen Yici, in my heart, I can no longer see anyone else. Everything is just dust compared to him."

Qi Heng said with satisfaction: "A Li is really a person who values ​​friendship and loyalty, very good."

After writing the memorial, he gave it to Chu Xiao to deliver to the palace. During the whole process, Qi Heng's mouth corners were always raised, and his happy mood was written all over his face.

After dinner, the sun was warm all morning, and Yuanli lay in the wooden rocking chair, feeling sleepy and drowsy.

After dealing with the emperor's affairs, Qi Heng not only did not have some free time, but became even busier. After having breakfast with her, he hurried to the Dali Temple.

Yuanli vaguely heard the sudden roar of a tiger and thought her ears were not working well. It was not until she heard heavy footsteps getting closer that she suddenly woke up from her doze.

A white tiger leaped out of the walled courtyard, a sullen young man perched on its back, running toward her from afar. This group couldn't be anyone else but Roubao and Heqi.

When old friends reunited, before they could even catch up, Heqi started to question them: "Why is Ah Li getting married again? Why marry his reincarnation when there are so many other people to marry? Have you forgotten what happened in your previous life?"

"Marrying him is my destiny. Why are you so angry about me marrying him?"

"I learned from Brother Cha that you were going to marry him again in this life, so I rushed over. Ah Li, you have such poor taste in both past and present lives. You've given up on the ideal man and chosen the hard-to-get one instead."

Yuanli was left at a loss whether to laugh or cry by his inexplicable words. Speaking of Cha Suxun, she hadn't seen him for a long time.

"I've seen everything in Ah Li's life. Chi Xun treated you sincerely and obeyed you in everything. The love in your eyes is almost overflowing. A wife who has shared the hardships of life should not be divorced, and you abandon him like this. It's a bit too much."

Heqi suppressed his anger and stood up for a mortal.

"Chi Xun's love for me is nothing more than a fate concocted by Sima Ming and Tian Yi. His love is indeed genuine, but my mission in this mortal realm is to marry his reincarnation. This mission concerns the well-being of the heavens. I cannot act recklessly just because he loves me. Moreover, before Chi Xun was born, my heart was already filled with Wen Yici, as you know."

He Qi hesitated several times, his expression complex and contradictory. "When you were Chi Li, you had your destiny mission, but I hope that when you are Yuan Li, you will open your eyes and not choose the wrong person, which will ruin your life."

Perhaps it was because her name contained the same character "Li" as Heqi's elder sister's name, so in his previous life, this young man who had lost his elder sister treated her like his elder sister when they first met.

He saw the ending of her previous life, and she knew that Heqi was doing it for her own good.

She expressed regret for Li Wan's death and felt sorry for He Qi who lost her elder sister who depended on her at a young age.

She tentatively asked, "I've heard some general information about your sister and the Emperor in Heaven. You're afraid I'll end up like your sister, right?"

Heqi did not get angry, but just lowered his head sadly, and the meat bun also drooped with its tiger head pressed against its ears.

"Thank you very much. I really envy her. If I were your sister, I would definitely feel lucky to have a brother like you." Yuanli gently stroked his head and said softly, "Young Master Heqi has done very well."

He Qi raised his sad eyes, which shone slightly with light and turned red. "Do you really think so? You are not trying to cheer me up?"

"That's natural."

Although He Qi was much older than her and held a high position of power, he was still a child who lacked family affection at heart. She only had to cook a meal to coax him into submission.

Yuanli asked him about Cha Suxun's recent situation, but this guy just said that the underworld was very busy with official business recently, and Cha Suxun was too busy with work to get away, so he packed up the food and left in a hurry.

Before leaving, Heqi reminded: "Stay away from the boat, the farther the better."

When she wanted to ask more, Heqi had already disappeared. Lately, everyone's behavior has been a little strange, and it's hard to guess what they're thinking.

A few days passed, Qi Heng was so busy that he left early and returned late, and Yuanli hadn't seen him for two consecutive days. She didn't know what was going on with Li Nu either, and tonight was the third day she had mentioned.

In the evening, the weather suddenly turned cold, with the wind howling, as if winter had arrived. The sky was gray and dark clouds were rolling, as if it was a sign of rain.

Yuanli changed into thicker clothes, and couldn't help but worry whether the clothes he wore this morning could cope with the cold.

When Qi Heng came back, he looked tired and haggard. Seeing her worried look on her face and holding his cloak in her hand, he forced a smile and walked towards her quickly.

After returning to the house, Yuanli immediately ordered some hot food and busied herself with picking up some meat for him.

But he just stared at her without moving a muscle.

After quietly waiting for her to finish and put down her chopsticks, Qi Heng pulled her to sit down, clasped his hands together and covered her hands in his palms, saying guiltily: "I wanted to take you back to propose marriage in the past two days. The emperor said that I had investigated the officials who colluded with the third prince for greed, so he gave me a month's leave. Who knew that when I was about to finish my work today, several important officials of the court suddenly died. I have to make you wait for me for a few more days. Don't be angry with me, okay? I promise it will be soon."

"So you've been coming in late at night and leaving early at dawn these past few days just to complete the mission assigned by His Majesty?" Yuanli said distressedly, "You've been so exhausted. I'm not in a hurry. You can wait."

"I'm so anxious! I can't wait to marry you home." Qi Heng picked up some food for her and said, "Eat."

Qi Heng used a smile to hide his fatigue, but it was difficult to hide the dark circles under his eyes.

After dinner, Qi Heng went to the study again. Chu Xiao kept delivering official documents to report the latest progress of the case.

Whenever Chu Xiao came in, Yuanli would always steal a glance at him.

As soon as she leaned over the crack of the door, Yuanli saw Qi Heng sitting at the desk with a worried look on his face, listening to Chu Xiao's report.

Qi Heng seemed to notice her gaze looking towards the door, and when he met her eyes, a tired smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his posture was lazy.

An inexplicable sense of guilt crept into her heart, and Yuanli quickly shrank back and hid outside the door, but she forgot that the close-fitting door panel clearly reflected the outline of her back.

When Chu Xiao left again, he opened the study door that had been tightly closed wide, allowing for a wide view and a panoramic view.

"Writing the case file costs a lot of money. If you're not busy, you can help Brother Qi. The weather is cold and windy, sister-in-law..." Chu Xiao hesitated, looked at the door of Qi Heng's study and said, "Remember to close the door to keep warm."

She understood what he meant and gave him a grateful look.

Doubts gathered in her heart, but she couldn't speak out. Chu Xiao was an expert in interrogating criminals, so how could he not see through her thoughts?

Chu Xiao looked around and saw no one around. He lowered his voice and said, "This case has many tricky aspects. Everyone who saw it shook their heads. Sister-in-law, can you guess how those important officials of the court died?"

"How did he die?"