Chapter 106: Qishan Fengchan 13: Before the Emperor

Why did he return to find her and take her with him? Li Xuanhe also wanted to ask himself this question.

After all, today's affairs are an internal matter of the royal family. Logically speaking, the farther away you are from it, the longer you will live.

If he had been more rational and prudent, he should not only let Xun Shu stay in the yard, but also send someone to keep a close eye on her to prevent her from accidentally getting into fatal trouble.

But the moment the thought came to him, he suddenly realized: If he really did this, Xun Shu would probably be angry. She wasn't a caged bird or a fish in a pond. She had come for the affairs of the Zhai Palace, for the celestial phenomena. She would seize every opportunity to approach those at the center of power and accomplish her mission. If he obstructed her and missed the opportunity, he feared she would never forgive him, and they would eventually go their separate ways.

It would be better to take her with you, which can not only ensure her safety but also help her accomplish what she wants to do.

Li Xuanhe didn't answer Xun Shu, but urged, "We'll talk about this later. Go change your clothes."

-

The emperor's palace, located in the heart of the Zhai Palace, was fully renovated and magnificent. Two golden pillars with coiled dragons stood majestically in the main hall, and the floor was paved with dark gold bricks, casting a faint shadow on those passing by.

There was an imperial throne in front of the hall. When Li Xuanhe and Xun Shu arrived, the emperor was sitting on it, his elbows resting on the armrests, his hand on his forehead, his brows furrowed, and he looked quite displeased.

Beneath the throne, the Crown Prince and the Imperial Preceptor stood on either side. The Crown Prince remained gentle and calm, while the Imperial Preceptor's features hinted at a hint of triumph. In the center of the hall stood a young man in his thirties, dressed in mourning clothes. Dark circles were visible under his eyes, and he frequently wiped tears with his sleeve, his expression mournful. It was the Prince of Chen. Kneeling beside him was a trembling Taoist priest. Xun Shu had recognized him when he entered the hall, and upon closer inspection, he was shocked to discover that it was the same Schisandra chinensis he had met the previous night.

On the way here, Li Xuanhe briefly told Xun Shu what had happened a moment ago.

This morning, the Imperial Preceptor suddenly arrived with a Taoist priest to confront the Emperor. They claimed that the elixir presented to them a few days ago might have been swapped by the Crown Prince, and that the Crown Prince was even implicated in Prince Chen's death. The Emperor, enraged, immediately summoned the Crown Prince, but he insisted he had no involvement and that the Imperial Preceptor was deliberately framing him with ill intentions. As the situation stalemated, the Emperor remembered Li Xuanhe, who was investigating the case, and decided to ask him to share his recent findings.

Xun Shu replaced Yu Chang's position and stood side by side with Chi Xiao in the corner of the hall. He looked at Wu Wei Zi's thin back from afar and frowned slightly.

Wuweizi was kneeling in front with his head down, and his expression could not be seen clearly.

When we met yesterday evening, everything was fine. Why did she suddenly betray the prince today? But what happened after she was discovered last night?

Li Xuanhe stepped forward and saluted politely. The emperor waved his hand and said, "Have you found out anything about Prince Chen's case?"

Li Xuanhe's face was solemn, and he spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty, after discovering His Highness Prince Chen's body yesterday, I immediately summoned the coroner from Anle Town to the Zhai Palace for an examination. They confirmed the cause of His Highness's death. The body's lips were cyanotic, and there was vomit in the mouth and throat, both signs of poisoning. When the body was discovered, it was lying face up in the abandoned courtyard, with a sword stuck in its chest, piercing the entire body. Based on the amount of blood and the appearance of the wound, it can be inferred that the sword was inserted into his chest after his death. In summary, His Highness Prince Chen died of poisoning, not a sword wound. Furthermore, we also found an empty medicine bottle in the courtyard. It was buried under a tree in the corner, very concealed. At this time, we do not know whether it was buried by His Highness Prince Chen or the murderer."

The emperor was initially interested, but as Li Xuanhe kept talking, he grew impatient. He waved his hand to interrupt, "Do you know who the murderer is?"

Li Xuanhe paused for a moment and said in a deep voice, "This minister has failed in his duty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The emperor stared at Li Xuanhe's lowered head. Before he could speak, the Imperial Preceptor beside him spoke first, "Does the Shaoqing truly not know the murderer, or is he deliberately concealing the truth? As far as I know, the sword lodged in His Royal Highness Prince Chen's chest bears the mark of the Eastern Palace on its hilt. Did His Royal Highness Prince Chen truly die of poison? Or was it clearly the sword wound that killed him, but because of the Shaoqing's close relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it was mistakenly claimed he died of poisoning?"

This statement was rather unreasonable. Li Xuanhe had no idea what he meant, so he could only counter it with feigned surprise. "The sword handle does bear the seal of the Eastern Palace. But this matter is kept secret. How did the Imperial Master know about it?" He paused, then said, "If the Imperial Master doesn't trust the coroner in Anle Town, you can send a letter to the capital to summon the coroners from the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple to the Zhai Palace to re-examine Prince Chen's body. However, the journey is long, and I'm afraid they'll be delayed. If the body is badly decomposed by the time the coroner arrives, I'm afraid they won't be able to find anything. It would be better if the Imperial Master could perform a ritual to pray for snow and ice to dissipate the daytime heat. This would better preserve His Highness Prince Chen's body until the coroner in the capital arrives."

The emperor turned to look at the Imperial Preceptor and asked curiously, "Come to think of it, I've known the Imperial Preceptor for a long time, but I've never seen him perform a ritual. Xuan He's words make sense. If the Imperial Preceptor could perform a ritual to pray for rain and snow, making the weather cooler, that would be a good idea."

The Imperial Master paused, then sighed, "Your Majesty, the Fengshan Ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow. It would be unlucky to pray for rain or snow now."

"That's a shame." The emperor expressed regret and gave up on the matter. He pondered for a moment and then turned the topic back to Prince Chen's death. "Since the cause of Prince Chen's death is in doubt, Xuanhe, immediately send someone to invite the coroner from the nearby governor's office to conduct a further investigation."

Seeing that the emperor wanted to put the matter on hold for the time being, the imperial teacher felt a little anxious. He looked at Wuweizi, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Your Majesty, even if His Royal Highness Prince Chen really died of a deadly poison, this matter may not be unrelated to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This young Taoist priest just said that when he entered the Zhai Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince summoned him to the Qing Palace. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince somehow learned about the elixir of immortality and actually replaced the elixir I presented to Your Majesty! Fortunately, Your Majesty was blessed and did not have time to use it, but His Royal Highness Prince Chen was not so lucky. Your Majesty, the Shaoqing just mentioned that he found an empty porcelain bottle in the corner of the deserted courtyard. Could you please bring it to me for me to see? This morning, a bottle of medicine was lost in the Xingyue Palace, and it was this elixir of immortality. If the bottle the Shaoqing found is indeed the one that contained the elixir of immortality, then His Royal Highness Prince Chen stole the elixir and consumed it, and it took his life... I'm afraid that the elixir of immortality has been replaced with a deadly poison by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

The Imperial Master spoke with great emotion, as if he was truly heartbroken by the unexpected death of King Chen.

The emperor had always trusted the Imperial Master. Following the Imperial Master's thoughts, he frowned and turned his gaze towards his eldest son: "Crown Prince, is what the Imperial Master said true?"

The Crown Prince's expression remained unchanged. He wasn't angry at the Imperial Preceptor's accusations, nor was he saddened by his father's suspicions. A faint smile still lingered on the corners of his lips as he spoke calmly, "The Imperial Preceptor first said that the sword stuck in the body came from the Eastern Palace, so I ordered the assassination of Prince Chen. After being pointed out that Prince Chen died of poison, he then said that the poison he consumed came from the Eastern Palace, and even falsely accused me of replacing the immortality elixir. Imperial Preceptor, I have no grudge against Prince Chen, so why would I kill him? Besides, who in the world would leave a murder weapon at the scene to prove their identity after killing someone? It's probably just a frame-up. I'd like to ask the Imperial Preceptor, why are you so eager to pin the blame on me when the case hasn't been resolved yet? What's your purpose?"

The Crown Prince sighed and, without waiting for the Imperial Preceptor to speak, continued, "As for the elixir of immortality, if I remember correctly, when you came to see Father yesterday, you said you had only refined one. So why did another one appear today? Do you harbor selfish motives, wanting to take the other one for yourself?"

The Imperial Master angrily said, "If I wanted to take it for granted, why would I offer it to you?"

"This news is not secret, and more than one person in the Hall of Eternal Life must have known it. The Imperial Preceptor was perhaps afraid that someone in the Hall of Eternal Life would leak the news, so he was forced to take out one of the pills and present it to my father." The Crown Prince paused, looked at the Imperial Preceptor's flushed face, and smiled. "Don't be angry, Imperial Preceptor. I was just speaking casually. As for the Imperial Preceptor's accusation that I switched the immortality pill with the young Taoist priest, it is indeed true."

The emperor was filled with both shock and anger, and asked with some doubt: "Prince, why do you want to exchange this elixir of immortality? Don't you want me to live forever?"

The Crown Prince turned aside and said, "Father, that's not the case. I did summon this young Taoist priest to the palace and swapped the elixir he was about to offer, but the medicine I substituted was a common tonic, not a poison. The Imperial Preceptor's accusations against me are pure nonsense. For over six months now, Your Majesty has not allowed the Imperial Physician to examine your pulse, trusting only the Imperial Preceptor. I'm truly concerned for Your Majesty's health, so I'd like to take this opportunity to see if this elixir is any good, and whether it will threaten Your Majesty's health."

The prince glanced at the palace servant waiting beside him, and the servant handed a wooden box to the prince. Inside the box were the two white porcelain bottles, and even the wax sealing them had not been opened yet.

"There's no imperial physician in the Zhai Palace. I had originally planned to wait until I returned to the palace to discuss this with the imperial physician before making a decision, but I didn't expect this to happen." The Crown Prince turned to look at Wu Wei Zi, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Come forward and take a look. Is this the elixir you gave me the other day?"

Wuweizi stood up and walked forward, took a closer look, and said with certainty, "They are the two bottles that Xiaodao brought."

The Crown Prince closed the wooden box and personally handed it to the Emperor. He then said, "Since Your Majesty does not trust me, I will return this elixir intact. After the Imperial Preceptor left that day, I warned Your Majesty not to take the replacement tonic recently. I was truly worried that the tonic I had randomly found in Pingle Town, with its mixed ingredients, might clash with the other elixirs Your Majesty was taking. That's why I thought, if the Imperial Physicians verify that this elixir is non-toxic in the future, I could find an opportunity to swap it. I have always been thinking of Your Majesty, but your suspicion of me is truly heartbreaking..."

"Chen'er..." The emperor felt guilty and softened his voice unconsciously as he looked at the child he had watched grow up.

The Crown Prince, his eyelashes still drooping, looked heartbroken. He then articulated the previously unanswered question, word by word: "Father, I have explained the Imperial Preceptor's doubts. Would you please allow the Imperial Preceptor to clarify them as well? If there are two elixirs of immortality, why did the Imperial Preceptor only claim there is one? Furthermore, why, without any evidence, have you repeatedly pinned the murder of Prince Chen on me? The Fengshan Ceremony is approaching, what exactly does the Imperial Preceptor intend to do?"