Su Qinghe had absolutely no interest in how the Minister of Justice died; his struggle for the right to investigate the matter was merely a way to dampen Su Qingcai's arrogance. After obtaining the investigative authority, he only hastily reviewed the events before drafting a flawed investigation report, ready to close the case.
He was certain the emperor wouldn't see anything wrong, and even added a lot of "evidence" unfavorable to Su Qingcai to the investigation report. Although this "evidence" wasn't fabricated, it wasn't a decisive factor; it was just meant to put Su Qingcai in a difficult position. If the emperor believed even a few of these points, Su Qingcai would be in big trouble.
Su Qinghe was smugly pleased with himself, a smug smile on his face as he handed in the investigation report. Little did he know that after reading it, the emperor's face darkened, and he threw the report to the ground.
"Nonsense! I entrusted you with the investigation because I trusted you, and this is the kind of thing you come up with to fool me? If you don't want to do it, then don't. You're just causing me trouble!"
This sudden turn of events startled Su Qinghe. He reacted quickly and immediately knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This is all evidence that I have collected with utmost care. I wonder where Your Majesty finds fault?"
"Dedicated yourself wholeheartedly? You dare to say that!"
The emperor snorted coldly, pulled a piece of paper from the table, and slammed it in front of Su Qinghe: "Take a good look at this."
Su Qinghe's heart tightened, and she quickly picked up the scattered papers from the ground. Upon closer inspection, her expression turned grim.
These papers were another investigation report. Unlike Su Qinghe's hastily prepared report, this one provided a detailed analysis of the Minister of Justice's death, as well as all the suspects. It ultimately confirmed that the key figure was likely the Minister of Justice's bodyguard. However, now that the concubine was dead, the trail had gone cold, and the investigation had reached a stalemate.
Su Qinghe was very familiar with the handwriting on the paper; it was Su Qingcai who had written it.
How could it be him...?
Su Qinghe gripped the investigation report tightly, as if she wanted to crush the paper: "Your Majesty, what exactly do you mean?"
"You have the nerve to ask me what I mean? If I hadn't ordered the Ninth Prince to investigate as well, this document you submitted might have actually fooled me. How dare you deceive me! Do you know your crime?!"
The emperor's gaze was icy, and he felt a surge of anger just looking at Su Qinghe.
Although the emperor delegated the investigation to Su Qinghe due to pressure from the court, he still favored Su Qingcai and allowed Su Qingcai to conduct the investigation secretly. Now, with these two different investigation reports before him, Su Qinghe's report is illogical, and his "evidence" is weak and unconvincing, making it hard not to suspect his motives.
Su Qinghe broke out in a cold sweat, but more than fear, he felt indignant and couldn't help but question loudly.
"Your Majesty, since you have chosen me as the investigator, why have someone else investigate with me? Moreover, that person is the Ninth Prince. Has Your Majesty forgotten that the Ninth Prince is a suspect in the murder of Lord Cao?"
Unexpectedly, Su Qinghe not only showed no remorse, but also questioned the emperor with righteous indignation. The emperor was so angry that he laughed, his eyes filled with coldness.
"Instead of reflecting on your own mistakes, you're questioning me? Seventh Prince, you really have a lot of nerve! If you're unwilling to do the tasks I've assigned you, then you don't need to do them anymore. Guards, take the Seventh Prince out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Jun stepped out of the shadows, his eyes fixed on Su Qinghe without a trace of emotion. He gestured for Su Qinghe to leave, saying, "Seventh Prince, please."
Su Qinghe was furious and didn't want to pay attention to Shen Jun. Just as he was about to argue with the emperor again, Shen Jun suddenly came over and forcefully dragged him out.
Although he was skilled in martial arts, he could not easily use force in front of the emperor. Unable to make a move, Su Qinghe could only let Shen Jun drag him out and push him away without any politeness.
Staggering a few steps and nearly falling, Su Qinghe was in a sorry state. Unable to do anything within the palace grounds, she could only return to the Prince's Mansion with a belly full of anger.
Inside the Prince's residence, Qin Yunyun greeted him with a smile, as always, and asked, "Your Highness, what did the Emperor say?"
"How dare you ask!" Su Qinghe roared, shoving Qin Yunyun away.
Qin Yunyun was stunned, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart. "Your Highness, what has happened?"
With a fawning smile, she eagerly welcomed Su Qinghe to his seat, served him tea and water, and massaged his shoulders and legs, which finally eased his expression somewhat.
Su Qinghe snorted coldly and said in a chilling voice, "Who knew that His Majesty had a trick up his sleeve and secretly handed over the power of investigation to Su Qingcai? The investigation report that Su Qingcai submitted is very different from mine. Of course, His Majesty is biased towards the other one!"
"Ridiculous! I thought your lucky charm would make everything foolproof, but I never expected such a mistake to still occur. Does your lucky charm even work?"
A cold gaze fell on Qin Yunyun, who shivered and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, my lucky charm certainly works, but this time it was the Emperor who ruined things, and there was nothing I could do. Rest assured, this will never happen again."
"Is that so?" Su Qinghe stared at Qin Yunyun with a half-smile, looking at her with a chilling expression.
"Of course..." Qin Yunyun stammered as she subconsciously pulled her hand back, not wanting Su Qinghe to see the fading koi fish mark on the back of her hand.
She didn't know what was going on, but her koi fish mark had started to fade recently. Although it had only dimmed a little, it was still a significant matter for her.
She only has a place in Su Qinghe's eyes because of the koi fish mark. If she loses the koi fish mark again...
Qin Yunyun trembled and dared not think any further.
She became even more gentle and considerate, saying many kind words to Su Qinghe, which finally calmed him down and he stopped asking her about the koi fish mark.
After a close but safe conversation, Qin Yunyun returned to her room and immediately sent someone to invite Fu Ruo over.
She told Fu Ruo everything that had happened during this time, making no attempt to hide her inner panic.
“My reputation has declined, while Su Xiaoning’s popularity has soared. Even the Prince can’t compare to Su Qingcai. Do you think… her luck has returned?”
Upon hearing this, Fu Ruo wore a thoughtful expression. After a long silence, a strange smile appeared on her face.
"Don't worry, your lucky charm mark is still on you. As for your reputation, that's even simpler."
Fu Ruo whispered something in Qin Yunyun's ear.
Qin Yunyun was shocked, and cold sweat immediately broke out on her forehead: "This...this really works?"
"Whether you do it or not is your choice; it just depends on whether you want to consolidate everything you have now." Fu Ruo smiled slightly, her slightly hoarse voice seeming to bewitch.
Thinking about everything that had happened during this time, Qin Yunyun gritted her teeth and made up her mind.
"Okay, I'll do it!"
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