Chapter 716 Collecting the Corpses of the Wu Family
"Only by confirming the crimes of the Chu King's Mansion and the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion can we eliminate the Chu King's chance of ascending to the throne."
"Compared to the King of Chu who murdered his elder brother, my mother and I have only suffered an undeserved calamity."
"Heaven knows how I got involved in the Empress Dowager's death!"
"I still don't believe that the clashing, potentially fatal, medicinal scents were just a coincidence."
At this point, Princess Qi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Mother, you don't know yet, do you? The divine physician Mu who found out the cause of the Empress Dowager's death is already dead."
"Dead!?" Liu Jieyu gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly, asking anxiously, "How did he die?"
Princess Qi: "Suddenly fell seriously ill and died suddenly."
"Suddenly fell ill and died suddenly? Ha, was he murdered to cover his tracks?"
Consort Liu gritted her teeth and said, "I knew that doctor was suspicious! Sure enough! Someone must have framed me for the Empress Dowager's affair!"
The King of Qi nodded angrily, "No doubt, it must have been the King of Chu and his men who did it!"
The mother and son were so angry they wanted to grind their teeth to dust, but since there was no evidence to overturn the case, they had no choice but to swallow their hatred.
The mother and son were angry for quite a while, but it was only after Princess Qi reminded them that they were able to bring the topic back on track.
After thinking for a moment, Consort Liu continued, "Since our goal is to confirm the King of Chu's guilt in killing his brother, then we should point the finger directly at the King of Chu."
"If we involve Li Sanqi as well, I'm afraid we'll be biting off more than we can chew."
"Don't forget, Li Sanqi is well-liked, and there are quite a few powerful forces that associate with her."
The Qiao family mansion in the south, the Duke of Jin's mansion, the Marquis of Yongning's mansion...
Behind the Qiao Mansion in the South City is the Marquis of Enping Mansion.
Needless to say, the Duke of Jin's mansion was also close to the Empress Dowager, as Madam Zheng was a close friend of the Empress Dowager, and Li Sanqi had been running to the Empress Dowager's palace since childhood. Madam Zheng and Li Sanqi were very close to each other.
The fact that the Yongning Marquis's mansion and Li Sanqi are on good terms makes people envious of Li Sanqi's popularity.
It's clear that Princess Gaoping was publicly rejected by the King of Chu, which means the face of the Yongning Marquis's family was utterly trampled on by the King of Chu.
But after such an incident, Princess Gaoping was still able to interact with Li Sanqi in a friendly manner.
It's truly hateful and infuriating!
In short, they wanted to use the matter of deposing the crown prince to bring down the King of Chu, so they only needed to focus on dealing with the King of Chu.
There's no need to target Li Sanqi at the same time, lest it cause more trouble.
Of course, forcing her maid to intervene was also a way of dragging her into the mess. However, Li Sanqi was just the trigger.
She has no connection to the murder of the deposed crown prince.
King Qi said resentfully, "That two-faced woman, Li Sanqi, got off easy!"
Princess Qi quickly reached out and gently patted Prince Qi's chest, soothing him as she softly comforted him, "Your Highness, don't be angry. If our plan succeeds this time, will we still have to worry about not having a chance to punish her in the future?"
"Hmph, you're right." Facing the gentle and considerate Princess Qi, the Prince Qi softened his expression and subconsciously reached out to grasp the hand on his chest.
Liu Jieyu's eyes dimmed slightly, and her brows furrowed unconsciously.
Her niece is truly remarkable!
At home, she could coax the old lady into giving up one of her illegitimate granddaughters to pave the way for her.
Once she entered the Prince's mansion, she was able to win over her son's exclusive affections.
In fact, Queen Min, like her grandmother, Madam Qiao, was a strong-willed and opinionated woman.
And what about her niece? She was gentle, obedient, considerate, and always put her son first. She never disobeyed or resisted, and was as docile as a little lamb.
They are the complete opposites of Queen Min.
Ha, who can guarantee that her niece wasn't behind the scenes when her son allowed his concubine to plot against Princess Min?
If it weren't for the fact that the Liu family was the only thing she and her son could rely on right now, she would have loved to tear that hypocritical face off.
If it weren't for her, Min Yuexi would still be alive, and the Enping Marquis's Mansion, the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, and even the Jin State Duke's Mansion would be their support!
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Consort Liu glared at the two who were exchanging flirtatious glances. "Tone it down! This is the Imperial Palace, not your Prince Qi's residence!"
The King of Qi awkwardly released the Queen's hand, and the Queen, blushing, sat up straight.
"Mother, we couldn't help ourselves, please don't..."
Before the King of Qi could finish speaking, Consort Liu asked angrily, "What? Do you expect me to have someone bring you a bed?"
Sensing the anger in Consort Liu's words, Princess Qi's eyes instantly reddened, she bit her red lips lightly, and looked at Prince Qi with a pitiful expression.
King Qi was immediately heartbroken and was about to offer some words of comfort when Consort Liu chased him away.
"Alright, that's all. You can all leave the palace now. Don't get in my way."
After saying this, Consort Liu turned and went into the inner palace.
The couple had no choice but to slink away from the palace.
Just a moment ago, Mother Consort was united with them against the common enemy. How come she suddenly turned against them?
***
"Madam, there are rumors circulating outside that the real culprit who killed my father is the King of Chu! Tell me, is this true?"
Li Rui sat opposite Qiao Qinghe, his eyes red, suppressing his emotions, and asked in a hoarse voice.
Qiao Qinghe gently shook her head and replied, "I don't know."
"Is it that you don't know, or that you don't want to tell me?" Li Rui persisted in asking.
Gritting his teeth, Li Rui still asked, "Or is it that the old lady is actually one of those who supported the King of Chu's ascension to the throne?"
Qiao Qinghe glanced at Li Rui's questioning look and said seriously, "I don't like the Prince of Chu, and I even have a life-and-death feud with one of his concubines."
"Therefore, I cannot support the King of Chu."
"Then you..."
Qiao Qinghe waved her hand to interrupt him, "I said I didn't know because I really didn't know."
"I don't want to mislead you with subjective speculation before I see solid evidence."
"You shouldn't just follow the crowd and believe those rumors that have no real evidence."
"Don't be impatient, everything will eventually come to light and things will settle down."
Li Rui gripped his trouser legs tightly with both hands, lowered his head, concealed the disappointment in his eyes, and murmured, "How much longer do we have to wait? Will that day really come?"
His father is still lying in an ice coffin...
After a moment, Qiao Qinghe said in a soft but firm tone, "It's almost here! That day is not far off!"
Li Rui suddenly looked up and stared at Qiao Qinghe in astonishment.
Qiao Qinghe smiled at him and said, "Trust me."
Three words, spoken softly and calmly, yet they easily earned Li Rui's trust.
"Yes, I believe the old lady."
After calming the child down, Qiao Qinghe said, "The bodies of your maternal grandparents are still at the Dali Temple. They sent word that you three siblings are allowed to go and collect their bodies."
"I have already arranged for someone in the manor to handle this matter."
"Do you want to go and see him?"
"Thank you, Madam!" Li Rui stood up and bowed deeply to Qiao Qinghe.
"I will take my second brother to see them off."
"My little sister is still too young, so I won't take her. I'll trouble you, Madam, to take care of her."
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