Chapter 443 This Pool of Water is Deeper and Muddier than I Imagined
Princess Taiping's Mansion, secret room.
Yan Shishu seemed to have lost all her soul and sat in a daze beside Jiahe's cold little bed.
Over and over again, she traced her daughter's little face, which had long lost its warmth, with her trembling fingers.
The movements were so gentle as if afraid of disturbing the child's sleep.
The tears have long since dried up, leaving only empty despair.
The door of the secret room opened silently, and the moon-white figure appeared quietly again.
Her face was still covered with a veil, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with sorrow and tears, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't.
"Your Highness..."
Her voice was choked with sobs, filled with a sorrow that she felt.
"You... your condolences."
She took a few steps closer, her eyes fell on Jiahe's small body, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
"The princess... the princess is so young, as beautiful as a flower, yet she has been murdered by such a cruel person!"
"That poisonous rice paper, those fallen peaches... they're clearly aimed at you! Your Highness the Crown Prince... no matter how capable he is, he's still just a child. His thoughts are limited. I'm afraid... he's being used as a pawn!"
Yan Shishu's wooden eyes finally moved and slowly turned to the woman.
His gaze was as dead as a dry well, and his voice was extremely hoarse.
"Be a gun user? Haha..."
She uttered a shrill sneer, her eyes gleaming with deep hatred.
"But Jiahe...my Jiahe...died because of him in the end!"
"If he hadn't led his troops into the mansion, with swords drawn and shouts of war and killing... and frightened my Jiahe... how could my Jiahe... how could..."
She was already sobbing and her voice was broken as she spoke the following words.
"Your Highness!"
The woman's voice suddenly rose in pitch, filled with intense urgency.
"That's why we must uncover the true culprit behind this! That person used the Crown Prince to target you and the Princess. His heart is damned!"
"He killed the princess, and his next step will be to completely destroy you, Your Highness! He will make you suffer unbearably and bring you to eternal damnation!"
"Your Highness, you must not fall down at this moment. You must cheer up! Avenge the princess!"
"Revenge... Revenge..."
Yan Shishu murmured these two words, and a kind of almost crazy, ruthless hatred gradually gathered in her empty eyes.
"Yes! Revenge! I want them to...pay with blood! No one can escape!"
Beneath the sadness, a hint of imperceptible satisfaction flashed across the woman's eyes.
Her tone became increasingly earnest and indignant: "Your Highness is right! If you want to find the true murderer who has lost all conscience, you must cheer up!"
"The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager love the princess the most and regard her as a treasure. They will definitely make the decision for you and uphold justice for the princess!"
This sentence was like lighting the final fuse.
Yan Shishu stood up suddenly, with desperate madness burning in her eyes:
"You're right! I'll enter the palace right now!"
"No one in the court will make the decision for me, but my mother and the Empress Dowager will definitely feel sorry for Jiahe! They will definitely make the decision for me!"
She seemed to have grasped the last straw and sternly ordered the two most trusted maids around her to tidy up Jiahe's appearance and change her into gorgeous clothes.
He wiped his face carelessly and headed straight for the palace with a look of despair and anger.
…
The Ministry of Justice’s prison, a dark room.
The air was filled with the thick smell of blood, sweat and desperate death.
Under the flickering light of the dim yellow lamp, Lord Liao, the Minister of Justice, and Lord Qiao, the Minister of the Supreme Court, sat opposite each other.
Both of them had ashen faces and looked extremely solemn.
In front of them was the list of the last batch of prisoners who had just been escorted from Princess Taiping's mansion, as well as the preliminary interrogation records.
Luo Tao's body has been carefully examined by the coroner, and the conclusion is clear:
She committed suicide by taking poison. The source of the poison was hidden in the secret compartment of her seemingly ordinary silver hairpin: the poisonous substance "Crane's Beak Red" that kills instantly when it comes into contact with blood.
The remnants of "Qingzhe Powder" found in her residence, as well as the letters made of special materials and with a strange fragrance.
All of them became irrefutable evidence, firmly pointing the finger at her.
But what about motivation?
Why did she poison the princess? Even trying to frame the prince? And who was behind this?
The most crucial witness is dead, and all clues have been cut off by an invisible knife, leaving only a fog.
"grown ups."
A trusted subordinate hurried in and reported in a low voice.
"We've checked. Luo Tao has been in the princess's mansion for five years, and her background appears to be spotless."
"She is usually quiet and honest. She rarely interacts with other people in the mansion, and it is almost impossible to find out who she is close to."
"Her hometown is far away in Qingzhou. Her parents died early. She only has one distant cousin, who also died of illness three years ago."
"I really... I really can't find out her motive for poisoning the princess, let alone... the person behind it."
Minister Liao's brows were knitted into a knot, and he banged his knuckles hard on the table.
"It's so clean! As clean as if it had been carefully scrubbed! Continue the interrogation! Use every possible means to pry open the mouths of everyone who has had contact with Luo Tao! Especially the other maids and nannies who served the princess closely!"
"Also, every new employee, every purchase record, every correspondence with the outside world, every visitor list, and every single one of the new hires, purchase records, and visitor lists that have been in the Princess's mansion for the past six months, no, the past year, must be meticulously combed for me! Not a single clue should be overlooked!"
"Yes!" The subordinate took the order, turned around and quickly disappeared at the end of the dark corridor.
Minister Liao rubbed his throbbing temples tiredly, and exchanged a glance with Lord Qiao, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes.
This pool of water is deeper and muddier than I imagined.
…
Imperial study.
In front of the huge map of mountains and rivers, Yan Shixu stood with his hands behind his back.
His gaze did not fall on the war-shrouded Xitong Pass, but was fixed on the location of Princess Taiping's Mansion on the map of the capital.
Su Muyang, Luo Yunzhen, Prince Lin, Prince Cheng, and Prince Qian stood on both sides, and the atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.
"Mu Yang." Yan Shixu's voice was low and as cold and hard as iron.
"Are you sure that the 'Ghost-Faced Military Advisor' will take advantage of the marriage opportunity to infiltrate the diplomatic corps?"
"Nine out of ten!" Su Muyang said in a firm tone.
"Xiyu's request for peace this time is so humble, and the conditions offered are also 'generous'. They are definitely not seeking temporary peace."
"The ruler of this country is incompetent and foolish. The only one who can truly change the government and influence national policy is this bastard!"
"Since he has deployed this delaying tactic, he must have some ulterior motive."
"Sneak into the heart of Dayan, disrupt the court, create chaos, and even... wait for an opportunity to get close to His Majesty or the Empress. This is the best strategy!"
"The princess's status as a betrothal princess is noble, and her entourage is huge. This is the perfect cover for you to pass yourself off as the real one and infiltrate the heart of our Great Yan!"
Luo Yunzhen immediately interjected, "Your Majesty, if this beast were to infiltrate, the threat it poses would be far greater than that of a hundred thousand troops! The horse racing incident and the princess' untimely death are interconnected, ruthless and treacherous, mirroring the tactics employed on the battlefields of Xiyu! I'm afraid... they've already had hidden agents within the capital, working alongside us for a long time!"
Prince Lin added worriedly, "If this is truly related to that 'Ghost-Faced Military Advisor,' his goal is probably more than just destabilizing the nation and deposing the Crown Prince..."
"From your humble opinion, I see their plans are grand! They may be aiming to recapture the lost half of Xiyu, or even... overthrow the Great Yan State! My Royal Brother, the marriage delegation is about to arrive in the capital, and we must take precautions!"
The City King's fists were clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound.
He shouted angrily, "Who cares if he's a human or a ghost? If he dares to set foot on the territory of Dayan, he will never return! Brother Emperor, I beg your command to personally lead the elite imperial guards to surround the Sifang Pavilion like an iron barrel and closely monitor the diplomatic envoys! Don't even think of letting a suspicious fly out to cause trouble!"
Yan Shixu slowly shook his head, his eyes sweeping across the map like an icy blade.
"Acheng, no. Your martial arts skills are too low, and strict surveillance in public will only alert the enemy and force them to hide deeper."
After saying that, Yan Shixu's gaze fell on Su Muyang with unquestionable trust and responsibility.
"Mu Yang, this matter can only be left to you so that it can go unnoticed."
Su Muyang bowed and clasped his fists: "Your Majesty, I obey your command!"
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
