Chu Qingluan's heart moved, and she quickly held the jade slave in her palm, gently stroking its back and soothing it:
"Don't be afraid, Father will be fine."
However, she did not notice that Wu Ya was quietly retreating until she reached the shadow of the temple pillar.
Yu Nu sniffed for a long time and didn't smell the smell that made her uneasy anymore, so she gradually calmed down.
"Princess, this is strange," the Minister of Justice said in a deep voice. "This Immortal Drunken Vine is used by the nobles of Great Qin, and it appeared just after His Majesty Qin left the capital... It's simply too much of a coincidence."
"Your Excellency, the Minister's words make sense." Another minister echoed, "I've said it before. The people of Daqin are completely insincere. They don't take us, Dachu, seriously at all."
"But His Highness Qin grew up in Da Chu, and he is not that kind of sinister villain..." The officials who had dealt with Qin Yuan before whispered in a low voice, but were immediately refuted.
“You can only know a person’s face but not his heart. Who knows if some people are one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes?”
As everyone was arguing, the Minister of Revenue said, "I have just received news that the court of Great Qin has been in turmoil lately. The Second Prince, Qin Xuan, has suddenly risen to prominence, proposing several policies that benefit the country and winning over many court officials. He is now seemingly rivaling His Highness Qin Yuan."
When these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked!
The Minister of Revenue continued, "It is said that the Second Prince of the Great Qin even proposed to the Emperor of Qin that if the border food crisis could be resolved, he would be appointed Crown Prince. Under pressure, the Emperor of Qin has temporarily agreed. I'm afraid His Highness Qin Yuan's position will be in jeopardy when he returns this time."
Suddenly, all the ministers in the hall began to talk.
"No wonder His Highness Qin Yuan left in such a hurry..."
"Could this be a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"
"Since the Second Prince Qin wants to seize the throne, he must first destroy the marriage alliance..."
Chu Qingluan remained silent, her fingers unconsciously stroking Yu Nu's fur.
Qin Xuan's rise and Qin Yuan's unstable position... Is all this just a coincidence?
Or is it that someone is behind this, plotting something elaborately, wanting to kill two birds with one stone, getting rid of her father and destroying her relationship with Qin Yuan?
Inside the hall, the voices of the ministers' discussions grew louder and louder.
The spearhead was sometimes directed at Qin Yuan, sometimes at Qin Xuan, and some people even began to question the necessity of this marriage.
Chu Qingluan took a deep breath, suppressed the confusion in her heart, and said loudly:
"This matter has not yet been fully investigated, and no one should jump to conclusions!"
"Also, the Imperial Guards must continue their thorough search. First, investigate the source of this Immortal Drunken Vine. Second, investigate recent records of people entering and leaving the palace. Third, investigate..." She glanced at Wu Ya, "What food and drink did your father consume recently."
Her voice was filled with unquestionable authority, quickly drowning out the noise in the hall.
The imperial guards and palace maids received the order and quickly went down to carry out the task.
On the other side, several imperial doctors took turns to examine and detoxify Emperor Chu.
This poison wasn't difficult to cure. The Emperor of Chu had consumed alcohol, which counteracted the food, causing the poison. After drinking the hangover soup and getting some sleep, the alcohol in his system would sober up, and the poison would be almost cured.
Chu Qingluan personally served him sobering soup and stayed for a while. Finally, the imperial physician took his father's pulse and confirmed that he was no longer seriously injured. Then he got up and ordered the palace servants to clean up a palace for him to stay in tonight.
When I came out, I saw Chu Hong hadn't left yet and was waiting in the yard.
Seeing Chu Qingluan coming out, he hurried forward and asked with concern: "How is Father?"
"It's all right now. Father has already fallen asleep."
Chu Hong's heart was relieved immediately, "That's good."
Chu Qingluan observed his reaction calmly, her expression worried and her eyes slightly anxious, but it didn't seem fake.
"Chu Hong." She suddenly called out.
"Were you involved in what happened tonight?"
The sudden questioning made Chu Hong freeze suddenly, and he even subconsciously held his breath.
"What do you mean, sister?"
"Could it be that you suspect it's me..."
"You just need to answer, yes! Or no!" Chu Qingluan stared at Chu Hong sharply, not missing a single expression on his face.
Chu Hong's eyes flickered a few times, then he raised his head and put on a bitter smile.
"Since my sister is suspicious of me, why not just have the Imperial Guards take me to the Imperial Prison and torture me severely? Why bother asking so many questions?"
"Anyway, you never believed me..."
There was a hint of loss and grievance in his tone.
Chu Qingluan frowned slightly. Was she overthinking it?
"I'm asking whether you participated." Her voice remained calm, but her eyes became sharper.
"Chu Hong, you are avoiding me!"
Chu Hong's breathing stagnated, and his hands clenched tightly under his sleeves. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Chu Qingluan say again:
"Until the truth is revealed, I will not touch you. But if I knew you dared to hurt my father..."
She paused, her tone as cold as frost: "Then let's go back to the Western Regions!"
"Never set foot in Da Chu again."
boom!
In an instant, Chu Hong felt like he was stabbed by someone. The blood in his body suddenly froze and even his breathing stopped.
What Chu Qingluan meant was that as long as it was discovered that he was involved in this matter, his identity would be made public and he would be driven back to the Western Regions, and he would never be able to come to Great Chu again in his lifetime.
I have to say, this move is really cruel.
Knowing clearly what Chu Hong cared about most, she was determined to crush all his hopes with her own hands.
"Imperial sister..." His voice was hoarse, as if it was squeezed out from his chest.
"You are so open with Qin Yuan, and you can't forget Xie Yunqi...but why?"
"Why won't you even give me a space the size of a fingernail?"
He pointed to his chest and said in a broken voice, "Why?"
"Royal sister, how am I worse than them?"
"Could it be... is it because of the dirty blood in me?"
The emotions that had been pent up for a long time seemed to find an outlet at this moment.
"Yes, I'm not as noble as Qin Yuan, nor as accomplished as Xie Yunqi, but I grew up under your watch!"
"Isn't everything I did for you? But what about you? You only doubt me and hurt me with the cruelest words!"
"In your eyes, I'm just a hidden danger who might betray my father and the Great Chu at any time, right?"
His eyes were bloodshot and his voice was broken, like a child abandoned by the whole world. His androgynous face was filled with sadness and despair.
After saying this, he suddenly took a step back and his tone became calmer.
"Since my sister doesn't trust me, then go investigate. It would be best if you could find out something so you can justifiably drive me away!"
After saying that, he didn't look at Chu Qingluan again, turned around, and almost staggered away.
Chu Qingluan stood there, rubbing his temples tiredly.
Chu Hong's words pierced her like needles, making her feel inexplicably irritated.
She knew her words were a bit harsh, but she had to stay sober until the matter was clarified.
But Chu Hong, could it be that he really had misjudged him?
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