Lanqin and Lanqin walked hand in hand toward Changchun Palace. So much had happened these past few days, and Lanqin had only thought about Hongli and hadn't had a proper conversation with the Fourth Prince.
Now, Lanqin calmed down and thought about it carefully. She realized that the Fourth Prince also had his own difficulties. However, when she thought about how he hesitated to investigate Yikun Palace because he cared about the Nian family, she felt a little wronged.
Fourth Prince looked at Lanqin; Hongli was saved, and her expression was no longer so tense.
Fourth Master asked, "Are you still angry?"
"Hmm, I'm still angry..." Lanqin realized she had gone too far as soon as she spoke, and awkwardly yawned, saying in surprise, "Oh dear, I'm a little sleepy, you should go back and rest!"
"If you're not going, then go and rest at the Hall of Mental Cultivation!" Fourth Prince said with a smile.
“That won’t do,” Lanqin said.
"This is my palace, and you are my Consort Xi. Do I need anyone's permission to let you rest wherever I want?" the Fourth Prince said with a smile.
Lanqin was greatly surprised, as she knew a little about what happened at the morning court session.
Those in power in the previous dynasty, controlled by the Nian family, would definitely force the Fourth Prince to lower his rank. After all, there is currently no concrete evidence against the Nian family.
"Your Majesty, I..." The Fourth Prince placed his hand on Lanqin's lips and said gently, "You will always be my Consort Xi, and no one can change that."
Lanqin felt a warmth in her heart. Despite the pressure and the risk of offending the Nian family and many ministers, Fourth Prince still protected her. Lanqin threw herself into Fourth Prince's arms, her previous anger vanishing without a trace.
The palace maid from Yikun Palace in the Department of Cautious Punishment, not long after Hongli was rescued, could not withstand the torture and committed suicide by biting her tongue. Before she died, she left behind the two words "Ji Shi" (a title for a woman from the Ji family).
The people of the Imperial Prison knew that this person was closely related to Hongli's poisoning, and they did not hesitate to report to the Fourth Prince and Lanqin immediately.
Upon learning of the palace maid's death, Bai Zhi rushed back to inform Consort Nian.
"Your Highness, that palace maid has bitten her tongue and committed suicide..." Bai Zhi whispered to Consort Nian. Consort Nian patted her chest and took a deep breath: "Good riddance, good riddance... This girl looked rather weak, but I didn't expect her jaw to be so tight..."
Bai Zhi sneered, "It's all thanks to Madam Ji's clever schemes. She had already investigated everything for Her Majesty, knowing that this palace maid would do anything for her family, and that she possessed a special skill that others couldn't: imitating a man's voice. It's just that this flawless plan was accidentally ruined by a prince consort..."
Consort Nian slammed her hand on the backrest, angrily saying, "He's lucky he survived. And my brother, why didn't you just give me a poison that would kill instantly? Instead, you dragged it out for several days, giving Consort Xi plenty of time..."
Bai Zhi quickly calmed Consort Nian's anger, patting and massaging her shoulders: "Your Highness, please calm down..."
Consort Nian rolled her eyes and played with the luminous pearl in her hand: "The palace maid was also recommended to me by the Ji family. Even the assassination of Hongli was orchestrated by the Ji family. I really underestimated the Ji family. I wonder if they will try to smear me with this mud in the future?"
Bai Zhi smiled slyly and whispered in Consort Nian's ear, "Your Highness, rest assured, I've thought of everything for you... That palace maid uttered the name 'Ji Shi' before she died. Those who know about it will surely investigate Ji Shi, and when they do, the flaws will be revealed. Ji Shi will not be able to escape the charge of poisoning the prince..."
Upon hearing this, Consort Nian burst into laughter: "Consort Xi will probably hate this person who almost killed her son to the core this time. Fine... let this Lady Ji do one last thing for me, so that my use of her won't be in vain..."
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