The Turkic prince Luole stayed in Daqi for half a month before leaving.
Leng Yue breathed a sigh of relief. This Turkic prince was too troublesome; he always invited her to drink, and she couldn't refuse. For the past two weeks, Leng Yue had been dreading seeing him, unable to avoid him. What could she do? After all, she wasn't an emperor with real power.
Moreover, Leng Yue discovered that despite Basil's tall and imposing appearance, and his seemingly straightforward and innocent demeanor, he was actually incredibly cunning. Leng Yue always felt that he was plotting something.
For example, Basil often frequented her study, subtly inquiring about what books she usually read. Or, he would feign drunkenness by casually leaning over her desk, actually peeking at her scribbles on paper.
Leng Yue knew that Basil probably thought she was young and easy to fool, so he always took the opportunity to gather information. However, he probably eventually discovered that she actually had no power and did not concern herself with politics.
Leng Yue felt ashamed of this discovery; a monarch was a mere child without human rights. But what could she do? She wanted to show off her power, but who would support her? Leng Yue was well aware of this.
Fortunately, it's all true. Basil's ability to enter her palace so easily was likely at the behest of someone else. Given that, what is Leng Yue afraid of regarding losing face?
Unbeknownst to Leng Yue, after some probing, Luo Le ultimately made a careful decision to issue an order to kill her. Contrary to Leng Yue's expectations, Luo Le not only did not consider Leng Yue an ignorant and incompetent ruler, but also saw her as a young but extremely shrewd and calculating emperor.
Basil's thinking was not without merit. First, as a foreigner, Basil was never stopped by anyone when he entered the young emperor's bedchamber. What did this show? It showed that the people of Daqi trusted their young emperor greatly and felt that such an outsider was not a threat.
After testing him, Basil was certain that this was indeed the case. Whether he tried to get the young emperor to drink with him, feign drunkenness to look around, or even inquire about private matters, he never succeeded. No matter what he asked or what tricks he used, he was always managed to be fooled.
Therefore, Basil can conclude that the Emperor of Daqi is an extremely cunning and calculating person. So young, yet so adept at disguise—truly terrifying! Such an emperor must be nipped in the bud. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.
If Leng Yue knew that her embarrassing maneuvering had been interpreted in this way, she would probably just laugh and cry at the same time, lamenting her bad luck in being caught in the crossfire.
However, she didn't know, nor did she care to know. Because, Qingluan's... body had been found.
"Where did you find it?" Leng Yue looked at Qing Luan, whose eyes were not closed, her teeth clenched, otherwise she would have trembled uncontrollably.
Even though it's not November yet, Leng Yue felt freezing cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
He'er turned her face away, feeling a little reluctant. When she heard Leng Yue's question, she answered in a low voice, "It was found in the well in the Cold Palace today when someone was drawing water."
Leng Yue suppressed her trembling hands and slowly moved towards Qingluan's corpse. He'er couldn't help but cry out, "Your Majesty, please don't..."
Before He'er could utter the word "past," a single glance from Leng Yue silenced her. He'er had never seen Leng Yue like this before; a simple look was enough to render her speechless. What was that feeling? He'er thought about it carefully; it must have been a feeling of utter shock.
For Leng Yue, those few steps felt like an eternity. In her previous life, she had always worked with plants and animals; she had never studied medicine, much less forensic science. But she wanted to try; she wanted to know what had happened to Qing Luan. Leng Yue didn't want Qing Luan to die without a clear explanation!
Taking a deep breath, Leng Yue finally lifted Qingluan's clothes. Beneath the sleeve, Qingluan's wrists were bruised and purple, clearly indicating that she had been imprisoned before her death. Leng Yue then checked other areas and found no other injuries on Qingluan's body, at least no other external wounds.
Leng Yue pressed on Qingluan's stomach again, but there was no water at all. This meant Qingluan hadn't drowned. How could a drowned person not have drunk any water? Clearly, Qingluan's body was disposed of after death.
After her initial assessment, Leng Yue had only discovered this much. However, she couldn't determine how Qing Luan had died. The absence of wounds and intact fingernails indicated that Qing Luan hadn't struggled before death. The lack of pain on her face and the absence of the bluish-purple discoloration on her lips suggested that Qing Luan hadn't died from poisoning.
Qingluan just stared blankly at one spot, her expression carrying a hint of disappointment. Disappointed about what?
Leng Yue was utterly baffled and could only reach out to close Qing Luan's eyes. But as soon as Leng Yue removed her hand, Qing Luan's eyes reopened. This happened several times; Leng Yue would close them, and as soon as she took her hand back, they would open again.
He'er felt a chill run down her spine watching from the side. She couldn't help but glance at the other palace maids, only to find that most of them, like her, couldn't help but back away, while rubbing their arms.
Leng Yue sighed, "Qing Luan, are you worried about me? Don't worry, I'll be fine. Rest in peace. I'll take care of the revenge. Don't worry, even though I may not be very capable, I can still find the murderer for you. Go in peace!"
As Leng Yue spoke, she reached out and closed Qing Luan's eyes again, and it worked.
He'er was going crazy. She even started to feel a chill around her, and there were gusts of cold wind blowing by. He'er couldn't help but take another step back.
Seeing He'er's reaction, Leng Yue didn't say anything. However, there was one palace maid who hadn't moved an inch from beginning to end. Leng Yue couldn't help but glance at her a few times, "What's your name?"
"Your Majesty, this is your maid, Lanxiang." The palace maid answered crisply and decisively, without any hesitation.
Leng Yue nodded approvingly, "What a lovely name. Here's what we'll do: I see you're the bravest one here, so you're in charge of handling Qingluan's corpse. Remember to give it a proper burial, and don't be negligent!"
The palace maid named Lanxiang bowed her head in agreement, but a flash of disgust crossed her eyes. Leng Yue simply washed her hands in the hot water He'er brought before leading everyone away.
He'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she wasn't the one left behind. Seeing Leng Yue leave, she quickly followed, glancing at Lanxiang as she went.
He'er truly admired Leng Yue and Lan Xiang for their audacity! People are indeed different!
"He'er?" Leng Yue wanted to ask He'er some questions.
He'er was startled. "Your Majesty, I won't help! I'm scared!"
Leng Yue was stunned for a moment. "What are you talking about? What help do you need? Come here, I have something to ask you."
He'er breathed a sigh of relief, took a few steps toward Leng Yue, and stopped a meter away from her. "Your Majesty, what is it?"
Leng Yue didn't expose her, after all, it's normal for a normal person to feel uncomfortable seeing a corpse for the first time, right? "Do you know if there are any places in this palace where people can be imprisoned without being discovered?"
He'er hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but there are many secrets in the palace. It's not necessary to find a secluded place to imprison someone. You should know that the people in the palace have many ways to silence a person."
Upon hearing this, Leng Yue felt it made sense. "Hmm, that's true..." she said, then lowered her head to think about something.
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