King Xuan took the imperial physician to the post station again. After working all night and drinking a big gulp of hot tea, the two of them finally entered the palace to meet the emperor.
"Your Majesty, as Physician Fang said, the Regent did not die of natural causes. He died of palpitations, which means he died from excessive fright."
Yuwen Wuji hadn't slept well all night and was feeling listless. Li Wei helped him take a pill, after which he finally let out a comfortable sigh.
"Scared to death? The Regent has been perfectly fine in his post station, what could possibly scare him to death!" Yuwen Wuji felt this reason was untenable, and most importantly, he couldn't explain it to the Eastern Lin Kingdom. "Prince Xuan, this case is entrusted to you to investigate. You must find out the truth for me!"
King Xuan knew that Yuwen Wuji didn't want the truth, but just an explanation, so he accepted the order and took his leave.
After King Xuan left, he went to the Dali Temple. All the members of the Donglin delegation, including the body of Dongfang Shi, had been transported to the Dali Temple for preservation.
Before King Xuan could catch his breath, someone came to report: "Your Highness, the Princess has arrived."
"What is she doing here!" King Xuan was worried, hoping that his little darling wouldn't cause him any trouble.
Snow was falling outside. Yongle was wearing a hooded cloak, and a maid held an umbrella for her as she entered the room.
Once inside, she waved to the people inside, and King Xuan told them all to leave. Only then did she remove her hood, revealing a round and relaxed face.
Prince Xuan was taken aback. "Princess Xiaoyao, what are you doing here?"
They're even using his daughter's name!
"Your Highness," Song Yaozhu bowed slowly, "I heard that Dongfang Shi's body is here, so I would like to ask Your Highness for a favor."
Prince Xuan rubbed his temples. "Your Highness, are you joking with me?"
"Please do me this favor, Your Highness, so that no one else will know about this."
King Xuan took a sip of tea and said slowly, "You should understand that there is no benefit for you and Xie Liwei to get involved in this matter."
Song Yaozhu lowered her eyelids, her thick eyelashes trembling slightly, and then said, "Then can Your Highness be certain that the person lying here is Dongfang Shi?"
King Xuan's grip on the teacup tightened. "What do you mean!"
Could it be that the one who died wasn't the real Dongfang Shi?
King Xuan stared intently at Song Yaozhu. For some reason, he saw a resemblance to Xie Wanqing in her.
No, it seems that the person standing in front of him is his former sister-in-law, Xie Wanqing!
King Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Everyone had witnessed Xie Wanqing's death, and Song Yaozhu's age was an indisputable fact.
Song Yaozhu could not possibly be Xie Wanqing, yet the two people look remarkably alike.
Yuwen Wuji once said that Xie Liwei was outrageous, having turned Song Yaozhu into a puppet. But the person before him was not a puppet like Xie Wanqing; she was like Xie Wanqing returning to the human world.
"Your Highness, only I can tell whether that person is really Dongfang Shi."
Her tone was deep and resolute, which startled King Xuan.
King Xuan pondered for a long time, then asked, "Does Xie Liwei know you've come here?"
If Xie Liwei knew this, it would mean that this matter really couldn't be left to Song Yaozhu.
Song Yaozhu simply looked at him without answering his question, and Prince Xuan quickly understood what she meant.
He thought for a moment and said, "Come with me, but this matter must not be spread."
He walked ahead, then called someone over and gave them a few instructions before leading Song Yaozhu toward the morgue.
The morgue was the coldest and darkest place in the entire Dali Temple, the best place to preserve the bodies. Song Yaozhu covered her face with a hood, even though there was no one around along the way.
Upon entering the morgue, Song Yaozhu immediately spotted the body placed in the center. She took out the gloves she had prepared and then personally began to remove the body's clothes.
King Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I will do it."
King Xuan put on gloves, then unbuttoned Dongfang Shi's shirt, revealing the corpse's pale and stiff chest.
Song Yaozhu stepped forward to examine it, and with just one glance, she knew her answer. Prince Xuan watched her nervously, anticipating what different answer she might offer.
After checking, Song Yaozhu threw the gloves aside.
"how?"
Song Yaozhu curled her lips into a smile. "This person is not Dongfang Shi."
King Xuan asked anxiously, "How could this be? He also has snake venom in his body! Dongfang Shi was poisoned right under our noses!"
"Therefore, from the moment he entered the palace, Dongfang Shi was not the real Dongfang Shi."
King Xuan could hardly believe it. He had seen Dongfang Shi before, and the man in front of him looked exactly like him!
“Dongfang Shi’s body is different from that of ordinary people. This person looks almost exactly like Dongfang Shi, and his behavior is also based on his appearance. It is clear that he has been training this person for a long time.”
King Xuan let out a long sigh. He knew that the royal family of Donglin Kingdom used a secret method of raising substitutes. There were many people in this world who looked alike, and with Dongfang Shi's abilities, finding one wouldn't be surprising.
"But now, people outside probably all want to know that Dongfang Shi died in Dachen."
Song Yaozhu shrugged indifferently: "Who can prove that Dongfang Shi is really dead? This fake's body is with us. Who can produce another body to prove that the dead person is Dongfang Shi?"
King Xuan immediately understood and sent Song Yaozhu out of the morgue.
After Song Yaozhu left in the carriage, he immediately summoned his confidants. Soon, news spread that the Regent of Donglin had faked his death and seriously injured the Xuan King of Da Chen, who had escaped. All the envoys from Donglin were imprisoned.
They never expected that they would go from being honored guests to prisoners in an instant.
Yuwen Wuji didn't quite understand Xuan Wang's move, but since it allowed him to shift the blame, he was happy to watch him feign illness.
I just don't know how to explain it when the Eastern Lin sends another delegation.
Forget it, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial will hold up the sky if it falls, so he'd better not think about these things for now.
The Taoist priest said that his body needed to rest and should not be disturbed too much by the secular world.
"Your Majesty, this is the elixir for tonight."
Li Wei presented the rootless water and elixirs to Yuwen Wuji.
Yuwen Wuji was meditating. After opening his eyes and swallowing the pill, he had some cold sweat on his forehead, and his pale face turned flushed, making him look rosy and extremely healthy.
Yuwen Wuji felt his body brimming with power, as if he had become young again!
Looking at his appearance, Li Wei subconsciously swallowed and shrank back in fear.
"Li Wei, I feel I could kill a tiger right now!"
"To see His Majesty in good health, this old servant will die without regret!"
Yuwen Wuji clenched his fist slightly. "I'll have Master Qingxu examine your leg tomorrow."
Li Wei immediately knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com