After Zhang Ting finished speaking, she walked away without looking back and stood aside watching.
After seeing Zhang Ting leave, Jiang Shichen could no longer contain his disappointment; he had come to believe what Zhang Ting had said.
For a moment, he felt as if tiny needles were pricking his heart. He ran straight out of Tianxiang Tower and disappeared into the crowd on the street.
...
Xu Yuehuai was lying on the bed, preparing to sleep. She had only been lying down for a short while when she heard strange noises coming from outside. She listened for a while, but thought it was just the sound of wind and rain, so she didn't pay much attention and turned over and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the room, and a pair of pale hands reached out to grab Xu Yuehuai's back.
The dripping sound had already alerted Xu Yuehuai. Sensing movement behind her, she sat up on the bed and shouted, "Who's there!?"
"Crack!" A flash of lightning outside tore a line through the dark night and briefly illuminated the room.
Thanks to the brief moment of light, Xu Yuehuai was able to see who the dark figure in front of her was, and a huge weight was lifted from her heart.
She groped her way out of bed, lit a candle, and sighed, "Your Highness, you almost scared me to death with your unpredictable appearances."
The second prince remained motionless upon hearing this, though rainwater continued to drip from his body. Xu Yuehuai looked him up and down for a moment, then thought of getting him something to wipe himself down, lest he catch a cold.
"I'll go get you some dry clothes. Why didn't you offer to bring an umbrella?" Xu Yuehua muttered to herself before turning around.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she turned around, the Second Prince, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, abruptly stopping Xu Yuehuai in her tracks.
"Princess, are you investigating Consort Jia's miscarriage?"
Xu Yuehuai's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Although it wasn't a secret and she hadn't deliberately hidden it, not many people knew about it. However, the Second Prince's sudden visit on a rainy night and his question made her feel somewhat uneasy.
However, she quickly composed herself, forced a smile, turned around, and asked, "Where did the Second Prince learn of this?"
After the question was asked, the room fell silent again, with only the sound of rain pattering down. Xu Yuehuai was extremely nervous. Could the Second Prince also be involved in this matter? Was he here to kill her to silence her?
The second prince suddenly walked to the window and opened it. As soon as he opened it, the wind and rain rushed in. Xu Yuehuai instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the second prince had already closed the window again, and there was an extra person on the ground.
Xu Yuehuai looked closely and asked suspiciously, "Third Princess?"
Upon hearing Xu Yuehuai's voice, the person on the ground instantly opened her tightly closed eyes. As soon as she opened them, she saw the Second Prince's icy gaze, and she shivered violently. She found Xu Yuehuai's direction and knelt down.
The Third Princess knelt on the ground, trembling as she said, "Your Highness... Your Highness, the matter of Consort Jia's miscarriage was all done by the Crown Prince at my mother's behest."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai was greatly alarmed. She first glanced at the Second Prince, who still had the same unchanging expression, and then squatted down, patted the Third Princess's shoulder, and said, "Tell me slowly what happened, don't rush."
Perhaps Xu Yuehuai's comforting words had an effect, as the Third Princess's breathing gradually calmed down. She sorted out her thoughts and said, "A few days ago, when I went to see my mother, I overheard her conversation with her maid, Pingping..."
The Third Princess told Xu Yuehuai everything she had heard, which made her eyebrows furrow into a knot.
She had suspected before that there was someone else behind Consort Min, but she never expected that person to be Ah Qi. He not only killed Consort Jia, but also killed the Second Prince.
She recalled that when she tested Ah Qi before, she had already given herself away. Now, with the Third Princess's testimony, it could be confirmed that Ah Qi was indeed the mastermind.
However, Xu Yuehuai looked at the two people in front of her. Could these two people be trusted?
Seemingly sensing the suspicion in Xu Yuehuai's eyes, the Third Princess added, "My mother ordered two people to commit the poisoning: one was the cook Zhao, and the other was the palace maid Liuzhu. However, both of them have now been sent out of the palace. Finding them would make them witnesses, but that's incredibly difficult. Who knows where they might be hiding them... perhaps..."
Xu Yuehua nodded upon hearing this. Indeed, as long as they were found, it would be fine. However, the two might have already been silenced. Given A Qi's personality, he was capable of doing such a thing.
She paced around the room a few times with a serious expression before saying, "You all go back and wait for my news. I will try my best to find a solution, but please don't let the news leak out."
Upon hearing this, the Third Princess glanced at the Second Prince, and only after seeing him nod did she feel relieved. She then followed the Second Prince out of Xu Yuehuai's room.
After the two left, Xu Yuehuai hurriedly summoned Yinhu.
As soon as Yin Hu entered, she noticed the water stains on the floor. She looked up at him suspiciously and asked, "Miss, is the roof leaking?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai chuckled and recounted what had just happened. After listening, Yinhu pondered for a moment and asked, "Miss, what do you think?"
“I think it’s better to be safe than sorry. After all, Ah Qi is the prime suspect right now. You should leave the palace immediately and find the Duchess of Zhenguo. Ask her to help you find these two. Once you find them, the truth will come out.” Xu Yuehuai looked up and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Miss, it’s certainly not wrong to believe it’s true, but you can’t believe it’s not true either. Even if Consort Min’s relationship with the Third Princess is not good, she is still her birth mother. She shouldn’t expose her own birth mother, right?” Yin Hu thought of a key point of the problem and hurriedly told Xu Yuehuai.
“That’s true…” Xu Yuehuai tapped the armrest after hearing this, paused for a while and said, “Then observe the situation again. Keep a close eye on the Third Princess and see who she’s been in contact with.”
"Yes." Yin Hu accepted the order and left.
After Yin Hu left, Xu Yuehuai stared blankly at the water stains on the ground.
Meanwhile, another person was also staring blankly at the water stains on the ground.
Inside the Imperial Study, guards brought Qi Guze in, and Chief Steward Wang went to the Emperor to inform him. However, the Emperor stared blankly at the water stains on the ground, lost in thought.
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