Shang Yunlan observed Chen Huang's changing expressions and understood his thoughts perfectly.
He secretly wondered – could such a fool really cover up the true cause of death of the Duke and his wife so perfectly?
There must be other people.
Shang Yunlan lowered her eyes and turned the ring on her finger. She chatted with Emperor Chen for a few words, and then said with a hint of apology, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am worried about Heyang and would like to take my leave first. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission."
Emperor Chen nodded, which was considered as consent. His dissatisfaction with Empress Li reached its peak—she was becoming more and more arrogant. He had finally found someone like Minister Shang, with whom he could have a pleasant conversation, but he could barely exchange a few words because of her question.
...
Shang Shaoyan dared not stay in Zhaoyang Palace any longer. After all, she was still in the palace, and if Empress Li wanted to frame Consort Zhao, targeting her would be the best opportunity.
If it weren't for the desire to make Empress Li suffer, she wouldn't have taken such a great risk by fainting in front of the palace maids of Zhaoyang Palace.
So she forced herself to leave despite her "illness"; Consort Zhao, unaware of Shang Shaoyan's concerns, assumed she was just frightened and was very easy to talk to, personally arranging a palanquin and sending Liu'er to escort her, while Physician Mao returned to his residence with her.
After Shang Shaoyan left, Consort Shu felt bored and reluctantly took her leave.
Soon, only Qin Ye and Li Langhuan remained in Zhaoyang Palace.
"Your Majesty," Qin Ye prostrated himself on the ground, his voice filled with reverence, "How have you been lately?"
Li Langhuan leaned against the window, looking at the orchids outside, and said casually, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Qin. I am very well."
Qin Ye paused in her attempt to get up, then knelt down again: "Your Majesty, I am unworthy of such a title. I am merely a little girl whom Your Majesty rescued in the Imperial Garden."
Li Langhuan seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly chuckled softly: "I saved you, but it was just a favor, you don't need to remember it... serving His Majesty well is the proper thing to do."
Qin Ye lowered his eyes, his gaze churning with hidden emotions, but he didn't show it at all when he spoke: "Your Majesty is kind-hearted, but this servant cannot take it for granted."
Li Langhuan's voice was light and airy, as if she were a little tired: "If only those people thought like you, how wonderful that would be?"
Qin Ye knew that Li Langhuan had remembered the past, and after apologizing, he wanted to return to the Imperial Study.
The moment he stepped out of Zhaoyang Palace, he inexplicably turned back to look, only to see faint tear stains on the grotesque left side of Li Langhuan's face.
Qin Ye was stunned. He suddenly came to his senses and realized that Li Langhuan had already closed her eyes.
Qin Ye knew he should leave quickly, but he went back anyway. He lowered the curtains at the window for Li Langhuan and said softly, "Your Highness, please be careful not to catch a cold."
Li Langhuan didn't respond, and he didn't think anything of it, leaving in silence.
Qin Ye thought, "I hope Your Majesty can smile more."
His wife's smile must be that of the most beautiful woman in the world.
...
Shang Shaoyan was carried back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, looking so weak that he might faint at any moment. Bai Shuang and the other two almost cried themselves to death when they saw this.
Shang Yunlan arranged accommodations for Physician Mao and dismissed all the servants, including Granny Li, before asking, "How is it?"
Shang Shaoyan opened his eyes, his gaze sparkling, showing no trace of illness: "I met four very interesting people today."
Seeing that her younger sister was truly alright, Shang Yunlan finally felt relieved. She took a sip of tea, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Tell me about it."
Shang Shaoyan frowned: "Empress Li is just as foolish as the Li sisters, but that palace maid beside her is quite interesting; her name seems to be Zhu Sha. I see that Empress Li trusts and heavily relies on Zhu Sha, but..."
She paused, considered her words carefully, and then spoke cautiously: "But Zhu Sha doesn't seem to respect Empress Li."
She spoke conservatively, but how could Zhu Sha be disrespectful to Empress Li? When Shang Shaoyan glanced up unintentionally, the indifference in Zhu Sha's eyes was not the expression a first-class palace maid should have when addressing her mistress.
Then she cautiously concluded: "She must have been planted by other concubines next to Empress Li, but now the power in the palace is in the hands of Consort Zhao, and nothing can be hidden from her. So regardless of whether Consort Zhao is the mastermind, Zhu Sha and she are inextricably linked."
As Shang Yunlan made a mental note of the person, she asked, "Are there three more?"
Shang Shaoyan curled the corners of his mouth: "Then there is Consort Zhao, and Eunuch Qin who serves the Emperor with writing materials... no, I should say Lord Qin."
She looked intently at Shang Yunlan: "You should have met that Lord Qin. What do you think of him?"
Shang Yunlan gave a cold laugh: "The fact that a eunuch is called 'Lord' is enough to tell you the story. Throughout history, every dynasty that has had eunuchs wielding power has been short-lived. You only met him once, but I observed him carefully. When Emperor Chen spoke to me, that Lord Qin was helping to review memorials. Will he be addressed as 'Nine Thousand Years' next time we meet?"
A hint of interest flashed in Shang Shaoyan's eyes: "That's strange, because I think this Lord Qin and Consort Zhao have some history."
Shang Yunlan was taken aback for a moment, then said solemnly, "I will carefully send someone to investigate."
Shang Shaoyan dissuaded him, saying, "Don't rush. I think Consort Zhao is quite shrewd. If she really has connections with Eunuch Qin, just based on the fact that she was once the daughter of a General of the Cavalry and has also served as a commander, I know she won't mess around in matters of state. You can't rush things. If you rush to investigate, you might just expose her."
Shang Yunlan sighed: "That's true... You've already mentioned three people, where's the last one?"
Shang Shaoyan glanced at Shang Yunlan teasingly: "Naturally, it's the one who sees you as her white moonlight."
Shang Yunlan: "..."
He was silent for a moment, then changed the subject, saying, "I met Emperor Chen today and exchanged a few words with him, but with Lord Qin standing next to me, I didn't dare to be too obvious."
Shang Shaoyan saw through her intentions but didn't say anything, continuing along Shang Yunlan's train of thought: "You want to confirm the cause of your parents' death?"
Shang Yunlan nodded, then looked rather troubled: "After getting to know him, I found that he is not the kind of person who would try to cover up the murder of someone without leaving a trace. Not to mention, if my parents were really killed by him, he would at least feel guilty when he sees me. But today, he didn't seem to be like that."
Shang Shaoyan frowned, also puzzled: "This means that Emperor Chen was unaware of the situation, or rather, he was not the mastermind."
Shang Yunlan took out the papers she had previously used to investigate Su Qianqian from her bosom, her face cold: "It seems that this doctor's identity is not just that of a sycophant of Su Qianqian."
He paused, then smiled meaningfully: "Whoever wants to cause infighting in the Southern Chen Dynasty is one of their people."
Shang Shaoyan seemed to be deep in thought, and then let out a long sigh.
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