In the death row cell, Li Heng closed his eyes to rest.
Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through his heart, causing him to clutch his chest. But a moment later, a burning pain shot through his throat, followed by pain all over his body.
It was a pain Li Heng had never experienced before, and he subconsciously felt that he might have been poisoned.
Because no one approached him, except for the two steamed buns he ate for dinner.
He was writhing on the ground in pain, which quickly attracted the attention of the jailers.
"What happened?"
The jailer asked from across the cell, and Li Heng tried to say that he had been poisoned, but after opening his mouth several times, he found that he could not make a sound at all, and even swallowing was as painful as swallowing razor blades.
Normally, the prison guards wouldn't open the cell door easily for fear that the criminals would use tricks, but seeing him sweating profusely and with his eyes wide open and bulging, they were afraid something was wrong and quickly reported it to their superiors.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review quickly brought a doctor over, and upon seeing the situation, he hurriedly ordered the prison gates to be opened so he could go in and check.
The doctor took the pulse for a long time and shook his head. "No signs of poisoning."
Not poisoning?
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review pondered, "Then why is this the case?"
Li Heng is cunning; he fears that Li Heng is faking it to escape from prison.
The doctor saw through his thoughts and shook his head. "Although he wasn't poisoned, his internal energy and blood are in chaos, running rampant, and his meridians are completely destroyed..."
Before he could finish speaking, a pungent smell hit his nose, and Li Heng lost control of his bladder and bowels.
Immediately afterward, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review noticed that his eyes had instantly filled with bloodshot veins and was startled, asking, "What happened to him?"
The doctor also saw it, shook his head, and said, "This person is ruined; there's nothing I can do."
When the news reached the palace, the empress was helping the emperor change his clothes for court.
Upon learning that Li Heng was paralyzed, unable to speak or see, and with all his tendons and veins severed, the Empress gasped in shock.
Who did it?
Chen Banjun replied, "The attack occurred suddenly last night. The Dali Temple was unable to find any suspects, and it was not due to poisoning."
The emperor frowned. "Li Heng is already a death row inmate, how could he suddenly be treated like this?"
Could something have happened again?
Just as I was thinking this, I heard the Empress say, "It might be Ye Zhen."
The emperor, thinking she knew something, looked at her.
"Ye Zhen and Li Heng have a grudge. She has the motive and the ability. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is the Crown Prince's man. I heard that before the Crown Prince left the capital, he instructed them to obey Ye Zhen's orders."
The Empress said, "Behind her is the unfathomable Shi Yan."
Chen Banjun's lowered brows furrowed imperceptibly.
What does the Empress mean by this?
If these words were spoken by an ordinary royal family, it would be interpreted as the crown prince trying to win over court officials to form cliques and engage in corrupt practices, and even authorizing women in the inner quarters to do so.
This woman in the inner quarters of the palace was acting recklessly behind the emperor's back, disregarding the law, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was helping her conceal it from the emperor. To put it more seriously, it was deceiving the emperor.
That last sentence was even more astonishing!
She was reminding the emperor that if Ye Zhen and his daughter could harm Li Heng silently, could they also easily harm the emperor?
If His Majesty is muddle-headed and wary of his son, he might be so angry that he punishes the Crown Prince and Ye Zhen.
Has the Empress gone mad?
Is she holding a grudge because of Ye Zhen's retort yesterday?
Chen Banjun pursed his lips, wondering whether or not to believe the Crown Prince.
He was fortunate to serve the emperor, and his life had been relatively smooth for the past twenty years. He only wished for a happy ending and did not want to experience the bloodshed and turmoil of the palace in his later years.
If Chen Banjun could tell the difference, how could the emperor not?
His face suddenly darkened. “Empress, you cannot speak recklessly without evidence. I know the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review quite well. If he knew something, he would not dare to conceal it.”
Li Heng has committed numerous evil deeds, and he has countless enemies. If Ye Zhen wanted to deal with him, why wait until now?
If it really is Ye Zhen, then something must have happened to force her to do this.
He thought of a saying among the people: "Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are natural enemies."
The Empress's erroneous assumptions about Ye Zhen stemmed from two reasons: firstly, resentment over the death of Prince Yun, and secondly, jealousy that the Crown Prince valued Ye Zhen too highly.
But they'll be family from now on, and this can't go on. Besides, he's confident in Ye Zhen's character; he's not the kind of person who acts recklessly.
After the morning court session, the Empress summoned Ye Zhen to the palace and allowed her to listen in, hoping to help the future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law resolve their misunderstanding as soon as possible.
The emperor summoned Ye Zhen, who had no choice but to enter the palace, but Shi Yan went with him.
Before Ye Zhen could speak, Shi Yan explained the situation.
"This was originally a matter for your royal family, but my daughter is a woman of great righteousness and vision. She is worried that the secret will be leaked and disrupt the internal affairs of Dayuan."
He also took pity on my future son-in-law and begged me to help him. You don't need to thank me for this, Brother Xie.
The Gu family, though guilty, were commendable for maintaining their integrity when threatened by Li Heng. Please forgive them, Brother Xie.
It was Ye Zhen who attacked Li Heng; he was accompanying Li Heng, but he didn't want Ye Zhen's ability to injure people with his whistle to be exposed.
Everyone needs to have some means of self-preservation that outsiders don't know about, so he took on this task.
The emperor noticed the change in Shi Yan's attitude.
It must have been the Empress who spoke to Ye Zhen, and he knew about it.
Thinking back to when she first recognized the Crown Prince, she wished she could make up for all the fatherly love she had missed in the past.
Putting himself in her shoes, Shi Yan was naturally angry when he realized his daughter had been wronged, but he didn't hold her attitude against her and agreed to Gu Jia's request.
He added, "In truth, Brother Shi and Zhao Ning are indeed helping me, and I should thank you both."
Shi Yan did not refuse.
The identity of the Prince of Yan's heir is a secret of the Da Yuan royal family, and his daughter is helping the royal family.
They deserve this thank you, father and daughter.
But the Empress thought differently.
She was right.
“This matter is not insignificant. Zhao Ning should report it to His Majesty in a timely manner. Otherwise, if this happens too often, officials like those in the Court of Judicial Review will follow suit and become accustomed to not reporting matters.”
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