Chapter 50 Investigation

Yikun Palace.

An hour later, Ling Yue woke up slowly. Her eyelashes trembled slightly for a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.

When Jun Zechen saw her wake up, he quickly walked to the bedside and sat down.

"How do you feel? Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?" Jun Zechen asked with worry in his eyes.

Ling Yue looked at him with a bit of confusion in her eyes.

After a while, she sat up as if waking up from a dream, stretched out her arms, and gently hugged his waist, as if that was her only support.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with me?" Ling Yue's voice was filled with a hint of doubt and uneasiness.

"You're poisoned."

Jun Zechen's expression became extremely complicated. He looked straight ahead with a solemn look in his eyes.

Ling Yue's body trembled slightly, and his face was full of fear.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid. Is someone trying to harm me?"

Jun Zechen stroked her back gently, again and again.

"Don't be afraid, I will find out everything."

"It's almost time for dinner. You should rest first. I will go back to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to take care of some things."

Jun Zechen said this, holding her shoulders gently with both hands, and slowly letting her out of his arms.

Ling Yueman looked at him with reluctance, and the attachment in his eyes made people feel distressed.

But if she wants to be a queen, she must be magnanimous and sensible, and cannot try to keep him capriciously.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully bid you farewell." Ling Yue lowered her head and said softly.

After Jun Zechen returned to the Qianqing Palace, An Shun had already respectfully prepared the contents of the investigation and was standing in the main hall of the Qianqing Palace waiting for a report.

Jun Zechen walked steadily to the dragon chair and then sat down. His expression was serious and his eyes were full of majesty.

"Tell me, what did you find out?" Jun Zechen's voice was low and powerful.

"Your Majesty, the Royal Concubine had a soup for lunch today, and the imperial physician found that the soup was mixed with blackhead powder."

An Shun lowered his head and continued, "I have questioned all the palace servants who came into contact with the soup from the time it was made in the kitchen to the time it was delivered to the Yikun Palace. There is nothing wrong with them. I suspect that the problem arose after the soup entered the Yikun Palace."

Afterwards, a look of confusion appeared on An Shun's face, and his lips moved slightly, as if he didn't know whether to continue speaking.

Seeing this, Jun Zechen frowned slightly, and a hint of impatience flashed across his face, "Just say whatever you want to say."

"Your Majesty, I have also checked the records of the use of Wutou in the palace. Wutou has the effect of relieving the symptoms of wind-cold-dampness arthritis."

"After His Majesty ascended the throne, the Concubine went to the Imperial Hospital to get herbs for the old maids and eunuchs in the palace to treat colds and dampness, among which was Wutou."

When An Shun said this, beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

Jun Zechen's eyes suddenly darkened, and his expression became even gloomier. "Could it be that the noble concubine poisoned herself?"

When An Shun heard this, he knelt on the ground in a hurry, and his knees made a dull sound when they touched the ground.

"Your Majesty, I dare not doubt it. Your Majesty is kind-hearted and considers the health of the servants in the palace."

"It is just that I guess that someone in the Imperial Concubine's palace may have been bribed and took the herbs that the Imperial Concubine gave to the palace servants, and then poisoned the Imperial Concubine."

"But if we want to find out who poisoned you, I may need to interrogate the people in the imperial concubine's palace."

An Shun's voice was filled with anxiety and fear.

After all, he had stayed with the prince the longest, and he knew exactly how much the prince doted on the concubine when he was in the East Palace.

Even if there is Consort Chun Shu now, An Shun cannot guarantee that His Majesty does not care about Consort Gui.

Jun Zechen pondered quietly for a while, then slowly said, "Well, be gentle. The noble concubine was poisoned today and is already panicking. Don't disturb her rest."

"Yes, Your Majesty." An Shun responded quickly, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

At this time, Fuquan walked in with a slightly hurried pace.

As soon as he came in, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"Get up." Jun Zechen had no expression on his face, and his voice was so calm that it could not even hint of a ripple.

"Your Majesty, someone is coming from the Empress Dowager. Please go over there." Fuquan raised his head slightly and reported.

After hearing this, Jun Zechen frowned, nodded, and then said no more. He strode towards the direction of Cining Palace.

Cining Temple.

The Queen Mother and Jun Zechen sat on the couch together. The Queen Mother's posture was dignified and elegant, while Jun Zechen's expression was a little solemn.

Aunt Jinhua walked aside, picked up the teapot, and poured this year's tribute tea for the two of them.

The tea flows out from the spout, draws a beautiful arc in the air, and finally falls accurately into the teacup.

"Emperor, what happened to the imperial concubine? I heard that the imperial concubine was poisoned, but you did not allow anyone to enter the Yikun Palace to visit her. Now I want to know the situation and I can only ask you."

The Queen Mother took a sip of tea and asked softly.

"Mother, the noble concubine Wu Tou was poisoned. I suspect someone has harmed her. I don't want to allow more noisy people to enter the Yikun Palace. It will be difficult for my people to investigate."

Once there are more people, it is always easier to do sneaky things.

"How did the emperor investigate?"

The Queen Mother had a calm expression, staring at Jun Zechen quietly, and asked softly.

"After I ascended the throne, the Concubine showed concern for the harem and brought herbs from the Imperial Hospital to treat colds, dampness and arthritis for the elderly palace ladies, including Wutou."

“This is a good thing.”

Jun Zechen paused, frowned even more tightly, and then continued.

"It's not easy to find out who is behind this by looking at the source of the blackheads now."

He was lost in thought, tapping the small table on the couch with one hand.

It seems difficult to find out whether the concubine was poisoned, but it is not completely impossible.

No matter who you are, there will always be flaws in what you do.

The Queen Mother did not respond to Jun Zechen's words immediately. Instead, she seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "I remember that today is Concubine Chun Shu's birthday?"

"Yes, I had intended to spend my birthday with Concubine Chun Shu today. After all, the late emperor passed away not long ago, so birthday banquets were cancelled. But today, Concubine Gui was poisoned, so I broke my promise to her."

A trace of guilt flashed across Jun Zechen's face, and his eyes were a little dim.

When the Queen Mother heard this, a strange color flashed in her eyes and her eyelashes drooped slightly, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking at the moment.

"Is the royal concubine feeling well now?" the Queen Mother asked softly again.

"After taking the antidote, the concubine is no longer in any serious condition," Jun Zechen replied.

"Then will the Emperor go to accompany Concubine Chun Shu tonight?"

The Queen Mother asked casually, her expression still calm, but there seemed to be a different deep meaning in her eyes.

"Of course, I asked Fuquan to inform Concubine Chun Shu that I will visit her later." Jun Zechen's answer was without hesitation.

The Queen Mother looked at his determination and felt a little helpless. Her son was good in every way except that he could not understand women.

No, it's not that I can't understand women, it's just that I no longer doubt the women I have entrusted my trust to, but I have a keen eye for other women.

The Queen Mother shook her head slightly, feeling a little helpless.

Afterwards, I chatted with the emperor for a while.

Not long after, An Shun walked in and immediately bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother greets you."

"Get up, have you checked it out?"

Jun Zechen stared at An Shun intently, his face remained calm, but there was a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Your Majesty, Qin'er, a maid in charge of food in the Imperial Concubine's palace, said that the Imperial Concubine's food today was touched by a maid named Guo'er. At the time, Qin'er thought it was accidental and didn't take it seriously."

"I just remembered it after I interrogated you."

"Afterwards, I searched Guo'er's room and unexpectedly found An Zhaorong's pearl earrings. These pearl earrings were part of An Zhaorong's dowry."

An Shun paused slightly when he said this.

How could the dowry be left on just any palace maid?

He continued, "I have also looked at the records of An Zhaorong taking medicine at the Imperial Hospital in recent months and found that An Zhaorong also took Wutou when she was in the Eastern Palace, but I heard that it was for a palace maid with rheumatism."

"I have not yet gone to An Zhaorong's palace to explain this matter. I have come to report to Your Majesty. Do you need me to interrogate the people in An Zhaorong's palace?"

There was anger and disgust in Jun Zechen's eyes.

"It's her again. Since she entered the East Palace, she has framed the Imperial Concubine many times. This time she even poisoned her directly. How can such a scheming and vicious woman be worthy of being a Imperial Concubine?"

His tone was exceptionally cold, as if carrying the chill of a late-summer wind.

When the Queen Mother heard this, her brows suddenly wrinkled.

"Your Majesty, we must look for evidence in everything. There is no evidence to prove that An Zhaorong framed the Concubine. Could it be that Your Majesty is blaming me for being unfair and slandering the Concubine?"

"Although the evidence now points to An Zhaorong as the culprit for the poisoning of the imperial concubine, the emperor cannot convict her so easily."

The Queen Mother looked serious, staring at Jun Zechen closely, and spoke solemnly.

Jun Zechen knew that his mother had been in charge of the harem for many years and had always been fair and impartial in handling matters between the concubines.

But for Jun Zechen, his time is precious.

In his mind, the Imperial Concubine and An Zhaorong had always been at odds, and since all the evidence here pointed to An Zhaorong, convicting An Zhaorong would not only punish An Zhaorong and satisfy the Imperial Concubine, but would also save him from having to continue wasting his time and manpower.

Why not?

In the palace, the only ones who could make him take the trouble to find out the truth are Ling Yue and Yao Yao, and he can investigate the others as he pleases.

"Mother, the affairs of the harem are always real and unreal. Even if I am the emperor, I cannot find out everything. But the harem is my harem, and how to punish it is up to me."

Jun Zechen's eyes were firm and his tone was filled with unquestionable majesty.

It would not be difficult to convict An Zhaorong of this crime, but he only needed to say one word, and no one would be able to find any fault with her.

If he wanted to continue the investigation, it would only take him a word, but why would he need to do that?

There was a complex look in the Queen Mother's eyes, and a hint of emotion in her expression.

His son is really becoming more and more like the late emperor. His autocratic look and unquestionable attitude, is this what an emperor thinks?

It is no wonder that the concubines in the harem would spare no effort to compete for favor, because without favor, they would not even have a chance to seek redress.

"I'm going to let Concubine Chun Shu investigate An Zhaorong's matter. The emperor is busy with government affairs, so please don't interfere in the affairs of the harem."

The Queen Mother looked particularly serious. She looked at the Emperor firmly and then continued speaking slowly.

"If Concubine Chun Shu cannot prove An Zhaorong's innocence within three days, An Zhaorong will be at the disposal of the Emperor."

Ever since the Emperor bestowed a unique title on Concubine Chun Shu, the Empress Dowager had a vague suspicion in her heart that Concubine Chun Shu might have already won the Emperor's heart.

Today, when I heard him say that he would accompany Concubine Chun Shu to celebrate her birthday, I became more certain of this guess in my mind.

Letting Concubine Chun Shu investigate this matter is undoubtedly the best option, which can just shut the emperor up.

You can also test Concubine Chun Shu. The Queen Mother is somewhat curious about how Concubine Chun Shu will handle this matter.

Jun Zechen showed dissatisfaction on his face, "Mother..."

Before he could finish, the Queen Mother interrupted him.

"Does the Emperor not trust Concubine Chun Shu?" the Queen Mother asked sharply, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

Jun Zechen pursed his lips and remained silent.

Yaoyao is kind and fair, and the Su family has educated her so well and she is extremely intelligent, so he naturally believes in her.

After a while, seeing that his mother was so determined and insistent, Jun Zechen had no choice but to agree.

It's just a matter of waiting a few days.

By the time Jun Zechen left Cining Palace, it was already completely dark.

"Your Majesty, where are you going now?"

Fuquan asked softly. After Anshun reported the matter, he continued to deal with other things. At this time, it was Fuquan who followed Jun Zechen.

"Let's go to Sojungung Palace."

Jun Zechen finished speaking and stepped directly into the sedan chair.

Then Fuquan shouted in a shrill voice: "Your Majesty, please drive to Zhaochun Palace————"