Emperor Lin ordered Peng Man to interrogate everyone in the Consort Hui’s palace and check for any wounds to the shoulder. If nothing was found, then the next step would be to interrogate the palace staff and guards in the other palaces one by one. Even if he had to turn every nook and cranny of the entire Imperial Palace, he was going to find the assassin!
After such a disturbance, it was already very late. Imperial Concubine Mei wore an odd smile while Consort Hui was wailing out of pleas of framery that caused Emperor Lin a headache with her loud cries. When he looked at Xiao Lan, who was silent next to him with reddened eyes, he felt guilty and distressed.
Had it not been for the evil duo’s intent to harm her, would her life be as hard as it was now?
Emperor Lin couldn’t help but stretch out his hand to take her into his arms as he asked in a low voice, “When the truth comes to light, what does Lan Er hope I do with them?”
Xiao Lan slowly raised her eyes as she remained in his arms. Reddened with tears, she wore a heartbreaking gaze as she tried to smile, “According to Your Majesty’s wishes.”
Emperor Lin patted her delicate back and sighed for a long time.
Tracking a criminal, or even a person amongst the sea of people in the palace is a huge undertaking, and one night was definitely not enough to do it. Emperor Lin ordered Imperial Concubine Mei and Consort Hui to be taken away separately. They were currently detained in Yongxiang Prison, waiting for clues to be found before further interrogation.
As soon as they left, he didn’t bother to return to the Yangxin Palace and stayed at Xiao Lan’s palace, taking this opportunity to comfort her.
Early the next morning, the thrilling scene that happened last night began to spread around the harem. After all, Peng Man was the one who led his men to investigate the whereabouts of the assassin. Consort Hui’s Yaohua Palace was the first to be inspected, but the assassin with an injured arm was not found.
Consort Hui had acted with vigilance— naturally, the man she hired would not be someone from the palace.
The Empress Dowager heard about the incident and sent someone to further enquire about it. Then, the palace staff reported the matter from head to toe. The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment when she learned that Consort Hui was involved.
For a long time, she laughed, mocking herself, “It seems like there are times where I have missed the signs as well.”
Ever since Lin Nianzhi was slapped and confined by Consort Hui last time, she had not uttered a single word to her.
Until now.
She always had a fierce temper. Although her heart was full of anger, she knew the consequences of plotting against a royalty. On one hand, she wanted to protect her Mother Consort, but on the other hand, she was feeling guilty about what had happened to the Little Fifth Princess. This dilemma put her into a state of numbness as she passed her everyday life with dampened feelings.
In the middle of the night, the palace staff came to summon Consort Hui. Lin Nianzhi slept very soundly after taking the sleeping pills, so she was unaware of what had transpired last night until the next day.
Yongxiang Prison was a place where guilty concubines were sentenced to. So, having Consort Hui imprisoned there was a self-explanatory action that spoke louder than any words that can describe.
She was already feeling very guilty about the Little Fifth Princess’s affairs, but now, she felt worse knowing that the princess’s brother’s mental impairment was also directly caused by her Mother Consort’s medication.
The palace was turned upside down, but the source of the pandemonium, which was the Mingyue Palace, remained as peaceful as ever.