Wearing a book, hooking him up

The study room of Yude Hall.

"Your Highness, my servants and the Queen's people have made some progress in investigating Concubine Su's palace clothing."

Anshun bent over, raised his head slightly, and looked respectfully at the Crown Prince who was concentrating on reviewing memorials on the throne.

Jun Zechen had a solemn expression, holding a red pen in one hand, and was carefully reviewing the memorials. There was no trace of emotion on his handsome face, but people could feel an invisible pressure.

"The maid Ru'er served in the Qiluan Palace before Concubine Su entered the palace. Later, because she was not liked by the Crown Princess, she was sent back to the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

An Shun's voice carried a hint of caution. After all, everyone in the Eastern Palace knew that the two most important masters were the Crown Princess and Concubine Su, and now this kind of relationship was involved.

Jun Zechen's eyes, as deep as a deep pool, moved slightly, but he was still writing and reviewing.

Anshun continued, "Later, Ru'er relied on some money and connections, and was assigned to Xiyan Palace after the concubine entered the Eastern Palace."

As Anshun spoke, he secretly observed the Crown Prince's reaction.

"The maid Ru'er went to the lotus pond after the concubine went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and was pushed into the lotus pond and drowned. The palace coroner also checked Ru'er's body and found that she was indeed drowned."

"It was discovered that Shi Ru'er had been soaked for several hours. Her body was swollen and nothing could be seen. However, she found An Liangdi's handkerchief in her arms."

When Anshun said this, his voice paused slightly.

Jun Zechen frowned even more tightly, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. These women really do whatever it takes.

"I personally asked An Liang Di, and a maid in An Liang Di's palace said that she accidentally lost the handkerchief several days ago. I don't know why it ended up in Ru'er's possession."

An Shun felt a little regretful. He originally thought that this was a breakthrough, but An Liangdi reacted quickly and directly asked a palace maid to take the blame.

"I took this maid to be interrogated. It turned out that she hit her head and died yesterday when her subordinates were not paying attention."

Speaking of this, Anshun showed a hint of nervousness and worry.

This is a key person. Now that he is dead, almost all clues are gone.

Jun Zechen's eyes flashed with cruelty, and then he ruthlessly spat out two words: "Useless."

When An Shun heard these two words, his heart tightened and he immediately knelt down, his body trembling slightly, "Your Highness, please forgive me, it was my negligence."

"Although the clues from An Liangdi's side have been cut off, the Queen has made new discoveries." Anshun hurriedly made up for it.

Jun Zechen raised his head slightly, looked at Anshun, then lowered his head to continue reviewing the memorials, motioning him to continue.

"This maid Ru'er entered the palace at a very young age. Before serving in the Qiluan Palace, she worked in the Shufei Palace."

"But that was all several years ago. If the Queen hadn't gone out of her way to look through those old files, it would have been difficult to find."

You know, those dusty files cannot be read at will. It is absolutely impossible without the Queen's permission.

Moreover, the palace archives were numerous and complicated, and it took the Queen Mother a lot of effort to find the records of a little palace maid.

Jun Zechen naturally understood the hardships involved and was always grateful to his mother.

"The Queen said that if this matter involves Concubine Shu, it will not be simple."

"If Concubine Shu first placed this person in the Crown Princess's Palace, and then transferred her to the Concubine's Palace after the Concubine entered the Eastern Palace, then Her Majesty the Queen would suspect that Concubine Shu was intentionally harming Your Highness's heir..."

Anshun lowered his voice slightly.

After hearing this, Jun Zechen finally put down the pen in his hand.

He looked straight ahead, and there was a dangerous light in his eyes, like a sharp blade, which made people shudder.

He couldn't help but twirling the ring on his hand, his face expressionless, but his whole body exuded an extremely oppressive aura.

Could it be that Concubine Shu still has hope for the Third Prince?

Oh, even if he has no royal heir, can his third brother shake his position as the crown prince?

His position as crown prince was originally appointed by his father. With his father's support, most of the old ministers of the royalist party stood on his side.

What's more, he has recently proposed a number of policies on the reform of the imperial examination system and the appointment and dismissal of court officials, and most of the officials in the court have already submitted to him.

Not to mention that he had been holding military power since he returned victorious from the expedition.

Only Shufei, a woman in the harem, was short-sighted and thought that the lack of an imperial heir would prevent him from ascending the throne.

Or was he too kind and gave the third brother a glimmer of hope?

Jun Zechen pondered secretly, and the expression on his face became more and more stern.

Xiyun Palace.

An Jinyan sat on the couch with a serious face, her brows tightly furrowed, her heart full of doubt and uneasiness.

She never thought that Concubine Su's addiction to Motherwort would implicate her.

How come her handkerchief was on the maid Ruer?

If she had not been prepared in advance and let the palace maid Ting'er directly admit the guilt, I'm afraid this matter would have been framed on her.

Who is framing her?

Crown Princess?

Although An Jinyan was not sure who was behind the incident, she understood that some sacrifices were inevitable in this situation.

Although Ting'er died because of this, she would write a letter to her mother asking her mother to take good care of Ting'er's family.

Ever since she learned that she was going to enter the harem, An Jinyan resolutely abandoned her kindness. In the harem full of intrigue and deception, she had to be cautious at every step.

After all, if she is not careful, she may end up in an irretrievable situation, so she cannot make the slightest mistake.

"Master, Ting'er is dead. The matter of Concubine Su has nothing to do with you."

"Although the Crown Prince and the Queen will not convict you for this, if His Royal Highness becomes suspicious of you, how can you gain His Royal Highness's favor?"

Bai Zhi said worriedly.

An Jinyan's eyes grew dark; this was indeed what she was worried about.

In the matter of Tang Fengyi's child, she can be said to have won a great victory.

Although the royal heir was still in Tang Fengyi's belly, after all the suffering she had endured, her weak body might not allow her to give birth to the baby.

Even if the baby was born, Tang Fengyi would probably be in danger of death.

The Crown Princess also had her golden book taken away by the Queen, and now she has become almost a decoration in name only.

If the Crown Princess's Golden Book has not been taken back by the time His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, then she will not even be qualified to be named Queen!

but……

She must not lose His Highness' favor!

"Your Highness and the Queen are investigating the concubine's affairs. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is also a person who can distinguish right from wrong. He will definitely not vent his anger on me."

An Jinyan could only comfort herself in this way at this time.

"Besides, the concubine is kind. I will go to her later to explain the situation. If she doesn't doubt me, Your Highness will naturally not say anything."

So many things have happened in the Eastern Palace recently, and the entire Eastern Palace seems to be shrouded in a thick haze, so dull and depressing that it makes people breathless.

But there was a relaxed and joyful scene in Xiyan Palace.

"Master, several days have passed, and His Highness and the Queen seem to have not yet found out what is wrong with An Liangdi."

Miaoyun asked softly, with a hint of doubt in her voice.

Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly, and a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes.

If this is true, then the palace maid Ru'er might not be An Liangdi's woman.

An Jinyan had been in the Eastern Palace even shorter than she was, so she didn't have anyone she could use.

Unless it is carefully cultivated in the family.

However, An Jinyan is not a stupid person. It is not a wise move to use people trained by the family before His Highness ascends the throne.

Moreover, if the queen wants to investigate carefully the people trained by the family, it is not impossible to find them.

What's more, the Queen attached great importance to her pregnancy. While the Prince was personally conducting a thorough investigation, the Queen was also sending people to investigate.

The Queen has more people in the harem than even the Crown Prince. If they can't find out the cause of the crime, then maybe she wasn't the one who did it.

"It doesn't matter, as long as my goal can be achieved."

Su Jingyao gently stroked her belly and said lightly.

There was no emotion on her face, except for the slightly raised corners of her mouth, which revealed a hint of pride.

"But Master, don't you want to kill two birds with one stone? Now that the Crown Princess has been taken back from the Golden Book, An Liang Di is very proud of it."

Miaoyun said somewhat indignantly, her brows furrowed and her face full of dissatisfaction.

"Miaoyun, you can't just look at the surface of things."

Su Jingyao raised a meaningful smile, which was a little cunning and calculating.

"My goal has always been clear. I want the Queen to hate the Crown Princess and prevent her from ascending to the throne. I also want the Crown Prince to hate An Liang Di and make An Liang Di fall out of favor. Haven't I achieved all of this?"

It wasn't like she wanted either of them to die.

First of all, Ling Yue must not die now. If she died now, it would become an eternal pain in Jun Zechen’s heart.

As for An Jinyan, if she didn't harm her child, then let her go.

An Jinyan has a good family background and her father is a marquis with some power, so she cannot be punished without evidence.

Since ancient times, those in power in the royal family have wanted to separate the former dynasty and the harem, but how can they really be separated?

With a good family background, even if An Jinyan is not really liked by the prince, she will not live too badly.

Unless the prince's hatred reaches a certain level, like the original owner in the original book, An Jinyan might not have a good time.

After listening to her master's words, Miaoyun thought about it for a while and felt that her master was right.

Then, Su Jingyao continued, "There aren't many women in the East Palace right now. The Crown Princess's Golden Book was taken back by the Queen. If An Liangdi is punished again, I will be the ultimate beneficiary. Smart people judge by the results, and the attention on me will increase greatly."

Su Jingyao didn't want to expose her ambitions now, and she didn't want her white lotus persona that she had worked so hard to establish to be broken.

"Now that An Liang Di is fine, everyone will only think that this is a fight between An Liang Di and the Crown Princess, and I am always the innocent person who suffered."

"My master is wise, and I am grateful for your teaching." Miaoyun said respectfully.

Su Jingyao was very satisfied with the current situation. She just needed to give Ling Yue another push.

The Queen was completely disappointed in the Crown Princess, and it was difficult for Jun Zechen to enthrone Ling Yue as the Queen after he ascended the throne.

Su Jingyao carelessly stroked her nail polish, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

She really couldn't wait to see Ling Yue being demoted to a concubine, and she wanted to fill up Ling Yue's blackening progress bar.

As for An Jinyan, let her live peacefully and serve as her shield for now.