The coroner and the concubine doctor pursue the murderer in the Dali Temple

Qingxi paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "But it was discovered too late. Although she was no longer poisoned, her foundation was damaged. After four years, the queen finally passed away."

Xiao Mubei clenched his fists, suppressing his emotions. Chu Yunxi looked at him worriedly, patted his fists, and loosened them a little.

"Does the Queen know who poisoned her?" Chu Yunxi guessed, otherwise she would not have stopped Qingxi from telling Xiao Mubei.

Qingxi nodded, "I guess the queen knows, but she won't tell me because she's afraid I can't keep the secret."

"Then did you find any clues in the palace?"

Qingxi said, "I have thought about it over and over again over the years. There are special people in charge of the Queen's meals. Before the Queen eats, the maid in charge will test the poison first. Only after confirming that it is poisonous will it be sent to the Queen. Even if it is poisoned, it should be the maid in charge who is poisoned first. There is no reason why she is fine but the Queen is in trouble."

"Wait!" Chu Yunxi suddenly stopped him, "The maid in charge you're talking about is called Lu'e?"

Qingxi opened her eyes wide in surprise, "Does the princess also know about Lu'e?"

Chu Yunxi did not answer her, but pressed on: "You mean, before every meal, Lu'e would taste the food first to confirm that it was not poisonous before sending it to Empress Xian, but the Empress was poisoned, but she was fine, right?"

"Correct."

Chu Yunxi said slowly: "What if this poison was given by Lu'e?"

"Lü'e? How is that possible?" Qingxi was stunned. "She has been with the queen for sixteen years and has always been loyal to her. Why would she poison the queen?"

"Everything is still just speculation. What is Lu'e usually responsible for?" Chu Yunxi wrote down all the doubts just now. She seemed a little slow as she asked and wrote down. Seeing this, Wen Rulan next to her naturally took the paper and pen and continued to write.

Xiao Mubei saw that Wen Rulan was very skilled in using the fountain pen and her regular script was even better than Chu Yunxi's. It was definitely not her first time using the pen. He was even more convinced that the two of them were indeed from the same place. However, where exactly this place was remained to be verified.

Qingxi recalled, "Lü'e was the head maid of Fanghua Palace. She was mainly responsible for the daily food, clothing, and daily life of the queen, and served her closely. Sometimes, when the queen was in the courtyard with the Eighth Prince, she would also take the Eighth Prince to play."

Xiao Mubei spoke in a low voice, "That's right, but she never takes me alone, only when my mother and I are together."

"That is to say, Lu'e is almost always with the Queen. What about when she is not on duty?"

Qingxi shook her head, "Then I don't know."

After all, no one can always follow another person.

Chu Yunxi exhaled and asked, "Brother, what do you think?"

Wen Rulan put down her pen. "I don't know much about the specifics, but from what I just heard, if the maid named Lu'e wanted to poison me, she would have had too many opportunities."

Indeed, if something happens to someone close to you, it would be easy to kill him!

Wen Rulan continued, "It doesn't have to start with food. Incense, clothes, beds, etc. can all be poisoned, as long as the poison is put by Lu'e."

That’s right. All current speculations are based on the premise that it was Lu’e who poisoned her. Chu Yunxi increasingly felt that the female corpse found in the palace might be Lu’e. After Empress Xian left the palace, she lost her usefulness and was killed to silence her by the person behind the scenes.

Everything makes sense.

"Your Highness, the results of the skull reconstruction should be out the day after tomorrow. If it turns out to be Lu'e, then she may have been murdered to silence her. What we need to do now is to confirm whether Empress Xian was really poisoned?"

Although Qingxi was certain, words alone were not enough. What matters in handling a case is evidence.

"How can we be sure?" Xiao Mubei looked at Chu Yunxi. It had been so long since the incident happened.

Chu Yunxi tapped the table with her fingers and slowly said four words, "Open the coffin and examine the body!"

Xiao Mubei stood up suddenly, shocked beyond words. Qingxi also opened his mouth wide. The room suddenly became eerily quiet.

Wen Rulan looked at Chu Yunxi, asking with his eyes if she needed his help. Chu Yunxi shook her head, then stood up, put her hand on Xiao Mubei's shoulder, and applied a little force.

"Your Majesty, listen to me. The queen certainly doesn't want to die unjustly, but she decided to keep this secret for your sake. Since you have made up your mind to get to the bottom of it, you should tell the queen about your determination. I believe that she will understand and support you, and will not blame you for disturbing her peace."

Xiao Mubei didn't say anything, Qingxi couldn't help but ask: "Princess, is there no other way?"

"No, this is the only way, and it is also the most direct and effective way."

Xiao Mubei sat down dejectedly, holding his head in his hands, and said painfully: "Let me think about it."

Chu Yunxi waved to Qingxi and Wen Rulan to go out, and she followed them out and closed the door.

He needs to be given some time to accept this.

Night fell quickly. Xiao Mubei's door was never opened and the lights were not on. When Chu Yunxi pushed open the door with the food, she found that Xiao Mubei had not even changed his posture.

"Your Highness, let's eat." Chu Yunxi spoke softly, put down the food and turned on the light.

Xiao Mubei raised his head, and his whole body was visibly haggard. "Yunxi, I feel that I am really unfilial. I didn't know that mother was persecuted, and I didn't know that mother was ill. I couldn't rush back to see mother for the last time before she died. Now I have to open her coffin and disturb her peace after death. Do you think mother will not even want to see me in the next life?"

"Your Majesty, do you know why Empress Xian would rather die alone than let you come back to see you for the last time before she died?"

Chu Yunxi sat down, "My Lord, let me tell you a story."

Without waiting for Xiao Mubei to answer, she began to talk on her own, "Once upon a time, there was a village by the sea, and the villagers often boiled live fish to eat. One time, a villager caught a few live fish and put them in a big pot to boil as usual. The fish jumped wildly in the boiling water, desperately sticking their heads out, trying to get out of the boiling water. However, one fish was different. It did not struggle, nor did it instinctively stick its head out of the water. Instead, it stuck its head and tail to the bottom of the hot pot, trying its best to expose its belly above the water. The villagers were very curious, so they used chopsticks to lift the fish's head out of the water, but it soon returned to its original state. The water slowly boiled, and the fish's head and tail were burnt, but its belly was basically unchanged."

Seeing that Xiao Mubei was already absorbed in her story, Chu Yunxi slowly brought out the food one plate at a time while continuing to tell the story.