The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

On the second day of the outing, the Third Prince was assassinated and Princess Fu'an disappeared, leaving the capital in a state of panic. The Emperor, enraged, ordered a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court.

The next day, someone came to the government office in the capital to report that a young eunuch had died in Gongren Lane, near the Imperial City. The prefect took someone to investigate and immediately transferred the case to the Dali Temple.

An investigation by the Dali Temple confirmed that this person was indeed a eunuch in the Crown Prince's palace. Several letters and a large amount of gold and silver antiques were also found. The contents of the letters directly implicated the Crown Prince in the assassination of the Third Prince. Just as everyone was about to leave, someone noticed that the ground inside the courtyard looked like it had been disturbed recently. With a few kicks, a black cloth package was revealed, revealing several crudely crafted coiled dragon jade pendants.

The fourth prince was the only one to possess the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant. It was given to him by Emperor Longqing at his birth, and he never took it off.

The case became increasingly confusing, and various rumors spread over time.

Ming Chongrui, the Grand Court Judge at the Dali Temple, was nearing sixty years old. To expedite the investigation, he had spent the past few days living and eating at the Dali Temple, and his already thinning hair had become much thinner. The case was complex, involving multiple princes, and Ming sighed repeatedly with worry.

Just now, Eunuch Wang beside the emperor came to ask again. Lord Ming touched his cheek which was swollen and painful due to excessive yang fire, and asked his subordinates to invite Lord Li Ming, the Minister of Justice next door.

Lord Li also looked haggard. Ming Chongrui asked the clerk to bring a pot of chrysanthemum tea to clear the mind and reduce internal heat. With a "bang", the partition was closed from the inside.

"Bang!" A memorial was thrown in front of the two kneeling people. Emperor Longqing was furious. "The matter involves the crown prince, and it may be related to Nanyue. This is the conclusion you have given me after investigating for several days! Now, the Hu people in the south are eyeing our borders covetously, and the Tartars in the north have been causing trouble for years. What is your intention in making such remarks?"

The two exchanged glances, and Elder Ming kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, there was indeed a precedent for this during the reign of the previous emperor."

"Shut up—" Emperor Longqing suddenly stood up from his seat.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so bold," said the Minister of Justice Li Ming, who stepped forward on his knees. "In fact, there is another suspicious point in this case. The paper used by the writer is pure-skin spiral rice paper. The characteristic of this paper is that it is thin and does not allow ink to penetrate, and is often used for copying. In addition, when I led my subordinates to search the area around Xiama Lake, I discovered a thieves' hideout, and found this in it." After saying this, he took out a token from his sleeve and presented it.

A twelve-petal lotus was engraved on the pitch-black token.

"White Lotus Sect?" Emperor Longqing looked unpredictable. "Ming Chongrui, tell me about it."

Elder Ming hesitated for a moment and said, "I think that a token alone is not enough to prove that this was done by the White Lotus Sect." He glanced at the emperor's expression and quickly added, "But the White Lotus Sect is treacherous and cunning, and we must not take it lightly. Moreover, except for the young Fifth Prince, all the other princes are implicated in this matter. The person behind this is powerful and has sinister intentions. After careful consideration, I believe that the only one who could have such power is the White Lotus Sect. However, there is insufficient evidence and it is not advisable to speculate, so -"

"Ridiculous! I think you've become senile." Emperor Longqing swung his sleeves, turned around, and sat back on the dragon throne. He said in a deep voice, "The White Lotus Sect is so rampant that they actually committed such a serious crime under your noses. You are also suspected of negligence and will be fined for six months. Order all prefectures and counties to conduct patrols and searches as soon as possible. If anyone is found, they will be killed on the spot without mercy."

After dismissing everyone, Emperor Longqing came to his bedroom alone. He gently moved a vase beside the bed. A few soft sounds revealed a tunnel entrance large enough for one person to enter and exit. Without the slightest hesitation, Emperor Longqing stepped in.

In another side hall of Changchun Palace, the sixteen-year-old Third Prince Qin Xin was lying on the bed with his eyes closed and his left arm wrapped in a thick white gauze.

Sitting beside the bed was a square-faced young man wearing a bright yellow robe. He was the Crown Prince Qin Zhong.

"Didn't you say that third brother has woken up? Why is he still sleeping?" After learning that his third brother had woken up, the prince immediately brought people over.

The eunuch knelt on the ground and whispered, "Reporting to the Crown Prince, the master has regained consciousness this morning. The imperial physician came to take his pulse and said he is fine. Seeing that the master was in unbearable pain, he prescribed a tranquilizing decoction. The master drank it and fell asleep again shortly afterwards."

Upon hearing this, the prince nodded and instructed, "That's good. Serve with all your heart. When your master gets better, I will reward you handsomely." After saying that, he stood up and walked out.

In Yuanfu Hall, when the Crown Prince came over, the Empress Dowager was sitting on the Luohan bed watching her little granddaughter playing on the blanket.

"Grandson greets grandmother." The prince knelt and kowtowed. The Queen Mother ordered the palace maids to come forward to support him, her eyes full of love. "I've seen your brother. How is he?"

Lu Yun originally wanted to pay her respects to the prince, but seeing Dashou playing by himself, she had to pretend not to know and continued to make the clay figure in her hand.

"The imperial physician says my third brother is fine now." The prince said, looking towards the hall. "Grandmother, is that the little granddaughter of the Marquis of Ping'an who was rescued along with Yuanfu?"

When her name was called, Lu Yun paused and almost broke the head of the clay figurine in her hand. Qin Dashou silently pulled the head off the clay figurine in his hand and said, "Sister, here you go."

Lu Yun: “——”

As if seeing this interesting scene, the Queen Mother laughed a few times and said, "Yuanfu likes Miss Lu very much. They have been living and eating together these days." After that, she sighed and said sadly, "Damn it! I have been watching your sister every day these days, afraid that she would be lost again if I made a mistake. Fortunately, the little girl from the Lu family is with you, so your sister Yuanfu has not suffered much. Otherwise, how can I be worthy of your deceased aunt?" After that, she shed a few more tears.

The prince hurriedly spoke to comfort her, "Sister Yuanfu has the protection of her aunt, so she can return safely even though she has been missing for many days. Everything in the world has its destiny. After this incident, sister is stronger and more sensible than before. It can be said that it is a blessing in disguise." The prince also noticed Qin Yuanfu's actions just now.

"Speaking of this," the Queen Mother muttered, "it's true that Yuanfu is blessed with good fortune and a long life. This little girl from the Lu family once fell seriously ill, and with the guidance of Taoist Qingxu, she practiced some magic to strengthen her body. The criminals, seeing that they were just children, didn't take them seriously and knocked them both unconscious, hid them in a cave, and left. Fortunately, this girl woke up, broke free from the ropes, and knew the way, so our Yuanfu was able to escape danger."

"To think there is such a thing..." The prince looked at the plump girl in surprise. "Master Qingxu is a man of profound Taoism, yet he is able to blend in with the world, wise and compassionate. If I could receive his guidance, I would surely have great fortune in the future."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "In a few days, Taoist Master Qingxu will come to the palace to pray and preach. If you have nothing to do, you can come and listen."

Lu Yun, who had been paying close attention to the conversation between the two above, was thinking rapidly. Could the Taoist Master Qingxu mentioned by the Queen Mother be the old man who had claimed to be ill when they first met, causing her to rely on traditional Chinese medicine for a while? She had thought he was a mediocre old charlatan, but she hadn't expected him to be so skilled that he had even brought his business to the palace.