Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

Wei Xueyao narrowed her eyes. This Zheng Xiangxiang, she's hooking up with Xiao Zong and wants to take over the emperor, she's disgusting!

"Your Majesty, they've been hunting for a while now. It must be so boring sitting around. Would you like to have a horsemanship contest with me?"

Yuan Zhi smiled and looked down. Wei Xueyao was most proud of her equestrian skills, and she expected that the other party would not miss the opportunity to show off. Sure enough!

Li Kai said with great interest, "I almost forgot, Marquis Yingchuan is a military general, and as his granddaughter, you are naturally no less capable. Xu Dahai, bring my imperial horse and give the one from the Western Regions to Consort Wei."

"Yes."

Eunuch Xu accepted the order and left.

Zheng Xiangxiang turned her head angrily. Wei Pin's actions were clearly an attempt to seize the emperor's favor while she was pregnant!

Wei Xueyao smiled smugly, "Sister Zheng is pregnant, so please stay on stage and cheer us on! Your Majesty, I'm going to change into my riding attire, I'll be right back!"

Li Kai nodded in agreement.

Jiang Rou glanced down, and Yuan Zhi popped a segment of orange into her mouth and nodded without making a sound.

Soon, Eunuch Xu and the young eunuch led over two horses, one snow-white and the other chestnut red.

After changing her clothes, Wei Xueyao asked Li Kai to mount the horse first, and then jumped onto the back of the chestnut pony.

Li Kai gripped the reins. "If my beloved concubine wins, what reward would you like?"

Wei Xueyao wanted him to release his family, but she was afraid that saying it now would spoil his mood, so she decided to wait until after they won.

"I haven't decided yet, how about we start the competition first!"

"Alright!" Li Kai gripped the riding whip. "My beloved concubine, keep up close!"

At Eunuch Xu's command, the two horses shot off like arrows.

After an incense stick had burned, the two rode back, with His Majesty in front and Consort Wei behind.

Eunuch Xu stretched out his hands, ready to celebrate, but to his surprise, His Majesty's horse did not stop; instead, it galloped wildly all the way.

He cried out, "Save His Majesty!"

The imperial guards sprinted forward, chasing after the steeds, but two legs could not outrun four. The commander ordered his men to quickly fetch the horses.

A crowd was blocking the way ahead, and Consort Wei's horse got spooked, causing it to crash and thrash about.

The ministers fled in panic with their families, but Jiang Rou rushed forward without hesitation, brushing her sleeve across the horse's muzzle and pulling on the reins to stop the wild horse.

She patted the horse's neck, pulled Consort Wei down, mounted herself, and chased after the direction where His Majesty had disappeared.

Zheng Xiangxiang was startled again, clutching her stomach, her face pale.

Yuan Zhi looked at her, her heart filled with mixed emotions. No matter what kind of person Zheng Xiangxiang was, the child was innocent. She found the young eunuch and asked him to invite Pu Hong over.

After the treatment, the palace maid helped Consort Zheng back to rest. Pu Hong stood beside Yuan Zhi and saw her anxiously gazing at the dense forest.

"Don't be nervous, Consort Yuan will bring His Majesty back!"

Yuan Zhi turned her head, "This is... comforting?"

"No, it's certainty."

Jiang Rou's identity is a top secret, and the fewer people who know it, the better. But for some reason, Pu Hong felt uncomfortable seeing her anxious.

Yuan Zhi asked knowingly, "Doctor Pu seems to be quite familiar with Consort Yuan."

"how you said that?"

"If we weren't familiar with each other, why would you trust me so much!"

Pu Hong paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Consort Yuan is Lady Yuan's younger sister. In terms of familiarity, how could I compare to you? I think Lady Yuan's trust in Consort Yuan far surpasses that of mine!"

Yuan Zhi's smile was just right. This person was like he had an invincible shield, impervious to swords and spears, and very difficult to deal with!

After a while, Li Kai returned riding a chestnut pony, carrying the seriously injured Jiang Rou in his arms.

"Pu Hong, quickly heal my beloved concubine!"

Jiang Rou had been pierced in the shoulder by an arrow and had lost too much blood, her face almost translucent. Afraid of talking nonsense, she bit her lower lip tightly to keep herself from falling asleep.

Li Kai carried her back to the tent, while the others were kept outside.

Yuan Zhi frowned. Their plan was only to make His Majesty's horse lose control, so that Jiang Rou could save him. This arrow was completely outside the plan!

She returned to the high platform and saw the commander of the Imperial Guards leading the now docile imperial horse over, with the King of Chu following behind him with his head bowed. She immediately understood what was going on.

In the dense forest, the prince and his military officers were hunting. They may have accidentally injured Jiang Rou, who had wandered in by mistake.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Kai came out of the tent and ordered everyone to stop hunting and gather in front of the platform.

His imperial horse was always obedient and would never go berserk for no reason.

"Xiao Zong, investigate and find out who is plotting to kill me!"

Xiao Zong knelt to receive the decree, his gaze sweeping over Yuan Zhi, who was watching the commotion from the side, and a bad feeling crept into his heart:

Could it have been her?

Yuan Zhi smoothed her hair, met his gaze for a moment, and then slowly turned her head away.

Xiao Zong withdrew his gaze and, with the Leopard Guards, carefully explored the route they had just taken.

Li Kai glared at the King of Chu, "A martial artist should be able to see in all directions and hear in all directions. Didn't you hear me calling for help? Do you know that if Rou'er hadn't taken that arrow for me, I would have been meeting the King of Hell long ago!"

King Chu was filled with fear and knelt down with a thud. "Father, the forest was noisy. Your son truly did not hear your cries for help. I beg you, Father, to see the truth!"

Li Kai, though not angry, exuded an imposing aura. He glanced at him and said, "Alright, get up. I doubt you'd dare to commit regicide or patricide!"

The King of Chu breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to the side.

Yuan Zhi observed Li Kai's expression and thought to himself: "The Prince of Chu has no chance of ascending the throne in this lifetime!"

At this moment, Xiao Zong and his men rushed back and presented the evidence they had collected.

Li Kai stared at the powder on the handkerchief and asked, "What is this?"

Xiao Zong replied, "It's a fragrant powder made from a mixture of several spices."

"What does this have to do with the case?"

"Your Majesty may not know, but this perfume contains a herb called 'Green Thorn Grass,' also known as 'Horse Madness.' Horses will go mad if they smell it. Last summer, this perfume suddenly became very popular in Shengjing, and a similar incident occurred. However, since the victim was only slightly injured and received a few taels of silver in compensation, no further action was taken."

Li Kai swept past the group of women, "Whoever is carrying this incense, step forward!"

One, two, three...

Half of the women knelt before the platform, trembling as they looked at the man at the head of the table who held the power of life and death.

Are they going to die?

The Leopard Guards examined the sachets, but some people carried more of this kind of incense powder than others, so they couldn't determine the murderer based on the amount carried.

Seeing the group of people struggling with their own thoughts, Li Kai pondered to Xiao Zong and asked, "Xiao Zong, do you think they were intentional or unintentional?"

Xiao Zongdao said, "I believe it was unintentional! Your Majesty and Consort Wei's horse race was a spur-of-the-moment decision. The thieves are not fortune tellers; how could they have foreseen it? Moreover, the hunting grounds are vast. How could the thieves have known that Your Majesty would definitely go to the northeast corner and set up an ambush there?"

"Your words are reasonable," Li Kai said. "Issue the order that this kind of spice shall no longer be sold in the capital. Ladies, please rise!"

The ladies, their legs weak and feet trembling, thanked the emperor and helped each other back to their seats.

Yuan Zhi's eyes darted around, and Xiao Zong openly covered for her, which made her feel embarrassed instead.

In truth, the reasons he gave weren't particularly compelling evidence. They were all just common sense; anyone who spends time with His Majesty can easily figure out his habits, so it's not surprising.

Fortunately, Jiang Rou took the knife for her; otherwise, once Xiao Zong realized what was happening, he would definitely have suspected her identity!