The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

"Your Majesty is too kind," Li Yue said with a smile. "As the saying goes, 'The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade.' Moreover, doctors are benevolent, and learning from each other benefits the people of both countries."

Gu Ye pondered for a moment, then said, "Granted. Zhang Aiqing, arrange for someone to take them to the Imperial Hospital."

"I obey the decree."

After Li Yue left, Murong Xuewei said softly, "They're also interested in the Imperial Hospital?"

“In this game,” Gu Ye said, his gaze deep, “it all comes down to who makes the first move.”

As night deepened and the city lights began to twinkle, carriages and horses continued to pass by the entrance of Zuixiangju.

As soon as Chen Hao and the envoys from various countries arrived at the entrance of Zuixiangju, they heard melodious zither music coming from inside.

"I've heard that a new courtesan has arrived at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, and her musical skills are superb," ​​Chen Hao introduced with a smile. "If you gentlemen are interested, you might want to give her a listen."

"Oh?" Yang Qian, the envoy from the Taichu Kingdom, brightened up. "I happen to be in a good mood today, let's go and listen."

As the group entered Zuixiangju, they were greeted by a woman in a light blue dress playing the zither. Her fingerwork was nimble, and the melody was melodious; she was indeed quite accomplished.

"This must be the new Miss Miaoyu?" Yang Qian asked.

Chen Hao nodded: "Exactly."

As Yang Qian was enjoying the music, he suddenly saw a figure coming down from upstairs. It was none other than Li Yue, the envoy of Nanzhao.

"Lord Li is here too?" Yang Qian was somewhat surprised.

Li Yue cupped his hands and smiled, "This humble official just returned from the Imperial Hospital. I passed by this place and heard the beautiful music, so I came in to listen."

Seeing this, Chen Hao quickly instructed the servants to add seats. After everyone was seated, Miaoyu finished playing a piece of music, then gracefully rose and bowed.

"Miss Miaoyu's musical skills are superb," ​​Yang Qian praised. "Would you mind playing another piece?"

Miaoyu smiled gently: "You flatter me, sir. Since you all wish to hear it, I will humbly offer another song."

She sat down again and lightly plucked the strings. This piece was even more melodious and captivating than before. However, Li Yue frowned in thought, as if burdened with worries.

"Does Lord Li have any insights into this piece?" Yang Qian asked casually, observing the situation.

Li Yue snapped out of his reverie: "This melody... does bear some resemblance to the 'Linjiang Xian' of my Nanzhao Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu paused slightly in her playing, but quickly resumed playing as if nothing had happened.

Chen Hao quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Musical principles are interconnected; similarities are normal. Please, gentlemen, have some tea."

Yang Qian glanced at Miaoyu thoughtfully. After several rounds of drinks, when everyone was quite tipsy, a servant hurried in and whispered a few words in Chen Hao's ear.

Chen Hao's expression changed, and he stood up, saying, "My lords, I have urgent business to attend to and must take my leave now." With that, he hurriedly departed.

Yang Qian and Li Yue exchanged a glance, both understanding the deeper meaning in each other's eyes. Miaoyu continued to play the zither with her head lowered, her slender hands plucking the strings. The melody remained melodious, yet it seemed to contain a hidden mystery.

Outside Zuixiangju, a dark figure silently swept past and disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, inside the Phoenix Palace.

"Your Majesty, I just received news that at Zuixiangju..." Liuli reported in a low voice.

Murong Xuewei put down her teacup. "I understand." She turned to Gu Ye. "It seems some people are already impatient."

Gu Ye's gaze darkened. "I knew they wouldn't be able to hold back. But..." He grasped Murong Xuewei's hand. "This time, we'll show them how to play this game."

As night deepened, the candlelight in the Phoenix Palace remained bright.

"The gathering of envoys from various countries at Zuixiangju today seems ordinary, but this Miaoyu..." Murong Xuewei seemed to be deep in thought.

Gu Ye nodded slightly: "The poem 'Linjiang Xian' mentioned by Li Yue, the envoy of Nanzhao, is indeed worth pondering."

Liuli stepped forward: "Your Majesty, should we send someone..."

“No need,” Murong Xuewei raised her hand to stop her. “It would be better to alert them now. Let them put on their act first; we’d like to see how they perform this charade.”

Gu Ye glanced at Murong Xuewei: "Are you worried about Xiao Wanning?"

"Since she dared to send people to Zuixiangju at this time, she must have something to rely on." A sharp glint flashed in Murong Xuewei's eyes. "I just don't know what she's up to."

“Speaking of which,” Gu Ye said thoughtfully, “about the Imperial Hospital…”

Murong Xuewei understood: "Zhang Jing has already sent people to keep an eye on things. If Li Yue makes any unusual moves, it certainly won't escape his notice."

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. A young eunuch rushed in, panting, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

"What's the matter?" Gu Ye frowned slightly.

"The...the Imperial Hospital..." the little eunuch paused, then continued, "...someone's dead!"

Murong Xuewei and Gu Ye exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

"Summon Zhang Jing to see me," Gu Ye said in a deep voice.

Shortly after, Zhang Jing arrived in a hurry. Before he could even bow, Gu Ye asked, "What exactly happened at the Imperial Hospital?"

“Your Majesty, it was a Nanzhao envoy studying medicine. He said he was going to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine, but…” Zhang Jing paused, “he was found collapsed at the pharmacy entrance, already dead for some time.”

"Can the cause of death be determined?"

"Preliminary examination indicates poisoning," Zhang Jing said gravely. "Moreover... it was poison from our Great Qi."

Liuli exclaimed in surprise, "This..."

"Quiet." Murong Xuewei gestured for Liuli to be quiet, then turned to Zhang Jing, "Has anyone seen Li Yue go to the pharmacy?"

“No,” Zhang Jing shook his head, “but a letter was found in the deceased’s sleeve, mentioning a secret meeting with Li Yue at the pharmacy at midnight.”

Gu Ye's eyes turned cold: "Is this an attempt to frame someone?"

“Not only that,” Zhang Jing said, taking something from his sleeve. “We also found this on the deceased.”

It was a jade pendant with the character "琬" clearly engraved on it.

Murong Xuewei took the jade pendant and examined it carefully: "Is Xiao Wanning going to use the same trick again?"

“She wants to provoke a conflict between us and Nanzhao,” Gu Ye said, his gaze deep. “But this time, it’s far too obvious.”

Zhang Jing agreed, "Indeed. The appearance of this jade pendant is too coincidental; it seems intentional."

"Your Majesty," a guard rushed into the hall, "news has just come from Zuixiangju that Miaoyu is missing."

Liuli said anxiously, "So soon..."

"Wait a minute." Murong Xuewei suddenly remembered something. "Zhang Jing, did you examine the face of that deceased Nanzhao envoy closely?"

Zhang Jing was taken aback: "Your Majesty, the deceased's face is somewhat swollen, making him difficult to identify. However, according to the Imperial Hospital, this person came to the Imperial Hospital with Li Yue early this morning."

"Is that so..." Murong Xuewei said thoughtfully, "Have the body moved to the side hall; I want to see it myself."

Gu Ye frowned: "What do you suspect?"

“Since Xiao Wanning dared to set up this scheme at this time, the person who died must have been someone of great importance.” Murong Xuewei stood up. “Why don’t we go and take a look together?”

Inside the side hall, Zhang Jing lifted the white sheet covering the corpse. Murong Xuewei carefully examined the deceased's face, her eyes suddenly narrowing: "This person..."

"What's wrong?" Gu Ye asked.

“I met him when I was in Jiangnan,” Murong Xuewei said in a deep voice. “He is Xiao Wanning’s man, not some envoy from Nanzhao.”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was startled.

"Interesting." Gu Ye sneered. "Sending their own people to impersonate Nanzhao envoys, and then creating the illusion of a secret meeting. Are they trying to frame Nanzhao for the murder of their own envoy?"

“That’s not all.” Murong Xuewei pointed to the deceased’s wrist. “Look here.”

Upon closer inspection, everyone noticed a tiny wound on the inside of the deceased's wrist.

"This is..." Liuli asked in confusion.

Zhang Jing's gaze sharpened: "These are marks left by silver needles."

“So,” Murong Xuewei turned to Gu Ye, “this person is very likely not dead, but rather…”

"They used a drug to fake death," Gu Ye continued. "So the question now is, what's the connection between Miaoyu's disappearance and this 'dead person'?"

Just then, an urgent report came from outside: "Your Majesty! Li Yue, the envoy of Nanzhao, requests an audience!"