After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

No sooner had the old woman finished speaking than the head palace maid spoke up.

"Inside, besides the Second Prince, there was also Consort Liu. Both of them were disheveled and looked extremely embarrassed."

At that time, Consort Liu was in a state of madness, constantly muttering that it was not the Second Prince who killed the Empress Dowager, but she herself.

No sooner had she finished speaking than she abruptly drew her dagger and plunged it into her heart, thus… committing suicide. That was all the servants saw.

"Hmph! In my opinion, it was the Second Prince who had an affair with Consort Liu. When the Empress Dowager discovered it, he ruthlessly killed her to silence her and prevent the scandal from being exposed. It's simply outrageous!"

A minister, his face flushed with anger and his eyes wide with fury, stepped forward, pointed at the second prince, and fiercely rebuked him.

"Absolutely outrageous."

"The palace servants didn't witness firsthand that the Second Prince killed the Empress Dowager. Could there be a misunderstanding?"

"Yes, isn't the Second Prince ill? How could he possibly do such a thing in the Emperor's palace?"

"Consort Liu is dead, the truth will be hard to find!"

The ministers quickly split into two factions, each offering their own opinion, and the debate raged on.

The second prince, his face ashen, forced back his grief and indignation as he recounted what had happened.

"Imperial Uncle, Crown Prince, Your Excellencies, I was summoned to the palace early this morning. I heard that my father had summoned me. As soon as I entered the door, Consort Liu came to greet me in a mad manner, calling out 'Your Majesty' incoherently while undressing."

I was both shocked and furious. I pushed her away forcefully and was about to leave when my grandmother just happened to walk in.

At this point, the Second Prince's voice choked with emotion, and his eyes reddened.

Unexpectedly, Consort Liu suddenly grabbed a dagger and stabbed at the Empress Dowager.

I didn't expect her to do that; the blood on her hands was from covering the Empress Dowager's wound.

The emperor fell into a coma, and the second prince's words could not be verified.

"I believe this is the Second Prince's one-sided statement and is not credible."

“If the Second Prince is not lying, Consort Liu is indeed acting strangely, and we must investigate her thoroughly.”

The crown prince sighed softly, a look of self-reproach on his face.

"Consort Liu was a favorite concubine of the Emperor. I saw that she cared deeply for the Emperor and took pity on her, so I allowed her to come in and attend to him while he was ill."

I thought my father would recover quickly, but unexpectedly, my grandmother brought this calamity upon him and caused his death.

The second prince looked up to observe the crown prince's expression. The crown prince was already overseeing the country, and perhaps in order to ascend the throne as soon as possible, he might be plotting to frame him.

It's such a pity about the kind and gentle Empress Dowager.

He always felt that the Crown Prince's expression was masked by a layer of pretense.

However, no minister would doubt the usually mild-mannered and capable Crown Prince.

"Imperial Uncle, Crown Prince, please investigate the truth and avenge our grandmother."

The second prince knelt on the ground.

"Second brother, you can't escape responsibility for this. Your royal brother will investigate the truth, but according to the law, you will have to go to the Dali Temple yourself."

"Your Majesty, I understand."

"Does Imperial Uncle have anything to say?"

"Your Highness can decide for yourself."

Qin Jingyu didn't want to get involved in this matter, but since the Crown Prince had inhaled foul air, he had no choice but to come.

He knew in his heart that the Crown Prince was inextricably linked to this matter.

The second prince was imprisoned in Dali Temple, and the empress decreed that Consort Mei and Qin Yaohua be placed under house arrest in their palace.

Liu Yunshu was anxious because she couldn't find Ye Yaoyao, until she met Qin Jingyu and Ye Xiumu who arrived side by side.

"Yun Shu, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

"Husband, has Yaoyao disappeared? Have you seen her?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Qin Jingyu's face.

"Yaoyao has entered the palace?"

"Yes! She insisted on coming, so I brought her along, but before I knew it, she was gone."

I've been looking for it for so long, but I still can't find it. What should I do?

Qin Jingyu and Ye Xiumu exchanged a glance, their thoughts aligning, and their expressions turned serious.

The Empress and the Crown Prince now hold absolute power in the palace, and Ye Yaoyao's disappearance must be related to these two.

"Don't worry, Aunt, I will go and search for it right away."

"Aunt, Miss Xi said she saw my cousin leave with a palace maid."

Liu Langyue walked over with a beautiful young woman.

Liu Yunshu's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly stepped forward to take Miss Xi's hand, anxiously asking:

"Xi family girl, do you know where Yaoyao went?"

“Madam Ye, my daughter only saw them from afar and did not hear what they were saying.”

Miss Xi shook her head apologetically.

"Aunt, it seems that some noble lady in the palace has taken Yaoyao away."

"Who could it be? This child didn't even tell me."

Ye Xiumu gently put his arm around Liu Yunshu's shoulder to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Yunshu. I know who it is. You don't need to worry too much. Yaoyao will be fine."

"Will my daughter really be alright?"

"It'll be alright." Ye Xiumu nodded affirmatively.

Relieved, Liu Yunshu went inside the hall to keep watch.

Ye Xiumu watched her leave, his expression changing. The palace was in turmoil; what were they doing taking his daughter away?

Qin Jingyu walked towards the inner palace, his gaze drawn to a group of ants on the ground, their bodies covered in a strange green powder.

He couldn't help but take a second look, and a thought suddenly struck him. He knew these were marks left by Ye Yaoyao along the way, so he followed the marks.

They finally saw a locked room with a palace maid guarding the outside.

He picked up a small stone and threw it at the palace maid. The maid let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground.

I opened the door and went inside, and sure enough, Ye Yaoyao was there.

"Handsome man, you've seen the mark I left."

Ye Yaoyao was delighted to see him and went to greet him.

"Hmm! Was it the Empress or the Crown Prince who took you away?"

"The Empress instructed a palace maid to deceive me in your name. I immediately sensed something was wrong, so I followed them to see what they were up to."

"That's good. Come with me!"

Qin Jingyu extended his hand, but Ye Yaoyao refused.

"No, we haven't figured out the Empress's purpose yet! What's the situation outside?"

Ye Yaoyao took a step back, thinking that the Empress was too busy to leave now, and she would have to continue waiting here.

"The Empress Dowager was killed with a dagger, and the Second Prince was lured into the trap. Now everything points to him."

"I'm afraid it was the Empress and her son who did it. I haven't told you yet, but after Chen Jiaojiao died, the Crown Prince and the Empress became estranged, and the Crown Prince used the Empress to get rid of many people."

His goal was to destroy the Qin Dynasty and make Chen Jiaojiao pay for it.

"So that's it, the Crown Prince has gone mad!"

Qin Jingyu felt that the Crown Prince's attitude towards the throne was a bit strange. He seemed not to care much about it, but he was determined to get it. Now he finally understood that it was for such a crazy purpose.

"They arrested you, probably to deal with me."

"Then I can't leave even more."

If this doesn't work, the Empress will try every means to capture her anyway, so it's better to solve the problem once and for all.

"Yes! I'll protect you from the shadows."

Qin Jingyu nodded and reached out to pat Ye Yaoyao's head.

"My parents must be worried! Handsome man, please let them know you're safe."

"Okay! Be careful then." Qin Jingyu left.