Jade of Another World

Upon hearing the news of Consort Zhao's tragic death, Nangong Jin dropped the memorial in his hand with a "thud," and as if all his strength had been drained, he slumped onto the dragon throne. His eyes were filled with shock and grief. Consort Zhao's departure filled him with deep remorse, and he also realized that a huge conspiracy was hidden behind this matter.

After calming down a bit, Nangong Jin immediately sent someone to summon Lin Ning. Lin Ning rushed to the imperial study and saw Nangong Jin with a solemn expression and worry in his eyes.

"Ning'er, Consort Zhao is dead, and this matter has become increasingly complicated and dangerous. I don't want you and Lin Wan to be involved in the investigation anymore. I will let the Dali Temple take over the entire case. They are experienced and will surely be able to find out the truth." Nangong Jin spoke earnestly, his gaze fixed on Lin Ning.

Lin Ning felt a warmth in her heart, knowing that Nangong Jin was thinking of her and Lin Wan's safety, but her mind was made up. She said firmly, "Your Majesty, Wanwan and I have been involved in the investigation for a long time and have a deep understanding of this matter. Consort Zhao died innocently, and we cannot stand by and watch her die with a grievance. We must give her justice."

Nangong Jin frowned, trying to persuade her: "Ning'er, do you know that the power behind this may be extremely powerful, and it may also be extremely dangerous? If you are not careful, you and Lin Wan will be in a deadly situation. I cannot let you take such a risk."

Lin Ning curtsied slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand your concerns, but now that we have come this far, how can we give up halfway? Wanwan and I are not without the ability to protect ourselves, so please grant our request."

Looking at Lin Ning's resolute eyes, Nangong Jin knew that her mind was made up, and sighed helplessly: "Fine, I can't persuade you. But you must be careful. I will send my most capable secret guards to protect you in secret. If you encounter danger, do not be reckless."

Lin Ning said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Wanwan and I will be careful."

Then, Nangong Jin summoned the leader of the secret guards and solemnly instructed him: "You will lead the shadow guards to secretly protect Lin Ning and Miss Lin Wan, and make sure their safety is ensured. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible."

After receiving his orders, the leader of the secret guards quickly arranged for the deployment of the shadow guards. Lin Ning left the imperial study with unwavering determination, preparing to continue her investigation with Lin Wan. A thrilling journey to uncover the truth, silently protected by the secret guards, once again unfolded, and what awaited them were even more intricate mysteries and more dangerous challenges…

Lin Ning pondered the matter of Consort Rou taking her pulse repeatedly, feeling that it was full of flaws. Logically speaking, since Consort Rou was hiding something, her pulse was likely faked, so why did she so easily allow the imperial physician to take her pulse? This simply didn't make sense.

It wasn't until she saw Consort Rou's personal maid that a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Lin Ning immediately devised a plan. She found Consort Rou's maid and arranged for her to sit behind a curtain, only allowing her to extend her hand. Afterward, she invited the imperial physician who had previously examined Consort Rou's pulse.

The imperial physician, unaware of the situation, followed instructions and took the pulse of the person behind the curtain. After the examination, the physician said with certainty, "This pulse is exactly the same as the one I took a few days ago at Consort Rou's place. It is stable and normal, and there is no sign of menstrual irregularity."

Lin Ning's heart skipped a beat; it seemed her guess was correct. She looked at the imperial physician and slowly said, "Imperial Physician, do you know that the pulse you just examined did not belong to Consort Rou, but to her personal maid?"

Upon hearing this, the imperial physician's face turned deathly pale, and he was too shocked to speak. Lin Ning continued, "It seems that when you took Consort Rou's pulse that day, you were probably switched with someone else. Consort Rou deliberately had her maid take her place to conceal her true health condition; she must have some unspeakable secret."

The imperial physician snapped out of his daze and hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Miss Lin, this matter is of great importance. I truly did not know that I had been deceived that day. I beg Miss Lin's forgiveness."

Lin Ning gestured for the imperial physician to rise, saying, "Imperial physician, please rise. This matter is not your fault. However, the person behind this is so cunning that we must be even more careful in dealing with them."

Lin Ning knew that this discovery was of great significance, as it touched upon a crucial clue. The fact that Consort Rou had gone to such lengths to conceal her pulse must be inextricably linked to Consort Zhao's disappearance and even death. She immediately found Lin Wan and informed her of this momentous discovery.

"Wanwan, I've uncovered the truth behind Consort Rou's pulse diagnosis. The imperial physician wasn't examining Consort Rou that day, but rather her maid. Consort Rou must be desperately hiding something, and it seems we'll soon see the truth." Lin Ning's eyes gleamed with excitement and determination.

Lin Wan was equally excited upon hearing this: "Sister, this is truly an important discovery! It seems we're on the right track. What should we do next?"

Lin Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Since Consort Rou seems so guilty, let's start with the people around her, especially this maid. She must know more inside information. We need to find a way to get her to talk."

The two sisters then devised a detailed plan to use psychological tactics against Consort Rou's personal maid, hoping to extract crucial information from her and uncover the truth behind the murder case...

Lin Ning and Lin Wan meticulously planned this "vengeful ghost" scheme. They chose a dark and windy night to set up the scene in a secluded and abandoned palace within the palace grounds. Inside the eerie palace, a few flickering oil lamps cast a weak light, creating a chilling atmosphere.

Lin Wan, hidden in the shadows, dressed in white and with her face painted with a special white powder, disguised herself as a pale-faced "vengeful ghost." Lin Ning, meanwhile, lured Consort Rou's personal maid to this location. The maid, filled with trepidation and suspicion, was subtly seduced by Lin Ning's clever words and unknowingly stepped into this meticulously laid trap. As the maid entered the palace, a gust of cold wind blew, the oil lamps went out instantly, and darkness enveloped the surroundings. Only the mournful wailing of a ghost echoed within the palace, and the "vengeful ghost," Lin Wan, with disheveled hair, slowly floated out from the darkness. The maid stared in terror, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Who...who are you?" the maid asked in a trembling voice, her words incoherent.

"I am Consort Zhao, I died unjustly... Why did you have to harm me..." Lin Wan said in a sinister voice as she slowly approached the maid.

The maid was terrified, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Consort Zhao, ah, ah... it's not my fault... it's all Her Highness's fault... it's Her Highness... it's them, it's all their fault, it's not my fault..."

Seeing that the time was ripe, Lin Ning stepped out from the side, lit the oil lamp, and looked coldly at the maid: "Now that things have come to this, do you still want to hide it? If you don't want me to keep looking for you, tell me everything you know!"

The maid was so frightened that she confessed the whole truth in extreme fear.

It turned out that Consort Rou was pregnant. The lame washerwoman accidentally learned of this and approached Consort Rou's maid, hoping to exchange her for some reward money. Upon hearing that someone knew about her pregnancy, Consort Rou instantly became furious and ruthless, and immediately ordered someone to kill the lame woman.

However, this lame woman was no saint. She threatened Consort Rou, saying that she had given the news of Consort Rou's pregnancy to an important person, and that if anything happened to her, the letter would be leaked immediately. Consort Rou, fearing the consequences, had no choice but to abandon her plan to kill her and instead took her into the palace as a maid, temporarily employing her.

Lin Ning and Lin Wan were shocked upon hearing this. Roufei's pregnancy should have been a joyous occasion in the harem, so why would she want to hide it? And why would she go to such lengths to uncover such a complex series of events? And were these events related to Zhao Meiren's death?

Lin Ning looked at the maid and asked sternly, "What is the connection between Consort Zhao's death and Consort Rou's pregnancy? You'd better tell the truth, otherwise Consort Zhao's vengeful spirit will not let you off easily!"

The maid trembled with fear and cried, "I... I really don't know! I only know that Consort Zhao found out about Your Highness's pregnancy, and afterwards Your Highness became very flustered, and then... Consort Zhao disappeared..."

Lin Ning and Lin Wan exchanged a glance. They understood that although they hadn't yet obtained the most crucial information, they were getting closer and closer to the truth. Next, they had to strike while the iron was hot and continue digging deeper into the clue of Consort Rou's pregnancy to uncover the true secret behind Consort Zhao's death…

Lin Ning knew that there must be a deeper reason behind Consort Rou's concealment of her pregnancy. She pondered that Consort Rou's actions might be closely related to Nangong Jin's attitude. She had a bold guess in her mind: could it be that Nangong Jin did not want Consort Rou to have an heir, while Consort Rou was hoping to gain status through a child, and therefore tried every means to hide the fact that she was pregnant?

To confirm her suspicions, Lin Ning decided to see Nangong Jin. She made careful preparations, sorting through all the clues, and then went to the Imperial Study to request an audience.

Upon meeting Nangong Jin, Lin Ning finished her greetings and went straight to the point: "Your Majesty, I have come here today to discuss the matter of Consort Rou. It has now been confirmed that Consort Rou is indeed pregnant, but she has been trying to conceal it. I suspect that this may be related to Your Majesty's attitude. I wonder if Your Majesty has ever expressed to Consort Rou that you do not wish her to have any children?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Jin was furious. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Miss Lin is very meticulous; she managed to find out this much. I want to know if you are certain that Consort Rou is pregnant?"

Lin Ning's heart skipped a beat. "Your Majesty, I have not yet taken Consort Rou's pulse, but based on the current evidence, it is certain that she is pregnant."

Nangong Jin said with a gloomy look in his eyes, "I do not want her to be pregnant, but now, I'm afraid there is another reason why she is hiding it, which is that I have never consummated the marriage with her."

Lin Ning was shocked. It seemed that part of her guess had been confirmed. But most of it was truly bizarre. She continued, "Your Majesty, in this way, Consort Rou's motives become even clearer. Under these circumstances, she had to conceal her pregnancy at all costs. And Consort Zhao's death is very likely closely related to this secret."

Nangong Jin frowned, his eyes revealing a hint of anger and worry: "If that's true, Consort Rou is truly audacious. I will thoroughly investigate Consort Zhao's death and give her an explanation. Miss Lin, what are your plans now?"

Lin Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, now that we know that Consort Rou's pregnancy is the key clue, we should use it as a breakthrough. Consort Rou will definitely take further action to keep this secret. We might as well observe her secretly and see what she does next, while continuing to investigate the connection between the lame palace maid and Consort Zhao. I believe we will be able to uncover the truth."

Nangong Jin nodded in agreement: "Miss Lin is absolutely right. I will arrange for people to assist you in finding out the truth as soon as possible, to give Consort Zhao justice, and to restore peace to the harem."

After receiving her orders, Lin Ning took her leave of the Imperial Study. She knew that the investigation to come would be even more crucial and dangerous. But to seek justice for Consort Zhao, she was determined to forge ahead without hesitation. A battle revolving around the secrets and conspiracies of the inner palace quietly entered its climax…

After Lin Ning left, Nangong Jin sat alone in the imperial study, his anger surging like a tidal wave. The fact that Consort Rou had concealed her pregnancy, and the complex conspiracies hidden behind it, made him feel deeply deceived and aware of the chaos within the harem. What enraged him even more was that he had never consummated his marriage with Consort Rou; this so-called "pregnancy" was utterly absurd.

Initially, the marriage alliance with Consort Rou was merely a temporary measure to maneuver with Nanzhao. Ever since Lin Ning entered his world, his heart could no longer accommodate any other woman. He always instinctively resisted and rejected other women, even when he was under the influence of a curse and lost his mind. Even with Rosa, he held firm to his principles and never crossed the line.

"What exactly is Consort Rou plotting!" Nangong Jin slammed his fist on the table, causing the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on it to shake. He knew that if this matter was not handled properly, it would not only leave Consort Zhao unjustly accused, but could also cause turmoil in the harem and even the court.

Nangong Jin quickly calmed down and summoned his most trusted confidant, Su Jin, whispering, "Closely monitor Consort Rou's every move. Don't let anyone around her slip by. Report to me immediately if anything unusual happens. Also, assist Miss Lin and the others in their investigation. Make sure their safety is guaranteed. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you accountable." The confidant accepted the order and hurriedly left to carry out the mission.

Meanwhile, Lin Ning returned to her residence with Lin Wan and gave her a detailed account of the information she had received from Nangong Jin. Upon hearing this, Lin Wan's mouth dropped open in surprise: "Sister, does this mean that Consort Rou's child is not His Majesty's at all? Then whose child is she carrying, and why did she go to such lengths to hide it, even involving Consort Zhao's death? The waters behind this are too deep."

Lin Ning nodded, her expression grave, and said, "That's right, the relationships involved are incredibly complex. For Consort Rou to act so boldly, there must be someone supporting her behind the scenes. We must speed up the investigation and find the crucial evidence before she becomes prepared. Wanwan, let's review the current clues again and see if we've missed anything."

The two sisters sat at the table, meticulously listing all the known clues. From the unusual behavior of the maidservant beside Consort Rou, to the appearance of the lame seamstress, and then to the bizarre death of Consort Zhao after discovering the secret, they left no detail unchecked. As they delved deeper, they seemed to see a vast web of conspiracy slowly unfolding, and they, caught in its web, were engaged in a thrilling battle with a mysterious force lurking in the shadows…