The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Emperor Jing was in high spirits when he saw that Jing Anle had won first place, so he ordered the palace servants to bring out his treasured wine. "Everyone, please don't stand on ceremony, just drink to your heart's content!"

The crowd below the stage shouted in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xia Tingfu took a sip and exclaimed, "Excellent wine!" He then turned to Xiao Heng and asked, "Why hasn't Brother Yelü returned yet?"

Xiao Heng didn't give Yelü Yuanxiu a friendly look, but Luo Wei replied, "He might be here soon!"

But Yelü Yuanxiu was nowhere to be seen even as the banquet was about to end. At this moment, the palace servant sent by Emperor Jing returned and whispered something in Emperor Jing's ear. Emperor Jing suddenly raised his eyelashes, his eyes turned cold, and he and Eunuch Wei left the table first.

Seeing Emperor Jing's state, Consort Yu, who was sitting beside him, knew that something must have happened. She then said to the crowd below the stage, "Everyone may leave the palace on their own in a moment."

The crowd was momentarily confused, but Emperor Jing was the ruler of the country, while they were merely the children of ministers, not officials. It was perfectly normal for Emperor Jing to leave first. Only Jing Anle knew what had happened. In his previous life, it had been the same. In the palace of Yelü Yuanxiu, the crown prince of Dongyuan Kingdom, a concubine of Emperor Jing had died. When the palace servants sent by Emperor Jing arrived, Yelü Yuanxiu was already drunk and unconscious, while the concubine lay on the ground, disheveled.

Having been reborn, Jing Anle has sorted out everything that happened in her previous life. In her previous life, it was because of this incident that Dongyuan Kingdom and Jing Kingdom became enemies. Now that she thinks about it, who else could be the real culprit besides her uncle?

Xiao Heng also noticed Emperor Jing's expression. While drinking, he guessed that this matter must be related to Yelü Yuanxiu. Seeing that Yelü Yuanxiu was still nowhere to be seen after the banquet, Luo Wei and Xia Tingfu decided to invite Xiao Heng to go and take a look.

“Brother Xiao, why don’t we go and look for Brother Yelü later?” Xia Tingfu said.

Luo Wei and Xiao Heng both felt that Yelü Yuanxiu was arrogant and disliked him, so they didn't plan to go. Moreover, Xiao Heng felt that this matter was strange and said, "He is such a grown man, how could he just disappear into thin air? You two shouldn't worry about things that are not going to happen!" After Xiao Heng finished speaking, he took another sip of wine, but when he turned around, he found that Jing Anle had already left at some point.

Xiao Heng looked around but couldn't find Jing Anle. Instead, he saw a noble lady giving him a shy smile. He felt inexplicably irritated because he couldn't find Jing Anle. He glanced at the noble lady and then looked away.

The noble lady was none other than Kou Shuran, daughter of Princess Jianing. Her mother was Emperor Jing's cousin, making her of noble birth. Today, Xiao Heng had won eight consecutive first-place matches, which filled her with admiration. Before the banquet even began, she was already waiting for Xiao Heng to arrive. He was not only exceptionally talented but also remarkably handsome.

She had been looking at Xiao Heng the whole time, and when he finally looked at her, he seemed not to see her at all, which made her feel very disappointed.

When Emperor Jing arrived at Yelü Yuanxiu's residence, Yelü Yuanxiu was still unconscious. Emperor Jing looked at the nobleman lying on the ground with no emotion in his eyes. Only when he looked at Yelü Yuanxiu did a hint of anger appear in Emperor Jing's eyes. Emperor Jing could disregard a nobleman, but if a prince from another country were to cause trouble and go too far, that would be a different story. Moreover, this was Jing's territory!

"Eunuch Wei, is this the scene you saw when you arrived?" Emperor Jing's voice was strong and full of anger.

Hearing Emperor Jing's displeasure, Eunuch Wei bowed even lower and said, "I knocked on the door first, but there was no response. It wasn't until Crown Prince Yelü's guard, Zhuo Ersa, came that I learned that Crown Prince Yelü had not come out. I was worried that something had happened, so I broke down the door and saw this as soon as I entered."

Emperor Jing stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the room before returning to the deceased noblewoman. Her clothes were disheveled, her chest exposed, her hair loose, and there were obvious marks on her neck. A surge of anger rose in Emperor Jing's heart, but he suddenly noticed a jade button clutched in the noblewoman's hand. Emperor Jing gave Eunuch Wei a wink, and Eunuch Wei quickly took the button and handed it to Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing held the button between his index finger and narrowed his eyes. He knew this button all too well. Although it was also a royal item, the imperial family had three holes, while the royal family had four. Now, this noblewoman had inexplicably died in the room of a foreign prince, yet she was clutching a button reserved for royalty.

Emperor Jing was no fool; after a moment's thought, he knew what had happened. "Eunuch Wei, move Yelü Yuanxiu to another side hall."

"Yes, Your Majesty. And this noble person?" Eunuch Wei asked.

Emperor Jing looked at the corpse and said, "Consort Xu died suddenly. To prevent infection, drag her out and burn her!"

When Jing Anle returned to Yongfu Palace, Mu Ping was already waiting for her in the inner room. Upon seeing Jing Anle, Mu Ping said, "Princess, the matter has been settled!"

Jing Anle nodded. This Consort Xu had been in the palace for many years, but she was still not favored and was forgotten in the harem. Today, however, she has become a pawn that shakes the Jing Kingdom and the Dongyuan Kingdom. It can be seen that the person who is playing the game is extremely meticulous and has even extended his reach into the harem.

When Mu Ping arrived, Consort Xu had already been strangled to death. Following Jing Anle's instructions, Mu Ping stuffed Prince Qing's button into Consort Xu's hand.

"Since Consort Xu has died unjustly, I will naturally avenge her." Of course, it was also to avenge myself, but I didn't say the last part out loud.

"Princess, is this really feasible? Just with a single button?" Mu Ping asked doubtfully.

Jing Anle looked at Mu Ping and said, "One button is definitely not enough!"

The heart of an emperor is unfathomable. A single button is not enough to convict someone, but it is enough to make Emperor Jing take notice of Prince Qing.

"Wait!" Emperor Jing shouted.

Eunuch Wei stopped in his tracks. "Bring Imperial Physician Lou here!"

"Yes," Eunuch Wei replied.

Imperial Physician Lou was Emperor Jing's confidant and knew many palace secrets. He was a skilled physician and especially knowledgeable about coroners.

Before long, Imperial Physician Lou arrived. Seeing the scene before him, he seemed unfazed and even respectfully bowed to Emperor Jing, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Get up!" Emperor Jing didn't look at him, but at the corpse, and continued, "Examine it first!"

"Yes!" Doctor Lou said, then put on his gloves and began to work.

After a series of actions, a result was finally achieved.

"Your Majesty..." Even the Imperial Physician Lou, who was used to seeing bloody scenes, stammered.

"Speak freely," Emperor Jing said, waving his sleeve.

"Your Excellency, she...she is already a month pregnant," said Imperial Physician Lou, bowing his head.

"Oh?" Emperor Jing's eyes instantly flashed with anger. This Consort Xu had visited his palace a month ago, but he was exhausted that day and didn't touch her at all. How could she be a month pregnant? A foreign prince, pregnancy, corpse—all these things connected, what else was there to not understand?