Ye Chutang pondered for a moment, then checked every corner of the room again.
Apart from a few bloodstains that Xiao Lanyi had scratched on the bed frame before her death, there really was nothing unusual elsewhere.
The guards responsible for watching over this area gave the same answer as that palace maid—they indeed heard nothing last night.
Even during dinner time, Xiao Lanyi behaved just as usual, with no difference from previous days.
After completing her investigation, Ye Chutang ordered them to seal the Yao Hua Palace and then returned to the Qi Yuan Hall.
She recounted everything she had seen and heard to Emperor Wu of Mu.
Emperor Wu of Mu frowned, “So, she died from poisoning?”
Ye Chutang paused for a moment, “It seems to be arsenic.”
“Seems to be?”
“Yes.” Ye Chutang lowered her gaze, “I only conducted a preliminary inspection and did not perform an autopsy on Princess Yuhe; therefore, I can only make a rough speculation. But it is certain that she must have passed away in the early hours of the morning, and she must have suffered a great deal before her death. However, for some reason, she endured it all without making a sound. It was not until the palace maids came to bring her breakfast in the morning that they discovered what had happened.”
Emperor Wu of Mu’s frown deepened, “Could it be that she sought her own death?”
Ye Chutang shook her head, “I do not know.”
Emperor Wu of Mu narrowed his eyes and spoke sternly, “Then where did she obtain that poison?”
Ye Chutang paused for a moment.
“That poison must have been hidden in her teeth long ago; that’s why it was not discovered during the previous searches.”
“Hidden in her teeth?”
Emperor Wu of Mu laughed bitterly,
“She’s really quite ruthless! A princess, and yet she resorted to such a despicable method! So, after doing something shameful, she made preparations in advance to prevent any consequences! Her death is indeed ‘painless’!”
Ye Chutang did not say anything.
It was not difficult to understand why Emperor Wu of Mu was so angered.
He never liked this daughter with foreign blood in her veins, and not long ago, she had been exposed for committing many absurd and evil deeds.
Emperor Wu of Mu held a grudge against her.
Even if she hadn’t died today, Emperor Wu of Mu would not have kept her for long.
However, Xiao Lanyi’s sudden choice of suicide undoubtedly caught Emperor Wu of Mu off guard.
No matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do about it.
But in the end, Emperor Wu of Mu couldn’t swallow his anger.
His face turned dark, and he ordered sternly, “Proclaim my decree! Xiao Lanyi framed her brother and then committed suicide out of fear of punishment; her crime is unforgivable! From today on, she is to be removed from the royal family! She is also not allowed to be buried in the imperial mausoleum!”
……
Half an hour later, Ye Chutang left the palace and returned home in a horse-drawn carriage with Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu looked at her with curiosity.
“Sister, you seem to be preoccupied. Could it be that something happened to you in the palace today?”
They hadn’t gone far when they heard the eunuchs’ sharp urging from outside.
“Hurry up!”
Xiao Wu tiến lại gần, dùng một tay kéo mở một khe rèm để nhìn ra ngoài.
Ánh mắt của Ye Chutang hơi chuyển động, ánh nhìn rơi xuống khuôn mặt nhỏ nhắn của Xiao Wu đang mở to mắt nhìn ra ngoài; cô nhẹ nhàng nhướng lông mày lên.
Nhưng Xiao Wu không cảm thấy có gì đó không ổn cả. Sau khi nhìn rõ tình hình bên ngoài, cô chớp mắt một cái, quay đầu lại nhìn Ye Chutang và còn chỉ vào phía đó cho cô xem nữa.
Ye Chutang nhìn ra ngoài và thấy vài người hầu đang dùng chiếu quấn lấy một thi thể rồi vội vã mang đi.
Một búi tóc dài rơi xuống; có vẻ như đó là một người phụ nữ, và có thể mơ hồ nhìn thấy góc của bộ trang phục sang trọng.
Những chuyện như vậy không phải là hiếm gặp trong cung điện.
Nếu không nhầm lẫn, người bên trong… chính là Tiểu Thư Xiao Lan Xi.
Ye Chutang rút lại ánh mắt của mình.
Chắc chắn không ai có thể tưởng tượng được rằng, một nàng công chúa cao quý như vậy, cuối cùng lại phải chịu số phận như vậy.
Cỗ xe ngựa tiếp tục tiến về phía trước, dần xa đi.
Bỗng nhiên, trái tim Ye Chutang nhóc lên một cái,
“Đợi đã!”
