Chapter 219: Meeting Again

Meeting Again

Said and done. Afterward, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan went together to find Emperor Shuncheng. But it was only after arriving at the Imperial Study that they learned Emperor Shuncheng was ill.

Hearing this news, Nie Jinxuan could not help but think of the desolate back view of Emperor Shuncheng when he left Yongxin Palace that day, and her heart felt somewhat uncomfortable. But now that things had already reached this point, it was not the time to retreat, so afterward, Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan went directly to Emperor Shuncheng's bedchamber.

And when the two arrived at the door of Emperor Shuncheng's bedchamber, Gao Caiyong was already waiting at the door. Seeing the two of them arrive, Gao Caiyong smiled slightly and then bowed to invite them in.

This was Nie Jinxuan's first time coming to Emperor Shuncheng's bedchamber. It was as luxurious as expected, yet it also exuded a touch of simplicity and rigor, which was just like Emperor Shuncheng's personality. But afterward, just as Nie Jinxuan wanted to look inside, she was blocked by a screen.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan was slightly stunned. At this time, Gao Caiyong quietly nodded to her and Yin Fengzhan, and then walked around the screen to the inside...

The room was deathly silent. Nie Jinxuan was somewhat nervous, thinking about how to speak in a moment. Yin Fengzhan, standing to the side, had a tense face, clearly in a bad mood! But just at this moment, not long after Gao Caiyong walked in, a low voice was heard from behind the screen.

"What is the matter that you seek Us for today?"

Emperor Shuncheng's voice remained cold and stern. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan raised her eyes instantly and then said slowly:

"Your Majesty, Anguo has come here today to request Your Majesty's grace for one matter!"

"What matter?"

"More than twenty years ago, shortly after Noble Consort Ning died, Prince Xiang also died suddenly. But Anguo feels that this matter is somewhat suspicious, so I would like to... would like to open the coffin and examine the corpse!"

Nie Jinxuan spoke carefully. But afterward, after waiting for a long while for Nie Jinxuan's words to fall, no reply was heard from Emperor Shuncheng behind the screen. Nie Jinxuan could not help but frown slightly, but then, just as Nie Jinxuan wanted to speak again, she heard a faint sound coming from behind the screen, and after only a moment, she saw Emperor Shuncheng walk out directly around the screen.

But at this moment, seeing Emperor Shuncheng before her, Nie Jinxuan was instantly stunned... It turned out that in just over half a month, the once imposing Emperor Shuncheng had aged so much!

His temples had turned white, his once sharp eyes were slightly sunken, and only the slightly pursed corners of his mouth still carried his former majesty and coldness! At this moment, after walking out from behind the screen, Emperor Shuncheng did not look at Nie Jinxuan, but instead cast his gaze on Yin Fengzhan beside her, and only after a long while did he turn his gaze to look at Nie Jinxuan.

"To have actually investigated Prince Xiang... It seems you have put in quite a lot of effort!"

Emperor Shuncheng spoke with an unmoved expression. After he finished speaking, Gao Caiyong stepped forward to support Emperor Shuncheng to sit on a nearby chair before speaking again.

"Where do you feel Prince Xiang's death is suspicious?"

Emperor Shuncheng spoke directly. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan composed her mind and replied in a low voice:

"The timing, and the cause!"

Prince Xiang's death had been publicly announced as a sudden death, so naturally, Nie Jinxuan could not tell Emperor Shuncheng that Yin Fengzhan had already investigated that Prince Xiang had actually died of poisoning. Otherwise, once Emperor Shuncheng became suspicious, it would be counterproductive.

But clearly, Nie Jinxuan had underestimated Emperor Shuncheng. So, after Nie Jinxuan's voice fell, Emperor Shuncheng narrowed his eyes slightly and then sneered.

"Hmph~! The cause... don't you already know that Prince Xiang died of poisoning?"

"Uh... this..."

"Yet you still say you want to open the coffin and examine the corpse... Nie Jinxuan, are you suspecting Us? Do you think it was Us who had someone poison Prince Xiang to death?"

Emperor Shuncheng directly pierced through the window paper, and being blocked by him like this, Nie Jinxuan could not help but be speechless. But at this time, Yin Fengzhan, who had been standing to the side without speaking, turned his gaze and glanced at Emperor Shuncheng.

"Isn't it?"

For so many years, Emperor Shuncheng and Yin Fengzhan had been mutually suspicious. Emperor Shuncheng suspected Yin Fengzhan's background, and Yin Fengzhan had his own grievances against Emperor Shuncheng! But regardless, on the surface, the two were still at peace. But ever since Nie Jinxuan was injured last time and the two had a falling out at Yongxin Palace, their relationship had moved from behind the scenes to the forefront!

So, at this moment, hearing Yin Fengzhan say this, Emperor Shuncheng's expression instantly turned stern, and he looked coldly at Yin Fengzhan and said:

"Is that how you think of Us?"

"Yes!"

"You..."

Yin Fengzhan's lack of hesitation instantly made Emperor Shuncheng so angry he could not speak, and he immediately began to cough violently. Seeing this, Gao Caiyong immediately stepped forward to soothe him and handed him a cup of hot tea. Nie Jinxuan frowned and secretly tugged at Yin Fengzhan, telling him to restrain himself a bit.

Afterward, after a long while, Emperor Shuncheng finally calmed down. He then returned to his previous cold and stern appearance and said loudly:

"Fourth, listen clearly to Us. If We want someone's life, We would never be so troublesome! Poisoning?! We disdain such low-class methods! We are the Emperor, the ruler of Dongling. Whoever We want to die must die, whether they are a first-rank official or a royal prince! Furthermore, you must also remember: We hate the Second Imperial Brother, We hate him so much We wish to tear him into a thousand pieces, but his death has nothing to do with Us! *Cough, cough*..."

With sunken eyes looking sharply at Yin Fengzhan, Emperor Shuncheng spoke word by word. After he finished, he could not help but cough again. At this moment, hearing these words and seeing Emperor Shuncheng coughing until his body was hunched over, Yin Fengzhan's eyes flickered slightly, and he pursed his lips without speaking.

Yin Fengzhan stopped speaking. At this time, after Emperor Shuncheng had calmed down slightly, Nie Jinxuan said slowly:

"Your Majesty, Anguo believes your words just now! And what Anguo believes is not Your Majesty's supreme status, nor that a monarch's word is law, but rather Anguo believes that, given Your Majesty's personality, just as you said, if you wanted Prince Xiang to die, you could have easily found a reason to make him die clearly and openly..."

"It is just that, Your Majesty, Anguo's belief is useless; the key is for Your Majesty to make everyone in the world believe it! After all, now that Anguo can find out that there was a problem with Prince Xiang's death back then, others will naturally know too! Therefore, Anguo feels that opening the coffin to examine the corpse and thoroughly investigating Prince Xiang's death would be better, would it not? And, for so many years, besides Noble Consort Ning, do you not have even a shred of nostalgia for Prince Xiang?"

The booklet once wrote a passage: when Prince Xiang was young, because of his gentle and kind nature, he was very much favored by the late Emperor Kangyuan, and there were even rumors that Emperor Kangyuan was going to pass the throne to Prince Xiang. At that time, Emperor Shuncheng, who was the Third Prince, was not favored because he was taciturn and silent. He was also often bullied by other princes. So whenever this happened, the kind-hearted Prince Xiang would stand up to protect him! It was not until the princes grew up and their respective talents were revealed that Emperor Kangyuan discovered that the once taciturn Third Prince was actually very talented as well. That was why he gradually became favored!

Therefore, in Nie Jinxuan's view, this was precisely why Emperor Shuncheng was so jealous and hateful of Prince Xiang back then, but it was also the real reason why he would never take action against him!

Therefore, Nie Jinxuan grasped this point, and at this moment, hearing these words, Emperor Shuncheng, who had been cold and stern, was indeed slightly stunned and then fell into silence.

Emperor Shuncheng stopped speaking. For a time, the bedchamber became quiet. Seeing Emperor Shuncheng not speaking for a long while, Yin Fengzhan's expression became increasingly ugly. At this time, Nie Jinxuan tugged at him at the right moment and stepped forward to say slowly:

"Your Majesty, Prince Xiang is already gone. Whether it was grace or grievance back then, at the very least, Prince Xiang was still your brother! And now that more than twenty years have passed, Prince Xiang still died unclearly. While Anguo cannot guarantee that I will definitely be able to find the real culprit, I can at least find out Prince Xiang's true cause of death! This can also be considered an explanation to Prince Xiang!"

Nie Jinxuan struck while the iron was hot. Only then did Emperor Shuncheng finally raise his head to look at Nie Jinxuan, then looked at Yin Fengzhan, and then slightly pursed his lips.

"Fine, since you say so, then We will agree to you! But Nie Jinxuan, you must remember: even if you want to examine the corpse, you must never damage Prince Xiang's remains in the slightest, otherwise We will never forgive you!"

"Yes!"

Emperor Shuncheng agreed to open the coffin and examine the corpse. Immediately, Nie Jinxuan went back to prepare. The next morning, she was led by Gao Caiyong in person to the Dongling royal cemetery, where she went directly to the tombstone of Prince Xiang, Yin Yanduo!

At this time, besides Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan, the Ministry of Punishments coroner Meng Xian had also been brought, along with the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

The Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, was only in his thirties this year, very young, and his handsome features bore some resemblance to Emperor Shuncheng, but he had long since stopped interfering in government affairs, so he gave people a gentler feeling. His arrival was clearly to serve as an elder and a fair party.

After everyone arrived, Yin Yanheng took the lead in performing a ritual and then signaled the guards to the side to open the tomb and take out the coffin!

Afterward, not long after, Prince Xiang's coffin was carefully lifted out by a group of guards, and then they carefully opened the coffin... Only then could the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, not help but purse his lips and turn to Nie Jinxuan to say:

"Anguo, although the Emperor agreed to open the coffin to examine the corpse, this is, after all, the Second Imperial Brother's remains, so you must be very careful... *Sigh*, the Second Imperial Brother passed away at such a young age and didn't even have any descendants; he is already pitiful enough, so please don't let him have no peace after his death!"

It seemed that the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, also had deep feelings for Prince Xiang. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan nodded in understanding.

"Yes, Fifth Imperial Uncle, please rest assured, Anguo will definitely be careful."

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan bowed to Yin Yanheng again and then signaled Meng Xian to the side. Meng Xian stepped forward first and reached out to clear Prince Xiang's remains, but just at this moment, Nie Jinxuan, who stepped forward afterward, saw the white bones in the coffin, was stunned for a moment, and then shouted loudly:

"Old Master Meng, wait!"

Second update uploaded, see you tomorrow! ===== CHAPTER 220 =====