Chapter 246

A Fair Choice

In the silence, Empress Duan's words were heard clearly by everyone. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan turned his gaze to look at Empress Duan.

"Why?"

"Hmph~! You ask me why?!"

Raising her brows to retort, Empress Duan gave a cold laugh and then continued:

"It is true, I admit that Nie Jinxuan's ability to perform autopsies is indeed outstanding, and it is because of this that she was trusted by the Emperor. But do not forget what kind of relationship she has with you, Prince Chen! Although the two of you are openly separated now, everyone in Dongling knows that you are secretly colluding! When you were in the palace before, you even lived together in Ningxin Pavilion for over a month. Such a thing... Prince Chen, I shouldn't be wrong, right!"

"And now that the Emperor has suddenly passed away, I, as well as the royal elders and clansmen, all want to investigate it clearly. But as I said before, just last night, you, Prince Chen, met with the Emperor and talked by candlelight until late at night. Therefore, Prince Chen, how can you prove that you are innocent?! Under the circumstances where you yourself are a suspect, you still want to let Nie Jinxuan, who is closely related to you, perform the autopsy... Prince Chen, this is somewhat inappropriate~!"

Empress Duan said loudly. As she finished, she turned her eyes to look at Nie Jinxuan beside her, then looked at Yin Fengzhan before her.

After Empress Duan's voice fell, Consort Li, who had always been on her side, also stepped forward and stood beside Empress Duan, saying:

"The Empress is right. Now that you, Prince Chen, are a suspect, and you still want to let Nie Jinxuan perform the autopsy... who can guarantee that she won't hide evidence for you?!"

At this time, Consort Li looked triumphant. Afterward, the surroundings became quiet again. Seeing this, although Nie Jinxuan was angry, she forcibly restrained her mood and turned to look at Empress Duan.

"Empress, according to your wishes, what do you want to do?"

"What do I want to do?! Hmph~! Naturally, I want to get to the bottom of the matter! However, you cannot intervene!"

As she spoke, Empress Duan glanced triumphantly at Nie Jinxuan, then turned to face the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

"Fifth Imperial Uncle, the matter is now confusing, so it is better to deal with it as soon as possible! And because the relationship between Prince Chen and Princess Consort Anguo is too close, it is definitely not okay for Princess Consort Anguo to perform the autopsy. Therefore, I think it would be better to have Meng Xian from the Ministry of Punishments come over, how about that?"

Empress Duan's voice was significantly gentler than before. At this time, Nie Jinxuan had originally thought that Empress Duan would find someone favorable to herself to perform the autopsy, but she didn't expect the other party to recommend Meng Xian, so she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

After all, Meng Xian was the number one coroner in Dongling. Besides his outstanding ability, he was also known for his upright character and lack of fear of power. He was indeed a good candidate!

So, upon hearing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, who had originally thought Empress Duan would play some tricks, couldn't help but blink, then turned to look at Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan, and asked:

"Uh... Prince Chen, Anguo, what do you think?"

Although Yin Yanheng had the highest seniority and the right to speak, he still upheld a method that would satisfy both parties. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan twitched his brows slightly, looked at Empress Duan, and nodded to Yin Yanheng.

"It is all up to the Fifth Imperial Uncle to decide!"

Meng Xian had worked with Nie Jinxuan, Yin Fengzhan, and others. Naturally, everyone trusted Meng Xian's character. Of course, although he was still a bit behind Nie Jinxuan in terms of technique, he was second to none among the coroners of the day!

Therefore, after deciding that Meng Xian would perform the autopsy, everyone withdrew from the bedchamber. After less than half an hour, they saw Meng Xian, the coroner of the Ministry of Punishments, being brought over!

At this time, looking at the courtyard full of royals, Meng Xian remained as calm as ever. He looked at Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan in the crowd, then walked directly to the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"En! Alright, Old Meng, don't be so formal. The reason I had you come today is actually to ask for your help with something!"

"Yes! Please instruct me, Your Highness."

Meng Xian's attitude was respectful but not humble. Seeing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, pursed his lips slightly and said:

"Actually, the reason I had you come today is to ask you to perform an autopsy... Last night, the Emperor suddenly passed away, and the cause of death is unknown. So, please help us find out the Emperor's true cause of death!"

"What? The Emperor..."

Clearly, Meng Xian was also startled by the news of Emperor Shuncheng's sudden passing. Hearing this, Yin Yanheng nodded.

"Yes, he just passed away for no reason..."

Speaking to this point, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng's eyes turned red again. At this time, Meng Xian lowered his head and said directly:

"Good! This old man will do his best!"

"En, that's good! I'm counting on you!"

As he spoke, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, waved his hand at the palace servants nearby, and then someone led Meng Xian into the bedchamber.

After Meng Xian entered the bedchamber, the door was closed. The crowd sat in the courtyard according to their status, quietly waiting for the result.

Time passed bit by bit, and the wait was long. After a while, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, had a solemn expression and said loudly:

"Someone, bring Gao Caiyong over!"

Clearly, Yin Yanheng wanted to clarify the matter in front of the royals. After a while, Gao Caiyong was brought over by the guards.

At this time, Gao Caiyong still kept his head lowered, silent, making people wonder what he was thinking. Seeing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, couldn't help but frown and asked in a low voice:

"Gao Caiyong, I ask you... when did you discover that something had happened to the Emperor?"

The Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, had a solemn expression. Hearing this, it was only then that Gao Caiyong moved slightly, but he still didn't raise his head and replied in a low voice:

"Replying to Your Highness, this old servant discovered it this morning! These days, because the Emperor was feeling unwell, he had not been attending the morning court, and the time he got up was also later than before. So at first, this old servant knocked on the door a few times, but still didn't hear any movement inside, so I intuitively felt the Emperor was still sleeping. But after another period of time, this old servant went to knock on the door again, and there was still no movement. Only then did this old servant feel a bit worried, so I pushed the door open and walked in. But who would have thought, I discovered the Emperor... the Emperor had already..."

Gao Caiyong's voice was very calm, but by the end, he couldn't help but choke up with suppressed emotion. Hearing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, frowned.

"So, when you went over, the Emperor had already met with misfortune?"

"Yes..."

"Then did you discover anything suspicious in the room at that time?"

"No."

"Then last night before going to sleep, was there anything unusual about the Emperor?"

"No."

Gao Caiyong's answers were concise, and it didn't seem like he was lying. The more he asked, the angrier Yin Yanheng felt. Finally, he couldn't help but slap the armrest beside him and roared:

"You servant, the Emperor has suddenly met with such a thing, how can you know nothing?! You, you, how do you perform your duties?! It's a waste that the Emperor treated you as a confidant while he was alive, yet in the end, you are of no use at all!"

The Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, had always had a relatively gentle personality, but at this moment, firstly because Emperor Shuncheng's passing was too sudden, and secondly because the cause of death was too suspicious, even Yin Yanheng couldn't control his emotions. Upon hearing this, Gao Caiyong fell to his knees with a thud and began to cry uncontrollably.

"Wuwu..."

Gao Caiyong did not plead for mercy, nor did he apologize. He just kept crying, the sound filled with sorrow, which immediately made some of the people present cry as well. But just then, Nie Jinxuan, standing to the side, also raised her hand to wipe her eyes, stepped forward, and said to the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng:

"Fifth Imperial Uncle, may Anguo ask Eunuch Gao a few questions?"

At this very moment, Nie Jinxuan's heart was also not feeling well. Emperor Shuncheng had suffered for a lifetime because of Noble Consort Ning, and now that the matter of Noble Consort Ning had finally come to an end and his heart's knot had been untied, he was suddenly gone. Such a thing was indeed hard to imagine. But Nie Jinxuan knew that no matter how painful it was, the matter had already happened, so the key now was to find the truth of the facts. And this was the last thing Nie Jinxuan could do for Emperor Shuncheng!

At this time, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, who was still immersed in sorrow, looked at Nie Jinxuan upon hearing this and nodded.

"Go ahead and ask!"

"Thank you, Fifth Imperial Uncle!"

Thanking him respectfully, Nie Jinxuan turned to face Gao Caiyong, who was still kneeling on the ground and crying incessantly.

"Eunuch Gao, please restrain your grief! Anguo wants to ask you a few questions, please tell the truth!"

"... Yes, this old servant knows..."

Responding with a choke, Eunuch Gao forcibly stopped his crying, but he still didn't raise his head. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips slightly and asked:

"Eunuch Gao, when you entered the bedchamber this morning, where was the Emperor? Was he on the dragon bed, or on the floor elsewhere, or on the soft couch nearby?"

"On the bed!"

"What did the Emperor look like at that time? Can Eunuch Gao describe it?"

"I can... at that time, the Emperor looked just like he was sleeping on a normal day, there was nothing strange!"

"And his expression?"

"His expression was also very peaceful, with no unusual signs."

While recalling the events of the morning, Gao Caiyong spoke. As Gao Caiyong answered, Nie Jinxuan's frown deepened.

"Then may I ask Eunuch Gao, last night before the Emperor went to sleep, did he eat or drink anything?"

"Uh... this..."

At this time, Gao Caiyong hesitated slightly. Seeing this, before Nie Jinxuan could speak, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help but press:

"Did he eat anything or not, hurry up and say it!"

Yin Yanheng was anxious. At this time, after hesitating, Gao Caiyong finally said:

"The Emperor didn't eat or drink anything before going to sleep... but earlier, when he was playing chess with Prince Chen in the room, this old servant did have people send tea twice..."

Second update uploaded, see you tomorrow!