Chapter 247

How Did He Die

Nie Jinxuan knew that Gao Caiyong was telling the truth. After all, she was also in the courtyard last night, and she saw it when Gao Caiyong ordered people to send tea. So she could be certain that Gao Caiyong was not lying. But no one expected that the small details at the time would become the key to confirming that Yin Fengzhan was likely the murderer!

After all, according to the situation Gao Caiyong described, Emperor Shuncheng was likely poisoned with some kind of potent toxin. It just didn't take effect immediately after he drank it, but after Yin Fengzhan left and Emperor Shuncheng rested and fell asleep, the drug suddenly took effect, and Emperor Shuncheng died in his sleep! This also confirmed the situation when Gao Caiyong went to the bedchamber in the morning, where Emperor Shuncheng appeared as usual!

Furthermore, Gao Caiyong also said that after Yin Fengzhan left, Emperor Shuncheng did not eat or drink anything, so Yin Fengzhan naturally became suspicious!

Therefore, after Gao Caiyong's words fell, Empress Duan's brows twitched, and Crown Prince Yin Fenghan immediately understood and said:

"Hmph~, just as expected... It seems the Fourth Imperial Brother won't be able to get away without a clear explanation!"

As he spoke, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan turned to look at Yin Fengzhan, a flash of extremely sinister and fierce light passing through his narrow eyes! But before Yin Fengzhan could speak, Nie Jinxuan raised her head and glanced at the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?! You ask me what I mean... Didn't Gao Caiyong just make it very clear?! Last night, Prince Chen played chess with the Emperor late at night, and during the game, there were only the two of them in the room. Afterward, the Emperor didn't eat or drink anything, and the next morning he was found dead on the dragon bed! So, I don't need to say it, everyone can imagine what happened! So, besides him, who else could have laid a hand on the Emperor?!"

Everyone present was smart; even if Yin Fenghan didn't say it, they all understood in their hearts. So upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Yin Fengzhan, and even the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, couldn't help but frown and glance at Yin Fengzhan.

For a time, Yin Fengzhan became the target of public criticism. But just then, Nie Jinxuan gave a cold laugh.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you just laughed, didn't you!"

Nie Jinxuan's words were strange. Yin Fenghan was stunned. But before he could recover, Nie Jinxuan continued:

"That's right, you laughed, didn't you! Anguo saw it clearly, and the Crown Prince laughed quite triumphantly... What is it, Your Highness? Now that the Emperor has passed away, everyone is grieving and only wants to find the truth, but you, Your Highness, laughed. May I ask what you are laughing at?"

Yin Fenghan had indeed laughed. He laughed out of triumph. But Yin Fenghan did not expect that even this small detail would be seized by this woman, Nie Jinxuan, and his expression sank.

"Nie Jinxuan, you..."

"What do you want to say, Your Highness? Do you want to say that Anguo is wrong?! Or do you want to explain something? But no matter how you explain it, as the Emperor's son, you, Your Highness, should not have acted like that on this occasion! You must know this in your heart, but why did you do it even though you knew? It must be because you were too happy, so happy that you forgot everything, even the restraint you usually show! Because you, Your Highness, finally found a handle to pin the blame on Prince Chen!"

"But Your Highness, before you get happy, please let Anguo say a word first! It is true that what Eunuch Gao just said is all true, because last night, not only was Prince Chen there, but I was also there! It's just that Prince Chen was playing chess with the Emperor in the bedchamber, while I was sitting in the courtyard with Eunuch Gao, so I naturally know everything about the tea being sent, and I even remember which little palace maid sent it in..."

"However, I ask the Crown Prince and the royal elders and clansmen present to pay attention: it is true that Prince Chen was here last night, but even so, it cannot be confirmed that Prince Chen is the murderer! There are two reasons! First, Prince Chen has no reason to kill the Emperor!"

Speaking to this point, Nie Jinxuan's eyes turned to look at the crowd, and finally fixed her gaze on the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

"Speaking of this matter, I believe you, Fifth Imperial Uncle, should know best. Back then, because of the Noble Consort Ning affair, the Emperor was furious and threw Prince Chen and me into the prison. Afterward, although Prince Chen and I were released, we were placed under house arrest in the palace. Later, various things happened, and the Emperor once wanted to kill Prince Chen in a fit of rage. But even so, although Prince Chen was angry and was having a standoff with the Emperor, he never had any intention to kill! So, if he could survive the most dangerous and hostile times with the Emperor, now that the matter is resolved and the Emperor's heart's knot has been untied, and he even wanted to play chess with Prince Chen, then it is even more impossible for Prince Chen to lay a hand on the Emperor!"

Standing in the center of the courtyard, Nie Jinxuan spoke with resonance. Hearing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle frowned and thought for a while, then nodded.

"Hmm, regarding the Noble Consort Ning affair back then, I know! The facts are indeed as you say!"

In fact, in the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng's heart, he never felt that Yin Fengzhan would be the murderer of Emperor Shuncheng, but he was indeed the last person to see Emperor Shuncheng last night, so naturally, he had to investigate it clearly!

Therefore, in essence, Yin Yanheng was different from Empress Duan and the Crown Prince; he wanted to see the truth, while Empress Duan and the Crown Prince wanted to pin the Emperor's death entirely on Yin Fengzhan. Regardless of whether he was the real murderer or was framed!

It was just that Empress Duan and the Crown Prince did not expect that even without letting Nie Jinxuan perform the autopsy, she could still speak so logically and seize the handle from the subtle details, thereby turning the tables on the Crown Prince!

At this time, hearing Yin Yanheng's agreement, Nie Jinxuan nodded to thank him, then turned her gaze back to Crown Prince Yin Fenghan.

"This is the first point; to put it plainly, Prince Chen has no motive to harm the Emperor! And the second is, now that the Emperor's cause of death is unknown, how can the Crown Prince be sure that the Emperor must have died of poisoning? And that he must have been poisoned by Prince Chen?! Furthermore, even if we take a step back and say that the Emperor really died of a potent toxin, how can the Crown Prince be sure that Prince Chen must be the one who administered the poison?! After all, the Crown Prince must not forget that although there were indeed only the Emperor and Prince Chen in the bedchamber at that time, it is unknown whether the tea was tampered with before it was sent to the bedchamber. For the Crown Prince to be so assertive, doesn't he have other motives?!"

"Moreover, setting aside these two reasons, Prince Chen and I entering the palace last night was also a temporary decision. I cannot explain the specific details, but I can be certain that before this, Prince Chen and I did not intend to enter the palace at that time! At the same time, after finishing the business with the Emperor, Prince Chen and I were originally going to leave, but the Emperor took the initiative to ask Prince Chen to stay... So may I ask the Crown Prince, under such unknown circumstances, how could Prince Chen have the opportunity to poison the Emperor?! Could it be that Prince Chen would carry a potent toxin that would only take effect several hours after consumption, intending to kill the Emperor at any time?!"

With a series of arguments, Nie Jinxuan left Yin Fenghan speechless. Looking at his livid face, unable to speak, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but sneer and turned to look at the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

"Fifth Imperial Uncle, Anguo believes that the Emperor's sudden passing must have a cause! But it is too early to judge who the murderer is now. It would be better to wait for the autopsy results from Old Master Meng before investigating! And according to the time, Old Master Meng should be coming out soon!"

Performing an autopsy on Emperor Shuncheng naturally could not involve cutting, so it would naturally take less time than a normal dissection autopsy.

At this time, putting away her previous aggressiveness, Nie Jinxuan returned to her usual calm. Hearing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, pursed his lips slightly and nodded.

"En, that's fine! Let's wait a while!"

For a time, the courtyard returned to calm. Shortly after, they heard a faint sound from the bedchamber, followed by a *creak* of the door opening. The people in the courtyard were startled, and then they saw Meng Xian walking out with a solemn expression.

Seeing Meng Xian come out, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, stood up abruptly and asked repeatedly:

"Old Meng, how is the Emperor?! What is the cause of death?"

At this time, not only Yin Yanheng, but Nie Jinxuan and the others in the courtyard also stared at Meng Xian, just wanting to know the final answer. Hearing this, Meng Xian frowned slightly and walked to the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Emperor... the Emperor..."

"What about the Emperor?! Hurry up and say it!"

"The Emperor... died of poisoning!"

Finally, Meng Xian stated his autopsy result. Upon hearing this, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, felt his head buzz, and Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan frowned tightly at the same time. After a moment, Nie Jinxuan stepped forward to Meng Xian and asked:

"Old Master Meng, may I ask if you know what kind of poison the Emperor was poisoned with?"

"Three-Hour Powder!"

"Three-Hour Powder? What is that?"

"A potent toxin, slightly white, slightly astringent. After a person eats it, they won't die immediately, but will suddenly take effect and die after three hours! That's why it's called Three-Hour Powder!"

Meng Xian said in a low voice. Upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan was stunned! But at this time, Empress Duan twitched the corners of her lips, raised her eyes, and looked at Nie Jinxuan.

"Princess Consort Anguo, you have nothing to say now, right! Even if you were eloquent just now, the Emperor really was poisoned to death. And he was poisoned with Three-Hour Powder, so now that I say Prince Chen is a suspect, you shouldn't object, right!"

As she spoke, Empress Duan glanced at Nie Jinxuan with disdain again, then looked at Yin Fengzhan, and turned to the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng.

"Fifth Imperial Uncle, although it is not yet clear who harmed the Emperor, Prince Chen is a suspect, so Fifth Imperial Uncle, please uphold justice~!"

"... Alright, since that's the case, let Prince Chen stay in his residence and reflect on his mistakes. Until the truth is clear, he is not allowed to leave the residence! As for the real murderer who killed the Emperor, I will investigate it personally! I will never favor anyone!"

The Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, was a royal elder. Since he had said so, even if others had opinions, it was not easy to say anything more.

Afterward, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, personally led people to deal with Emperor Shuncheng's affairs. The concubines returned to their palaces, the royals left one after another, and Yin Fengzhan turned and walked out directly! Seeing this, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan's eyes were filled with sinister gloom, while Empress Duan pursed her lips and left with Consort Li and the others.

Emperor Shuncheng's sudden passing caught everyone off guard. Afterward, Yin Fengzhan returned directly to Prince Chen's residence, not saying a word along the way. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan was naturally worried. But what Nie Jinxuan didn't expect was that shortly after Yin Fengzhan returned to the residence, the Second Prince, Prince Rui, Yin Fengxiang, the Fifth Prince, Prince Qin, Yin Fenglian, and the Sixth Prince, Prince Gong, Yin Fengxuan, actually followed him to Prince Chen's residence!

At this time, the three princes arriving at Prince Chen's residence together had an obvious purpose. But at this time, Yin Fengzhan, who had just returned to his room, heard they had come and said without thinking:

"I won't see them!"

Yin Fengzhan said it decisively, his handsome face remaining calm. Hearing this, the steward, Gu Hong, who had come to report, couldn't help but look at Yin Fengzhan, hesitated, and then said with difficulty:

"But Your Highness, the Prince of Gong..."

Of the three outside, if it were only Yin Fengxiang and Yin Fenglian, Gu Hong naturally wouldn't say anything more. But now the Prince of Gong, Yin Fengxuan, was also there, and Yin Fengxuan had an extraordinary relationship with Yin Fengzhan since childhood, so Gu Hong was indeed in a difficult position! But upon hearing this, Yin Fengzhan's expression sank instantly, and he roared without thinking:

"Tell them to get lost! I won't see anyone!"

The surging anger erupted at this moment. Even Gu Hong couldn't help but tremble all over, then responded respectfully and walked out... But just then, Nie Jinxuan, who had been silent to the side, called out to him.

"Steward Gu, wait!"

Calling out to Gu Hong, Nie Jinxuan turned to look at Yin Fengzhan and reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Fengzhan, don't be like this! They came because they believe in you! Now that such a big thing has happened, I understand your sadness and anger, but what we can do now is to find out the truth!"

Nie Jinxuan comforted him slowly. Seeing that Yin Fengzhan was silent, Nie Jinxuan stroked his back to make him feel better, then looked up at Gu Hong and said:

"Steward Gu, let the princes in! Bring them directly here!"

"Yes!"

Nodding respectfully, Gu Hong walked out. After a moment, the Prince of Gong, Yin Fengxuan, was the first to rush in, followed by the Prince of Qin, Yin Fenglian, and the Prince of Rui, Yin Fengxiang, who was being pushed in a wheelchair by Lan Ping!

At this time, Yin Fengxuan, who entered the door first, saw Nie Jinxuan was also there, frowned with displeasure, but then pursed his lips and looked at Yin Fengzhan.

"Fourth Brother, what is going on? I'm so confused! The Emperor was fine, how could he..."

Clearly, for the Prince of Gong, Yin Fengxuan, Emperor Shuncheng's sudden passing was a huge blow, and even now, he couldn't believe it was true!

But Yin Fengzhan just sat there, not even looking at him! Seeing this, the Prince of Gong, Yin Fengxuan, became anxious. But just as he was about to step forward to say something, the Prince of Qin, Yin Fenglian, grabbed him.

"Now is not the time to talk about this, we must find out the truth first!"

At this time, the Prince of Qin, Yin Fenglian, rarely put away the smile he usually wore on his face, his slightly furrowed brows revealing indescribable solemnity. Hearing this, the Prince of Rui, Yin Fengxiang, who entered last, raised his hand to dismiss Lan Ping behind him and said:

"Yes, the Fifth Imperial Brother is right! Moreover, now that the Fourth Imperial Brother is under suspicion, whether for the Emperor's sake or the Fourth Imperial Brother's sake, we cannot stand by and watch! It's just that I'm afraid that the Empress and the Crown Prince's side might..."

Yin Fengxuan didn't finish his sentence, but upon hearing the mention of Empress Duan and the Crown Prince, Yin Fengxuan jumped up.

"It's them! If you ask me, it's them who have ulterior motives! You all saw it in the Deyang Hall today! The Empress and the Crown Prince are clearly trying to make the Fourth Brother take the blame! It's highly likely they were the ones who killed the Emperor!"

When he said this, Yin Fengxuan was extremely angry. But the Prince of Qin frowned slightly.

"That's not necessarily true! I actually think this matter shouldn't have anything to do with the Empress and the others!"

Yin Fenglian was lost in thought. At this time, looking at the three people in front of her, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips and said slowly:

"Princes, sit down and talk!"

The matter at hand could not be explained in a few words. Hearing this, the three looked at Nie Jinxuan at the same time and sat down. At this time, Yin Fenglian twitched his brows and looked at Nie Jinxuan.

"But Princess Consort, what do you think about this? Do you also think this matter has something to do with the Empress and the Crown Prince?"

"My thoughts are the same as the Prince of Qin's; I also don't think the murderer is the Empress or the Crown Prince!"

Meeting Yin Fenglian's gaze, Nie Jinxuan said with certainty. But upon hearing this, Yin Fengxuan glared at Nie Jinxuan and said without thinking:

"Nie Jinxuan, how can you be so sure it wasn't them?! Everyone saw the situation in the palace earlier; if they didn't do it, would they have gone to such lengths to frame the Fourth Brother?"

Yin Fengxuan always held a prejudice against Nie Jinxuan, so hearing her say this, he was naturally angry. But Nie Jinxuan just looked at Yin Fengxuan quietly and gave a cold laugh.

"Prince of Gong, may I ask what evidence you have that the Empress and the Crown Prince are suspects? Is it just based on the few words they said earlier? But I can tell you, if that's the case, you are wrong!"

Only one update today, see you tomorrow!