Chapter 249

A Dragon Lying in Shallow Water

A dragon lying in shallow water. Now that Yin Fengzhan could not leave the residence, everything fell on Nie Jinxuan. At this time, Empress Duan letting the Prince of Yun, Yin Fengjin, and the Duan family heir, Duan Rufei, come out was naturally for ulterior motives!

Especially Duan Rufei; after all, Duan Rufei was not a royal, and coming out to investigate at this time was indeed not very convincing. But Empress Duan still did it, and this was clearly to remind everyone that she, Duan Yuechan, not only had the Crown Prince, Yin Fenghan, who was about to ascend the throne, but also the Duan family, who held heavy military power in the court, to support her!

Therefore, Yin Fengxuan was the first to stand up and oppose Duan Rufei's joining, but Nie Jinxuan remained calm and didn't take the other party to heart at all.

The matter was settled, and from the next day, Nie Jinxuan and the others acted separately. But what Nie Jinxuan didn't expect was that early the next morning, when Nie Jinxuan was about to leave the residence, Qiu Pingting came!

Actually, for these days, Qiu Pingting had been worried about Nie Jinxuan. After all, since the flower viewing banquet last time, Emperor Shuncheng first conferred the title of Princess Consort on Nie Jinxuan, but then betrothed her to Mo Yujue, which made Qiu Pingting, who was also at the scene, feel terrified. Afterward, she wanted to see Nie Jinxuan after the banquet, but didn't expect Nie Jinxuan to be thrown into prison!

Qiu Pingting naturally didn't know the details. But it was precisely because she didn't know that she was even more anxious. Therefore, as soon as she learned that Nie Jinxuan had come out of the palace, she ran over... It was just that early yesterday morning, Qiu Pingting went to the Nie residence, and the Nie family told her that Nie Jinxuan was temporarily staying at Prince Chen's residence. So this morning, Qiu Pingting went to Prince Chen's residence early to block Nie Jinxuan!

Qiu Pingting looked worried and anxious. So as soon as they met, Qiu Pingting grabbed Nie Jinxuan's hand and said:

"Sister Xuan, I was so worried about you these days! But now that I know you are fine, I can rest assured!"

As she spoke, Qiu Pingting made a look of relief. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan laughed.

"Hehe~, I'm sorry, I made Pingting worry. But some things happened before, and I had no choice..."

"Alright, Sister Xuan, I know~! I'm not here to blame you, I just wanted to come and see you~!"

Qiu Pingting looked naive, the morning sun shining on her face, revealing a bright glow of vitality. But speaking to this point, Qiu Pingting glanced at Nie Jinxuan, then looked at Shui Yun and Xiao Xiu standing at the door, and was stunned.

"Uh... Sister Xuan, are you going out?"

After such a long time, it was rare to see Nie Jinxuan, so Qiu Pingting naturally hoped to talk more with her. So seeing Nie Jinxuan about to go out, she was curious. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan's expression tightened.

"Yes, I'm just about to go out! I suppose you have received the news too. Now that the Emperor has suddenly passed away, but the cause of death is a mystery, and the Prince is under suspicion, so I'm going out to investigate!"

"Ah? The Prince is under suspicion? How could this happen?"

Qiu Pingting had heard the news of Emperor Shuncheng's passing. After all, the Qiu family was also a first-rank Duke's residence, and Duke Qi was a loyal official of the court, so the news was naturally well-informed. It was just that Qiu Pingting didn't expect Yin Fengzhan to be suspected as the murderer!

Looking at Qiu Pingting's surprised look, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips.

"Yes, but the Prince is innocent! So I must find out the truth!"

At this time, Nie Jinxuan looked determined. Hearing this, Qiu Pingting's bright and beautiful face also tightened, and she held Nie Jinxuan's hand and said:

"Good, Sister Xuan, then I will help! More people mean more strength, I will definitely not cause you any trouble!"

Nie Jinxuan didn't want Qiu Pingting to intervene, but looking at her serious expression, she had to nod.

Afterward, Nie Jinxuan took Qiu Pingting directly to the Prince of Rui's residence to meet with Yin Fengxiang! When Nie Jinxuan and Qiu Pingting arrived at the Prince of Rui's residence, Yin Fengjin and Duan Rufei, sent by Empress Duan, had already arrived. But when she saw another person, Nie Jinxuan was stunned, and this person was the Third Prince of Tiancheng—Ye Yushu!

Ye Yushu's appearance was something Nie Jinxuan hadn't expected! At this time, looking at him standing there in a sky-blue Confucian robe, holding a sandalwood fan, looking gentle and scholarly, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but frown!

At this time, Qiu Pingting, who was beside Nie Jinxuan, leaned over and whispered:

"Sister Xuan, let me tell you, you were in the palace these days, so you don't know... After the last flower viewing banquet, this Third Prince of Tiancheng has been very close to the Crown Prince's group. I heard my father say that they call each other brothers in private! And it's not just him, but also Princess Consort Qionghua who came with him; recently she moved directly into the Crown Prince's residence and is as close as can be with the Crown Prince's consort, Zhen Xiao Lian! They are almost inseparable! So Sister Xuan, you must be careful, don't be fooled by his smiling face. I can be sure that this person is definitely not a good person!"

Qiu Pingting whispered in Nie Jinxuan's ear. As she finished, she glanced at Ye Yushu. Then Qiu Pingting pursed her small mouth and turned her head to the side!

At this time, hearing Qiu Pingting's words, Nie Jinxuan didn't show it on the surface, but her heart sank.

Now that Emperor Shuncheng had passed away, if there were no other accidents, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan would definitely inherit the throne. Yin Fenghan had always been at odds with Yin Fengzhan, but based on Yin Fengzhan's status in the court, even if Yin Fenghan hated Yin Fengzhan to the bone, he wouldn't move against Yin Fengzhan in the short term for the sake of the big picture!

But now that the Third Prince of Tiancheng was so close to the Crown Prince and the others, it was not a good thing! After all, if it were just Yin Fenghan, he wouldn't be able to do many things after just ascending the throne, but once he had the support of Tiancheng, it would be different... Moreover, Yin Fenghan was a treacherous and vengeful person, so in the future...

Thinking of this, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips. At this time, the people in the room heard the sound and turned their heads. Seeing it was Nie Jinxuan, the Prince of Rui, Yin Fengxiang, was the first to smile.

"Princess Consort, you're here~!"

Yin Fengxiang was as gentle as ever, his beautiful and transparent face carrying a warmth that warmed people's hearts. Nie Jinxuan also smiled slightly at Yin Fengxiang, but then quietly turned to look at Qiu Pingting, and sure enough, she saw the little girl blushing, looking shy.

Nie Jinxuan knew what was going on, but then she stepped forward two steps.

"Yes, sorry to keep you and everyone waiting!"

Nie Jinxuan remained quiet and gentle. But just as Nie Jinxuan's voice fell, Duan Rufei, who was to the side, raised his sword-like brows.

"The Princess Consort is busy with official business, so naturally you cannot be compared with us, understood understood~!"

At the flower viewing banquet in the palace last time, Duan Rufei had some unpleasantness with Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan. So meeting again this time, Duan Rufei naturally wouldn't give Nie Jinxuan a pleasant look! Hearing this, Qiu Pingting was furious, but before she could speak, Nie Jinxuan secretly held her back.

"I wouldn't say busy with official business, but there are indeed some things. However, since Young Master Duan can understand, Anguo expresses her gratitude!"

Blocking the blow, Nie Jinxuan answered calmly. Hearing this, Duan Rufei's expression stiffened, and he gave a cold snort and turned his head to the side. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan's expression tightened, but just then, the Prince of Yun, Yin Fengjin, moved his eyes and said:

"Alright, since you're here, let's get down to business! Yesterday I heard the Empress say that Princess Consort Anguo wanted to help investigate the case, so she let me and Brother Duan come to help... Now that we are all here, I don't know what the Princess Consort wants to investigate first?"

The Prince of Yun, Yin Fengjin, was unexpectedly straightforward today! Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan turned her gaze to him.

"I wonder if the Prince of Yun has any plans?"

"No plans! After all, when it comes to investigating cases, you are more experienced, aren't you? So I will just follow the Princess Consort's arrangements!"

"Good! Since that's the case, then Anguo will speak... Anguo feels that now, although the Emperor's cause of death has been investigated by Old Master Meng of the Ministry of Punishments, there were many people in the palace yesterday, and many things were not explained clearly, so Anguo wants to visit Old Master Meng again!"

"Good! Then let's go!"

The Prince of Yun, Yin Fengjin's, cooperation surprised Nie Jinxuan. But cooperation was better than causing trouble, so Nie Jinxuan was happy to see it happen, and the group took a carriage directly to Meng Xian's house!

Meng Xian lived in a small alley in the west of the city. A separate small courtyard with three rooms, it was simple and plain.

So when the group arrived at Meng Xian's door, Duan Rufei was the first to frown and said in a low voice:

"What a dump this is!"

Duan Rufei's disgust was so obvious. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan, who was walking in front, glanced at him sideways, but ignored him and signaled to Zhongli beside her. Zhongli immediately stepped forward to knock on the door. After a while, the door opened, and a woman poked her head out.

"Uh... may I ask, who are you looking for?"

The woman was in her early twenties, dressed in plain clothes, wearing a simple wooden hairpin, and looked very simple. Just as Zhongli was about to speak, Nie Jinxuan stepped forward quickly and said gently:

"Sister, may I ask if Old Master Meng is at home?"

"Oh, you're looking for the old master! He is, he is, please come in!"

As she spoke, the young woman let Nie Jinxuan and the others into the courtyard, and while walking, she said to Nie Jinxuan:

"The old master is at home, lying in the room, come on, come in directly... Dad, a young lady brought some distinguished guests to see you~!"

The young woman was very enthusiastic. As she finished, she led Nie Jinxuan and the others into the room. Then, as soon as she entered the room, Nie Jinxuan saw Meng Xian leaning on the *couch reading a book.

Hearing the movement, Meng Xian looked up, and seeing it was Nie Jinxuan, he was stunned, then put the book aside and made a move to get off the *couch... But Nie Jinxuan stepped forward first and supported him.

"Alright, Old Master Meng, we are so familiar, since you are not feeling well, just lie down, it doesn't matter!"

Saying this with a smile, Nie Jinxuan helped Meng Xian settle down. Then, after a simple conversation, Nie Jinxuan stated her purpose directly.

"Old Master Meng, to tell you the truth, today I came with the princes and Young Master Duan, actually for the Emperor's matter..."

"Oh? The Emperor's matter? Could it be that the Princess Consort is asking about the autopsy? But regarding the result, I already said it yesterday, so I don't know what else the Princess Consort wants to know?"

Meng Xian was puzzled, but Nie Jinxuan smiled slightly.

"Old Master is right, everyone naturally knows the result of the autopsy. It's just that there were too many people yesterday, and the matter was urgent, so there are still unclear points regarding the details, so I wanted to ask you about it..."

"Oh, alright, Princess Consort, please ask."

Understanding Nie Jinxuan's meaning, Meng Xian moved his body and looked at Nie Jinxuan. At this time, Nie Jinxuan's expression tightened.

"May I ask Old Master, yesterday when performing the autopsy, from what conditions did you judge that the Emperor was poisoned with Three-Hour Powder?"

"The Emperor was pale all over, his fingernails were black, his tongue was dark purple, and he emitted a sour and rotten smell, so I judged he was poisoned with Three-Hour Powder!"

"Then may I ask if you found any external injuries on the Emperor, or any signs of damage?"

"No."

"So, the Emperor must have accidentally ingested Three-Hour Powder beforehand, which led to the incident?"

"It should be so."

Meng Xian's answers were as rigorous and calm as ever. But at this time, Nie Jinxuan frowned and asked again:

"Then may I ask Old Master, did you find Three-Hour Powder on the Emperor?"

"No!"

Meng Xian remained expressionless. But hearing this, Nie Jinxuan frowned even tighter. At this time, Duan Rufei to the side gave a cold laugh and said as if talking to himself:

"It seems the Emperor really died after drinking the tea from before!"

Duan Rufei said, glancing at Nie Jinxuan sideways. At this time, Nie Jinxuan narrowed her eyes, but then stood up and smiled at Meng Xian.

"Hehe~, alright, Jinxuan knows everything now. Sorry to trouble you, Old Master, please forgive me!"

"Not at all! Princess Consort is too polite~!"

"Then that's it, Jinxuan won't disturb you anymore!"

Speaking to this point, Nie Jinxuan nodded at Meng Xian, then turned to walk out... But just after walking two steps, Nie Jinxuan stopped again.

"By the way, Old Master Meng, there is one thing I forgot..."

Nie Jinxuan spoke suddenly. Hearing this, Meng Xian, who had just lowered his eyes, was stunned, then looked up at Nie Jinxuan again.

"What is it?"

"Hehe~, nothing, Jinxuan just wanted to say, yesterday when I saw you enter the palace, you were fine, how come you are on the *sickbed today? What kind of illness is it? Have you seen a doctor?"

Second update uploaded, see you tomorrow!