"Today, the ones who forced the imperial abdication were Duke Xu and Prince Ning, but someone else has benefited from this misfortune."
Feng Xi Wu looked intently at Lu Qing Wan. "If my imperial brother is truly poisoned too deeply to be saved, and I am also succumbing to the poison and in grave danger, based on yesterday's situation, a change in dynasty is not impossible."
The scenes from the day played back in Lu Qing Wan's mind, and certain overlooked details became remarkably clear in this moment.
"Although Duke Pei initially didn't show it too obviously, anyone with eyes could see that, like Duke Xu, he wanted His Majesty to abdicate. The only difference was that he wasn't as hasty as Duke Xu. But later, when the rebels stormed the palace, Duke Pei fought with a valor no less than that of the Shen Ce Camp soldiers. Prince Jing even shielded His Majesty with his own body from an arrow. What could have made them change their minds so abruptly?"
After a moment of thought, Feng Xi Wu uttered the only possible answer, "There is only one possibility, and that is..."
"At that moment, they suddenly learned that His Majesty was actually fine?" Lu Qing Wan finished his sentence, their unspoken understanding causing Feng Xi Wu's expression to soften.
"That is precisely what I mean."
Lian Yu slapped the fan in his hand onto the table edge, interrupting their exchange. Ignoring Feng Xi Wu's displeased gaze, he feigned seriousness. "Your inference is very plausible. However, if I recall correctly, the palace was already under the guard of the Shen Ce Camp at that time. Neither Duke Pei nor Prince Jing had any opportunity to contact outsiders. How did they receive this news?"
This was indeed a problem. Even the intelligent Lu Qing Wan was momentarily stumped by this question. Feng Xi Wu, however, looked at Lian Yu with disdain. "Since you've brought this up, it means you already know what happened. Don't keep us in suspense; tell us what you've figured out."
Lu Qing Wan remembered Feng Xi Wu mentioning long ago that Lian Yu had a face of pure asceticism but was actually cunning underneath. Since he was present at the time, perhaps he had indeed discovered something. So, she fixed her large eyes on Lian Yu.
Her blinking eyes were covered by Feng Xi Wu's hand, and Lian Yu's voice, laced with a smile, came through, "Don't you both find the timing of Consort Ye's assassination attempt on His Majesty a bit peculiar?"
Lu Qing Wan pushed Feng Xi Wu's hand away and pondered for a moment. "That's right, the hall descended into chaos after Consort Ye made her move. Duke Pei and Prince Jing also changed their stance after Consort Ye acted. So, Consort Ye's true intention wasn't to assassinate His Majesty, but to alert Duke Pei?"
With that thought, Lu Qing Wan's mind raced. "I recall your intelligence mentioning that Consort Ye is a descendant of the Nan Zhao royal family. She must have been at least a teenager before entering the palace and would have learned some skills in witchery and medicine. Even if she wasn't proficient, she would at least have some basic knowledge. His Majesty was poisoned by a mushroom unique to the southern regions. Do you think there's a possibility that Consort Ye knew he was faking his illness the moment she saw him?"
Just then, Yue'er delivered their late-night snacks. Lu Qing Wan held her bowl and contentedly slurped her noodles, the more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Soon, Li Jin, returning dusty from outside, validated her deduction. "Your Highness, your guess is correct. The one truly cooperating with Consort Ye has always been Duke Pei."
Due to the gravity of the situation, Li Jin reported breathlessly without even pausing to catch his breath. "The mushroom that caused His Majesty's confusion and the hundred-leaf lily that poisoned Your Highness were indeed brought to them by Duke Pei, but Duke Pei himself understood nothing of these things. It was all directed by Consort Ye."
Li Jin then produced a stack of envelopes. "These are the secret correspondence between Consort Ye and Duke Pei. Also, Yang Xi Wen, the commander of the patrol camp who was coerced into rebellion, was also won over with Consort Ye's help."
There were at least ten envelopes in the stack, astonishing Lu Qing Wan. "So many secret letters, where did you find them? Such a significant plot as Consort Ye and Duke Pei conspiring to rebel, were they that careless with their security?"
Li Jin rubbed his nose and gave an embarrassed smile, saying nothing. Li Yang raised an eyebrow at his expression. "Why the long face? Did you go yourself?"
Li Jin had no reservations with Li Yang. "The situation was urgent, and Duke Pei was still in the palace. The people at Duke Pei's residence didn't know what had happened in the palace yet. It was a rare opportunity."
"Indeed." With the favorable timing, location, and human factors, Li Yang could hardly disagree.
Lu Qing Wan, however, was quite surprised. "What do you mean, our Regent's chief steward is also a skilled burglar?"
"Consort, you may not know, but our Li Jin is a disciple of the divine thief Wu Ying. In the entire Da Qian, there are fewer than ten people who can enter and exit the palace as if it were their own backyard. Most of them are top masters like our Prince, possessing unparalleled martial arts. Two of them, Li Jin and his master the divine thief Wu Ying, rely entirely on their superb lightness skill and perfected龟息功 (turtle breath technique)."
Lu Qing Wan clicked her tongue in amazement. "I'm learning something new. So, with such a divine thief as a role model, you don't feel anything when someone steals your belongings?"
As she spoke, she silently revealed a token, which was precisely Li Yang's personal token.
"Consort!" Li Yang jumped up in a fright and snatched the token back. "You, you, you..."
Lu Qing Wan had merely been teasing. Seeing Li Yang startled by her, she felt her mood lift. Turning back to Feng Xi Wu, she spoke of serious matters. "With this evidence, shouldn't we be able to implicate Duke Pei? What do you plan to do?"
"While these secret letters can implicate Duke Pei, they will also completely clear Prince Jing." Feng Xi Wu opened and read the secret letters Li Jin had retrieved one by one. "And that Jiang Ding Wen, he is a Lieutenant General in the Kyoto Garrison's Northern Grand Camp. The moment he entered Wei Yang Palace, he loudly proclaimed Prince Ning and Duke Xu's treason, as if afraid others wouldn't know who the rebels were. However, the Xuan Jia Army was the one I arranged to save His Majesty. How did he get the news? Have any of you considered this?"
Lu Qing Wan silently suppressed her leaping joy. "So, we cannot use these things as evidence to accuse Duke Pei of treason. Instead, we have to happily watch him and Prince Jing be rewarded for their merits, let them think their plan is flawless, and then wait for them to let their guard down and reveal their flaws?"
Feng Xi Wu nodded. "This is indeed the most comprehensive choice."
Lu Qing Wan nodded. "It's quite comprehensive, just a bit frustrating. Moreover, even if you intend to let Duke Pei off the hook for now, you can't just ignore the matter of the hundred-leaf lily, can you? Let alone the fact that it has too many flaws and will arouse suspicion, you can tolerate this flower that almost cost you your life?"
Lu Qing Wan was asking Feng Xi Wu, but her attitude was very clear: "You can tolerate it, but I cannot." She, Lu Xiao Mo Nü, did not have such a good temper to forgive the culprit who nearly sent the man she cherished and cared for to the underworld, all within a few hours of her not seeing him!