“White Jade Lotus Root?”

Hearing Wang Teng mention this item, Chen Yuan frowned slightly, seemingly not quite understanding what was so unusual about a mere white jade lotus root.

But after Wang Teng took it out, Chen Yuan understood.

The white jade lotus root was presented in a jade box, flawlessly white, with three sections, as thick as an infant's arm, and with some holes.

Clearly, this white jade lotus root was a simulation, even possessing drainage function.

Looking at the ‘Mr. Lotus Root’ in the jade box, Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes. Now, he understood, and he was also astonished by the Consort Shu's prowess.

Her methods were indeed unfathomable....

But thinking about it, it was normal. Emperor Jingtai had abstained from women for several years, so these concubines in the harem naturally had to find their own ways to alleviate their troubles.

"My lord.... this thing...."

Wang Teng said hesitantly.

"Put it away for now." Chen Yuan waved his hand.

To be honest, when he saw this Mr. Lotus Root, he had vaguely guessed something, and the answer was almost obvious. However, he couldn't be certain yet.

Otherwise, it might be considered an insult to Consort Shu.

An old eunuch surnamed Zhao, with slightly narrowed eyes, slowly stepped forward and said:

"Commander Chen, have you found anything?"

Chen Yuan glanced at him without showing any emotion:

"What? Does this official have to report every little detail to Eunuch Zhao?"

Eunuch Zhao: "This old servant was just asking."

"Have the two palace maids from Consort Shu's side been brought here?" Chen Yuan ignored him and asked the two men outside the door.

"My lord, the prisoners have been brought in."

A Sky Patrol Guard bowed.

"Bring them in."

With Chen Yuan's order, the two palace maids were immediately dragged into Consort Shu's palace. They could be seen to have been tortured quite miserably, their clothes were tattered, their hair was disheveled, and even their pupils were somewhat dull.

"Is this how you interrogate prisoners?"

Chen Yuan asked with a frown.

This was clearly a forced confession.

Several attendants beside Eunuch Zhao smiled awkwardly, not daring to answer, and stood respectfully behind him.

Chen Yuan slowly walked forward, stared at the two palace maids, and said in a deep voice:

"This official is ordered to investigate the cause of Consort Shu's death. You two are the most suspicious. If you want to live, don't delay in the slightest. Otherwise... not only will you die, but your families will also have to die."

Hearing the words that went deep into their ears, the two dull palace maids gradually regained their senses. One of them quickly sobbed and said:

"I beg you, my lord, to find out the truth. Sister Xiu'er and I are truly wronged."

"Then don't hide anything."

"We won't hide anything, we won't hide anything. Ask away, my lord."

The palace maid who spoke nodded repeatedly.

Heaven knows what kind of torture they had suffered from last night to today. Now that they saw a glimmer of hope, they were naturally unwilling to let it go. However, the palace maid named Xiu'er on the side was still somewhat dull.

She wasn't as respectful as the palace maid in front of her, as if she had been tortured too much and no longer had much desire to live.

"When did Consort Shu develop the habit of moon-gazing?" Chen Yuan asked in a deep voice.

The palace maid thought for a moment and replied:

"Consort Shu often gazed at the moon from more than two years ago."

"Two years ago?"

Chen Yuan clicked his tongue. This time span was really long.

"Did she do it every few days?"

"Almost every seven days or so..."

"Was it fixed?"

"No... not fixed." The palace maid answered thoughtfully.

"Has there been anything unusual recently?"

"Recently..." The palace maid lowered her head and said softly:

"Consort Shu has been gazing at the moon more often recently than before. Before, she would do it every few days, but since about seven days ago, she has been going to the pavilion to gaze at the moon almost every day."

"Did she show any unusual behavior?"

"No... no."

"Think carefully. Every word you say concerns your lives." Chen Yuan reminded.

"This servant understands, this servant understands."

The palace maid nodded hastily.

"Why didn't you follow Consort Shu when she was gazing at the moon?"

Chen Yuan paced back and forth in Consort Shu's palace, asking the questions he had been thinking about before. After excluding all the questions, it would be much easier to investigate.

"Consort Shu likes peace and quiet, and she hasn't allowed this servant to follow her since half a year ago."

"Likes peace and quiet?"

"Yes, Consort Shu is very quiet and serene."

"Then what is this?"

Chen Yuan pointed to the white jade lotus root in Wang Ping's hand and asked.

The palace maid's face naturally showed a hint of shyness, and she said in a low voice:

"This... this servant doesn't know."

"Really don't know?"

"Yes... it's something that Consort Shu often plays with."

Chen Yuan nodded. It was obvious at a glance that the white jade lotus root was often played with, otherwise it wouldn't be so white, flawless, and translucent. Jade, like walnuts, would develop a thicker patina the more it was played with.

"When Consort Shu fell into the water that day, did you hear any sound?" Chen Yuan changed the topic, no longer dwelling on the previous one.

If he continued to talk about it, he would be censored....

"This servant really didn't hear any sound. Consort Shu had long instructed us not to disturb her moon-gazing, no matter what happened.

Before, an older sister accidentally heard Consort Shu exclaim and wanted to run up to check, but Consort Shu slapped her a few times and drove her away from her side."

The palace maid said quickly.

"No sound at all that day?"

"No."

"Didn't hear her fall into the water?"

Chen Yuan had already seen the pavilion. From the top to the dark pool, it was at least ten meters high. A large, living person falling into the water would be like a huge rock, and the sound it made couldn't be small.

And the two palace maids couldn't have been too far away.

"No..."

"No?"

Chen Yuan nodded. From this, it could be completely deduced that Consort Shu's death was not simple. There must have been an expert who sealed their five senses and six consciousnesses.

"When did you discover Consort Shu's body?"

"It was about at Hai hour. Usually, Consort Shu should have come down by then, but she didn't come down after a long time. This servant mustered up the courage to go up and take a look.

But she found nothing. Sister Xiu'er inadvertently looked down and found that Consort Shu was... was floating on the surface of the pool." Mentioning this matter,

The little palace maid's eyes still had some fear, showing how great the impact had been on them at the time.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes:

"Did Consort Shu go moon-gazing the day before yesterday as well?"

"She... she did."

"Well, let's go take a look at Consort Shu's body first." Chen Yuan nodded, no longer asking any more questions.

He already knew what he wanted to know. Now, he only needed to investigate who the murderer was. Regarding the cause of death, it must have been murder, because this Consort Shu had probably given Emperor Jingtai a green hat.

No wonder this matter should not be publicized; it was really not honorable.

And it was obvious that he was not the only one who realized this. Otherwise, the harem would never have been in such a state.

Now, what he needed to investigate was who dared to put a green hat on the Emperor's head?

It was simply as if they were tired of living....

Because the day before yesterday was when the seven-star alignment phenomenon occurred. The entire capital was covered in dark clouds. Where could anyone go to gaze at the moon?

Clearly, she had gone to meet her lover in secret.

Consort Shu's body was stored in the palace's ice cellar to preserve it. One reason was to facilitate the investigation, and the other was to make it easier for her to be encoffined. How could a noble person be buried smelling foul?

The group left Consort Shu's palace and went straight to the ice cellar. There were guards at the door, but with the old eunuch present, no one dared to stop them. However, when they entered, several old nannies joined Chen Yuan and the others.

It seemed that they were preparing to keep a close watch on them.

Chen Yuan didn't pay attention to them. He walked forward and examined Consort Shu's body. She might have looked good before, but after being soaked in the pool water, Consort Shu's body was still somewhat swollen.

She lay quietly in the ice coffin.

Chen Yuan's gaze swept over Consort Shu's body, pausing for a moment on her fingernails. Except for the middle finger and index finger, which had no fingernails, the rest of her fingernails were not short.

He examined them one by one, but unfortunately, he didn't find any debris on them.

At the same time, Chen Yuan opened his five senses and carefully smelled Consort Shu's body, checking for the smell of deoxyribonucleic acid. If there was any, it would confirm that the Emperor had been given a green hat.

Unfortunately, it seemed that too much time had passed, and he didn't smell anything.

"Please remove Consort Shu's clothes." Chen Yuan wanted to take a closer look.

"Absolutely not."

The old eunuch quickly jumped out to stop him.

This was a great crime of insulting Consort Shu's body. He had said before that this was not allowed.

"No need to remove all of them; the important ones can be left." Chen Yuan said in a deep voice.

He wasn't interested in looking at a dead person's body either.

The old nannies hesitated, not taking action immediately, but placing their eyes on the old eunuch, as if only his permission would do.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan said indifferently:

"This official is ordered to investigate the case. Does Eunuch Zhao want to stop me?"

"Of course not.... It's just... this...."

"Even the people from the Ministry of Justice have to take a close look at the body when investigating a case. Without evidence, how can we investigate the case?"

The old eunuch was silent for a moment before nodding.

The old nannies immediately understood and stepped forward to remove most of Consort Shu's clothes, leaving only a few strips of cloth. Wang Teng and the others also turned their bodies away.

Chen Yuan's eyes were calm as he carefully examined Consort Shu's body. He couldn't see anything before removing her clothes, but after removing them, he could feel that the swelling in her abdomen was relatively high.

If there were no accidents, it should be because she had drunk too much water.

Chen Yuan's eyes were like scanners, carefully examining the details. Most places had no problems, but after removing her clothes and smelling again, he suddenly smelled a very faint smell of ink.

However, this smell was very faint and seemed to have been concealed. Even with his five senses fully open, he could only barely detect it.

Frowning, Chen Yuan had the nannies turn Consort Shu over and examined her again.

This time, Chen Yuan focused on the faint smell of ink. The more he immersed himself, the more he could feel that this ink was very fragrant and probably not ordinary.

Staring at Consort Shu's body, Chen Yuan was silent for a long time before slowly extending a finger and placing it on her swollen belly. Then, he revealed a faint smile.

Good lord, what was inside Consort Shu's belly wasn't water.....

"Alright."

Chen Yuan confirmed that he had memorized all the details and turned to the nannies and said.

Afterwards, he led his men out of the ice cellar and returned to Consort Shu's palace.

The two palace maids were still being held in custody. Chen Yuan walked forward and casually asked:

"Did Consort Shu like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting when she was alive?"

"Consort Shu liked music and often played tunes."

"What about calligraphy and painting?"

"This servant has never seen it."

Chen Yuan nodded. At this point, it was already very clear. The faint smell of ink should have been left by the murderer.

"Lord Chen, have you discovered anything?"

"Please, Eunuch Zhao, bring all the types of ink in the palace for me to examine."

Eunuch Zhao's eyes flickered. He nodded and gave an order. Several eunuchs immediately turned and left, while Chen Yuan slowly squatted down and continued to ask:

"Has Consort Shu written anything recently?"

"No... no."

"Have you smelled any ink on Consort Shu's body?"

"No... no, we have only smelled the scent of sandalwood on Consort Shu's body."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly.

Soon, the eunuchs who had left earlier brought out nine types of ink and placed them in front of Chen Yuan. He smelled them one by one, and finally found the familiar feeling on the seventh ink.

"What kind of ink is this?"

"Dragon Fragrance Ink."

Eunuch Zhao replied.

"Who in the palace likes to use this kind of ink?"

Eunuch Zhao frowned and thought for a moment:

"Several princes and His Majesty like this ink very much."

Chen Yuan was stunned to hear this. Could it be that the person who was having an affair with Consort Shu wasn't a palace guard?

Was it a damn prince?

"Besides the princes and His Majesty, who else uses this Dragon Fragrance Ink?"

"Lord Chen, this is a special fragrance ink for the imperial family. It would be presumptuous for ordinary people to use it."

Chen Yuan understood. That meant that the range had now been narrowed down to the princes in the palace.

Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that someone was framing someone.

It was also possible that they were deliberately creating confusion.

Chen Yuan's mind kept thinking about the clues he had discovered. He walked around Consort Shu's palace and casually asked:

"Have the princes come to the palace recently?"

"It's still the same as usual. They come every few days, except for the Fourth Prince."

"The Fourth Prince."

Chen Yuan's steps suddenly stopped. Before, he had been thinking about which prince was the most likely, but Eunuch Zhao's words suddenly gave him a flash of inspiration.

He had heard that Sima Ke was impeached by Guo Peng for colluding with Japanese warriors, and then Jingtai imprisoned him in the palace to calm down.

However, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Now, when he thought about it again.... It seemed... quite possible.

Without mentioning the other princes for the time being, just considering the possibility that the Fourth Prince was the murderer, it seemed to make sense. He was being punished by Jingtai to copy Taoist and Buddhist scriptures, so it was normal for him to have the smell of Dragon Fragrance Ink on him.

He was strong and vigorous, and it was precisely when his blood was strong.

Moreover.... He remembered that the pavilion was very close to the Chunhua Palace....

Adding all of this together, the suspicion on Sima Ke became greater.

Although this was Chen Yuan's reasoning and imagination, it wouldn't be difficult to find more evidence. As long as he could find out from the palace maid's testimony,

Consort Shu had been moon-gazing for more than just a day or two.

As long as he connected the time Sima Ke entered the palace with that, he would naturally be able to associate them.

And if he dissected Consort Shu and took out the stillborn child from her belly and compared it with Sima Ke, that would be ironclad evidence!

Sima Ke, ah, Sima Ke.

It's not that I want to harm you; it's entirely that you're courting death.

A light flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes.

As long as the evidence was conclusive, Chen Yuan could completely nail Sima Ke!

From then on, he would be cast into the mortal world. One could imagine how serious it would be once Jingtai found out that his son had given him a green hat.

There was a high probability of a death sentence!

And the feud between him and Sima Ke would also be completely settled.

Chen Yuan had wanted to kill this guy for a long time, but he had been unable to do so because of his identity. After all, no matter what, he was a prince of the dynasty, flowing with Jingtai's blood.

But now, this identity was exactly what would put him to death.

"Commander Chen, have you found the murderer?" Eunuch Zhao suddenly stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

Chen Yuan's eyes were full of light. He was just about to tell Eunuch Zhao to check the time Sima Ke entered the palace, but he suddenly closed his mouth just as he was about to say it.

He suddenly thought of what Jingtai had told him before: don't publicize it, and don't let outsiders know.

If he said Sima Ke's name, wouldn't he be clearly attributing Consort Shu's death to Sima Ke? As long as he continued to investigate,

The scandal of a prince giving the emperor a green hat would spread throughout the capital.

The public opinion was unstoppable.

But if he didn't say it, wouldn't that mean he was doing a poor job?

Just as Chen Yuan was wondering whether to continue investigating Sima Ke, he suddenly thought more deeply: anyone with a normal IQ could know that Consort Shu's death was murder and not an accidental drowning.

Then....

Why weren't these people investigating carefully?

These clues seemed meticulous, but if they were really investigated thoroughly, they would definitely be able to find these clues and deduce that Sima Ke was the murderer.

Moreover, would no one really notice that Consort Shu was pregnant?

As long as one had some cultivation, it would be easy to notice this.

But they pretended not to know and only tortured the two palace maids. It really didn't seem like something a normal person would do. Obviously.... Someone in the palace had already thought of this, but they were just unwilling to interfere.

Even thinking further, perhaps the old eunuch beside Chen Yuan knew that this matter was related to Sima Ke, but he was deliberately pretending to be stupid and inducing him to associate it with Sima Ke.

Also,

Was this instigated by someone?

Framing Sima Ke?

Chen Yuan cursed inwardly. How could so many things come to light just by thinking about it?

Moreover, what was Jingtai's intention?

Was it really just to find out the cause of Consort Shu's death?

Did he let him investigate only because he didn't want to alarm too many people?

"Perhaps..... It's not that simple. Are they all using him as a pawn to play games?"

This was a deeper thought.

"This official hasn't found anything yet. Why does it seem like Eunuch Zhao has already thought of something?" Chen Yuan turned his eyes and asked indifferently.

Eunuch Zhao smiled:

"This old servant is dull. How could I think of these things?"

"This case is not that complicated, but it still needs to be investigated carefully. Hmm... take this official to Chunhua Palace to pay a visit to Consort Gui first."

Regardless of anything else, Consort Gui probably wouldn't want His Majesty to know about this, right?