096, Yu Nanfeng Seeks Death

Lord Yue glanced at the Fourth Prince as well, then said, "Linglong, what do you think?"

Yue Linglong gave a few soft sobs and said, "Father, I have no choice now. I will obey whatever His Majesty and Father arrange."

A fine way of putting it, making herself seem so wronged, as if becoming the Fourth Prince's consort were some grave injustice to her.

Imperial Consort Xian's face darkened. She had not expected her son to be set up by Yue Linglong.

At this point, the Emperor would no longer hold Yu Nanfeng in high regard.

She was struck with a sudden pang of sorrow and said bitterly, "Well, then, this cheap daughter-in-law has been a bargain for me after all."

Yu Nanfeng's reaction was even fiercer. He had long seen through what sort of person Yue Linglong was, and all his thoughts were now fixed on Yue Qianxue.

Even if he could not be with Yue Qianxue, he still had no wish to marry a woman he did not want.

He said coldly, "Yue Linglong, you schemed against this prince today, hoping to become a prince's consort? Fine. Then go be a widow!"

Yu Nanfeng had his own pride. Now that he had been framed by a woman like this, how was he supposed to hold his head up in the future?

The change came in an instant. Yu Nanfeng rose abruptly and hurled himself toward the pillar in the Imperial Study.

"Feng'er!"

Imperial Consort Xian widened her eyes and cried out at once, trying to make Yu Nanfeng stop.

But who could still restrain him now? Even the eunuchs lacked the strength; all were shoved aside by the impact.

"Fourth Brother!"

Yu Zhiyang had never really believed Yu Nanfeng would do such a thing, but after seeing this, he was certainly convinced.

If he had truly done it, Yu Nanfeng would have admitted it. Now he was even willing to stake his life on it. That would be far too tragic!

He hurriedly struck out with a palm, and a fierce wave of force knocked Yu Nanfeng to the ground.

Yu Nanfeng fell injured, coughing several times. Failing even in his attempt to die, he glared at Yu Zhiyang with hatred and said, "Why did you stop me? Would dying in exchange for my innocence not be enough?!"

Yu Zhiyang's heart was filled with grief and anger. He shot a glare at Yue Linglong before turning to Yue Qianxue.

Yue Qianxue indeed looked extremely weak, her face deathly pale, but he still could not help asking, "Miss Yue, what is your view on this matter?"

Everyone in the Imperial Study was rather surprised that Yu Zhiyang was asking Yue Qianxue for her opinion. It was truly peculiar.

Yue Qianxue was only a woman, and moreover merely Yuan Tianci's disciple. What was there to ask her about?

Yet Yu Zhiyang narrowed his eyes and kept his gaze on her.

Yuan Tianci secretly nudged Yue Qianxue, apparently understanding that Yu Zhiyang knew Yue Qianxue's identity and now wanted to have her step in.

But if Yue Qianxue were to reveal her skills now, would that not expose everything?

What was Yue Qianxue to do?

Then Yue Qianxue leaned close to Yuan Tianci's ear and said only one sentence: "Tianci, today let you properly be a master for once."

Yuan Tianci froze. "What?"

At that moment Yue Qianxue nodded and said in a measured voice, "Master, I understand."

Yuan Tianci was still somewhat dazed, but he immediately understood Yue Qianxue's intent in doing this.

He also pretended to give a soft hum and said, "Today is just right. Let us see whether you have truly applied yourself. Go on."

Yue Qianxue stood up, and Hua Tao quickly came to support her.

She lifted the teacup, looked at it, then sniffed it.

Yue Qianxue frowned slightly. She had not expected Yue Linglong to be quite so clever, able to understand even such things.

She looked at Yuan Tianci and said, "Master reminded me just now that there is a medicinal herb in this tea, used for nourishment, to promote the flow of qi and blood."

Yuan Tianci nodded. That was indeed correct; he had also checked it, but the herb was very ordinary and posed no problem.

"Master Tianci wanted to test whether I could find the source, did he not?"

"Exactly," Yuan Tianci said smoothly.

Though inwardly he was somewhat guilty, even he did not know what there was left to test!

This time, Yue Qianxue truly treated him as her master.

Yue Qianxue then asked, "May I ask whether all the items from the private room at Gold Thousand House have been brought here?"

Concubine Xu immediately said, "What does that have to do with anything? The Fourth Prince himself said he only drank the tea! Xue'er, don't pretend to understand when you don't. Your younger sister is in trouble now, and you're still speaking sarcastically?"

"Concubine Xu, I only want to give everyone the truth. If someone has been wronged in this matter, no one can rest easy," Yue Qianxue said. "If there is someone who has brought shame upon herself, then what more is there to say?"

Concubine Xu snapped, "Brought shame? You're insulting Linglong! As her elder sister, is this how you conduct yourself? Besides, the Fourth Prince has taken a liking to you now. You are coveting the position of Fourth Prince's consort, which is why you don't want to seek justice for your sister!"

Yue Qianxue's expression remained calm, though she was indeed somewhat angered. After all, this was not her own wish, yet it was being forced upon her. It was truly absurd.

Yu Zhiyang raised a hand. "Verbal sparring is useless. Whether Miss Yue can uncover the truth or not, we all have eyes and can see for ourselves."

With that said, Concubine Xu no longer dared speak.

She only hoped that Yue Qianxue had no real ability and was merely putting on a show.

As for Imperial Consort Xian, seeing Yue Qianxue like this, and remembering that Yue Qianxue had once saved Yu Nanfeng, she was more inclined to trust her.

Imperial Consort Xian immediately said, "Come, bring over everything from Gold Thousand House."

Because the matter had blown up so badly, suspicious items had already been moved into the palace earlier.

At this point the Imperial Study grew even more crowded, everyone watching to see what Yue Qianxue would do.

Yue Qianxue looked over the dishes, then at a few decorative objects.

Finally her gaze settled on a vase, where the flowers were blooming in full splendor.

She said casually, "Now that Gold Thousand House has been bought by the Yan family, it really is quite nice. Even the private rooms are decorated with such lovely flowers. With prices that high, I suppose it's only natural."

Yue Linglong stared at the vase, then looked away and clutched her sleeve, a little nervous.

Yue Qianxue walked over, calm and unhurried.

Yu Zhiyang knew that Yue Qianxue sometimes liked to be enigmatic, and Yue Linglong was indeed somewhat flustered.

He also stepped forward. The fragrance of the flowers was truly strong. At a distance it was still somewhat fresh and pleasant, but up close it was no good at all; it made one's head feel faint.

Yu Zhiyang said, "Could the trick be in these flowers?"

Yue Qianxue gave a light laugh and had an eunuch bring a pair of chopsticks. The fully bloomed flowers naturally had nothing wrong with them, but there were also some buds that had not yet opened. She used the chopsticks to pry one open, then pinched out a tiny yellow substance from inside. At once, the strange fragrance grew even more intense.

Yu Zhiyang covered his nose lightly and frowned. "What is this?"

Yue Qianxue said, "Just a rather vulgar kind of incense. But when mixed with the medicinal herb in the tea, it can muddle a person's mind and make them do things they should not do. Am I right, Master Tianci?"

Yuan Tianci nodded, solemn now. He understood these things too, yet he had not noticed them as carefully as Yue Qianxue had.

It seemed Yu Nanfeng truly had been plotted against.

When Concubine Xu saw this, her face went even paler. It looked as though defeat had already been decided.

She immediately blurted out, "Nonsense! Yue Qianxue, who do you think you are? Why did Divine Doctor Yuan not mention this just now? Why is it only you speaking now? It must have been placed there afterward! The Fourth Prince wants to wriggle out of it! Your Majesty, is there still any law in this world?!"

At that, Concubine Xu dropped to her knees, crying bitterly.

Yue Linglong did the same, sobbing as if terribly wronged.

Yue Qianxue was speechless toward the mother and daughter. To think they would go so far as to use such tactics, nearly causing Yu Nanfeng to lose his life on the spot.

Yuan Tianci then said, "If it were not so, how could we have tested that the Fourth Prince is innocent? Everyone just saw the Fourth Prince willing to die to prove his innocence. Besides, this was originally meant as a test for my disciple's abilities. To be accused of being unable to detect it—at that point, the reputation of the Valley of the Medicine King might as well be thrown away!"

The Emperor quickly raised a hand. "Divine Doctor Yuan need not be angry. I also saw Feng'er's actions just now, and I already believe he is innocent. As for whether the thing in the flower stamen was added later..."

Fu Xiao stood up at that moment and said, "Your Majesty, all this evidence was collected and escorted by the Court of Judicial Review. Surely Your Majesty does not distrust the Prefect of the Court of Judicial Review? Why not investigate whether the Second Miss Yue recently purchased this sort of incense? That would seem to make the truth easier to uncover."

He smiled faintly, feeling that today's performance was indeed quite good.

The two princes also nodded in agreement. By now, Yu Nanfeng's innocence had already been proven. He was the Fourth Prince; if he truly wished to force himself on Yue Linglong, why go to such lengths?

On the other hand, Yue Linglong, though said to be a talented young lady, had been crying and carrying on all along, which only made people dislike her.

Yue Qianxue had already returned to her seat and sat down, while the Emperor ordered the Prefect of the Court of Judicial Review to investigate thoroughly.

After a short while, the Prefect returned to report, "Your Majesty, this incense is sold in only two shops in the capital. This subject sent people to inquire in detail, and one of the shops said that servants from the General's Residence had come to buy it. This subject has already had the maid apprehended and brought into the palace, and she is now awaiting Your Majesty's interrogation."

This was indeed too much of a coincidence. It was actually someone from the General's Residence who had bought it.

At this point, everyone had guessed what had happened, and even their looks toward Yue Linglong changed somewhat.

Yue Linglong was covered in cold sweat, nearly unable to breathe.

The maid was only a third-rank servant in the General's Residence and usually did little more than run errands.

Before the Emperor could even ask, Lord Yue was already thunderous with rage. "Who told you to buy that incense?!"

The maid was frightened out of her wits. She had never imagined she would end up in such a state.

She bowed to the floor and said, "Please spare me, Master... This servant only acted on orders from the Second Miss's personal maid to buy the incense. This servant knows nothing else at all..."