An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 103 Painstaking Investigation (Part Two)

Yun Shang turned a page in her book and asked, "Has the poison left her body completely?"

"It's said that she has regained her health, although her face looks pale and she coughs sometimes.

There is no other serious side-effect. How dare she tried to frame you? Why wasn't she killed by the

poison? That day when I got to the Imperial Treasure House, I should have applied a layer of deadly

poison on the Pipa. If I had done that, she wouldn't be so arrogant and aggressive." Qian Yin regretted

having missed that opportunity.

Yun Shang smiled slightly and said, "It's fine. Thank God that Yingying is still alive. I heard that she is

loved ardently by the Grand Councilor. If she were to die, Grand Councilor Li wouldn't let me live."

Qin Yi pulled aside the curtain and entered. She said with a smile, "Your Highness, the sun is shining.

Shall we take a walk in the Imperial Garden?" Recently, it had snowed so much that the sun had rarely

been seen. Basking in the sun was a wonderful suggestion.

Yun Shang smiled and nodded, "It's a good idea. I feel weak from leaning against the cushion all day.

Let's go." Yun Shang stood and put on her shoes. Since the sun was shining, she ordered her maids to

carry a thick cloak.

"Your Highness, look there. There's a wintersweet flourishing, but it is blocked by the artificial hill. I

have never seen it before. The fragrance of the wintersweet is better than that of plum blossoms. I will

pick some flowers for you and put them in a vase." With a smile, Qian Yin pointed at some flowers

behind the artificial hill before walking toward them briskly.

Halfway through, however, she stopped. Yun Shang saw an unusual look on her maid's face and

hurried to walk toward her.

"Pick more flowers. Our Lady likes wintersweet flowers and we can put them in all the Halls. Wherever

she goes, she will smell the fragrance, which will certainly please her." The voice of a maid could be

heard.

Then, a eunuch replied, "The Empress has regained her health and so, the ladies from other Palaces

haven't come to Changchun Palace to pay their respects, which makes our Palace less cheerful and

more lonely. However, the Empress hasn't taken her seal back. It seems that the Emperor hasn't asked

Lady Ming to return the seal to the Empress."

The maid said, "You are right. That day when the Empress's seal was lost, I thought the Emperor would

get angry. However, nothing happened. It's strange that although Changchun Palace was thoroughly

searched inside and outside, the Empress's seal wasn't found. Why was it hidden underneath Bi Yan's

pillow?"

The eunuch smiled, "Maybe the search wasn't thorough. Come on, pick that flower. Its bud is big. Put it

in the vase and it will bloom for many days."

Yun Shang was confused. She turned and left with Qian Yin and Qin Yi.

Yun Shang quickened her steps. When Qin Yi noticed that Yun Shang was not walking toward Qingxin

Palace, she asked, "Your Highness, where are we going?"

Yun Shang stopped and smiled coldly, "Qin Yi, I might know who caused my mother's accident." With

those words, she continued to walk. It suddenly occurred to Qin Yi that they were headed to Qinzheng

Hall.

Lord Zheng saw Yun Shang approaching. He smiled and greeted, "Your Highness, what can I do for

you? The Emperor is talking with Prince Jing in the Hall. Please wait for a moment and I will inform him

of your arrival."

Prince Jing? Yun Shang looked distracted for a moment. She was about to say that she would come

back later when Lord Zheng opened the door to Qinzheng Hall and walked inside.

Yun Shang wasn't ready to meet Prince Jing. Since the Emperor issued the decree, word of their

marriage had spread throughout the Imperial City. Although she was determined to find a way to ruin

their marriage, no good idea had occurred to her. At the moment, she was preoccupied with solving the

mystery behind her mother's accident. "Your Highness, the Emperor has asked to see you." Lord

Zheng smiled as he walked out.

Yun Shang nodded and entered the inner Hall. Emperor Ning was sitting behind the royal table while

Prince Jing was sitting beside him. They were talking about something. Hearing Yun Shang's footsteps,

both of them stopped their conversation and turned to look at her.

Yun Shang paid her respects to Emperor Ning as per the official protocols, then sat beside the men.

She said, "Father, I have something to tell you. But, obviously you were conversing with Uncle. I can

wait."

Prince Jing glanced at Yun Shang. His coldness softened. At this sight, Emperor Ning was puzzled and

decided to learn more.

"I'm discussing with Prince Jing about that since it is the New Year, after I've settled national affairs, I

will go and pray at Ning'guo Temple. You were protected by Master Wu Na all those years. Besides, he

has also helped me a lot. I should personally thank him." Emperor Ning said with a smile.

Hearing this, Yun Shang replied after a moment's hesitation, "I leave this matter to your discretion. But,

I'm afraid that it's not safe on the road with the heavy snow." Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

"Yun Shang, Don't worry. I will have the servants clean the snow on the road in advance, " said Prince

Jing tenderly. A faint smile formed on the corners of his mouth, and his glances were soft.

Yun Shang pretended that she hadn't noticed the tenderness and kindness in Prince Jing's voice, and

replied briskly, "That's good." Then she said no more.

Emperor Ning smiled and continued his discussion regarding the visit to Ning'guo Temple with Prince

Jing. Later, Prince Jing said goodbye and left.

As soon as Prince Jing's figure was out of sight, Yun Shang raised her head and said urgently and

seriously, "Father, I know who caused mother's accident."

Emperor was dumbstruck for a moment. Then he said "What? Lord Zheng told me that you personally

examined the dead body and had found traces of moss under her fingernails. Do you mean to tell me

the dead maid is the culprit? Since the dead maid worked at Changchun Palace, could it be said that..."

Although Emperor Ning's sentences weren't finished, Yun Shang had already figured out what he was

thinking. Yun Shang shook her head and said, "Although Lady Ming was involved, she is an

accomplice rather than the culprit. However, it wasn't her that threw the moss on the ground. That day,

when the Empress's seal was lost at Changchun Palace, Lady Ming had put all people in custody. The

maid who was found dead inside the well this morning, never had the chance to leave the Palace.

"Then, who is the culprit?" Emperor Ning whispered.

Yun Shang meditated for a moment and said, "At New Year's Eve, all people present at Jinluan Hall

could not be suspects. I also investigated people from other Palaces. They had been thoroughly

searched and so had their Palaces. Besides, since the royal guards take direct orders from you, it's

impossible that any of them is the culprit."

"According to what you have said, nobody caused your mother's accident. How will we find the culprit?"

Emperor Ning frowned slightly.

Yun Shang shook her head, "Father, think about it. Who was absent from Jinluan Hall for a long time

that day?"

Emperor Ning thought for a long time. Then, he raised his head with some hesitation and asked Yun

Shang, "Are you suspecting Yingying?"

Yun Shang nodded and said with confidence, "It was her who caused the accident."

"But, she was poisoned that day. Even if she hadn't been poisoned, it is unlikely that she could set such

a trap with so many people at the Palace." The Emperor found it difficult to believe.

Yun Shang smiled faintly, "A while ago, at the Imperial Garden, I accidentally heard servants from

Changchun Place chatting about the Empress's lost seal. A servant said that day, after Lady Ming

announced the loss of the Empress's seal, the Palace was searched at first, but the seal wasn't found.

Then, Your Majesty was informed and you ordered that all Palaces and Halls be guarded before you

sent out the royal guards to search. At last, the seal was discovered at Changchun Palace. Later I

figured out that the Empress's seal hadn't been lost at all. Lady Ming played a trick. She made an

excuse and tried to keep us at Jinluan Hall. That way nobody could watch the moss being placed on

the path.

Yun Shang saw Emperor Ning looking serious. Then, she continued, "I also heard that Yingying visited

my sister at Dali Temple. Yingying looked pale and coughed sometimes, but these symptoms indicate a

cold rather than being side-effects of poisoning." During the New Year's Eve celebration, when

Yingying entered Jinluan Hall, she handed her cloak to a servant. Since there were many braziers in

the Hall to keep us warm, she should not have caught cold. Thus, her symptoms indicate her absence

from the Hall.

"Father, do you still remember that when I was about to go look for Yingying, my sister suddenly

provoked me and I didn't go? In retrospect, I feel that my sister might be involved. She was afraid that if

I went to the side Hall, I might find that Yingying wasn't there. Later, even after I left, nobody saw

Yingying. I sent my maid to ask about her condition, and she was told that Yingying had left the

Imperial Place after I came to the scene of the accident.