At the beginning of the hour, the side door of the Wumen slowly opened, and the old eunuch walked to the door and said loudly, "Attend the court!"

The noisy sound immediately stopped, and the civil and military officials entered the side door in an orderly manner, with civil officials on the left and military officials on the right, clearly distinguished.

After entering the Wumen, officials above the fourth rank entered the hall, officials below the fourth rank stayed at the entrance of the hall, and officials below the sixth rank stayed in the square.

The officials entered the hall and waited for a quarter of an hour, and Emperor Yuan Jing arrived late.

All eyes fell on this sovereign of a country, trying to catch a glimpse of his intentions from his eyes and expressions.

But none succeeded. Emperor Yuan Jing had been in power for thirty-seven years, and few could match his deep scheming and rich experience in the court.

Except for Wei Yuan and Prime Minister Wang.

This court meeting was no different from the previous ones, with the monarch and his subjects reporting as usual.

"Your Majesty, tens of thousands of people in Chuzhou have died of freezing in the severe winter. The Provincial Administration has already provided relief funds. We request Your Majesty to order the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds..."

"The national treasury is empty. For the relief efforts, we can raise funds from the local gentry..." Emperor Yuan Jing replied.

"Your Majesty, the northern barbarians have repeatedly violated the border. After the spring, the border conflicts have become more intense. We must be on guard."

"Your Majesty, the Northern King has ignored the barbarians' plundering of the border. He has kept the border city without sending a single soldier, causing the people on the border to be displaced and suffer heavy casualties. We request Your Majesty to punish him."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuan Jing looked at Wei Yuan without any expression of joy or anger and asked, "Wei Aiqing, what is the situation with the northern barbarians?"

Wei Yuan frowned and said, "At the end of last year, there was heavy snow in the north for several months, causing numerous livestock to freeze to death. At that time, I predicted that the barbarians would come south to plunder."

Emperor Yuan Jing suddenly remembered this incident and furrowed his brows, saying, "What happened next? Why didn't the Nightwatchers receive the news in advance when the barbarians invaded the border?"

"It was my negligence," Wei Yuan said.

In fact, he had withdrawn his undercover agents from the north and sent them to the northeast.

Emperor Yuan Jing said indifferently, "The invasion of the northern barbarians and Wei Yuan's oversight resulted in the removal of his position as Left Censor. He will be fined one year's salary."

There was a moment of silence in the hall, and the officials were filled with question marks in their minds.

Although the Nightwatchers had the duty to gather intelligence, it was only an incidental task. Moreover, even if they had known in advance that the barbarians would invade the border, it would have been meaningless since the Northern King had kept the border city without sending any troops or engaging in battle.

How could this blame be placed on Wei Yuan?

However, seizing the opportunity, the civil officials immediately attacked Wei Yuan, praising Emperor Yuan Jing's wisdom.

An imperial censor stepped forward and emphasized, "Your Majesty, the Northern King has allowed the people to suffer from the calamity of war without any concern. We request Your Majesty to punish him."

Emperor Yuan Jing responded with four words, "We know about it."

The imperial censor reluctantly stepped back.

The court meeting gradually came to an end. After dealing with the accumulated political affairs of this period and when the officials stopped reporting, Emperor Yuan Jing raised his index finger and lightly tapped the table.

The old eunuch in the dragon robe stepped forward and looked at the officials.

Here it comes... Everyone in the hall felt a tremor in their hearts.

Just now, everything was normal during the court meeting. Although the removal of Wei Yuan's position as Left Censor was unexpected, Emperor Yuan Jing's sudden convening of the court meeting was definitely not because of this "minor matter."

The old eunuch unfolded the edict in his hand and said loudly, "We have investigated the case of the Empress Dowager Fu. Empress Huang, with the help of palace maid Huang Xiaorou, murdered Empress Dowager Fu and framed the Crown Prince...

"After questioning, Empress Huang confessed to her crimes. She has lost her virtue and is unworthy of the position. We hereby remove her from the position of Empress and confine her to Changchun Palace."

Changchun Palace was the cold palace.

Inside and outside the hall, there was silence.

From the highest-ranking officials to the officials outside the hall, everyone who heard the content of the edict was stunned.

From the imperial ministers to the officials, no one would agree to Emperor Yuan Jing's removal of the Empress without the case being reviewed by the Three Departments, as they were unaware of the situation.

"But!"

...

In the early morning, Xu Xinnian finished washing up and went to the back hall to have breakfast. He saw Xu Lingyin sitting on the steps outside the hall, pouting in anger.

The small figure looked lonely and pitiful.

"Why are you sitting here, Lingyin?" Xu Xinnian asked.

Xu Lingyin glanced up and ignored him.

"Second Brother is asking you a question," Xu Xinnian frowned.

"Mother kicked me out and even hit me," Xu Lingyin complained, "Can Second Brother scold Mother for me?"

Xu Xinnian shook his head.

The little girl made a disappointed face, wrinkled her nose, and said, "It would be great if Big Brother were at home. He always likes to bully Mother."

Xu Xinnian entered the hall, sat in his familiar seat, and waited for Lü E to serve him a bowl of porridge. While eating, he asked, "Mother, did Lingyin make you angry again?"

"No, it's your older brother who made me angry," Auntie said coldly.

"Big Brother hasn't come back..."

Auntie sneered, "That's your older brother's ability. Even when he's not here, he can still make me half dead with anger."

Xu Xinnian glanced at his sister and father, who were bowing their heads and drinking porridge, and asked, "What happened?"Xu Lingyue whispered, "Lingyin eats buns today, taking a bite and spitting it out, saying that this way she won't get hungry and can keep eating forever."

"...taught by Big Brother?" Xu Xinnian's mouth twitched.

Xu Lingyue nodded.

Uncle Xu added, "After Lingyin spat it out, she felt regretful and wanted to pick it up and eat it again, but she was scolded by your mother."

Xu Xinnian:...

He lowered his head and looked under the table, only to find a lot of chewed bun crumbs.

"Big Brother didn't come home today." Xu Lingyue said in frustration.

Xu Erlang and Xu Pingzhi said in unison, "He must be at the Official Brothel Sector."

...

Xu Qi'an woke up in the backyard of the yamen, the large courtyard was quiet, with only an old official hunched over, sweeping the yard.

"This blanket hasn't been washed for a long time, it smells weird. The public dormitory is just trash."

He disdainfully lifted the blanket and got out of bed with floating steps. He pushed open the window to let the sunlight in.

This was the public dormitory of the Nightwatchers' yamen, where the overworked officials and Nightwatchers rested. Except for Jin Luo, who had an exclusive room, the other rooms were shared.

The hygiene conditions were not good, and he didn't know how many generations were buried in the thick quilt.

Thanks to the elixirs from the Bureau of Heavenly Masters and his strong physique, the wound on his left shoulder had already scabbed over and would heal in two days.

However, his energy, which had been exhausted by the Heaven and Earth One Slash, had not yet recovered. He was exhausted, like a leaf with seven thorns, his body completely drained.

Xu Qi'an poured a cup of tea to rinse his mouth, then went to the yard to fetch a bucket of ice-cold and clear well water. After washing his face, he headed to the Spring Breeze Hall.

"Ah, comfortable..."

After finishing the big meal brought by the officials, Xu Qi'an patted his bulging belly contentedly as he lay on Li Yuchun's chair, with his feet resting on the desk.

At this moment, he finally had time to think about the assassination attempt last night.

"Usually, I leave the palace at the exact time of Shen Shi. Yesterday, because I was investigating the list of people entering and leaving the Imperial Pharmacy, I left the palace after You Shi.

"It's not strange that the assassins who ambushed me knew my route home. I walk that path every day. But how did they time it so accurately?

"The Nightwatchers often keep watch on the rooftops, so the three assassins couldn't have been lying on the roof waiting for me the whole time, otherwise they would have been discovered by the Nightwatchers on patrol.

"It's obvious that they knew when I left the palace... The mastermind behind this is most likely someone from the palace, otherwise this cannot be explained.

"Is it the Empress? I just found evidence against her yesterday, and she immediately sent someone to assassinate me... Does she not want me to investigate further?

"If it really was the Empress, then Huai Qing and I will have to divorce."

Xu Qi'an pinched his brow.

At this moment, a black-clad official entered the Spring Breeze Hall. Seeing Xu Qi'an inside, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "I went to the backyard to look for Master Xu just now, but couldn't find you. I thought you had left the yamen."

Xu Qi'an still had his legs on the desk, half-closed his eyes, and said, "I won't go to the palace to investigate the case today. I'll wait until my injuries heal."

The official nodded and said, "Wei Gong is looking for you. You should go to the Haohui Tower first."

Ha, it seems that Wei Yuan has found out about the assassination attempt last night. He must be amazed by my achievements... Xu Qi'an put his legs down and got up from the chair. "Lead the way."

Following the official, Xu Qi'an arrived at the Haohui Tower. He went up to the seventh floor as if he were familiar with the place, but he didn't expect to see two unexpected guests in the tea room besides Wei Yuan.

There was Huai Qing, the elegant and noble Princess Huai Qing, and the handsome and reserved Fourth Prince, the legitimate son of Emperor Yuan Jing.

As Huai Qing's older brother, the Fourth Prince's facial features were not similar to his sister's, but rather resembled Emperor Yuan Jing.

Huai Qing, on the other hand, bore some resemblance to the Empress, but the difference in temperament between mother and daughter was too great, making it hard to see any resemblance.

The three of them had extremely unpleasant expressions. Wei Yuan held a teacup, bowing his head in silence, as if he hadn't noticed Xu Qi'an's arrival. When the Fourth Prince heard the sound, he nodded slightly towards Xu Qi'an.

Huai Qing also didn't look at Xu Qi'an, her brows furrowed in contemplation.

The current appearance of the Princess was just like that of a woman facing a divorce agreement... Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

"Wei Gong." Xu Qi'an clasped his fists.

Only then did Wei Yuan look up and pointed to a seat next to Huai Qing, saying gently, "Please sit."

Xu Qi'an took a seat.

"You were attacked last night?" Wei Yuan pushed the teapot towards Xu Qi'an, indicating for him to pour the tea himself.

Having just finished a big meal, Xu Qi'an poured a cup of tea but didn't drink it. He nodded and said, "The mastermind behind it is related to the case of the Imperial Concubine, and is within the palace."

"Do you suspect the Empress?"

Wei Yuan's words were too direct, and Xu Qi'an didn't know how to answer for a moment. He cautiously glanced at Huai Qing.

Huai Qing still didn't look at him, her expression heavy with worry.

The current appearance of the Princess was just like that of a woman facing a divorce agreement... Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

"Today, His Majesty proposed to depose the Empress during the court meeting, citing that the mastermind behind the Imperial Concubine's case is the Empress," Wei Yuan said.

"???"

Xu Qi'an stared blankly at him, and the first thought that came to his mind was: How long did I sleep?

Why did I feel a sense of everything being different when I woke up, as if I had slept for a century?

He personally investigated the Imperial Concubine's case, and every step and clue was carefully thought out and explored by him. He didn't even dare to confirm that the Empress was the culprit, so why did Emperor Yuan Jing?

Did he think he was Conan or Di Renjie?

But then, a sentence from Princess Huai Qing left Xu Qi'an dumbfounded.

"Mother has admitted it."

What did you say?

Xu Qi'an waved his hand, "I'm sorry, I need some time to calm down..."He thought for a long time and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty wants to depose the Empress. Is it true that the mastermind behind the Fu Fei case is the Empress, and did the Empress really admit it?"

The Fourth Prince nodded.

"Could it be that she was forced?" Xu Qi'an speculated.

"No." Wei Yuan shook his head, his eyes filled with vicissitudes as he looked at him, and said in a deep voice:

"You personally investigated the Fu Fei case. No one knows the clues and details better than you. Think carefully, are there any suspicious or unreasonable aspects? Today, the two princes came to the yamen not only to discuss the matter of deposing the Empress with me, but also to ask for your help.

"Your Majesty has not taken back your golden plaque yet. The officials need time to confirm this matter, and you still have time to investigate this case."

Huai Qing and the Fourth Prince looked at Xu Qi'an at the same time.

The Fourth Prince clasped his hands and bowed, "Thank you, Mister Xu, for your trouble."

Xu Qi'an ignored him and turned his gaze to Huai Qing.

This elegant and noble princess, with her eyes as clear as autumn water, carefully examined him and asked, "How are your injuries?"

She didn't mention the matter of the case, but instead cared about Xu Qi'an's injuries.

"In consideration of your sincere apology, I won't divorce you... Xu Qi'an" he responded with a sound of agreement, "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I'm fine."

After a pause, he continued, "In the Fu Fei case, the Empress indeed had sufficient motive and reason to frame the Crown Prince. And based on the clues I found yesterday, the mastermind behind it also pointed to the Empress."

The Fourth Prince interrupted excitedly, "Impossible, Mother would not do such a thing."

"Your Highness, please don't be hasty. I haven't finished yet." Xu Qi'an looked at Huai Qing and asked, "Does Your Majesty have any evidence?"

Huai Qing shook her head, "No, it was the Empress herself who admitted it."

Xu Qi'an frowned, "That's strange. If Your Majesty has no evidence, why would the Empress admit it? Since the Empress has admitted it, why would she send someone to assassinate me?"

This is a contradiction.

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The Fourth Prince sighed, "Because we don't know, that's why we came to find you. Mister Xu, you have solved many strange cases. If there is anyone in the capital who can find out the truth in a short period of time and clear the Empress's name, it's only you."

Xu Qi'an took a sip of tea after sitting down, and slowly said, "When I first took over the case, I thought there were only two possibilities in the Fu Fei case: one, the Crown Prince did indeed have improper relations with Fu Fei and caused her death.

"Two, someone framed the Crown Prince to seize the position of the Crown Prince.

"After investigating the Fengqing Palace where Fu Fei lived, I can conclude that the Crown Prince was indeed framed. So this case belongs to the second possibility, someone wanted to frame the Crown Prince.

"Following this line of thought, all the clues point to the Empress. To be honest with the two princes, just now, I also suspected the Empress and suspected that she sent assassins to kill me.

"But when I learned that the Empress admitted to being the mastermind, I suddenly had doubts about this case. So the purpose of the mastermind behind it is not just to frame the Crown Prince, but to kill two birds with one stone.

"But I have a question. The Empress rarely appears in public, and the Fourth Prince is not the Crown Prince. Why would the mastermind behind it target the Empress? What is their intention? It can't just be for the position of the head of the harem."

Does the throne of the head of the harem have any significance to an emperor who has abstained for more than ten years?

Wei Yuan put down his teacup and sighed, "First of all, no matter whether the Fourth Prince is the Crown Prince or not, he is the Emperor's eldest son. Secondly, the mastermind behind it is targeting me."

"???" Xu Qi'an looked at him in confusion.

Wei Yuan remained silent for a moment and explained, "The Wei family and the Shangguan family have a long-standing relationship. The Empress's maiden name is Shangguan."

Oh, I see. In other words, Wei Yuan and the Empress are political allies, belonging to the Empress's "relatives"... No wonder Huai Qing Princess is Wei Yuan's half-disciple... So the Fu Fei case, on the surface, is to frame the Crown Prince, but in fact, it is targeting Wei Yuan?

Wei Yuan undoubtedly belongs to the Fourth Prince's faction... It's impressive to solve both the Crown Prince's faction and the Fourth Prince's faction with one Fu Fei case... Xu Qi'an secretly marveled.

"Today at the court meeting, Father Emperor dismissed Wei Gong from the position of Left Metropolitan Procurator." Princess Huai Qing said.

Huh, this doesn't make sense... Even if the mastermind behind the scenes wanted to weaken Wei Yuan by toppling the Empress, it would also damage Wei Yuan's "allies" and indirectly weaken his power.

Why did Emperor Yuan Jing immediately dismiss an important position of Wei Yuan as soon as the Empress encountered trouble, making it seem like Emperor Yuan Jing was the mastermind behind the scenes... Wait a minute, assuming that the Empress is the mastermind behind framing the Crown Prince, and her intention is to support the Fourth Prince to become the Crown Prince.

After Emperor Yuan Jing learned about this, he immediately weakened and attacked Wei Yuan... What does this mean?

It means that Emperor Yuan Jing is very wary of Wei Yuan.

Xu Qi'an suddenly understood why Emperor Yuan Jing chose the son born from a concubine as the Crown Prince instead of the Fourth Prince born from the Empress.

The Empress and Wei Yuan are political allies. If the Fourth Prince were to become the Crown Prince, even I would have trouble sleeping and eating.

Withdrawing his wandering thoughts, Xu Qi'an focused on the case and reorganized his thoughts on the Fu Fei case in his mind.

As Xu Qi'an fell into deep thought, the tea room fell silent, with only the soft sound of the four people's breathing.

"The Crown Prince drank from Chen Gui Fei's wine and on his way back, he met Huang Xiao Rou and was invited to Fu Fei's Fengqing Palace... The Crown Prince did indeed have improper thoughts about this woman who is his father's lover.

"Later, Fu Fei fell from the building and died, and the Crown Prince became a suspect and was imprisoned in the Dali Temple.

"I found out that Fu Fei was murdered, and the day after the Crown Prince was framed, Huang Xiao Rou's body was found in the Crab Pavilion... It's too coincidental, too coincidental.

"No wonder I felt something was wrong at that time. Huang Xiao Rou was silenced instead of committing suicide. So why did the perpetrator choose the Crab Pavilion?"

"If one wanted to kill and silence someone, it would be better to secretly bury the body than to throw it into a well. Moreover, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of stone wells in the imperial garden. Yet, they chose to dispose of the body in the Crab Pavilion, a place teeming with people and easy to be discovered.

"This is deliberate, deliberately leading us to discover the connection between Huang Xiaorou and the Empress.

"Was my initial guess wrong? Huang Xiaorou is not the murderer who killed the Consort Fu, she is just a tool, a tool to direct our suspicion towards the Empress?

"No, it was indeed Huang Xiaorou who tricked the Crown Prince into going to the Qingfeng Hall. The Crown Prince might lie, but his guards wouldn't. This is too easy to discern. Moreover, the person who could arrange the crime scene, secretly damage the railing, and know the habits of Consort Fu, including her rendezvous with her fake husband, must be a close palace maid.

"If all this was not done by the Empress, why would she admit it? Perhaps there is a reason that forced her to confess.

"What is the Empress afraid of? It must be related to this case. The main characters involved in the case are Consort Fu, the Crown Prince, and the palace maid Huang Xiaorou.

"And among the three, the only one connected to the Empress is Huang Xiaorou..."

Huang Xiaorou?!

Various chaotic thoughts and speculations flashed through his mind. Xu Qi'an, combining the clues he had obtained, was deducing the case step by step.

At this point, Xu Qi'an suddenly realized something and took out a piece of dull yellow silk cloth from his arms.

On it was embroidered a bright red lotus and a line of characters: Spring of the 31st year of Yuanjing.

Princess Huai Qing stared at the yellow silk cloth and said, "This is from palace maid Huang Xiaorou."

"Correct!" Xu Qi'an nodded, looked around at the three people, and finally landed his gaze on Huai Qing, saying solemnly, "Your Highness, we only know that the Empress saved Huang Xiaorou, but there are two doubts. I wonder if you have noticed."

Huai Qing shook her head.

"First, why did the Empress save Huang Xiaorou?"

"My mother has always been kind-hearted. It's not surprising that she would use precious medicines to save a palace maid," Huai Qing said.

The Empress might be a good person, but that's not the point... Xu Qi'an shook his head and said, "Then why would the Empress pay attention to a palace maid? And even assign He'er from the Phoenix Perch Palace to watch her?"

"I asked my mother, but she wouldn't say," Huai Qing frowned.

"Second, why did palace maid Huang Xiaorou commit suicide?" Xu Qi'an pointed at the yellow silk cloth and said solemnly, "The answer is right here."

......

PS: I'll edit after posting.

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