"Today, Master Xu brought the servant to inquire about the list of people entering and leaving the imperial pharmacy..."

The eunuch spoke softly, narrating the list step by step. Emperor Yuan Jing remained silent, his eyes deep and unfathomable, whether he was listening attentively or lost in his thoughts.

"The last person on the list is Jingxiu Palace, the chief palace maid by the side of the noble concubine. When Master Xu went to question her, he was turned away."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuan Jing's frozen gaze flickered, as if he had been brought back to some degree of attention.

"Helpless, Master Xu went to Shaoyin Palace to seek assistance from Prince Lin'an..."

The eunuch recalled the words Xu Qi'an had instructed him and naturally continued, "After questioning Lang'er from Jingxiu Palace, Master Xu's expression became extremely unpleasant. It seemed that he didn't want to stay any longer. He left in a hurry without even drinking tea."

"But before leaving Jingxiu Palace, Lang'er came back and said that the noble concubine invited Master Xu to have a conversation in the courtyard to thank him for solving the case of the consort. Master Xu originally didn't want to go, but Lang'er insisted on keeping him for a while." The young eunuch paused for a moment before continuing, "Then, the noble concubine dismissed everyone and the servant couldn't enter the room. He could only wait in the courtyard..."

"Hold on!"

Emperor Yuan Jing's eyes regained their liveliness completely. He interrupted the young eunuch, staring at him, and pondered for a few seconds before slowly saying, "She dismissed everyone?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What did they talk about in the courtyard?"

The young eunuch said, "It was too far away for me to hear clearly. I could only watch Master Xu and the noble concubine talking inside the room."

Emperor Yuan Jing pressed his lips with his right hand, deep in thought. Suddenly, he said, "You mentioned earlier that Xu Qi'an's expression became extremely unpleasant after questioning Lang'er?"

Before the young eunuch could reply, the old eunuch's face changed slightly and he reprimanded, "You wretch, how have I taught you all this time?"

When reporting, you must not mix in subjective emotions or try to mislead His Majesty. You must be fair and objective.

Emperor Yuan Jing raised his hand to interrupt the angry old eunuch.

Seeing this, the young eunuch gained some confidence and said, "Indeed, it was very unpleasant."

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Xu Qi'an wanted to leave, but Lang'er insisted on keeping him?"

"...Yes."

The young eunuch noticed a change in Emperor Yuan Jing's attitude and spoke cautiously, "Master Xu said that he was investigating the case by imperial order and it was his duty. The noble concubine didn't need to thank him."

"Lang'er said that if Master Xu didn't go to see the noble concubine, he wouldn't be able to leave Jingxiu Palace."

Upon hearing this, a gleam seemed to burst from Emperor Yuan Jing's eyes. This time, he pondered for a long time. The silence in the palace was terrifying. The two eunuchs, one old and one young, held their breath, afraid of disturbing the inscrutable emperor.

Finally, Emperor Yuan Jing spoke slowly, "When Xu Qi'an left... how was his mood?"

This was something Xu Qi'an had instructed before leaving, but the young eunuch didn't answer immediately. He pretended to think for a moment before saying, "Master Xu left with a heavy heart."

To increase credibility, he added, "When he used to leave the palace, Master Xu would chat with me, his face full of joy. But today was different. He didn't say a word."

Emperor Yuan Jing waved his hand.

"You may leave." The old eunuch immediately said.

After the young eunuch left the palace, Emperor Yuan Jing sat in silence for a long time before saying, "Go, bring Lang'er from Jingxiu Palace to me."

The old eunuch responded and slowly left the palace.

.........

Led by a group of guards, the old eunuch crossed through layers of palace walls in the twilight and arrived at Jingxiu Palace.

The palace eunuch guarding the gate recognized the grand attendant by the Emperor's side from afar and hurriedly approached, saying, "Please wait, sir. I will go and inform the noble concubine..."

"We're in a hurry." The old eunuch slapped him away and led the guards into the courtyard. As they passed through the front yard, cries could be heard coming from the inner courtyard.

The old eunuch stood in the inner courtyard and shouted loudly, "Noble concubine, this old servant requests an audience."

From Chen Guifei's room, a palace maid with slightly red eyes came out and spoke softly, "Noble concubine, please come in."

The old eunuch followed the palace maid into the room and saw Chen Guifei sitting on a large chair, holding a handkerchief and wiping her eyes from time to time, her face filled with sadness.

"What happened to you, noble concubine?" The old eunuch asked in surprise.

"One of the servants by my side suddenly fell ill and passed away just now. The imperial physician couldn't save her." Chen Guifei spoke sorrowfully.

"This..." The old eunuch comforted, "Noble concubine, please accept my condolences. What was the name of that palace maid?"

"Lang'er."

"!!!" The old eunuch's expression froze.

"Why did the grand attendant come to my Jingxiu Palace? What is the matter?" Chen Guifei spoke softly.

The old eunuch forced a smile and said, "His Majesty sent this old servant to console you. His Majesty knows that you have been worried during this period."

Chen Guifei turned her head away and said mournfully, "Can't His Majesty even spare a moment to see me?"

The old eunuch forced a few laughs and made no comment on the concubine's complaint.

He chatted with the noble concubine for a few moments and casually asked, "Lang'er is quite young, isn't she?"Although Lang Er was an old person in Jing Xiu Palace, Emperor Yuan Jing had not visited any concubines for more than ten years, so the old eunuch had no impression of this unfortunate deceased palace maid.

"Poor child," Consort Chen said with a sad expression.

The old eunuch followed suit and said, "Let's go and take a look."

He had another identity, which was the Chief of Internal Affairs, in charge of eunuchs and palace maids in the imperial palace. However, this position was just a title that came with his role as Emperor Yuan Jing's companion.

The Deputy Chief of Internal Affairs was the one who truly held power.

After all, the Chief of Internal Affairs was busy with his duties and couldn't always attend to the emperor.

After bidding farewell to Consort Chen, the old eunuch followed the palace maid into the southern wing and saw Lang Er lying on the bed with a pale face.

"Has the imperial physician been called to see her?"

"Yes, Grand Tutor. The imperial physician has seen her and said it's a brain disease with no cure."

The old eunuch stared at Lang Er for a long time and ordered, "Take care of her body."

He commanded the guards to take away Lang Er's body and hurriedly returned to report.

Back in Emperor Yuan Jing's sleeping palace, the old emperor was still sitting behind the yellow silk-covered desk, expressionless, looking towards the direction of the main gate.

When the old eunuch crossed the threshold and entered the room, he didn't react.

"Your Majesty, Lang Er has passed away..." the old eunuch said in a low voice.

After a long time, Emperor Yuan Jing made a sound of acknowledgement. This emperor, who had ruled for half a century, showed no joy or sorrow.

...........

The next day, Emperor Yuan Jing held another court meeting. The civil and military officials entered the Meridian Gate in an orderly manner, with some staying in the square outside the Golden Luang Hall and others standing on the Hanbaiyu steps outside the hall.

Only a small group entered the main hall, and in the storyteller's words, this group was collectively referred to as the "distinguished officials above the court."

After the officials entered the hall, Emperor Yuan Jing walked out from behind the hall a quarter of an hour late and sat on his dragon throne.

After the normal court proceedings, the Minister of Justice stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, the Three Law Departments have verified that the Empress is indeed the mastermind behind the Fu Fei case.

"Shangguan Shide is unworthy of her position and has conspired against the concubines and framed the Crown Prince. I request Your Majesty to punish her severely."

The Chief of the Grand Court immediately voiced his agreement.

Inside the hall, the civil and military officials, as well as some noble figures, all voiced their agreement, creating a wave of voices.

This meant that they had already discussed and agreed on the matter of deposing the Empress yesterday. Deposing the Empress was a matter concerning the foundation of the country, unlike deposing the Crown Prince, which was merely a family matter of the emperor. As long as there was reason and evidence to prove that the Empress had indeed committed misconduct, and it wasn't just the emperor's fickleness, then the officials had no reason or need to oppose it.

The only thing that concerned the deposed Empress was the identity of the Fourth Prince. It should be noted that the Fourth Prince was Emperor Yuan Jing's only legitimate son, and many people had placed their hopes on him.

The only ones who didn't agree were the faction supporting the Fourth Prince.

Before Emperor Yuan Jing could express his stance, Wei Yuan stepped forward, and the hall immediately quieted down.

"Your Majesty, there is another hidden truth in the Fu Fei case. The Empress is not the mastermind. The true mastermind is Huang Xiao Rou. She killed Fu Fei and deceived the Crown Prince into the Qing Feng Hall, fabricating this case."

As soon as Wei Yuan finished speaking, a professional troublemaker among the officials retorted, "Nonsense! How could a mere palace maid commit such a shocking crime? Besides, why would Huang Xiao Rou frame the Crown Prince? Wei Yuan, what do you take His Majesty and the distinguished officials for?"

After saying that, he added, "Please have this liar executed, Your Majesty."

The other ministers rebuked Wei Yuan one after another, and the hall became noisy.

The old eunuch clenched his whip and forcefully cracked it on the ground, making a crisp sound. He scolded, "Silence!"

The hall finally quieted down.

The Minister of Justice and the Chief of the Grand Court looked at Wei Yuan with a sneer, while the other officials also looked at him with ridicule, confusion, and helplessness. The latter came from the faction supporting the Fourth Prince.

Ignoring the gazes around him and the insults from the troublemaker, Wei Yuan paid no attention and continued, "Yesterday, the investigator Xu Qi'an, who was in charge of the Fu Fei case, discovered that Huang Xiao Rou had been pregnant before..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the hall erupted in an uproar.

Palace maid Huang Xiao Rou had been pregnant?!

Apart from the guards, the only person who could impregnate a woman in the palace was Emperor Yuan Jing. The guards were naturally impossible, as those who could guard the harem were loyal to the imperial family and carefully selected elites.

Moreover, they usually worked in teams, supervising each other, so there was no possibility of them having an affair with a palace maid.

There was only one possibility...

For a moment, the gazes of the officials towards Emperor Yuan Jing became filled with hidden meanings.

Emperor Yuan Jing's dignified face twitched slightly, and he coldly looked at Wei Yuan, who deliberately paused without continuing, and said in a deep voice, "Wei Yuan, continue!"

Wei Yuan slowly continued, "After investigation, it was discovered that the one who made Huang Xiao Rou pregnant was the current State Uncle, Shangguan Ming..."

Next, Wei Yuan told the officials a story, a story that he had embellished:

Palace maid Huang Xiao Rou was violated by the State Uncle, suffering an unfortunate pregnancy. After secretly having an abortion, she harbored resentment and endured it for many years, finally brewing a conspiracy.

Taking advantage of her position as Fu Fei's personal palace maid, she secretly destroyed the railing of the observatory. When Fu Fei was drunk, she deceived the Crown Prince into the Qing Feng Hall, setting up the most shocking scheme in the harem in the past ten years.

Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawℝead.com ].

After hearing about the case of the Imperial Concubine, the Duke of the State learned that Huang Xiaorou was involved. Afraid of exposing his own wicked deeds, he sought refuge in the Phoenix Perching Palace.

The Empress only then learned that the Duke of the State had committed such a heinous act. Out of consideration for their blood ties, she tearfully took the blame for the Duke.

In the end, Wei Yuan summarized the case: "This is how things unfolded. The Duke has already confessed. Your Majesty can interrogate him at any time."

"Absurd." The Minister of Justice coldly snorted and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, from what I know, Huang Xiaorou was murdered. If everything was planned by her, then where is the murderer?"

The courtiers echoed in agreement.

Wei Yuan calmly explained, "Huang Xiaorou had accomplices who helped her set up the scheme, implicating the Crown Prince and implicating the Empress."

Upon hearing this, many ministers had a thought in their minds and began to make their own associations.

If it weren't for the Duke's tarnishing of Huang Xiaorou, anyone would have believed that the Empress confessed because the evidence was conclusive.

But with the Duke's confession, the case took a turn.

The Fourth Prince's faction, which had been in a slump, began to speak up one by one, expressing their support for Wei Yuan and condemning the Duke.

Gradually, there were only two voices left in the hall, the Crown Prince's faction and the Fourth Prince's faction, engaged in a heated debate. The Crown Prince's faction was led by the Chief Inspector of the Imperial Censorate, while the Fourth Prince's faction was made up of various disorganized small factions.

Among the major factions, there might be some secretly supporting the Crown Prince, but they would never come out openly. The big players always hid beneath the surface.

After a fierce debate, Wei Yuan loudly said, "Please let Your Majesty decide."

The argument ceased, and the courtiers echoed, "Please let Your Majesty decide."

Wei Yuan had already submitted his report to the palace yesterday. Usually, reports for court meetings would be submitted a day in advance, so Emperor Yuan Jing had already read the Duke's confession.

If Emperor Yuan Jing wanted to conclude the case of the Imperial Concubine today, he could do so now. If not, he would order further investigation.

Seeing the courtiers stop arguing, Emperor Yuan Jing finally spoke, slowly saying, "Shangguan Ming caused chaos in the harem and will be executed! The Empress knew but did not report it, so she shares the guilt. However, considering their blood ties, I order the Empress to reflect in seclusion for three months."

The courtiers thought it was over, but then Emperor Yuan Jing paused and continued, "The Crown Prince intruded into the Qingfeng Hall while drunk, showing no restraint. I order him to reflect in seclusion for six months. Consort Chen instigated the Crown Prince to get drunk, causing a great disaster. She will be demoted to Consort Chen."

The hall fell silent.

The courtiers looked around in confusion, unable to understand why the Empress, who was involved in the case, had to reflect for three months, while the Crown Prince had to reflect for six months. And Consort Chen, who had nothing to do with the entire process, went from being a noble consort to Consort Chen, demoted two ranks.

Could it be that this case was related to Consort Chen... the old foxes wondered.

...

Just after the court meeting ended, the eunuchs went separately to the Phoenix Perching Palace and the Jingxiu Palace to deliver the edicts.

Upon hearing the news, the Empress wept at her desk.

Consort Chen received the edict with a stiff expression. As soon as the eunuch left, she swept everything off the table, including the imperial edict.

With a clatter, Consort Chen's chest heaved violently, her dignified oval face turning purple with anger.

She gritted her teeth and spat out, "Wei Yuan..."

Then, clenching her fist, she said word by word, "Xu Qi'an!"

At this moment, she had figured it out. The Emperor's attitude had changed drastically, definitely related to yesterday.

Yesterday, the eunuch came inexplicably, using condolences as an excuse. There was no problem with that, but considering the changes in the court today, it was not difficult to guess the hidden meaning.

The Emperor had become suspicious of her...

And she had only exposed herself to Xu Qi'an. From this, she deduced that it must be that brat who had secretly played some tricks.

After all the planning, she had fallen into the hands of a little copper gong player.

A few minutes later, the clattering sound came from the room again, and the palace maids and attendants in the courtyard fell silent.

...

The day after the case of the Imperial Concubine was concluded, Xu Qi'an finally found his beloved mare.

This was a horse with a tumultuous fate. After being driven away by its owner, it ran and ran until it was encountered by the Imperial Blade Guards on patrol.

Seeing the mark on the horse's hindquarters, the Imperial Blade Guards realized it was their horse. So they brought it back to the barracks.

This horse was indeed a military horse used by the Imperial Blade Guards. Xu Qi'an's second uncle had obtained it at a low price through his connections. After buying it, he didn't ride it for many years and gave it to his nephew to ride.

Later, the Nightwatcher's yamen learned from the Imperial Blade Guards who were on duty in the area that they had indeed "found" a horse. Following the lead, they found Xu Qi'an's beloved mare.

That morning, Xu Qi'an was having breakfast with his family in the hall.

Little Dou Ding didn't have to go to school today, so she was extremely happy, enjoying her breakfast.

"Having a day off from school is like finding a treasure. I've never had such a foolish daughter in my life," Auntie said disdainfully.

"You only have two daughters in total," Uncle Xu defended his youngest daughter, but he didn't dare argue openly with Auntie and could only secretly provoke her.

"And you have the nerve to say that Lingyin is so foolish, she takes after you."

Sure enough, Auntie repeated her old tune, blaming Uncle Xu for why Xu Lingyin hadn't become smarter.

"But I just don't want to study," Xu Lingyin said with a pout.

"Lingyin, you're not stupid, don't listen to your mother's nonsense," Xu Qi'an patted her head, recalling a teaching method from his previous life.

"When you don't feel like studying, imagine there are two people in your head..."

"Eh? There are people in my head?" Xu Lingyin was startled, her chubby hands covering her head.

"...Imagine, your big brother is talking about imagining," Xu Qi'an took a deep breath, and said with a gentle smile, "One person doesn't want to study, then the other person should say: I like to study, I like to study.

"Over time, you'll come to like studying."

"Self-suggestion!" Xu Xinnian nodded slightly, commenting, "It works well. When I used to study late into the night and felt tired, I would suggest to myself that I didn't want to sleep. It worked well."

Upon hearing this, their aunt, reassured by her own son's endorsement, immediately became hopeful about her nephew's method, and said, "Lingyin, why don't you give it a try?"

The naive Xu Lingyin tilted her head in thought for a while before slowly nodding.

"How is it?" their aunt asked eagerly, her main concern being the young girl.

"One person in my head says, I don't want to study, I don't want to study. The other person says, okay, okay."

"..." Their aunt held her forehead in her hand.

"Maybe she really isn't suited for studying, aunt, don't force her," Xu Qi'an comforted.

"The imperial examination is the day after tomorrow, isn't it?" their second uncle suddenly said.

"Yes!" Xu Xinnian nodded solemnly.

Their aunt immediately peeled a boiled egg for her son, saying, "With our Erlang's knowledge, passing the imperial examination should be a piece of cake. My lord, it's time for the Xu family to bring honor to our ancestors."

Although Xu Qi'an is currently highly regarded by Wei Yuan and has connections with the princess, he is ultimately a warrior.

In this era where everything is inferior to scholarship, topping the imperial examination is the real way to bring honor to one's ancestors.

Even Xu Lingyue, who tends to side with her big brother, agrees with her mother's view, believing that if the Xu family wants to bring honor to their ancestors, it all depends on her second brother's performance in the imperial examination.

"Erlang, whether our Xu family can join the ranks of the scholars depends on you," Xu Lingyue said with a smile, serving food to her second brother.

Xu Xinnian raised his chin proudly.

Xu Qi'an sighed inwardly. When could warriors stand up? When could this world get better? Everywhere was filled with discrimination against warriors...

Recalling his conversation with Wei Yuan the other day, the warrior system had been perfected and passed down from generation to generation, resulting in the current nine ranks. But to this day, the warrior system has not reached its end.

The path beyond the ranks has not yet been explored.

Therefore, there are no martial gods in the warrior system.

"Logically speaking, there should be. With the most people following the warrior system, there should always be a genius who stands out from the large base. After generations of accumulation, it's impossible not to produce a martial god. Never mind, it's too early to consider this issue. I'd be happy if I could reach the fourth rank in this lifetime."

After dinner, their second uncle was about to go out with his helmet and sword.

"Wait, second uncle, you're an elder in the family, you should stay at home today," Xu Qi'an stopped him.

Their second uncle turned around in confusion, "Is today a holiday?"

Their aunt shook her head.

Xu Lingyue and Xu Xinnian looked at Xu Qi'an in confusion.

Xu Qi'an looked at their aunt, raising his proud chin, "Today is not a holiday, but it is the day for the Xu family to bring honor to our ancestors."

.............

PS: I'm not feeling well today, so the word count is a bit low. The next plot will start tomorrow, um, it's not a case.

I'll revise after posting.