CH 110

Wei Liu had never seen such an appearance and conduct coming from the crown prince, he looked at the people kneeling on the ground with cold eyes, as if he was looking at people about to die.

Zhao Zhi said, “Where is Sheng Ling?”

Before Wei Liu could answer, Sheng Wenlin couldn’t help but intervene, “Your Highness, my cousin went to rest early tonight, this has absolutely nothing to do with her.”

Maybe it was just an accident.

If it was really a scheme, even if someone dared to plot against Ming Zhu, they wouldn’t be unaware that Song Huaicheng wasn’t someone to be messed with.

To put it bluntly, if one really wanted to use that kind of nasty method to put a death sentence on a girl, randomly finding a few men to do the job carelessly would do, no one would be stupid enough to push Song Huaicheng into it.

Zhao Zhi turned a deaf ear to his words, “Bring Sheng Ling here.”

Wei Liu paused, “Junzhu has already left the palace, she followed the empress dowager’s carriage to go to the temple and pray.”

Sheng Ling naturally was not a fool, if some things were done too obviously, some kind of evidence would certainly be caught by people.

She originally had intended to find a few random men for Ming Zhu, but in that case, she wouldn’t be able to avoid the responsibility if things went wrong. It was better to just do a little push, by pressing on Ming Zhu the vicious reputation of being unclean and unpure.

The brothel would be her only final destination. Sheng Ling didn’t do things herself, so there would be no evidence left.

Zhao Zhi smiled and said without emotion: “Then go and ask the empress dowager to come back.”

(40.1)

The empress dowager’s carriage had just left the city gates when it was stopped halfway down the road.

Hearing Wei Liu’s voice, the empress dowager immediately opened her eyes, then Sheng Ling helped her out of the carriage.

The wind was strong, in the darkness of the night, Wei Liu seemed to have brought a lot of people, their forces didn’t look small.

“What’s going on here?”

“His Highness the crown prince wants to see junzhu, it’s an urgent matter. His Highness heard that junzhu had already left the palace, so he could only send us subordinates to come chase after. I ask junzhu to please go back with me first.”

After hearing this, the empress dowager frowned, “What is so urgent that it cannot wait a moment ?”

Wei Liu tonight absolutely had to bring the junzhu back. He kept silent while, behind him, each of the imperial guards, dressed in black and carrying swords, didn’t show any intention of backing off.

The empress dowager’s temper was actually very kind, but at this time she also felt somewhat  irritated, she was about to angrily rebuke them.

But Sheng Ling said first: “Lord Wei, I will go back with you.”

She had a light smile on her face, there wasn’t any trace of a guilty expression on her face.

She indeed wasn’t afraid, for she was sure that Zhao Zhi wouldn’t be able to find any evidence incriminating her.

She had never done anything else apart from saying a few words.

She wasn’t the one that put the medicine in the wine. The little palace maid who served the wine was now a corpse, and corpses do not speak.

Ming Zhu and Song Huaiqing had entered the door of that remote palace room themselves and they were the ones who got on the bed on their own.

That qianjinsan medicine had been bought by Sheng Ling from a traveling western merchant, it was sold for a high price and it was also a very rare medicine.

If Ming Zhu had really slept with Song Huaiqing, it could be considered letting her off lightly.  However, Song Huaiqing’s mother definitely wouldn’t let her live. A lady with such a standing wouldn’t tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes.

When Sheng Ling thought so, the corners of her mouth curved up as her smile turned deeper.

……

Inside the palace, everyone was in alert, the crown prince had ordered that the little palace maid be found, by digging into the ground if need be. If the person was alive he wanted to see the person, if dead he wanted to see the body.

It was a big commotion, each palace was thoroughly searched.

Finally, in the dried up well of the cold palace, the body of the palace maid was found. The little palace maid’s head was open with a hole. The body was already a little stiff.

Zhao Zhi indifferently swept a glance at the corpse and remained silent for a moment, “Take it away.”

The fact that the crown prince made a big commotion and punished a group of people alarmed his mother.

He was her own son and she understood him. From chilhood, he had always been a good boy who didn’t talk much and his temperament had always been gentle and meek, so she didn’t know what could happen to make him so angry.

However, after all, her son had grown up now, she couldn’t ask about everything, so she went to see her husband with a very baffled mood.

Zhao Nanyu was not at all surprised that she would come find him to ask him questions. He said casually and perfunctorily, “It’s his personal matter.”

Song Luan laughed, “He has private matters now?”

Wasn’t he busy working every day on official matters ? He didn’t even have a girl he liked.

Zhao Nanyu was aware of everything, but he couldn’t be bothered to care, “Yes, so let him do what he wants.”

He had the ability to hide from his mother, for more than a year, the fact that he snatched by force the daughter of a common family. It seemed that he wanted to keep the image of a good boy in his mother’s heart.

Zhao Nanyu wasn’t even interested in exposing him in front of Song Luan.

Song Luan sighed, “I am worried about him.”

Zhao Nanyu said, “You might as well worry more about me.”