Holding the item in his hand, Bei Chen Ye originally intended to give it to Xuan Yuan Heng, but after a moment's thought, he handed it to Feng Ran instead.
"What is this?" Feng Ran looked at Bei Chen Ye in confusion, not understanding his intentions or what he wanted to do.
She looked at Bei Chen Ye and asked, "What is this?"
"I found this at Chen Qing Er's place."
Feng Ran blinked slightly. Chen Qing Er?
If Bei Chen Ye hadn't mentioned her just now, she would have completely forgotten about such a person.
But why would he give her something belonging to Chen Qing Er? Shouldn't these things be given to Xuan Yuan Heng?
Bei Chen Ye seemed to understand the confusion in Feng Ran's eyes and immediately said, "I know this should have been given to the Prince. But I thought about it, and perhaps you need this more than the Prince."
"Does this have something to do with Yu Wan Yan's death? Don't you care about that either?"
Hearing Bei Chen Ye's words, Feng Ran's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the person in front of her. At this moment, she even forgot to speak quietly and exclaimed loudly, "You... are you telling the truth? Does this really have something to do with Yu Wan Yan's death?"
Bei Chen Ye's expression changed. He looked at Feng Ran and whispered into her ear, "Consort, you must keep this absolutely confidential, understand?"
"It was the Prince who asked me to investigate. It seems the Prince must have found something to have me look into it."
Upon hearing this, Feng Ran's lips curved into a self-mocking smile. "Even so, what of it? Even if the truth is uncovered, can it change anything?"
No, nothing could change.
Bei Chen Ye looked at Feng Ran. "Are you unhappy hearing this? Don't you think this is an opportunity given to you by heaven?"
"Is that so?" Feng Ran shook her head and said, "No, I don't think so. In fact, to me, it's just a burden."
"Perhaps this is a trap set by Xuan Yuan Heng? It's not impossible that he wants me to jump in willingly."
Bei Chen Ye frowned slightly and shook his head. "No, it won't be."
Feng Ran, however, laughed, even a little too loudly. "Listen, even you don't have confidence. You yourself feel that what you're saying isn't true. How can you make me believe?"
"But don't you want to try? After all, this is the only thing that can clear your name."
"Back then, you would have believed any news, no matter how obscure. Why have you changed so much now?"
"Bei Chen Ye, thank you for telling me about this. But please, just give these things to Xuan Yuan Heng. I think he will make the final decision."
"You say he is suspicious, so perhaps he has indeed found something."
"Giving it directly to him might clear my name."
Bei Chen Ye looked at Feng Ran and said, "I'm worried that this item might be a tribulation for you. Could it harm you?"
"Perhaps it's a setup to frame you?"
Feng Ran smiled, a hint of relief in her voice. "Being framed and misunderstood, I'm already used to it. Therefore, even if I'm being schemed against this time, I accept it."
"After all, there's no one I care about who will be implicated now."
"If you found this, and it was meant to frame me, then I suppose someone is watching me from the shadows, wanting to destroy me."
"Perhaps that person can't stand to see me by Xuan Yuan Heng's side."
Bei Chen Ye looked at Feng Ran, at a loss for words for a moment.
He even felt that Feng Ran had absolutely nothing to do with Yu Wan Yan's death.
...
Bei Chen Ye did not hand the item to Xuan Yuan Heng. Instead, he decided to investigate it himself.
The Prince had also said that if he discovered anything, he could investigate it himself and report the findings later.
In a clothing shop.
Several people were kneeling on the ground.
"Think carefully. Who bought this piece of cloth here?"
The people kneeling on the ground had faces full of wounds, yet they endured the pain and repeatedly kowtowed. "Sir, sir, we are just a small business. We really don't know."
Bei Chen Ye seemed to disregard their pleas. He even found a place to sit down and coldly watched the people before him.
The shopkeeper, however, was desperately begging, all the while saying that they knew nothing.
But he didn't believe these words.
The shopkeeper took out the account book and presented it to Bei Chen Ye. "Sir, please look. We received this cloth as inventory, but we never sold it. It's all recorded here."
"This was unsalable stock. It was unlucky for me to have bought it."
Bei Chen Ye stood up and said coldly, "However, I've already checked. In your warehouse, one bolt of this cloth is missing."
"Shopkeeper, you say it was never sold? That doesn't add up."
Cold sweat beaded on the shopkeeper's forehead. He thought he would be fine if he said nothing, but he realized it wouldn't work. He could only conclude that the person before him was too sharp.
The shopkeeper finally revealed the truth.
...
In the Xuan Yuan manor, within the study, Xuan Yuan Heng's expression turned exceptionally grim as he listened to Bei Chen Ye's report.
"In these past few days, this is all you've managed to uncover?"
All the testimonies pointed the finger at Feng Ran, making her the culprit.
Bei Chen Ye looked at what he had investigated and suddenly felt a sense of irony.
He instantly realized that Feng Ran was completely right. Perhaps someone was indeed fanning the flames around her.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be like this.
But who was it that could have been scheming against her for so many years?
Xuan Yuan Heng, with a gust of palm wind, turned all those so-called testimonies into dust.
"Bei Chen Ye." Suddenly, Bei Chen Ye said in a low voice, "Go and investigate Feng Ran's affairs over the past few years."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Bei Chen Ye pondered. Was the Prince still choosing to believe Feng Ran? If so, that was actually quite good.
However, he was even more worried that the results of the upcoming investigation would be very unfavorable to Feng Ran.
He thought that perhaps he was worrying needlessly.
In the study.
Xuan Yuan Heng clutched the handkerchief in his hand, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
If he remembered correctly, this handkerchief was given to Yu Wan Yan by him. But why was it at Xu Qing Er's place?
Where had things gone wrong?
"An Ying," he asked in a chilling voice, "you're saying Bei Chen Ye gave this to Feng Ran, and Feng Ran refused, so Bei Chen Ye gave it to me?"
"Your Highness, Bei Chen Ye must have his reasons for doing this, but this subordinate believes Bei Chen Ye would never harm you."
"Perhaps he has some plan."
Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Yuan Heng said coldly, "Continue to follow him. Report everything to me, no matter what."