Zhong Li was slightly stunned by this answer. Nangong Xiaodie and Consort Shu shared the same background, so why was the Emperor's treatment so vastly different?
"Li'er also finds it strange, doesn't she?" Hua Yao saw through her thoughts at a glance and said with a smile, "Rumor has it that although Nangong Xiaodie's background is not good, she possesses something – charm techniques."
"Charm techniques?" Zhong Li raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her heart. Such intangible things, perhaps only the ancients believed in them.
"Why doesn't Li'er believe it?" Hua Yao gently nudged Zhong Li's body and said, "Consort Nangong's birthplace was Huaicheng, the closest place in the Southern Yue Kingdom to the Western Regions. It's rumored that Consort Nangong has her own set of skills to manage her husband, and more mysteriously, she can also transform her own constitution using rare Western Region arts. It's widely rumored that the young prince born to Consort Nangong, Lu Yuan Chen, was conceived using this same mysterious art."
"Where did you hear all this? What nonsense is this?" Zhong Li asked, shaking her head with a smile after hearing Hua Yao's words.
"What, Li'er really doesn't believe it?" Hua Yao pouted and added, "The Emperor is already this old, yet he can have a child in his later years, isn't it because of Consort Nangong's mysterious art?"
Zhong Li looked at Hua Yao and sighed. How could she explain to this young girl so that she would discard such absurd notions? In modern times, let alone in their fifties or sixties, even in their eighties, men could still make women conceive normally. The Emperor of Southern Yue, Lu Jing'an, was only fifty, so what was impossible about it?
"Since you say Consort Nangong is a suspect in this case, setting aside her motive or purpose for murder, why don't you suspect Consort Rong, who came from a foreign land? As far as I know, she is from Shu Rong, a country that also tends to engage in such peculiar things," Zhong Li asked Hua Yao.
"It couldn't be Consort Rong," Hua Yao stated.
"Oh? Why?" Zhong Li was surprised by Hua Yao's decisive denial as soon as she finished speaking.
"Consort Rong will never be able to have an imperial heir in this life." Hua Yao said, "Li'er, think about it, why did Consort Shu die? It might be related to her desire for a child. She must have done something that hindered others' interests, but Consort Rong and Consort Shu had no conflicts of interest. Why would she kill Consort Shu?"
"Yes, you're right," Zhong Li nodded, then immediately countered, "Then according to your analysis, the Empress and other imperial consorts are all suspects, as Consort Shu stood in their way."
"This..." Hua Yao was stunned. She truly hadn't considered that far.
Zhong Li looked at the bewildered young girl and then at the mansion before them. "Don't think too much about it. Let's go home. We can't rush solving this case."
Hua Yao followed Zhong Li's gaze towards the front, looking at the plaque of 'Hua Residence', and said, "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Li'er."
Zhong Li nodded and watched Hua Yao enter the mansion.
It was dusk, and the warm sun slanted across her refined face, making her skin appear even more flawless.
After Hua Yao's figure disappeared from sight, Zhong Li turned and walked towards the Dali Temple. According to her plan, she was supposed to visit the Prince of Xian's mansion again, but it was a bit late now, so she had to abandon that thought.
The street vendors had not yet packed up. She found a clean noodle shop and ordered a bowl of small noodles to fill her stomach, which was so hungry her back was touching her stomach.
The noodles had just arrived, still a bit hot. She put down her wooden chopsticks and was about to go buy some pastries opposite when a figure carrying a basket of pastries sat down across from her.
Zhong Li looked up, and Lu Wu Xie was smiling at her like this.
"Mo Cang, why are you here?" she asked, scanning his surroundings. Seeing that he wasn't accompanied by subordinates or guards, she knew he was off duty.
"I just returned home. Steward Sun mentioned that you came during the day?" Lu Wu Xie asked.
"Yes!" Zhong Li nodded. "I investigated the matter of the late Prince's consort."
"Any progress?" Lu Wu Xie asked again.
Zhong Li nodded. "There is, but... some things I still don't understand."
"For example..."
Zhong Li bit her lip, wanting to speak but not knowing how to express it.
"Just say whatever you want," Lu Wu Xie said.
Zhong Li sighed and said, "I know this question might anger you. If you don't want to answer, I won't force you."
"You want to ask about the relationship between my father and Xie Yun Xi, don't you?" Lu Wu Xie asked.
"How did Mo Cang know?"
"Before I left, I asked Steward Sun about your thorough investigation and inquiries. I could roughly guess," Lu Wu Xie also casually ordered a bowl of noodles and began eating with Zhong Li.
"Then did the Prince of Xian and the late Prince's consort..."
Lu Wu Xie nodded. "Li'er guessed correctly. Xie Yun Xi is the only one left in the Xie family. Because of this, Xie Yun Xi repeatedly pleaded with my father to have a child. My father was hesitant at first, but after the case of Commander Guo in the new year, when I was almost in danger, he finally agreed after careful consideration."
Hearing this, Zhong Li looked deeply at the man opposite her. Whether the Prince of Xian would have another child was his own business. However, before Lu Wu Xie had actually experienced an accident, the Prince of Xian and Xie Yun Xi had already begun planning for the future. Such actions were indeed a bit hurtful.
"Li'er, you don't need to worry about me. I'm used to it," Lu Wu Xie said, a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Zhong Li slowly lowered her head, looking at the empty porcelain bowl before the man opposite her. She reached out and quietly covered his slightly cool fingertips on the table.
"Mo Cang, no matter what happens, you are irreplaceable in my heart."
Hearing these words, Lu Wu Xie's heart trembled, as if a volcano erupted and roared, its scorching magma warming his soul, which had long since frozen.
He tightened his lips, clasped the woman's soft, pale hand in return, and slowly traced the lines of her palm with his rough thumb, sketching them.
"Speaking of which, if according to what Mo Cang said, the Prince and the late Prince's consort decided to have a child only after the new year, then there seems to be a slight contradiction." Zhong Li said.
"What?"
"I previously checked the kitchen account books of the Prince of Xian's mansion and found that the Prince's consort's dietary preferences changed before the new year. This way, she seemed to have foreseen that the Prince would agree to her request," Zhong Li analyzed.
Hearing this, Lu Wu Xie's eyes narrowed. "Is Li'er suspecting something?"
Zhong Li shook her head. "Mo Cang knows me. Without conclusive evidence, I generally don't make baseless assumptions. I hope I'm overthinking it."
Lu Wu Xie smiled, casually took out a few copper coins and threw them on the table, then held Zhong Li's hand as they strolled down Wenchang Street.
"By the way, where has your case investigation gotten to?" Lu Wu Xie asked casually as they walked.
When Zhong Li heard him mention this, she sighed and shook her head. "There's a key point that I've been unable to understand."
"Oh? What is it? Tell me about it."