Chapter 1 Some Things You Might Have Forgotten

Inside the dragon carriage, Jing Yue stood beside Jiang Chen.

In a low voice, he said, "Your Majesty, some things you may have forgotten, but this subordinate remembers them vividly."

"Back when the late Emperor was seriously ill, the struggle for the throne among the princes was extremely dangerous, causing endless strife in the harem!"

"Among them, the most ruthless was the favored Consort Lü. She was ambitious, coveting the positions of Empress and Crown Prince, and secretly made many moves."

"According to my previous understanding…" Jing Yue's eyes turned colder, "Consort Lü is still a suspect!"

Jiang Chen nodded, his tone questioning, "That's what I think too, but who could she be collaborating with, a woman alone?"

Jing Yue frowned, feeling ashamed that he couldn't ease the Emperor's worries.

Jiang Chen didn't dwell on it too much, "Forget it, let's investigate this slowly. It'll probably take some time to get results."

After speaking, he instructed again, "Also, increase the number of people monitoring Chang Le Palace. I want to know what Lü Wangshu is doing every day. Report any abnormalities immediately."

Jing Yue accepted the order respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The dragon carriage reached the end of the imperial path and stopped at the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Jiang Chen had just gotten out and hadn't even stepped into the hall when he received news from a scout.

Xu Jiaying had run away again!

The Imperial Guards' meticulous deployment was somehow exposed, and the Xu family had escaped once more.

Upon receiving the news, Jiang Chen was enraged, veins popping on his forehead, "Bastards! Useless! The elite troops of the Imperial Guards, coupled with the forces of the prefectures along the way, can't even capture a woman!"

The scout trembled in fear, terrified, "Yo-Your Majesty, the adults in charge of the operation have tried their best. They blocked the roads along the way several days in advance and even rehearsed on the sand table for a long time."

"Normally, this operation should have been foolproof, but, but somehow Consort Ying disappeared."

Jiang Chen sneered repeatedly, "According to you, Xu Jiaying has a master assisting her?"

The scout was speechless, stammering.

Jiang Chen's patience ran out, and he directly issued a final warning, "Go back and tell those Imperial Guards that if they can't catch her within half a month, they can bring their heads to see me!"

The scout's face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground in fear, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

After speaking, he fled like the wind, galloping out of the imperial capital.

Jiang Chen stood at the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance with a gloomy expression, in a very bad mood.

This Xu Jiaying, fleeing the palace without permission, is simply audacious. And that Mei Ruoying… wait, Mei Ruoying!

She seems to have a half-sister who was used as a substitute, locked in the palace!

That woman, seems to be called Mei Chuyáo?

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen waved his hand, "Go, prepare the carriage for Hánzhāng Palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Half an incense stick later, they arrived at Hánzhāng Palace.

Surrounded by palace attendants, Jiang Chen passed through a grove of crape myrtle trees in the courtyard and arrived at a side hall.

Mei Chuyáo had been kept here, never stepping out. Jiang Chen saw that beautiful figure as soon as he entered.

Dressed in plain clothes, leaning against the window, her exquisite, unadorned face carried a hint of melancholy.

Seeming to be awakened by the sound of the door opening, she turned her head blankly, but after seeing the dragon-patterned brocade robe, she knelt down in a panic.

Timidly, she said, "This servant, pays, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

She was also a survivor of the rebellion night and already knew about the downfall of the Mei family.

Jiang Chen gestured for her to rise and sat down, saying calmly, "Do you know about the Mei family's rebellion?"

Mei Chuyáo's delicate body trembled slightly, and she lowered her jade neck, "This, this servant has heard about it."

Jiang Chen's expression was calm. He had already figured out that this Mei Chuyáo was just a pitiful person, even inferior to servants in the Mei family. She wasn't qualified to participate in the rebellion.

"I have issued a decree to execute the Mei family and their nine generations. Do you resent me?"

Mei Chuyáo was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes, and she knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, this, this servant has no such intention!"

Jiang Chen frowned, and said forcefully, "Don't cry. Stand up. I want to look into your eyes."

Mei Chuyáo forcibly held back her tears, timidly raised her head, and her delicate, bewitching face was full of fear, "Please, Your Majesty, see clearly, this servant really doesn't."

"Although this servant was born into the Mei family, she was sent to a farm since childhood and was only brought back after adulthood. She has no feelings for the Mei family."

"Moreover, the Mei family doesn't like and looks down on this servant, and often beats and scolds this servant… This servant has never regarded the Mei residence as her home, so how can she hate Your Majesty because of them?"

Jiang Chen was slightly surprised and raised his eyebrows, "Is that so?"

"In that case, let me ask you again, have you learned any of her secrets while serving Mei Ruoying all these years?"

Mei Chuyáo frowned, and said with a sob, "Your Majesty, this servant has been imprisoned in the side hall before and can only come out to serve you in bed. She hardly has any contact with Elder Sister."

"What you asked, I, I don't know."

Jiang Chen's expression turned cold, "Really don't know? Think carefully again, deceiving the Emperor is a serious crime!"

Mei Chuyáo trembled in fright, and then seemed to have remembered something, hesitatingly said, "This servant, this servant once accidentally saw some strange things, does that count as a secret?"

Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with a gleam, "Speak quickly!"

Mei Chuyáo felt a little relieved and recalled, "This servant has seen Elder Sister secretly hiding some strange herbs, seen it several times, but she was very careful every time."

Jiang Chen frowned, herbs?

"What herbs? Do you remember their appearance?"

Mei Chuyáo shook her head, "This servant doesn't know, it seems that a royal physician named Chen Yunfei delivered them."

She secretly sized up Jiang Chen and timidly said, "This royal physician came very frequently, almost always bringing something to Elder Sister."

Jiang Chen keenly noticed the abnormality, not suspecting that Mei Ruoying had an affair with this royal physician, but thinking of the potent poison that Noble Consort Shu had been poisoned with.

Perhaps Mei Ruoying still possesses many such highly toxic drugs.

Jiang Chen felt a chill down his spine, "Where are those herbs? Did Mei Ruoying bring them to Hánzhāng Palace?"

"Yes, there is a little!" Mei Chuyáo raised her head, her eyes looking outside, "When Elder Sister's bedroom caught fire, she packed up some and hid them in the depths of the storeroom, and they haven't been moved since."

Jiang Chen made a gesture to Jing Yue, who immediately accepted the order, jumped out of the window, and entered the storeroom.

"Do you know any other unusual actions of Mei Ruoying? For example, who has she met? Or which servant in the palace is she close to?"

Mei Chuyáo thought for a while, and said dejectedly, "Your Majesty, this servant really doesn't know."

"Elder Sister doesn't like this servant and usually keeps this servant locked in the side hall. Apart from that royal physician named Chen Yunfei, this servant has never seen anyone else."

Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, Jiang Chen put away his stern expression and said to the dark guard beside him, "Go and monitor this royal physician, and be careful not to alert him."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The dark guard's figure flashed and disappeared into the darkness.

Only then did Jiang Chen turn his gaze and said in a gentle tone, "You can get up. I won't vent my anger on you because of the Mei family."