Shen Lixue pursed her lips, turned and left. As she reached the courtyard gate, her eyes flashed, and she dropped a bombshell: "Your Majesty, next time you look at the princes, remember to control your emotions. There are so many shrewd people in the harem; they might accidentally reveal that you are 'friendly' with a certain prince..."
"Shen Lixue!" Tian Meiren roared through gritted teeth from behind, but Shen Lixue ignored her, striding forward with a faint smile playing on her lips. Even after being confined to the Cold Palace, she still had such a temper; this Tian Meiren was truly... However, even if the truth were revealed, the chances of her leaving the Cold Palace were slim...
"Chen Lixue, Shen Lixue..." Tian Meiren roared Shen Lixue's name, her anger surging. Her eyes scanned the empty room quickly, searching for something to smash. Suddenly, a familiar figure walked up to Tian Meiren, backlit by the sun. His face was hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see his expression, but his eyes were terrifyingly bright, and the sharp, cold aura emanating from him sent chills down one's spine...
Tian Meiren's slender body trembled violently, her eyes widened instantly, and she said in a trembling voice, "It's you..."
As the sun set, when Shen Lixue walked out of the Cold Palace, Dongfang Heng was standing not far away under a yellow flower tree, his hands behind his back, facing the wind. His white figure seemed to be surrounded by a faint golden light, reflecting the fluttering leaves, like a dream.
Hearing the sound, Dongfang Heng turned around, his face handsome beyond compare, his gaze unfathomable: "We're done talking!"
“Mm!” Shen Lixue nodded, smiling, and walked over to walk side by side with Dongfang Heng towards the outside of the palace.
"Have you found out the truth?" Dongfang Heng asked softly. He was seeing Shen Lixue with a smile in her eyes for the first time.
"No!" Shen Lixue shook her head: "Consort Tian is very clever and didn't reveal too much. However, at the latest by tomorrow, Consort Li should begin investigating this matter..." Consort Li is a concubine in the harem, so it's much more convenient for her to investigate than for me to do it myself...
"Ah!" A shrill scream pierced through the clouds and echoed through the sky, shocking Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng, who were not far from the Cold Palace.
Shen Lixue was startled: "What happened?"
Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes narrowed instantly, and a strong aura of murderous intent surrounded him: "The screams came from the Cold Palace. Something has happened to Consort Tian!"
Holding Shen Lixue's small waist, Dongfang Heng flew into the air. The scenery in front of Shen Lixue changed rapidly. Before she could even feel dizzy, her feet had already touched the ground. Looking to the side, she saw two or three dead rats lying on the ground, their limbs outstretched and blood flowing from their seven orifices. They had obviously died in great pain.
Looking further inside, at the doorway, a woman lay face down on the ground, her life or death unclear. Her disheveled hair was scattered against the desolate ground, creating an eerie scene.
"Your Majesty!" Shen Lixue tentatively stepped forward, but Consort Tian lay quietly on her side, without making a sound.
Shen Lixue slowly reached out her small hand, supported Tian Meiren's shoulder, and turned her over. Instantly, a bloody face came into view. There was a large hole in her forehead, from which blood was gushing out. Her eyes were wide open, and she died with her eyes wide open. Her shocked expression was as if she had experienced something unbelievable.
Having seen many dead people, Shen Lixue was not afraid. She gently touched Tian Meiren's neck with her small hand and shook her head at Dongfang Heng, who was intently examining her: "She's already dead!"
"What's wrong? What happened?" Several palace maids and eunuchs rushed over in a panic. Seeing the gruesome death of Consort Tian, they scattered in all directions, shouting, "Help! Someone's dead..."
Although Consort Tian was banished to the Cold Palace, she was still a concubine of the imperial palace. Her death was shrouded in mystery, and it was difficult to explain to others. The Empress, Consort Li, the Crown Prince, Su Yuting, and others all went to the Cold Palace and sat quietly to one side, waiting for the coroner's autopsy results.
"Sister Lixue, didn't you and Prince An leave the palace long ago? Why are you here?" Su Yuting stepped forward, her eyes full of concern. However, her question also attracted the attention of the Empress and Consort Li. After Consort Tian's death, Shen Lixue was the first person to appear in the Cold Palace.
"Since it was still early, I asked Prince An to show me around the palace. When we got to this area, I heard screams and rushed over!" Shen Lixue replied casually. Dongfang Heng had already ordered the nearby palace maids and eunuchs to leave. No one had seen her enter the Cold Palace, so she could lie however she wanted.
"What a coincidence!" Su Yuting said meaningfully, her eyes dimming as if she was lamenting the death of Tian Meiren.
Instantly, everyone's suspicious gazes focused on Shen Lixue. Although Consort Tian had been imprisoned in the Cold Palace, she had been perfectly fine. Why did she die as soon as Shen Lixue arrived? Something was amiss.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly: "Yes, it was quite a coincidence that Tian Meiren died. She was killed as soon as I arrived nearby. The murderer was very cruel and didn't even spare the rats who knew about it!"
Shen Lixue's words were similar to Su Yuting's, but their meanings were completely opposite. Su Yuting's words implied that she had killed Tian Meiren, while Shen Lixue's words indicated that someone had deliberately killed Tian Meiren and framed her.
Following Shen Lixue's gaze, everyone saw several dead rats, and not far from the rat corpses, there were scattered bits of pastry.
The coroner picked up the pastries and examined them carefully, then respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the pastries are indeed poisoned!"
The Empress's eyes narrowed instantly, and she coldly swept her gaze over the palace maids and eunuchs standing to the side: "Who sent the pastries to Consort Tian?"
"Yes...this servant..."
A young palace maid stepped forward tremblingly, then knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, her hands shaking: "Consort Tian loves osmanthus cake. When I brought it to her, I secretly tasted a bite. This cake is absolutely fine. Even if it was poisoned, someone put it in later. It has nothing to do with me..."
"Besides you, who else has had contact with Consort Tian?" Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Consort Li's cold gaze swept over the palace maids and eunuchs, and then she glanced indifferently at Shen Lixue.
"Your Majesty, when we heard the screams and ran into the Cold Palace, we saw..." The maid glanced at Shen Lixue and quickly lowered her head: "Miss Shen was standing next to Consort Tian, and she was holding onto her shoulder..."
"The palace maids are guarding outside the Cold Palace. Even if Li Xue passed by nearby, she couldn't possibly arrive at the Cold Palace before them!" Consort Li glanced at Consort Tian's tragic death and smiled coldly. "Or is it that the bloody hole on Consort Tian's forehead was deliberately caused by Li Xue forcing her to run into it?"
"Your Highness, you must know something about what's happening in the Cold Palace, right? Are you so sure the palace maids will stay obediently outside the gate instead of running off to play elsewhere?" Shen Lixue glanced at the crumbs of the pastry, where withered osmanthus petals could be seen:
"I remember Consort Tian once said that she was closest to Consort Li in the entire palace. The Consort must know that she loves osmanthus cake the most!"
"What do you mean?" Consort Li slammed her hand on the chair and stood up, a cold glint flashing deep in her beautiful eyes, as if she wanted to devour Shen Lixue alive: "You suspect that I poisoned the pastries?"
"I'm just stating the facts, Your Highness, why are you so angry!" Shen Lixue frowned: Why did Consort Li react like an animal whose tail had been stepped on when she mentioned poison? Could it be that she really poisoned the pastry?
"Stop arguing!" The Empress, having watched the drama unfold, put her hand to her forehead and feigned helplessness as she spoke to stop them: "Let's hear what the coroner has to say!"
Shen Lixue looked up and saw that the coroner had finished examining the body and was walking quickly toward her: "Your Majesty, Consort Li, Consort Tian died by breaking into the door. No traces of anyone else were found at the scene. It should be suicide!"
Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed slightly. She had explained the truth of that day to Tian Meiren, and Tian Meiren knew she had misjudged her. She would definitely try to regain the Emperor's favor, not kill herself by crashing into the door...
"I came to the Cold Palace with Shen Lixue, and I can guarantee that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with her!" Dongfang Heng walked over slowly, his sharp gaze making people afraid to look him in the eye.
"Consort Tian committed suicide, and it has nothing to do with anyone else!" Consort Li smiled slightly, her alluring eyes glancing at Dongfang Heng from time to time.
"It's getting late. I'm here on the Empress Dowager's orders to escort Shen Lixue back to her residence. I'll take my leave now!" Dongfang Heng said calmly, then turned to Shen Lixue: "Let's go!"
"This humble woman takes her leave!" After bowing, Shen Lixue ignored everyone in the Cold Palace and walked out of the Cold Palace with Dongfang Heng.
Once inside the carriage, a faint fragrance filled the air, instantly easing her tense expression. Shen Lixue frowned and asked, "Dongfang Heng, who do you think is the real culprit who killed Consort Tian?" When the Empress and Consort Li entered the Cold Palace, Shen Lixue tried to find out who the real culprit was, so she didn't ask Dongfang Heng to testify for her. However, Consort Li, the Empress, and Su Yuting were all very clever, and she couldn't get any useful information out of them.
"I can't guess yet!" Dongfang Heng's gaze deepened. "However, that person's lightness skill is extremely high!" When he brought Shen Lixue to the Cold Palace, that person had already disappeared without a trace.
Shen Lixue narrowed her eyes slightly: "When did that person sneak into the Cold Palace?" She hadn't noticed anyone there when she was talking to Tian Meiren in the Cold Palace.
"After we left!" Dongfang Heng stood outside the Cold Palace, surveying the situation within fifty meters. Before they left the Cold Palace for the first time, there were no experts nearby.
"Did he kill Lady Tian to frame me?" If so, his method was rather clumsy.
Dongfang Heng took a sip of tea, his dark eyes flickering in the steam: "The coroner's final conclusion was suicide. It seems that Lady Tian knew something she shouldn't have known, and that person wanted to silence her!"