"Tell me, why was there an extra chair in the Crown Princess's chamber last night?"
Mu Qingyao's expression turned ice-cold, her pupils fixed on the two palace maids in foreign attire. The maids exchanged nervous glances.
It turned out Emperor Xian had summoned them to inquire about the Crown Princess. Recalling the Crown Princess's tragic death in her chambers, the two maids couldn't help but sob softly.
Mu Qingyao was surprised by the maids' loyalty. The Crown Princess, Ji Feng, appeared arrogant and overbearing, yet her servants were undeniably faithful.
"Speak. If you wish to help the Crown Princess find the true killer, you must answer truthfully whatever I ask."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two replied in unison, wiping away their tears with their sleeves and looking at the peerlessly beautiful and cold Empress.
Mu Qingyao turned to Emperor Xian, subtly urging him to listen attentively.
"Tell me, why was there an extra chair in the Crown Princess's bedchamber?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, that chair was a gift from the Crown Princess to Prince Ji to sit on," the elder of the two maids respectfully reported.
"Before the Crown Princess died, did your Prince Ji stay in her chambers?"
The maid raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded seriously, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"When did he leave afterwards?"
Mu Qingyao's gaze was as sharp and cold as ice, laced with hostility.
Ji Xue, if you truly killed your own sister, you are worse than a beast, sparing no sibling for the throne.
Moreover, you are already a Prince, second only to the Emperor. Is that not enough?
The maid seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation and hesitated before replying thoughtfully,
"He left shortly after. The Prince said the Crown Princess had already fallen asleep and instructed us to guard the room and not disturb her. Later, when we checked, the Crown Princess was indeed asleep. We guarded outside, but then, at dawn..."
The maid's tears fell silently as she remembered the Crown Princess's tragic end. Mu Qingyao sighed, her delicate brows furrowed. It seemed Prince Ji was indeed the prime suspect.
"Before the incident, were there any noises from the bedchamber?"
"Yes, it sounded like something was bumped. But the Princess often threw things when she was angry, so we didn't pay much attention," the maid replied diligently.
"I have another question for you. Did the Crown Princess enter the Imperial Palace?"
Upon hearing this, the two palace maids visibly startled, taking a step back and trembling. They clung to each other, unsure of what to say. Mu Qingyao gently reassured them, "It's alright, I only want to know the truth of the matter."
"Yes, that night, the Princess injured two inner guards along Tiger Head Alley and sneaked into the palace to… to…"
The elder maid stopped here, stealing a glance at Emperor Xian. The Crown Princess had come to the Xian Yue Kingdom purely to catch a glimpse of Emperor Xian. From the first moment she saw him, she fell for the Emperor, believing him to be the only man in the world capable of matching her.
Thus, she planned to sneak into the Glass Palace at night to present herself, but unexpectedly encountered the meddlesome Prince Nan'an. The two of them fought, and ultimately, Prince Nan'an, with his superior martial arts, escorted the Crown Princess back to her temporary palace.
"What did she intend to do?"
Mu Rong Liu Zun's sharply defined face was like an exquisite sculpture. Beneath his long, narrow brows lay a pair of soul-captivating eyes, fathomless, now flashing with a sinister coldness, tinged with faint traces of crimson.
He hadn't expected the Crown Princess to be so audacious. What was her motive for sneaking into the palace at night? More importantly, he hadn't anticipated such a security lapse within the palace walls. This was an error he could not tolerate.
He would have to dispatch more personnel. What use were those incompetent inner guards? A chilling, bloodthirsty aura surged through the White Jade Lingbo Pavilion. Upon seeing the Emperor's fury, the two maids trembled even more violently, unable to utter a word.
Mu Qingyao reached out and placed her hand on Mu Rong Liu Zun's large hand. A warm energy seeped into his palm, soothing his cold, violent heart and stabilizing his emotions.
"She intended to sneak into the Glass Palace at night, but encountered Prince Nan'an on the way, leading to a conflict between the Crown Princess and Prince Nan'an."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two palace maids knelt with a thud.
They hadn't expected Prince Nan'an, who had remained silent until now, to reveal the truth to the Empress.
"Your Majesty is wise. Yes, because the Crown Princess admired Emperor Xian, she injured the inner guards and intended to sneak into the Glass Palace at night, to see if Emperor Xian had any feelings for her."
The maid glanced at Emperor Xian again as she spoke.
Alas, the Emperor's face was only stern, his pupils frigid, devoid of any tenderness. It seemed Emperor Xian had no interest in the Crown Princess. Pity that she had been so foolishly devoted and paid with her life.
"However, upon entering the palace, she encountered Prince Nan'an. He recognized the Crown Princess at a glance, and they began to clash. Prince Nan'an, with a group of guards, apprehended the Crown Princess and finally escorted us back to our temporary palace from Tiger Head Alley. Who knew, who knew that the Crown Princess would meet such a tragic end at dawn?"
"So, was it at that time that your Prince Ji entered the Crown Princess's chamber?"
"Yes, when we returned, Prince Ji was waiting. Seeing that the Princess was in low spirits, he entered the chamber to comfort her. We withdrew. Later, the Princess, having been comforted by Prince Ji, went to sleep."
Having lived in the palace for many years, these two maids were quite astute. Hearing the Empress constantly inquire about Prince Ji, their faces paled, their lips turned ashen, and their eyes widened in disbelief. Could the Crown Princess's death be related to Prince Ji?
Seeing their expressions, Mu Qingyao seemed to have grasped something. A cold, eerie frost settled upon her face, and she spoke in a deep voice.
"Indeed, your Crown Princess was likely killed by Prince Ji. This is because Prince Ji is determined to seize the throne. Do you wish to avenge the Crown Princess?"
As soon as Mu Qingyao finished speaking, the two palace maids were utterly stunned.
Prince Ji and the Crown Princess had always been on good terms, and the Crown Princess confided many things in Prince Ji. Now, the Empress claimed Prince Ji had killed the Crown Princess. What were they to do?
The two maids felt a sinister aura pervading the surroundings, a cold current, thin as water, coursing through their bodies.
Why had this happened? Prince Ji had killed the Crown Princess. Although they wanted to protest, upon careful reflection, there were indeed clues.
For instance, the original envoy to the Dan Feng Kingdom was to be the Prime Minister, but Prince Ji had instigated the Crown Princess to go in person. Knowing the Crown Princess was proud and arrogant, he had even mentioned the handsome Emperor Xian, which finally swayed the Crown Princess to agree to the mission to Xian Yue.
Furthermore, last night, when they injured the inner guards and snuck into the Glass Palace, it was also with Prince Ji's support, and he even helped the Crown Princess injure the inner guards from the temporary palace. Even the final word that the Crown Princess was asleep came from Prince Ji.