When Nangong Liuyun returned later, there were fewer unexpected incidents.
Chu Fei had already informed Nangong Liuyun outside the capital city of the assassination attempt. He had decided to return to the court earlier. After all, currently only the Dongfang family held power at the court. He must now outmaneuver them to allow his own power to fully grow.
At this moment, inside the Qianqing Palace.
Dongfang Yi was looking through the roster and records related to the Golden Wolf Guards again. On the couch beside her, Helian Qi still remained unconscious.
Today, Imperial Physician Li had come again. He said that the poison in the emperor's body had spread a bit more, but it was not yet life - threatening. Thanks to all the precious medicinal herbs and ginseng keeping him alive, he was temporarily out of danger.
Dongfang Yi knew that no matter how worried she was about Helian Qi's poisoning, there was nothing she could do. She could only wait for the antidote. So, the only thing she could do now was to find out the mastermind behind the assassination and see which concubine in the harem was so reckless as to endanger the emperor's life.
Thinking that the arrow that day was aimed at her, it was very likely that someone wanted her dead. Currently, the only one who harbored hatred for her was probably Chu Fei.
She went through all the records in the roster and found that there was hardly any connection between the Nangong family and the Golden Wolf Guards. This proved that the person who had assigned the Golden Wolf Guards for this assassination must be someone else.
So, she listed all the concubines in the palace and screened their families one by one. To her great surprise, the family most closely connected to the Golden Wolf Guards was the family of the Minister of Works, that is, the family of Concubine Dong's father, Minister Dong.
At this point, she couldn't help but be even more confused. Concubine Dong had always been on good terms with her, and Minister Dong was under her father's command. So, how could they do something to harm her?
Moreover, Concubine Dong had always been kind, obedient, and had no desires or ambitions in the harem, never fighting for anything.
Thinking of this, she closed the roster, rubbed her aching forehead, and let out a long sigh.
Just then, a black - clothed man entered from outside the palace. It was Si Zheng, who had gone out to investigate. He brought astonishing news.
"Your Majesty, I've made a discovery!" Si Zheng said respectfully, bowing with his hands clasped.
Hearing that there was a lead, Dongfang Yi immediately stood up and nodded at him, signaling him to continue.
"I discovered during my investigation that some remnants of an assassination organization entered... Minister Dong's mansion," he said.
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi felt a jolt in her heart. This was exactly the same as the clue she had just found. Did this prove everything?
"Are you sure you saw correctly?" she asked loudly.
Si Zheng nodded heavily. He had always helped the emperor investigate cases outside the palace, so he had enough alertness. There was absolutely no possibility of misseeing.
Seeing his determined look, Dongfang Yi believed his words. She waved her hand, signaling him to retreat, and then sat down on the chair a bit unsteadily.
It seemed that all the clues pointed to Concubine Dong. If it had been finally proven that Chu Fei was the culprit, she wouldn't have been so surprised. But what shocked her was that the source of all this was actually that seemingly gentle and obedient Concubine Dong.
After thinking about it, she felt her head ache even more, and her gums were also aching. She thought that she had been too overworked these days and hadn't had a good rest, which was why she was starting to show signs of illness.
So, she walked into the inner palace and lay down on another soft couch. She just wanted to have a good rest tonight. As soon as dawn broke tomorrow, she would go to Concubine Dong's palace to investigate thoroughly. By then, the truth would surely come to light.
After thinking this, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, outside the palace, some people were sleepless.
It was already midnight, yet Rong Yi was still wandering on the street. As he walked, someone blocked his way.
The person who blocked him was Su Luo. She lowered her head and said shyly, "It's already this late. Come home with me. Stop investigating."
Since they had confessed their feelings to each other in the room that day, they hadn't seen each other for a day. This was because Su Luo was too shy. She just couldn't forget Rong Yi's words, "Let's get married when this is all over."
But she had heard that Rong Yi hadn't rested for a day and a night. If he continued like this, his body would surely break down. She was so worried that she rushed out and finally saw the haggard - looking man on the street.
"Bai Juechen is my master. I'm the most suitable person to look for him. So, you go back. I'll look for him with you tomorrow," Su Luo said.
Rong Yi gave a soft laugh, then reached out and ruffled the woman's hair in front of him. Then he asked, "Luo Luo, are you worried about me?"
"You... I... I'm not!" Su Luo turned her head shyly, and her cheeks instantly flushed.
Rong Yi felt as if he had seen the shy little girl who used to follow him when they were kids. All his weariness vanished. Then he took the woman's hand and headed towards the Su Mansion.
"You're right. I can't exhaust myself. I still have to marry you!" he said, looking ahead.
Hearing the words "marry you", Su Luo's chest started to burn. She still didn't understand why, but she pretended to be angry and pulled her hand away. Then she shouted loudly, "I'm telling you, Rong Yi. I won't marry you! Don't keep talking about getting married all the time!"
"Oh? So, do you already have another man you like?" Rong Yi stood in front of her, staring directly into her eyes.
Su Luo felt as if there were stars in his eyes, and his fair face was even more beautiful than some women's.
He was really good - looking, she couldn't help but praise in her heart. Since childhood, Rong Yi had always been good - looking. Even when he was sickly as a child, he was so beautiful that people had the urge to protect him. Now that he had grown into a handsome young man, she couldn't help but be attracted to him.
Realizing what she was thinking, Su Luo quickly averted her gaze and looked around, trying to distract herself. She also didn't answer the man's question in front of her.
Rong Yi wasn't angry at her pretending to be stupid. He knew she was always so innocent. So, he just sighed and took her hand again.
After all, they still had a long time ahead. Even though Luo Luo didn't yet understand love or her feelings for him, Rong Yi could wait. After all, he was just waiting for this one woman in his life.