boyutpedia Chapter 260 The Death of Consort Chen Was Not Caused by One Person
Chapter 260 The Death of Consort Chen Was Not Caused by One Person
This was the moment they had been waiting for, deliberately letting their guard down. Lian'er had been imprisoned for so many years, and now that she was free, she must have something she wanted to do most. It seems that Lian'er wasn't crazy after all!
Zhai Yun stood up, her gaze sharp: "Young Master Lou, you wait here. I have to go back; the cat is being disobedient!"
Without hesitation, Zhai Yun flew up to the treetop and disappeared in a short while. Qi Nuo and Yan Nanheng followed immediately, with a white figure behind them.
The others wanted to follow Lou Yexue, but a voice entered their ears: "Stay here."
When they found Lian'er, she was on a desolate mountain, with yellow paper scattered everywhere. Several adjacent graves were covered with withered grass, and the words on the simple tombstones were blurred. Lian'er knelt in front of the graves, crying so hard she could hardly breathe.
Qi Nuo was about to grab her when Zhai Yun stopped him. Zhai Yun stepped forward and saw the words engraved on the tombstone. It said that a couple and their children were buried here.
The family buried here all share the surname Ye.
While waiting for Lian'er to catch her breath, Zhai Yun silently lit incense for the family. The person who could make Lian'er cry so heartbroken must be her closest relative.
Qi Nuo and Yan Nanheng were clearly moved by this scene, but Lou Yexue remained expressionless throughout.
Zhai Yun waited for a long time before Lian'er finally spoke with difficulty: "These are all my family members, my father, mother, younger brother and sister, they are all dead!"
Lian'er's tears flowed uncontrollably, her heart churning with pain. The thought that she was the one who had caused their deaths made it hard for her to breathe!
"Is their death related to what you know?" Zhai Yun asked bluntly.
Lian'er cried even harder, pounding the ground with her fists. Her intermittent cries of grief and indignation made her seem as if she might faint at any moment.
Seeing her like this, Zhai Yun could only wait patiently for her to recover.
As dawn broke, Lian'er, exhausted from crying, knelt before the tombstone, her heart ashen, completely stunned. She recalled how she had been sent out of the palace to join Consort Chen's entourage in offering incense and praying for blessings.
She left marks along the way, and after figuring out how many assassins Consort Chen had brought, she put poison in the water bag as ordered during a water-fetching trip.
Unfortunately, not many people drank the water, and Consort Chen and the Second Prince even brought their own water from the palace, so they were fine.
Those who drank the water were all attendants and guards. After they died from poisoning, Consort Chen's people immediately became alert. She ordered her men to find the poisoner. Although she had been very careful and had thrown the remaining poison into the stream, she was still very afraid.
Consort Chen's guards were very efficient. Just when she thought she was doomed, a palace maid named Zhi Rou was pulled out. The poison on her body was exactly the same as the one she had put in the water.
Zhi Ruo became her scapegoat, and Zhi Ruo, who was closely related to her, also disappeared from the group.
When Consort Chen went out of the palace to pray for blessings, it was as if many spies had been planted on her. They were not safe along the way, and not only were they poisoned, but they also encountered several assassination attempts.
Just as Consort Chen and the Second Prince realized something was wrong, they knew they could never go back. Several assassination attempts had nearly wiped out their escorts, and many of their assassins had also died.
Before the incense could be burned, Consort Chen was unable to escape the pursuit on her way back to the capital.
Lian'er was one of the people who stayed with Consort Chen until the very end. A group of people used a palace maid dressed as Consort Chen to distract the pursuers.
They fled down another road, with a few assassins protecting them as they escaped. Consort Chen and the Second Prince had already shaken off their pursuers.
She was the one who exposed Consort Chen's whereabouts. After her whereabouts were exposed, she was afraid of being discovered, so she ran away!
She dared not rest for a moment and fled back to her hometown. In her arms were enough silver notes to ensure a stable life for her and her family. She thought about it constantly on her way home.
Once he saw his family, he persuaded them to move to another place with him.
Eager to return home, she never imagined that before she even entered the city, she would be dragged away by people who were already waiting outside the city and put into a bag.
She overheard people discussing whether or not to kill her, and from them came a heartbreaking message.
"Her Majesty the Empress said that we should deal with her family first, as they are very unruly!"
Lian'er felt dizzy. She hadn't contacted her family for more than two months because of the preparations for leaving the palace. She thought she could go home after everything was done.
Unexpectedly, she received such devastating news. Not only would she not survive, but her family would also be implicated. Lian'er desperately begged for mercy: "Do you know whose people I work for? You dare to touch me, aren't you afraid of retribution!"
As soon as Lian'er finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain on her head. When she woke up, she found herself locked in a dark and sunless dungeon, where she had been imprisoned for countless years.
The sky was fully bright when Zhai Yun looked at Lian'er, whose face was ashen, and asked, "Now that you're not insane, shouldn't you tell us about what happened back then?"
Lian'er seemed to have made up her mind, and slowly said, "Back then, I was indeed instructed by someone. I was the one who exposed Consort Chen's last whereabouts. The person who instructed me was..."
At this point, Lian'er paused.
Qi Nuo and Yan Nanheng nervously stepped forward, and even Zhai Yun was worried when Lian'er paused inexplicably.
"Who is it?" Qinuo couldn't help but ask.
Lian'er suddenly raised her eyes, filled with hatred, and answered with unwavering determination: "Many people chased after Consort Chen back then, but I exposed Consort Chen's last whereabouts. I am a servant of the Empress's palace and obey the Empress's orders!"
Lian'er was a servant in the Empress's palace, and she obeyed the Empress's orders; all of this makes sense.
Zhai Yun noticed some details: "Who were the people who chased and killed Consort Chen back then?"
Those people were also helpers; without their help, Consort Chen might not have died.
Lian'er was clearly surprised for a moment, and stammered, "The palace maid who was found to be carrying poison back then, Zhi Rou, this servant doesn't know where she came from?"
"Then how do you know that the people chasing Consort Chen are not the same group?" Qi Nuo asked.
Lian'er's eyes flickered, "Because...because once we were attacked, and the assassins started fighting each other!"
Zhai Yun had been observing Lian'er, recalling the list of palace maids who left the palace that day that she had found out. Zhi Ruo and Zhi Rou came from Consort Su's palace, while Lian'er and Cai Meng came from the Empress's palace.
There's also a small box, and a eunuch with no clues whatsoever.
It seems that Consort Chen's death was not caused by one person alone!
As the sun rose, Zhai Yun ordered, "Take her back to the capital." Keep her alive; she can confront the Empress if necessary.
Lian'er did not resist. After bidding farewell to her family again, she voluntarily followed Zhai Yun.
After meeting up with Ruan Ziyan and the others, it was already noon. With so many people and such a large target, it was not advisable to go to crowded places. Zhai Yun sent Qi Nuo and Yan Nanheng to find something to eat, while the others continued to wait where they were.