CHAPTER 488: CHAPTER 488: CAPTURING THE SERVANT

"This servant obeys the order."

The Empress Dowager glanced at Hui Xian, then withdrew her gaze.

Only when she saw the two children crying so desperately did her heart also ache with sorrow.

She softened her tone and said.

"Come, you can rest with your Grand Empress Dowager for a while."

"Yes."

The sobbing sound was especially ethereal in the main hall.

If you looked closely.

In the whole room, besides the two children, it seemed no one else was grieving for the Prince Consort.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager felt even colder in her heart.

Even though she already knew the truth.

That was merely hearsay.

It was nothing compared to the shock of seeing it with her own eyes now.

She concealed the disappointment in her eyes and then took the two children to the Fuguang Pavilion.

There, in the Princess Mansion, was a side room, where the environment was tranquil and the decor was elegant.

Originally, no one had lived there, so there were no traces of life.

Once the children followed the Empress Dowager and left the main hall.

The butler also set the surrounding servants to work everywhere.

In the rush to return, the Princess was still wearing her everyday attire.

The goose-yellow court dress made her look more beautiful than a flower.

But clearly, it was inappropriate for this occasion.

So she returned to her separate courtyard to change into mourning clothes.

On the way back.

Seeing no one around, she whispered to the butler.

"What happened? Wasn’t it said that the Prince Consort could hold on for a few more months?"

She had originally planned to wait until the Elixir of Immortality was in hand before letting the Prince Consort die.

But now, before she could obtain the Divine Woman Bloodline, he was gone.

Doesn’t that make her lose a great excuse?

The most troublesome thing is if the truth comes out in the future, she wouldn’t even have a reason to defend herself.

Thus, more than the sudden death of the Prince Consort, she felt anger.

The butler also lowered his voice, equally puzzled.

"This servant hasn’t figured it out either. Early this morning, everything was normal with the Prince Consort. But after taking the Soul Reviving Pill newly sent by the Tianyi Taoist, it wasn’t long before he couldn’t breathe. By the time the servant called for the mansion’s physician, it was too late."

"When he died, his face was ashen. The servant thought it seemed like he was poisoned."

Poisoned?

The Tianyi Taoist’s medicine had always been effective.

For so many years, the Prince Consort should have died long ago.

If it weren’t for his medicine keeping the Prince Consort going.

He would have reported to King Yama long before.

But what’s the situation now?

Thinking that this medicine bottle had just arrived, Princess Hui Xian immediately looked displeased.

"Could it be that something happened along the way, and the Prince Consort’s medicine was swapped?"

The butler was horrified upon hearing this.

Who would be targeting their Princess Mansion?

They always prided themselves on acting discreetly.

Besides, why change a medicine for a long-ill Prince Consort?

Thus, there must be a bigger problem at play!

Thinking of this, Princess Hui Xian, with the mindset of preferring to wrongly kill a thousand than let one go, immediately ordered.

"Go tell the Tianyi Taoist, that everything is paused, and wait for this princess’s command to proceed."

"Yes."

Then, the butler sent the princess back into the courtyard and hurriedly left.

The death of the Prince Consort caught them off guard in many matters.

Therefore, they had to arrange things quickly.

While still pondering how to handle it.

As the butler returned to the main hall, he saw many people arriving outside.

Judging by their looks, they dressed as Imperial Guards.

He immediately had a foreboding thought.

Could it be that the truth has already come out?

The expression of the Imperial Guards was stern, coupled with the swords in their hands.

It seemed as if they were here for vengeance.

The steward, who didn’t know martial arts, was so frightened that he immediately turned to escape.

But sharp-eyed guards rushing in caught him right away.

"By order, we arrest all servants on the list from the Princess Mansion, every one arrested will be reviewed separately!"

"Yes!"

At the leader’s command, many Imperial Guards began to capture people all around.

They acted swiftly and accurately.

Thus, there was not much panic, as basically half of the mansion’s people were captured.

In the main hall, the steward was the first to be caught.

Many soldiers pressed down on him, afraid he might escape.

Then he was tied up firmly with ropes.

His mouth was stuffed with torn cloth.

Seeing one familiar face after another pressed in front of him.

The butler was already ashen-faced.

It seemed his life had reached its end.

Within the mansion, the Imperial Guards were conducting a massive search.

And the outside of the Princess Mansion was tightly surrounded without any gaps.

Leading the group was the Fourth Prince, and the ones encircling the Princess Mansion were the Imperial Guards.

No one dared to make a sound.

Everyone remembered the same thing happened to the Prince Zhan Mansion not long ago.

And soon after, the entire Prince Zhan Mansion was condemned.

Now, the same is happening to the Princess Mansion, causing everyone to quietly discuss.

Wondering what exactly happened.

The Fourth Prince stood resolutely in front of the Princess Mansion.

As if waiting for someone.

Not long after, the Emperor’s entourage arrived.

"The Emperor has arrived."

The commoners knelt and bowed, and the Fourth Prince also dismounted, cupping his fists in salute.

The Imperial Guards followed behind the imperial entourage, exuding might and power.

At the same time, they escorted a person with a black hood over the head.

That person struggled, but it was futile.

Ultimately pushed into the Princess Mansion.

The crowd grew even more curious.

As they gathered more, the Fourth Prince loudly proclaimed.

"Inside the Princess Mansion, there was an insider who conspired with others to murder the Prince Consort. The Emperor and I fear for the safety of the Empress Dowager and Princess, which is why we’re here to capture the conspirators. Those uninvolved should leave quickly to avoid being implicated."

Upon hearing this, the commoners were shocked.

Under the Emperor’s rule, someone dared to be so bold.

To conspire to kill the Prince Consort?

It’s simply astounding.

But as shocked as they were, this was a matter of life and death.

So everyone consciously took a few steps back, afraid of being implicated themselves.

The outside of the Princess Mansion was strictly guarded.

Inside the Princess Mansion, almost everyone who needed to be arrested had been taken.

When the Emperor and Fourth Prince entered the Princess Mansion, the leader of the guard responsible for the arrests came forward.

"This subordinate greets the Emperor, greets the Prince."

"You may rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Standing up, he reported to the Emperor.

"All personnel in the Princess Mansion have been controlled, unrelated individuals are confined in the woodshed in the backyard, and everyone on the list is waiting in the main hall."

"Where is the Empress Dowager?"

"Replying to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager is with the two Young Masters of the Princess Mansion in the Fuguang Pavilion, should we invite her out?"

"Leave the Princess’s two children in the Fuguang Pavilion, just invite the Empress Dowager out."

"Yes, I obey the order."

In the main hall, everyone could sense the impending storm.

Only in Princess Hui Xian’s courtyard, it remained quiet.

She probably wouldn’t have thought that during the time she was changing into mourning clothes, the situation outside had turned upside-down.