Not only the wine needs to be checked, but the food as well.

That means it’s not just this table that needs investigation; all tables must be checked.

The Imperial Physicians use silver needles to test for poison, dish by dish.

A palace maid and the eunuchs responsible for the wine at Huangfu Jinxuan’s table, need to be interrogated and their accounts recorded, detailing who handled the wine from the cellar, and what happened during that process.

However, apart from that cup of wine, nothing else was poisoned. It truly was targeted and intentional!

The assistant of the Commander of the Imperial Guard reported that during questioning, the palace maid responsible for pouring the wine suddenly died of poisoning.

Under the gaze of many, suddenly dying like that was quite terrifying.

The cause of death was quickly discovered: the palace maid had poisoned herself long ago.

Suicide out of fear of punishment?

Clearly, her death at this time was unusual. Even if it wasn’t out of fear, she likely knew the inside story. Seeing the matter exposed, she knew she couldn’t survive, and chose to end her life to avoid punishment.

The Commander of the Imperial Guard instantly focused the investigation on this palace maid.

Yet, her background was quite simple. Now twenty-eight years old, she was an orphan adopted by elderly farmers with no children, and has been in the palace for over a decade. During these years, the elderly couple also passed away.

She entered the palace through normal procedures.

Why would a common palace maid poison Prince Cheng’s Heir’s wine?

So the investigation continued, leading to a shocking discovery.

This palace maid was not just an ordinary maid.

Long ago, there was a tribe in the southwest of Nanxia, called the Dragon Nest Tribe. Its people lived in desolate conditions, among rugged mountains and harsh rivers, developing a fierce nature, often harassing the borders of Nanxia.

These people would steal cattle, sheep, and even women and children from the border. If the government sent troops, if not enough, they would be...

After over a hundred years of development, the Dragon Nest Tribe gained some scale. Twenty years ago, they gathered fifty thousand people to invade the southwest border.

It was said these people ate human flesh and drank human blood. On the battlefield, they would howl and rush forward, cutting and hacking with knives and axes. When weapons failed, they would bite, and wouldn’t spit out the flesh they bit; they would eat it raw.

This kind of warfare was unlike anything Nanxia’s soldiers had seen.

In their eyes, this was a horde of demons.

Nanxia’s soldiers’ morale collapsed almost instantly, losing every battle and surrendering two cities to the Dragon Nest Tribe, who showed signs of further invasion.

The news reached the Court, and upon learning such flesh-eating fiends were involved, faces turned pale. None of the generals dared to volunteer for expedition.

Facing such demons, merely imagining their flesh and blood consumption would destabilize the military. Fighting humans might be winnable, but against demons, was defeat inevitable? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Victory brought glory and wealth, but defeat meant death on the battlefield!

Seeing no general volunteered, the Emperor was furious; what kind of useless men had he been nurturing?

The then sixteen-year-old Fifth Prince, later Prince Cheng, Huangfu Yi, readily volunteered, calming the Emperor’s rage and relieving the generals’ anxiety.

The Fifth Prince arrived at the southwest border. Over two years, he not only defeated the Dragon Nest Tribe, reclaiming the five cities they had seized, but also reached their stronghold, capturing and killing all those who resisted.

This continually troubling tribe became the nightmare of the border people of Nanxia and was eradicated.

This palace maid was the daughter of the Dragon Nest Tribe’s Clan Leader, aged six at the time.

She was stranded in the suburb, adopted, and eventually entered the Imperial Palace.

Twenty-two years later, she poisoned Prince Cheng’s son.

This is a vendetta, both familial and national, but ultimately is this palace maid’s personal grievance against Prince Cheng?

Reaching such a conclusion left no further room for investigation.

It was evident that Huangfu Jinxuan’s action in offering wine was due to his youthful arrogance, driven by the lofty stance of Huangfu Jing’s crowd, prompting the young ones at the table to instigate him to show off.

Huangfu Jinxuan and Huangfu Jingchen were not on good terms; they had fought outside the palace gates before. If he knew there was poison, he wouldn’t have thwarted Huangfu Jingchen. This was clearly to humiliate and bully him, intentionally taking away his cup.

Huangfu Jingchen was quietly around, harming none, and certainly wouldn’t anticipate vengeance from his father’s old foes of twenty years ago. This was the Imperial Palace, perceived as secure; he wouldn’t have imagined poison in the wine.

Why didn’t he stop Huangfu Jinxuan from taking his cup? Likely to avoid further conflict, considering how Huangfu Jinxuan had been struck.

Huangfu Jing was innocently implicated!

Yet Huangfu Jinxuan was also innocent; he merely offered a toast!

Huangfu Jingchen was equally innocent; this was trouble that came unexpectedly!

Ultimately, Huangfu Jing’s death is unjust!

However, since it was Huangfu Jinxuan who brought the wine, to appease the Crown Prince’s rage and sorrow, he was punished with twenty lashes.

The palace maid who committed suicide out of guilt, her household now empty, had her corpse mutilated and her head displayed, cast into an unmarked grave, left exposed in the wild, forbidden from burial!

Imperial Concubine Zhou, responsible for the palace banquet, hired incompetently, leading to the tragic death of the Imperial Grandson, was fined three months’ salary and restricted for ten days!

Throughout, Huangfu Hanyu wore a terrifyingly dark expression, his gaze towards Huangfu Jinxuan and Huangfu Jingchen seeming intent on devouring.

Everyone thought his anger arose from the loss of a beloved son, resenting the two who doomed his cherished child; immediately, their looks towards Huangfu Jingchen shifted.

These two had provoked the Crown Prince, given his means, what future could possibly await them?

Huangfu Jinxuan might fare better, sheltered by King Kang and Prince Kang. Despite previous misdeeds, nothing serious befell them; now the Crown Prince seeks to win over King Kang, likely sparing him.

Prince Cheng’s Heir, however, faced dire prospects, with Prince Cheng far away in Yunzhou. He stood isolated in the Capital, making him an easy target for the Crown Prince.

Only Huangfu Hanyu knew the depth of his hatred in that moment!

It was an infallible plan!

Huangfu Jingchen would perish!

Imperial Concubine Zhou would inevitably get entangled!

Prince Li would be implicated alongside Imperial Concubine Zhou!

Remove a competitor; simultaneously trap Imperial Concubine Zhou and Prince Li.

Killing multiple birds with one stone!

Ultimately, the investigation would find the Dragon Nest tribe leader’s daughter as a scapegoat.

He would remain spotless, untarnished!

Everything was set, yet who could have anticipated such a mishap!

His beloved Jing’er, his favored firstborn, had died unjustly?

The poisonous wine meant for Huangfu Jingchen, ultimately costing his own child’s life. It was like lifting a stone and not only crushing his own foot but breaking his leg, forcing him to swallow his grief silently.