MCSCPM -Chapter 74 Assassination

Yin Qingyue was stopped at the gate and pouted innocently. “But the steward said I could come to see anytime. Don’t you want to ask him again?”

The two guards exchanged a glance. They knew Yin Qingyue had saved the Crown Prince’s life multiple times, so it wasn’t surprising that the steward had said that.

The guard on the left cupped his hands. “Then… Miss Yin, please wait a moment. I’ll go ask inside right now!”

“Okay!” Yin Qingyue nodded and quietly waited at the entrance.

It wasn’t just the guard who came out; the steward of the Eastern Palace Pavilion appeared too. Seeing Yin Qingyue, he looked pleasantly surprised. “Miss Yin, I didn’t instruct the servants, so please forgive me!”

“It’s nothing. They were just doing their duty. May I… come in?” Yin Qingyue pointed toward the interior.

“Of course. Didn’t I say, Miss Yin, you’re always welcome. It’s just that it’s messy inside; I fear it might offend you.” The steward gestured for her to enter.

“I’ve seen enough of the world to not be fazed, so…” She trailed off when she saw the scene inside.

In the place of honor sat the Crown Prince himself, his cold face staring down at dismembered bodies. Blood flowed freely across the floor. Some of the victims were thrown aside, no longer human in appearance, though the faint rise and fall of their chests showed they were still alive.

Yin Qingyue’s throat tightened. She covered her mouth to suppress the wave of nausea and averted her gaze.

In the darkness, the Crown Prince’s eyes glinted coldly. Even when he saw Yin Qingyue, his stern aura remained unchanged.

“You’ve come.”

It sounded like a casual greeting to an old friend—if it weren’t for the scene that resembled a hellish battlefield.

“Yes, Your Highness. Your condition isn’t suitable for staying in a place like this. Let someone else handle this!” The air was thick with dust and the metallic scent of blood. If it continued, Nangongxiao’s asthma would flare up again.

“Divine Physician Yin,” Nangongxiao ignored her warning and pointed to a pile of bloodied flesh in the corner. “Tell me… who among these is the perpetrator, and who… are the people behind them?”

Yin Qingyue glanced at the gruesome scene, then turned her head. “I do not know, Your Highness…”

“Yes, how could you know? I’ve been interrogating them for so long with no results…” Nangongxiao closed his eyes slightly.

Hesitating, Yin Qingyue asked, “Your Highness, are you certain the culprit is among this group?”

“They are the only ones with the opportunity to commit the crime,” Nangongxiao said, his voice weary and pained.

Yin Qingyue’s gaze swept over them. Perhaps due to their near-death state, she effortlessly penetrated their minds with her mind-reading ability.

They felt as if two eyes from the depths of hell were scrutinizing them, seeing through everything. In front of Yin Qingyue, they couldn’t hide anything. Yet the innocent remained innocent, and Nangongxiao, following the principle of ‘better to kill wrongly than to let guilty go,’ knew there would be those falsely accused.

“Your Highness, none of these people are the poisoners,” Yin Qingyue said calmly as she stood.

“None?” Nangongxiao straightened in disbelief. “How do you know?”

“The eyes reflect a person’s heart best. Torture won’t work. If you trust me, let them receive treatment. They are loyal to you.” Yin Qingyue moved toward the few who had only been suspected but not harshly tortured.

Among the others, one person’s reaction was telling. He stared directly at Yin Qingyue—not guilty, but with a desperate, all-or-nothing look.

“Your Highness, I confess! It was me who poisoned, but I was ordered to do it!” He shouted before she could read his mind.

Nangongxiao’s gaze, sharp as twin torches, burned into him. Though ill, his authority was unmistakable.

“Your Highness, I was coerced! Please judge fairly…” The young servant knelt, wailing and begging.

Watching him finish, Nangongxiao said coldly, “Left and right, disable his limbs and jaw immediately!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Your Highness, spare me, I… ah…” With several cracking sounds, the servant’s limbs were brutally broken.

“Now, speak!” Nangongxiao’s eyes were icy as he looked down at him.

“I… I was coerced. The one who forced me to do this… was Divine Physician Yin!” The boy gasped through the pain, finishing his confession in broken words.

“Hit him!” Nangongxiao commanded. Without hesitation, he had the servant tortured. Initially, he hadn’t touched him because this person was sent by the palace. Others would have been ignored, but this one’s backing was Empress He Minmin. Nangongxiao had trusted her, only to nearly harm his own loyal subordinate.

“Your Highness, spare me! I… I spoke truthfully! Yin said she could save you, and using this method would showcase her medical skill again. I, for Your Highness’s sake, didn’t put all the poison in your medicine. Please, have mercy!”

His jaw having been removed, he slurred, but everyone present heard him.

“What are you waiting for? Beat him! Since he speaks no truth, extract the truth by force!” Nangongxiao’s eyes burned with cold fury. Whoever tried to frame Yin Qingyue would not be forgiven.

“Your Highness, why trust me?” Yin Qingyue asked, tending to the corner victims without looking up.

“You… I know who you are. You’ve proven your medical skill; you don’t need tricks.” Nangongxiao glanced at her small crouching figure, a rare softness in his eyes.

“Since the true culprit has been found, I want to take these people for treatment. This environment isn’t suitable for their recovery.”

“Good. Have them carried out.”

Mei’er had been watching the drama with bated breath. When the servant falsely accused her mistress, Mei’er wanted to defend Yin Qingyue. But neither the mistress nor the Crown Prince reacted—he trusted her completely.

How wonderful! The Crown Prince truly knows right from wrong. Mei’er followed Yin Qingyue out of the torture chamber.

This incident involved the upper echelons of the Imperial Medical Bureau. They wanted to create a challenge for her, even toy with the Crown Prince’s body. Even with careful control of the arsenic dose, harming the Crown Prince was a capital offense. Many in the Medical Bureau were purged as a result.

“Miss, fortunately this matter didn’t implicate you!” Mei’er said while brushing Yin Qingyue’s hair, relaxing.

“Yes. Falsehoods can never be truth; the innocent are vindicated. Mei’er, aren’t you worrying unnecessarily again?” Yin Qingyue teased, having spent two days applying medicine to the wounded. The Eastern Palace Pavilion had nearly bought out all surrounding pharmacies of their supplies for bleeding and trauma treatment.

“Mei’er is nothing compared to Miss’s composure. I still need two more years of practice, hehe!”