RWNEFE -Chapter 444 The Charges Against Emperor Renxiao Blanket the Entire City

Shen Lanxi said, “We cannot yet confirm whether the incense is poisonous, but one fact has already been established: for at least fifteen days, the clothes of those few people were all scented with the same fragrance. Do you, the Moon Kingdom envoys, admit this or not?”

The daily records had been opened and examined in front of everyone; it was impossible for the envoys to deny it.

“Lord Shen is truly meticulous,” one envoy said reluctantly.

“Even so, until it is proven that the incense contains poison, everything remains a hypothesis,” the envoy insisted stubbornly.

Shen Lanxi replied, “Then all that remains is to prove whether the incense contains poison—is that not so?”

The envoys were left speechless.

Shen Lanxi continued, “You brought quite a quantity of incense on this journey. Why was it that the attendant happened to use that incense precisely in the last ten or so days—just enough for the poison to take effect after entering the capital?”

At first, the attendant did not understand the implication, until all the Moon Kingdom envoys glared angrily at him.

“My lords, I am innocent! The incense was simply placed there, and I used it at random. I am absolutely innocent!”

Shen Lanxi said calmly, “Whether you are innocent or not is an internal matter of your Moon Kingdom. I trust that before dawn, when the imperial physicians arrive, you gentlemen have your own means of investigating the truth.”

The Moon Kingdom officials exchanged glances. Family scandals should not be made public.

“We will return to our rooms to interrogate him.”

Shen Lanxi gestured politely for them to proceed.

At last, the blame had been deflected away from Great Zhou, and the Zhou officials all breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Lanxi then said in a low voice to the Zhou officials around her, “Although the Moon Kingdom has been held off for now, there is one point they are correct about: the incident did occur within Great Zhou’s territory. If they cling to that fact, it will still be unfavorable for us.”

The officials all nodded. By now they had set aside their prejudice against Shen Lanxi for being a woman and were united in dealing with the external threat.

Zhou Ruyuan’s gaze kept drifting toward Ban Sicao, studying him. If he did not speak now, these people would soon be taking Shen Lanxi’s lead entirely.

“There is still one key point,” Zhou Ruyuan said. “We must confirm whether it really was Huanxi Powder.”

The officials agreed. If it was not Huanxi Powder, then no matter how well Shen Lanxi argued, everything she had said would be overturned.

Shen Lanxi said, “Arrange a room for me at the relay station. Until the imperial physicians arrive, I will not leave here for even a single step.”

Some officials were surprised by her diligence, some admired her, and some remained disdainful.

Zhou Ruyuan quickly added, “Arrange a room for this prince as well.”

Such an incident had occurred while he was on duty; he still had to think about how to explain it to his father, the emperor.

What a headache.

The relay station was crowded and unsuitable for private discussion. Earlier, a message had been secretly delivered to Shen Lanxi.

After reading its contents, Shen Lanxi frowned.

She had been careless.

And she had underestimated her mother.

…

When Shen Lanxi was summoned away, many people in the Duke Protector’s residence had not yet gone to sleep. Even those who had were awakened by loud knocking at the gate.

“Who’s knocking at this hour?” Some restless individuals quietly sent people to inquire.

When they heard that something had happened at the relay station, some felt a heaviness in their hearts, while others waited eagerly to see a spectacle.

After a sleepless night, just as the palace gates were about to open, Shen Lanxi and Zhou Ruyuan each sent people into the palace—both to report the matter and to request imperial physicians.

After hearing the report, Emperor Renxiao flew into a rage and immediately placed the blame for the Moon Kingdom incident on the men sent by the two rebel princes.

“Those two traitors have never given up their rebellious ambitions. They want to stir chaos in Great Zhou so they can reap the benefits like fishermen!”

“Send three… no, four capable imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau. And have Lanxi come to see me!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Imperial Guards acted swiftly and soon conveyed the emperor’s orders to Shen Lanxi.

She smiled faintly and said to Zhou Ruyuan, who was standing stiffly beside her, “My apologies, Your Highness, but I’ll have to trouble you to keep watch here.”

Zhou Ruyuan deliberately put on a magnanimous expression. “Go ahead. I am here.”

Shen Lanxi chuckled softly and turned to enter the palace.

The emperor’s meaning was very clear.

“Whether or not it was done by men sent by those two traitors—it must be said that it was,” Emperor Renxiao declared. In his fury, he no longer bothered to maintain appearances and tore off his hypocritical mask in front of Shen Lanxi.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will make sure this matter is firmly established,” Shen Lanxi agreed without hesitation.

Her unquestioning obedience pleased Emperor Renxiao greatly.

“Lanxi, handle this well. Your uncle will not treat you poorly.”

“Thank you, Uncle, for your favor. Without your support, I would not be where I am today,” she replied respectfully.

She knew very well how to read the situation.

Highly satisfied, Emperor Renxiao waved her away.

After returning to the relay station, she immediately told Zhou Ruyuan about the emperor’s instructions without hesitation.

“This is His Majesty’s intention.”

Zhou Ruyuan’s expression darkened, his thoughts unreadable.

But just as they were preparing to act, a rumor spread through the capital with lightning speed.

“Have you heard? The current emperor seized the throne by killing his father and brothers. Even the Empress Dowager’s death had his hand in it!”

“Is that true? You can’t speak carelessly about such things.”

“Who would dare speak carelessly? Today sheets of white paper fell from the sky like snow, drifting all over the city. Written on them were all the details—how the emperor seized the throne, how he purged dissenters afterward, how he eliminated veteran ministers who had helped him rise, and even the death of the former empress…”

The charges filled an entire page. Any single accusation was enough to arouse universal outrage—crimes too numerous to record.

The “snowflake accusations” drifted into the palace as well. At first, they were concealed from Emperor Renxiao.

But when the emperor noticed something strange about the palace attendants, he thought there had been an assassin and ordered them seized and tortured. Only then did he learn the truth.

The shock caused Emperor Renxiao to vomit blood and faint once more. Before losing consciousness, he used his last thread of awareness to order Wang Bao to summon Shen Lanxi to the palace.

By now, both Great Zhou officials and foreign envoys were accustomed to Shen Lanxi being summoned repeatedly to the palace. They all looked at her with meaningful expressions.

Many of them privately wondered what Zhou Ruyuan truly sought, calling for hot water three times in one night.

In terms of beauty, Bai Qingling could not compare to Shen Lanxi; in terms of ability, the difference was even more obvious.

Surely it could not be merely a matter of bedchamber skills?

Zhou Ruyuan, meanwhile, was too absorbed in feeling repeatedly overlooked by his father to notice that people were already comparing Bai Qingling to a courtesan.

…

Even Wang Bao, who was already quite experienced in handling such situations, was still anxious.

“Lord Shen, His Majesty is like this again. What should we do?”

Shen Lanxi gave orders with practiced ease: “Have the imperial physicians treat His Majesty. Ask the regent ministers to handle state affairs. And have the Imperial Guards seal off the inner palace.”

With her instructions, Wang Bao immediately went to carry them out.

Soon the inner palace was sealed once more, and panic spread among the palace women.

None of them dared make any secret moves anymore. The last person who had done so had later been executed in the most brutal manner before all the women of the inner palace—and her entire clan had been implicated as well.

After receiving the news, the regent ministers calmly began organizing a cabinet council.

With power already in their hands—what was the emperor to them now?