The Noble Consort Hua showed slight swelling in her hands and feet, her eyes were red-rimmed, her expression haggard. Her gaze toward Mei Consort’s residence brimmed with deep hatred and sorrow. Her belly was prominently swollen; she had been pregnant for quite some time. Meng Qi, without even using his perception, could sense the movements of the new life within her.
The current Emperor had been married for over a decade and had ruled for many years, yet he remained without an heir, causing him considerable anxiety. Unexpectedly, just as he finally had a child, he would never live to see its birth. Meng Qi was filled with thoughts—some wistful, some reflective, and some entirely new.
With the Emperor having finally obtained an heir, many things would change completely. There would be more conflicts of interest, and the motives and purposes behind the Emperor’s sudden death must be expanded accordingly.
It wasn’t that Meng Qi suspected the Fifth Master Zhao himself, but the case had gained a new angle of consideration, one that could not be ignored or feigned ignorance of. Perhaps someone wanted to take advantage of the situation, kill the Emperor, and frame the Fifth Master Zhao to benefit themselves? Or perhaps other interested parties wanted to plunge the Zhao Clan of Shendu into internal chaos?
There were too many possibilities. To focus solely on protecting the Fifth Master Zhao and ignore such directions would not be wise. Meng Qi strode forward toward Noble Consort Hua.
Suddenly, from her hiding spot, Noble Consort Hua noticed someone appearing before her. She nearly screamed in fright but quickly covered her mouth in time.
Once she recovered her composure, her gaze at Meng Qi turned more fervent. She spoke impulsively: “Are you the new Chief Investigator?”
She had seen Liu Shengming, the esteemed Zhipeng Divine Investigator who frequently entered the inner palace, following Meng Qi respectfully, and thus made her guess.
“I am temporarily serving as Chief Investigator. Greetings, Noble Consort Hua.” Meng Qi gave a casual bow.
Noble Consort Hua’s eyes sparkled, with a hint of madness: “Has the Chief Investigator ascertained the cause of the Emperor’s death? It was Mei Consort! It must have been Mei Consort! She envied me for carrying the imperial heir, and since she herself was the target of the sexual cultivation techniques, she would eventually lose her foundation and never be able to conceive!”
“Mei Consort’s wealth and honor all depend on the Emperor. I cannot fathom her motive for killing him,” Meng Qi answered deliberately, hoping to extract new clues from Noble Consort Hua.
Noble Consort Hua pressed her lips together, her hands cradling her belly, a gentle expression on her face: “Because she knows clearly that once she is drained of her essence, she will lose the Emperor’s favor. She will become no different from a concubine in the cold palace or an ordinary palace maid—only assured of food and shelter, without the burden of labor. Therefore, she would surely disregard the Emperor’s health and do everything she could to conceive, causing a backlash from the sexual cultivation techniques.”
“She didn’t intend to kill the Emperor, but the Emperor was definitely killed by her.”
These convoluted words suggested a new possibility. Previously, the Six Gates had focused their investigation on Mei Consort intentionally killing the Emperor, examining whether she practiced sexual cultivation techniques or possessed a seductive constitution. Thus, Mei Consort’s behavior showed no anomalies. But if it was an accident, perhaps even Mei Consort herself had not realized she had inadvertently caused the Emperor’s death?
Meng Qi turned his head toward Liu Shengming and ordered: “Divine Investigator Liu, go and ask Mei Consort again—did she use any secret methods to conceive?”
The only question was whether the current Emperor, far from being a fool, raised amidst court intrigues, would not be wary of his concubines attempting to conceive and thus triggering a backlash from the sexual cultivation techniques?
“At once, Chief.” Liu Shengming maintained a respectful demeanor, fully recognizing Meng Qi as the true Chief Investigator.
Noble Consort Hua’s face flushed with a sickly redness, her voice fervent: “The Chief Investigator truly sees all clearly!”
“Your Highness, why are you so certain that Mei Consort did not receive the Emperor’s favor? Perhaps the Emperor merely wanted to cultivate with her for a while, and once he passed a certain cultivation barrier, he would properly cherish her?”
Meng Qi himself had not entered to ask directly, as he still had questions needing answers.
Noble Consort Hua let out a soft snort, filled with disdain. Her face reddened, seemingly embarrassed. After a long pause, it turned into a cold smirk as she glanced sideways: “The Emperor often told this servant that Mei Consort was like a wooden plank in bed—unable to please him, even incapable of moaning. Even if she herself was immersed in passion, it was still dull, not even worth a single toe of this servant.”
She did not refer to herself as “this palace” in front of Meng Qi, because the Chief Investigator often possessed formidable power, controlled the Six Gates, and held a crucial position in both the imperial court and royal family, far surpassing the status of a concubine or prince.
Could the words of a man in the harem be trusted? If he said he didn’t favor someone, did that mean he truly didn’t? Meng Qi’s first thought was this, but he soon froze.
Mei Consort was like a wooden plank in bed, unable to please him, even incapable of moaning. Even if she herself was immersed in passion, it was still dull?
Yet historical accounts describe that as the Emperor passed away, Consort Mei’s moans were so bewitchingly tender and impassioned that the palace maids flushed crimson, their legs trembling with weakness.
These two accounts were clearly contradictory—who was lying?
The palace maids and eunuchs had been interrogated separately. Unless they had conspired beforehand, they wouldn’t all speak in unison. Given their abilities and cultivation levels, if they had conspired, they would have been exposed under the Six Gates’ specialized interrogation techniques. Therefore, they must have truly heard those alluring moans.
Noble Consort Hua was unaware of the records and had no reason to lie specifically on this matter. Yuan Xin Yin’s perception also confirmed this.
So if both accounts were true, could it mean that the person moaning at the time was someone else?
The Emperor had always been somewhat indulgent in beauty and pleasure. At that time, he was in an especially good mood, easily aroused, and in a dangerous state during the sexual cultivation. If an external female cultivator skilled in seduction suddenly used her techniques to moan and ignite his passion, it wouldn’t be hard to make him lose control, ejaculate excessively, suffer a backlash, and die from a spiritual breakdown!
In such a case, there would be no trace on the corpse. Mei Consort, immersed in passion, would not notice. The palace maids and eunuchs outside would naturally assume the moans belonged to her.
Such female cultivators skilled in seduction were not rare. Every “Goddess” of the Suyu Sect could fulfill this role. The question was, how could an external cultivator infiltrate the Emperor’s sleeping quarters undetected? The Zhao Clan of Shendu had far more protectors and recruited experts than other aristocratic families!
Would Feng Zheng, the Grand Eunuch responsible for guarding the Emperor’s quarters at that time, really have failed to notice?
As these thoughts swirled in Meng Qi’s mind, he saw Liu Shengming emerge from the room, reporting respectfully: “Chief Investigator, Mei Consort did not use any secret methods to conceive. The Emperor promised her that once he broke through his cultivation barrier, he would use medicinal aids to strengthen her foundation. Then, with the royal secret techniques, she would surely conceive.”
“No, impossible…” Noble Consort Hua immediately froze, murmuring in disbelief, “He said he only loved me, that only I would conceive his child…”
Meng Qi ignored her, looking at Liu Shengming with calmness: “Where is Feng Zheng being held? I need to confirm something.”
At that time, the eunuchs and palace maids near the Emperor’s quarters had all been detained separately and would only be released once the truth was uncovered.
“This humble servant will escort the Chief Investigator there.” Liu Shengming turned and led Meng Qi toward another room.
“Chief Investigator is here to question Feng Zheng.” He told the Silver-Seal Investigator guarding the door.
The two Silver-Seal Investigators first kowtowed respectfully to Chief Investigator Su Meng, then one of them spoke: “Reporting to the Chief Investigator, half an hour ago, Zhang Yu of the Golden-Seal rank from the Zhang Clan of Longnan took Feng Zheng away, returning him to his home. He said that an elder from his family had a prior connection with Feng Zheng and wanted to appeal to his emotions, hoping to extract new clues.”
Zhang Yu was a Golden-Seal Investigator from the Zhang Clan of Longnan, originally placed inside to create factional divisions.
“The Zhang Clan of Longnan took Feng Zheng away?” Meng Qi’s heart jolted. Without hesitation, he turned and rushed toward the Zhang residence with Liu Shengming.
He had originally planned to speak with Prince Qin, Zhao Jingshi, but there was no time for that now!
The Zhang Clan’s residence in Longnan was located in a quiet area, shaded by trees, yet it always gave the feeling of scorching sunlight.
Meng Qi descended from his flying light and landed at the gate, stating directly: “I am the newly appointed Chief Investigator of the Six Gates. I request an audience with Lord Zhang.”
His status, reputation, and prestige preceded him. The gatekeeper dared not delay and immediately reported.
Soon, Zhang Bailyi, a Sub-Chancellor, came to greet him at the central gate.
His face was ruddy, his voice strong, his figure imposing, like an old bear: “What brings the Chief Investigator here?”
Meng Qi glanced around and smiled: “I have discovered new clues and wanted to question Feng Zheng, only to find he had been brought to your residence. To avoid delays, I came directly.”
“This is such a minor matter. Why would the Chief Investigator personally come?” Zhang Bailyi laughed heartily, then ordered his attendants: “Go fetch Old Seventeen and bring Feng Zheng.”
Seeing the other party’s normal demeanor, Meng Qi frowned inwardly.
Half a teacup later, Zhang Yu, still wearing the Golden-Seal Investigator uniform, came nervously: “Uncle Five, Chief Investigator, Feng Zheng… Feng Zheng has committed suicide!”
“What?” Zhang Bailyi’s expression was one of shock, as if unable to believe it.
Meng Qi had anticipated such a scenario. His gaze flicked between the two men’s faces as he turned his head and ordered Liu Shengming: “Gather all the secret agents near the Zhang residence and report everything they saw in the past fifteen minutes.”
Zhang Bailyi froze for a moment, then his face turned furious:
“Chief Investigator Su, are you suspecting the Zhang family of silencing Feng Zheng?”
His aura surged, the nearby pond bubbled, mist rose, and one by one, the carp floated to the surface, bellies up, emitting a faint aroma of freshness.
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