There is a god in the sky

Chapter 279 The City God Temple Turmoil 6

Shen Lan didn't dare stay too long, afraid that Xiao Ji wouldn't be able to find her after things were over.

Seeing that Li Ye had fallen into a deep sleep after drinking the medicine, she spoke a few words with Physician Lan.

"He was poisoned by snake venom. The assassin must have smeared the venom on the arrowhead. Fortunately, the amount was small and not highly toxic, otherwise he would have died from the poisoning long ago."

"Physician Lan's medical skills are truly superb; detoxification is a piece of cake for him," Shen Lan praised.

"Hmph, it's only because he's such a simple-minded boy that I'm willing to save him. If it were anyone else, I might not have saved them."

Shen Lan stroked his hair and continued to praise him: "You are so kind-hearted. When he wakes up, let him become your disciple."

"I don't just take any disciple, and besides, would I be competing with Buddha for someone's life? Do you think I'm too lucky?"

He waved his hand impatiently, "Hurry up and go. You've saved the person. Aren't you going back to report?"

"Yes, then I'll take my leave now, and see you next time."

Shen Lan returned along the same route.

It was the same garden, the same pavilion. The concubine who had been picking flowers was now kneeling in the pavilion, while all the maids had vanished.

She walked over quietly, intending to pretend she hadn't seen it.

But the other person still noticed her and called out to her.

"You're not allowed to leave! Come here!"

This time, Shen Lan wasn't afraid of her anymore and asked from a distance, "Is there something you need, Madam?"

"Tell me, has the Crown Prince been assassinated?"

"That's what happened."

The woman's expression changed drastically, and she grabbed the fruit on the table and threw it at Shen Lan.

But she was too far away and too weak to even touch the hem of Shen Lan's clothes.

"You shameless woman, why didn't you say so earlier? Were you deliberately trying to make a fool of me?"

Shen Lan lowered her temper, thinking that she was being unreasonable and deserved to be punished.

"I'm neither your maid nor your dog, so why should I say this? Besides, how could I know such big news that you didn't know?"

Instead of blaming others, you should reflect on whether you've been set up by someone.

Shen Lan turned and left, the woman's cursing still echoing behind her.

She shook her head inwardly. How could such a woman become the Crown Prince's concubine? She wondered if the Crown Prince had poor taste or poor character.

Just as they stepped out of the courtyard, they saw Sui Feng walking towards them. Upon seeing Shen Lan, Sui Feng immediately called out, "Coroner Shen, we should go."

"Okay, here we come."

She successfully reunited with Xiao Ji and went out with the little eunuch from before.

The young eunuch became much more polite and enthusiastic towards Xiao Ji, and even asked Shen Lan, "Aren't the flowers in the garden beautiful?"

"very nice."

The little eunuch paused for a moment with his smile, then casually changed the subject.

Shen Lan's heart stirred, and she suddenly understood what he meant.

It seems that his suggestion to wait in the garden was not just a casual remark, but rather that he knew the woman was in the pavilion.

So it turns out that I was secretly tricked as well.

But what can an outsider like her accomplish?

Shen Lan was unaware that shortly after she left, the kneeling concubine began to bleed.

The baby couldn't be saved, and the mother also couldn't be saved due to excessive bleeding.

If Shen Lan had stayed in the garden, she would have been a witness when the concubines were punished, and since the Crown Prince had lost a child, he would have taken his anger out on her.

They could even push her out to take the blame, saying that she killed the concubine.

Once outside the Crown Prince's residence, Shen Lan's face darkened; she had already figured out the key to the matter.

Xiao Ji grabbed her wrist through his sleeve and squeezed it, giving her a reassuring look.

Only after boarding the carriage did Xiao Ji speak: "Just now, halfway through the conversation, Steward Li from the Empress's side came to the Crown Prince's residence to visit the Crown Prince on behalf of the Empress."

He slipped me a piece of paper before he left.

Xiao Ji pulled a paper crane from his sleeve. It was folded beautifully, but when he unfolded it, there wasn't a single word inside.

"What does he mean?" Xiao Ji looked at the paper over and over.

Shen Lan took the paper and glanced at it. It was just ordinary colored paper, nothing special. But why would the head eunuch in the Empress's palace give Xiao Ji this?

Paper cranes... Could it be that they mean he shouldn't get involved in this case?

"Did he say anything?"

"He merely relayed a few words for the Empress, sent some medicinal herbs and tonics, and upon learning that someone had shielded the Crown Prince from an arrow, he also bestowed an extra reward upon that person."

He didn't say anything else, but he glanced at me several times with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Have you seen him before, sir?"

Xiao Ji shook his head.

Even when he was investigating a case in the palace last time, he did not see the Empress or this person.

"I heard that he wields immense power in the palace, and is ruthless and vicious. Many people in the palace are afraid of him."

To climb to the position of head eunuch, one must have some cunning and shrewdness.

Moreover, as a special group, eunuchs' physical disabilities and the inhumane system of the imperial harem easily led to psychological problems.

"What happened on your end?" Xiao Ji asked, changing the subject.

He had been holding back all the way because he could tell that the young eunuch leading the way was not honest.

Shen Lan then told him what she had just seen in the garden, including her own guesses.

"If I hadn't left and had stayed in the garden, would I have become someone's scapegoat?"

Xiao Ji pounded the wall hard, frowning as he said, "It seems that the other side had already begun setting a trap when the Crown Prince sent someone to summon us."

Even if I don't take you, that little eunuch will find a way to get you on board and then send you to the garden.

Even so, Shen Lan was still puzzled: "How could the people from the Crown Prince's residence plot against me? They shouldn't know me."

Xiao Ji's gaze was icy, and he said without any emotion, "Although it's just a guess, Zhao Xuan has a cousin who is the Crown Prince's concubine."

Shen Lan hadn't expected such a connection and sneered, "That's a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone!"

The carriage swayed and rattled back to the Ministry of Justice.

Sui Feng opened the car door and asked, "Master, shall I go to the Imperial City Guard first?"

"Yes, go ahead. Tell them it's the Crown Prince's idea, and let Commander Zhao decide what to do."

Xiao Ji got out of the car, turned around and reached out his hand to Shen Lan.

Shen Lan got off the carriage without needing anyone's help, but when she met Xiao Ji's burning gaze, she subconsciously placed her hand on his.

Xiao Ji's lips curled up, seemingly pleased, but he quickly suppressed the smile.

As soon as Shen Lan landed, the two immediately separated their hands, as if it were just an unintentional action.

Shen Lan had never felt this way before; her palms were unusually hot, and her heart was beating faster than usual.

She wasn't an naive young girl; she naturally knew that she had been moved just now.

It's perfectly normal to have feelings for a man, but that man can't be Xiao Ji.

It wasn't just because Xiao Ji had a fiancée, but also because their family backgrounds were vastly different.

"The Crown Prince wants the Imperial City Guard to seal off the city and search for the assassin, but he hasn't sought the Emperor's consent. Tomorrow, the Crown Prince's faction will definitely bring this up in court. Do you think the Emperor will agree?"

"The assassination of the Crown Prince is a major event. The Emperor should agree, right? Isn't it said that the Emperor values ​​this son the most?"

Xiao Ji couldn't say for sure either; his intuition told him that there was no normal father-son relationship between emperors.

Let's see the results tomorrow.