Chapter 1596: Chapter 1603: Cai Wei Investigates (4)
What was the intent behind it? She couldn’t figure it out, but one thing she could be certain of was that anyone who could kill the princess at the hunting ground was surely no ordinary person!
…
At this moment, within the royal hunting ground, Duke Li Guo was separately questioning Fei’er and her three servant girls about last night’s events. Fei’er and the three girls gave completely consistent answers.
Last night, Fei’er drank a bit of liquor at the bonfire party; unable to handle her alcohol, she returned early. Soon after arriving, she went to sleep. She drank too much and slept early, which in itself wasn’t particularly suspicious. However, the suspicious part was that, after returning to camp, her servant girls all felt inexplicably drowsy. Yuan Chun and Ying Chun, who weren’t on duty, retired early to sleep in the servants’ quarters. Liuzhu and Liuli, who were on duty, should have stayed up all night by Fei’er’s couch, tending to her, adding fire to the charcoal basin, offering tea, helping her should she need to relieve herself, and waiting on her in other ways. Yet, inexplicably, both of them fell asleep without realizing it. Had Yang Yong not woken them this morning, they wouldn’t even know when they could have awakened.
Duke Li Guo suspected that someone drugged them with sweat-inducing medicine or used soul-bewitching incense to knock them out, then strangled Ying Chun, stripped off her clothes, and impersonated her to commit the crime. However, upon inspecting the tea cups left behind, no trace of sweat-inducing medicine was found, nor were there any soul-bewitching spices in the incense burner. Moreover, the windows of the hunting ground lodges were made of glass, unlike papered windows, which would allow the scent of the incense to be channeled into the room from outside. How, then, were they rendered unconscious?
In another room, Nangong Yi and the Empress Dowager Mo were quarreling. The Empress Dowager was hysterical, determined that Cai Fei was the murderer who killed Nangong Yu, and she was seeking to threaten Nangong Yi into intensifying his interrogation, demanding the use of torture on Fei’er and her three servant girls.
Nangong Yi was not intentionally shielding Fei’er, but deep down, he absolutely did not believe this matter was perpetrated by her. Thus, regardless of how his mother pressured him, he refused to issue the decree for torture, repeatedly stating that the evidence was insufficient and further investigation was required.
Red-eyed, the Empress Dowager shouted angrily, “I know the slut killed is the girl dear to your heart, your precious sister! You’re intent on protecting her, but don’t forget—she killed your blood sister! You and Yu’er endured so many hardships together as children, relying on each other to survive—have you forgotten all of that?!”
Nangong Yi responded gravely, “Though Yu’er has disappointed me repeatedly in these past two years, she is still someone I raised personally. She is my legitimate sister by blood. How could I not care for her? But this matter lacks sufficient evidence. Besides, Fei’er’s character is someone I trust implicitly—the murderer who killed Yu’er could never be her.”
The Empress Dowager, now agitated to the point of shouting, cried, “What do you mean ‘could never be her’? All the evidence points to her—why doesn’t it point to anyone else? Don’t assume that Fei’er is some saint! Even if she used to be virtuous, jealousy among women can be more venomous than poisonous snakes! Mu Caifei must have harbored jealousy because I planned to marry Yu’er to Zi Qi. That jealousy fueled her merciless cruelty toward Yu’er!”
“If Mo Ziqi were willing to marry Nangong Yu, perhaps Fei’er would feel jealous. But the truth is, Mo Ziqi isn’t even inclined to marry her. What could Fei’er have to be jealous about then?”
At that moment, Cai Wei entered from outside, her face cold and laced with a hint of sarcasm.
“Wei’er, you’ve come!”
Seeing Cai Wei, Nangong Yi’s tense expression immediately softened; it seemed as though the pressure and unhappiness that clouded him had suddenly dissipated. He had the urge to reach out and embrace Cai Wei but was abruptly reminded of his mother’s presence. With that, he clenched his hands and dropped the arms he had raised halfway.
The Empress Dowager’s heart twisted sharply upon hearing Cai Wei’s words. Her bloodshot eyes widened as she screamed, “Yu’er is already dead! Must you still mock her and belittle her? Are you here to flaunt your seductive fox sister’s triumph and ridicule Yu’er’s failure, Mu Caiwei? How are you sisters so cruel to her?”