I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 429 How exactly did the eldest prince die? (Bonus Chapter)

Although she was in the palace in her previous life, she was not considered a favorite.

I don't know much.

Gao Yunzhi is a member of the royal family, so these things probably wouldn't be kept from her.

Perhaps we can get some clues from her.

This was something she and Xie Yanli had agreed upon.

He went to the Dali Temple to review the case files, while she came to find Gao Yunzhi.

I asked her what happened back then.

Gao Yunzhi shifted her body slightly, leaning against the headboard, and said gently, "Speak, what is it?"

"How exactly did the eldest prince die back then?"

Qin Jiuwei spoke slowly, and the room fell silent the moment her words were spoken.

Dali Temple.

"Young Master, the room has been cleaned up."

Xie Yanli nodded and went into the study.

He looked around and saw that the place was clean and tidy, and there were no other people around, so he stepped inside.

In the center of the room was a long table.

Xie Yanli walked to the table and ordered the others to leave.

He then opened the file and quickly scanned the text.

Xie Yanli flipped through the pages, his fingertips occasionally pausing over certain keywords.

The eldest princess's mansion.

"Actually, I don't know much about my elder brother's affairs either."

Gao Yunzhi's voice slowly rang out.

"More than twenty years ago, my eldest brother and sister-in-law were ordered to travel to a frontier fiefdom to inspect the local people's livelihood. This was also at the behest of my father."

"At that time, the emperor's eldest brother's carriage had just left the capital when the accident happened on the mountain road."

"They were originally taking a relatively remote path, which shouldn't be known by many people. But unexpectedly, the carriage suddenly went out of control halfway there, the axle broke, and it almost tumbled off the cliff."

"To make matters worse, their troops were ambushed shortly afterward."

"The eldest brother knew these people were coming for him. Realizing the critical situation, he ordered several of his bodyguards to help his sister-in-law break through the encirclement."

"The eldest sister-in-law was unwilling to leave, but the eldest brother was adamant and ordered her and the guards to leave. He stayed behind and used his long sword to hold out with the remaining guards to buy time."

Gao Yunzhi's eyes grew even more somber. "It is said that the battle lasted only a short time, and the shouts of battle in the mountains quickly subsided. When reinforcements arrived, they found only corpses scattered all over the ground, but they did not find the bodies of the eldest brother and sister-in-law."

"We searched the area for a long time, but couldn't find it."

"My father was furious, but he was never able to find the mastermind behind it. More than 20 years have passed, and this incident has gradually been forgotten."

After Gao Yunzhi finished speaking, she sighed softly.

-

Daliang, Meng Mansion.

The dim light shone on the desk, and Meng Ze stood quietly by the window.

The attendant hurried into the room, bowed, and handed him a letter.

"My lord, this is a letter from Meng Chen. His carrier pigeon was intercepted on the way, so he had no choice but to change his method, which is why it was a bit slower."

Meng Ze took the letter, but did not speak immediately. Instead, he slowly unfolded the folded letter.

His gaze fell on the paper, and he read it line by line.

The surroundings were so quiet that you could almost hear the candlelight flickering.

Halfway through reading, Meng Ze's brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes gradually sharpened.

When he finished scanning the last line of text, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The hand gripping the letter paper tightened.

The entire sheet of paper immediately tightened.

"Go and prepare, I'm going to Da Jin."

Meng Ze's voice was low, yet it conveyed an undeniable determination.

The attendant was alarmed and quickly stepped forward, urgently dissuading him: "My lord, you mustn't! The situation over there is still unclear. If your identity is discovered, it will be far too dangerous!"

Meng Ze merely raised his eyelids slightly, "My mind is made up, go quickly!"

His voice held a hint of anger, causing the servant to tremble slightly.

Despite his fear, the attendant tried to persuade him again.

Before he could speak, Meng Ze had already turned around, taken off his cloak and put it on, his movements swift and decisive.

Why are you in such a hurry?

We're setting off tonight!

What exactly happened to the Great Jin Dynasty?

“My lord…” The servant met Meng Ze’s cold gaze and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He lowered his head, sighed, and finally could only helplessly agree: "Yes, sir, I will go and prepare immediately."

He slowly left the study and went to the outer courtyard to prepare the horses and luggage.

An hour later.

Meng Ze mounted his horse, and all around was so quiet that only the sound of the horse's breath could be heard.

"After I left, I went to the court to ask for leave for me, saying that I was ill and unable to receive guests."

"Move all household account books and secret letters to a dark room immediately. No one may read them without my authorization. Continue to plant spies in the palace."

"Have a stand-in take over tonight. He's already imitating me perfectly. If anything happens, send a message immediately."

"Understood, Your Excellency," the attendant replied hastily, bowing his head and not daring to ask any further questions.

After giving his instructions, Meng Ze raised the reins and galloped quickly into the shadows.

If what Meng Chen said is true.

He was determined to go to Da Jin, even at the cost of his life.

I want to see him.

-

royal palace.

Inside the main hall, the lights were sparse, and the dim candlelight cast flickering shadows on the walls.

The entire hall appeared exceptionally dark and oppressive.

Gao Xian sat in front of the low table, his right hand trembling slightly.

Pale fingertips gripped a calligraphy brush tightly, the tip of the brush dripping with bright red liquid, each drop sliding down the handle.