Empress Chu stared intently. Seeing Feng Linche's face gradually regain its color, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The imperial physician felt relieved. After withdrawing the needles, he advised Feng Linche, "Your Majesty, excessive worrying will harm your health. You must take good care of your imperial body."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Now that Prince Xuan has had an accident, we still rely on you to take charge of the overall situation..." Empress Chu also exhorted earnestly.
Feng Linche closed his eyes.
Overnight, he seemed to have aged many years in an instant. His eyes were bloodshot, giving him an indescribable sense of desolation.
"Understood. You may all retreat."
He waved his hand and didn't want to say another word.
The imperial physician sighed, stood up, and looked at Feng Linche as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, he shook his head and respectfully withdrew.
Unexpectedly, when he reached the door and was about to turn around, he bumped head - on into Steward Zhou, who rushed in in a hurry.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This servant has something to report!"
"What is it this time? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Such situations had happened too many times today. Empress Chu had completely lost the mood to scold and instead asked helplessly.
Steward Zhou rushed into the room, knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Feng Linche, and replied forcefully, "Reporting to Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress, the personal guard beside the Third Prince, Ci Hui, has woken up!"
Hearing Ci Hui's identity, Feng Linche raised his eyes.
This was Feng Jingxuan's personal guard. Normally, he should protect Feng Jingxuan all the time. If something happened to his master, the guard would surely not have an easy time.
But now, Feng Jingxuan was already dead...
What difference did it make whether he woke up or not?
"Xuan'er is dead, but he survived? Behead him," Feng Linche said calmly.
Steward Zhou was startled and quickly pleaded, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Ci Hui said that he knows who killed the Third Prince!"
As soon as Feng Linche heard the words "you mustn't", he frowned impatiently. Just as he was about to scold, he was stunned when he heard Steward Zhou's last words.
What? Feng Jingxuan was killed by someone?
Yes! Feng Jingxuan's death was no accident. He must have been killed!
This side courtyard was so far from the front hall. Even if there were sparks from the fireworks, they couldn't reach this far. How come other parts of the Third Prince's Mansion were intact, but only this side courtyard caught fire?
Previously, he had been completely immersed in the shock of Feng Jingxuan's death by explosion and had no time to think about this.
Now that Steward Zhou had mentioned it, Feng Linche instantly sat up straight.
"Summon Ci Hui," he said in a deep voice.
Feng Jingye, who had been standing by, felt his heart skip a beat.
He suddenly remembered the news reported to him by the spy earlier. Feng Jingxuan had caught his man and then disappeared near the fireworks storage room.
It seemed that Feng Jingxuan had locked the man in the secret room of the fireworks storage room for interrogation at that time, which was why he hadn't been able to escape the fire in time and died in the explosion of the fireworks...
Thinking of this, Feng Jingye broke out in a cold sweat.
He wondered if this Ci Hui knew that the spy was sent by him.
If he did and came here specifically to talk about this... wouldn't all his previous acts of showing deep affection and risking his life to save people have been in vain?
While Feng Jingye was lost in wild thoughts, Ci Hui was already helped in.
"Greetings to Your Majesty," Ci Hui knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said in a deep voice.
There was still a white hemostatic bandage on his forehead. As he kowtowed heavily, a faint red circle clearly appeared on the bandage. His lips were pale, and his face was haggard, looking seriously injured.
Only his pair of eyes were bright, filled with determination and hatred.
"You said you know the real culprit who killed the Third Prince?" Feng Linche asked with a tight frown.
"Yes!" Ci Hui replied loudly.
The door of the guest room where Feng Linche was staying was wide open, and the voices of the few people were loud. Soon, the news spread to the next room.
In no time, all the guests who were forced to wait in the front hall, Lord Zhuo and his son, as well as Princess Yunxi and Consort Yi, who had just woken up, all learned the news and rushed over in a hurry.
"Your Majesty, was Xuan'er really killed by someone?" Consort Yi was the first to step into the room.
She had just woken up when she got the news and rushed in without hesitation.
She was from a noble family. Her grandfather was the former imperial censor - in - chief, but now, her maternal family had declined. Ten years ago, after her grandmother passed away, her old father returned to his hometown to observe mourning for three years. During this period, he was attacked by the Chu and Zhao families together and never had the chance to return to Yongding.
After her intelligent elder brother passed away early, there was no longer a capable family brother in the court.
Fortunately, her grandfather had many former students who were grateful for the kindness he had shown them, and they formed the core strength of the Third Prince's faction.
But for Consort Yi, as a woman, she was truly all alone and had been living in the deep palace for a long time.
With the decline of her maternal family, her son had become her only hope in Yongding.
But now, Feng Jingxuan was dead.
Feng Jingxuan had always been ambitious and was determined to marry a wife of a high - status. To avoid any obstacles in choosing his main wife, he was very self - restrained. As a result, even though Su Mulin had been in the mansion for many years, she hadn't given birth to any children.
Having no hope at all made Consort Yi feel even more hopeless.
From last night until now, she had been hardly conscious. Her mind had been in a daze, floating aimlessly.
She wished she could just follow her son and leave this world!
But now, someone told her that Feng Jingxuan was killed by someone?
Her beloved son, such a talented and diligent son, had died so miserably!
The great enmity was yet to be avenged. If she died now, how could she have the face to meet Feng Jingxuan in the underworld?
A mother becomes strong for her child. Consort Yi felt more awake and calm than ever before. She clenched her fists, forced herself to stand up straight, and pleaded with Feng Linche.
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for Xuan'er!"
"Yes, Father!"
Princess Yunxi continued.
At this moment, she was being helped in by a maid. She looked much neater, obviously having been well - taken care of. But her face was still completely bloodless, and the bandage on her finger was oozing blood.
Only in her empty and listless eyes that had been so for a whole night did a determination that hadn't been there before burst out.
"Since the Third Prince was killed by someone, as his widow, I should seek justice for him. Please, Father, make a decision!"
Her voice was loud and clear, with a determination to fight to the end.
Consort Yi raised her eyes and for the first time really looked at this daughter - in - law whom she had never liked.
Because of her, her son had lost too many things.
But now it seemed that this Princess Yunxi was truly deeply in love with Feng Jingxuan.
The two women exchanged a look, with an unspoken understanding in their eyes.
It was Zhuo Lingxiao, who had just come in after Princess Yunxi, that changed his complexion greatly when he saw Ci Hui kneeling on the ground.