Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved

The golden pollen on Murong Jiu's hands shimmered piercingly under the sunlight.

A trace of annoyance flashed through the Fifth Princess's eyes. She cursed Murong Jiu's luck in her heart, for accidentally exonerating her. Murong Man felt it was a pity, but quickly concealed the emotion in her eyes.

Both the Empress and the Second Prince maintained their composure, revealing the depth of their scheming.

Murong Jiu observed their expressions and, listening to Consort Yun Pin's palpable gratitude, said, "Consort Yun Pin, there's no need for formalities. Saving you was my duty. Moreover, I was the one who tripped over something and fell towards you, which startled you. However..."

Her tone shifted as she respectfully looked at the Emperor, "Father, I indeed witnessed Consort Yun Pin's palace maid pushing Consort Yun Pin's lower back, intending to frame her. Such a malicious act against a consort carrying a dragon child must have been instigated by someone behind the scenes."

She hinted but did not elaborate further.

But emperors through the ages have been suspicious, and the Emperor likely harbored doubts in his heart.

At the time of the incident, only Eunuch De was beside her, and the ground of the Imperial Garden was utterly smooth. What could have tripped her? Naturally, suspicion fell on Eunuch De.

Feeling the Emperor's gaze upon him, Eunuch De's complexion turned pale in waves.

Yin Xing dropped to his knees with a thud, loudly proclaiming his innocence.

Consort Yun Pin's face was filled with disappointment; she couldn't believe that her most trusted palace maid would betray her, yet someone had indeed pushed her.

"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for your servant!"

Consort Yun Pin covered her still flat belly with one hand, her delicate face now tear-streaked. She seemed unstable on her feet, leaning against the Emperor.

The Emperor, highly concerned about the child in her womb, embraced Consort Yun Pin, angrily ordering that Yin Xing be severely tortured to confess the instigator behind the scene.

Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of muffled blows landed on Yin Xing as she screamed in agony.

Soon, she was beaten into unconsciousness, but was quickly revived with cold water and subjected to other cruel tortures.

Even a strong man could not endure it; Yin Xing's eyes showed a desperate struggle to survive.

Murong Jiu observed the Empress and the Second Prince out of the corner of her eye. Neither showed any signs of panic, and she considered a possibility.

"Administer the water torture!"

The Emperor ordered coldly.

The so-called water torture involved covering the face with a towel, binding the person with feet elevated and head lowered on a long bench and pouring water over them, inducing a sense of suffocation as if drowning – even more painful than being submerged in water.

Watching water continuously poured onto Yin Xing's towel-covered face, Murong Jiu's complexion turned slightly pale, and her hands trembled slightly.

She had drowned in a well, and witnessing this scene brought back memories of her moments before death, stirring hatred within her. She quickly lowered her head to calm her rising emotions.

Thus, she missed Jun Yuyan's deep probing gaze upon her.

"I confess! I confess everything!"

After enduring several rounds, Yin Xing could not bear it any longer and cried out loudly.

Murong Jiu caught a glimpse of the Empress clutching a handkerchief tightly in her sleeve, but she soon let go.

The Empress panicked.

Yin Xing was helped down from the bench by guards, kneeling on the ground and gasping for breath, her face filled with lingering fear.

The Emperor's expression was stern: "Tell us, who indeed ordered you to harm Consort Yun Pin so cruelly?"

"It was..." Yin Xing lifted her head, her eyes quickly sweeping around. As her gaze met the Second Prince's, her complexion became even paler. She stammered, "It was Noble Consort Qi who ordered me!"

"What did you say! When did I ever instruct you to do such a thing? Your Majesty, she is framing me!"

Noble Consort Qi, her face colored with anger, hadn't expected the fire to be turned back on her. She looked at the Emperor with a wronged expression.

Suddenly, Yin Xing began to shout madly:

"Indeed, it is Noble Consort Qi! Noble Consort Qi, fearing she might fall out of favor, wanted to harm Consort Yun Pin and cause her death along with her unborn child. She threatened me with the life of my family members; I had no choice but to act on her behalf! Your Majesty, I have confessed everything, my family members are innocent; I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

Having said this, a resolute expression appeared in her eyes, and she clenched her teeth fiercely.

"She is trying to commit suicide!"

Murong Jiu spoke out while swiftly taking action. She had been keeping an eye on Yin Xing, anticipating her move, yet she didn't expect Jun Yuyan to be faster. With his feet, he kicked a pebble, and swiftly, with a sudden sound, dislodged Yin Xing's jaw!

Before she could express her surprise, she hurried forward, pinched Yin Xing's mouth, and removed a poison pill hidden behind her molar.

In her previous life, the Dead Soldiers of the Second Prince had used this method to conceal poison. Upon hearing Yin Xing's accusation against Noble Consort Qi, she guessed that the other party would attempt to take poison, and indeed, she had guessed correctly.

The event transpired too swiftly, and by the time everyone else had reacted, Murong Jiu had already prevented Yin Xing from biting down on the poison to commit suicide.

Her coordination with Jun Yuyan was too seamless, as if they had worked together over a hundred times, leaving Noble Consort Qi dumbfounded.

Yin Xing screamed "Ahh, ahh," struggling fiercely, held firmly on the ground by the guards.

The Empress's eyebrows furrowed tightly, her eyes slightly panicked, and a look of surprise flickered in the eyes of the Second Prince, as his gaze fell on Murong Jiu.

At that moment Jun Yuyan stepped forward and said soothingly, "Father, Ah Jiu prevented Yin Xing from committing suicide by poison. Son believes there is more to this situation behind the scenes and hopes Father would investigate thoroughly, to clear Mother's name."

The Emperor stared at Yin Xing, his eyes full of indignation. At this point, he could clearly see someone was trying to frame Noble Consort Qi. With Yin Xing dead, there would be no proof, and the slander would be directed at Noble Consort Qi

In his presence, someone dared to manipulate events; Yin Xing and her backers deserved death!

What he didn't expect, however, was that the seemingly inconspicuous young daughter of Yongning Marquis Manor would show such aptitude.

He looked at Murong Jiu with a trace of satisfaction and nodded while speaking to Jun Yuyan:

"Yu Yan, you and Ah Jiu reacted swiftly and did well. I will have the Brocade-clad Guards employ harsh interrogation methods to vindicate your mother."

Left to the Brocade-clad Guards, they could crush bones; how long could a mere girl like Yin Xing hold out?

However, Murong Jiu knew that by this time, the Second Prince had already extended his reach into the Brocade-clad Guards; a thousand-household officer named Han Jin would soon become his right-hand man, gathering countless pieces of intelligence to threaten the officials of the Imperial Court.

So it was impossible for Yin Xing to implicate the true instigator behind the scenes; ultimately, she was on a path to death.

But what was different this time, was that to kill Yin Xing, Han Jin would necessarily expose himself, directly making him a dead pawn, likely to be silenced as well.

This would enrage the Emperor, compelled to thoroughly investigate the Brocade-clad Guards, because they had only one master — the Emperor himself, whom no one should interfere with.

Thus, the Second Prince's maneuver to position his pieces within the Brocade-clad Guards became unfeasible, and his key ally was prematurely cut off.

A mere Yin Xing ruined an important pawn of the Second Prince.

Would this count as stealing chickens only to lose the rice used to lure them?

Murong Jiu glanced up at the Second Prince, who was also watching her, his eyes shimmering with a complex mix of hatred and coldness. But the moment she looked at him, he showed her a gentle smile.

Truly capable of bending and stretching.

She slightly curved her lips, thinking to herself: Jun Haoze, this is just the beginning!

Little did she know, Jun Yuyan's deep, probing gaze also rested upon her.