The daughter of the Marquis is too delicate, the abstinent prince pinches her waist and loves her

Chapter 136 The Mysteries of Maps
As Ye Jinfeng was taken aback, Ye Jinchen's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to do justice!" Bai Muling's delicate yet resentful cries came from outside.

The eunuch beside him whispered, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is kneeling outside the palace, bringing Ruyu's body and requesting an audience."

"Bring him in." Ye Jinfeng's voice was low, his face dark and gloomy.

Before long, Bai Muling seemed to have suffered a tremendous shock. She stumbled into the hall and knelt down in front of Ye Jinfeng. Then, two eunuchs carried Ruyu, who was covered with a white cloth, on a stretcher.

Bai Muling cried uncontrollably, looking up at Ye Jinfeng, and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to do justice for me! Sheng Yunqing first killed my third brother, and now he has poisoned my personal maid. His intentions are sinister and his motives are malicious. I am terrified!"

"Hmph." Ye Jinchen snorted coldly, his face dark and terrifying, glaring at Bai Muling and saying, "Don't throw all sorts of mud at Miss Sheng! Miss Sheng is still in prison, how could she possibly harm your maid?!"

Bai Muling seemed to have something difficult to say, hesitated for a moment, and then said to Ye Jinfeng, "I just had the imperial physician examine her. Ruyu was poisoned by the poison of the 'Magpie Branch,' which takes more than three days to take effect. Three days ago, Sheng Yunqing had not yet been imprisoned, and the 'Magpie Branch' was only available in the clinic run by Sheng Yunqing..."

"Bang!" Ye Jinfeng slammed his hand on the table and stood up, glaring at Ye Jinchen. "Prince Ye, what else do you have to say?!" He pointed forcefully to the evidence piled up on the table. "If this so-called evidence is true, why did Sheng Yunqing kill Ruyu? Is it because he's afraid of revealing something?"

Unfazed by his gaze, Ye Jinchen narrowed his handsome phoenix eyes slightly, his gaze filled with provocation: "Royal brother, don't rush to conclusions. If the situation is untrue, and your good daughter-in-law is spreading rumors like this, is your position as Crown Princess still secure?"

Ye Jinfeng's gaze was cold as she turned to the eunuch and said, "Go and find out the truth."

"Yes."

Bai Muling glanced at Ye Jinchen and said, "Seventh Imperial Uncle, the evidence is irrefutable. No matter how much you investigate, you can't exonerate Sheng Yunqing. I advise you to see through Sheng Yunqing's true colors as soon as possible."

Suddenly, like a gust of wind, Ye Jinchen appeared in front of Bai Muling, his hand gripping her neck. He gritted his teeth and glared at her. In the darkness, a strong sense of oppression made her suffocate instantly.

"If you dare to utter another word of slander against Qing'er, I will take your life!"

His slender fingers tightened their grip on her pulse, causing Bai Muling's breathing to become unsteady. She glanced at Ye Jinfeng on the steps, then met Ye Jinchen's gaze with a barely perceptible hint of provocation, and whispered, "You are the revered War King, yet you so easily took the Crown Princess's life. Do you think the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Crown Prince will let you off?"

"Prince Ye! How dare you! Let go!" Ye Jinfeng roared.

The eunuch knelt down before him, his face full of anxiety, and said, "Your Highness, please calm down. This servant has already summoned the coroner. Miss Ruyu's condition will be assessed."

Ye Jinchen gave a cold snort, shook off his hand, and turned his back to Bai Muling with his hands behind his back.

As night fell, the area outside the Ministry of Justice prison was filled with kneeling people, many of whom were patients who had been treated at the Sanshengtang Hospital. They pleaded for leniency outside the prison day and night, and the situation was becoming increasingly out of control.

The people held umbrellas with the word "盛" (prosperity) strung together on them like blood.

"Your Majesty, please see the truth! Miss Sheng has been wronged!"

"Please, wise ruler, decide this matter! There must be an injustice involved!"

In the prison cell, Sheng Yunqing leaned against the prison bed covered with brocade, her slender fingertips gently caressing the rubbing of Bai Qingyi's last letter.

The edges of the letter were scorched and curled, as if licked by flames.

She gave a soft, cold laugh and said, "The feud between the Sheng family and the Bai family has been brewing for so long." "Qing'er, my poor daughter..."

Upon hearing an aged voice, Sheng Yunqing's heart skipped a beat. She raised her hand and pulled off the smoky blue jade hairpin from her hair, saying, "Father? Is that Father?"

A slight smile played on her lips as she sniffed, looking somewhat aggrieved. After several days of rest and recuperation, she had finally regained some of her spiritual powers.

Sheng Yuting paused for a moment, then said, "Qing'er, can you hear your father?"

Sheng Yunqing nodded, then sat up and said, "Father, don't worry, I've found a clue."

"really?"

Sheng Yunqing walked to the table, opened the drawer, and took out the strategic map of the northern frontier depicted inside. She said, "Father, I need your help."

She closed her eyes, formed a hand seal, and chanted a spell. When she opened her eyes again, a blue light flashed from them.

Looking into Sheng Yunqing's eyes, Sheng Yuting saw the dark prison cell. He dared not delay and asked earnestly, "Qing'er, what do you want me to see?"

Sheng Yunqing pointed to the map on the table and said, "When I was a child, I saw a strategic map of the northern desert in your room. This is the latest survey map that Ye Jinchen sent to the Ministry of War yesterday. I feel that something has changed."

Sheng Yuting remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Qing'er, look, the southeast fork in the Wolf Fang Valley didn't exist ten years ago!"

He directed Sheng Yunqing to look towards the southeast side of Wolf Fang Valley.

Sheng Yunqing thought about it carefully and said, "The newly added rift here completely overlaps with the map where the Fire-Washed Silk appeared."

The jade hairpin in Sheng Yunqing's hand trembled slightly, and Sheng Yuting's voice suddenly became sharp: "This rift valley is man-made! Take a closer look at the contour lines..." Sheng Yunqing followed his gaze, her fingertip lightly touching the edge of the drawing, and said, "A real rift valley should have glacial erosion patterns, but these contour lines are clearly traces of gunpowder blasting the mountain!"

"The gunpowder blasting of the mountain—wasn't that something Uncle arranged with his troops a year ago?" Sheng Yunqing suddenly understood, sneered, and said, "So the map on that fire-washed silk pouch was forged by the Bai family!"

She carefully put away the map, the blue light in her eyes dimmed, stood up, put her hairpin in her hair, and said to the warden, "Please inform the emperor that I wish to see him."

As soon as he finished speaking, an old man hurried over and said to the warden, "Quick! Unlock it!"

The warden was taken aback. Seeing that it was Ye Jinfeng's eunuch, he dared not be negligent, bowed his head and agreed, and took out the key to unlock the chains.

Through the prison gate, the eunuch said to Sheng Yunqing, "Miss Sheng, the Emperor has issued an urgent decree summoning you to the palace for an audience."

Sheng Yunqing rolled her eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"Miss Ruyu is dead."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Yunqing frowned, gave a cold laugh, and said, "The Bai family really can't hold back."

She gripped the map in her hand, raised her chin slightly, and said, "Perfect timing, I also have important matters to report to the Emperor."