Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 288 The Real Culprit is Caught
The guard immediately knelt down before Jiang Lanye with a thud: "Your Majesty, this humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"I don't want to waste time with you. Just tell me, who gave you permission to take these poisonous snakes?"

"What...what poisonous snake? This humble servant has no idea."

A hint of malice flashed in Jiang Lanye's eyes. He immediately ordered his men to take him to the imperial prison and imprison him with the eunuch he had captured the day before.

Both of them were tightly bound and exchanged a terrified glance.

Unexpectedly, they were all caught.

The jailer brought a chair over for Jiang Lanye, who sat down casually. Someone offered him tea, but he refused, coldly looking at the two of them, and said in a gentle tone, "Speak, I'll give you a chance."

The two looked at each other again, but neither of them spoke.

Jiang Lanye's lips curled up slightly: "I don't know exactly how much benefit you received, or whether it was you or your family members who profited."

"But now that you're in my hands, do you really think you can escape unscathed?"

The guard's expression changed.

Jiang Lanye looked at him and said, "I can have your family brought over tonight."

"No, Your Majesty, my family members are all innocent."

"Isn't my Consort Yun innocent too?"

He swallowed hard. "Your Majesty, I was forced into this situation. Please, do not target my family."

Jiang Lanye stood up and suddenly kicked him hard in the stomach.

The guard choked for a moment.

"With just one order from me, not only your family members, but even the extermination of your entire clan would not be excessive."

After saying that, he turned around and said, "Men, immediately send someone out of the palace to bring his entire family to the imperial prison."

"don't want!!"

As soon as Jiang Lanye finished speaking, the guard cried out in terror, "Your Majesty, I want to say something, but only after I say it, I beg you to spare my family."

Jiang Lanye did not change his mind because of his words: "I'll go immediately."

"Yes!"

"Why? Your Majesty, I'll tell you anything."

"why?"

Jiang Lanye chuckled, "I will only give you one chance. Since you refuse to tell me, then I have no reason to accommodate you."

The guard's face turned deathly pale: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance."

Jiang Lanye didn't look at him again, but slowly walked to the eunuch.

The eunuch had been tortured for a day, and his body was unrecognizable. His eyelids were swollen from being whipped. He struggled to open his eyes and looked at Jiang Lanye.

"You only have one chance."

The eunuch choked up and said, "This servant said it was Consort Zhuang, it was all Consort Zhuang's orders."

Jiang Lanye narrowed his eyes.

Finally, he heard an answer from this group of people.

Upon hearing him speak, the guard beside him couldn't help but shout, "Your Majesty, it's Consort Zhuang! I was just about to mention her too! It's her!"

Jiang Lanye didn't even turn his head. He simply picked up the red-hot branding iron and applied it to the guard's skin.

"what--!"

The guards' shrill screams echoed in the torture chamber, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air instantly. Jiang Lanye didn't even flinch, calmly placing the branding iron back into the brazier.

"I'm asking about him." He pointed to the dying eunuch, his voice eerily soft. "What's your rush to acknowledge a master?"

The guard convulsed in pain and dared not utter another sound. Jiang Lanye then said, "Continue."

The eunuch's lips trembled: "Consort Zhuang gave this servant a packet of powder. She said that if you sprinkle it in that palace, poisonous snakes will follow the powder and become aggressive."

"Where are the poisonous snakes?"

"She also ordered the guards to give the poisonous snake to the servants."

Were you alone that day?

The eunuch was truly sensible; he knew that in Jiang Lanye's hands, he had no choice but to obediently tell the truth, otherwise he would surely suffer a fate worse than death in the future.

"No, there's one more, but he's fast."

“Tell me who it is.”

The eunuch also mentioned the man's name.

Soon, another guard brought the person over.

It seems that the poison on the fan was also made by Consort Zhuang, as was the bayberry drink.

Jiang Lanye worked until late into the night, interrogating each of these people thoroughly. The guards on night watch at the East Gate were all given thirty strokes of the cane and expelled from the palace, never to be allowed to enter again.

This incident was like pulling up a radish and bringing out the mud; apart from a few necessary witnesses, everyone else was executed on Jiang Lanye's orders, and the prison was soon filled with blood.

And yet, they haven't even taken any action against the culprit, Consort Zhuang.

When Jiang Lanye returned, it was already late at night. After taking a bath, he went inside and found that the candles in the hall were still lit. It seemed that someone had been waiting for him all night, but hadn't come and had fallen asleep.

Thinking of this, his heart softened instantly. He quietly walked over and saw Song Yi wrapped in a blanket, only her fair face showing.

Jiang Lanye gently lifted the blanket, wanting to hold her in his arms to sleep, but as soon as he lifted it, he saw that there was a rabbit nestled in Song Yi's arms. The rabbit was also sleeping, probably feeling very comfortable in the warm blanket, its little head almost buried in Song Yi's clothes.

His face darkened, and without any hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the rabbit by the scruff of its neck, lifting it up.

The rabbit was woken up from its sleep. Its four short legs flapped in the air in vain. Before it could react, Jiang Lanye unceremoniously locked it in the cage.

Immediately afterwards, he lifted the covers, lay down, and held Song Yi in his arms.

Song Yi was preoccupied with Jiang Lanye and wasn't sound asleep. When he hugged her like that, she woke up groggily and subconsciously reached out to touch the rabbit, but ended up touching Jiang Lanye instead.

"Ok?"

She uttered a question and barely opened her eyes.

Jiang Lanye looked at her: "Go back to sleep?"

Song Yi nudged him: "Rabbit, don't crowd it."

Seeing that Song Yi was still thinking about the rabbit, Jiang Lanye's face darkened even more: "How could I possibly squeeze it? I want to hold you, it's too much of an eyesore."

"What about the rabbit?"

"He has been imprisoned by me."

Song Yi finally felt relieved and nestled obediently into Jiang Lanye's arms, her voice muffled: "What did you find out?"

Jiang Lanye had originally intended to speak, but seeing how sleepy she was, he whispered, "Go to sleep first, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

The two fell asleep in each other's arms. When Song Yi woke up the next day, she found Jiang Lanye feeding the rabbit vegetable leaves.

She found it amusing, but then realized what was happening and clicked her tongue twice: "Someone was still arguing with the rabbit after coming back at night."

Jiang Lanye glanced at her: "It snuggled into your arms, shouldn't I lock it up?"

Song Yi suppressed a laugh: "Serves you right, you absolutely deserve it. So what exactly did you find out last night?"

Jiang Lanye's expression hardened as he looked at Song Yi: "It's Consort Zhuang."

(End of this chapter)