"No...no..." The guard was shaking with fear, "It was too dark...I...I couldn't see clearly..."

Ying Yuan was furious. He kicked over the table beside him and yelled, "Waste! A bunch of waste!"

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Now was not the time to get angry, he had to find the murderer as soon as possible, otherwise there would be endless trouble.

"Li Si!" he shouted.

Li Si quickly ran out of the crowd, knelt in front of Ying Yuan, and said, "I am here!"

"Immediately seal off the entire city and hunt for the murderer! We must find him alive or dead!"

"I obey your order!" Li Si quickly stood up and went to arrange the search.

Ying Yuan stood there, looking at Zhao Yuan's body, his heart filled with grief and anger. He swore that he would bring the murderer to justice and avenge Zhao Yuan!
After returning to the palace, Ying Yuan was still upset. Zhao Yuan's death made him more convinced that his nightmare was not groundless. Yu Ji and Gai Nie, what are they plotting?
He suddenly thought of Yu Ji and immediately sent someone to invite her over.

Soon, Yu Ji came to the bedroom. She was still wearing a lavender dress, looking particularly beautiful.

"Your Majesty," Yu Ji asked softly, "Why did you summon me here so late at night? What do you want me to do?"

Ying Yuan looked at Yu Ji with a conflicted heart. He was attracted by her beauty, but also full of doubts about her.

"Yu Ji," he asked in a deep voice, "Do you know Gai Nie?"

Yu Ji was slightly stunned, then shook her head and said, "I don't know him."

"Really don't know her?" Ying Yuan stared into Yu Ji's eyes, trying to see something from them.

Yu Ji looked him in the eye without fear and said firmly, "I really don't know him."

Ying Yuan looked at Yu Ji, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should believe her.

"Your Majesty," Yu Ji said softly, "Are you worried about something? Can you tell me? Perhaps I can help you share your worries."

Ying Yuan looked at Yu Ji's concerned eyes, and his heart moved slightly. He hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to tell her about his nightmare.

He described the dream in detail, then looked at Yu Ji and asked, "What do you think my dream means?"

After listening to Ying Yuan's story, a hint of barely perceptible panic flashed across Yu Ji's eyes, but she quickly concealed it.

"Your Majesty," she said softly, "it is only a dream. Don't take it to heart. Perhaps it is just what you think about during the day and dream about at night."

Ying Yuan looked at Yu Ji, feeling even more confused. Her reaction seemed a little off.

"Is it really just a dream?" he whispered to himself.

Suddenly, he remembered something Zhao Yuan had held tightly in his hand before he died. He hurried to the table and took out a brocade bag from the drawer.

He opened the brocade bag and found a jade pendant inside. He recognized this jade pendant, as it was the one worn by Yu Ji!
Ying Yuan suddenly raised his head and looked at Yu Ji, his eyes full of shock and anger.

"This...what's going on?" He pointed at the jade pendant and asked sternly.

Yu Ji's face turned pale in an instant. She opened her mouth but could not say anything.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the palace, followed by Li Si's voice: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"

Li Si's voice broke the frozen atmosphere in the bedroom. Ying Yuan suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and said to Yu Ji: "You go down first, I have something important to deal with."

Yu Ji felt as if she had been pardoned, and quickly bowed and left. Her steps were a little flustered, and Ying Yuan saw it all.

Li Si walked quickly into the bedroom and said, "Your Majesty, I have found out that Lord Zhao Yuan... was poisoned."

Ying Yuan frowned: "Poisoned? Have you found out who the murderer is?" Li Si looked embarrassed: "I am incompetent and have not found the murderer's whereabouts. However, I found a note in Lord Zhao Yuan's room." As he said that, Li Si took out the note from his sleeve and presented it to Ying Yuan.

Ying Yuan took the note and saw only four words written on it: Be careful of Yu Ji.

Ying Yuan clenched the note in his hand, and he already had the answer in his heart. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were already cold.

"Li Si," Ying Yuan said in a deep voice, "Pass on my order to banish Yu Ji to the cold palace and keep her under strict surveillance! No one is allowed to visit her without my permission!"

"Your Majesty..." Li Si hesitated, "After all, Concubine Yu is..."

"No need to say more!" Ying Yuan interrupted him sharply, "I have made up my mind!"

Li Si didn't dare to persuade him any further and immediately took the order and left.

Ying Yuan stood alone in the palace, his heart filled with sadness and anger. He had never thought that his most beloved concubine would be the murderer of his loyal minister.

He walked to the window and looked out at the night, feeling lost. He suddenly felt deeply tired, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

……

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Three days later, Ying Yuan summoned all the ministers and announced Yu Ji's crimes in the court.

When the ministers heard this, they were all horrified. They could never have imagined that the gentle and beautiful Concubine Yu would actually do such a thing.

"Your Majesty," Prime Minister Wang Wan stepped out and said, "Empress Yu Ji has always been virtuous and kind. Is there any hidden reason behind this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Imperial Censor Feng Jie also echoed, "Please Your Majesty be discerning and do not wrongly accuse Concubine Yu."

Ying Yuan looked at them coldly, without a trace of emotion in his eyes. He showed the jade pendant that Zhao Yuan held before his death, as well as the note that Li Si found in Zhao Yuan's room, to the ministers one by one.

"The evidence is irrefutable and you cannot deny it!" Ying Yuan said sternly, "Yu Ji colluded with Gai Nie and plotted a rebellion. This is an unforgivable crime!"

When the ministers saw the evidence, they were speechless. They had never expected that Yu Ji would actually do such a treasonous thing.

"Someone come!" Ying Yuan shouted, "Bring Yu Ji to the palace!"

Soon, Yu Ji was brought up by the guards. She looked pale and haggard, and had lost her former elegance.

"Yu Ji," Ying Yuan looked at her and asked coldly, "Do you admit your guilt?"

Yu Ji raised her head and looked at Ying Yuan, her eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.

"I am innocent!" she said loudly, "I am being wronged!"

"At this point, do you still want to quibble?" Ying Yuan pointed at the evidence and asked sternly.

"That evidence is all fake!" Yu Ji shouted, "Someone is framing me!"

"Framed?" Ying Yuan sneered, "Do you think I will believe your lies?"

"Your Majesty," Yu Ji suddenly knelt down and cried, "I am sincere to Your Majesty, and heaven and earth can bear witness to this! How could I possibly do such a thing?"

Ying Yuan looked at her without a trace of pity in his heart. He knew that Yu Ji was acting.

"Yu Ji," he said coldly, "do you think your tears can wash away your sins?"

Yu Ji raised her head and looked at Ying Yuan, her eyes filled with despair. She knew that she was finished. (End of this chapter)