Chapter 199 Maybe It's Just a Coincidence
Ji Yao glanced at him coldly: "In that case, then leave."
Lu Hanyang raised his eyes slightly, and seeing that the empress didn't look well, he didn't dare to stay any longer.
He suppressed his doubts and said, "Yes, I'll take my leave."
After Lu Hanyang left, Ji Yao opened her sharp eyes slightly: "Lingrong~"
An Lingrong, the silver-robed female official beside him, stepped forward with a calm and composed face: "Your Majesty, what do you want?"
Ji Yao looked at the direction where Lu Hanyang left and narrowed her eyes dangerously: "Keep an eye on Lu Hanyang's every move and find out how far he has gone. If he knows what's best for him, I can spare his life. If he doesn't..."
Ji Yao's eyes were filled with cold murderous intent: "Don't let him stay!"
Even if he had extraordinary abilities and knew things he shouldn't know, she couldn't keep him any longer!
As Ji Yao's right-hand man, An Lingrong is not only the empress's personal female official, the chief supervisor of the palace maids, but also the leader of the inner court's Ministry of Punishment. Naturally, she knows some things about the empress.
After hearing what the empress said, it seemed that she was afraid that Lu Hanyang had found out something and wanted to silence him.
However, as a subordinate, even though he admired Lu Hanyang's abilities, he did not dare to intercede for him in this matter and could only obey orders.
An Lingrong narrowed her eyes slightly and said respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Also, check for me if there are any survivors from the Ye family."
An Lingrong was stunned by Ji Yao's words and frowned in confusion.
"What does your majesty mean?"
Ji Yao glanced sideways and said slowly, "Lingrong, how many years have you followed me?"
An Lingrong narrowed her eyes slightly, not understanding what the empress meant by asking this question.
"Your Majesty, I entered the palace when I was young, and was assigned to your Majesty's side when I was eight years old. It has been twenty-three years now."
Ji Yao: "Then do you think the assassination of the princess this time is related to the Ye family?"
Hearing this, An Lingrong was slightly startled: "This... Your Majesty is suspicious?"
Ji Yao narrowed her eyes dangerously: "I remember that one of the poisons that the princess was poisoned with was called Lan Tuo Snake Leaf?"
An Lingrong wondered: What does this have to do with the Ye family?
As if seeing her confusion, Ji Yao's cloudy and shrewd eyes flashed.
"Have you forgotten, in whose hands was this Blue Snake Leaf?" An Lingrong was stunned when she heard this, and she thought about it carefully. Then she remembered something and her pupils shrank slightly.
If her memory served her correctly, the Lantuo Snake Leaf was originally a birthday gift presented to the late emperor by a small country in the Western Regions. Later, the late emperor awarded it to Ye Guijun, the most favored figure in the palace.
Later, the Seventh Princess colluded with the enemy and committed treason, and her father's family, the Ye clan, was implicated in treason.
Ye Guijun was also falsely accused of murdering the royal heir and was banished to the cold palace, where she was eventually poisoned to death.
No one knew better than her that all this was the work of the man sitting on the dragon throne.
Thinking back to what happened back then, An Lingrong still remembers it vividly.
If the assassination of the princess was really done by the Ye family, then why did they endure it until now before taking action?
That tragic case of exterminating the entire family, that deep blood feud, if it was really the Ye family that came to seek revenge, then that deep and hidden hatred...
Just thinking about it makes me break out in a cold sweat.
An Lingrong was slightly startled, but she calmed down, collected her expressions, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, it's been a long time since that happened. Moreover, it was the late emperor who personally issued an order to execute all nine clans of the Ye family. How could anyone dare to risk the crime of deceiving the emperor and leave them alive?"
"In my opinion, this...may just be a coincidence."
coincidence?
How can there be so many coincidences in the world?
For Ji Yao, who is suspicious by nature, she would not easily believe that this was just a coincidence without confirmation that the Ye family was really extinct.
An Lingrong naturally knew that the empress was suspicious, otherwise she would not have suspected even the loyal and patriotic Prince Dingbei and had him removed for treason.
Although he felt sorry for the loss of a loyal soul, he did not dare to make many comments in front of his master.
"Whether it's a coincidence or not, I'll leave this matter to you. You must find out who is behind this."
There was a fierce murderous intent in Ji's sharp eyes.
An Lingrong beside him bowed slightly: "I obey your command."
(End of this chapter)
