“Hehe,” Mo Qi Qi gets up and walks towards Chu Ling Xiao, gifting him a bright smile. “Since the emperor gives you such a big responsibility and trust, why don’t you use this authority to turn this big matter into small? If you do that, bengong will heavily thank you and the Mo Clan will remember your grace and will repay your help in the future.”
Chu Ling Xiao laughs elegantly, “Since the emperor trusts this official, how can this official disappoints him? This official will report everything to him as it is.”
“You—“ Anger surges inside Mo Qi Qi like waves of currents. She glares at Chu Ling Xiao with gritted teeth, “Prime Minister, don’t tell bengong you’d rather drink a cup of coercion than kindness? Don’t forget, you are still in bengong’s palace. A little word from bengong is enough to make you lose your life.”
Chu Ling Xiao maintains his calm smile, “The empress must not try to intimidate this official. This official too, comes from the imperial clan. Even though this official does not grow up in the palace, this official understands the tricks of the people in the harem. Threatening others is just their method of bullying people.”
“Oh really?” Mo Qi Qi raises her eyebrows as she looks at him in utter dislike, “But the method bengong is planning to use today is not that.” After she says that, Mo Qi Qi suddenly takes off her brocade belt.
Seeing that, Chu Ling Xiao immediately retreats two steps, “Your Ladyship! W-What are you doing?”
Mo Qi Qi laughs mockingly, “Bengong is letting the Prime Minister see bengong’s trick.” Then, she screams for the people outside, “Prime Minister, how dare you be so preposterous in front of bengong? Somebody come! The Prime Minister has lost conduct—-“
Hearing that, Chu Ling Xiao immediately steps forward and blocks Mo Qi Qi’s mouth, “Your Ladyship, you must not harm this official in that manner.“
Mo Qi Qi pushes his hand away, arrogantly raising her brows while threatening him, “What do you think of bengong’s trick? If this incident spreads out, what will His Majesty do? Even if he trusts you, your reputation will be ruined. In order to save face, he will still kick you out of the capital and when that happens, your position and power will be gone. Tsk tsk tsk, it does you more harm than good ah!”
Chu Ling Xiao stares at Mo Qi Qi, stunned. He never thought he will be trapped inside the hand of this brainless empress. He used to make fun of her in front of the emperor in the past, now he feels like slapping his own mouth.
“What do you want this official to do, Your Ladyship? This official will listen to whatever it is.” In the end, Chu Ling Xiao can only compromise. If she continues screaming; it will be as she says it will. Regardless of whether the emperor trusts him, he will not continue to keep him by his side.
Mo Qi Qi laughs arrogantly, “That is the correct choice! Bengong’s request is very simple; tell His Majesty that Dong Fei was disrespectful and bengong ordered her to be hit 20 times. The rest, you can keep to yourself.”
Chu Ling Xiao purposely pretends to be nervous, “Your Ladyship, that is basically deceiving the emperor!”
“If you and I don’t tell, His Majesty will not know that.” Mo Qi Qi is very happy, so her way of thinking is way simpler as well.
“Your Ladyship, you are underestimating His Majesty’s wisdom,” Chu Ling Xiao says again.
Mo Qi Qi glares at him indignantly, “What? Are you unwilling to help bengong? Aiya, why is the weather so hot today?” she fans her collar over.
Chu Ling Xiao immediately panics, “I will! How can this official not help?” Despite that, he still gives Mo Qi Qi’s neck an interested glance.
Mo Qi Qi immediately tightens her collar, “What are you looking at?”
Chu Ling Xiao laughs rottenly, “Everyone says that Yang Guifei is prettier and more beautiful than you, but from how this official sees it, Your Ladyship is prettier than her.”
Mo Qi Qi arrogantly raises her nose, “Be gone with these honeyed woods, bengong is fool-proof to them. Remember your promise. If you dare to sell bengong out, bengong will let you see!” Then, she points at his man part.
Chu Ling Xiao covers it while panicking.
Mo Qi Qi laughs conceitedly, “Alright, bengong knows the Prime Minister is busy. Bengong will not keep you for long, you can see yourself out!” Now that the thing that has been worrying her has been settled, she sits in her phoenix seat in relief, drinking a fine tea.
When Chu Ling Xiao goes to Jun Qian Che’s imperial study to report the result of the autopsy, he purposely leaves out the miscarriage part.
“So that is how it goes, Your Majesty. Although the empress did meet Dong Fei before her death and ordered her to be hit 20 times, the hits were not enough to cause her death. There is another reason to Dong Fei’s death.”
Jun Qian Che calmly asks while criticizing a memorial, “Is there anything else you need to add, Prime Minister?”
Chu Ling Xiao thinks for a while: There is something that he purposely omitted when talking with Mo Qi Qi earlier on; there are three fingerprints on Dong Fei’s back. Based on his investigation on Mo Qi Qi, she knows the Three-Fingertips Arts. If she pressed three fingers on another person’s body, it will potentially kill the other person. Dong Fei’s death seems to be caused by that. He did not question her about it back in Feng Yang Palace because he planned on directly reporting it to the emperor, later. But now, he suddenly hesitates. It is not because he fears Mo Qi Qi’s threat; he simply has the sudden desire to hide that matter.
After a moment of hesitation, he respectfully replies, “That is all that this official manage to investigates.”
The brush on Jun Qian Che’s hand suddenly stops. He slowly raise his eyes as his dark pupils gives Chu Ling Xiao a look that resembles a piercing arrow. He slowly speaks, “Prime Minister, what did the Mo Clan or the empress promised you that you dared to commit the crime of deceiving the emperor?”
Chu Ling Xiao is taken aback before he quickly kneels down, “Your Majesty, this official is dull.”
“Dull? Why does the result that zhen gets is different from the Prime Minister’s? Zhen heard Dong Fei was two months pregnant before her death. There are three fingerprints on her back; those are the cause of her death. The empress practices the Art of the Three Fingerprints. You did not manage to dig out all that?” His voice is really calm, but it actually gives Chu Ling Xiao goose-bumps. Even though his relationship with the emperor is normally good, the emperor is still a ruler who is earnest when it comes to duty. It is very hard to deceive him; if one crosses him, the emperor will definitely disown them even if they are his relatives. He told her the emperor is hard to deceive; the empress is going to harm him to death this time!
