Rebirth and Reversal of Fortune

Chapter 475 Investigating the Source of the Rumors, the Source Identified

Rumors were rampant in the palace, causing widespread panic. Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling decided to step forward and investigate the source of these mysterious rumors.

They started by questioning the palace maids and eunuchs who had initially spread the rumors. Su Jinxiu gently asked one of the maids, "Where did you hear these rumors?" The maid trembled, her eyes darting around, "Madam, I... I heard it from someone else, but I don't know exactly who." Xiao Ling, standing to the side, said sharply, "If you don't tell the truth, you will bear the consequences." The maid was so frightened that she immediately knelt down, "General, spare my life! I overheard some of the ladies whispering about it in the laundry room."

Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling then went to the laundry room. There, they found the palace maids. "Who first spread these rumors?" Xiao Ling demanded loudly. The maids exchanged glances, one of them whispering, "It was...it was an eunuch we overheard talking about while we were fetching water."

Following this clue, they began searching for the eunuch. After some twists and turns, they finally found his residence. The eunuch looked flustered upon seeing Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling. "Speak, where did these rumors come from?" Xiao Ling asked sternly. The eunuch stammered, "General, Madam, I heard it from someone else." Su Jinxiu frowned, "If you don't tell the truth, I'll hand you over to the Emperor." The eunuch collapsed to the ground in fright, "It was... a maidservant of a concubine who told me."

They rushed off to find the maid. At first, the maid tried to deny it, but under the imposing presence of Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling, she finally confessed: "It was my mistress who told me to spread it." Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling exchanged a glance, a clue forming in their minds.

They arrived at the concubine's palace. Upon seeing them, the concubine feigned composure: "May I ask what brings the General and Madam here?" Xiao Ling cut to the chase: "Your Majesty, shouldn't you explain those rumors?" The concubine's expression changed: "I have no idea what you're talking about." Su Jinxiu said, "Your Majesty, now that things have been exposed, you should tell the truth." The concubine remained silent.

Just then, Su Jinxiu noticed something unusual in the concubine's palace. A letter in the corner caught her attention. She picked it up, and its contents were related to rumors. "Your Majesty, how do you explain this?" Seeing that she could no longer hide the truth, the concubine finally admitted, "Someone instructed me to do this."

Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling pressed, "Who is it?" The concubine bit her lip and said, "It is... a court official."

Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling were shocked; they hadn't expected that this involved high-ranking officials in the imperial court. They decided to continue their investigation and find the mastermind behind it all.

However, the investigation did not go smoothly. They encountered numerous obstacles in their search for evidence. Some people sabotaged their investigation and even threatened them.

"Stop investigating, or you'll all suffer the consequences."

But Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling did not back down. They knew that only by finding the source of the rumors could they restore peace to the palace.

During the investigation, they discovered that the minister had close ties with some forces outside the palace.

"Could there be an even bigger conspiracy behind this?"

Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling faced numerous difficulties and obstacles on their journey to investigate the source of the rumors, but they never gave up.

In their pursuit of the truth, they left no stone unturned. Xiao Ling, with his keen insight, discovered some seemingly insignificant yet crucial details. For example, during his conversation with the concubine, Xiao Ling noticed the fear that inadvertently flickered in her eyes, which convinced him that the forces behind her were no ordinary people.

Su Jinxiu used her intelligence to sift through the complex information and uncover the key clues. She carefully studied the letters and physical evidence related to the rumors, and deduced the possible mastermind behind them by examining the handwriting and word choice.

They traveled far and wide, exchanging information with various people, constantly piecing together the truth. Sometimes, in order to obtain crucial intelligence, they would stake out day and night, waiting for the key figure to appear.

Finally, after a long and arduous effort, they found out the source and spreader of the rumor.

It turns out that the mastermind behind all this was one of the emperor's brothers—a prince. He had long coveted the throne and attempted to disrupt the court order and weaken the emperor's authority by spreading rumors, thereby creating conditions for his plot to usurp the throne.

The prince secretly bribed some of the concubines, maids, and eunuchs in the palace to spread various false rumors. The concubine who was first discovered was also involved under the prince's coercion and enticement.

Moreover, the prince colluded with some treacherous ministers in the court, attempting to coordinate with the outside world to overthrow the emperor's rule in one fell swoop.

"So it was him who was behind this!" Xiao Ling said angrily.

Su Jinxiu frowned: "This man is ambitious, we must find a way to stop his conspiracy as soon as possible."

However, their investigation did not escape the prince's notice.

Upon learning that Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling had uncovered the truth, the prince decided to strike first.

"We can't let them ruin my plans. Send someone to take care of them."

For a moment, Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling found themselves in an extremely dangerous situation.

The assassins were lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

"My lord, we must be careful," Su Jinxiu said worriedly.

Xiao Ling held her hand tightly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."