The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 154 Someone Drowns

"What's wrong?" Feeling Xu Qingran's gaze, Xu Jiaojiao looked over and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

Xu Qingran frowned and said in a low voice, "Sister, my jade pendant is gone!"

Xu Jiaojiao felt a tightness in her chest, sensing something was wrong.

Sure enough, before she could even utter a word, a young eunuch rushed into the main hall.

The young eunuch looked flustered and even stumbled as he entered the room.

A commotion broke out inside the hall.

The emperor's face darkened, and he rebuked in a deep voice, "What kind of behavior is this, all in such a flustered state!"

The young eunuch knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Something has been found in the Imperial Garden...something has been found..."

Seeing his hesitation, the emperor grew increasingly impatient, and his authoritative rebuke echoed through the hall: "What have you discovered? Speak!"

The eunuch prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling: "We've found... a corpse!"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the palace.

Why is there so much trouble at this year's New Year's Eve banquet? On such an important day, someone actually died in the Imperial Garden.

Isn't this putting the dignity of the royal family on the ground and trampling it?

As expected, the emperor on the throne's expression changed drastically, his anger visibly palpable: "A corpse?! How did he die? Do you know who the deceased is?"

The eunuch bowed his head, his voice trembling: "It was...it was the maid who just knocked over the wine pot. It seems she was pushed into the lake and drowned..."

Hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao already guessed what was going to happen.

Xu Qingran, who was standing to the side, also vaguely sensed that something was wrong, and her face turned pale instantly.

Xu Jiaojiao calmly took Xu Qingran's cold little hand into her palm, giving this naive young girl the gentlest comfort.

The hall fell into a deathly silence. The musicians put down their instruments, the dancers all knelt down, and the dignitaries who had been exchanging toasts held their breath.

Many people subtly glanced at Xu Jiaojiao and her companion.

The emperor suppressed his anger and immediately ordered: "Immediately seal off the Imperial Garden and thoroughly investigate this matter! How dare they act so presumptuously at my New Year's Eve banquet! They are utterly ignorant of their own limitations!"

With a furious roar, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense. Everyone looked at each other, and no one dared to make a move.

Before long, the guard who went out to investigate returned, carrying an object in his hands.

Upon seeing what the object was, Xu Qingran trembled and nearly fell off the kneeling cushion.

Her gaze was fixed on the object, her heart pounding like a drum. The object the guard was holding was the jade pendant she had lost earlier!

Xu Jiaojiao, who was standing nearby, also saw the jade pendant and inwardly cried out that something was wrong. She tightened her grip on Xu Qingran's hand, signaling her to stay calm.

Xu Qingran took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner turmoil.

The eunuch serving the emperor immediately took the jade pendant from the guard and presented it to the emperor.

The investigating guard bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, I found suspicious footprints by the pond in the Imperial Garden, and this jade pendant was also found next to the footprints."

The emperor's gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over everyone in the hall before finally settling on the jade pendant. He asked in a deep voice, "Whose jade pendant is this?"

The hall was silent; no one answered.

The guard continued to report: "Your Majesty, one side of the jade pendant is engraved with orchids, and the other side is engraved with the character 'Xu'. It probably belongs to a woman surnamed Xu."

The hall erupted in commotion as everyone turned to look at Xu Jiaojiao and her companion.

There weren't many women with the surname Xu, but unfortunately, Xu Jiaojiao and another woman had a conflict with the maid. The person who pushed the maid into the water seemed to be obvious.

The eunuch serving the emperor picked up the jade pendant, held it in his palm, and turned it over to show the emperor.

Upon discovering that the jade pendant was indeed engraved with the character "Xu," the emperor's face darkened, and his sharp gaze fell upon Xu Jiaojiao and her companion. His tone was unfriendly: "I will ask you one more time, whose jade pendant is this?"

Xu Jiaojiao frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.

Xu Qingran, standing to the side, had a layer of sticky sweat on her palms and was swaying as she prepared to stand up.

Xu Jiaojiao looked at Xie Peining with a cryptic gaze. The latter was also looking at her, a knowing smile playing on his lips, like a hunter toying with his prey.

This was directed at her, how could she let the innocent Xu Qingran take the fall for her?

She grabbed Xu Qingran's hand, stopping her from getting up, and then stood up from her seat herself, bowed slightly, and answered respectfully and obediently: "Your Majesty, this jade pendant belongs to me, but I do not know why it appeared in the Imperial Garden."

Xu Qingran's pupils dilated; she hadn't expected Xu Jiaojiao to stand up for her.

Jia Rong and Prince Chen's expressions also changed slightly.

Prince Chen immediately glanced sideways at the eunuch serving beside him. The eunuch understood and quietly stepped back, slipping out of the main hall through a small door.

Inside the main hall, the woman sitting next to Xie Peining scoffed, "Don't know? That's truly strange. You don't even know about your own jade pendant?"

Xu Jiaojiao vaguely remembered that woman.

She had seen this woman twice before when she was still at Prince Chen's residence. If she remembered correctly, this woman was Hu Gaoshi, the wife of Xie Peining's cousin.

Xie Peining's mother's surname is Hu. The Hu family is not a prominent family in the court. The fact that Hu Gaoshi was able to appear at the banquet must mean that someone had done something behind the scenes.

Judging from her attitude, it seems that Xie Peining has used her as a weapon to kill.

Xu Jiaojiao glanced at Madam Hu and said in a flat tone, "Madam, you are mistaken. Although the jade pendant belongs to me, I have been in the main hall the whole time and have not left for even a moment."

"When the jade pendant was lost, and why it appeared in the Imperial Garden, I truly do not know. If Your Majesty has evidence to prove that I am involved in this matter, please speak frankly."

Hu Gao was taken aback by Xu Jiaojiao's words, and her expression changed slightly. She hadn't expected her to be so quick-witted.

After regaining her senses, she sneered, "Evidence? The jade pendant is the evidence! If you weren't guilty, why wouldn't you admit it?"

Xu Jiaojiao remained calm and composed, her expression unchanged: "Madam, it is true that the jade pendant was lost, but I have not done anything wrong. It would be too arbitrary to judge me as guilty based solely on a jade pendant."

The emperor watched coldly, and seeing Xu Jiaojiao's calm attitude, he hesitated slightly.

He turned to the guard and asked in a deep voice, "Besides the jade pendant, are there any other clues?"

The guard immediately bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, I found some signs of a struggle by the pond; it seems someone had been arguing there..."

After a slight pause, he looked at Xu Jiaojiao and said, "Miss Xu, may I take a look at the soles of your shoes?"

Xu Jiaojiao had a clear conscience, so naturally she wouldn't disagree and immediately nodded slightly: "Okay."

She slightly lifted her foot so that the guards could see the sole of her shoe.

There was only a little dust on the soles of the shoes, and nothing else seemed amiss.

Having figured things out, the guard cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "I've taken a good look. Thank you, Miss Xu."

Then he looked at the emperor: "Your Majesty, there are several footprints on the mud by the pond that do not match Miss Xu's shoe prints, and there is no yellow mud on the soles of Miss Xu's shoes."

He merely stated the facts without drawing any conclusions, yet the crowd in the hall erupted in another uproar…