"I... for now..." Fulong's gaze, as if by instinct, drifted towards Feng Dingchu.
Finally, he lowered his voice, "I haven't found any concrete information yet..."
"I'm going out for a walk."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Feng Dingchu's figure, clad in plain white, vanished in an instant.
Fulong watched, dumbfounded.
The legendary Wuchenzi, the God of War Ninth Prince, his Qinggong was truly miraculous!
"Did I... offend him?" However, it seemed excessive to describe the beautiful Ninth Prince as an "old man."
He was only in his early thirties!
Moreover, he looked no older than twenty-five or twenty-six.
"Is Uncle Nine angry?" Fulong was still somewhat uneasy.
"No, he wouldn't care about that," Chu Qianli said dismissively. "He's just afraid you'd be inconvenienced speaking, so he's giving you some space."
"You do understand him well."
"After spending some time together, one naturally understands a bit. He's completely given up on the royal family now, and of course, he doesn't want to get involved in any of their affairs."
However, it was good that he went out for a walk, at least Fulong could speak his mind freely.
Fulong was silent for a moment before saying, "Consort Rong's identity is somewhat suspicious."
"Could it be, some princess from another country or something?"
"Not exactly," Fulong shook his head. "However, a woman from a mere commoner's family shouldn't be like this."
"What do you mean?"
"Consort Rong was a commoner brought back by Emperor Jing when he was still a prince. It's said that the Emperor fell in love with her at first sight and brought her into the palace. But unlike other consorts, she has resided in Ronghua Palace since entering the palace and has had no contact with any other concubines."
"The Empress was Emperor Jing's consort when he was a prince. After the Emperor ascended the throne, she became the Empress. Logically, she should have absolute authority in the harem, but even the Empress cannot touch Ronghua Palace."
"A commoner woman, this powerful?" Her favor in the harem was indeed well-deserved.
"Perhaps the Emperor truly loved this Consort Rong back then," Chu Qianli mused with a touch of emotion.
What good was it to be loved deeply? If she wasn't the only one, even being first wasn't something she cared for.
"The Emperor truly doted on Consort Rong back then. It's said he had a huge argument with the Empress Dowager because of Consort Rong, but later, the Empress Dowager compromised."
So many years had passed since then, and Fulong found it difficult to uncover the specifics now.
"However, there is one thing: not long after Consort Rong gave birth to Prince Xuan, the Empress Dowager once... ordered someone to take Consort Rong's life."
"Why would the Empress Dowager be so persistent about a mere consort?" Chu Qianli truly couldn't understand.
"Moreover, from what I know, after Emperor Jing became emperor, he governed diligently and was not clouded by any beauty."
In other words, he didn't neglect state affairs because of Consort Rong.
In that case, as the Empress Dowager, seeing her son so fond of a consort, she might as well turn a blind eye.
As long as she didn't neglect state affairs and harm the country, what harm was there in keeping her alive?
Why create discord with her son over a woman?
"This is the biggest point of suspicion, which is why I believe Consort Rong's identity is far from simple. Perhaps the Empress Dowager knew something, giving her a reason to kill Consort Rong."
But he couldn't resolve these mysteries for now.
Just investigating the Empress Dowager's treatment of Consort Rong had taken him a long time.
Fulong looked at Chu Qianli, "If we want to know Prince Xuan's true motives, I'm afraid we'll have to start by investigating Consort Rong's background."