Chapter 379

The matter concerning the Crown Prince weighed heavily on the Emperor and Empress, and the results of the Investigative Bureau's interrogation were of great concern to both. This, in turn, placed immense pressure on the head of the Investigative Bureau.0

"No, no, no, no, no, no, ahhhhh..."0

Inside a massive transparent glass fish tank, a three-meter-long, nearly 200-kilogram giant piranha had been starved for a long time. A little eunuch was suspended above the tank, screaming in agony: "No... don't throw me in!"0

"Clang!"0

The rope holding him was attached to a mechanical arm. Someone pulled a lever on the wall, and the mechanical arm made a loud noise as his body plummeted downward.0

"Splash!"0

The piranha leaped up, its ferocious jaws snapping open. Each jump brought it closer to sinking its teeth into the little eunuch's ankle, threatening to tear him apart. Though it hadn't yet succeeded, every time the little eunuch looked down and saw the piranha's gaping maw and the dark abyss of its throat, he felt as though he was moments away from being devoured.0

This psychological torture inflicted immense stress and trauma on him.0

From the shadows emerged a graceful figure. Jiang Xinyue tapped on the glass of the fish tank, and the agitated piranha swam around violently, creating a bizarre scene alongside the beautiful woman.0

"Who ordered you to tamper with the Crown Prince's food? Still not talking?"0

The little eunuch trembled. "Your servant... Your servant truly doesn't know what Her Majesty the Empress is talking about. It wasn't me."0

"If it wasn't you, why did you try to kill Xiao Xiangzi?"0

"I didn't! I thought he was the arsonist, so I was just trying to catch him."0

"That explanation does seem plausible."0

Jiang Xinyue sneered, "But I don't believe it."0

She tilted her chin slightly, and Xi Que, with both hands, forcefully pulled down the wooden arm, causing it to drop a significant distance. The Investigative Bureau officials were stunned. The mechanical arm weighed over 200 pounds and usually required three guards to move it together. Yet, Xi Que, a young woman, managed to pull it down effortlessly.0

Xi Que: It wasn't entirely effortless. Normally, she could do it with one hand, but today she had to use both.0

"Splash!"0

"Ahhhhhhh!"0

This time, the piranha caught the eunuch's toes. The immense force of its bite tore his toes clean off his foot. The excruciating pain left him writhing and trembling uncontrollably.0

Just as everyone thought the little eunuch would finally confess, Jiang Xinyue said, "Let him down."0

The Investigative Bureau officials were puzzled but dared not disobey the cunning Empress. They quickly moved the fish tank away and secured the area with iron bars.0

The piranha, now having tasted blood, grew even more frenzied, thrashing around in the tank. But the iron bars held firm, no matter how violently it struggled.0

The little eunuch thought he had been spared, but before he could catch his breath, Jiang Xinyue's icy voice rang out again, "Hang him back up."0

What?0

The Investigative Bureau officials thought they had misheard, but one look at Jiang Xinyue's cold, unfeeling eyes made them comply without hesitation. They lifted the little eunuch and tied him back to the mechanical arm.0

"No, no, no, no! I don't want to... I don't want to go back up!"0

But his protests were ignored. The mechanical arm slowly rose, and the fish tank was pushed back beneath him. The iron bars were opened again, and the pale-faced eunuch, with blood dripping from his toes, hung above the piranha's gaping jaws. It seemed as though the moment the arm dropped, the fish would swallow him whole.0

Jiang Xinyue gave Xi Que a look, and Xi Que flashed an evil smile. The Investigative Bureau guards shivered at the sight.0

This time, the mechanical arm didn't drop quickly. Instead, it descended slowly, inch by inch...0

It felt like ten thousand ants crawling over his body. Sweat dripped from the little eunuch's chin, running down his neck and into his clothes. His face turned ashen, like a ghost.0

The piranha lazily swished its tail, creating a "gentle" splashing sound.0

"Click, click, click..."0

The mechanical sounds mixed with the splashing water, tormenting the little eunuch's already shattered mind.0

Someone who had already faced death once and been spared, especially someone who didn't want to die, couldn't bear to face it again.0

"Consort Cheng! It was Consort Cheng! Your servant was planted in the Internal Affairs Department by Consort Cheng. Your servant... is Consort Cheng's man."0

The little eunuch wailed, "I killed Xiao Shunzi. The night before, I deliberately made noise to keep him awake. The next day, when he was exhausted, I set his clothes on fire. While he was unaware, I pushed him into an oil barrel, making it look like he had accidentally knocked it over and started the fire. The flames on his clothes ignited the oil, and then I ran out to call for help..."0

But the fire spread quickly, and Xiao Shunzi was burned to death before he knew what was happening.0

If it hadn't been for Xiao Xiangzi and Jiang Chuan arriving, Xiao Shunzi would have been framed as the one who tampered with the walnut oil and committed suicide out of guilt.0

It was a clever plan, but unfortunately, he had encountered Jiang Xinyue, someone who could anticipate their every move.0

"Only Consort Cheng?"0

Consort Cheng's father held a low-ranking position and had even been demoted. He couldn't possibly have the influence to manipulate the Internal Affairs Department. Replacing all the walnut oil wasn't something one person could do alone.0

He must have had accomplices.0

These accomplices might not necessarily be Consort Cheng's people. They could also be using Consort Cheng to harm the little prince.0

"If Her Majesty doesn't believe me, you can check. Consort Cheng has already disappeared."0

If ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍it hadn't been for Consort Cheng's disappearance, he wouldn't have been so desperate as to set the Internal Affairs Department on fire.0

Soon, Investigative Bureau officials went to investigate and quickly returned to report, "Your Majesty, Consort Cheng is indeed missing."0

Moreover, since yesterday was the Crown Prince's first birthday celebration, it wasn't just a grand event for the coronation of the Empress and the Crown Prince but also the highly anticipated "Grab the Zhou" ceremony. Many eunuchs and maids from various palaces had sneaked in to watch the festivities.0

Although palace rules technically forbade it, in practice, it was a joyous occasion, and no one would say anything about a little excitement.0

Thus, no one had seen where Consort Cheng had gone.0

Where could she be?0

"Find her for me. I want to see her alive or dead."0

Why did the Empress say "dead or alive"?0

Could Consort Cheng already be dead?0

The head of the Investigative Bureau immediately imagined over a dozen scenarios, the most plausible being that Consort Cheng had been silenced.0

The Empress was truly a master strategist, able to predict everything.0

This statement was a reminder to the Investigative Bureau that Consort Cheng was merely a pawn, and there was someone else pulling the strings behind her.0

"Splash!"0

A huge wave of water erupted from the fish tank. The piranha, having waited too long for its meal, was growing impatient.