The Whole Dynasty Spoils the Tyrant's Beloved Youngest Daughter-Chapter 388: Did the Eldest Prince Get Swapped?

Chapter 388: Chapter 388: Did the Eldest Prince Get Swapped?

Jun Ning gave orders to find someone to help locate the wedding dress. She herself focused entirely on returning and doing her utmost to uncover the truth of Qi Qin’s death, hoping to provide an explanation to Qi Qin, who had passed away.

Qi Xiangsi cooperated well with Jun Ning. With Jun Ning’s assistance, she drafted a petition to Emperor Yongning, requesting an exhumation and autopsy for her father.

Emperor Yongning was reluctant to disturb the peace of the deceased, yet facing Qi Xiangsi’s petition, he had no choice.

Qi Xiangsi, being the only surviving bloodline of Qi Qin remaining in the Imperial City, requested an exhumation and autopsy for her father. What could he say to that?

He could only agree to the autopsy.

For this, a good day was selected by the Astronomical Bureau for a ceremony to worship the heavens, and after performing the rituals, the exhumation and autopsy were conducted under the watchful eyes of ministers.

All the officials stood at a distance, while only a few juniors—Jun Ning, Jun Yu, Jing Shu, and Qi Xiangsi—anxiously waited beside the exhumed coffin for the results.

The lid of the coffin was lifted, and Qi Qin, buried in his magnificent attire, was exposed to the sunlight.

Because he died from poisoning, Qi Qin’s body remained unchanged from the time before his death; even years after his death, his body had not decayed, nor did it emit any foul odor.

The coroner examined the body nearby and shortly thereafter the results came out. Qi Qin had indeed died from poison.

Qi Xiangsi leaned over Qi Qin’s preserved body, void of any sign of life, and shouted, "Father."

After calling out, Qi Xiangsi cried like a person made of tears.

Seeing this, Jun Ning held Qi Xiangsi in her arms, "Nuan Nuan, stop crying, Uncle Qi certainly wouldn’t want to see you like this."

"Sister Ning... I... I’m heartbroken..."

"Heartbroken that my father has been lying here all these years, with no one knowing he was murdered, he suffered grievance alone for so many years."

Qi Xiangsi couldn’t accept that her father, a hero in life, died so ambiguously.

Jun Ning said, "No, it’s not like that. The Crown Prince and I have been investigating for many years into the true cause of Uncle Qi’s death. We know he was murdered. But not the way rumors have it, that it was the Crown Prince who did it; he was harmed by someone with malicious intent."

The Crown Prince said, "Xiang Si, your Sister Aneng is right, you must trust your Sister Aneng."

Qi Xiangsi wiped her tears, "I trust, of course, I trust. Because apart from you, I don’t know who else I can trust."

The Crown Prince tousled Qi Xiangsi’s head, "Stop crying, get up! Since the coroner has concluded the autopsy, let your father be buried in peace!"

Qi Xiangsi stepped back a bit, no longer lying on Qi Qin’s coffin without leaving.

Qi Qin’s body was reburied, but the nerve in Qi Xiangsi’s heart related to the pain for her parents was triggered, she cried every day.

Jun Ning couldn’t comfort her; she and the Crown Prince sped up the investigation into Qi Qin’s death, and Emperor Yongning was not idly seated either, he dispatched people to aid Jun Ning and the Crown Prince’s investigation.

As investigations continued, Jun Ning focused on a letter.

According to the Crown Prince’s recollection, Qi Qin received a letter before his death, and after reading it, he became unwell, feeling uncomfortable every day.

Jun Ning asked the Crown Prince, "Brother, who do you think wrote that letter?"

Many years had passed, but the Crown Prince’s suspect remained unchanged, "Who else could it be but the Eldest Prince."

"No..." Jun Ning said, "If the Eldest Prince killed Uncle Qi, wouldn’t he foresee the crisis it would bring to our East Chu Kingdom? He shouldn’t risk the peril of our kingdom’s downfall to murder Uncle Qi."

Jun Ning thought, after all, the Eldest Prince is also from East Chu.

The Eldest Prince really had no reason to do something so harmful to himself.

"Ah Ning, you think too kindly of Eldest Brother, don’t you know after all these years? He’s capable of anything for the position of Crown Prince, to weaken the forces around me," the Crown Prince said angrily.

"But I still feel it’s impossible..." Jun Ning stated factually, "Crown Prince, I’ve heard you and Eldest Brother got along well when you were young?"

The Crown Prince seemed unwilling to bring up those matters, yet since Jun Ning asked, he had to mention briefly, "Indeed, we got along fine, we even played soccer together, wearing the same pair of shoes in turns..."

At this point, the Crown Prince felt a bit sentimental, sighed deeply, "But everything changed after Eldest Brother turned thirteen. He often went out on official business, and when he returned, he always seemed gloomy. When I went to him to play, he scolded me for being idle and without ambition."

The Crown Prince felt very wronged, "Back then, I was not even five. What ambition? Ha..."

What the Eldest Prince said was indeed too demanding.

Jun Ning was amused by the Crown Prince’s comment about ambition, she laughed for a while, then proposed a bold hypothesis, "Crown Prince, Ah Ning believes that people don’t change for no reason. You say, Eldest Brother’s change might not just be due to growing up and disliking play, or ignoring you; do you think he might have been replaced?"

Jun Ning was merely speculating, going along with her nature, imagining wildly.

It was truly baseless.

Just a guess.

But the Crown Prince slapped his thigh, "Ah Ning, what you say might indeed be possible."

Jun Ning: "........."

Jun Ning: "Brother, you must be joking?"

"I’m not joking. Before Eldest Brother turned thirteen, the relationship between us brothers was genuinely good, but all of a sudden it went bad, as if the previous good relationship was all fake."

----------

Jun Ning: "........."

Jun Ning: "Brother, you must be joking?"

"I’m not joking. Before Eldest Brother turned thirteen, the relationship between us brothers was genuinely good, but all of a sudden it went bad, as if the previous good relationship was all fake."

Jun Ning: "........."

Jun Ning: "Brother, you must be joking?"

"I’m not joking. Before Eldest Brother turned thirteen, the relationship between us brothers was genuinely good, but all of a sudden it went bad, as if the previous good relationship was all fake."

Jun Ning: "........."

Jun Ning: "Brother, you must be joking?"

"I’m not joking. Before Eldest Brother turned thirteen, the relationship between us brothers was genuinely good, but all of a sudden it went bad, as if the previous good relationship was all fake."

Jun Ning: "........."

Jun Ning: "Brother, you must be joking?"

"I’m not joking. Before Eldest Brother turned thirteen, the relationship between us brothers was genuinely good, but all of a sudden it went bad, as if the previous good relationship was all fake."