Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 869: Chapter 24: The Test for Prince Han

Pan Cairen hanged herself during the ugly hour and was not discovered by anyone until the next morning when her palace maid found her dead. After investigation, it was determined that Pan Cairen indeed committed suicide by hanging herself, not murdered by others.

Lady Liang did not accept or believe that Pan Cairen would commit suicide by hanging. She was most aware of Pan Cairen’s temperament. Although Pan Cairen was timid, she would never be scared into committing suicide because Empress Xie punished her by making her kneel. Moreover, Pan Cairen had been waiting for Zhao Yao’s return from Lingnan.

"Madam, the Emperor has sent Mr. Sun to investigate the cause of Pan Cairen’s death. Mr. Sun could not possibly be mistaken." Gui Xing knew Lady Liang could not accept the matter of Pan Cairen’s suicide by hanging. In truth, they could not accept it either, but the evidence was right before them, and they had to believe it even if they didn’t want to.

Gui Tao speculated, "Madam, this servant feels that Pan Cairen was frightened by the Empress, which led her to kill herself in her panic."

"Impossible, she wouldn’t be so troubled as to hang herself." Lady Liang was not unable to accept Pan Cairen’s suicide because she was close as sisters with her, but rather because she genuinely felt that Pan Cairen’s death was too suspicious. "No matter how scared, uneasy, or timid she was, she wouldn’t hang herself."

"Madam, we servants also do not believe Pan Cairen would kill herself, but the fact remains that she did." Gui Xing had a thought she hadn’t dared to voice; she believed Pan Cairen chose to commit suicide for fear of implicating the Madam. "Pan Cairen wasn’t poisoned, she wasn’t strangled, nor frightened to death; she simply died by hanging."

"Yes, and besides, there hasn’t been any suspicious person seen in Kunde Hall. It’s impossible for someone to have incited Pan Cairen to commit suicide." Lady Liang previously suspected someone might have forced Pan Cairen into suicide, but no suspicious person appeared in Kunde Hall, nor had Pan Cairen left Kunde Hall to contact others. "Madam, you should stop overthinking it."

Lady Liang insisted on her opinion, "Sister Pan wouldn’t hang herself. She was waiting for Yao Yao to return from Lingnan, and she also thought about growing old together with me outside the palace in Yao Yao’s mansion, enjoying her later years. How could she be so troubled?" She suspected someone secretly coerced Pan Cairen into suicide, a person who could silently infiltrate Kunde Hall, but Sun Kui said no suspicious person approached or infiltrated Kunde Hall.

The Emperor had continuously stationed Hidden Guards to secretly watch over Kunde Hall, protecting Lady Liang. With Hidden Guards watching, it was impossible for anyone to infiltrate Kunde Hall.

"Madam, you know Pan Cairen is timid and overthinks things. Ever since the Empress punished her the other day, she must have been scared. Given her nature, she definitely overthought everything, and the more she thought, the more scared she became, until she couldn’t see a way out and..." Gui Tao didn’t continue.

Seeing Lady Liang was reluctant to accept Pan Cairen’s death, Gui Xing feared she might act irrationally, and after some thought, decided to voice the idea she had been holding back.

"Madam, Pan Cairen probably chose to kill herself to avoid implicating you."

"Gui Xing!" Gui Tao exclaimed in discontent, "How can you say that?" She had been afraid to voice it because she worried Madam would blame herself.

"If I don’t say it, Madam will continue to think Pan Cairen’s death is suspicious and will try every means to reinvestigate it." Gui Xing knelt on the ground, first pleading guilty and kowtowed to Lady Liang, then said, "Madam, you’ve offended Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong. They will definitely not spare you. To speak frankly, even if Pan Cairen hadn’t hanged herself, sooner or later, Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong would have coerced her. I think Pan Cairen realized this, which is why she chose to hang herself."

Gui Tao added, "Madam, if Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong forced Pan Cairen to do something unfavorable to you, Pan Cairen definitely wouldn’t do it, and then Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong wouldn’t spare her, and she wouldn’t escape death in the end."

Lady Liang’s face was full of guilt, and her tone was filled with remorse, "I caused her death." She had been afraid that Pan Cairen might overthink, which is why she kept comforting her during those days. She was also afraid Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong might coerce Sister Pan, so she kept a wary eye on them. Those days were calm and peaceful, nothing had happened, and she assumed temporarily there wouldn’t be any issues, but she hadn’t expected Sister Pan to not see a way out and end up killing herself.

"Madam, the true culprits are Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong, not you."

Lady Liang’s face was soaked with tears, her voice choked with emotion, "No, I caused her death."

"Madam, Empress Xie and Noble Princess Consort Rong forced you; they are the real culprits behind Pan Cairen’s death."

"I should have kept a closer eye on her." Lady Liang calculated everything, but hadn’t foreseen Pan Cairen would commit suicide.

"Madam, it’s not your fault; it’s Empress Xie’s fault."