Half a month after the incident on the imperial list, Emperor Zhao Qing left a group of close officials behind and moved to the Hall of Peace to discuss politics. The main topic was to discuss the attack on Wei Nation.
When it was almost noon, the palace servants waiting outside the hall suddenly heard a crisp sound coming from the inner cabinet. It was the sound of porcelain shattering. To be able to smash things inside, one could imagine who it was. One by one, the palace servants lowered their heads even lower, afraid that the Emperor would lose his temper and vent his anger on them.
Not long after, Prime Minister Yin and the Great Tiao Dian came out one after the other, followed by a few loyal officials, exchanged glances outside the hall, one after another left in silence.
Seeing that it was mealtime, the little eunuch of the Catering Department looked around and finally saw Eunuch Ying, the chief steward, coming out of the hall. Seeing him, he waved his hand and hurried to greet him with a smile.
"Grandpa Ying, has His Majesty served the meal?"
Ying Jiuping glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Go back and tell Eunuch Sun to prepare a few appetizers. Don't touch anything that might cause heat."
The little eunuch was clever and knew that Emperor Zhao Qing was in a bad mood. He couldn't help but look into the Hall of Peace and vaguely saw a figure kneeling by the door. The figure was dressed in red and purple court clothes, indicating that this person was of high status and power. Before he could take a second look, Ying Jiuping saw him and slammed his finger on his forehead, scolding in a low voice,
"What are you looking at? Do you want to die? Get out of here."
After driving the bold little thing away, Ying Jiuping turned his head and sighed. Looking at the scene in the hall, he resigned to his fate and walked back.
.....
Xue Lingnan had angered the emperor in the Imperial Study. Emperor Zhao Qing had smashed a cup and punished him to kneel for an hour. This matter had spread to the back palace before dark. Although women in the back palace were not allowed to interfere in politics, the powerful concubines had spies in the court in order to fight for favor.
When the news reached Yongle Palace, Concubine Yin Shu heard it and smiled. She rewarded the little eunuch with two golden leaves on the spot and then left, leaving only her wet nurse Nanny Qiu to talk.
"Let's see how long that bitch can be arrogant."
Needless to say, the "bitch" in Concubine Shu's words was referring to the pregnant Noble Consort Xue.
Nanny Qiu said with a smile, "The good days of Zhongcui Palace are coming to an end. Looking at the situation, Prime Minister Xue's country was really at the end of its days. We just caught a wanted criminal of the imperial court, but that Young Master Xue mysteriously disappeared without a trace. His Majesty is wise and wise. No matter how much he dotes on the imperial concubine, he will not bring the favor of the harem into the imperial court. As a matter of fact, Prime Minister Xue has been thunderstruck. It is clear that His Majesty wants to punish the Xue family severely and will not let them off. "
Consort Yin Shu sat on the couch. Playing with a bunch of red leaves in the vase, Zhuang Li's face was filled with a harsh expression that didn't match her appearance.
"Up until now, no one in the know has leaked the details. What exactly did the Xue family do? If they are suspected of disobedience, that would be for the best. His Majesty will not tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes. Once the Xue family collapses, what does the Ninth Prince have to compete with Ah Heng? "
Prince of Ning Liu Hao's childhood name was "Heng." Consort Shu's proudest moment in her life was not being the Emperor's concubine, but giving birth to such a promising prince.
Emperor Zhao Qing did not lack sons. Not counting those who died of illness or premature deaths, there were still the Fourth Prince, the Seventh Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Eleventh Prince, and the Twelfth Prince. The youngest, the Sixteenth Prince, was only four years old.
There were many princes, but the good and the bad were intermingled. For example, the Fourth Prince and the Eleventh Prince had been exiled due to their mistakes and had long lost hope of inheriting the throne. Among the remaining princes, only the Ninth Prince, Liu Tan, who was also titled as a prince, had the ability to compete with Liu Hao.
Liu Tan's greatest support was the Xue family. Without the Xue family, he would not be a threat. At that time, Liu Hao would definitely be the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
Consort Shu was not good at competing for favor. She was not muddle-headed when it came to the throne.
"Niangniang, should this servant send someone to Zhong Cui Palace to fan the air?" Qiu mama suggested. Noble Consort Xue's pregnancy was unstable. If she heard the slightest movement, it was hard to guarantee that her body wouldn't be frightened.
Consort Shu furrowed her brow. She thought and shook her head. "No. The Holy One values this child. If she miscarries, we have to take care of her even more. This has nothing to do with us. We should just sit and watch the show. There is no need to find trouble. "
Qiu mama had raised her since she was little. She knew that she was stubborn and didn't urge her to do anything unnecessary.
Therefore, after a night passed, there was no movement in Zhong Cui Palace that wasn't far from here.
But in Rui Empress' Wu Perching Palace, there was someone who hadn't slept the entire night waiting to hear the news. At daybreak, the mistress got up and went in to report.
"Niangniang, Zhong Cui Palace was uneventful the entire night."
Rui Empress sat in front of the gold-plated phoenix mirror that was half the height of a person and was dressing. The immaculate mirror reflected her furrowed brow. This caused the palace maid who was putting on her hair to lighten her movements and be even more careful.
"Hmph, Consort Shu has grown an eye."
The head taijian of the Imperial Kitchen was from Wu Perching Palace. Today, the Emperor was angry in Calm Peace Hall. She was the first to hear and then leaked it to Chang Le Palace. Who would have thought that Consort Shu was able to keep her composure and didn't go and cause trouble for Noble Consort Xue.
Consort Shu naturally didn't fit Empress Rui's plans. She was jealous that Consort Shu had a promising son and also envied Noble Consort Xue's unfailing imperial favor. She wanted the two to fight so she could sit back and reap the benefits.
It was a pity that Noble Consort Xue was pregnant and the Emperor was watching closely. She couldn't openly provoke the two.
"Then let's wait and see."
Something had happened to the Xue family but Rui Empress wasn't worried. If the Ninth Prince didn't have the chance to inherit the throne, then there was only Ning Wang left.
"Ning Wang." Rui Empress murmured and a cold smile slowly appeared at the corner of her mouth.
An imperial son who had plotted to kill his own sister, what virtue did he have to enter the Eastern Palace?
***
The Book of Great Earth for November hadn't been drawn up yet when Yu Shu received a summons from the palace. Noble Consort Xue wanted to see her. She wasn't surprised, but she wasn't sure how much Noble Consort Xue had heard of what was happening outside.
On the way into the palace, Yu Shu pondered what she should say and what she shouldn't say when she saw the person later.
It had been over a month since she had last entered the palace. When she saw Noble Consort Xue again, she felt different. Calculating, Noble Consort Xue had been pregnant for four months. In the fall, she wore two more layers of clothing so her belly couldn't be seen. But the loose style didn't show the slender waist of a young girl.
She hadn't put on any makeup and her skin was still snow-white and translucent. Only the outline of her eyebrows was faintly drawn. It was less beautiful and more delicate. She sat with her knees bent on a carpet filled with green chrysanthemums. When she looked back, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Femme fatale, these words suddenly popped up in Yu Shu's mind.
"Sit."
Noble Consort Xue didn't beat around the bush with Yu Shu. When they met, she directly asked, "Cheng Bi disappeared, right?"
With just this one sentence, Yu Shu knew that she couldn't hide it from her. She must have heard everything that could be heard.
With a bitter face, Yu Shu said, "He went to Fenghua Manor to handle a case. He stayed at the posthouse and disappeared the next day. "
Noble Consort Xue sighed and said, "Since I'm pregnant, they've been hiding it from me. With such a big matter happening at home, they didn't even send anyone to the palace to send a message. They actually don't know what the situation is like outside the palace. You're a sensible person and I didn't treat you as an outsider. If you hear anything, why don't you let me know? "
This was another person trying to find out what was going on. Yu Shu muttered in her heart. Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, she and Xue Rui were like siblings and bosom buddies. Otherwise, why would they all think that she knew the inside story when Xue Rui disappeared?
She knew a lot of the inside story, but she couldn't tell anyone even if she was beaten to death.
Yu Shu didn't hesitate and answered, "Since Your Highness has asked, I'll tell you what I have to say. First, I'm as confused as you are about the matter of the Imperial Notices. I only know that a chief steward of the Prime Minister's residence, Xu Li, was captured and brought to the Supreme Court for interrogation. The reason is that it's related to the two murder cases that happened in Taishi Library. "
"Next, there's the matter of Brother Xue's disappearance. For no reason at all, it happened at this critical juncture. There are rumors that he ran away, but I don't believe them at all. I am the clearest about my eldest brother's character, so I suspect that he was kidnapped by some traitor in order to make an issue of the Emperor's Wanted List, so that people would suspect that Prime Minister Xue's residence really did something big. Originally, there were groundless rumors, but they were also made to look seventy to eighty percent real. "
She couldn't tell Noble Consort Xue the inside story, but she could analyze it with her.
After hearing this, Noble Consort Xue's expression turned cold. She bit her tongue and asked quietly, "Then who do you think is making things difficult for the Xue family?"
Yu Shu tilted her head slightly to avoid her gaze. "I can't say. However, Your Highness, don't worry. There's no real evidence. Just rumors and slander can't be considered guilty. The innocent will be innocent. There's no need to worry. "
How could Noble Consort Xue not know who was stirring up trouble? She didn't need to say anything.
She turned around to comfort her, so Noble Consort Xue couldn't keep asking. She stared at her for a moment, and her expression relaxed. She smiled slightly and said, "Good child, after hearing what you said, I feel much more at ease."
Then, she asked about the Book of the Universe, but she didn't encourage her to take the opportunity to take bribes. After chatting for a while, she had the chief palace maid personally see her off.
After leaving Zhongcui Palace, Yu Shu walked on the narrow path. The palace maid leading the way in front didn't see the sneer that flashed across her face.
From the beginning to the end, Noble Consort Xue didn't express any concern about Xue Rui's safety. Even when Yu Shu clearly told her that Xue Rui had been captured, she didn't ask a single question.
Did she forget to mention it, or was she really not worried?
.....
After leaving the palace, Yu Shu didn't return to the Celestial Commissioner. Instead, she returned home. She closed the door to her room and didn't want anyone to disturb her. She calmed down and asked for her divination.
After seeing Noble Consort Xue, she felt an indescribable anxiety in her heart. Originally, she was sure that Xue Rui's life was not in danger. It was obvious that his relatives didn't care about him at all. It was as if it didn't matter whether he was dead or alive. What was important was that he didn't drag them down.
However, for her, the power and wealth of the entire Xue family were not as important as the safety of Xue Rui.
Ever since she got the news that Xue Rui was missing, she had been forcing herself not to let her imagination run wild and lose her mind. That was because she was afraid that she couldn't help but plan for the worst.
What if Xue Rui was in danger?
Yu Shu stayed in the quiet room that was specially made for divination from day to night. She didn't know the "Eye of the Four Lines", so she couldn't use the Six Lines Strange Technique to divine the whereabouts of Xue Rui. Also, because of the "blind spot" of the law of time of calamity, she couldn't divine what disaster Xue Rui had encountered, let alone who took him away.
In the end, there was still no beginning or end. With red eyes, she crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball. The string that had been stretched taut in her mind almost snapped.
She hated herself for being powerless. Every time she encountered any trouble or got into trouble, Xue Rui would stand up for her at the first possible moment, and when it was his turn to be in trouble, she could only wait helplessly like this!
"It's all my fault for not being good enough. If I had a third of Master Qing Zheng's ability, I wouldn't have to worry about this now."
Yu Shu blamed herself secretly. She was lost in thought as she looked at the small green stove in the middle of the table where smoke was curling up. The fragrance of Tihuo lingered around her body continuously. She didn't know how much time had passed. Suddenly, she came to her senses and said, "Eh?" She seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up.
"How could I forget him!"
She couldn't find Qing Zheng for help. Wasn't there still Yun Hua?!
In the beginning, Yun Hua and she agreed that if she helped him find his long-lost eldest son, he would lend her the Book of Fantasy Fairy Six Rens so that she could find him after she succeeded. He left her a secret code for communication.
And this secret code was the name of the Suzhou magistrate who might know the whereabouts of Yun Hua's eldest son.
As long as she found Yun Hua's informant somewhere in Anling City and told this secret code to the other party, then the other party would take her to see Yun Hua.
Yu Shu was not worried about how to persuade Yun Hua to help after seeing him. The most important thing now was to find out who was the Suzhou magistrate more than 20 years ago.
To avoid being exposed, she entrusted this matter to Xue Rui and asked him to send someone to the south to inquire about the exact news. Now that something had happened to Xue Rui. She couldn't wait any longer.
.....
After dinner, Yu Shu put on her casual clothes and rode out the door. With the Emperor's informant following behind her, it was inconvenient for her to move. So she went to Wangji Tower and found someone to act on her behalf.
The people in Wangji Tower were all people that Xue Rui trusted. The few assistants were all skilled, even Ah Xiang and Ah Ping, who were in charge of cleaning, were no exception.
Although Xue Rui was not there, this group of people listened to her.
She sent the inconspicuous Ah Xiang to General Feng's Mansion to find Feng Zhaomiao. In his opinion, Xue Rui's friends who called each other brothers. In his opinion, only Feng Zhaomiao could be trusted and talked to.
Ah Xiang had been gone for less than an hour, and he had already invited them back.
Feng Zhaomiao quietly came in from the back door. Yu Shu was waiting for him in the courtyard. When she saw him, she quickly let him into the house. She closed the door and asked someone to guard outside.
"Lotus Room, you asked me to come here in such a hurry. Is there news about my brother Rui?" Feng Zhaomiao asked anxiously without waiting for Yu Shu to speak.
Yu Shu shook her head and saw his disappointed expression. At least she helped Xue Rui get revenge. At least there was still someone who remembered him.
"Zhaomiao, I want to ask you for a favor."
"Don't be so polite. Just tell me what you want." Feng Zhaomiao thought that he and Xue Rui had a life-and-death relationship. He saw how Xue Rui treated Yu Shu.
"Do you know anyone in the Ministry of Personnel?"
"Ministry of Personnel?" Feng Zhaomiao was confused. "I know someone in the Ministry of Personnel. What are you doing?"
"I want you to help me find out who was the magistrate of Suzhou about 21 or 22 years ago."
"Suzhou magistrate?" Feng Zhaomiao tilted his neck and muttered.
Yu Shu saw his strange look and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is it hard to find out?"
"Oh, no. I just remembered that Uncle Xue used to be this official." Feng Zhaomiao's words were shocking.
Yu Shu didn't react and asked him, "Which Xue?"
"It's Brother Rui's father."
Feng Zhaomiao's words woke her up. Yu Shu heard her heart thumping. All kinds of suspicions suddenly came into her mind.
"Really? Did you remember wrong? "She pretended to be calm and questioned him.
Feng Zhaomiao said with certainty, "Tsk, how can I remember wrong? Uncle Xue was like my father's brother when he was young. Although he passed away early, I often heard my father mention him since I could remember. Sometimes he would cry when he drank too much. I remember my father said a few times that Uncle Xue was released to Suzhou and became the magistrate of Suzhou for a few years. Because of that, the two of them were separated and couldn't meet often."
"Do you remember which year he was in office?" Yu Shu's heart almost jumped out of her throat. She wanted to hear the answer from Feng Zhaomiao's mouth, but she was also afraid to hear the answer.
Feng Zhaomiao stretched out his palm and counted his fingers. After a while, he confirmed, "Well, it should be the ninth to twelfth year of Baotai."
Yu Shu blinked. After a short moment of stiffness, she laughed with Feng Zhaomiao, "That's not it. I want to know which magistrate was in office during the fourth to sixth years of Zhaoqing." “
In order to prevent Feng Zhaomiao from seeing through her, she picked up the teacup in her hand and wanted to cover it up, but her fingers could not help but tremble. Fortunately, Feng Zhaomiao was careless and did not notice any clues.
"I thought it was something difficult. It turns out that you just want to find out about someone." Feng Zhaomiao patted his chest. "Leave it to me. Just wait for the news."
Yu Shu did not forget to remind him, "This is my private matter. You must not leak it."
Feng Zhaomiao promised her and told her not to worry. He was an honest person. If Yu Shu did not mention why she wanted to find out about such a person, he would not ask in detail.
After a cup of tea, Yu Shu watched Feng Zhaomiao leave through the back door. Then, she sat alone by the small pond in the backyard and was in a daze.
Without warning, the clue that Yun Hua left for her would point directly to Xue Rui's father.
She used her brain to think about it. Feng Zhaomiao clearly remembered that Xue Rui's father was once the magistrate of Suzhou. How could Xue Rui not know? He clearly knew who the person she wanted to find out about was, but he hid the truth from her and stalled for time. What for?
There was an answer in her heart that was about to come out, but she could not believe it no matter what.
A gust of night wind blew and blew the lanterns hanging under the eaves. The light and shadow in front of her opened and closed, just like her messy mood. Yu Shu sat up from the marble bricks. The cold slate made her legs numb. She sniffed and returned to her room with her arms crossed.
.....
The next day, Wen Shaoan, who had been absent from work recently, came to the Celestial Commissioner's office. He was shocked to see Yu Shu. He saw that her eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes were swollen. He thought that she was poisoned.
Yu Shu waved her hand and explained before he could ask, "I got blinded by the wind yesterday. I didn't sleep well last night. Don't think too much. "
In fact, she had inhaled too much tihu and had sequelae. She couldn't sleep at night, and she had something on her mind. She stared at her eyes until dawn. That was why she became like this.
"Then go in and lie down. There are no classes in the study today. I'll stay here the entire day. If there's anything you need to do, just let me know. "
Yu Shu didn't feel sleepy at all, but with her present state, she couldn't do anything so she told him. She turned and went into the cubicle to rest.
She thought that she wouldn't be able to sleep, but not long after she laid down, she drifted into the land of dreams. She slept until noon without anyone disturbing her. When she woke up again, she was full of energy.
But she didn't think that Da Lei was waiting for her in front.
"Daren, this subordinate was walking around the prison this morning and heard a matter." Xu Qing came back and reported to her.
Yu Shu sat under the window, holding the donkey roast meat that Wen Shaoan had sent someone to buy from the busy streets. She chewed on the soft meat as she nodded for him to speak.
"I heard that Ning Wang Fu gave birth to a little imperial grandson. It seems to be the child of a concubine, so there wasn't much of a commotion when washing Xuan 'er. But that is Ning Wang Ye's first son, so many people are talking about it."
Hearing such gossip, Yu Shu didn't think much of it at the time. In the middle of the afternoon, Jing Chen silently came.
"Come with me." He came in from outside. When he passed by her door, he stopped for a moment. After saying this, he went upstairs.
Yu Shu couldn't see anything from his expression, but her intuition told her that it wasn't a good thing. She put down the documents in her hands and went to Jing Chen's room on the second floor. She closed the door behind her.
"Why did you come at this time?" Yu Shu asked. Jing Chen, the temporary Right Commander, didn't have any desire for power. If he didn't want to see her, he wouldn't come if he didn't have to.
Jing Chen didn't waste words with her and got straight to the point, "The Emperor wants to investigate the Xue family."
Yu Shu frowned and said, "Isn't it already being investigated?" That Governor Xu had been taken away for half a month and he still hadn't been released after being interrogated.
Jing Chen shook his head. It was clear that she didn't understand what he meant. He could only say it more clearly, "The Great Advisor has interrogated Xu Li and used torture, but nothing came out. I think that Xu Li really doesn't know anything, but the Xue family is still very suspicious."
"What do you mean?"
"The Great Advisor secretly investigated the murder case. He suspected that the murderer who killed Zhan Xueyuan was an old servant from the Taishi Library. But after Xu Li was taken to the Supreme Court, that old servant disappeared."
Jing Chen solemnly said, "Xu Li insisted that when I was in danger last year, he was escorting Brother Xue back to the capital. If the Emperor wants to investigate, he has already secretly ordered to bring Brother Xue back and interrogate him. Coincidentally, Brother Xue disappeared at this time, which increased the Emperor's suspicion. He increasingly suspected that the Xue family has disloyal intentions. After yesterday's morning court, the Emperor used the issue of sending troops to Wei Country to provoke Prime Minister Xue in the Tai 'an Hall. Out of character, the Emperor ordered him to suspend the meeting and go home to reflect on his mistakes."
Although Yu Shu had already predicted this, she still couldn't help but be shocked when she heard that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
"I saw the Great Advisor this morning and heard from him that last night, the Emperor secretly sent someone to the Xue family to take away several people and put them in prison for interrogation in the Supreme Court. This morning, the Emperor sent an oral order to Guo Huai 'an, the Minister of the Supreme Court. He said that Brother Xue, as the Minister of the Supreme Court, neglected his duty and left his post without permission. Therefore, he was suspended from his post and investigated."
Bad news came one after another. Yu Shu suddenly realized what Jing Chen meant when he said "the Emperor wants to investigate the Xue family".
First, he found an excuse to block Xue Lingnan outside the palace gate. Then, he came late at night to take him away without giving him a chance to defend himself. Finally, he suspended Xue Rui, whose whereabouts were unknown, for investigation. This series of actions made people unable to resist.
Emperor Zhao Qing's swift and decisive means could be imagined that once the Xue family was found to have traces of rebellion, he would not be lenient.
Seeing Yu Shu's changing expression, Jing Chen wanted to say something but stopped himself. He was afraid that she would be angry if he asked. However, he was really suspicious and had to ask,
"You … Do you still believe that Brother Xue is innocent?"
If Xue Rui hadn't disappeared, he would have been in prison by now. Thinking about it this way, rather than saying that he was held hostage, Jing Chen believed that he was more likely to be in hiding.
She believed that Xue Rui was innocent and was implicated. This worried Jing Chen. He was afraid that she would be used by others.
Yu Shu was trying to figure out Emperor Zhao Qing's thoughts when she suddenly heard him change the topic and ask about this. She was startled. The worry on her face disappeared. Her clear, black and white almond-shaped eyes stared straight into people's hearts.
"I don't dare to say whether the Xue family has the intention to rebel or not, but I dare to guarantee with my head that my brother is innocent."
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