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What happened in Fengzao Palace could not be hidden from Emperor Chongzhen. When Empress Xia Jiang summoned the imperial physician, he put down his government affairs and hurried over.
After the imperial physician examined the Empress, Xia Jiangmin took a dose of anti-miscarriage medicine and moved to the bedroom to sleep. Emperor Chong Zhen asked the imperial physician and found out that the Empress was only frightened and was fine. He let out a sigh of relief and did not wake her up. He called Yu Shu out to the side hall to talk.
"Tell me everything, do not hide anything."
Yu Shu then straightforwardly said that she divined that someone wanted to harm the dragon seed in the Empress' womb. Today, she entered the palace to warn. Coincidentally, she found the kitchen maid who did not have time to act. She found a bag of saffron that was used to harm the baby.
Emperor Chongzhen was very angry. He grabbed the teacup on the table several times but did not throw it out. The child in Xia Jiangmin's womb was of great significance to him. This was his first child. Whether it was a boy or a girl, it was the first good news after he became Emperor. He did not know how much he looked forward to this child. Moreover, he had inherited the mess of the previous Emperor. There were too many things to worry about in the previous court. These days, there was only bad news. He needed the birth of this child to cheer people up.
"In the back palace, there is such a person with evil intentions. This person not only wants to harm the Empress, but also me. Damn it, damn it!" He cursed a few times and raised his head to ask Yu Shu, "You can divinate the person who poisoned the Empress. Can you also divinate the mastermind?"
Yu Shu said with a wooden face, "This subject does not dare to make a rash judgment. Your Majesty, please let people interrogate the palace maid first and find out where she hid the saffron in her hand into the palace." She did have an idea in her heart, but she could not accuse the culprit with empty words.
Emperor Chongzhen could see that she had some misgivings and had some bad guesses. He waved his hand to dismiss the palace maids. He lowered his voice and asked her, "Tell me the truth. Who do you suspect is plotting to harm the Empress?"
Yu Shu had followed Zhu Muzhao for the past few days and had found a way to accompany a ruler. She hesitated for a moment before lowering her head and revealing the secret: "This subject only calculated that the person who bribed the palace maid to drug the Empress is a woman."
Emperor Chong Zhen's expression turned cold. In the blink of an eye, he thought of the women in the back palace. Since they were born in the year of the rabbit, the only one who had the ability to subdue the palace maids of Fengzao Palace and secretly drug them was the late Empress Dowager Rui.
Of course, he would not blindly believe Yu Shu's words, but if he had to guess, the Empress Dowager was the most suspicious. Even though Empress Shu had the motive, she did not have the means. If it wasn't for Yu Shu seeing through it this time, when the Empress fell for it, the investigation wouldn't be able to find anything.
At this moment, he suddenly calmed down. Looking at Yu Shu in front of him, he couldn't help but rejoice that he had such a capable person at his disposal. Otherwise, it would be impossible to guard against her.
"Did you tell the Empress what I said just now?"
"Your Majesty, I will not speak about things that have not been confirmed."
Emperor Chong Zhen nodded with satisfaction and said softly: "Very good. Don't say things that you shouldn't say. Zhen will thoroughly investigate this matter. As for you, zhen will give you a task. You need to read the Empress's safety every day. You must ensure that she gives birth smoothly without any mistakes. "
"I will obey." Yu Shu knew that the Emperor didn't want to make the matter bigger, so she had to cooperate. She also knew in her heart that it was impossible to take down the Empress Dowager based on this matter. The back palace couldn't withstand such a scandal. Emperor Chong Zhen, who had just ascended to the throne, couldn't bear the reputation of being unfilial. Rather than openly denouncing the Empress Dowager, it was better to deal with it coldly and turn passivity into initiative. Only by making the Empress Dowager feel guilty could she be afraid and behave for a while.
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Yu Shu entered the palace empty-handed. When she left the palace in the evening, she brought back a cart of rewards. There were ancient books and slips given by Emperor Chong Zhen, as well as the tribute satin and porcelain that Empress Xia Jiang gave her. The palace was full of good things. She gained a lot from this trip. Fortunately, it was dark and not eye-catching. Otherwise, many people would be jealous of her imperial kindness.
When she returned home, the family had already eaten dinner. Yu Shu didn't have an appetite, so she didn't let the kitchen people make more food. She just cooked a bowl of chicken soup with dragon whiskers noodles. The chicken soup had been simmered for several hours and was very fragrant. She also added several medicinal herbs such as angelica and licorice to nourish Qi and blood.
Since she escaped from death in prison, Zhao Hui often asked the kitchen to prepare a pot of medicinal soup or tonic soup. Sometimes it was stewed with old hens, sometimes it was stewed with pigeons. She tried to make her face look more rosy, but she didn't know why her face was frosty white and couldn't change back.
After eating, Yu Shu's stomach was comfortable. She asked Abe Kuizi to carry a lantern and go to Yongchun Court for a night trip. Last month, Xin Ya gave her two pots of night epiphyllum. It was about to bloom and she didn't want to miss it. The epiphyllum would wither after blooming for a couple of hours. She often heard that it was very beautiful when it bloomed, but she had never seen it with her own eyes.
The two pots of epiphyllum were placed in the waterside pavilion. She didn't dare to put them outside for fear that they would be ruined by the pair of unruly white cranes in the garden. The moon was on the top of the tree, and the room was ventilated. Abe Kuizi rolled up the bamboo curtain, took out the teapot and teacups from the bamboo basket, and put a small golden toad incense burner on it. Yu Shu sat on the rattan chair and looked up at the moon. When she looked down, she could see the two pots of beauty under the moonlight. She felt very relaxed.
She didn't know when it started, but she started to like to quietly stay like this. She didn't need to think about anything, didn't need to do anything, didn't need to deceive others, and didn't need to be sentimental. She would feel very relaxed, as if all her worries had disappeared, and when she woke up, she would be able to regain her vitality.
After watching for an hour, there was no movement from the two pots of epiphyllum. It seemed that they wouldn't bloom again tonight. Yu Shu yawned lazily and said to Abe Kuizi, who was lying under the window and looking at the moon, "Let's go back. I'm sleepy."
Abe Kuizi packed up her things quickly and walked in front with the lantern. Suddenly, a figure ran over from the opposite corridor and stopped in front of them, panting and saying,
"Miss, Mrs. Xin has just arrived. She's waiting in the front yard. She said that she has an urgent matter to see you."
Yu Shu frowned. She guessed that something had happened to Xin Liu. She walked past them and went out. The two maids quickly followed her and trotted in front of her to lead the way. She heard Yu Shu ask, "Did Mrs. Xin say what happened?"
"She didn't say anything … Oh, by the way, the little maid who delivered the message said that Mrs. Xin asked if Miss Liu was in our house when she came in. But Miss Liu didn't come today."
Yu Shu couldn't help but speed up and rushed to the front yard. As soon as she entered the living room, she was pulled by Mrs. Xin, who was looking forward to seeing her. Mrs. Xin anxiously pulled her inside. She didn't care whether she was rude or not and asked her in a low voice with a trembling voice, "Lotus Room, has Miss Liu been to your house?"
Yu Shu shook her head and said with a serious look, "Feifei is missing? What happened?"
Hearing this question, Mrs. Xin actually burst into tears. She held Xin Liu's hand and shook it. Then she began to tell her story —
It turned out that half a month ago, Xin Ya suddenly regretted the marriage between Xin Liu and Gu Qi. She didn't allow her to marry into the Gu family. Xin Liu didn't agree, so she quarreled with her grandfather. Xin Ya was so angry that she locked her up and didn't allow her to step out of the room. She also sent someone to the Gu family to break off the engagement. Xin Liu threw a tantrum for a few days and was finally persuaded by Mrs. Xin. Seeing that she had given up, she didn't lock her up again. This morning, Xin Liu said that she wanted to go out for a walk. Mrs. Xin was afraid that something bad would happen to her these days, so she didn't lock her up. She sent two maids to go out with her. Who knew that in the evening, only the two maids came back, but Xin Liu was nowhere to be seen.
Anyone would think that Xin Liu had eloped with Gu Qi. Xin Ya was so angry that she fainted. The Xin family was now in a mess. Mrs. Xin did not believe that her daughter would do such a stupid thing. Thinking that Yu Shu was the closest to her daughter, she came to find her.
After listening to the whole story, Yu Shu had a headache. She knew why Xin Ya broke off the engagement. The Gu family was originally under the command of Prince Xiang. When Prince Xiang's plan failed, the House of Concubines was closed down. The Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce was also implicated. Pei Jing, the manager, was implicated and lost a lot of business, let alone the Gu family. Xin Ya had always known how to protect herself. How could she allow her granddaughter to marry into such a family and bring disaster upon herself?
She first comforted Mrs. Xin, "Feifei is a little willful, but she won't be so immature. The most important thing for us now is to find her. Once we find her, everything can be discussed."
Mrs. Xin said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, let's find her first." She wiped her tears and looked at her pitifully, "In the lotus house, one should not wash one's dirty linen in public. I did not treat you as an outsider. You have to help Feifei. You can't let her ruin her so carelessly."
Yu Shu nodded and asked her to sit down first. She turned her head and ordered people to prepare the horse and carriage. She called for Lu Hong and Xu Qing. She did not even have time to change her thin shirt and trousers. She added a cloak and went to the Gu family with Mrs. Xin to ask for her.
The Gu family's mansion was also in the north of the city. It was a little far away. The horse carriage was very fast and they arrived there without stopping. Yu Shu did not ask Mrs. Xin to show up. She jumped out of the carriage and asked Lu Hong to knock on the door and report her name.
After a while, the whole Gu family was alarmed. The housekeeper invited her in and asked her to serve tea and water in the living room. After a short while, she saw the head of the Gu family, Gu Gai. This was the first time she'd met this Oracle Gu who was once renowned for a time. According to Xue Rui, Gu Gai was rather arrogant when he was young, and when he passed the Oracle Exam all those years ago, he went to the entrance of the Imperial Astronomer to wear mourning clothes and weep for a funeral. At present, he seemed to be just a plain-looking middle-aged man.
Although he was a generation younger, Gu Gai had to salute when he saw her, "Lord Yu, what brings you here so late at night?"
Yu Shu did not move from the chair and looked at him coldly, "It's not official business. Gu Suanzi, you don't need to be so polite. May I ask your son to come out and see me? I have a few questions to ask him."
Gu Gai did not seem to be in a hurry and did not refuse. He turned around and asked someone to find Gu Qi. Yu Shu and Gu Qi had only met a few times. They only exchanged a few words because of Pei Jing. At that time, she felt that this guy was a bit shrewd. Now, she had a sharp eye for people and felt that he was too shrewd.
Seeing that his father was standing at the side, Gu Qi did not dare to neglect. He stepped forward and bowed to Yu Shu, "Greetings, Lord Yu."
Yu Shu looked at him coldly and asked, "Have you seen the Sixth Miss of the Xin family today?"
Gu Qi raised his head and showed a blank expression. He shook his head and said, "I have not seen her." Then there was bitterness in his voice, "Lord Yu, I think you don't know how I can see her now that my marriage with the Sixth Miss has been annulled."
Yu Shu's ears moved slightly. Her eyes were like a deep pool. She asked him again, "You said you have not seen her?"
Gu Qi tightened his jaw and shook his head again.
Yu Shu's face darkened. She grabbed the teapot on the table and smashed it at his feet. Gu Qi trembled but did not dare to move. He heard her speak to his father in a soft voice, "Gu Gai, I respect that you are a man of character in the past. I don't want to embarrass you. Bring her here now and I will pretend that nothing happened and forgive you and your father. If you want to play tricks in front of me, you can try. Don't blame me for not warning you. I am not a good person. If you offend me, you will die. "
Gu Gai was silent for a while. He looked at the mess on the ground and then looked at Yu Shu's cold face. He could not help but sigh and said to Gu Qi, "Go and ask the Sixth Miss to come out."
"Father —"
"Why are you still here?"
Gu Qi pulled a long face and went reluctantly. Yu Shu waited for a moment, and then she saw him come in with Xin Liu. To her surprise, as soon as Xin Liu entered the door, he hurriedly rushed to her and hid behind her. He hugged her arm and looked at the father and son of the Gu family with a guarded face. He complained in her ear in a wronged voice,
"They detained me in the lotus room and did not let me go. Fortunately, you came to save me. I didn't expect them to be so bad! "
The Gu father and son looked embarrassed. Yu Shu sneered. She had probably guessed what happened. Gu Qi first tricked Xin Liu to his house and wanted to spend the night with him. The next day, he would send him back to the Xin family. Xin Liu's reputation would be tarnished and the Xin family could only suffer in silence. The marriage would go through even if it was not successful.
Yu Shu pointed at the father and son and did not say anything more. She took Xin Liu and left. She kept her promise and did not pursue the matter further.
When they reached the carriage outside, Mrs. Xin let out a long sigh of relief when she saw that her precious daughter was back. Then she cried and reached out to hit her on the shoulder. She scolded, "You stupid girl, why are you so troublesome? Are you trying to piss me off? I raised you so hard and you ran away just like that!"
"Wah!" Xin Liu was hit a few times by her. He was in so much pain that he took a deep breath. "I didn't want to run away. Mother, I was wrong, I misjudged him. Today, I secretly went to find him. I thought it was my fault to break off the engagement, I had to tell him personally. He coaxed me to elope with him, but I didn't agree. Seeing that he couldn't coax me, he locked me up. I was scared to death, I even thought I might as well just die. Mother, don't be angry. I was wrong. Sob sob sob … "
When Mrs. Xin heard this, she immediately stopped. She touched her little face and said nervously, "That brat didn't do anything to you, did he?"
"No, he didn't dare to," Xin Liu sniffled and said, "If he dared to touch me, I would rather die than bring shame to our family!"
After saying that, the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly. Yu Shu pinched the bridge of her nose and said angrily and amusedly, "It's good that you're fine. Stop crying. It's not good if people hear you."
The two immediately stopped crying obediently. Mrs. Xin thanked her profusely. Yu Shu waved her hand to stop them. She turned her head and scolded Xin Liu with a straight face, "It's not bad to say that you're stupid. Next time you sneak away, I won't care about you."
Xin Liu hurriedly said, "I won't dare. I won't dare to do it again." Then he looked at her with a face full of admiration and said, "Lotus Room, how did you know that I was locked up in his house?"
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