Lady Wen Yu used her sleeve to cover her mouth and nose, asking, "Who are the ones in the same room as Huang Ying?"
"Yan 'er, Huamei, and who's that? Hurry up and come over!"
The three people who were called out lowered their heads and knelt in greeting. Lady Wen Yu impatiently glanced at them and discovered a familiar face, "You, raise your head. Heh, you really came from Madam Yaohua's side. I was still thinking that you would actually be so obedient as to be demoted to this bureau to wash clothes."
Zhaozhao bit her lip and said, "Please don't make fun of this servant, Your Highness."
Lady Wen Yu said, "Can you arrange an empty room for me to sit? I've been standing here for half a day. "
"Uh … Your Highness, you've come with this servant." The others in the courtyard were also puzzled. This Lady Wen Yu was also careless. She actually took her time.
Lady Wen Yu took a sip of the leftover tea on the table. As soon as it entered her mouth, she frowned and spat out in disgust, "Where did you get this tea dregs to brew this?"
"This servant will immediately brew tea for Your Highness."
Lady Wen Yu put down the teacup and said, "Alright, where are you going to brew tea now? Are you going to the Shangshi Department or my Willow Palace Hall? When you return with the tea, everything will be settled. "
Heye said from the side, "You can leave. Don't cause trouble here. We'll serve Your Highness."
Si Zhengsi's people retreated one after another. Lady Wen Yu nodded and said, "Same old rules, but leave the people who come out of Madam Yaohua's room for me."
"Yes."
Heye went out to pass on a message, "Come with me. You and Fu Qu will go. Your Highness will also personally summon you."
Zhaozhao entered and knelt in an empty bow, "This servant greets Lady Wen Yu. May Your Highness be in good health."
Lady Wen Yu poured two more cups of tea, "You don't have to kneel. Come, sit!"
Zhao Zhao wasn't sure what she meant, so she didn't dare to stand up. She said: "Niang niang must be joking. What is this servant's status? How could this servant dare to sit at the same table as niang niang?"
Lady Wen Yu said, "Even if it's made from this kind of tea dregs, it's still personally poured by me. It's just like the Longjing tea before the rain and Liuan melon slices. You even dare to decline my reward, so what else do you not dare to do?"
Zhao Zhao touched her forehead to the back of her hand and said: "Niang niang, please understand. This servant is afraid of offending niang niang."
Lady Wen Yu seemed to have finally gotten tired of the tea made from the tea dregs. She clapped her hands and said, "Alright, just say it. Who's the mastermind? Hurry up, my servants have finished making the tea and are waiting for me!"
Zhao Zhao didn't know why, but the indignation in her heart was stirred up by her light words. Her tone unconsciously became stiff, "Niang niang, please understand. Huang Ying had an affair with someone, resulting in her pregnancy. In the end, while this servant and the others were asleep, she committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Niang niang, please understand."
"I used to think that this servant girl was careless, but I didn't expect her to be careless to this extent. She can eat and sleep well like this. Fine, I won't make things difficult for her. I'll see what the other two servant girls have to say."
Lady Wen Yu letting her off so easily made Zhao Zhao feel even more uneasy. Although the three of them had reached a consensus last night, Yan 'er had always been indecisive. What if …
Before Zhao Zhao could think of a response, Heye came back to report, "Replying niang niang, the other two servant girls have already confessed. Everything was instigated by this servant girl called 'Yan Yan'. They were momentarily bewitched by her words, so they helped her hide it. Now that they have confessed, I ask niang niang to be lenient with her sentence."
Lady Wen Yu stroked her hair and sneered, "'Yan Yan'? If I remember correctly, you're called Zhao Zhao, right? I really don't know how much enmity there is between the two of you. Is there a need for this? "It wasn't clear if she was referring to Zhao Zhao and Yan Yan, or Huang Ying.
Zhao Zhao still didn't give up and tried to explain, "As niang niang said, this servant has no enmity with Huang Ying. Furthermore, we've only known each other for a few days. Her affair is her crime. What does it have to do with this servant? Why would this servant do anything to her …"
"Why would this servant care about your reason?" Lady Wen Yu's patience was running out, "That's right, this servant will give you a piece of advice. The next time you want to harm someone, don't foolishly use your own things to harm someone. You'll just leave evidence behind and drag them out."
Zhao Zhao was stunned when she heard this. This Lady Wen Yu didn't even bother to listen to her explanation. When she was about to be dragged out of the door, she still screamed unwillingly, "What exactly did niang niang say to them so that this servant can die knowing!"
Lady Wen Yu raised her hand. Heye said, "Niang niang only asked this servant to ask them if they wanted to leave the palace earlier. The list of names is currently on my niang niang's desk. It's not difficult to add one or two names."
The palace maids spent half of their lives in the palace. What they hoped for was to be released when they were of age. Often, the last two or three years were the most difficult to endure. For Yan 'er and Huamei, who were both twenty-three years old, if they could be released earlier, what was wrong with betraying them?
Zhao Zhao looked at their evasive gazes and sneered, "If I can't live well, then others can too. Niang niang, do you know that Huamei secretly bribed the comprador of the Shangshi Bureau? She conspired with Huang Ying and Yan 'er to smuggle out the items in the palace and sell them to fill her own pockets!"
Yan 'er hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, "This servant didn't. Niang niang, she's talking nonsense!"
Huamei also knelt down quickly and said, "Niang niang, this person can even fake her name. How can there be any truth in her mouth? Niang niang, please investigate clearly."
Lady Wen Yu held her forehead and sighed inwardly. I originally thought that the concubines and concubines were already fighting in full swing. I didn't expect that the palace maids and female officials were also not to be outdone.
"Heye, watch over them. Interrogate them slowly and carefully. Make sure that the details are clear one by one. Everything is done according to the rules. This place is unlucky. I don't want to stay here any longer." After Lady Wen Yu finished instructing, she didn't stay any longer. She covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and walked out.
Heye took the order. She was the most respected servant around Lady Wen Yu. It was because she could not only complete the task perfectly, but also did it according to her master's wishes every time. This was the rarest thing.
Zhao Zhao shouted again behind her, "Lady Wen Yu, please help me pass a message to Consort Yan. Jingjing's death, does she still remember —"
Lady Wen Yu glanced back at her. Judging from the name, she was probably a servant around Yaohua's wife. She had also heard a little in the palace about Madam Yaohua performing a ritual in Liumi Nunnery for her dead maid.
At the same time, on Bai Suyan's side — —
Bai Suyan came from a military background and always liked to cut the Gordian knot. Thus, she directly let Green Waist take out the palace rules. Winter Solstice took out a brush and ink and waited at the side. She sneered, "Alright, you can slowly expose each other's background. Winter Solstice, you record one, Green Waist, you convict them according to the palace rules. Since it's already been done, I don't want to trace it back to the source. I'll convict you first!
Where were we just now? Minister Li did not manage well, condoned her subordinates to commit crimes, mistreated the palace maids who washed clothes, deceived her superiors and concealed her subordinates. Minister Shen did not hold a righteous position, privately accepted bribes, did not do a good job, and practiced favoritism. Minister Tong was negligent and lazy, did not report what she knew, and made up the numbers. Minister Qian took pleasure in other people's misfortune, sowed discord, and added fuel to the fire. Minister Shen did not have any achievements in her job and spent all her time in these places.
Record everything down for me and punish them according to the palace rules. Continue speaking, I'd like to see what other tricks you can come up with. "
The officials were all speechless. Bai Suyan even went so far as to sit down by the well and have someone bring over a pot of tea. She slowly sipped it. The tea made from tea dregs was extremely unpleasant to drink. It wasn't because of the taste, but because no matter how carefully she blew on it, when she really drank it, she would still get a little bit of the tea dregs on her lips.
She unhurriedly finished drinking the tea dregs and took a handkerchief to wipe the tea dregs off her lips. She said, "Have you all thought of how to answer me?"
Minister Tong was the most perceptive. She kowtowed and said, "Ten days ago, this servant began writing and correcting the mistakes in the roll call system. It was this servant's negligence that caused this servant to be unable to restrain her subordinates. This servant is willing to accept punishment."
Bai Suyan tilted her head and said, "Xia Zhi, give them a brush and ink. If they write something that satisfies me, I'll remove one of their charges."
The officials were unable to contain their joy. They practically snatched the brush and ink and began writing. Only Minister Qian had a bitter expression and said, "Niang niang, this servant is illiterate."
"… Use your mouth to speak. Help her write for Winter Solstice. Where is Cui momo?"
Minister Shen quickly replied, "Cui momo has already been detained in the bureau and is awaiting interrogation. Do you want this servant to send someone to bring her over?"
Bai Suyan got up and said, "This consort will personally go over. For Winter Solstice, I'll leave this place to you. You must make sure they give a clean explanation!"
The Shang Palace Bureau wasn't too far from the Shangfu Bureau. It was just a few steps away. In the prison of the bureau, Cui momo had aged several decades overnight. Although she was close to fifty years old, she still looked fine. Now, half of her hair was white, her face was sallow, and her eyes were dull.
Before coming, Bai Suyan had already heard from the people in the Raccoon that Cui momo's younger brother didn't make it. He died of illness, or it could be said that he was killed by someone.
Because of his early experiences, Cui gonggong was the young master's servant. He couldn't withstand even the slightest bit of wind and rain. Even on this hot summer day, just a piece of ice placed in front of his bed in the middle of the night caused him to catch a cold. This caused all kinds of hidden dangers. He was bedridden for two months before finally passing away yesterday afternoon.
When a servant died in the palace, unless the master had a special favor, the body was usually wrapped in a mat and dragged to the mass grave in the suburbs to be buried casually. Nanny Cui rushed there in a hurry. Not only did she not see her brother for the last time, she did not even have the chance to see his body.
"Cui-shi, Her Highness is here to ask you a question, Cui-shi!" The eunuch on duty shouted several times, but she just sat there leaning against the wall without saying a word.
Bai Suyan stood outside the bars. The more she looked at her, the more she felt that there was something wrong with her posture. It seemed like she wasn't breathing. "Open the prison door!"
"Yes."
As soon as the eunuch opened the prison door, Bai Suyan rushed in. She bent down and touched Cui momo's neck. Sure enough, it was cold and the corpse was stiff. She turned the corpse over and saw that her clothes and the wall were soaked with her blood.
The eunuch on duty immediately panicked. "This … this … this servant really didn't let anyone in last night. Please have mercy, Your Highness."
Bai Suyan let go of the corpse. "Xia Zhi, you stay here and examine the corpse. Green Waist, come with ben gong to Cui momo's room!"
(1) Ancient Tree Tea: A type of Pu 'er tea. It's produced from tea trees that are over three hundred years old. It's extremely rare in the market right now. If you're interested, you can search on Baidu.
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