Chapter Thirty-Six: Further Investigation!

The palace maid immediately understood, approached the imperial concubine, and the two exchanged the document in their sleeves.

Jiang Huan wanted to take a closer look, but her view was blocked by the crowd.

All of this was done quietly, and no one noticed.

The palace maid silently took two steps back and stood beside the maid behind Consort Wan.

Searching through these items is time-consuming and laborious; it cannot be done in a few short times.

The eunuch had already checked all of Consort Wan's belongings, but when he opened the box that Jiang Huan had brought, his expression froze and his hands stopped moving.

This action instantly attracted the attention of everyone present.

Something's strange!

Huo Lin's brow twitched, and he took two steps forward, glancing over at a glance.

The box was filled with pots, pans, and even seasonings.

A very subtle smile curved his lips, though Huo Lin didn't show it on his face. He simply gestured to continue searching.

[She really is a foodie.]

[I was in a pretty bad mood, but thanks to Consort Zhuang, I almost burst out laughing.]

Jiang Huan felt a chill run down her spine; how dare someone call her a glutton?

Hmph, if it weren't for the fact that feeding couldn't stop, she would have only brought her own portion.

Consort Wan stepped forward and glanced at it curiously, then covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes clearly filled with mockery.

"Oh my, Consort Zhuang really loves to eat. But being able to eat is a blessing."

The women in the harem were all masters of yin and yang, and Jiang Huan accepted this well, only smiling and remaining silent.

We'll see what happens when she becomes successful!

As always, the eunuch took out each of Jiang Huan's belongings and carefully inspected them. The clattering of the bowls and chopsticks eased the tension and unease that filled the room.

The prepared pastries, noodles, and even tea were packed into boxes, as if the entire kitchen had been moved into a box.

However, the dresses and jewelry only occupied a small corner.

Consort Jia gave a cold snort inwardly.

It really is a pretty but useless embroidered pillow.

I'll eat you to death!

The palace maids and eunuchs present all understood each other perfectly and couldn't help but chuckle, just as Consort Jia had thought.

They simply knew very little; they had never seen a concubine who loved to eat so much.

Whispers and low laughter could be heard everywhere.

Jiang Huan blinked twice.

Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal.

They don't understand, and I don't blame them.

Wanpin looked down on Jiang Huan from the bottom of her heart, and it would be beneath her to compete for favor with someone like that.

She rolled her eyes and turned to the maid beside her, saying, "Go and pour me some tea."

I'm thirsty after standing here for so long.

The palace maid accepted the order, saying, "Yes."

She then walked past the palace maids beside Consort Jia and prepared to leave.

But unexpectedly, Consort Jia's maid also turned around at that moment, and the two bumped into each other without much force.

"I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you." Consort Jia's maid took her arm and apologized first.

That's quite unusual. Consort Jia has always been arrogant and disdainful of others, and her maids are even more arrogant and domineering. They've never been given such a kind look before.

The maidservant ignored her, simply shook her head, politely pulled her arm away from the maidservant's grasp, and turned to leave.

This little incident didn't cause a ripple at all.

The palace maid beside Consort Jia stood still again and looked at Consort Jia.

They exchanged glances, understanding each other without saying a word.

Time passed slowly, and the eunuchs began to inspect Consort Jia's luggage.

The items brought by Consort Jia and Consort Wan were almost identical, mainly consisting of jewelry and clothing, making the inspection quick.

After checking everything and confirming that there was nothing wrong, Wang Degui reported back to Huo Lin.

Huo Lin was somewhat distracted at this moment, his eyes fixed on the box of pastries he had just taken from Jiang Huan's trunk.

The pastry was a peach blossom cake, which Huo Lin had tasted before.

It's sweet but not cloying, crispy and fragrant, and very delicious.

[In a moment, I will summon Consort Zhuang to accompany me, so that I may have a legitimate reason to enjoy peach blossom pastries.]

Catching an assassin is exhausting, so I'll eat ten to replenish myself.

"Since there's nothing else, let's set off." Huo Lin withdrew his gaze and narrowed his eyes slightly.

[You've hidden it very well, but can you keep it hidden forever?]

[You wasted my time enjoying this delicious food; you deserve to be imprisoned and executed by a thousand cuts.]

[Not satisfied yet... then hang the corpse at the city gate as a warning to others, and make it into dried meat skewers!]

Jiang Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Xiao Zhao towards the carriage.

She didn't care how Huo Lin killed the assassins; if she didn't leave soon, she'd be turned into a roasted sweet potato first.

"Xiao Zhao, go and take the pastries and put them in the car. We'll eat them on the way."

Jiang Huan was getting hungry, and since Huo Lin would be eating soon, it was convenient to take it out.

"yes."

She stood by the car waiting, completely unaware that Consort Wan was passing by.

The weather was hot, and everyone had been standing in the sun for a long time, so they all wanted to get back into the carriage to cool off as soon as possible.

Wanpin's maid helped her walk faster and didn't notice Jiang Huan standing to the side.

Caught off guard, the two bumped into each other and stumbled.

Jiang Huan was already sweltering and starving, and when she was bumped like that, her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the car.

Consort Wan stopped, looking at Jiang Huan's slightly affected manner, feeling both hot and jealous, and said coldly.

"You're so precious, Lady Zhuang. It was just a light bump, was it really that big of a deal?"

Jiang Huan steadied herself against the carriage and glanced back at Consort Wan.

You've become addicted to being sarcastic and sarcastic, haven't you?

Just as he was about to speak, he remembered that he had been quite high-profile lately, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

She lowered her eyes and looked very obedient.

"It was I who lost my footing and bumped into Your Majesty."

On such a hot day, Consort Wan was too lazy to say anything more to her, and left with a flick of her sleeve.

No one paid any attention until a cold voice suddenly rang out, freezing everyone in place.

"Wait a minute."

Huo Lin stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly narrowed, and strolled over.

Consort Wan was puzzled, but after thinking about it, she assumed that the Emperor wanted to ride in the same carriage with her.

At this, a smile instantly appeared on Consort Wan's face.

Huo Lin walked up to Jiang Huan and glanced at the three of them.

"Looks like checking the boxes isn't enough; we need to investigate this person thoroughly too!"

Consort Wan froze for a moment, looking at Huo Lin with suspicion and astonishment as he saw Huo Lin's gaze fixed on the palace maid beside him.

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? This palace maid is my personal maid, how could there be a problem?"

"Whether there's a problem or not, we'll only know after we investigate." Huo Lin waved his hand, and the matrons immediately obeyed, heading back towards the concubines.

Another nanny came over and began to grope Wanpin's maid from head to toe.

She actually pulled a green porcelain bottle out of her waistband!

Upon opening the porcelain bottle, a pleasant fragrance wafted into the nostrils. The experienced nanny naturally recognized what it was, so she quickly sealed the bottle and handed it to Huo Lin.

"Your Majesty, it's aphrodisiac."

Huo Lin glanced at the bottle, his gaze instantly turning icy, his sharp eyes fixed on the stunned Consort Wan.

[Good, the culprit who prevented me from enjoying my peach blossom pastries has been found.]

[How dare you shove Consort Zhuang right under my nose! Are you trying to make things difficult for her or frame me!]

[My personal chef is not someone you can touch!]

Consort Wan panicked instantly when she felt Huo Lin's murderous gaze.

"Your Majesty, I didn't know anything about this. It has nothing to do with me."

"How many lives do you have to argue?"

Huo Lin's voice was low and deep, and he gave a cold sneer, his face showing almost no emotion.

Consort Wan felt truly wronged and immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty, even if you gave me ten thousand lives, I would never dare to do such a thing!"

The palace maid didn't know why this thing had appeared on her. She was so frightened that she knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged!"

Consort Wan raised her hand to grab Huo Lin's hem, but Huo Lin retreated without making a sound, and with a flick of his hem, she missed her target.

The two eunuchs, seeing this, immediately pinned Wanpin down.

"Since you don't know, then go back and think about it carefully."

Huo Lin turned around, and Wang Degui quickly jogged over.

"Consort Wan is confined to the palace and is not allowed to leave the palace until this matter is clarified."

Wang Degui immediately nodded in agreement, "Yes."