Chapter 131: Eunuchs also have this function?

After learning that Concubine Xiao had been chosen, the entire Xiao family was overjoyed. They were so overjoyed that they set off firecrackers that the streets were ablaze. Those who didn't know better thought they were sending away the God of Plague. Only Madam Xiao shed a few tears of genuine emotion. Concubine Xiao herself was quite happy, only thinking of entering the palace to enjoy her life.

Chu Liuzheng looked at it with mixed feelings.

"How should I put it? This is a case of both sides being willing to fight and to be beaten, right? In a world where imperial power reigns supreme, entering the palace as a concubine is indeed an honor. Regardless of how life in the palace unfolds, at least the family can now claim to be royal relatives. Gifts alone can earn a lot of money, not to mention the other invisible benefits."

If the emperor is willing to take better care of the family, the whole family will rise to prominence. If luck is even better, a quick ascent is not impossible. Hmm... who can resist the temptation of having an emperor in their family?

Chu Liuzheng closed the gossip and rolled up his sleeves in his heart.

[Come, let me see how Concubine Xiao delivered these perfumes into the Huayin Palace...]

Xiao Jingfan, who was eavesdropping, nodded secretly: That’s great, I want to know too.

While he was multitasking, Xiao Anzi had already finished introducing the half candle.

It’s a similar trick to scented powder, but the candle is not an ordinary candle. It has a faint fragrance when lit. Although it smells good, it is not good for pregnant women. If used for a long time, it may cause stillbirth or fetal deformity.

Seeing that there was only a little candle left, it was obvious that Yun Fei had already absorbed a lot of it.

Everyone was shocked.

[Tsk, this method is too vicious! After ten months of hard work, she finally gave birth to a stillborn or deformed baby. If Concubine Yun is really pregnant, even if she doesn't go crazy, she will still have an ominous reputation. Wouldn't that be the end of her life?]

Chu Liuzheng took the time to sigh, and at the same time he found the gossip he was looking for.

Concubine Xiao's maid Zhuqing bribed Xiao Pingzi, the eunuch guarding the storeroom in Huayin Palace, to replace the incense powder that had just been delivered by the Imperial Household Department. Concubine Yun noticed the scent of the incense was different from the original and assumed the Imperial Hospital had changed the formula. She thought the new one smelled better and didn't investigate further.

[Tsk tsk, anyone who's read palace fighting novels knows that things like incense are the easiest to tamper with. Why didn't they even investigate carefully? Is it because it's a fake pregnancy that you're so careless?]

Chu Liuzheng suddenly felt that Yun Fei’s previous silly and innocent image might not have been all an act, she really had talent in this area.

After hearing what was going on, Xiao Jingfan glanced coldly at Concubine Xiao, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Concubine Xiao was nervous and didn't notice it, but Concubine Chen, who was sitting next to her, happened to see it because she was paying attention to the emperor's every move.

Her heart skipped a beat. His Majesty's look was not a friendly one.

She carefully glanced at Concubine Xiao out of the corner of her eye, and only then did she realize that Concubine Xiao's body was very tense. Even in the cold winter, there was sweat on her forehead.

Although there was a charcoal brazier in the hall, they were not sitting close to it, so they were not sweating from the heat.

Could it be... She suddenly thought of something and looked up at the two things on the tray. Were these the work of Concubine Xiao?

Thinking of the conflict between Concubine Xiao and Concubine Yun, Concubine Chen's suspicion gradually deepened. She lowered her eyes to hide the sarcasm in her eyes, curled her lips and silently cursed: Idiot!

If Your Majesty had not wanted to use the Xiao family, how could such a fool have climbed to the position of noble concubine?

Now that His Majesty has obviously become suspicious of Concubine Xiao, should she go along with it?

While Concubine Shen was weighing the pros and cons, Xiao Anzi had already finished explaining the two items on the tray in detail, and added: "I have just checked with the people in Huayin Palace. The incense powder and candles were personally delivered by Eunuch Niu from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuande nodded secretly, thinking that his apprentice had done a good job.

He leaned over and asked, "Your Majesty, should Niu Fei be summoned for questioning?"

Niu Fei is the full name of Eunuch Niu. He is the only eunuch with the surname Niu among all the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department, so Zhou Yuande knew it was him as soon as he heard the surname Niu.

Niu Fei often delivered things to various palaces and had many dealings with Zhou Yuande.

Although Xiao Jingfan already knew in his heart that the person who replaced the perfume powder was Concubine Xiao, he had no evidence and did not want to expose himself in front of Chu Liuzheng, so he still had to meet the person. Moreover, he could also inquire about the origin of the candle.

He nodded: "Pass it on."

Immediately, a young eunuch ran to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to call for help.

At the same time, Chu Liuzheng came across the latest gossip.

[Half a quarter of an hour ago, Niu Fei, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, hanged himself in his residence. His body has not been found yet... Holy crap! He's actually dead! !]

Chu Liuzheng opened his mouth in surprise and glanced at Concubine Gao who was sitting below.

"I was wrong. I was really wrong. How could someone who's in league with a femme fatale be a good person? There's no way they could be labeled venomous."

[To protect Concubine Gao, Niu Fei was actually willing to die. But that was Niu Fei, a notoriously heartless and difficult eunuch. He would push his apprentices and adopted godsons to take the blame without blinking an eye. What kind of leverage could such a cold-hearted person have that Concubine Gao could hold?]

Xiao Jingfan's eyebrows twitched slightly when he heard this.

Very good, no need to check the candles anymore.

This woman had been irritating him all night, and now her words were finally useful.

Chu Liuzheng searched quickly in the system, and the moment he saw the text clearly, he almost jumped in surprise.

[Holy crap! Niu Fei actually has a pair of children outside the palace. Didn't he enter the palace when he was young? Where did these children come from? Do eunuchs have this ability?]

She was shocked and blinked twice quickly to make sure she was seeing things before continuing to pull it down.

After reading it, my face turned into shock =_=

[Tsk~ Turns out they're not his biological children. He got all excited for nothing. These children belong to his younger brother. Brother Niu and his wife died of illness, leaving behind these two helpless children.]

[By the time Niu Fei learned of his brother and sister-in-law's deaths and sent people to find his nephew and niece, they had already been sold into the Gao family as slaves, their lives at the mercy of their master.]

Niu Fei was a eunuch and would never have children in his lifetime. He felt that he had let his parents and ancestors down, so he wanted to preserve the bloodline of his Niu family.

Unfortunately, when Niu Fei's men came into contact with Niu's niece and nephew, the Gao family noticed. The Gao family used this opportunity to manipulate Niu Fei, forcing him to obey Concubine Gao's orders and do things for her in exchange for treating Niu's niece well and giving him important positions.

[Hmm... those candles delivered to Huayin Hall weren't from the Imperial Household Department at all. Niu Fei, acting under the guise of the Imperial Household Department, was sent there on the orders of Concubine Gao. He often did this kind of work, claiming that the scented candles were a special gift from the Imperial Household Department to Concubine Yun, and that they were unique to Concubine Yun. Not only was he not suspected, but he even earned a reward from Concubine Yun for his eloquence.]

[Tsk tsk, it's really hard to guard against this. Niu Fei doesn't have much contact with the people in Concubine Gao's palace. Who would have guessed that he was actually working for Concubine Gao?]

While sighing, Chu Liuzheng took out the latest gossip and read it again.