Chapter 478 The Pot Comes from the Sky

Shao Liyi said, "I have something else to do in the palace, so I'll take my leave now."

"Wait." Chu Liuzheng stopped her and asked with a smile, "Want to eat hot pot?"

Shao Liyi:?

Yaohua Palace deluxe hotpot set meal plus one.

Shao Liyi took a bite of the hot pot beef and couldn't help but sigh: "She must like it."

"Princess, don't think about it." Luzhu gave her two slices of mutton and whispered, "With her ability, she will never treat herself badly..."

At this moment, someone who was chewing corn bones in the military camp sneezed loudly.

"Who's talking about me?"

She threw the bone to the stray dog ​​that came running over, stood up from the haystack and stretched. "Ah~ It's still comfortable outside. After the battle is over, I have to find a way to get that crybaby out here."

The crybaby himself was in tears because of the spicy hot pot.

On the other side, the dining scene in the side hall of Wenhua Hall was also bustling with activity.

[The disciple is better than the master, Qiao Yuche's improved pot base is so delicious that it can even be used to boil shoe soles! ]

Chu Liuzheng kept eating with his chopsticks and was very happy. Xiao Jingfan was also very happy eating.

While taking a nap together, His Majesty the Emperor forgot about setting some rules for Chu Liuzheng, and he never thought about it since then.

Two days later, Zhou Yuande found the clue to Shao Liyi, and he had both witnesses and evidence.

Shao Liyi, the pot came from the sky:? ! !

"Your Majesty, I have already found out that Xiao Xuanzi is dissatisfied with his duties in the Imperial Kitchen and has been wanting to be transferred elsewhere. Lately, he has been very close to the people at Yaohua Palace, helping them with many errands."

Zhou Yuande bowed and reported to the emperor, "The maid Lan'er of Yaohua Palace identified the dagger that Xiao Xuanzi used to assassinate Miss Chu as belonging to Yaohua Palace. She had seen it in the Yaohua Palace storehouse, and it was also recorded in the register."

As he spoke, he personally presented the list of people entering the warehouse to Xiao Jingfan, and ordered someone to bring up the palace maid Lan'er.

Shao Liyi, who was standing nearby, saw a familiar-looking maid walk in. She seemed to be from her palace. She couldn't help but look at Madam Duan, whose expression was heavy. Her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously grasped Luzhu's hand.

Lan Er knelt down before the emperor and said, "Your servant Lan Er pays homage to His Majesty. Long live His Majesty."

Xiao Jingfan looked at her and asked, "Have you really seen that dagger in the storeroom of Yaohua Palace?"

"Yes." Lan'er looked at the ground. "I saw it with my own eyes and dare not lie to Your Majesty."

[Tsk, I see you're having a lot of fun bullying me.]

Chu Liuzheng waved towards Chen Xing and whispered a few words in her ear.

Chen Xing nodded and hurried out to do it.

When Zhou Yuande caught a glimpse of this scene, his eyelids twitched for some reason.

Xiao Jingfan flipped through the inventory book and said, "There's no picture in the book, only a black iron dagger is registered, which makes it a bit of a stretch to use it as evidence. Besides you, has anyone else seen that dagger?"

"Yes," Lan'er said, "Madame Duan has the key to the warehouse. Every month, she personally leads a team to check the warehouse's incoming and outgoing records. I saw the dagger while accompanying her."

Hearing this, Xiao Jingfan looked at Madam Duan who was standing beside Shao Liyi, "Is this true?"

Nanny Duan immediately walked over to Lan'er and knelt down. "Your Majesty, there is indeed a black iron dagger in Yaohua Palace, but as Your Majesty just said, that dagger is very ordinary. It is not impossible for someone to use it to frame someone."

"If we want to find out whether it's a frame-up, we just need to see if the dagger is still in the warehouse." Chu Liuzheng suddenly interrupted, looking at Zhou Yuande, "Eunuch Zhou, have you ever led anyone to check the warehouse at Yaohua Palace?"

Zhou Yuande said truthfully, "This matter has not yet been concluded. I dare not offend Empress Liyi."

This is because I haven't opened the warehouse to check.

Chu Liuzheng looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, to prove Shao Liyi's innocence, why don't we open the storehouse and take a look?"

"Okay." Before the emperor agreed, Shao Liyi responded first. She said to Madam Duan, "Madam, give the key to the storehouse to Eunuch Zhou. A person with integrity fears no slander, and I am not afraid of investigation."

Nanny Duan was a little hesitant, but still gave the key to the Yaohua Palace's warehouse to Zhou Yuande under everyone's gaze.

Zhou Yuande took the key and left.

Inventorying the warehouse is a big job, but just looking for something is quick.

But after a while, Zhou Yuande came back, and Chen Xing came back with him. She brought a bowl of bird's nest to Chu Liuzheng.

Chu Liuzheng ate while listening to Zhou Yuande report to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I found the black iron dagger in the storehouse of Yaohua Palace."

As he spoke, he had the dagger presented to the emperor.

Everyone's eyes moved over and found that the tray contained an ordinary-looking but sharp dagger.

The moment they saw the dagger, Nanny Duan's heart fell back, and Shao Liyi's heart also fell back.

Chu Liuzheng took a sip of bird's nest and turned to look at the emperor: "Your Majesty, since the dagger is in the storeroom, the dagger in Xiao Xuanzi's hand has nothing to do with Shao Liyi."

Just as she finished speaking, she heard Lan'er say, "This isn't the dagger from the Yaohua Palace storehouse."

Hearing this, everyone looked at her, and Xiao Jingfan asked, "What do you mean?"

Lan Er said, "Your Majesty, there is a tiny chip on the blade of the dagger in the storeroom. It is easy to miss if you don't examine it carefully. I see that there is no chip on the blade of the dagger on the tray."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuande's eyes turned sinister, and he shrilly asked, "Are you suspecting that our family has replaced the dagger?"

"I dare not." Lan'er said she dared not, but that was what she meant.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yuande couldn't help but understand that he had been tricked. He couldn't help but feel annoyed and said, "Let's not even talk about how we stole the dagger in public. The fact that there was a defect on the dagger was all based on your own words. How can you prove that what you said is true?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not lie before you," Lan'er said. "I suspected it was the dagger from the Yaohua Palace storehouse because I saw the same chip on the blade. Otherwise, how could I recognize an ordinary dagger? And how could I be so sure it was the one from the Yaohua Palace storehouse?"

[Wow! Like master, like servant. He's truly the queen's own traitor. With his chatterbox, he's determined to pin the blame for the assassination on the crying princess.]

[Speaking of which, why did the Queen go to such great lengths to protect Concubine Xie? According to the Queen's usual style, shouldn't she have discarded Concubine Xie as a pawn now?]

[Could it be that the Queen Mother's order for the Empress to copy Buddhist scriptures really worked, to the point where even the Empress, who appeared soft-hearted but had a cruel heart, began to show mercy?]

Seeing that Eunuch Zhou was choked by Lan'er, Chu Liuzheng cleared his throat and said, "Someone, bring the things up."

Everyone: ? ?

What?

Of course, it was what Chu Liuzheng asked Chen Xing to find just now.

She shook the dagger in her hand and asked, "Miss Lan'er, do you recognize this?"

Lan'er looked up and shook her head.

"That shouldn't be the case." Chu Liuzheng flicked the dagger and pointed at the chip on the blade. "You hide this dagger under your pillow every day, how could you not recognize it?"

(End of this chapter)