Chapter 159 Leaving the Capital (Part 43) There is someone! ...

This trip to the capital happened to coincide with the festival. The young princess had used this opportunity to find Eunuch Zhang, the chief eunuch of the inner palace, and presented him with some generous gifts, hoping to find an opportunity. However, Eunuch Zhang said that half of the imperial merchants in the palace had illicit relationships with the Chen family, and the other half were either relatives of this official or friends of that official in the court, and could not be easily replaced.

Right now, let alone Qi Xubai, even the Guan family would likely have little chance without a complete upheaval. As for whether the changes would be successful, well, even a god couldn't predict that.

However, as the poem says, "A single bet can gamble with the fate of the world," but Youjun simply said, "I've been in business for ten years, and the business world is full of gambles. Every time, there's always the risk of losing everything. This time, it's just a matter of risking my life. What's there to fear? If Heaven gives it to me and I don't take it, I'll only suffer the consequences!"

Niangzhuang was shocked by what she heard and remained silent for a long time.

Youjun glanced at her and said, “What, are you scared? That’s understandable, you have a husband and children. If you’re scared, before I lose, I’ll give you an endless supply of money so you and your husband can leave the Guan family and live your peaceful lives.”

After thinking for a while, Niangzhuang shook her head with a smile, "I've followed you all over the country for years. Even if I haven't gained much experience, I have gained some courage. I know that the greater the wealth and status, the more hard-earned it is. Opportunities are not to be missed. If you bet on the right thing, you will be even more extraordinary in the future."

Speaking of betting, Youjun immediately thought of Yu Qi. He was exceptionally intelligent and skilled, and he also had Jiu Li by his side. Who in the city didn't know Jiu Li's identity? If the two of them also came to help, the chances of successfully escorting Prince Zhao out of the capital would increase significantly.

She just didn't know what the two of them meant. Besides, she and Qi Xubai weren't exactly strangers; they weren't close enough to be sworn brothers. If she were to place this bet, she needed a reliable person to put her mind at ease.

Xu Bai left the rice shop and headed straight for his old residence, arriving around noon. Before he even entered, someone called out to him from afar. Turning around, he saw Zou Chang's steward running towards him, lifting his robes. Xu Bai had no choice but to descend the steps and inquire why. He learned that Zou Chang had invited him for a talk, and so he followed him.

No sooner had they left than three more people arrived. The latter two carried large food boxes, while the leader, the one in front, said they were sent by Eunuch Shen to deliver food and drink to Miss Jiuli. The servant at the gate dared not delay and quickly led the three men to the guest courtyard.

It was lunchtime, and Li's mother was inside asking when the meal would be served. Yu Qi retorted, "Hasn't your second master returned yet?"

The servant who had come overheard this from under the eaves and hurriedly came in to answer: "Our second master just arrived at the gate, but was invited away by the people from Lord Zou's residence. Coincidentally, Eunuch Shen sent three people to deliver wine and dishes to Miss Jiuli, and I led them here."

Jiuli was also in the room. She and Yuqi got up to greet them. The three of them came in, and only the one in the lead looked familiar, as if they had seen him at Shen Quan's residence. However, the two carrying the food box were unfamiliar faces. The man from Shen Quan's residence pointed to the food box and said, "This is a gift from the Marquis of Yan'an's residence to thank you for personally delivering the red plum yesterday. These two are also from the Marquis of Yan'an's residence. Since they didn't know where you lived, they came to our residence first, and Eunuch Shen sent me to lead them here."

Not knowing the address was just an excuse. Yu Qi guessed that he probably wouldn't dare to send it so abruptly, and would first ask Shen Quan about it. Only after confirming the details would he dare to send it. Shen Quan's meaning was nothing more than the Emperor's intention. It seemed that the Emperor really intended to betroth Jiu Li to the Lu family.

Yu Qi bowed and thanked them. The two people from the Lu family left. Li Mama went to check the contents of the food box and hurriedly called for someone to carry the load to the kitchen, instructing them to heat it up before bringing it back.

The man from Shen Quan’s residence, however, stayed behind and bowed to tell Jiu Li, “Eunuch Shen said that the Imperial Concubine has summoned you to the palace for dinner this afternoon.”

Jiuli agreed and sent the man away. Turning back to look at Yu Qi's face, she saw him frowning and silent. She breathed a sigh of relief and raised her chin slightly, saying, "The Lu family really knows how to time things. We were just about to have lunch when they sent over wine and dishes. I just wonder what kind of dishes they have."

Yu Qi retreated to his couch, his heart heavy. The Lu family had sent gifts over, presumably to inform him, as an "elder," that the Emperor had already chosen a match for Jiu Li. His refusal would be disobeying the imperial decree, and besides, he had no right to refuse. Jiu Li, unaware of the Emperor's decision, still believed he could later decline the marriage proposal, hence his teasing about it.

He rested one hand on his leg, lost in thought. Soon the food and wine were heated and laid out on the table, filling it to the brim. Mother Li then called Zhang Daqingque to come and eat.

Upon entering and seeing over a dozen dishes, Zhang Da rubbed his hands together and laughed, "What day is it today? Why are you cooking so many dishes?"

Seeing that Yu Qi had remained silent for a while, Jiu Li had no choice but to invite Zhang Da to sit down and whispered, "It was a gift from someone else."

Who sent it?

Jiuli glared at him. "Don't ask. Just eat."

Zhang Da then turned to Li Mama and said, "Why don't you invite your second master to eat with us?"

Madam Li said, "Our second master has been invited away by Lord Zou."

Jiuli picked up her bowl and glanced at Zhang Dayuqi, "Lord Zou invited him, is it because Lord Zou has made some important discovery?"

Zhang Da, unaware of Qing Que's identity and assuming she was Chen Jia's person, quickly coughed and cut off Jiu Li's words, "Who cares? Let's eat our own food. As long as we're not invited, we're happy to have some peace and quiet."

Jiuli glanced at Qingque, then decided not to say anything more. After finishing her meal, she returned to the east wing, anticipating that Yuqi would come to discuss the matter, so she deliberately left the door ajar. However, she heard Yuqi's footsteps, but they seemed to be heading towards the west wing. She quickly looked out the window and saw Yuqi enter Qingque's room. Enraged, she slammed the door shut.

Qingque and Yuqi both heard this from the room. Qingque sat on the couch, turned her head to the window and sneered, "This girl is really my nemesis from a past life. She doesn't recognize me at all, but she still hates me. She really remembers the past and forgets the good, and is vengeful."

Yu Qi walked over with a smile, "She was not even three years old at the time, what could she remember? Besides, you weren't that good to her either. You were just a kid yourself back then, only concerned with competing with her for food and clothes, and for Shan Heng's favor."

Qingque wasn't ashamed at all; instead, she laughed and asked, "What are you doing here? Have you figured it out yet?"

"This is a matter of utmost importance, how can it be understood in a short time? I came to tell you that Zou Chang brought Qi Xubai there most likely to gather evidence of Consort Chen and the Chen family framing Prince Zhao. You should inform Chen Jia."

"I'm going to spread the word?" Qingque looked at him with a puzzled expression, tilting her eyes. "Don't you have a grudge against Chen Jia? If he finds out, won't that be a tip-off to the Imperial Concubine?"

Yu Qi rubbed his hands and slowly sat down. "Even if you go and tell him, he won't be able to come up with any good solutions. The Emperor has long wanted to get rid of Consort Chen. Only without Consort Chen can he feel at ease appointing the Fourth Prince as Crown Prince."

Furthermore, many people in the court are currently dissatisfied with the Chen family. If the Emperor had discovered Zhou Yu's rebellious intentions earlier, then severely punishing the Consort now would have won over the hearts of the court officials.

“Chen Jia sent you here so you could gather some information. If you don’t send some information back, how can he trust you? Only if he trusts you can I avenge my family.” He glanced at her with a smile. “If you want me to avenge your family, then you have to do me a favor.”

Qingque pondered for a moment, then looked at him and nodded gently, "It's fine."

After finishing his tea, Qingque left. Yu Qi then went to Jiuli's room and knocked on the door. Jiuli, lying on the bed, pretended not to hear him. After hearing him knock a few times and then stop, she suddenly got up and went to open the door.

Yu Qi was about to go back to his room when he saw her open the door and turned back in. Seeing the slight annoyance on her face, he smiled and asked, "Who upset you?"

Jiuli turned and came in on her own. "Nobody provoked me. I just noticed that you were all just sitting around the fire in your rooms today, acting like nothing was wrong. Don't forget, Shuqiang's case hasn't been solved yet. We're investigating this case under the Emperor's orders. How can we explain ourselves if we keep delaying?"

Yu Qi sat on the couch and laughed, "You've only rested for half a day, and you already have so much to say. Right now, I have other important matters on my mind and can't spare the time."

"What's so important? Could it be anything bigger than this?"

He remained silent for a long time, which made her even more angry. "Isn't this case a big deal? It's a matter of life and death, Uncle! Even though Shuqiang is just a palace maid, she is still a human life! Aren't you going to care? Are you like those officials in the court, treating people like they're not human?!"

Yu Qi raised an eyebrow and looked at her for a moment, then smiled with relief, "You're right, but now the clues have gone cold, and we don't know where to start investigating."

"The situation regarding the princess and her husband hasn't been clarified yet." At this point, Jiuli sat down and recounted the events of the previous morning's investigation in the palace. "The eunuch only saw the husband in the hall, but didn't actually see Princess Yuan. Therefore, Princess Yuan is a suspect."

He couldn't say much about Xiang Yuan's actions that night, so he could only chuckle and say, "But Princess Yuan is a woman. It would be plausible if she killed Shu Qiang out of jealousy, but surely she wouldn't have taken advantage of Shu Qiang and committed adultery with her?"

Jiuli remained silent for a moment, pondering for a while, then leaned closer and asked, "You said that Lord Zou summoned Qi Xubai, did he find out something?"

"Yesterday, Qi Xubai and I went to see that Shunzi. According to him, Chen Jia had indeed bribed him to give false testimony. In fact, the time he patrolled that night did not match the time when Prince Zhao left the banquet. He was willing to come forward and identify Chen Jia and the Consort, but Zou Chang and Qin Ji had found a handkerchief belonging to Prince Zhao in the camellia garden, and this evidence has not yet been confirmed. I think Zou Chang suddenly summoned Qi Xubai because there is some progress in the matter of that handkerchief."

"If that's the case, then the murderer is neither King Zhao nor the princess and her husband, so who could it be?"

After a moment of silence, Yu Qi stood up and said, "Because this case involves Prince Zhao, both we and Zou Qin have been focusing on investigating him. Now, no matter how we investigate, they have no suspicions. Since you have to go to the palace this afternoon anyway, go and ask the palace servants who have private relationships with Shu Qiang to see if they have any other clues."

Jiuli quickly stood up. "Aren't you coming with me?"

“What would I go there for? The Imperial Concubine didn’t invite me. Although I have the token bestowed by the Emperor, it’s still inconvenient to enter and leave the palace. I’ll have Zhang Da accompany you. He’s free today, so just have him wait for you in the guardhouse at the palace gate.”

As he was about to leave, Jiu Li grabbed his arm, puffed out her cheeks, and looked up at him. He smiled thoughtfully and twisted her arm behind his back. "I sent Qing Que back to Emerald Garden."

Jiuli was somewhat skeptical. "Really?"

"Is this even possible?"

Jiuli opened the door and looked across the corridor. Sure enough, she saw Li Mama tidying up inside with the door open. A little worried, she turned around and asked, "Is she coming back?"

Yu Qi laughed and said, "I don't know about that. If Chen Jia sends her again, she will probably come."

Jiuli flung his arm away and followed him out. After closing the door and changing her clothes, she came out to find Zhang Da already waiting in the corridor. The two of them rode together in a carriage to the palace gate. Zhang Da waited in a guardhouse, while Jiuli followed the eunuch into the inner palace. Rong Le was already waiting there, and then they went with him to Cangwu Pavilion to pay their respects to the Imperial Concubine.

The Emperor had only summoned her under the guise of Wansheng; he was still in Yugan Palace at the moment. Therefore, the two had little to say to each other, exchanging only perfunctory pleasantries. After sitting for a while, Jiuli excused herself, saying she needed to pay her respects to the various palace ladies, and left. She then told Rongle the names of the three young palace maids who had previously received Shuqiang's handkerchief, asking him to find them and speak with them.

Rong Le turned her head and instructed a young eunuch, "Did you hear what the young lady said? Go and call her to Qingniao Pavilion to talk." She then turned to another young eunuch and said, "Go and prepare inside Qingniao Pavilion."

After dismissing the eunuch, he turned back to Jiuli and said, "It's very cold here, not a place to sit for long. Miss, please sit in the side hall of the Bluebird Pavilion at the front."

They occasionally entered the side hall of the Azure Bird Pavilion and found that charcoal braziers and hand warmers had been prepared, incense had been lit, and even hot tea and snacks were ready. Jiu Li couldn't help but turn around and smile at Rong Le, "The people in the palace are really quick. You only gave the order now."

Rong Le laughed and said, "If you weren't quick, you wouldn't be able to work in the palace. You would have been beaten to death long ago."

Not long after she sat down, a young eunuch led three palace maids in. After exchanging greetings, Jiu Li noticed that the three women were only around twenty years old and dressed in the same clothes, indicating that they all worked in the Imperial Bedchamber Bureau.

She invited the three of them to sit, but they dared not. Jiu Li did not want to force them, so she stood up and spoke to them, “You three are called Yu Xiang, Cui Feng, and Dong Mei. You used to work in the Shangqin Bureau with Shu Qiang, so you were on good terms with her. She even made handkerchiefs for you, right?”

The three looked at each other, and Yu Xiang said, "The handkerchief has already been taken away by Lord Zou."

"That's how I know you're close to Shuqiang. Since you're close to her, do you know what enemies she has in the palace?"

Yu Xiang said, "Shu Qiang has a good temper and never argues with anyone. I never saw her make enemies with anyone when she was in the Imperial Bedchamber. However—"

"But what?"

Yu Xiang merely glanced at Rong Le, not daring to answer. Rong Le quickly spread his hands and said, "Just say what you have to say, why are you looking at me? Don't worry, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything, and I'll forget about it as soon as I leave here. I won't tell a single person!"

Then Dongmei continued, "However, ever since Shuqiang entered Cangwu Pavilion, she has always been beaten and scolded. If you want to say who her enemies are, they are all in Cangwu Pavilion."

But the officials Zou and Qin from Cangwu Pavilion had already investigated. None of them were present at the time of the incident, and there were witnesses. Besides, those palace servants from Cangwu Pavilion were hardly Shuqiang's enemies. If anyone hated someone, it was Shuqiang who hated them. They could hit her or curse her whenever they wanted, and they would vent their anger on the spot. Why would they go to such lengths to kill her?

Jiuli paced back and forth in front of the three women, thinking that they might not know the details well enough and that she needed to find two more people. So she asked, "Besides the three of you, does Shuqiang have any other friends in the palace?"

The three looked at each other, deep in thought, when suddenly Dongmei said, "I know someone!"

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.