Chapter 404 Searching the Harem!

Wang Bao ordered his men to carry Xiao Changgeng away for treatment, and then said to Shen Lanxi, "His Majesty orders you to go there after you finish your work!"

Shen Lanxi replied respectfully, "Yes, Father-in-law. I'm done with my work now."

Wang Bao left first, and then Shen Lanxi summoned all the Imperial Guards for a speech.

“From now on, I, Shen Lanxi, will be the sole commander of the Imperial Guards. As for Xiao Changgeng, what I said before still stands. If he is willing to become the deputy commander, I welcome him. If he insists on sticking to the previous agreement, I will respect his word and call him a true man of his word.”

The Imperial Guards remained silent; they had never dreamed of being commanded by a woman.

A woman~

So many fine men in their Imperial Guards couldn't climb to the position of commander, yet a woman did.

If others knew that these grown men had to listen to a woman, they would definitely be laughed at.

From then on, they would never be able to hold their heads high when they went out.

Shen Lanxi pointed at Wei Dongzhu and said, "You've probably heard of his name. His name is Wei Dongzhu, the Wei of Wei Family Army."

This is natural; Wei Dongzhu's great name was already known throughout the capital when the Zhenbei Army returned to Beijing.

"He is now the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard. From now on, he will be in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Guard and your training matters."

The Imperial Guards looked at Wei Dongzhu with flickering eyes.

Following Wei Dongzhu would be better in terms of reputation than following Shen Lanxi. Wei Dongzhu was the last man in the Wei family army, and he was a legendary figure in the hearts of the generals.

After giving her brief instructions, Shen Lanxi went to see Emperor Renxiao.

"Uncle, I have already handed over the duties to the Imperial Guards." Shen Lanxi looked at Emperor Renxiao, who seemed to be seriously ill, with heartache.

Emperor Renxiao nodded in satisfaction, forcing himself to remain calm as he said, "The safety of the palace is now in your hands. I do not wish to see any changes in the capital until the Crown Prince returns."

Shen Lanxi lowered her eyes: "Uncle, please rest assured, Lanxi will definitely guard the capital well."

"Uncle, you should get some rest. Lanxi will take some men to patrol the night."

Emperor Renxiao had held on until now just to wait for her to come and give him these few words. Now that she had said them, everything was fine.

Shen Lanxi spent the night in the palace, and the next day, after meeting Emperor Renxiao, she recounted in detail what she had gained the previous night.

"Uncle, the Imperial Guards intercepted six carrier pigeons last night and also captured four suspicious eunuchs and palace maids."

Emperor Renxiao opened his eyes wide, his gaze dark and gloomy.

Wang Bao: "Your Majesty, those four eunuchs and palace maids have all been locked up and interrogated by this old servant."

Emperor Renxiao nodded, very satisfied that Shen Lanxi had not interrogated him privately.

Royal secrets are not for outsiders to hear.

"Lanxi, you've worked hard. Go back and rest now."

Shen Lanxi: "Uncle, I will continue to patrol the night until you get better."

Emperor Renxiao felt a touch of emotion.

"You've worked hard. Once this is over, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

...

After Shen Lanxi returned to the manor, people began to report to her.

"The princess has been staying in the main house without making any moves. Shen Yuantang scratched Liang Xinyi's face and was scolded by Shen Congwen. Old Madam Shen locked Liang Xinyi and her son in the Buddhist hall and said that they were not allowed to come out without her permission."

“Shen Congwen has already asked for leave from the palace, and it will probably be three to five months before he can travel again. Shen Yuanxu ordered people to build up the archway between the second and first houses early this morning. When Madam Shen found out, she did not send anyone to stop him.”

After a long and detailed explanation, Shen Lanxi said with satisfaction, "The Shen family is just fine as it is."

The person giving the report twitched at the corner of their mouth but didn't reply.

"We won't be idle until they bring back the successor of Guiguzi."

After Shen Lanxi finished speaking, she smiled enigmatically.

The very next night, someone attempted to assassinate Emperor Renxiao, but fortunately, the thief was captured by Shen Lanxi. Immediately afterwards, the imperial physician discovered a deadly poison in the medicine that was brought to him.

Emperor Renxiao was shocked and immediately ordered Shen Lanxi to investigate thoroughly by all means.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has ordered me to search the entire inner palace. This is the warrant." Shen Lanxi said respectfully.

Qi Yingqun looked at Shen Lanxi with an inscrutable gaze. After a long while, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Since it is His Majesty's order, I will obey it."

Shen Lanxi: "I have a favor to ask. When I go to search the inner palace later, I will definitely encounter many obstacles. I would like to ask Your Majesty to send someone to me."

Qi Yingqun thought for a moment and nodded.

"Since it is His Majesty's will, I will naturally cooperate fully."

Shen Lanxi: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great understanding."

Two days later, Shen Lanxi presented all the items she had taken from the inner palace to Emperor Renxiao.

"Your Majesty, I found three packets of poison and one packet of aphrodisiac in Consort Su's palace. I also found a witchcraft doll under Consort Liu's bed and dug up the body of a child under a tree in the courtyard. I found three bodies in the dry well in the courtyard of Consort Chen. When I arrived at Consort Chen's palace, she was scolding a palace maid, who died before an hour had passed."

"An animal carcass and a large amount of musk were found under a tree in Consort Shu's courtyard..."

Emperor Renxiao knew that the harem was not clean, but he never expected that after digging deeper, not a single one of them would be clean.

If he has a large harem, are all the women he keeps poisonous and treacherous villains?

Overnight, Emperor Renxiao seemed to have aged three or four years.

"Uncle, now the only place in the entire palace that hasn't been searched is your residence. Please give your instructions."

Emperor Renxiao's face was already contorted with rage. He gripped his pillow tightly and roared, "Investigate! Dig up the main hall and courtyard where I reside and clean them thoroughly!"

Shen Lanxi: "Your subject accepts the decree!"

Two days later, Shen Lanxi ordered people to carry the things they had dug up from three feet into the ground to Emperor Renxiao.

"Witchcraft, poison, sorcery, filth... they wish I were dead!" Emperor Renxiao cursed, his anger overwhelming him. He vomited blood and swayed as he fell backward.

Before Emperor Renxiao fainted, he vaguely heard Wang Bao and Shen Lanxi shouting for the imperial physician.

Unexpectedly, the people who truly cared about him in the end were these two.

The news that Emperor Renxiao was seriously ill spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

After recovering from his injuries, Xiao Changgeng went straight to work as a member of the Imperial Guard.

"Lord Shen, I have come to receive your orders."

Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Vice Commander Xiao seems to know how to adapt to the times."

Xiao Changgeng suppressed his anger and said with a straight face, "I am willing to accept the loss, but I am worried about the current situation in the palace. I think it will be better to resign before asking His Majesty for permission after Lord Shen is familiar with the Imperial Guards."

Shen Lanxi: "You are indeed extremely loyal to His Majesty."

Xiao Changgeng froze, then said coldly, "My loyalty to the Great Zhou and to His Majesty is as clear as day."

After pondering for a moment, Shen Lanxi said, "You're right. There are still many things about the Imperial Guard that Deputy Commander Wei hasn't figured out yet. During this time, you can help him familiarize himself with these things."

Xiao Changgeng: "Yes."