Qiao Lian'er's tone was not intense, but it had a kind of power that penetrated to the bone. Sun Hetang couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, as if he were facing the oppressive feeling of a kind person who was much stronger than himself.
Her fingers clenched her palms, and she unconsciously trembled slightly.
"I'd like to see who is truly sinister and curses the fate of the nation."
Only by considering the current favorable situation could I offer her some comfort.
The next target for the Dali Temple to deal with is the Qiao family. As long as the emperor gives the order, none of the Qiao family members will escape.
"Princess Zhenguo, we'll see." After uttering these harsh words, Sun Hetang quickly left to avoid hearing anything else that might disturb her mind.
Qiao Lian'er watched her walk away with a faint smile.
He glanced at the kneeling crowd again: "The withering of peonies is mostly a natural phenomenon. There are some rumors circulating now, and they are getting more and more nasty. I'm afraid someone is stirring things up. If we really investigate, we'll arrest a few more gossips as a warning to others."
"Get up, everyone."
People stood with their heads down and eyes lowered, looking uneasy and cautious, completely lacking their previous air of arbitrary judgment.
Qiao Lian'er ignored everyone else and focused her gaze on the peony garden. These peonies had just bloomed, but now they were all dead. Guofang Park was open to everyone, which was a blessing from the imperial family. Sun Hetang had the audacity to destroy the national flower in one fell swoop, creating such a gloomy and terrifying scene.
The news of the large-scale death of the national flower quickly reached the emperor's ears, along with the rumors of the curse's efficacy.
"Someone is trying to make a big fuss." The emperor slammed his pen down on the pen holder, his face already showing impatience.
He doesn't believe in whether something is effective or not; he thinks it's mostly man-made.
"The person who did this is just waiting for the Emperor's attitude."
“I am busy with state affairs every day and have no time to rest. These people, on the other hand, do not focus on important matters and are always making a mess of things, trying to use me to eliminate their dissidents.”
"In their eyes, I've become nothing more than a tool." The emperor's face was cold and stern.
He had his internal affairs department investigate the matter thoroughly these past two days, and they discovered that the painting with the poem inscribed on it had been bought by the Sun family. Because of the marriage alliance, the relationship between the Sun family, the Lin family, and the Qiao family had deteriorated.
The wedding procession between the Lin and Qiao families proceeded smoothly, but the Wu family broke off the engagement with the Sun family.
"Guofang Park is a gift from the Emperor to all. We finally get to see the peonies bloom once a year, and they all died overnight. We must find out who did it and not let them off easily. Who knows what trouble such a daring person will cause in the future?" said Eunuch Qi.
The emperor slowly tapped his fingers on the table, considering how to proceed.
“Search it,” he said.
For a moment, Eunuch Qi was confused.
"Go and summon the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
This afternoon, the Imperial Guards, in coordination with the Court of Judicial Review, went to the Qiao family's residence first.
Master Pei still needed to avoid suspicion, so his deputy general came instead.
At this time, the men of the Qiao family were all in their fiefdoms, and the women were mostly building houses. Only the two elders of the Qiao family, Qiao Xi'er and Qiao Zhizhi, were at home.
The lieutenant apologized, "Things are tense lately, this is just a routine search, please don't take it to heart."
Grandma Qiao wanted to ask if it was about that poem and the death of the peony, but she chose to keep her words to herself.
He simply said frankly, "The Qiao family is loyal and upright. General, you have come on orders. Just search us."
The lieutenant then instructed his men: "Behave yourselves, don't mess things up."
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