Chapter 486: Strangeness in Jinlan Courtyard
Xiong Feng answered truthfully, "Miss Zhao said that Congrong was born into a peasant family and did not know his own identity. Her words were full of contempt and provocation towards Congrong. I find it strange. Why does Miss Zhao have such deep hostility towards Congrong?"
Everyone looked at Princess Qingkang.
Princess Qingkang insisted that this was slander.
The emperor finally set his sights on Zhu Sha, "Come here! Take this slave away for interrogation, and make her tell the truth! In addition, arrest all the maids who were with Miss Zhao yesterday and interrogate them!"
Princess Qingkang was shocked, "Your Majesty."
The emperor interrupted her, "You don't want your daughter to die in vain, right?"
Princess Qingkang fell to the ground instantly, her eyes dull.
She didn't know what happened between her daughter and Shen Congrong, but she knew that her father-in-law had been cursing Yong'an Marquis at home these past two days. Could it be that her daughter was deliberately making things difficult for Shen Congrong for this reason?
Even so, Shen Congrong shouldn't kill her precious daughter. No matter what, she must seek justice for her daughter!
The palace had a set of interrogation methods. Zhu Sha was just an ordinary maid and could not stand it at all. She explained the whole cause and effect in just half an hour.
There is no difference with what Shen Congrong said.
When the emperor learned that Shen Congrong was wronged, his expression eased a lot, and he said in a gentle voice: “It seems that the key lies with that eunuch. Do you remember what that eunuch looks like?”
"Don't be in a hurry, think about it carefully." said the Queen Mother.
Shen Congrong said carefully: "The eunuch was not tall, very thin, and always kept his head down. I only remember that he looked delicate."
This description can be found in more than half of the palace.
Just as the emperor was frowning, Xiong Feng stood up and said, "I saw that the young eunuch was not angry at all after being beaten, but looked terrified. So I followed him all the way and found that he entered Jinlan Courtyard and never came out again."
"Jinlan Courtyard!" The emperor and empress stood up at the same time.
Even Princess Qingkang stopped crying and looked at Xiong Feng in surprise.
Liu Laosan was also panicking, and hurriedly said: "Xiong Feng, did you see it wrong? Jinlan Courtyard has been abandoned for more than 20 years, there is no one in there!"
Xiong Feng thought about it carefully and became more and more certain, "I am not mistaken. The plaque hanging above the courtyard says 'Jinlan Courtyard'. I don't know what the courtyard is used for, and I was afraid of being discovered. I hid in the corner and waited for a quarter of an hour, but no one came out, so I left."
The emperor took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Zhou Song, forget it! Marquis Yong'an, take your men to search Jinlan Courtyard now and bring Xiong Feng with you."
Eunuch Zhou and the confidants of the Queen Mother also went with them.
After leaving the imperial study, Xiong Feng whispered to Liu Laosan, "Uncle Liu, is there any problem with Jinlan Courtyard?"
Liu Laosan strode forward with a cold face and replied seriously: "This matter involves some royal secrets. Why are you asking so many questions like that? Are you sure that the other party has really entered Jinlan Courtyard?"
Xiong Feng nodded heavily, "I'll take you there to see it."
Xiong Feng ran forward, followed by a group of people and a team of imperial guards. When they reached the corner of the corridor, Xiong Feng ran forward a few steps and pointed at the roof not far away. "Look, I was here at the time. Isn't that the 'Jinlan Courtyard' over there? That person went in through that doorway and never came out."
Eunuch Zhou looked around and said, "The Imperial Guards pass by every two hours. As long as we time it right and avoid them, it's really safe to run here."
"Eunuch Zhou, let's go in and take a look." Nanny Gui, the Queen Mother's confidant, said hurriedly.
A group of people stepped into the doorway.
What meets the eye is a bluestone floor covered with weeds. The water in the large vats in the courtyard has dried up. The pavilions nearby are covered with cobwebs. The doors and windows of the main hall appear to be intact but are actually crumbling, with no signs of human presence.
The conditions in the left and right wing rooms are similar, and you can see clearly what's going on inside through the windows, so there's no possibility of anyone hiding there.
Everyone tacitly agreed not to go in, but went around to the back, where there was a small doorway, through which there was a yard, a well on the side, and firewood piled in the corner of the eaves. This place was more like a small kitchen.
Xiong Feng was surprised. You know, only the imperial kitchen in the palace had a well, which was used specifically for cooking.
This courtyard should have had a small kitchen before, and it seems that even the queen did not have such treatment.
At this moment, even if he was ignorant, he knew that this Jinlan Courtyard was unusual, and his face turned even paler.
Liu Laosan took the Imperial Guards to search all the houses in the yard.
Xiong Feng also wanted to join in the search, but his legs went weak due to fear and he accidentally tripped over the uneven ground and fell flat on his face.
Liu Laosan was speechless. Just as he was about to pull him up, he suddenly found something strange about the cracks on the ground. "Come and see, there's blood here!"
Eunuch Zhou, Madam Gui and others ran over immediately, took a closer look, and they all covered their mouths at the same time.
There was indeed bloodstains around the corner of the bluestone slab, which had already dried. If you didn't look carefully, you would think it was dirt.
The trail of blood spread all the way to the well.
But when I looked closer, there was nothing unusual in the water.
Aunt Gui got goosebumps all over her body. "We must report this to the Queen Mother right away. There is something wrong with this courtyard!"
In fact, what she wanted to say was that there was something wrong with the well, but she didn't dare to speak out.
Liu Laosan also realized the seriousness of the problem, and immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to surround Jinlan Courtyard. He and Xiong Feng hurried back to the Imperial Study to report.
"Your Majesty, a trail of dried blood was found in the courtyard of the small kitchen of Jinlan Courtyard. The trail of blood extended all the way to the well and disappeared. Please make the decision, Your Majesty!"
The Queen Mother's face turned pale when she received Gui Ma's hint. After a while, she shed two lines of tears in pain, "Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly! You must investigate thoroughly! What happened that year must not happen again!"
The emperor clenched his fists coldly, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again. He had already made up his mind, "Marquis Yong'an, do whatever you suspect. The Imperial Guards will all be at your disposal. Make sure to investigate the matter of Jinlan Courtyard thoroughly!"
"yes!"
After Liu Laosan left, the emperor looked at Princess Qingkang and said, "Qingkang, I will investigate the poisoning of your daughter and give you an explanation. This matter has nothing to do with Shen Congrong, the grandson of Marquis Yong'an. As a princess, you should distinguish right from wrong. As for the loss of your daughter, I will not pursue the matter. Go away!"
Princess Qingkang was too embarrassed to face anyone, so she left the imperial study on her knees with her head lowered.
Seeing her like this, the Queen Mother and the Empress felt very uncomfortable.
Especially the Queen Mother, she covered her chest and lamented that it was not easy, "Qingkang brought his daughter to the palace to pay respects to me these few times. I thought Furong was a good kid, and originally wanted to follow Qingkang's wishes to match Ajue and Furong, but I didn't expect..."
The queen on the side angrily advised: "Mother, it's a good thing you haven't mentioned this matter yet. Zhao Furong is only thirteen years old. A thirteen-year-old girl can bully a ten-year-old child like this, which shows that she is not a truly kind person.
Also, the girl could say such things because she was either influenced by what she saw and heard, or someone taught her. Either way, it shows that the Zhao family's upbringing is not good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
