The first thing Chen Yuwei did after returning to the palace was to describe the relevant fabric information and then have someone go back to the palace to check it under the pretext of holding the Thousand Autumns Banquet.
Xingkui did not disappoint Chen Yuwei's high regard for her. In just three days, Xingkui had already sorted out the whole story of the fabric.
As expected, it's inevitable that the people from Yikun Palace will betray their own side.
Not only was one piece of fabric missing from the warehouse, but the remaining piece also showed signs of cutting, and the marks were fresh, indicating that it was a recent occurrence.
"Your Majesty, this fabric is a tribute from Jiangnan. His Majesty only sent some to you and Cining Palace."
Since the Empress Dowager's death, the Cining Palace has been sealed off by imperial decree, and most of the storerooms have been returned to the Imperial Household Department after being archived, while a small portion has been distributed to the concubines in the palace who are from the Niohuru clan.
Chen Yuwei picked up the teacup, gently brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.
"The person has been found? What was the outcome?"
Xingkui was even more furious upon hearing this. Hadn't Yikun Palace treated them well enough? They actually chose to betray their master for a little personal desire.
"Two have been caught, one as lookout and the other responsible for stealing."
"The people have already been placed under guard by my servants. What does Your Highness intend to do with them?" She would not hesitate to send them to the Censorate without question.
Chen Yuwei pondered for a moment, "The warehouse should be missing more than just one bolt of cloth like this."
First, record it according to the ledger, then you can go back and handle it discreetly for me.
As for the people, let's hand them over to the Censorate for now. Spare their lives; they'll be useful later.
Xingkui nodded in agreement, "This servant understands."
Xingkui came and went in a hurry, returning to the Yuanmingyuan Garden in less than an hour before leaving again.
Because of the principle of keeping a low profile, not many people notice this situation.
Moreover, this happened to be two days before Hongli's birthday banquet, and everyone generally believed that Chen Yuwei's actions were related to the banquet.
Chen Yuwei's subsequent departure from the palace to seek an audience with the Emperor at Jiuzhou Qingyan only confirmed their suspicions.
"Hmph! The Imperial Noble Consort is truly diligent and conscientious. If I were the Emperor, I would probably be deeply moved."
No wonder she has been able to maintain her honor until now. After failing in matters of the heart and relying on her beauty, she has found other paths. The Imperial Noble Consort is truly shrewd.
Wei Hanyu didn't forget to make a sarcastic remark, and also mocked Chen Yuwei, saying that no matter what she did, it was useless, and that the Yikun Palace lineage would eventually have to give way to the Yongshou Palace lineage.
Ping'er had long been used to her master's occasional erratic outbursts.
After all, ever since he got involved with Consort Ning, the master's mood has been off.
He was in an unprecedented state of excitement, and no matter what he was doing, he would curse the Imperial Noble Consort next door whenever he had the chance.
Ping'er: ...
Ping'er once suspected that the Empress might have suffered some kind of shock and was acting strangely. Later, after seeing that the Empress treated everyone else normally, but lost control only when facing the Imperial Noble Consort, she understood it as inevitable.
After all, the Imperial Noble Consort always held a position of power over her master but could never replace him.
Over time, the master's mindset will definitely change to some extent.
It's just a matter of the Imperial Noble Consort using the concepts of Yin and Yang; she even resorted to witchcraft. These are nothing compared to that.
"Your Majesty, the bed has been made. Let me help you to rest."
Ping'er lowered her head and behaved very obediently.
Wei Hanyu turned around and glanced indifferently at the maid who had come close to her. She condescended to give a soft "hmm," and said, "Take a rest. I've been working so hard these past few days, I'm exhausted."
Ping'er: ...smile
Supporting her master by the arm, Ping'er helped him to bed and made sure he was settled. She then lowered the curtains on both sides to block out the sunlight.
She turned and came out of the inner room, walked around the screen embroidered with a picture of a beautiful woman, and slowly exhaled. Her gaze into the distance became firm again.
On the other side, Chen Yuwei finally met Hongli. Compared to their last meeting, Hongli had aged a bit.
As if all his energy had been drained, Hongli looked extremely tired and even yawned while talking to Chen Yuwei.
Chen Yuwei: ...
How could this have happened? Are those imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital just sitting around doing nothing?
Completely bewildered by Hongli's changing situation, Chen Yuwei told him about the theft from her warehouse.
"Theft? Which servant had the idea to steal things from the storeroom?"
As the person with the richest private treasury, Hongli was quite familiar with this kind of operation.
Since this kind of thing happens to him from time to time, the best solution is to have someone go over and clean the warehouse and re-inspect it every now and then. However, this is only a temporary solution and can only try to minimize the losses.
Chen Yuwei nodded, "It's also because I've been too kind to them. I've dealt with several cases of the warehouse issue before, but I didn't expect it to resurface."
"Your Majesty, I have already arranged for Xingkui to return to the palace and handle this discreetly. It is His Majesty's birthday banquet today; there is no need to let these servants spoil the occasion."
Hongli nodded and said, "Send him to the Imperial Prison for proper interrogation. Since he can't serve his master well, there's no need for him to occupy the position and waste his time."
It is said that as people get older, their hardened hearts soften, but unfortunately, no matter how old Hongli was, his heart never softened.
Listen to what she's saying; Chen Yuwei is criticizing Hongli for doing things as he pleases.
"I have entrusted Xingkui with full authority. I believe that after this battle, Yikun Palace will be cleaned up considerably."
There's no such thing as someone who's truly unafraid of death. We all only have one life, isn't it better to be alive?
"Is this all the Consort Gui has come to say to me today? Given our relationship, isn't it a bit too cautious of you to act like this?"
Hongli's eyes probed, revealing his unavoidable suspicions.
That's how old people are—always suspicious and paranoid, always wondering about this and that.
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