Maintaining his image as a good husband, Heshen escorted Wuyunzhu back to her room and instructed the palace servants around him to take good care of the princess. He then turned and went back to his study to deal with the business he had accumulated.
They couldn't ignore the business; it was the culmination of their years of hard work and also their closest connection to the Emperor.
Sometimes even Heshen was puzzled. Logically speaking, such a major witchcraft incident had already affected his personal interests, and his temperament should have been strongly affected.
But in reality, this was not the case. From the moment Heshen got involved in the incident until he returned to his residence safely, his mindset was surprisingly peaceful.
It was as if this had nothing to do with him.
But the matter clearly involved the Imperial Noble Consort, who was the absolute core of their Yikun Palace lineage.
"Oh"
Heshen, sitting in his study, gave a soft chuckle, shook his head, and went back to work.
On the other side, Hongli, who had returned to the rear palace of Kyushu Qingyan, had passed through the period of his angrier self and had calmed down.
She was still clutching a voodoo doll she had brought back from the banquet.
Gao Yu followed behind Hongli with her back bowed, her expression hesitant the whole way, unsure of how to speak.
Tsk tsk
"Gao Yu, take some men to the main hall and continue searching. There should be more than one doll like this."
The doll landed in front of Gao Yu, its slightly comical face revealing very familiar handwriting and the birth date and time of a certain concubine.
“Zha”
Without uttering a word or saying anything more, Gao Yu picked up the witchcraft doll, turned around, and went out.
Squeak—
The door opened and closed, and Hongli turned his back to the door.
His eyes no longer held the sharpness they once had in the front hall. Hongli pondered the events of the day.
Was it the Imperial Noble Consort who did it? It doesn't seem likely.
Given the Imperial Noble Consort's style of conduct, she would not do something so obviously malicious as to frame someone.
The incident occurred in the front hall of Jiuzhou Qingyan, where he held his Thousand Autumns Banquet. Theoretically, only the Imperial Noble Consort, who was in charge of the banquet, would have had the opportunity to tamper with things inside.
But that's precisely where the problem lies; it's all too obvious.
Whether he can touch the witchcraft doll or read the writing on it, does he think he's a complete idiot? Such a perfunctory and flawed plan, humph!
Having calmed down, Hongli became angry again. He felt that no matter who was plotting against him this time, he would never let them get away with it.
...
"Your Highness, breakfast has been served. Let me help you to your meal."
Chen Yuwei stood by the window, the voice of a maidservant ringing in her ears.
Turning her head, Chen Yuwei nodded and asked if any news had come from outside as she walked towards the main hall.
She has been locked up for several days, and her mood hasn't fluctuated much, but the place where she usually moves around is just this small area.
It's important to understand that being able to go out and not being able to go out are two different things. Chen Yuwei could stay in the courtyard by herself, but she couldn't stand being restricted from going out by imperial decree.
call
This is probably because I had a good life before and overestimated myself.
The maid shook her head. "Not for now, but some of the guards who were stationed at the door have been withdrawn."
It's down by about 30%. If there were ten people guarding it initially, now there are only seven left.
Although the number of people doesn't seem to have decreased much, it's clear that things are moving in a positive direction.
After all, if their mistress or empress is highly suspected, then there will be no shortage of guards watching over her.
Therefore, the maid was happy to see the number of guards outside reduced.
Unfortunately, the maid's optimism did not reach Chen Yuwei.
Chen Yuwei sat at the octagonal table, with breakfast already neatly laid out beside her.
She gestured to the maid to bring her a bowl of soup, and Chen Yuwei picked up the spoon and tasted it.
It tasted good, especially the perfectly balanced saltiness, which made her feel comfortable.
"Another bowl, please."
With nothing much to do in the bedroom, Chen Yuwei could only relax.
Upon hearing this, the maidservant brought over another bowl, and also picked up some green vegetables with her chopsticks and placed them on the porcelain plate.
"Has Xingkui sent any news back?"
Two days before the incident, Xingkui rushed back to the Forbidden City to handle a series of issues arising from the warehouse.
According to Chen Yuwei's original plan, Hongli would definitely investigate the witchcraft incident at the banquet and would then investigate the palace. Xingkui took the opportunity to throw the palace servants who were being tortured in the Shenxing Division in front of the emperor, which could be considered a breakthrough.
Several days passed, but neither Kyushu Qingyan nor Xingkui made any move, which was puzzling.
The maid was taken aback by Chen Yuwei's question. She pondered the news about Xingkui carefully and continued to shake her head with a puzzled expression.
"Let's find an opportunity to get in touch with Xingkui in the palace."
As you said, the number of guards stationed outside is decreasing.
At this time, contacting the outside world should not encounter too much resistance.
The maid nodded in agreement, indicating that she understood.
He lowered his head and continued eating his still-steaming breakfast, then returned to his tatami mat to rest.
Chen Yuwei summoned the system and asked it to check if Xingkui in the Forbidden City was being held back by something. Unexpectedly, the system's feedback was far more troublesome than being held back.
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