Chapter 335 A poor imitation, utterly unsightly.
Li Nanke's palms were covered in a layer of sticky cold sweat, and he made a face as if he was thinking hard.
After a long pause, he shook his head, with just the right amount of bewilderment and panic.
She knelt down with a thud, her voice tinged with a sob.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine really didn't give me anything. I'm not lying, Your Majesty. I don't know why Her Highness's bedchamber caught fire. This... I didn't start the fire."
The emperor stared at her intently, as if trying to determine the truthfulness of her words.
After a moment, he slowly leaned back on the soft couch and sighed.
"Why are you crying, child? I only asked you a couple of questions, I didn't say you started the fire."
Li Nanke hurriedly wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and she visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
She patted her chest with her small hand and murmured, "I knew it. His Majesty is wise and would never wrong me."
The emperor raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly pleased by the remark, and waved his hand.
"Alright, get up, you don't need to kneel anymore."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Nanke's eyes brightened slightly. He hurriedly got up from the ground and stood awkwardly to the side.
The emperor glanced at her and asked casually, "I heard from A-Cong that you left the palace with him yesterday and even had a meal on the street?"
Li Nanke's heart tightened.
After what happened with Prince Chen, a seed of suspicion had been planted in her heart towards the emperor, so she had an instinctive wariness.
She didn't know if the emperor was testing her or if Shen Cong had really told the emperor what happened yesterday.
His mind raced, and after a moment's thought, he nodded.
"Yes, Your Highness noticed I was in a bad mood, so he took me to Yunxi Tower for a delicious meal. Your Highness is a good person!"
"Feeling down? Oh? Why is that?"
Li Nanke's eyes darkened slightly, her head drooped, and she glanced at the emperor's expression before whispering, "This humble woman...this humble woman likes the Imperial Concubine very much. Seeing that the Imperial Concubine has suddenly changed, I feel very sad."
The emperor seemed not to have expected this answer. After a moment of silence, he suddenly continued, "Acong has been indifferent since childhood and does not like to get close to people."
Many ministers in the court are afraid of him, yet you are so close to him. Aren't you afraid of him?
Li Nanke shook his head.
"Don't worry, we only realized how much the Prince knows after we started studying at Jingxing Academy. Master Wu often had the Prince give us lessons."
I really enjoy listening to the Prince's lectures and I love talking to him. He's a good person!
The emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at her intently.
“Good man… but the court officials don’t think so.”
Li Nanke blinked and muttered to herself.
"I am not a minister of the court."
The emperor seemed amused by her words, and coughed lightly twice.
Then waved his hand.
"I have asked all my questions. You may leave."
Li Nanke kowtowed and bowed, then quietly slipped out.
After leaving Daqing Hall and entering the passageway leading to the inner palace, she finally let out a long breath.
A gust of cold wind blew by, making her shiver involuntarily, and she realized with a start that her back was already soaked with cold sweat.
"girl."
Nangong Qiang appeared silently behind her.
She wiped the fine sweat from her forehead and looked at Nangong Qiang.
He asked in a low voice, "So, you're giving the things to Ninth Brother?"
Nangong Qiang nodded.
Li Nanke breathed a sigh of relief.
Before she followed the eunuch to the Daqing Hall, she secretly signaled to Nangong Qiang to hide in the passageway beforehand.
As she passed by, she quietly dropped the note left by Consort Wang.
After Nangong Qiang took it, she gave it directly to Chen Cong.
She worried that if she got to the Daqing Palace and her clothes got wet again and she had to change them, then she wouldn't be able to hide the note on her body.
Nangong Qiang said, "The prince has put the note away. His Majesty has ordered the prince to take charge of the funeral arrangements for the Imperial Concubine."
The prince said he would be very busy these days and would come to see the young lady again after he finished. He told the young lady to be careful in the next few days.
Li Nanke frowned slightly.
Consort Wang was buried with the rites due to an empress. Shouldn't the Ministry of Rites be responsible for her funeral arrangements?
Why did His Majesty assign the responsibility to Ninth Brother?
She did not understand the emperor's intentions.
"Did Ninth Brother say anything else?"
Nangong Qiang shook her head. "When I went there, the prince was arguing with the people from the Ministry of Rites about the specifications of the imperial concubine's tomb. It was a huge commotion inside, and the prince didn't have time to say anything."
After a moment's thought, Li Nanke understood what was going on.
The emperor ordered that Consort Wang be buried with the rites due to an empress. Since ancient times, emperors and empresses have been buried together, meaning that Consort Wang should be buried in the imperial mausoleum.
However, the emperor has been on the throne for less than eight years, and the imperial mausoleum is only half-built, so Consort Wang has no way to be buried in the mausoleum.
"I overheard that the Ministry of Rites suggested burying the Imperial Concubine nearby first, regardless of the size of the grave, and then moving her there after the imperial mausoleum is completed."
The prince disagreed, so an argument ensued.
As Li Nanke walked toward the inner palace, he listened to Nangong Qiang speak.
If they are buried nearby first, it will be difficult to move them to the imperial mausoleum later.
"Does Ninth Brother intend to temporarily place the Imperial Concubine's body elsewhere, and then bury her directly after the Imperial Mausoleum is completed?"
Nangong Qiang looked at her with a hint of admiration.
“The young lady and the prince are exactly the same; that is exactly what the prince suggested.”
Nangong Qiang looked around, then bent down slightly and whispered in Li Nanke's ear.
He whispered, "After receiving that note, the prince insisted even more on keeping the body at Xiangguo Temple first."
Li Nanke guessed Shen Cong's thoughts.
The death of the imperial concubine is obviously suspicious. If she is buried, will we have to dig up the grave and examine the body if we want to investigate in the future?
If the body were kept at Xiangguo Temple, it would be more convenient to open the coffin and examine the corpse.
I just don't know if the emperor will agree...
As she was pondering this, someone suddenly called out from behind, followed by a hand reaching out and patting her shoulder.
"Wanqing, I've finally found you."
The hand didn't even touch her shoulder before Nangong Qiang slapped it away.
The other party was furious, "How dare you disrespect this prince?"
Li Nanke turned her head and saw Shen Xu glaring angrily at Nangong Qiang.
"His Highness suddenly appeared from behind, which startled us. How can you blame us for being prepared?"
Shen Xu stared at Li Nanke, a hint of surprise flashing across his slightly dark face, before his brows furrowed.
He blurted out, "Li Nanke, how could it be you?"
Li Nanke chuckled as he recalled the name he had just called out.
"Otherwise what? Who does Your Highness think it is? Zhao Wanqing? Heh, we studied together at Jingxing Academy for more than half a year, how could Your Highness mistake someone else for someone else?"
If Zhao Wanqing knew, she would be heartbroken, wouldn't she?
Shen Xu blushed and then glared at Li Nanke with dissatisfaction.
"It's all your fault. Why did you wear the same pearl headband as Wanqing?"
Shen Xu glanced at the headband on her head, his face full of disdain.
"Li Nanke, you didn't just see Wanqing wearing a pearl headband and thought it looked good, so you're wearing one too? Ha, what a terrible imitation!"
Li Nanke was so angry he laughed.
"Who are you calling a poor imitation?"
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