Shen Youying nodded and called Bai Luodanzhu in to help her wash up.
Because the palace summons was urgent, she dared not waste too much time. After changing into her official lady's robes and quickly doing her hair and makeup, she and Xue Shen rode in a carriage into the palace.
When they arrived at the palace gate, they found that Prince Chen and Zhou Zhenrong had also arrived.
The two sides had always been at odds, and Xue Shen never hid it. Without even saying hello, he signaled to the eunuch leading the way to push him and walk ahead first.
Shen Youying quickly followed beside him, but was stopped by a female official: "Princess Qin, Consort Zhou, please come with me. Her Majesty is already waiting in Ciyuan Hall."
Only then did Shen Youying realize that the two were not together. She subconsciously looked at Xue Shen, but he did not turn around and was already being pushed away by the eunuch. She could only suppress her unease and follow the female official leading the way to Ciyuan Palace.
Zhou Zhenrong walked beside her, her eyes darting around, and asked, "Does Princess Qin know about the fire that broke out in the palace yesterday?"
Shen Youying didn't want to pay attention to her, but Zhou Zhenrong's words were still polite, so she was mindful of her pride and said, "I've heard about it."
"I heard that the fire at Funing Palace yesterday was not extinguished until the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). I wonder which thief was so audacious as to set fire to the Emperor's palace." She patted her chest with a look of lingering fear: "Fortunately, the Emperor was protected by Heaven and was not in Funing Palace yesterday."
Shen Youying was unaware of this detail and was slightly taken aback: "So someone deliberately set the fire?"
She thought it was just an accidental flood caused by the dry summer weather.
If it was arson, then it makes sense that the emperor summoned them to the palace before dawn.
Zhou Zhenrong observed her expression and, seeing that it did not seem feigned, frowned slightly and said, "I don't know the specifics either. I should know when I see Her Majesty."
*
Xue Shen and Prince Chen were led to a side hall of the Chuigong Hall.
On the way there, passing by the Funing Palace, which was mostly burned down, Xue Shen frowned and said, "The wind wasn't strong last night. Even if there was a fire, it should have been put out long ago. How could it have burned like this?"
Prince Chen said, "I heard that someone deliberately set the fire, and oil was poured inside the palace."
"Have you caught the arsonist?"
"Not yet." Prince Chen shook his head: "Father summoned us to the palace, probably because of the arsonist."
Xue Shen scoffed: "What are the Imperial Guards doing? It's already dawn, and they haven't even caught a single thief. I think the commanders of the Three Military Commands could just retire and go home."
The Palace Guard, the Imperial Guard Cavalry, and the Imperial Guard Infantry were collectively known as the "Three Offices," which respectively commanded the imperial guards of Tokyo and the palace.
Now that the Funing Palace has been deliberately set on fire and burned down, the thieves have not yet been brought to justice, and the commanders of the three military districts are indeed to blame.
However, Zhou Qing, the commander of the Palace Guard, was his maternal uncle, so Prince Chen naturally wouldn't agree with him. He just snorted and went into the palace to wait.
A moment later, Emperor Cheng'an was helped over by the Grand Eunuch Qi Zhong.
He looked extremely tired, with obvious dark circles under his eyes. After sitting down in the chair, his cloudy eyes swept over the King of Qin and the King of Chen, who stood with their hands at their sides in the hall, like those of a hawk.
The King of Chen was his own son, a mere figurehead used to cover up the truth; the focus today is the King of Qin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
