"Useless idiots! Trash! A bunch of useless trash!"
In the middle of the night, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor was angry again.
Chen Dafu and his young apprentice stood guard outside the hall, preventing others from approaching.
He peeked through the crack in the door and saw that folding papers were scattered all over the floor, tables and chairs were all overturned, and the black-clad man with half his face covered by a mask was kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.
Chen Dafu's first thought was: Fortunately, this batch of newly replaced teacups and porcelain are all ordinary items...
Hearing the commotion inside, the young apprentice shrank back in fright and moved closer to Chen Dafu.
"Master, the Emperor's temper has been getting worse lately."
"Shh!" Chen Dafu made a shushing gesture, then looked up and slapped him on the back of the head. "How dare you question the Emperor? Watch your mouth, or I won't even be able to collect your body when you die."
The young apprentice quickly covered his mouth, not daring to say anything more.
Chen Dafu squinted and continued to stand there like a doorman.
That night, many families in the capital stayed up all night, and similar incidents were happening.
The Crown Princess only received the news the following afternoon.
"What? You're saying there was a sudden fire on the estate, and everyone there was burned to death? What about Consort Xi? What about the children?!"
The Crown Princess suddenly stood up, her face full of shock.
Granny Hu replied with a look of fear, "They're all... all dead. The ground is covered with charred corpses, and it's impossible to tell them apart."
The Crown Princess suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
"She's pregnant, so her figure must be different from others!"
Granny Hu swallowed hard and said in a low voice.
"No pregnant woman was found at the scene, but... but a baby's body was found..."
Clang!
The Crown Princess felt dizzy and knocked over the screen.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Granny Hu cried out in alarm, and chaos erupted in the main hall. Yao Huang hurriedly sent someone to fetch the imperial physician.
In no time at all, the news had spread throughout the entire Eastern Palace.
The women in the rear hall were all terrified, and Du Chenghui also fainted.
On the contrary, Lady Rouliang in the west wing seemed not to have heard anything and did not make a sound.
The imperial physician examined the Crown Princess's pulse, sighed, and simply told her to relax and rest well. He didn't say anything else before following the palace maid to write a prescription.
Wei Zi was the one leading the way.
"Imperial Physician, our Empress's illness..."
Wei Zi asked with a concerned expression.
The imperial physician shook his head: "Your Majesty has been worrying too much. I advised you about it before, but you didn't seem to take it to heart. Now, with the continuous stream of bad news, your condition has worsened."
"Thank you very much, Imperial Physician. Give me the prescription, and I'll go to the Imperial Pharmacy to get the medicine myself!"
The imperial physician naturally did not refuse and handed her the written prescription.
Wei Zi took the prescription and walked out.
As she reached the palace gate, she suddenly paused, glanced at the inside of the palace, and a dark glint flashed in her eyes.
The Prince of Wu's residence and the Prince of Qin's residence were slow to receive the news, and both princes were surprised and uncertain.
Princess Qin wept uncontrollably and insisted on personally going to the estate to collect the bodies of Song Xibai and her child. However, she herself was pregnant, so how could Prince Qin agree? He half-persuaded and half-forced her back to her room, instructing the maids and servants to keep an eye on the princess and not allow her to go out.
As for Princess Wu, after her initial surprise, she remained unconvinced, always feeling that Song Xibai had a backup plan, and remained quite calm.
Where did Song Xibai go?
When the fire broke out, she took Granny Fangqi, Dingxiang, Wei Hong and others, and boarded an inconspicuous carriage to return to the capital!
The carriage moved very slowly, and it didn't arrive at the city gate until almost dawn.
They entered the city without any obstacles, drove north along the main road for more than 25 minutes, and finally stopped behind a large house at the junction of the west and north sides of the city.
This house occupies nearly half a street, and early in the morning, the area outside the gate is bustling with activity, with countless carriages and pedestrians coming and going.
This is the most prestigious mansion in Beijing in recent years – the Shu Mansion.
The Shu family's mansion was clearly built in violation of regulations.
But with the most favored concubine in the family and the gentlemen holding high positions, even if the mansion exceeded the limit, who would dare to say anything?
Naturally, some upright ministers had submitted memorials impeaching him, but the emperor ignored them, and everyone understood his meaning.
The Shu family expanded little by little, and the original houses in the left and right alleys and back alleys were all forcibly bought by the Shu family through various means.
Especially in the back alleys, where ordinary people originally lived, they were forced to sell their houses but did not receive the money they were entitled to, and could only live in cramped rooms.
At 3:45 AM, this narrow alleyway comes alive with people getting up early to cook, going out to work, and walking through the streets and alleys, all in a hurry.
The carriage stopped outside the alley, and several people wearing veils got out and walked into the second courtyard.
Just then, the neighbor next door opened their door, and the friendly neighbor greeted them.
"Auntie, your daughter's here? Is she about to give birth?"
Wu Pozi, who came from a secret guard background, was a little nervous and adjusted her expression before replying.
"There's still a month left!"
“Your daughter is also pitiful. Such a good in-laws, but they were all gone because of the flood... It’s good that you brought her back. After the child is born, raise her well and she can take care of you in your old age.”
Granny Wu pretended to be sad and touched the corner of her eye. After saying a few more words, she closed the door.
Upon entering the room, she hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects.
"This old servant greets my master."
Song Xibai had already removed her veil and was looking around the room with great interest. Seeing her bowing so solemnly, she quickly asked Wei Hong to help her up.
"No way! Walls have ears. You're my mother now. If outsiders see this, wouldn't we be exposed?"
Song Xibai said with a smile.
Granny Wu wiped her sweat, apologized, and then got up and sat down.
Seeing that she was uncomfortable, Granny Fangqi took the initiative to talk to her. The two were close in age, with Granny Wu being a few years older than Granny Fangqi, but she looked much older due to years of hard work.
Granny Wu was part of the outer perimeter of the secret guards; in reality, she was a spy planted by the Crown Prince in other residences.
Of course, there were many spies planted in the Shu family, and Granny Wu was the most inconspicuous one.
Song Xibai chose to come here for two reasons: first, to avoid being investigated by those forces; and second, because Granny Wu really did have a daughter who had married and moved away.
The courtyard only has three main rooms. The courtyard is very small. There is a small kitchen and a woodshed built outside the east side of the house. It is really crowded with so many people living there.
But the houses of the neighbors on both sides were about the same size, and some even had three generations living together. With so many people, they were not particularly noticeable.
Granny Fangqi went out with Granny Wu to familiarize themselves with the surroundings.
Song Xibai rubbed her temples and asked about the rest of the story.
"Is everything settled at that child's home?"
Wei Hong nodded: "I personally watched them get into the carriage and leave the capital to visit relatives in Jiangnan. That sister-in-law is extremely grateful and wants to kowtow to you in person!"
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