Lady Hui's heart was pounding, and she tried her best to keep her voice normal. "That day, I went to Yanxue Palace to visit Consort Rou. I saw the beautiful pattern on her purse, so I remembered it and embroidered a handkerchief on it when I got back."
Seeing that Zhao Yuancheng was silent, Concubine Hui asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Yuancheng came back to his senses and handed the handkerchief back. His expression remained unchanged, but a hint of suspicion flashed across his eyes. "Are you saying you saw this pattern on Consort Rou's purse? Do you remember what it looked like exactly?"
Lady Hui explained it in detail, especially describing the lotus and willow leaf patterns on the back of the purse clearly.
The more Zhao Yuancheng listened, the more surprised he felt. If he remembered correctly, the purse that Lady Hui described should be the one that belonged to the commoner Liu.
Liu had already been executed, and all her personal belongings in Qiulan Palace were sent to the fire that day.
But where did this purse come from?
Why is it on Rou Zhaoyi?
Fearing he was wrong, Zhao Yuancheng refused to give up and ordered someone to bring pen and paper. He looked at Hui Meiren solemnly and said, "Draw the shape of the purse for me to see."
Lady Hui pretended to understand nothing and drew little by little according to Zhao Yuancheng's instructions.
When Zhao Yuancheng saw the clear purse pattern on the paper, his eyes suddenly darkened and a clear coldness gradually emerged.
Looking at the emperor's reaction, Hui Meiren secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Yuancheng remained silent for a long time. The atmosphere in the room was oppressive. After an unknown amount of time, the emperor finally spoke, "You should go back first."
Lady Hui had achieved her goal, so she knelt down and left as Zhao Yuancheng said.
After leaving Zichen Palace and finding a deserted place, Hui Meiren leaned against the wall and gasped for breath. God knows how scared she was after doing what she had just done.
If Zhao Yuancheng were to notice even a little clue, all the arrangements made by the imperial concubine would be in vain.
"Huaying, did the Emperor understand what I just said?"
Huaying held an umbrella for her master and said in a deep voice, "He must have heard it. When I came out, I saw that the emperor's face had changed. With that purse, the emperor must be suspicious. If he wants to investigate Concubine Rou's background, it might be done in the next few days."
At this time, in the Zichen Palace, Hui Meiren had been gone for more than half an hour, and Zhao Yuancheng was still standing by the window without saying a word.
Zhu Yu came in at the right time to ask if the emperor wanted to take a bath and rest, but he heard Zhao Yuancheng ask him, "Has Lady Hui been to Yanxue Palace often these days?"
Zhu Yu pondered and said, "The weather has been hot these past few days, and with Prince Xuanshou gone, Concubine Hui has been helping the Imperial Noble Consort with harem affairs. She has been visiting Concubine Rou quite often. The Empress seems to get along well with Concubine Hui. I heard that the Empress is in a much better mood these days."
As he spoke, he saw Zhao Yuancheng handing him a piece of paper. "Look, do you recognize this purse?"
Zhu Yu took a closer look and felt that it looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. "It looks very familiar. I remember it seemed to be a favorite of some lady."
"Liu Shuren!"
Zhu Yu suddenly realized, "Yes, this purse with lotus and willow leaf patterns is indeed what Liu Shuren often wore around his waist. Your Majesty, how did you think of this?"
Zhao Yuancheng's face was gloomy. He slowly mentioned that he had also seen this pattern on Hui Meiren's handkerchief. "Tell me, is she deliberately trying to arouse my suspicion?"
Zhu Yu was stunned. "I remember that although Concubine Hui was the maid in charge of tea at Jiyue Terrace, the concubines rarely came to Jiyue Terrace. Moreover, the rules of the Eastern Palace were very strict. The palace maids had their own duties and could not move around freely without the emperor's order. After you ascended the throne, Concubine Hui even lived in the remote Jinxiu Pavilion and rarely interacted with others. To be disrespectful, Concubine Hui does not look like a scheming person like you."
Although Zhu Yu's words made sense, they did not dispel Zhao Yuancheng's suspicion. He lowered his eyes and looked at the thing in Zhu Yu's hand.
Zhao Yuancheng thought it over again and again, then said coldly, "Go check who's left in the Liu family's main branch. I remember that Liu Shuren has a younger sister."
Although Zhu Yu was surprised why the Liu family was being investigated out of the blue, he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just bowed and agreed. Before leaving, he heard the emperor solemnly instruct him: "Don't let a single word of this matter be spread outside. If you don't, you'll be in trouble."
"Yes, I obey your order."
The door creaked shut, and Zhao Yuancheng looked out the window silently. Anxiety was like a shadow, gradually gathering in his dark pupils.
After that day, the Zichen Palace became quiet.
Hui Meiren was very anxious and worried that she hadn't hit the point. Fu Qianyu was very calm about this and just asked her to act according to the plan.
A few days later, a palace maid passed by Huayang Palace and was shocked to find that the gate of Huayang Palace was closed. After inquiring from many sources, she found out that the three little princes seemed to be sick.
The imperial concubine was anxious for a moment, so she closed the door and refused visitors, focusing on taking care of her three sons.
The Bixiao Palace was keeping an eye on every move of the Huayang Palace at all times. When Xing'er came in with a solemn face and told the Huayang Palace that it was closing its doors to visitors.
Qian Jieyu's heart skipped a beat and she asked nervously, "Are they all sick?"
"Yes, I have made careful inquiries and have learned that the three princes suddenly developed a high fever three nights ago, and the imperial physician was summoned that night. However, because the previous dynasty was busy with the war, the imperial concubine did not dare to make it public, so she quietly ordered the imperial physician to treat them."
Qian Jieyu slowly touched the bracelet on her wrist, "What about Yongfu Palace?"
"Yongfu Palace is doing fine, but this morning I went to the Imperial Hospital to get you some medicine. The doctor said that Lady Hui seems to be ill as well. The skin on the back of her hand connecting to her wrist is ulcerated."
Qian Jieyu's heart skipped a beat. "Skin ulcers? How could this happen? Didn't they say the medicine wouldn't cause any symptoms?"
"Master, please don't worry. I think it might be that Miss Hui used something wrong, which caused the skin ulcer. It's not necessarily caused by the poison."
Despite saying this, Concubine Qian still felt uneasy. After thinking for a moment, she told Xing'er, "Let's go to Yongfu Palace and take a look. Now that things have come to this, we can't be careless."
As they were talking, Concubine Qian was about to leave, but Xing'er said, "Isn't it too early to go now?"
"Although Lady Hui is not of high birth, she is, after all, a sister who serves the Emperor. Moreover, Yongfu Palace is only separated from us by a wall. It is open and aboveboard for us to visit the patient. There is nothing to be afraid of."
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