Chapter 303 Official Family Manuscript
At this point, Lu Zhaoruo suddenly bowed again, her voice abruptly changing to one of surprise and certainty: "Your Majesty! Just as I was led to the gate of Tingzhu Pavilion, before I even stepped inside, I glimpsed a woman's figure hurrying out of a side room and quickly leaving along the corridor... I would never mistake that back view or profile..."
"It seems to be Lin Yingyu, the owner of 'Yingxiang Pavilion'!"
If Abao hadn't said she was Lin Yingyu, she would have just thought of her as an ordinary maid who did chores.
They would never have known that the nanny who ordered thirty-eight sets that day, with her superior words and unconventional demands, was actually instigated by Lin Yingyu.
Looking back now, her requirements for making the clothes, and her reluctance to pay the deposit afterward, are indeed very much like Lin Yingyu's style of doing things.
She paused deliberately, leaving a moment of deathly silence, before continuing, "I dare not conceal this from Your Majesty, but this woman, Lin Yingyu, is the mistress of my late husband, Shen Rongzhi, who lived overseas when we were in Jizhou! When I sued Shen Rongzhi, I also brought this woman to court, and she was imprisoned as a result. I truly do not know... why she has appeared deep within the inner courtyard of the Grand Princess's residence?"
Upon hearing this, Shuheng slowly leaned back in his chair.
He once sent people to thoroughly investigate the old case in Jizhou, and he knew everything about Shen Rongzhi, Lu Zhaoruo and even the entire Shen family, which led to his later appointment of Shuren as a concubine.
He had already sent people to investigate Lin Yingyu's background thoroughly—she was the daughter of the Lin family in Tianshui Well, Yuliao Bay, Guiyu Island. She had two parents and an older brother. She rescued Shen Rongzhi by chance at sea and later had an affair with him, giving birth to a daughter and then becoming pregnant with a son.
This woman should have been serving her sentence in Jizhou, but she was inexplicably exonerated and quietly sneaked into the capital, where she transformed herself into the famous owner of "Yingxiang Pavilion".
Even in his harem, some concubines secretly purchased his perfumes and cosmetics.
A chill gradually settled in Shu Heng's eyes.
A convict managed to build up such a situation right under his nose, and now he's even showing up in the inner courtyard of his imperial aunt's residence...
The two events are connected, and it is by no means a coincidence.
Lu Zhaoruo quietly raised her eyes and saw that Shu Heng was listening intently, so she continued, "After I was led into that side room, I also..."
Shu Heng: "You may speak frankly."
Lu Zhaoruo: "I also smelled a strange fragrance in the room, neither orchid nor musk. When I smelled it, I felt a dull pain in my chest and lungs, and my heart was racing. I almost felt nauseous."
She paused briefly, as if trying to recall and distinguish, and then speculated in a tone of surprise and uncertainty: "I have been traveling at sea with my father since I was a child, and I know a little about spices, but I have never smelled such a fragrance before. This fragrance... does not seem to be produced in China. Its nature is strange, and it seems... it seems to be made from some strange things from overseas."
She took a deep breath: "To be honest, Your Majesty, when I was young, I sailed with my father to a distant island and saw a strange mineral that was as white as bone and icy cold to the touch. It was said that its smoke was poisonous and could harm one's lungs. The strange fragrance in the room today is seven or eight parts similar to the smell of that burning mineral in my memory."
"After returning to the mansion, I felt short of breath and chest tightness, and started coughing, which has not yet subsided."
At this point, the fear in her eyes deepened: "What was even more terrifying was that I suddenly heard the sound of hammering nails outside the window. Someone had nailed the window shut from the outside! Only a small hole remained, as if someone was watching. It was then that I realized... that the so-called 'short stay' was actually house arrest!"
Her voice choked with emotion: "As night deepened, when my chest ached terribly, I suddenly heard a commotion outside the window... It turned out to be General Xiao who had rushed here after hearing the news..."
She recounted in detail how Xiao Yeming broke in, how he was subjected to the "ten steps, one blow" torture on the orders of the Grand Princess, until his blood splattered on the steps, every word of which was filled with tears.
Finally, she mentioned that Eunuch Zhao arrived in time with the imperial edict, saving their lives.
After saying this, her face turned deathly pale, tears streaming down her face. She bowed her head and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty! It is all because of me... It is I who have implicated General Xiao, causing him to be in this precarious situation... I deserve to die a thousand deaths for this crime!"
Shu Heng remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over her slender figure, before finally speaking slowly: "Lady Lu, please rise. I have already understood the whole story."
Lu Zhaoruo thanked him as instructed and sat down on the brocade stool again, but her face was even paler.
Shu Heng did not rush to ask about Xiao Yeming or the poison incense, but changed the subject: "You just said that the cat was later sent out of the Grand Princess's residence... How is the cat now?"
These words struck a nerve with Lu Zhaoruo.
She choked back tears, unable to speak, "Abao succumbed to his injuries and passed away that very night..."
After speaking, she lowered her head again, her slender body trembling beneath the loose, elegant dress. Her silent weeping was more heartbreaking than any wailing.
Shu Heng looked at her silently.
An emperor's heart is accustomed to weathering storms and is not easily moved by sorrow.
But at this moment, the sight of His Highness's figure, almost melted by sorrow, transformed the last trace of cautious hesitation in his eyes into pity and grief.
He offered no words of comfort, which is not the behavior of an emperor.
He waited until her crying subsided before speaking in a deep voice, "I understand."
After a brief pause, he continued, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. You should return to your residence and recuperate properly."
Lu Zhaoruo knew that the first step had already been taken.
She thanked him as instructed and, led by Eunuch Zhao, left the Qinzhengzhai.
The palace doors slowly closed behind them, isolating the warm smell of burning charcoal and the oppressive atmosphere inside.
She walked along the path she had come from, step by step, through the cold palace corridor. The thin winter sunlight shone on her, but she felt no warmth whatsoever.
Her back remained straight, maintaining the proper demeanor of a lady, but her hands trembled slightly within her sleeves.
Every word of the conversation that had taken place in the hall was echoing repeatedly in her mind.
She knew that she had said everything she could and should say in the most advantageous way.
The tragic death of A Bao, Xiao Yeming's serious injury, the strange fragrance of Tingzhu Pavilion, the unusual minerals, and Lin Yingyu and Yingxiang Pavilion—these fragments were enough to piece together a horrifying picture in the mind of a wise ruler.
She wasn't sure how much the official believed her, or to what extent.
But she clearly sensed the momentary silence in the Emperor's eyes when she spoke of A Bao's tragic state; and the sharp glint in his eyes when she mentioned "the exotic fragrance of Tingzhu Pavilion" and "Lin Yingyu".
That's enough.
The seeds have been sown; now all she has to do is wait.
Meanwhile, inside the Qinzhengzhai (勤政斋).
Shu Heng did not immediately deal with other government affairs.
He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, watching Lu Zhaoruo's departing figure.
The image of Lu Zhaoruo suppressing her grief and her tear-streaked face, especially the bone-chilling despair she felt when she mentioned Abao's tragic death, still lingered in his mind.
He was not a ruler easily moved by compassion, but the word "torture and killing," whether applied to humans or animals, crossed his bottom line as emperor.
Moreover, this matter involves the lives and safety of his imperial aunt, a highly accomplished grand princess, and a newly promoted meritorious official.
"Someone come here."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the empty hall.
A dark figure, as elusive as a phantom, knelt silently beneath the imperial steps; it was none other than the head of the emperor's personal guards.
"His Majesty."
Shu Heng did not turn around, speaking calmly: "Go investigate. Find out a few things for me."
"First, have the Imperial Medical Bureau examine Lu Shuren carefully under the guise of treatment. Focus on investigating whether her heart and lung ailments are caused by foreign objects and whether they are related to that 'strange fragrance'."
"Second, keep a close eye on Lin Yingyu, the owner of 'Yingxiang Pavilion,' and find out for me how she escaped punishment and entered the capital, and all the details of her dealings with the Grand Princess's residence. Most importantly, has she recently prepared any special spices or spices that require the use of exotic minerals from overseas?"
"Third, investigate Shiliu, who serves Lady Yunxiu, and her maid Pucao. Find out from them what happened that day, whether Yunxiu and Lin Yingyu were secretly in contact, whether they conspired to poison her, and whether the Grand Princess was also involved."
“Remember,” Shu Heng’s tone turned cold, “if even the slightest word leaks out and alarms the Grand Princess’s residence, I will hold you responsible.”
"yes!"
The leader of the secret guards accepted the order and his figure vanished in an instant.
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