Yue Jiang and Jing Yan lowered their heads upon hearing the sound. The moment Jing Yan's gaze fell upon the object in Zhang'er's hand, his pupils constricted.
Jing Yan picked up the jade from Zhang'er's hand, wiped off the dirt, and saw that it was a bird hovering over the black jade. He gripped the jade tightly and looked serious.
"Que Mo Ge".
Yue Jiang was confused and a little nervous: "What is Que Mo Ge?"
“It’s a spy from Anguo. This jade pendant is a token of Quemo Pavilion,” Jing Yan explained, then asked uneasily.
"Jiang'er, I've been away from the palace for two years. Is there really nothing unusual in the Eastern Palace? Or have you overlooked something?"
"You said there are spies in the palace, so for the past two years I have not allowed any unfamiliar palace servants to enter the Eastern Palace, and the area around the Eastern Palace is also under close surveillance, just in case something goes wrong."
Yue Jiang tried to recall the events repeatedly, racking her brains but couldn't remember anything. Only that one time did she frown.
"The only thing we couldn't prevent was when Jing Lu sneaked into the East Palace to assassinate us. That night was chaotic, and the East Palace was vulnerable."
She couldn't immediately tell whether it was someone who sneaked in later who lost the jade, or Jing Lu who lost it. What use would losing just a piece of jade be?
The investigation into Anguo's spies has continued since Jingyan and Yuejiang got married.
Unfortunately, after that one letter on their wedding night, the Anguo spies made no further moves, leaving Jingyan completely clueless.
Now that this jade has inexplicably appeared in the East Palace, Jing Yan cannot help but be on guard, wondering whether An Guo intends to deal with him or harm Yue Jiang and her son.
In the following days, Jingyan used the pretext that valuables had been stolen from the Eastern Palace to send the Imperial Guards to investigate each palace servant.
However, the inner palace of Jing Palace had tens of thousands of people and tens of thousands of rooms of all sizes. It would take a long time to check everything. Before they knew it, it was already the beginning of summer. Even Rong Ying led his army back to Jing Kingdom.
Since the Changshou Hall sent Jinglu's body to the Huayi Hall for a memorial service, he has not yet been laid to rest.
The monks of Huayi Hall said that Jinglu harbored great resentment during his lifetime, and if he were to be buried hastily, his spirit might be disturbed, which would bring great disaster to the Jing Kingdom.
Huayi Hall was built after the late emperor's passing to commemorate his wronged soul and the soldiers of Jing Kingdom who died in An Kingdom. For many years, Huayi Hall has been used for rituals to help the souls of the deceased emperor pass away, which has brought great comfort to Jing Huaixu.
The monks of Huayi Hall said this, and Jing Huaixu had also seen Jing Lu's appearance before his death. Even if it did not conform to the palace rules, he dared not test the fate of the Jing Kingdom.
Even with the criticism from palace servants, Jinglu's body was already rotting and decaying, and the coffin in Huayi Palace was emitting a foul stench, so they could only temporarily cover it up with spices.
Privately, Jing Huaixu urged Huayi Palace to perform the proper rites for Jing Lu's soul as soon as possible and send him out of the palace for burial.
After Jinglu's death, Empress Dowager Zheng's health was intermittent, and she often needed the imperial physician to come to the Changshou Palace for treatment. Empress Ye in the palace would take the lead in going to the Changshou Palace to attend to her illness.
As the Crown Princess, Yue Jiang could not be absent either.
That day, Empress Ye had just finished serving Empress Dowager Zheng her medicine. Empress Dowager Zheng wiped the medicine from the corner of her mouth and said weakly.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to recover, Empress and Crown Princess."
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? The imperial physician said that you are suffering from emotional distress and blockages. Once that blockage is relieved, you will feel better."
"As for Consort De, His Majesty plans to promote her to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort after you recover. Mother, you should be open-minded, so that His Majesty will be happy," Empress Ye hinted, holding Empress Dowager Zheng's hand.
She was implying something about Jing Huaixu in her words. After Jing Lu died, Empress Dowager Zheng rarely saw Jing Huaixu and didn't let him come to her side.
Jing Huaixu could not stand idly by, so he took advantage of the fact that Empress Dowager Zheng needed someone to attend to her when she was ill, and asked Empress Ye to convey these words to him.
The mention of Consort Jin's rank made Empress Dowager Zheng's eyelids flutter, but her eyes dimmed again in an instant, and she gave a bitter smile.
"Without Lu'er, Consort De is already half-dead. What use is the Noble Consort?"
“Not as good as you, not as good as the Crown Princess,” she said, her gaze shifting to Yue Jiang, whether sincerely or sarcastically, “you are far more fortunate than me and Consort De.”
Empress Ye smiled but remained silent, and Yue Jiang did not respond either.
Empress Dowager Zheng then casually asked another question.
"By the way, Your Highness, I heard that valuables were stolen from the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince has been searching the palace with the Imperial Guards since spring. A few days ago, all the palace servants around me were summoned for questioning."
"Is there any result? What important thing was lost? Why are you making such a fuss? There must be something big you're hiding."
When Empress Dowager Zheng asked about this, Yue Jiang could no longer remain silent, nor could she tell the truth. She made an excuse.
"Nothing serious, it's just that some jewelry that my granddaughter-in-law brought from the Yue Kingdom has been lost. Some of the jewelry was left to her by her mother as a keepsake."
"The lost item has caused my daughter-in-law great anxiety, and she feels guilty towards her mother. Your Highness then helped her search for it, saying that this was a way to cleanse the palace of any unclean hands and feet, and that it was my fault for disturbing my grandmother."
She made a gesture to get up and apologize.
Empress Dowager Zheng waved her hand and said magnanimously, "Forget it, there's no need to apologize. The Crown Prince is always considerate. Taking this opportunity to intimidate the people in the palace will teach them a lesson. It's a good thing to maintain peace in the palace."
"You may all go back; I am tired."
She squinted, looking completely exhausted. Empress Ye and Yue Jiang didn't want to disturb her, so they said they would come to serve her another time.
After leaving Empress Dowager Zheng's bedroom, Yue Jiang and Empress Ye walked along a bluestone path when suddenly a person rushed out from a side path.
Yue Jiang was pulled by that person, and her body suddenly lurched forward. If it weren't for Qing Ke and Qing Fei supporting her, she would have almost fallen to the ground.
"Jiang'er, are you alright?" Empress Ye was startled and quickly helped her up to ask.
Yue Jiang steadied herself and shook her head with a smile: "Mother, don't worry, I'm fine."
The man who had just been chased down was now pinned down by the palace maids on either side and unable to move.
Yue Jiang turned around and saw that it was Zheng Yutong.
She was different from before; her eyes were lifeless, and it was said that she had swallowed hot coals, with obvious burns around her mouth. Her hands, which were restrained by palace maids, also had burn scars, and her fingers were stuck together, with no palm lines.
The once gentle and graceful girl is now like a withered flower.
"What do you want to say?" Yue Jiang saw her constantly opening and closing her lips, eager but unable to utter a sound.
The palace maid beside her answered, "Your Majesty the Empress, please forgive me, Crown Princess, Miss Zheng has lost her mind. She swallowed hot coals and injured her tongue, so she can't speak anymore. This servant will take Miss Zheng away right away."
When Zheng Yutong saw the people around her trying to pull her away, she resisted by whimpering and trying her best to make sounds.
Finally, there was some other movement, but it was still very vague and unclear, leaving people puzzled about its meaning.
"Dead...alive...dead...first...then...harm...new...xin...xin!"
Zheng Yutong couldn't speak or write. She had practiced these words for a long time and had put in a lot of effort to say them. Seeing that Yue Jiang didn't understand, large tears streamed down her face.
"Wait, she can talk, let her talk," Yue Jiang couldn't understand, but she knew that Zheng Yutong really wanted to say something to her.
And this doesn't seem like insanity!
Yue Jiang called out to the palace maid who was holding Zheng Yutong back, but the maid hesitated.
She immediately gestured to Qingke and Qingfei, and the two understood and were about to step forward, while Zheng Yutong also showed hopeful eyes.
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