The Ministry of Internal Affairs has been dealing with one thing after another recently.
First, the people from the Imperial Food Department clamored for food, and then the palace maids in the Outer Palace accused them of being unkind and withholding the food.
That's all.
Anyway, the Shangshisi has handled it well.
Today is the fourth day of July. I heard that they still made different foods and everyone liked them.
But since yesterday, there was news from somewhere that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had left all the food to rot and was not giving it to the palace maids to eat.
If this news gets out, it will be a serious crime for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
I don’t know if that young eunuch was smart enough to pass it directly to the Shangbao Supervisor.
They said it was the Shangbaojian’s fault, so the food couldn’t be distributed. Even if the food was rotten, it was the Shangbaojian’s fault.
Originally, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department wanted to scold a few words, but when he heard that many palace servants outside no longer came to cause trouble for the Imperial Household Department and turned to blame the Shangbao Jian, he suddenly felt that this was a solution.
Anyway, it only takes a few days to hold on.
The Shangbaojian has no real power after all, what can be done to them?
Family power? Family power can still take care of these trivial matters.
At most, it's those two brainless guys from the Shangbaojian who will come over to make some trouble, so let them make some trouble.
Originally, just as the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department thought, these two did come to make trouble, but it was just a quarrel and they didn't argue about anything meaningful.
But who is shouting in the crowd?
First, a childish voice came out, asking if the food from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was really rotten and they wouldn't let us eat it.
This statement directly shifted the focus from whether the conflict was with the Shangbaojian or the Imperial Household Department to the Imperial Household Department.
But the most important thing is the following sentence: "If there is no problem with the ingredients, then let's go and take a look!"
Look at the Imperial Household Department’s warehouse?
How disgraceful!
But people outside were really instigated.
Especially the two Shangbaojian, who were actually reminded: "Yes! If there is no problem, let's go to the warehouse to take a look!"
What's so good about this?
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs looked unhappy: "The warehouse is a very important place, how can we let others see it?"
Zhuo Hui, who was instructed by Su Wan, took advantage of the chaos and shouted: "If you don't let us watch it, you must have something to hide!"
The palace servants nearby were also instigated and shouted in the same voice: "Are you hiding something?"
“The ingredients must have gone bad.”
"Although I've eaten well these past few days, I still feel angry no matter how I think about it."
"That's right. The Shangshisi is working so hard, but you guys still make things difficult for them."
After these few days, the palace maids in the outer palace have become more favorable towards the Imperial Food Bureau. Everyone knows clearly who is doing the work and who is not!
The chief eunuch of the Shangbaojian almost grabbed the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs by the collar and said, "Will you show it to us? If not, we will report it to the emperor and say that you are squandering money!"
After all, the things we buy cost money, so it’s fine to just give them to everyone to eat, because this is everyone’s food.
But what if it’s broken?
Su Wan looked at them and was really curious about what was going on with the food in the warehouse.
Are there any food ingredients in the Imperial Household Department’s warehouse?
Some ingredients will definitely go bad in this hot summer.
If there are no ingredients, it means that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Concubine Jiang have colluded and the evidence of the crime is readily available.
Furthermore, if the Imperial Household Department has food ingredients and they have not gone bad, it means that what they buy are durable.
This situation is also not appropriate.
Because the North, South, West and Miscellaneous Stores would submit lists of ingredients in advance, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs would buy them according to the menu.
Otherwise, why would each kitchen have to prepare menus in advance?
The five-day menu prepared by Su Wan was not just to let the palace people know what to eat next.
Another reason is that the ingredients should be submitted in advance. As long as they are within the specified range, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will purchase them according to the schedule.
Not to mention other places, the western kitchen needs bean sprouts, green vegetables, peppers, etc.
These things are easy to break when you buy them.
Now it depends on whether the Imperial Household Department’s warehouse has these things.
If there was any, it would probably have gone bad, which would confirm the fact that they would rather throw it away than give it to the palace people. This is food.
How does the saying go? A wise ruler values grains more than gold and jade.
It is also said that gold and jade are precious, but they cannot be eaten when hungry and cannot be worn when cold.
These two sentences probably reflect the thoughts of most scholars in the Censorate and Hanlin Academy of the time.
When this matter got out, the six university scholars all spoke up.
Either these things do not exist, or it is evidence of collusion with Concubine Jiang.
Imperial Concubine Jiang "accidentally" forgot to give the warrant.
It becomes "intentional".
Originally, people in the outer palace were already dissatisfied with Concubine Jiang for accidentally forgetting to give the warrant. What if it turned out to be intentional?
As for not opening the warehouse and showing it to people?
Simple too.
The rumor that the Imperial Household Department was embezzling money and had something to hide could also spread.
Su Wan looked at the steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a look of doubt and confusion on his face, but felt that things were not that simple.
Just wait and see what he's going to do.
They are all old people in the palace, so it is not so easy for them to be exposed.
At this time, the crowd outside the Imperial Household Department was in high spirits, but inside there were the two Shangbaojians who were not afraid of anything.
Especially the chief guard, he was tall and fat, and now standing in front of the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, he felt like he was outnumbered two at once.
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs sighed and said, "Well, I'll make an exception and open the warehouse to show you. The ingredients are all there and in good condition."
Hearing him say this, Su Wan's heart moved. She looked at the familiar eunuchs around her and gave him two coins, saying, "Can you help me go to the Zhailiku and find the palace maids in the Bing Department of the Zhailiku and ask them to come here once?"
The young eunuch originally wanted to watch the fun, but for the silver and Su Wan, he had to go and help call for help.
But what would this do to the people in the Ice Palace?
The Ice Department, which is a small department under the Miscellaneous Storehouse, is responsible for storing ice in winter and using ice in summer.
When the Western Kitchen had been short of food before, it had never been short of ice, and that was because they all belonged to the Shangshi Division.
The young eunuch went to call for help, and Su Wan followed them into the Imperial Household Department, led by the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, followed by two chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department.
Later, they came in to watch the fun and see if any ingredients in the warehouse had gone bad.
Su Wan saw that the steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs didn't care how many people came into the warehouse, and she was not the only one from the Imperial Kitchen who came.
As long as you know the ingredients and types inside, you will be able to do everything.
Anyone who could get to the position of the Director of the Imperial Household Department in the palace must not be that stupid.
Sure enough, before she even got close to the food storage room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Su Wan already felt a chill. It was definitely ice that was used in it.
In the summer, ice is used to protect the food in the warehouse, so the food will not rot so quickly and there will be no shortage of food.
Except for Zhuo Hui, Wei Jun had already reacted and whispered, "I'm afraid it won't work this time."
Who would have thought that the head of the Imperial Household Department would be so cautious.
Bought ice in advance?
These warehouses for storing food were built in a cold place, and there was ice. It had only been four days, so there shouldn't be any problems.
I'm afraid Su Wan's plan will fail.
Unexpectedly, Su Wan said, "Let's take a look."
But no matter how you look at it, it doesn't work.
With the chief steward in front and thirty or forty palace maids watching the fun behind, they were walking around in the huge food storage room of the Imperial Household Department.
One is that I was impressed by the richness of the ingredients, and they were well sorted.
Another person was impressed that they actually used ice to preserve the ingredients they were going to eat!
That’s great.
It seems that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has no other choice.
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs watched everyone's expressions relax, and said with a sad face: "To be honest, if there was no problem with the exchange of cards, these ingredients should have been sent out long ago. It's hard for us to manage the warehouse with only money coming in and nothing going out every day."
"There should be both inflow and outflow in this warehouse. If there is only inflow and no outflow, it will be difficult for us to store food. The more food we have, the more troublesome it will be. It's still summer now, and I can't wait to send these ingredients to the South, North and West kitchens so that we don't have to buy ice to store them."
After saying this, another young eunuch from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said loudly, "What do you all know? This is a sudden event, so the ice is not included in the quota. Our chief steward bought ice from outside the palace with his own money. He has been buying ice for four days since the first day of July. You can calculate how much it costs and you will know."
"Because it's not easy to store ice here, the ice is used up faster than in other small icehouses, but it's also more expensive."
"Not only are you not grateful, you are also saying that the steward would rather the vegetables rot than give them to you. Is that reasonable?"
Starting on the first day of July, I bought ice for four days?
Sure enough, after these words were spoken, no one could say anything to blame.
It seems like this is also an unexpected disaster for the Ministry of Internal Affairs?
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs sighed and said, "Forget it. We are all palace servants. We should understand each other. Let's just forget about it."
Su Wan touched the ice. It was still the morning of the fourth day of July and the weather was not that hot.
Normally the ice should still be dry, but it has melted a lot.
It doesn't look like it was changed today, but last night.
Before Su Wan could speak, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said, "I didn't buy four-day-old ice. This is the ice that was delivered last night. I will have to replace it with new ice in the afternoon. Look at such a large food warehouse. How much money will it cost me? I don't know where I can share the cost with you."
As he spoke, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department actually glanced at the people from the Imperial Food Department present.
Good man, you still want them to help bear the responsibility?
Is this reasonable?
But in the eyes of others, the Imperial Household Department was just helping the Imperial Food Department to preserve the food.
But after what happened recently, no one wanted to say anything anymore, because they didn’t know what the right thing to say was.
Su Wan withdrew her hand, and was indeed meticulous.
But the blame could not be put on the Shangbaojian, so it was given to the Shangshisi instead.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs can spend money to buy ice, what about you?
Su Wan was about to speak, but someone behind her gently pulled her sleeve, quickly stuffed a note into her hand, and then disappeared into the crowd.
Su Wan was small and couldn’t see anyone coming and going, so she could only look at what was written inside.
Before she could see the words, she heard the Right Master of the Miscellaneous Library ask, "Why? Chief Steward Liu wants us to bear the responsibility?"
Following the Right Hand Master was a palace maid from the ice storage below. The maid looked to be about 40 years old and was an elderly maid in the palace. She was very skilled in looking through the ice nearby.
The aunt in the ice store has been in charge of ice for many years and knows ice very well. She knows at a glance what kind of ice is suitable for freezing what kind of things and how long ice of what degree of transparency can be used.
The nanny said directly: "It doesn't look like they bought three-day-old ice. It looks like they just moved it in last night."
Su Wan looked over in surprise. Li Bingku slightly blocked her with his right hand and then said, "Mammy, are you sure it's right?"
"Of course it's right. If you use three-day ice in such a large food warehouse, not only will it be cold inside the warehouse, but even the handrails on the door outside should be cold."
"Moreover, ordinary warehouses don't even know where the ice water goes after it melts. It should be very messy. Even if it's not a mess, it should be wet in here. Three days of ice water can't be only this wet. Where did the melted water go?"
Mama is indeed a professional!
Su Wan understood as soon as she heard it.
Let’s talk about ordinary ice caves first. They are made by choosing a cool place, digging many meters deep, perhaps even dozens of meters, and then putting ice in there over the years.
The ice will melt particularly quickly in the first year, but by the fourth and fifth years, the soil around it will have changed, making it more conducive to storing ice.
After ten years, even if you don't put ice in it, you will still feel cool down there.
The room that ordinary people use as a bathroom will be more humid than other rooms, not to mention a place where a lot of ice is stored.
Although it's only three days, it's hard to say whether the air conditioning will last.
But what about the water from the melted ice?
Even if you say the melted water has dried up, there will always be traces, right?
The Right Manager of the Miscellaneous Storehouse thanked the ice store nanny and looked directly at the head of the Internal Affairs Department: "Could it be that since yesterday, there have been rumors that the food in your Internal Affairs Department has rotted, so you hurriedly bought ice back? Are you afraid that someone will investigate?"
At this time, Su Wan had already opened the note, and it was clearly Yan Pei's handwriting.
From July till now, Su Wan has never seen him. She didn't expect to receive a note from him now?
The above content is particularly important.
The rotten food was buried in the elephant room of the East Outer Palace.
East Outer Palace Elephant House?
As the name suggests, the elephant house is a place where elephants are raised. The Tianxiang Royal Palace attached great importance to Buddhism, so elephants were naturally raised all year round. During every Buddhist festival, elephants would be ridden in parades.
Last time on the Buddha's Bathing Festival on April 8th, which was before Su Wan came, elephants dressed up for the parade in the Imperial Street.
But elephants have a strong smell.
If you bury the rotten food there, it would seem perfect.
In addition, the nanny in the ice house said that there was no ice at all in the past few days.
In other words, the food was really rotten. After hearing the rumors outside yesterday, they hurriedly disposed of the rotten food and got fresh food, and they also spent a huge amount of money to buy ice and put it here to make it look fake.
Su Wan took a careful look at the vegetables in the warehouse. Sure enough, they were still very fresh and did not look like they had been left there on the first day of July.
Everything fits right.
The amount of ice used in this warehouse is very large every day. If ice is really used for several days in a row, can he, as the general manager of the Imperial Household Department, really afford it?
So it is true that when I heard the wind outside yesterday, I quickly threw away the rotten vegetables and took immediate remedial measures afterwards.
This also explains why these ice cubes were transported here last night.
It's just a remedial measure.
Su Wan looked at the note in her hand and walked to the right director of the Zaliku.
The right-hand man blocked her so that she would not be the first to bear the brunt of the trouble. These troubles should not be blamed on the child.
But Su Wan knew more about the situation, so she had to step forward.
If the note was directly slipped over now, it would actually be more eye-catching, after all, everyone's eyes were on Zalikuyou, who was in charge.
After Su Wan told him about the elephant house, the right-hand man nodded slightly, and then ordered someone to find the North and West Deputy Prime Ministers and ask them to take people to the elephant house immediately.
As for them?
The right head of the Miscellaneous Storehouse said slowly, "The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is so powerful. Do you admit what the ice storehouse nanny said just now? The ice was only moved in once, and it was moved in last night. Do you admit it?"
How could the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department admit it? If he did, he would have to explain where the other ingredients went.
Besides, he didn't believe these people knew what they had done.
By morning, the rotten food will be transported out of the palace along with the elephant dung. If it is transported out in several batches, no one will notice. Will they be able to fish it out from the sewage river by then?
"Of course, whatever you guys say in the ice storage is the truth. After all, no one is as professional as you." The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said sarcastically, "You take it out on us because you can't get the ingredients. Who has more authority?"
We went back and forth here, and finally calculated the time, the elephant room should be ready.
The Right Master of the Miscellaneous Storehouse finally said, "Really? Then why did I hear that there were a lot of rotten food in the Elephant House? Was that the order given by the Imperial Food Department?"
"The food for thousands of palace servants is all rotting and stinking, buried under the excrement in the elephant shed!"
The chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs frowned when he heard this.
But someone from the Internal Affairs Bureau came over and asked, "What's going on with all the noise here?"
The name "Eunuch Supervisor" is rarely heard by palace servants.
But hearing it is a big deal.
The court officials were supervised by censors.
The chief steward of the inner palace was supervised by eunuchs who had direct reports to the emperor.
Who called them?!
No matter who called them.
Now everyone will go directly from the Imperial Household Department to the Elephant House in the East Outer Palace!
Go and see if the food supplies for thousands of palace people are really buried there!
And this time, people from the Internal Affairs Bureau will personally inspect it.
This is not a matter for everyone to argue about, but we really need to investigate the matter.
The two eunuchs of the Shangbaojian who had come all the way here to cause trouble looked at each other in bewilderment.
Neither of them wanted any results, they just wanted to vent their anger.
How did things develop to this point?
Upon seeing this, Wei Jun immediately praised: "If there really is a large amount of rotten food in the Elephant House, the Shangbao Supervisory Authority deserves the credit!"
Su Wan couldn't help wanting to laugh, but when she saw the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department staring at her with a pale face, she continued to laugh.
What's wrong?
Laughing is not allowed?
Didn’t you see that the two eunuchs of the Shangbaojian laughed even louder?
While most of the palace servants were still having breakfast in the north, south and west kitchens, the results had already come out in the elephant room.
Sure enough, there was a lot of rotten food in the feces of the elephant house.
The monks who were feeding the elephants here were also shocked. Few people came to the elephant shed on weekdays, so they really did not supervise the elephants strictly.
After all, who would mess with an elephant?
Who would stuff rotten food into stinky elephant dung!
The palace maids in the outer palace, who had finished their breakfast, knew what had happened just like they were listening to a storyteller.
I was extremely angry at that moment.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs actually threw away the food and didn’t even give them any food!
Although the food this morning was good.
But I still feel angry when I should!
What? You're not hungry, why are you angry?
I'm not hungry because the Imperial Food Department has done their best! What does it have to do with your Ministry of Internal Affairs?
The palace, which had just been quiet for a few days, became noisy again.
The Internal Affairs Bureau did not expect that such a big thing would happen.
Although it is true that the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not redeem the tickets and did not provide the food, it is heartbreaking to see several days' worth of food for thousands of people go to waste.
It’s okay to eat something, but it’s a big deal to throw it away.
Such a terrible thing must naturally be reported to the saint.
The Internal Affairs Bureau also sent someone to deliver the memorial as quickly as possible.
Recently, there have been too many people rushing to deliver messages.
The Zhongcui Palace in the inner palace sends it every few days.
There is no need to mention the Shangshi Division in the Outer Palace.
Now the low-key internal supervision of the outer palace has also begun.
The letter from Zhongcui Palace to Concubine Jiang also arrived, which meant that the Imperial Food Bureau was fully capable of handling this matter, so it would be better to issue the warrant as soon as possible.
The letter was sent on the second day of July and received on the fourth day of July.
Concubine Jiang did "send" the warrant back to Kyoto on the first day of July, but she was actually dawdling on the way. Upon hearing the news, she could only grit her teeth and ask her subordinates to deliver the warrant at a normal speed.
The letter sent by the Shangshi Department was also on the second day of July and received on the fourth day of July.
The news is simple.
On the surface, he was urging for the order, but in fact he was reporting that everything was safe so that the head of the Imperial Food Department could go ahead and do his job.
The letter from the Internal Affairs Bureau has just been sent, and the result is still unknown.
But when the letter arrived at the palace on July 6, they learned that the warrant had not yet reached Kyoto after three or four days.
Don't ask Concubine Jiang what happened.
Combined with the small moves made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Su Wan could already figure out what happened next.
Anyway, there won’t be any problem with Shangshisi.
Shangshisi is working hard! Perfect victim!
The farce on the morning of July 4th did not subside until lunchtime.
The Right Chief of the Miscellaneous Storehouse patted Su Wan's head and asked her to stay in the west kitchen and avoid the limelight recently. The Chief of the Imperial Household Department was vindictive, so he asked her to be careful.
Today, Zhuo Hui, Wei Jun, and the Right Manager of the Miscellaneous Treasury were all helping her to stop them. In the end, they came out for a short while. If there was really trouble, it was estimated that there were still a few female officials and two general managers of the Shangbaojian who were in front.
But to be on the safe side, it is safer in the west kitchen.
Su Wan nodded.
She is a very obedient person and will never run around!
Besides, the lunch today was good and she was waiting to go back to eat.
The western kitchen is going to make hot and sour noodles for lunch!
Vermicelli made from sweet potato flour, served with balsamic vinegar and chili peppers, is absolutely refreshing when you eat a bowl of it on a hot day.
If you don’t want to eat hot food, you can ask the western kitchen for a bowl of cold spicy and sour noodles, which is absolutely appetizing.
Su Wan is in a hurry to eat!
On the way back, I suddenly thought of Yan Pei. It was thanks to his help this time. Otherwise, there would be a lot of things to deal with when the elephant dung was really transported out.
This time, the ice storage nanny discovered that the use of ice was not right, and she also knew where the rotten food was. The two combined allowed her to nail the Ministry of Internal Affairs down.
Although they still can't get food in the next few days, but after these few days, I'm afraid the Ministry of Internal Affairs will ask them to use more food.
When we arrived at the west kitchen, all the ingredients were ready and just waiting to be cooked.
Su Wan rolled up her sleeves, ate hot and sour noodles for lunch, shaved ice drinks in the afternoon, and sliced noodles in the evening as planned.
What a happy day!
After dinner, Yan Pei still didn't show up. I must make him something delicious as a thank you after he's done with his busy schedule.
After the noisy fourth day of July, things calmed down. The Imperial Household Department temporarily replaced the people in charge with those from the Internal Official Supervisor, and the rest of the people naturally behaved themselves.
But there is no warrant to exchange the card, so we have to wait for the ingredients.
The ice storage in the Shangshisi Miscellaneous Store did deliver a lot of ice cubes, and with the professional guidance of the ice storage nanny, we were able to preserve the ingredients well and save ice.
For a time, Shangshisi had a better reputation.
On the morning of the fifth day of July, the west kitchen used the fish sent from the Baochaosi to make fish porridge for everyone.
For lunch, we had the braised noodles as planned, but without pork. Instead, we used some leftover lard from last time, and it still tasted good.
The main thing is that the soy sauce is used well, making it taste delicious.
I had noodles with chicken bone soup in the evening. Although they are both noodles, the tastes are very different.
Many people have discovered that no matter how they cook the rice or flour, there is never any repetition.
How much of the pasta cooking skills of the Western Kitchen have yet to be brought out?
It has been five days and I have had fifteen meals. The flavors of all the rice and noodles are different and I don’t feel sick of them at all.
Is it because I ate too much meat last month that I think rice and noodles are good?
I thought these five days were great enough, but starting from the sixth day of July, I actually started to have snacks in the morning. The steamed rice cakes were soft and sticky and tasted especially delicious.
The staple food, multi-grain pancakes, is crispy.
The people in the western kitchen also said that this was just a single pancake, and although it tasted delicious, it would be better with some side dishes.
Isn’t that enough?
They ate five multi-grain pancakes with miso in one go!
This made the Lingtai Gate guards extremely greedy.
If they hadn't known that the western kitchen was short of ingredients, they would have wanted to come over and eat for free.
No, you have to restrain yourself.
When the western kitchen has abundant ingredients, I will definitely go there to eat!
That being said, the saliva at the corners of my mouth never stops. When can I eat?
It was already the sixth day of July. All the letters sent from Zhongcui Palace, Shangshisi, and Neiguanjian on the day of the riot on the fourth day of July had arrived at the palace.
The messengers looked at each other.
Except for the messenger from the Imperial Household Department, all the others were old acquaintances.
Why do you all run here every day? Aren’t you tired? Even the horses are tired.
The information from Zhongcui Palace was sent to Concubine Jiang, which naturally meant that the affairs of the Imperial Household Department were exposed.
Moreover, the rotten food was thrown directly into the elephant house. That was an elephant house. The saint believed in Buddhism and respected elephants very much.
The handkerchief in Concubine Jiang's hand was ripped to pieces. She gritted her teeth and said, "I left him enough money to buy ice for ten days. It's definitely enough for him to buy more ice to preserve the ingredients. How can he let the ingredients rot!"
It is one thing to prevent the food from rotting, and it is another to watch the food rot.
But they cannot not buy it. If they don’t buy it, wouldn’t it mean that they have colluded in advance?
So before leaving, Concubine Jiang gave the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs enough money for ten days of ice! She estimated that ten days would be enough time for the Imperial Food Department, which was out of food, to cause a big mess.
But what about now?
The chief steward of the Imperial Household Department actually dared to embezzle her money, and even went to buy ice to make up for the problem when the time came, and was caught red-handed by the people from the Imperial Food Department.
They even dug out all the rotten food, making it impossible for people to deny it.
Garbage, all garbage.
Imperial Concubine Jiang said, "On the fourth day of July, I sent someone to urge the person who brought the warrant. I don't know if he has delivered it today."
I was originally going to delay it on purpose, but now I have to deliver it quickly.
"Send someone to urge them again, go quickly!"
"Give me a wash and go to the Dezheng Hall to see the saint and plead guilty."
At this point, I can only apologize.
She has been in charge of the harem for many years, but now she has suffered such a big setback. It's really hateful.
The letter from the Imperial Food Department was delivered to the head of the department.
The atmosphere here was naturally different from that on Concubine Jiang's side. This letter was written by the Right Director of the Miscellaneous Treasury, and it described the situation that day clearly.
Especially Su Wan's response, which was explained in detail.
Regardless of the response in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or sending people to find the people in the ice storage, or sending rotten food to the elephant room.
Everything is thanks to Su Wan.
However, the right supervisor of the Miscellaneous Storehouse had a question. None of the female officials knew that the rotten food was buried in the feces in the elephant house. How did Su Wan know?
The chief of the Imperial Food Department had already made some guesses about this matter, but he simply ignored it and focused on the defeat of the Imperial Household Department. He also knew that the Imperial Food Department had not received the warrant on the fourth day of July.
You should know that before the grand court meeting in early July was over, the emperor sent someone to find Concubine Jiang and asked her to issue the order as soon as possible.
At the normal speed, it only takes two days to deliver a trip, and four days for the round trip.
But the food order from Shangshisi has not yet arrived.
It's obvious what went wrong.
So if you want to cause trouble to someone, there is no need to say more. You should set off immediately.
The head of the Imperial Food Department said, "Go to the Dezheng Hall and meet the Saint."
Deputy Prime Minister Nan and Deputy Prime Minister Li who followed her were all smiling.
This matter can finally be settled.
The cooperation with the Shangshi Division is extremely good. If they do a good job, we can handle it with ease.
Imperial Concubine Jiang and the chief of the Imperial Food Department were going to meet the emperor at almost the same time.
But the saint in Dezheng Hall already knew about this.
As the eunuch in charge of monitoring the inner palace, he naturally had to tell the whole story clearly.
From the chaos that started in the Imperial Household Department to all kinds of rumors, and even looking for the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department to take the blame.
Of course, Shangshisi has to deal with the lack of ingredients these days.
The palace maids were not really hungry, and seemed to be enjoying the meal. Anyway, they were all praising the Shangshisi for its creativity and delicious food.
It can be seen that Shangshisi made a lot of efforts in such difficult times.
After reading this, the saint had already made up his mind.
And he received another message.
To be precise, it was not he who received it, but the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion among the six Grand Secretaries who received it and took it out.
So at this time, the six grand secretaries had already arrived here, and of course there were also a few people from the Censorate who were indispensable.
Everyone looked serious until the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion asked, "Doesn't the Saint know that the Third Prince was assassinated?"
Among the six grand secretaries, this one was the most fair and serious, and he was also the tutor of the saint when he was still a prince.
So when he spoke, the saint subconsciously looked over and said slowly, "There is no news from the palace."
"Of course there is no news! The legitimate prince was assassinated! After only one day of searching for the assassin, you say you can't find him? You withdrew the guards?!" Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary said sternly, "The Saint's control over the palace is truly terrifying."
The horror at this moment is just irony.
There was a flash of impatience in the saint's eyes.
Did he know that the third prince had been assassinated?
Of course I know, it’s not that he’s not dead, but if he’s not dead, then everything is fine.
If he died, he could have a grand funeral, which would be a good opportunity to get some things done.
Why would he check something he doesn't care about?
Besides, why bring it up now?
One of the six grand secretaries, Dongge Grand Secretary, said, "Rumors are spreading everywhere. Some say that the saint sent someone to assassinate him, while others say that it was Concubine Jiang who caused the trouble."
"I naturally do not believe the former's statement, but it is possible that Concubine Jiang did this."
"I heard that she was careless and caused the 8,800 palace people in the outer city of the imperial palace to be hungry and clothed, so the outer palace has always been unjust, which gave the assassin an opportunity to take advantage of it."
This Dongge Grand Secretary had little power and usually lived a carefree life, but no one expected that as soon as the old man opened his mouth, he would point the finger at Concubine Jiang.
The other four of the six remained silent.
The saint frowned, "Everyone says that Concubine Jiang was negligent for not giving the warrant. Why would she deliberately not give the warrant so that there would be trouble in the outer palace?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Grand Secretary of the Dongge."
This Dongge Grand Secretary had a gray beard and half-closed his eyes, not saying a word. His expression was clearly indifferent and it was obvious that he did not believe this explanation.
When Concubine Jiang came in and heard this conversation, she was shocked and her eyes were red. She walked quickly to the saint and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Then she said, "I have been in charge of the harem for many years, but I made a small mistake and was accused of murdering the heir to the throne. How could I have the courage to do this?"
As she spoke, Imperial Concubine Jiang put on airs, her eyes were red, and she looked very pitiful, yet dignified.
But when she did this, there was something obviously inconsistent.
The head of the Imperial Food Department who arrived at Dezheng Hall just after Concubine Jiang said directly: "I don't want to accuse Concubine Jiang of doing it on purpose, it's just that everything is too coincidental."
"It just so happens that I didn't bring the warrant from the Imperial Kitchen."
"It just happened to cause several thousand palace people to almost starve."
"I was delayed on the way. It's the fourth day of July. How come your warrant hasn't arrived at the Imperial Kitchen yet?"
"Didn't you reissue the warrant on July 1? How long will it take to travel this distance for four days?"
Dongge Grand Secretary said casually: "Four days? From Yuhua Palace to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a round trip is enough, right?"
"Isn't this intentional to make the palace people uneasy? Isn't this giving the assassin an opportunity to take advantage of the chaos and kill His Highness the Third Prince?"
"Anyway, it can't be true that a saint would hire someone to kill his own child."
"Which rumor should I believe?"
"After all, not everyone has the ability to conceal the news of the prince's assassination and not report it."
It's fine if this old man doesn't speak, but when he speaks, his sword draws blood.
Make two people feel uncomfortable at the same time.
On the night of June 30, something happened to the Third Prince, but the news was not received until the sixth of July. Who could have kept this secret? Who could have stopped the palace guards from looking for assassins?
Concubine Jiang, who came to explain, never expected that she would be criticized in her haste to come here.
All it had to do was explain why the warrant had been delayed.
Now, there is someone who deliberately does not give the warrant, causing chaos in the outer palace, so as to take the opportunity to assassinate Xie Pei!
When I think of Xie Pei, I think of his mother.
Thinking about how his mother had taken away everything from him.
Everything that he cherished was totally ignored by his mother Ding Yingwan. She chose the most inconspicuous saint to marry him just to avenge the Fourth Prince for using her to seize the throne, thus snatching her position as the legal wife.
When Ding Yingwan married the saint, she didn't even say anything. Everyone had already tacitly agreed that only Ding Yingwan could be the legal wife, and that he, his wife of many years, was just a joke.
She wanted to take revenge on others, but ended up being tied up with her own life.
How could she not hate him?
At this moment, Concubine Jiang's face suddenly became ferocious.
Everyone present naturally caught this expression.
Her momentary inability to restrain herself seemed to directly confirm the rumor!
When Concubine Jiang reacted, the saint was staring at her, as if trying to see something from her expression.
If it were anything else, she could tolerate anything and have any expression.
Except to hear from that person.
But she didn't assassinate Xie Pei, she didn't!
But it's obviously too late to say this now.
The saint said slowly, "Is it you? Imperial Concubine Jiang."
Is it her?
Imperial Concubine Jiang? She hated it every time she heard the word "imperial concubine".
But anyone can disbelieve her, so why should a saint not believe her?
She did not use the warrant to cause chaos in the palace, nor did she assassinate Xie Pei!
But it was all just a coincidence.
It's so coincidental that I can't even describe it.
Everyone present stared at her, and the saint slowly said, "Is it you? Imperial Concubine Jiang."
It's her, that's it.
Concubine Jiang stared at the saint. Was it him who hired someone to assassinate Xie Pei?
That’s right, what he hated was Xie Pei’s mother Ding Yingwan, but what the saint hated the most was Xie Pei.
As long as Xie Pei is alive, that will be a lifelong stain on his weakness and vulnerability.
But he cannot depose him openly, otherwise it will confirm the rumor that Xie Pei is not his son.
Only Ding Yingwan knows whether Xie Pei is the saint's son, but Ding Yingwan is already dead. This is something that cannot be confirmed, and it is the most horrifying thing.
The most disgusting thing for a saint is that he cannot swallow the food, as if he had swallowed a fly.
But the assassination could not be done by the nominal father.
They could only make her, a royal concubine who did have resentment, the target.
At this time, in order to calm down the anger of the crowd, she was the only one who had to stand up, but she couldn't admit it yet. She was just a target for people to check.
But just investigate it. What's the point of investigating something she didn't do? It will only protect another person.
Concubine Jiang chuckled. She no longer had the airs she had before and looked much more natural.
It’s okay, she can endure it. There have been so many things happening already, so what if she endures it one more time?
For the sake of her son, for the sake of her original eldest son, she could.
"I didn't do it. If this kind of unfounded rumor is credible, then what is the use of the Internal Affairs Bureau? Your Majesty can just ask the Internal Affairs Bureau to investigate." After Concubine Jiang said this, the senior palace maid behind her subconsciously wanted to pull her mother
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