Jiang Shuyi looked surprised.
Send incense?
It is impossible for people in the palace to use incense given by others. This is common sense to save lives.
Concubine Xue sneered, "What? Do you think I poisoned the incense?"
"I dare not!"
"Am I that stupid? I would poison the incense, haha..."
Concubine Xue laughed out loud.
Jiang Shuyi lowered her head, thinking that she was really thinking too complicatedly.
It was just a simple delivery of incense, so why did she need to show up?
No matter what, she is still Empress Shuyi, and Concubine Xue has no reason to send her to do such a small thing.
It was obvious that Concubine Xue couldn't make an explanation for Jiang Shuyi. She looked at Jiang Shuyi with a half-smile and said, "Take these incense sticks and deliver them one by one. If anyone is missed, I will be very angry."
Jiang Shuyi quickly agreed, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will complete the task."
"Very good! Go down and do your work."
"I'll take my leave."
Jiang Shuyi left the hall holding a box of incense.
Two palace maids followed, claiming to help Jiang Shuyi share the burden, but in fact they were there to monitor her.
Jiang Shuyi had no choice but to let two palace maids stay with her.
Zhou Miao originally wanted to talk to Jiang Shuyi.
Seeing from afar that there were two unfamiliar palace maids beside Jiang Shuyi, she knew something was wrong and retreated immediately without showing up in front of Jiang Shuyi.
The palace is becoming increasingly noisy.
As long as the emperor was still alive, everyone jumped out impatiently without any restraint.
Zhou Miao snorted, then started laughing again.
He wanted to leave the palace to ask Gu Jiu for money.
…
Palace.
"Madam, Eunuch Zhou is here again." Xu Yousi bowed and reported.
Gu Jiu was surprised. Why would Zhou Miao come here at this time? Wasn't he afraid of being suspected?
"Please ask him to come in."
Despite his doubts, Gu Jiu still couldn't refuse Zhou Miao.
She also wanted to get some information out of Zhou Miao.
Zhou Miao swaggered into the east courtyard of the palace and greeted people he knew.
Xu Yousi watched this scene with his eyes twitching.
"Eunuch Zhou, please come this way."
Zhou Miao glanced at Xu Yousi and said, "You're following Madam Zhao and you're so surprised. Your Madam didn't even drive you away. Do you have any special abilities?"
Xu Yousi's face was expressionless. "My wife has been waiting for a long time. Please come in person."
Zhou Miao sneered, "If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. Our family won't make things difficult for you."
Zhou Miao flicked his sleeves and walked into the room.
Xu Yousi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Does Zhou Miao really think that everyone is as crazy as him?
"Madam, we meet again." As Zhou Miao walked into the small study, his expression changed and he smiled very sincerely.
Gu Jiu looked at him and said, "Eunuch Zhou, please take a seat. Qingmei will serve the tea."
Tea was served and Gu Jiu invited him to drink it.
Zhou Miao picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Madam, the tea here is always so delicious."
"If it tastes good, drink more."
"No, business is more important."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "I wonder what business Eunuch Zhou has?"
Zhou Miao's smile was so wide that his teeth were visible. "I haven't congratulated Madam on your wealth yet. With a bunch of refugees at the South City Gate, Madam can come up with so many tricks. It's really amazing."
"You are too polite, sir! You are talking about serious matters, you are not trying to flatter this lady."
Zhou Miao suddenly put away her smile and said seriously, "Madam, things are not peaceful in the palace right now."
Gu Jiu sighed, "His Majesty is seriously ill, it would be strange if there is peace in the palace."
"Madam, you are very wise. People are in such a state of panic right now. Don't you have any plans?"
Gu Jiu glanced at him and asked, "I wonder what Eunuch Zhou's plan is?"
"I was just about to discuss this with Madam. Madam, you've seen my ability to gather information. But a good cook cannot cook without rice, and without money, even the most talented person cannot display their talents."
Gu Jiu laughed out loud, "After all, Eunuch Zhou just wants money."
"That's right. Would you be satisfied, Madam?" Zhou Miao did not hide his true intentions.
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "It's not easy to ask for silver. I wonder what Eunuch Zhou plans to exchange with me? As far as I know, Jiang Shuyi has already defected to Concubine Xue. I don't think she is of much use anymore."
Zhou Miao laughed heartily, "Madam, you are indeed well-informed. I have some information here that I can sell to you."
Gu Jiu was a little interested. "Tell me about it. If the news is true, I don't mind giving you a little more money."
Zhou Miao looked at her with a half-smile, clearly indicating that he would not release the information until he got the money.
Gu Jiu sneered and clapped his hands.
Soon, Qingmei reappeared holding a box.
The box is filled with silver bills.
Gu Jiu took out a stack of silver notes, about two or three thousand taels, and placed it in front of Zhou Miao. "Let me hear your information first. If the information is valuable, all the silver notes in this box will be yours."
Zhou Miao grabbed the banknotes on the table, fearing that Gu Jiu would regret it if he was a little slow.
After receiving the banknote, he didn't play tricks and said directly: "Noble Concubine Xue can't sit still anymore and wants to take action against Concubine Xiao Shu."
"That's all the news?" Gu Jiu snorted twice, "This news is worthless."
Zhou Miao chuckled, "Concubine Li De wants to support the young prince to ascend to the throne. Is this news worth money?"
"Be more specific."
"In recent days, His Majesty has ordered the little prince to be brought to the palace whenever he is free. Madam, this is a bad sign."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Anything else?"
Zhou Miao continued, "Normally, with the little prince so doted on, Concubine Li De would have been jumping up and down a lot. But lately, she's been unusually well-behaved. Madam, please be careful."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It's still of some value, but not enough."
"I've already told you that I don't have enough money to get any information. Madam, give me all the banknotes here. I promise to give you information worth a fortune in a few days."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "Last year, when Concubine Shu was poisoned, I gave you a large sum of money and asked you to help me find out who was behind it. It's been a year now, what have you found out for me?"
Zhou Miao shook his head repeatedly, "You can't blame me for this. I've tried my best."
Gu Jiu snorted, "The so-called best efforts are just some specious information. I can buy this information with any money."
"Madam, can you buy any information about Minister Li, Lord Li?" Zhou Miao looked confident, obviously certain that Gu Jiu could not buy any information about Minister Li.
Gu Jiu was indeed surprised. "Do you have any news about Minister Li?"
"Unfortunately, I just got some news."
"Tell me about it."
Zhou Miao stared at the wooden box in Gu Jiu's hand, coveting the tens of thousands of taels of silver notes inside.
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically, and pushed the wooden box out neatly, placing it in front of Zhou Miao. "Tell me! As long as they are valuable enough, these banknotes are all yours."
Zhou Miao looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "I don't know who Your Majesty will appoint as the Crown Prince, but I do know that the imperial edict appointing the Crown Prince must be written by Minister Li."
Gu Jiu was horrified. "Why are you so sure?"
Zhou Miao's voice became increasingly quiet. "In the past, the imperial edicts of succession were all written by the Sun family. But this time, according to the information I received, the Sun family has been excluded.
"The final decree of succession must have been written and sealed by Li Shizhong. As long as you keep an eye on Li Shizhong, it's not difficult to know to whom Your Majesty has passed the throne."
Gu Jiu's heart was greatly moved.
As mentioned earlier, the maiden family of Concubine Dowager Sun (formerly the Crown Princess) was a very powerful family.
The strength of this family lies in the fact that its members are very capable themselves and never rely on in-laws to develop.
Therefore, even if something happens to the in-laws or the married daughter causes a huge disaster, they will not be implicated.
When Concubine Sun plotted against the Emperor, if they were discovered, the Sun family would have been able to escape unscathed. This was the strength of the Sun family.
What’s even more amazing is that the edicts of succession to the throne for so many emperors were all written by the head of the Sun family at the time.
This honor is extraordinary.
Because of the imperial edict of succession, successive emperors treated the Sun family with courtesy. As long as the Sun family did not participate in the rebellion, the Sun family would enjoy wealth and prosperity for a long time.
A large family that has been passed down for hundreds of years indeed has its own foundation.
According to convention, when the emperor issues an edict of succession, it should be written by the head of the Sun family of this generation.
But Zhou Miao said that the emperor intended to let Li Shizhong replace the Sun family.
What does this mean?
Gu Jiu was filled with doubt and confusion. "Where did you get this information? Why did His Majesty abandon the Sun family and instead use Minister Li? Don't joke about such a big thing."
"It is precisely because this matter is of such great importance that we dare not joke about it. As for the source of the information, I can only say that it comes from Xingqing Palace. As for why His Majesty abandoned the Sun family, I don't know even if you ask me."
Zhou Miao looked like a bachelor, he just didn't know. Even if he knew, he wouldn't say anything.
Gu Jiu frowned, "When did you get the news?"
Zhou Miao laughed, "Just two days ago."
Gu Jiu frowned, "According to what you said, His Majesty has already decided who will be the crown prince?"
Zhou Miao shook his head. "I don't know about that. His Majesty summons court officials every day anyway, so they might have already come up with the conclusion."
How is that possible!
If we really want to come up with a conclusion, there will definitely be rumors.
There was no news at all, which meant that the emperor had not yet made up his mind and was still hesitating. Or he was waiting for the princes to return to the capital.
Gu Jiu laughed, "You are well-informed."
Zhou Miao grinned, "It's just so-so. With this money, I can get more information."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Then I'll wait for your good news."
Zhou Miao left the palace with a box of banknotes.
Gu Jiu was still obsessed with the news that Minister Li had written the edict of succession.
This news was really unexpected.
Why did the emperor suddenly dislike the Sun family?
Why abandon the Sun family and use Li Shizhong?
What was so special about Minister Li that he not only earned the favor of Empress Cui Ruizhen but also the trust of the emperor, who even entrusted him with the important task of issuing the imperial edict to pass on the throne?
These things happening in the court are really a headache.
It's really not as quick and efficient as in the business world.
She was too lazy to think about it, so she called Qian Fu over and told him the news.
Let him and Liu Zhao go.
She couldn't interfere in the affairs of the court even if she wanted to.
…
Prince Chu's Palace.
Xie Shi came to the quiet room and had been waiting for an incense stick of time.
Fang Shaojian had called him over, but he was busy playing chess. He felt a little annoyed.
What exactly is the intention of Fang Shaojian's move?
After the game was over, Fang Shaojian looked at the chess pieces on the board with satisfaction.
"Thank you, Guard, for coming. Please sit down and talk."
"Thank you, Eunuch Fang. I'll just stand."
Fang Shaojian didn't force it. He was thinking about how to start the conversation.
After much thought, he decided to get straight to the point. "Do you know how your father Xie Mao died?"
Xie Shi frowned.
The death of father Xie Mao marked the beginning of the Xie family's decline.
After his father's death, he had no one to rely on and had to interrupt his studies and abandon literature to pursue military service. He quickly seized the support of the Eastern Palace, now the Prince of Chu's Mansion, so that the Xie family would not fall in an instant.
My father has been dead for several years. What does Fang Shaojian mean by bringing up this matter now?
Xie Shi said expressionlessly, "The government investigation said my father was killed by bandits."
Fang Shaojian sneered, "Do you believe what the government says?"
Xie Shi said with a straight face, "So what if you don't believe it? The Eastern Palace told me the same thing back then, and asked me to accept my condolences."
Fang Shaojian stared at him and said, "I can tell you with certainty that your father was not killed by bandits, but was murdered. I can also tell you who murdered your father."
Xie Shi's expression instantly cracked, and he had many doubts.
"Since my father didn't die at the hands of thieves, why did the Eastern Palace and the government all say that he died at the hands of thieves? Since Eunuch Fang knew who killed my father, why didn't he reveal it until today?"
"You are quite suspicious, just like your father." Fang Shaojian sneered.
Xie Shi's face was gloomy. "If Eunuch Fang had been like me, and his family had almost been destroyed, he wouldn't dare to trust others easily."
Fang Shaojian looked at him with a half-smile, "You actually know the murderer who killed your father. You're even familiar with him."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
In order to catch up with the accumulated manuscripts, I can only reduce the number of words updated each day.
Once I have saved enough money to write the manuscript, I will be able to resume updating the word count as normal soon.
mwah!
I hope everyone will continue to support Yuanbao.
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