While the court officials were busy with the grand meeting, a silent purge was launched in the harem.
Several high-ranking supervisors and supervisors were all arrested.
Even Xingqing Palace was not spared.
Zhou Miao hid in a secret cabinet and watched helplessly as the Minister of the Imperial Household personally led people to capture his godfather, the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor Hu Jianzheng.
I heard that Hu Jian was one of the leaders behind the kidnapping.
Zhou Miao came out of the secret cabinet only after everyone had left.
He is a small person and has nothing to do with the kidnapping case.
But he is Hu Jianzheng's godson, and there is a high possibility that he will be implicated.
He had to seize the time, build connections, and get himself out of trouble.
Fortunately, I got tens of thousands of taels of silver notes from Madam Zhao last time.
Zhou Miao was extremely grateful for his greedy character. If he wasn't greedy, he wouldn't even be able to come up with the money to manage relationships.
…
Changchun Palace.
Prince Ning was talking to Concubine Xiao Shufei.
Concubine Xiao Shu first sighed, "He has served me for nearly thirty years. I never thought he would be involved with those kidnappers."
Prince Ning took a bite of the pear and said, "It's nothing special. That gang of kidnappers has been operating for hundreds of years. They have been found in countless shameful places in this palace. A mere thirty years is nothing. Mother, please be open-minded."
The eunuch who was close to Concubine Xiao Shufei was arrested because he was involved in the kidnapping case.
At this point, Concubine Xiao Shufei was still in shock.
He has been an old man for thirty years, not three or five years, but a full thirty years. How could he become a nail planted in the palace by the kidnapper?
Concubine Xiao Shu felt upset. How could she not feel upset when she was betrayed by someone she trusted?
"Last year, I was poisoned. Do you think he was the one who did it?"
Prince Ning shook his head. "No. Madam Xue said it was Young Supervisor Fang who did it."
Concubine Xiao Shu frowned. "Young Master Fang is simply a nuisance. How could Concubine Xue know so much about this, while I know nothing? Where did she get this information, and is what she said reliable?"
"Whether he's reliable or not, you'll know everything once you're in the Imperial Prison. Mother, don't worry. All the questionable people have been cleared out, and your surroundings will be truly clean."
Concubine Xiao Shu shook her head. "I still can't figure it out. How could Concubine Xue know so much?"
Prince Ning laughed heartily and said casually, "That's not hard to guess. Those kidnappers specialize in forcing the emperor to revolt and dethrone him, dreaming of becoming the emperor of the underworld."
Concubine Xue was ambitious and wanted to rebel, so the two sides hit it off and began to cooperate. After the cooperation, Concubine Xue would naturally send people to investigate this gang of kidnappers.
Especially since the kidnapper had left many clues on Concubine Li De, and given Concubine Xue's shrewdness, how could she let Concubine Li De go? Through Concubine Li De's clues, it was only a matter of time before she could eradicate all those who hid behind the kidnapper.
Concubine Xiao Shu sighed, "I never expected that Concubine Li De was actually supported by that group of kidnappers."
Prince Ning lowered his voice and whispered, "Even Concubine Li De's pregnancy and birth of the little prince were the work of those kidnappers."
Concubine Xiao Shu was horrified and immediately scolded Prince Ning, "How dare you say such things? Be careful that His Majesty will beat you to death."
What Prince Ning meant was that Concubine Li De had cuckolded the emperor.
Given the emperor's violent temper, it would be strange if he could accept this calmly. He would probably overturn the palace and unleash another bloody storm.
Prince Ning smiled without a trace of seriousness, "I just made a bold guess, it can't be counted."
"No nonsense."
After a pause, Concubine Xiao Shufei still asked curiously, "What happened to Jiang Shuyi's pregnancy?"
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Of course it's not clean."
Concubine Xiao Shu sighed, "Concubine Li De and the young prince are both dead, so we can say that everything is over. Jiang Shuyi is still alive and has made great contributions, but now she is involved in the kidnapping case. I'm afraid she will be sentenced to death by His Majesty."
Prince Ning smiled and said, "No matter how Concubine Li De and Jiang Shuyi got pregnant, since there is a doubt, your Majesty will never allow Jiang Shuyi to continue living. However, this matter cannot be put on the table for discussion. In addition, Jiang Shuyi has made great contributions. If your Majesty wants to execute Jiang Shuyi, you must choose a suitable reason. Otherwise, people will talk about you being mean to a meritorious official."
Concubine Xiao Shu smiled coldly, "This is a simple matter. Just order Jiang Shuyi to be buried alive with the emperor, and that will silence the gossips."
Prince Ning said, "But who would be willing to be buried alive with an old man? It's such a pity to spend the best years of your youth being buried alive with an old man."
Concubine Xiao Shu glared at Prince Ning, "Can't you control your mouth? You dare to say anything."
Prince Ning laughed heartily, "Son, I will only say this in front of Mother. I promise not to say anything else after we leave."
Concubine Xiao Shu sighed, "Hasn't the ringleader behind the kidnapping case been caught yet?"
"No. Even Concubine Xue doesn't know who the leader behind the kidnappers is. I hope the Jinwu Guards can pry some truth out of the junior eunuchs and eunuchs."
Prince Ning spoke lightly, as if he didn't care at all.
Concubine Xiao Shu stared at him and said, "The court officials are busy with the important meeting, but you are so calm."
Prince Ning laughed heartily. "At this time, if you do more, you will make more mistakes. If you do less, you will make fewer mistakes. If you do nothing, you will make no mistakes. That's why I have time to come visit you. At noon, I will stay in the palace and have lunch with you."
Concubine Xiao Shu asked, "What have the brothers Liu Zhao and Liu Yi been busy with recently?"
Prince Ning said casually, "I have arranged a task for Liu Yi. Since he is determined to advance, I cannot stop him. As for Liu Zhao, he is busy arresting people."
Concubine Xiao Shufei looked dissatisfied. "There are the Jinwu Guards and the Shaofu Prison Inspector in charge of arresting people. Why is he meddling in this? His Majesty told him to reflect on his mistakes and write a self-criticism, but he pretended to obey and secretly disobeyed. Isn't he afraid that His Majesty will beat him to death?"
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Don't worry about Liu Zhao, mother. He is seeking revenge for his wife. Xiao Jiu was kidnapped and imprisoned, and Fang Shaojian was definitely involved."
This eunuch has been stirring up trouble in the capital since the death of Empress Cui Ruizhen, relying on the manpower left by Empress Cui.
If Liu Zhao wanted to arrest him, he could do what he wanted. As for the self-reflection and self-criticism, it was just for show.
Liu Zhao was a meritorious official. If he hadn't arrived in time with his men and detained Prince Zhao and Concubine Xue, my father would have died."
"What's with the death? Stop talking nonsense. Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. How could Prince Zhao and Concubine Xue kill him so easily? Speaking of Xiaojiu, why did Mrs. Pei suddenly come forward to quell the rumors? Didn't Mrs. Pei always dislike Gu Jiu?"
Concubine Xiao Shufei was also full of questions.
Because she knew that Pei Shi would not let Gu Jiu go, she remained silent when the rumors were flying around. She planned to wait and see how Pei Shi would deal with the matter.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Pei seemed like a different person and actually stood up for Gu Jiu.
When talking about this, King Ning couldn't help laughing.
"I can only say that Gu Jiu is quite resourceful. He managed to convince the Pei family with his eloquence."
Prince Ning looked very proud and pleased.
Concubine Xiao Shu snorted coldly, "Gu Jiu has ruined her reputation, so why keep her around? Even if she doesn't prove her innocence by dying, she should at least ask to leave the palace."
Prince Ning shook his head repeatedly, "Mother, I don't agree with what you said. Gu Jiu is a lucky charm, so precious! How can you divorce her? We in the Ning Palace don't care about her, but there are many people in the capital who do. If you divorce her today, a matchmaker will come to propose marriage tomorrow. Do you believe it, mother?"
Concubine Xiao Shu's face was stern. "She's a woman who's always in the spotlight. No wonder something like this happened to her. Even after the incident, she didn't show any shame or remorse, and continued to do business as usual. She's like a dead pig that's not afraid of boiling water. How outrageous!"
Prince Ning waved his hand, "She is my daughter-in-law. I don't dislike her, so please don't be picky. Besides, Liu Zhao loves her so much that he will get furious if anyone dares to say anything bad about Gu Jiu to her face. Please don't say anything similar to her later."
Concubine Xiao Shu was angry, "I guess I can't manage Prince Ning's Mansion anymore, right?"
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Mother, cultivate your character and don't worry about the affairs of the palace. Some people dislike Gu Jiu, but naturally there are also people who like her. You can't expect everyone to like her."
"I'd like to ask, what kind of people like her? They can't be all men, right?" Concubine Xiao Shu said in a bad tone.
Prince Ning shook his head repeatedly, "How could that be possible? The second son's wife likes her very much and has always spoken up for her."
"You mean Ouyang Fu?"
"Exactly."
"Humph! Absurd."
"Ridiculous or not, this matter is over. Mother, please don't mention it again. When you have time, please pay more attention to the emperor. I think the emperor is going to be mad to death."
"Stop talking nonsense." Concubine Xiao Shu scolded Prince Ning, "The news that Concubine Li De and Jiang Shuyi are pregnant cannot be true. Don't go out and spread it around."
Prince Ning said with a gossipy look on his face, "Father is so old, yet he can still make two young and beautiful concubines pregnant. This is so rare.
I used to think my father was vigorous and strong, but now I think he must have been manipulated.
If my father could live another ten or twenty years, those kidnappers would have stirred up trouble in secret, and perhaps the Great Zhou would have really fallen into the hands of the young prince. By then, it is hard to say whether the Great Zhou would still be ruled by the Liu family.
Concubine Xiao Shufei looked terrified. "These kidnappers are so bold! They actually dared to manipulate the succession to the throne and disrupt the royal bloodline."
"They've been operating in the palace for hundreds of years. Do you think they're brave enough? I hope this time, we can completely eradicate this gang and restore order to the world."
Prince Ning said this sincerely, without any hypocrisy.
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