Empress Qi frowned slightly, and replied decisively:
"Because she was the only one who came to Fengyou Palace yesterday, she is the most suspicious."
"But you've already led a search, do you want to search again?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Zhiwan spoke softly.
"Your Majesty is right. The Crown Prince's residence is the most suspicious. Although we went to check the Crown Prince's residence yesterday, we only checked the Donghui Courtyard. We didn't check the other places. We should check them thoroughly."
Her words puzzled Leng Chuchen.
Empress Qi's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she gave a disdainful snort.
"You're smart enough to know your place, Chen'er. If the luminous pearl can't be found, we'll not only investigate your Crown Prince's residence, but the entire palace and the entire capital. As the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire, what's wrong with setting an example first?"
To find the whereabouts of the luminous pearl, it wouldn't be excessive to search not only the Crown Prince's residence, but the entire capital.
After all, this luminous pearl is related to whether the two countries can successfully establish an alliance, to the future of both countries, and also to the safety of its keeper, Empress Qi.
If this luminous pearl cannot be found, the emperor might depose the empress in a fit of anger, and innocent people might also be implicated.
In short, this luminous pearl was extremely important, even more important than some people's lives, so how could Empress Qi dare to neglect it?
This time, Empress Qi personally led a group to the Crown Prince's residence.
Because she was certain that the luminous pearl was in the Crown Prince's residence.
Upon hearing that Empress Qi had arrived, Yue Xiaomin rushed to the main hall, beaming with pride as she sought to claim credit.
"Imperial Aunt, I heard that Rouge couldn't find anything this morning? They're so stupid. I put it under the bed so they can look for it properly this time."
Empress Qi looked at her with sharp eyes.
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
"How could I dare to lie to you? I put it there myself, there's no mistake."
"That's good. If we couldn't find this bead, it would have been a big problem."
At this point, a dark glint flashed in Empress Qi's eyes.
Donghuiyuan
Rouge led dozens of imperial guards into Donghui Courtyard, searching every nook and cranny, even the latrines.
Leng Chuchen stood in the courtyard with a cold expression, one hand behind her back, and said softly:
How do you have an identical box?
Although he trusted her completely, he couldn't believe that such a coincidence could happen.
If she hadn't seen the box, she couldn't have created an exact replica to mislead people.
Luo Zhiwan replied calmly:
"It was just a coincidence."
"You really haven't seen that bead?"
"I've never seen it. When I went to Fengyou Palace, I only replied to the Empress with three sentences before Rouge escorted me out. Several pairs of eyes were watching me. How could I have had a chance to take the luminous pearl? Besides, that luminous pearl is so precious, would Empress Qi leave it out in the open for someone to steal?"
She spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction, which Leng Chuchen naturally noticed.
"I'm sorry, I was just too busy yesterday. I heard you waited outside the palace all day."
"Yes, if the people from Nanyuan Kingdom hadn't arrived a day later than expected, you would have been very busy today too. It's not your fault."
"If they hadn't arrived a day late, and this luminous pearl hadn't been lost, I really don't know how I would have explained it to them."
He had barely finished speaking when Rouge and the others walked out dejectedly. Leng Chuchen's lips twitched slightly as she questioned:
"Have you found anything?"
Rouge clasped her hands in a fist and replied:
"Not found yet."
Upon hearing this, Luo Zhiwan immediately raised an eyebrow and mocked:
“The Crown Prince’s residence is not just Donghui Courtyard. If you’re going to investigate, investigate all of them to avoid a situation like this morning where we couldn’t find out the truth and had to come back to report that we need to investigate.”
Rouge stared back at her without any politeness.
"That's natural, but Donghui Courtyard is the key area to be searched. We will also search the other places."
Luo Zhiwan smiled slightly and winked at Hu and Erchun'er, who were standing not far away. They nodded in understanding.
Although these two girls had only been there for a few days, they were both quite clever. This was a good opportunity for her to test whether they were capable.
Empress Qi, sitting in the main hall, turned green after hearing Rouge's report.
Yue Xiaomin looked at Empress Qi in panic, wanting to explain but not daring to speak.
Empress Qi, gripping the armrest of her chair with one hand, angrily ordered:
"Search, search every single place."
She had a vague feeling that Luo Zhiwan must have discovered something and hidden the real luminous pearl.
Rouge was about to lead her men to search other courtyards again when Chun'er stepped forward to report.
"Your Majesty, when I got up to leave the palace last night, I saw a light in the southwest direction. Could it be a luminous pearl?"
As soon as she said that, Yue Xiaomin's face turned cold.
Because the southwest direction of the Crown Prince's residence is where her residence, Suiyu Pavilion, is located.
She pointed at Chun'er and angrily rebuked her, "You're talking nonsense! Which household's maid are you, daring to spout such nonsense here?"
“I’m not making this up. Xiao Hu saw it yesterday too. We even said that the glow was as bright as it is during the day.”
Empress Qi, her face grim, asked in a cold voice,
"Who's called Little Tiger?"
Xiao Hu walked out of the crowd with his head down.
"Your Majesty, my name is Xiao Hu."
"Did you really see a light in the southwest direction?"
"Well, last night Chun'er wanted to go to the toilet, but she was timid and insisted that I go with her, so I went with her. Just as we were about to fasten our belts, we saw a bright light flash in the southwest direction. At the time, we thought it was a god descending to earth, and we even bowed in that direction."
Seeing that Xiao Hu looked honest and didn't seem to be lying, Empress Qi glanced coldly at Yue Xiaomin, then stood up and flicked her sleeve.
"Let's go and investigate thoroughly in the southwest of the Crown Prince's residence. You two follow me and tell me the exact location."
Xiao Hu and Chun'er lowered their heads and hurried to keep up with the Empress.
Although Leng Chuchen was still confused about this, she still went straight to Suiyu Pavilion with Luo Zhiwan.
Everyone gathered at the entrance of Suiyu Pavilion, and Empress Qi asked again,
"Where does the light you're talking about come from?"
Chun'er hesitated and scratched her head.
"It was too dark at the time, so I can't say exactly where it was."
Xiao Hu nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, it was right here. At the time, we thought it was a deity descending to earth. We were afraid of offending the gods, so we didn't dare to look too closely, but it must have been right here."
Empress Qi raised her hand with her brows furrowed.
"Go in and search."
Rouge, accompanied by dozens of guards, rushed forward and stormed into the Broken Jade Pavilion.
Yue Xiaomin hurriedly went to Empress Qi to explain.
"Imperial Aunt, don't listen to those two girls' nonsense. That thing is in Donghui Courtyard. I'll go find it myself in a bit."
"Hmph! A luminous pearl is a rare treasure; some people never even have the chance to see one in their entire lives. If you hand it over now, perhaps I can spare you."
"My aunt has misunderstood me. How could I have such audacity? I absolutely did not have any selfish desires for this luminous pearl, really not..."
"You'll find out soon enough whether you have it or not."
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