What, crooked mouth and squinting eyes?

Yuwen Lan's eyebrows jumped. Did she see it?

He tried to think about the look of Cheng Engong...

Yuwen Lan was startled and said to Rendong and the others, "You go down first."

Rendong and Lianxin were just worried, and they immediately agreed as if they had been pardoned and left the hall.

The hall was finally quiet. Yuwen Lan was about to speak, but he heard Yan Shu exclaimed, "It's going to be messed up!"

Then he ran towards the charcoal cage in two steps. The fire in the charcoal oven was burning brightly

. Yan Shu quickly turned the food over. When she saw that some of the food was ready, she put it into her mouth. While eating, she sighed, "Tofu should be eaten while it's hot! Huhu!" The potato chips had been baked to a crisp. She tasted a piece and it actually tasted like potato chips. The best thing was the steamed bread slices, which were fragrant and crispy, and so delicious. After eating like this for a while, she suddenly thought of someone. She looked up and saw the emperor looking at her dimly. Yan Shu, "..." What does this look mean? Are you greedy? So she coughed, "Your Majesty, do you really want to taste it? It's delicious." Tsk, just say something if you want to eat it or not! If she doesn't eat it now, she will finish it. Who would have thought that just after she finished complaining, he suddenly said, "Okay." Then he picked up the chopsticks and started eating the tofu directly. Um, hot! This was Yuwen Lan's first impression. However, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The spicy and salty flavor of the seasoning mixed with the bean flavor of the tofu itself was really good. After eating the tofu, he saw Yan Shu chewing potato chips, and a crispy sound came from between her lips and teeth. He tried it as well. Well, it was unexpected. The potatoes cooked in this way tasted very burnt and fragrant. It was really very interesting. After eating the potatoes, he said, "What else?" Her tone was already expectant. Yan Shu handed him a steamed bun, "Your Majesty, try this." Yuwen Lan took it and was still a little skeptical. Is this delicious? But seeing that she was eating it with relish, he reluctantly tried it, and his eyes lit up. After the steamed buns were fried, the seasoning and fat on the surface formed a crispy shell, while the inside was still soft. A bite of it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a strong wheat aroma and rich taste. After eating the steamed buns, Yan Shu broke off a piece of sweet potato for him. It was sweet and dense, and a bite of it was as sweet as honey. The two of them ate together like this, and in just two quarters of an hour, all the ingredients were successfully consumed. Yuwen Lan was still a little unsatisfied and asked, "No more?" Yan Shu nodded, "It's all eaten." It's a midnight snack, so you don't have to be too full, just eat to satisfy your hunger. As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something important, and asked him, "Your Majesty, aren't you not allowed to come to the harem for the next three days? Why did you come here tonight?" Yuwen Lan, "..." Distracted by the food, he remembered something important, so he said, "I remember that this rope is not mine." Then he took out the purple rope she had given him during the day. Yan Shu could only laugh, "Is that so? Maybe I remembered it wrong..." Then she took the purple rope. She thought to herself, [You only realized now that it's not yours. Did you come here on purpose for a midnight snack?] Yuwen Lan, "..." Did he think he only cared about eating like her? He said meaningfully, "Did you really remember it wrong? Or do you have something to ask me?" Yan Shu blinked at Dayan and said innocently, "How dare I lie to you? Of course I remembered it wrong. Besides, I don't have anything to ask you." But in her heart, she was tut-tutting, [What are you saying? If I hadn't informed you, you don't know what would happen to you now. You don't know how to thank me, but you still doubt me. Ha, you have no conscience! ] Yuwen Lan, "???" How dare you say he has no conscience? But think about it carefully, no matter how she knew about this, she rushed to Yu's study today for his sake. And as far as I can see now, although she knew that she had a hidden disease, she had never told anyone, and never used it to do anything. On the contrary, she reminded him twice to be careful of others. So, at least she is not dangerous. Thinking of this, Yuwen Lan said in a calm tone, "I'm just a little surprised, after all, you've never come to see me." Then he casually asked her, "What did you do after you came back today?" Yan Shu said, "I'm still the same as always, writing stories in the palace." Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows and asked, "What new works have you written?" Yan Shu said proudly, "Of course I have, I've written five or six in the past few days." But he looked very interested, "Can I take a look?" Yan Shu, "..." She wanted to say no. He liked to find faults, and he was also irritated by the erotic ones. Someone who was listening silently coughed, "I can now accept the kind of "The Hot-blooded General and the Young Widow"..." Yan Shu, "..." Actually, she still didn't want to show it to him, but considering that he was the emperor, she had to reluctantly say, "Okay, Your Majesty, please keep your word. If you don't like what you read, don't blame me." Yuwen Lan nodded in agreement. She then took out several stacks of manuscripts. Yuwen Lan picked up the thickest stack and tried to read it. He saw that the name was "The Beautiful and Affectionate Wife". "..." Sure enough, it was still of this style. He didn't have anything to do, so he might as well take a look. He started from the beginning. However, it didn't take long before he discovered that this seemed to be a story about Linwuhou Mansion.

Well, he was just wondering who the son of Linwu Hou was, so he read on with interest.

- Xia Chunlan, a beauty from Jiangnan, was born in a declining mansion. She was young and beautiful, and by chance, she met a young man from a marquisate.

- Yuwen Lan guessed that this person was the Marquis of Xiayi.

The young man from the marquisate fell in love with Xia at first sight, and Xia was also a young girl, but the parents of the young man from the marquisate despised the girl's background and strongly opposed it. The young man from the marquisate had no

choice but to marry someone else. In anger, Xia also turned to another young man from a marquisate and successfully became the main wife. She was also granted an imperial decree based on her husband's military achievements.

- Needless to say, this young man from a marquisate was naturally the Marquis of Linwu.

This marriage made Xia vent her anger and also helped her family to improve. However, her husband was cold and away from home all year round. Xia was a sentimental person. By chance, she met an actor and fell in love again.

Seeing this, Yuwen Lan couldn't help but guess, could it be that the prince was the actor?

But when he continued reading, he saw that she wrote that the actor was very popular and had many admirers. Soon Xia found out that while he was having a tryst with her, he was also having an affair with a princess and a noblewoman. She immediately cut off her relationship and kicked the actor out of the tent.

Yuwen Lan, "???"

He is not an actor?

He continued to read, and saw that not long after, Xia met a wealthy businessman, who admired her beauty and gave her many treasures, while Xia admired the other party's handsomeness, wealth and wide knowledge, so they had a relationship for a while.

But later her husband returned to Beijing, and the two had to break up.

Yuwen Lan thought to himself, could this be the biological father of the prince?

Calculating, the prince of Linwu Hou, Sun Zhanpeng, is about the same age as himself. Linwu Hou also returned to Beijing after returning from the southeast border more than 20 years ago, and then his son was born.

In this case, it is very likely!

But before he could read on, Yan Shu yawned beside him and said with tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, I am sleepy. Why don't you read it tomorrow?"

Then she suddenly remembered that she would still be fasting tomorrow, so she said, "The day after tomorrow is fine, anyway, I have finished writing it."

Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows and looked at her, "You sleep after eating, are you born in the Year of the Pig?"

Yan Shu muttered unconvinced, "You ate just now."

If you have the guts, don't sleep when you go back!

Cherry's little mouth pouted high.

Yuwen Lan stretched out his hand with a smile, poked her cheek, and said, "Then you go to sleep, I will take it back to read."

"Ah?"

Yan Shu was stunned, "Take it back to read?"

Yuwen Lan hummed, and put the manuscript into his sleeve.

——He has seen the key points. If he doesn't find out who the prince is, he will not be able to sleep tonight.

But she exclaimed in her heart, [Is what I wrote so wonderful? He is going to take him to see it? There is hope! It looks like it will be a hit in the future!!! Tsk, maybe I can add a gimmick and call it "The novel that makes the emperor unable to stop!" It will definitely be a hit!!!]

Yuwen Lan, "..." What a mess! ~~ It was late at night, and Yuwen Lan returned to the bedroom and continued to read the storybook. As he expected, since her husband Xia returned to Beijing, she never had any contact with men from the outside world, but her son was born soon, so the son was indeed the merchant's. Putting down the story, Yuwen Lan felt a little complicated. Fortunately, Wu Hou divorced, but how many cuckolds had he worn in these years! But now that the doubts in his heart were resolved, he finally closed his eyes and fell asleep with peace of mind. But that night, he lost his dreams again. He was drowsy until the early morning, and when he woke up, he discovered something else - the changes in his body that had occurred for two consecutive days had come to an abrupt end. Yuwen Lan's heart sank, but he became more and more certain that the changes were related to Yan Shu. Only when he was close to her, by her side, would he have dreams and changes, and if she was not by his side, he would become numb again as before. He suddenly couldn't hold back his heart, and for the first time he realized that these three days of fasting were so long. But no matter what, there was no time to rush, and he reluctantly had breakfast, but saw the Jinyiwei who was sent out to investigate the residence of the Minister of Revenue come to report. Yuwen Lan first put his mind to it and asked, "How is it?" Jinyiwei said, "We have verified that the Minister of Revenue's mansion spent 8,000 taels of silver on the wine and food on the birthday. In addition, there were also decorations for the mansion, the purchase of flowers and gifts, etc., a total of 13,000 taels of silver." Yuwen Lan frowned. Very good, just for a birthday, it cost 13,000 taels of silver, it was indeed more luxurious than the imperial palace. "Where did he get the money?" Jinyiwei asked, "We found several account books in his home. Your Majesty, please take a look." Yuwen Lan took it, opened it and looked at it. Then he heard Jinyiwei say, "In addition to the money he has embezzled since he became an official, there are also gifts from his subordinates over the years. But the 10,000 taels of silver that Duke Cheng'en gave him for his birthday is the biggest gift." "Duke Cheng'en?" Yuwen Lan paused. Because of the relationship with the Queen Mother, Duke Cheng'en's mansion is the largest family in the capital. Therefore, although Duke Cheng'en is uneducated and unskilled, he has been fawned on by countless people for many years. According to common sense, only others can bribe him. Why is he giving money to the Minister of Revenue at this time? He asked again, "Besides Qi Weizhai, what else did Duke Cheng'en give to other people?" Jinyiwei said, "In addition to giving silver to the Minister of Revenue, Duke Cheng'en also gave four concubines to the Minister of Rites, and gave treasures to the Grand Scholar of Wenhua Pavilion and Grand Tutor Sun and others." Yuwen Lan understood. These are all important officials. It seems that this uncle is planning to do something big. Very good, let's settle the account for the chestnut cake. ~~ Ganlu Palace. Early in the morning, Yan Shu washed and changed her clothes and came to the dining table, and saw that breakfast had been set. Of course, it was still all vegetarian, without even an egg.

She felt like she had turned into a rabbit or a sheep, and had completely forgotten what meat tasted like.

Seeing her gloomy face, Ren Dong hurriedly comforted her, "Master, bear with it for a while, you can eat meat tomorrow."

Yan Shu, "... Come on, we won't worship our ancestors until tomorrow morning, so we have to eat vegetarian food in the morning and at noon, and we won't be able to eat meat until the evening." Unexpectedly, just

as she finished speaking, she heard the system alarm, [Something has happened. Tomorrow during the Fengxian Temple worship ceremony, someone is going to harm you. ]

Yan Shu was stunned, [??? Who is going to make trouble again? ]

System, [Guess? ]

Yan Shu, [... Do we still have to guess? ]

System, [Use your little brain, who hates you the most now? ]

Yan Shu, "..."

This question was asked because she was the target, and who in the harem didn't hate her?

But think about it. Concubine Ning is under house arrest, Concubine Li is in the cold palace, and Wang Zhaoyi is still working the night watch every day.

These three are obviously unlikely.

Besides, tomorrow's sacrifice is a big event. The emperor's concubines, royal relatives, civil and military ministers will all participate. Who would have the ability to cause trouble at this time?

I'm afraid only... Concubine Zhou can do it.

System, [Bingo! Correct answer, Concubine Zhou instructed Concubine An to get rid of you tomorrow.]

Yan Shu, [Concubine An? As far as I know, this is a very scheming person. Isn't she afraid of ending up like Concubine Li?]

System, [Not bad, so she didn't do it herself, but found your old acquaintance, so be prepared.]

Yan Shu, [Old acquaintance?]

She thought about it, her old acquaintance in the palace...

Tsk, isn't there only that one?

Well, she hasn't yet settled the grievances she suffered last time, so this is a good opportunity to talk it out.

~~

The twenty-fifth day of the lunar month is the day for the palace to worship ancestors.

At the hour of Mao, before dawn, everyone had already gotten up, washed up, had a simple breakfast, and then put on their wedding clothes and went to Fengxian Hall.

To be honest, this year is the first time Yan Shu has participated in such a grand ceremony, and even Jindong is a little nervous.

- You know, today all the civil and military ministers and royal relatives are here. If there is a slight mistake and your majesty's people are lost, who knows what crime they will be charged with.

The master and servant came all the way to Fengxian Hall, and saw many tablets placed in the hall, all of which were the ancestors of the royal family. The huge candles in the hall were burning high, and all kinds of cakes and dishes were placed on the altar.

All the royal relatives, civil and military officials in the court stood quietly, and some even stood outside the hall.

Yan Shu looked around calmly and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows - isn't that Duke Cheng'en standing in the front?

Tsk, the man who couldn't get out of bed three days ago is here today?

This is really... amazing!

But looking at his pale face and black eyes, he must have forced himself to come.

Yes, this is one of the most important days of the year, and important officials in the court cannot be absent without reason.

If he doesn't come, he must give a reason. However, if he says he is not feeling well, wouldn't there be a risk of exposing the chestnut cake incident?

When Yan Shu thought of this, she couldn't help laughing.

However, today is a very serious occasion, and she must not laugh.

She was trying hard to hold back her laughter, but she felt that Rendong gently pulled her sleeve.

Yan Shu followed the direction of Ren Dong's gaze, but saw that Zhang Cairen was here today as well.

——Since she damaged her voice, this woman has not appeared in front of the public again, and with her position, she should not be able to enter this Fengxian Palace.

Yan Shu closed her eyelids to show her calmness.

Ever since Concubine Ning was confined to her house, the harem has been controlled by Concubine Zhou. There are so many people today, so she can just call whoever she wants to come?

Besides, the system has already warned her, so she just needs to act according to circumstances today.

Everyone has gathered, and not long after, the emperor finally showed up.

Yuwen Lan was wearing a twelve-dragon-patterned robe, majestic and solemn. Yan Shu glanced at him quietly and couldn't help but secretly said, "Wow, he's so handsome!"

Who can compare with this cold jade-like face and this powerful aura?

Yuwen Lan silently twitched his lips. It would be enough to say that he was handsome. The first two words were unnecessary.

"Your Majesty."

A thunderous voice rang out in the hall, and everyone knelt down to pay their respects. He calmly ordered everyone to stand up, and then signaled the ceremonial officer to start the sacrifice.

The musicians struck the bells and chimes, and the sacrificial music sounded in the hall. The ceremonial officer began to read the sacrificial text.

When the sacrificial text was finished, Yuwen Lan stepped forward to burn incense, and everyone in the hall knelt down with him and performed the ceremony of three kowtows and nine bows to the ancestors of the Yuwen family.

After the ceremony, the sacrifice was considered completed, and there was also a sacrificial banquet waiting for everyone at noon.

Just as everyone was about to leave the palace, they suddenly heard someone say, "I have been wronged, please Your Majesty, I will seek justice."

The voice was rough and hoarse, like a man's.

But everyone saw that a woman dressed as a concubine suddenly knelt on the ground.

It was none other than Zhang Cairen.

Yan Shu was sure in her heart, great, she had been waiting for two days and two nights, and finally she came. In

such a situation, she cried out for injustice, and it was a concubine. Everyone was surprised and murmured in their hearts.

The king could not ignore it, so he stopped and asked, "What's the injustice?"

Then he heard Zhang Cairen say, "My voice was fine before. I sang for Your Majesty and the Queen Mother on the night of the eighth day of the first lunar month. But after that night, I was murdered by someone, and my voice became like this. I hope Your Majesty will punish the murderer severely..."

She actually started crying.

Not to mention, her voice was so harsh, coupled with such words, it was still easy to move people at first glance.

But a minister said, "How could such a thing happen in the palace?"

Yuwen Lan's expression was calm, and he only said, "Who attacked you? Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Cairen said immediately, "I didn't know I was poisoned at first. It was not until a few days ago that I learned from an old friend of my father who worked in the Imperial Hospital that I had caught a cold and someone hired a female doctor from the palace to poison my medicine, causing my throat to become like this. That person was Li Guiyi."

As she spoke, she pointed her finger in the direction of Yan Shu.

Everyone looked at Yan Shu.

Oh, it was finally her turn.

Yan Shu was immediately surprised and asked, "Did Zhang Cairen recognize the wrong person? I have no grudge against you, why would she poison you?"

Zhang Cairen's answer was blunt, "Because you are jealous that I dress better than you, and you are also jealous that I sang for His Majesty and the Queen Mother that night, so you deliberately destroyed my voice!"

Before Yan Shu could say anything else, Yuwen Lan said, "I ask you if you have any evidence."

Zhang Cairen immediately said, "I have a female doctor from the Imperial Hospital to testify."

Yuwen Lan said, "Bring it up."

Zhang Cairen agreed and immediately called her palace to When she saw Nu Chun'e, she saw him bringing a female doctor in from outside the palace, kneeling down and saying, "Your Majesty, on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Guiyi sent someone to find me and gave me fifty taels of silver, asking me to add some powder to Zhang Cairen's medicine. I was obsessed with money and couldn't resist the temptation..."

Then he took out a bundle from his arms and said, "This is the fifty taels of silver. I regretted it so much that I didn't dare to spend it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Fu Hai took the bundle and opened it. He saw that it was indeed full of white silver ingots.

As a result, everyone turned their attention to Yan Shu again.

But she was not in a hurry, and even smiled, saying to the female doctor, "You really think highly of me. To be honest, on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, I didn't even have fifty taels of silver."

What?

Everyone looked at her with suspicion.

Yan Shu sighed, "I have been a beauty since I entered the palace until a few days ago, and my annual salary is only fifty taels of silver. In addition to the money I send to my mother's family in Ande County every year, I also often support the people in my own palace. Last month, Xiaodongzi's mother was sick, and I gave him twenty taels; Xia Rili Lianxin's brother got married, and I gave her ten taels; last year, Xianghe, who was in charge of boiling water, passed away, and the family couldn't even afford the money for the coffin, and I also gave her silver. Let alone fifty taels, all I have in my hand are small change, not even such a large silver ingot."

As she said this, she looked at Zhang Cairen, "My family is not as good as you ladies. I have neither power nor money in the palace. Even Xiaochunzi was bribed by others to frame me. How can I persuade others to harm you?" After

the voice fell, Rendong also knelt down and said to Yuwen Lan, "Your Majesty, I can swear to heaven that what the master said is true. Usually, if anyone in the palace has difficulties and asks the master for help, the master has always generously donated money and never ignored it."

Of course, the salary of concubines is clearly stipulated by the court etiquette and laws. The high-ranking ones are of course high, but the low-ranking ones like beauties are really just this much.

Everyone also knows that her family's official position is not high, and it is a remote and poor place in Ande County. According to what she said, she really doesn't have much in her hands.

Yuwen Lan ordered Fu Hai, "Have someone check these silver ingots to see where they came from."

- The silver used in the palace was different from that used by the people. They all had official silver numbers on them, so it was not difficult to check.

Fu Hai quickly agreed and asked someone to collect the bag of silver ingots.

Seeing this, Zhang Cairen paused, and then said to Yan Shu, "But the witness is here. Someone in the pharmacy saw you sending Rendong to find her that day!"

Rendong hurriedly said, "Don't you know, Cairen, our master was not feeling well those two days. I went to the pharmacy to get medicine for the master, but I never saw this female doctor. If you don't believe it, you can ask the doctor of the Imperial Hospital to check."

Yuwen Lan then ordered Hu An, the chief of the Silijian, to "go to the pharmacy and see who was on duty that day."

Hu An agreed and hurried to the pharmacy.

Not long after, two doctors came to the palace.

One of them was an acquaintance of Yan Shu, the doctor who treated her carbuncle that day.

Fu Hai pointed at Rendong and asked the two people, "You two, have you seen the young lady from Ganlu Palace on the tenth day? Oh no, it was the young lady from Yongning Palace at that time?"

One of them lowered his head and said, "I did see this young lady on the tenth day. At first, she came to get medicine for Li Guiyi, and then she went to talk to the female doctor Chunjin." As soon as

these words came out, Rendong was so anxious that she wanted to argue, but was stopped by Yan Shu with a look.

But Fu Hai looked at the doctor who cured her boils, "What about you?"

The doctor said, "I was consulting at the time and didn't pay attention to whether the girl was there or not, but the female doctor Chun Jin was not on duty on the tenth day of the first lunar month, and was not in the pharmacy."

Fu Hai hurriedly asked, "Is it true?"

The doctor said affirmatively, "I guarantee it with my life, Chun Jin is on duty on the 2nd, 4th and 7th of every month, and was not in the palace on the tenth day of the first lunar month."

After the voice fell, everyone looked at the king.

These two people said completely opposite things, how should the king decide?

Yu Wenlan said, "Go to the pharmacy to check the case."

He had already distinguished the right and wrong in everyone's voice, but what he needed now was to let those present know the truth. In

a moment, a guard brought the case of the pharmacy over.

At first glance, there was indeed a record of Chun Jin's attendance on the tenth day.

But Fu Hai came closer and smelled it, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, the ink here seems to have been newly applied."

The smell had not yet dissipated.

The Dali Temple Minister was present, and Yuwen Lan said, "Come and take a look."

The Dali Temple Minister agreed, and immediately stepped forward, smelled it, and smeared it with water. After a thorough inspection, he reported to the king, "Your Majesty, the ink here was newly applied these days." As

soon as this was said, everyone had already made a judgment.

Yuwen Lan looked at the first doctor Yu and said, "A doctor should cure diseases and save lives. If he kills innocent people for personal gain, where is his conscience?"

The other party's face turned pale, and he hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Someone threatened to kill my entire family, so I lied..."

Yuwen Lan said in a deep voice, "What is the truth? I can spare your life."

Doctor Yu burst into tears, "On the tenth day, I only prescribed the medicine that Taohua did not take for Miss Rendong. Chunjin was indeed not on duty."

Everyone looked at the female doctor Chunjin and saw that her face had turned pale and her body was shaking.

Yuwen Lan said coldly, "Drag her away and torture her to see who ordered her to slander Li Guiyi."

Everyone agreed, and someone dragged her out immediately.

Zhang Cairen, who was left, was extremely nervous and could only say, "I don't know who ordered Chunzhen, but my voice is really ruined. I was indeed harmed by someone. Since I entered the palace, I have only been friends with Li Guiyi. Apart from her, no one would harm me."

This reason was too convincing, and everyone obviously didn't believe it.

But Yan Shu said, "It's strange. I also had peach blossoms at that time. I had rashes all over my body and even had difficulty breathing. You said it was the month of Lewd. I don't know why I had peach blossoms. I still felt it was strange when I thought about it a few days ago, so I mentioned it to Manager Fu. I wonder how your investigation went?"

Hearing this, Fu Hai hurriedly said, "It's really strange. In the month of Lewd, where else can peach blossoms bloom except in the greenhouse of Siyuan? I sent someone to Siyuan and found out that on the night of the eighth day of the first lunar month, someone went to Siyuan to find some peach blossom powder." Peach blossom

powder?

Everyone was excited. Could this be the source of Li Guiyi's peach blossoms? It turned out that she was the one who was harmed!

Yuwen Lan had just learned about this and asked, "Who wanted the peach blossom powder?"

Fu Hai hurriedly replied, "I wanted to wait until the ceremony was over before reporting to Your Majesty. It was Chun'e, a maid from Linhua Palace, who wanted the peach blossom powder." As

soon as these words came out, Chun'e beside Zhang Cairen immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I only asked for some peach blossom powder for you to make perfume, and I have not been to Yongning Palace."

Fu Hai smiled coolly, "You indeed did not go to Yongning Palace, you went to the laundry department."

Chun'e shuddered.

Fu Hai reported to Yuwen Lan, "I thought about it, how could the peach blossom powder get on Li Guiyi's body and make her dissatisfied? I thought sprinkling it on clothes is the best way, so I sent someone to the laundry bureau again, and found out that it was on the night of the eighth day of the first lunar month that Chun'e took the peach blossom powder from Siyuan and went straight to the laundry bureau to bribe a laundry girl to sprinkle peach blossom powder on Li Guiyi's clothes."

After saying this, Zhang Cairen was already pale.

But the emperor said coldly, "Bring her up."

Fu Hai agreed and ordered someone to go out and bring someone. Not long after, a bloody and dying palace maid was dragged into the palace. She said weakly, "Your Majesty, please spare my life. It was Zhang Cairen who asked Chun'e to come and gave me fifty taels of silver..."

Everyone knew that the fifty taels of silver were for this purpose. But

suddenly there was a burst of sobbing in the palace. Yan Shu looked at Zhang Cairen with tears in her eyes and said, "You also said just now that we have been good friends since entering the palace. At that time, no one knew me except you. I regarded you as my best sister, but you actually hurt me like this..."

Come on! Let's cry together! Let's see who sheds more tears!

As if no one can do it, the one who harms people first is right!

Yuwen Lan, "..."

He knew it.

On the side, Zhang Cairen was still shaking her head, "No, it's not me, it's not me..."

Yuwen Lan had no patience anymore, glanced at Chun'e, and said directly, "Take this woman away and torture her severely."

Torture?

Chun'e looked at the washerwoman lying on the ground, her soul had flown away, and she could only tremble and say, "Your Majesty, please spare my life. It was the talented person who ordered me to do this. I was also forced..."

Yuwen Lan was too disdainful to talk to her. Fu Hai hurriedly asked, "Why did the talented person Zhang want to harm Li Guiyi?"

Chun'e cried, "Because at the New Year's Eve banquet that night, Li Guiyi deliberately wore light clothes to attract your majesty's attention. The talented person misunderstood that your majesty was looking at her, so she took the initiative to perform. Unexpectedly, she was ridiculed by Li Concubine and embarrassed. The master was so angry that he asked me to disfigure Li Concubine..."

It's over, it's all over.

The talented person Zhang was completely paralyzed on the ground.

But the king said coldly, "You did evil first, but you don't know how to reflect on it, and you do it again. Who gave you the courage?"

Zhang Cairen could only look at Anpin quietly, thinking, [Save me! Didn't you agree that Concubine Zhou would protect me? ]

But Anpin just looked at her coldly, and the warning in her eyes was self-evident.

If she dared to say a word, the Zhang family would be finished.

Zhang Cairen paused, and finally could only say with difficulty, "It was my own idea."

- That day Anpin came to her and asked her if she could be calm when she saw Li Yanshu being so favored?

Yes, she spent every day in jealousy for more than half a month.

Why can't she speak anymore, but Li Yanshu can accompany the king every day?

So she just came out to take a chance.

She thought that with Concubine Zhou around, she could pull Li Yanshu down no matter what.

But how could this be?

His Majesty actually trusted her so much! In front of so many people, he was so partial to her!

Zhang Cairen gritted her teeth and said, "I am unwilling to accept this! Why is she the only concubine in the palace who can be favored by His Majesty?"

The palace was silent, and everyone watched coldly.

Only Yuwen Lan answered her coldly, "Because she has a pure mind and has never thought of harming others." As

soon as the words fell, many people in the palace were nervous.

But the king said again, "She has a bad character and deliberately disrupted the sacrifice. The crime is unforgivable. She will be given a white silk, and her mother's family will be exiled and will never be allowed to enter the officialdom." As

soon as the words fell, Zhang Cairen was dragged away, and everyone was terrified.

Only Concubine Zhou spoke, "The evildoer has received his retribution. I hope Your Majesty will calm down and not hurt yourself."

After he finished speaking, Yuwen Lan suddenly looked at her and said meaningfully, "Why are there such evil people in the palace?"

Concubine Zhou panicked, but she insisted, "I don't know."

What does this mean? Does he doubt her?

Yuwen Lan sneered, "In the past, the Queen Mother gave you the power to assist in managing the six palaces, but this palace is so smoky and foul. Even a laundrywoman in the laundry department can be bribed to harm the master." Concubine

Zhou bit her lip and could only say, "It's my incompetence that disappoints Your Majesty."

Yuwen Lan said, "Since you know you are incompetent, just let the wise take over."

Concubine Zhou was stunned. What does this mean? Are they going to confiscate her rights?

She looked hurriedly at the ministers.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to say something."

Everyone looked over and saw that the person who was speaking was Qi Weizhai, the Minister of Revenue who had just held a birthday banquet a few days ago.

Yuwen Lan paused and said, "What does Minister Qi want to say?"

Then he heard the other party say, "In my opinion, the evil people are greedy and do evil things. You can't blame the imperial concubine entirely. Since you ascended the throne, the central palace has been without a master, which has caused the order in the harem to be in chaos. It would be better for Your Majesty to appoint a queen as soon as possible to calm the people's hearts." As

soon as the voice fell, another old man with gray hair followed and said, "Lord Qi is right. Please appoint a central palace as soon as possible to be the mother of the world, so that the harem can be stable."

It was the Minister of Rites.

After he finished speaking, three or four people followed suit, "Your Majesty, please appoint a queen as soon as possible to calm the people."

Yuwen Lan showed no emotion on his face. He scanned everyone with a calm gaze and said, "Who do you think I should appoint?"

As soon as these words came out, Concubine Zhou was instantly excited. She had been waiting for so many days and nights, and it finally came!

With so many ministers recommending him today, and in front of the ancestors, he couldn't refuse anymore!

The Minister of Revenue said in unison, "In my opinion, Concubine Zhou comes from a prominent family and has been taught by the Empress Dowager for the past three years. She is worthy of the position of Empress Dowager."

Yuwen Lan said, "Do you really think so, or are you saying this because Duke Cheng'en gave you 10,000 taels of silver the day before yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Duke Cheng'en gave the Minister of Revenue 10,000 taels of silver?

Qi Wei Zhai was shocked and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, it's not like that. Lord Cheng'en has never given me any money. These are just my sincere words. There is nothing else to say."

"Really?"

Yuwen Lan threw an account book in front of him and said, "This account book records your income over the years. The largest amount recently is the 10,000 taels of silver that Lord Cheng'en gave you."

As he said that, he suddenly looked at Lord Cheng'en and said, "I don't know why Lord Cheng'en gave the Minister of Revenue so much money? Is there something you want from him?"

His eyes were sharp and Lord Cheng'en was shocked. He wanted to kneel down, but he was weak and couldn't control himself and fell directly to the ground.

Everyone, "???"

How guilty must one be to perform such a great ceremony?

Yan Shu, who was eating melon on the side, tried hard to hold back her laughter.

Lord Cheng En finally knelt down with the help of the people around him, and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, I and the Minister of Revenue were classmates many years ago, and we have a deep friendship. I gave him silver just to celebrate his birthday, and there is absolutely no other intention."

But the king asked again, "Why did your uncle give the Minister of Rites several concubines? You and him were also classmates, do you have a deep friendship?"

What, concubines?

Everyone stared at the Minister of Rites, who was already gray-haired.

This old man must be over 70 years old?

At such an old age... can he still chew?

The Minister of Rites paused and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, Lord Cheng'en did send a few maids to my house a while ago, but I have already assigned them to my children and grandchildren. I am already this old, how could I