Chapter 337: Calm in the face of difficulties
Wen Li'er's body shook violently, and if Qingzhu behind her hadn't supported her in time, she would have almost fallen to the ground.
Wan An died? And died in such a tragic way?
No! Impossible. Wan'an is very clever and would never be fooled so easily.
She stood up straight, and for the first time, her eyes swept across every frightened face in the hall, and she ordered in a cold voice:
"Zuo Qing, immediately dispatch two teams of elite troops. One team, rush out of the palace and rush to Wan'an's home to investigate the safety of him and his family. We must find him alive, or dead... our bodies!"
"Another team, search the palace immediately! From the highest buildings to the lowest corners, even if we have to turn the entire palace upside down, we must find his accomplices for me."
Nong Zhigao must have an insider, perhaps in this Tourmaline Palace.
Otherwise, how could he know that she would take the child to take a nap in the bedroom after lunch?
"As for this person..."
Wen Li'er pointed at Nong Zhigao and her tone suddenly turned cold.
"Take him to the deepest part of the Heavenly Prison! Send three times as many soldiers, guarding him in twelve-hour shifts. Torture him severely to find out what he has done since sneaking into the capital! At the same time, send a pigeon to report this matter to the Emperor immediately, and ask for instructions on how to deal with this beast."
"As you wish!" Zuo Qing clasped his fists and accepted the order, his expression solemn and murderous.
He ruthlessly dragged Nong Zhigao up like a dead dog and escorted him away personally. At the same time, he arranged two teams to act according to Wen Li'er's arrangements.
Wen Li'er suppressed the nausea in her stomach and forced herself to cheer up.
Her eyes swept across the shattered window frames, overturned tables and chairs, scattered items, and the remaining fear and solemnity on everyone's faces. She continued to issue orders in an orderly manner:
"Hanazhan, Qiuying."
"I'm here!" the two responded in unison.
"Immediately seal the gates of Bixi Palace. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order."
"Qiu Ying, you will personally lead a thorough search of the entire palace. Especially any place or object that Nong Zhigao may have touched after sneaking in. Every inch of floor tile, every piece of furnishing, every secret compartment must be carefully inspected. Nothing should be left out."
She paused, her tone more serious.
"Bring Imperial Physician Wu with you to inspect! Focus on checking for any poisons or traces of the epidemic."
The most terrifying thing about the Ghost King Nong Zhigao is his use of poison and plague.
If he spread the poison in the palace or even in the capital... Wen Li'er didn't dare to think about the consequences anymore.
Qiuying also knew the seriousness of the situation and hurried away to make arrangements.
"Flower kill." Wen Li'er continued to order.
"Go to the side hall immediately and stay with the children. Temporarily gather all the palace servants in the side hall. No one is allowed to approach the children without my order."
Hua Zhan hesitated a little: "Master, you can't live without someone by your side..."
She was worried that the same situation would happen again.
Wen Li'er gave her a reassuring look.
"Don't worry. Qingmei and Qingzhu are here, and we'll dispatch a team of imperial guards later. Also, immediately dispatch a team of imperial guards to Cining Palace and Fengxiang Palace respectively to ensure the safety of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother!"
"……yes!"
Under Wen Li'er's unquestionable gaze, Hua Zhan saluted solemnly, then turned around and left quickly.
Wen Li'er took another deep breath and her eyes fell on the glaring pool of blood and the severed arm on the ground.
Nong Zhigao's words "take your token to enter the palace" echoed in her mind again and again.
Her token... Wen Li'er looked up suddenly.
"Wanquan!" She called out to the people standing outside the hall.
Wan Quan rushed into the hall, his voice trembling: "Slave...slave is here!"
"You must immediately take this warrant and go to the Palace Gate Office."
She spoke very quickly: "Retrieve the detailed records of all those who entered the palace with my token today! I want to know when and through which palace gate Nong Zhigao entered! All the palace gate guards on duty today are temporarily detained and awaiting questioning. No one can be left out!"
Wan Quan was already extremely anxious and responded hurriedly.
"I'll go right away!"
Wan'an was his brother, and at this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: Wan'an, you must stay alive...you must be safe...
A series of orders were issued, and the air in the hall was filled with a heavy pressure as if a storm was about to come.
Wen Li'er had never known before that she could be so calm when faced with difficulties.
At this moment, Qingmei took out a sharp dagger from somewhere.
She squatted down and carefully used the tip of the dagger to poke and examine the severed arm.
The muscles at the fracture were torn, the bone fragments were white, and the blood had not yet completely coagulated. It was obvious that it had just been cut off by a sharp weapon.
Qingmei's eyes were extremely focused, carefully scanning the skin color of the arm, the shape of the knuckles, the dirt between the nails, and even... She moved closer, wrinkled her nose and sniffed the lingering smell on the broken arm.
She was so bold that Wen Li'er and Qingzhu beside her were both stunned.
"Master." Qingmei raised her head, her expression more serious than ever before.
"This arm... definitely doesn't belong to Nong Zhigao. Look at his own broken arm. The skin is darker and the joints are thick. And this newly broken arm has rough, dark skin. There's pine tar and dirt embedded in the nails. There are thick calluses on the palms and fingertips, as if they were left by years of drawing a bow or holding a woodcutting axe. And..."
She pointed to the faint, almost imperceptible smell of sweat and some kind of earthy, grassy odor on her severed arm and said, "This smell is more like that of a hunter or woodcutter who often ventures into the mountains. Anyway..."
Qingmei said firmly, "This is definitely not Wan'an's arm! I remember clearly that although Wan'an's hands are rough, they are from labor. They don't have calluses like these from pulling a hard bow, and their nails are much cleaner."
When Wen Li'er heard this, the tense string in her heart finally relaxed a little.
She looked at Qingmei with a look full of surprise and a hint of admiration.
This girl who is usually carefree, talkative and playful actually has such a meticulous and courageous side?
Qingzhu also looked at Qingmei in surprise.
Qingmei felt a little embarrassed by their gazes and scratched her head with the hand that was not holding the dagger.
"This servant...this servant is also rough but also delicate..."
Qingzhu looked at Wen Lier and added in a deep voice:
"Master, this beast not only knows that you and the other young masters must rest in the bedroom after lunch every day, but also..."
She glanced around at the smashed windows and said, "He seems quite familiar with the terrain and paths of the Tourmaline Palace. He didn't hesitate or make a mistake when he broke in, heading straight for the bedroom. He must have an insider in the Tourmaline Palace, and this person has access to your daily life."
Wen Li'er also thought so, so she gave Qingzhu full authority to investigate the spy in Bixi Palace.
I just hope that the cancer around me can be eradicated as soon as possible, otherwise there will always be a knife hanging over my head and I will not be able to live in peace.
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