As the moon rose above the treetops, the melodious music quietly ceased.
Liu Chengfeng hurriedly tidied his clothes and left the palace almost as if he were fleeing in panic.
He traveled smoothly without any obstacles, and in his panic, he didn't even notice anything unusual.
Meanwhile, inside the Phoenix Palace, Liu Shushu stared at the mess on the bed and fell into a state of shock and collapse.
She never imagined that things would get out of control like this, that she would be having sex with her own brother in the palace—how absurd!
It took her a long time to recover. She slowly dressed, carefully covering the obvious marks on her body, took a deep breath, and walked barefoot off the bed.
She walked to the bronze mirror, took out an exquisite dagger from her dressing case, and glanced coldly at the little eunuch lying on the ground not far away.
As if sensing something, the young eunuch trembled on his knees and begged for mercy in a pitiful voice: "Your Majesty, spare me! This servant knows nothing, knows nothing..."
"Only the dead can guarantee they know nothing, don't you agree?"
In the blink of an eye, Liu Shushu was already standing in front of the little eunuch.
She gripped the eunuch's chin, the dagger in her hand gleaming coldly, slowly approaching his neck.
The young eunuch was terrified, cold sweat and tears streaming down his face. He trembled like a leaf, enduring the pain as he pleaded, "Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant has always been dutiful and obedient, following Your Majesty's lead without question. I have never made a mistake and will continue to serve Your Majesty faithfully. I beg Your Majesty to spare this worthless life of mine today."
"Since it's a worthless life, what difference does it make whether I keep it or not?"
"No, no, no, Your Highness, I have a use for you. My brother from the same village is working in Consort Wan's palace..."
The dagger that had already pierced his skin suddenly stopped. Blood flowed down his neck and into his clothes. He was terrified and in pain, but dared not utter a sound of pain.
"Do you really mean what you're saying?"
He nodded eagerly, "Really, really!"
"Can he be used by you?"
“I once saved his life.”
"Very well, I'll spare your life for now." Liu Shushu smiled, but her eyes remained as cold as frost. She took out a black pill and forcibly stuffed it into his mouth, softly commanding, "Swallow it."
The young eunuch had no choice but to do as he was told.
"Good boy." She patted his face like she was soothing a puppy, and whispered, "Get out of here."
She then stood up and walked toward the inner palace, casually toying with the dagger in her hand.
The young eunuch didn't know what he had eaten. He thought it was poison and was both nervous and scared. After calming down, he found that he felt no discomfort and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As he left Phoenix Palace, before he could fully recover, a figure blocked his way. Caught off guard, he bumped into it.
"Xiao Shunzi".
Upon recognizing the person, he knelt down again with a thud, "Eunuch Yu."
Yu looked down at him without changing his expression. "Get up and come with us."
"yes."
He lowered his head meekly and followed Yu Ze away.
...
The truth about Du Jieyu was quickly revealed.
Unexpectedly, they set up a simple trap, and that person foolishly jumped right into it.
Wei Huaixu, under the pretense of imprisoning Qingying on the grounds that Consort Gui was suspected of plotting against the imperial heir, then ordered a major overhaul of the harem to prevent such a recurrence.
The truth will eventually come out; even the most meticulous plan will eventually be exposed.
Moreover, the methods used in this matter from beginning to end were not particularly clever.
Soon, the hidden guards captured the old woman who had escaped in the chaos and found crucial evidence in her possession.
Wei Huaixu glanced at the trembling old woman kneeling not far away, and continued writing. "Tell me, where did you get all this musk?"
This type of musk was a forbidden drug in the imperial harem.
“My maternal aunt’s family outside the palace runs a medicine shop, so I can easily obtain it.”
"Are you the nanny who serves Consort Zheng?"
"……yes."
"As far as I know, you have been working in the palace, while she has only been in the palace for a little over a month. How can you be so devoted to her? You are most familiar with the rules of the palace, yet you are willing to take risks for her?"
"Whoever serves me is my master, and I dare not disobey my master's orders."
"Oh? Is that so?" Wei Huaixu chuckled and said, "What a loyal servant. In that case, you two can go to the Yellow Springs together and continue to be master and servant."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the guards beside him raised their knives and brought them down.
"Your Majesty..." The old nanny opened her mouth, but only managed to utter one word before a sword slit her throat, and she breathed her last.
The stench of blood filled the hall.
Wei Huaixu frowned slightly.
Yu immediately signaled the guards to carry the body away and ordered the palace maids to come in and clean it up, and then lit a stronger incense.
After everything was settled, he asked, "Your Majesty simply killed the person, but is it certain that Consort Zheng was the one who did it?"
"It was her doing, but she was acting under someone else's orders."
Yu Zezheng wanted to ask more, but saw him stop writing, and the words he was about to say stopped in his throat.
"I have blood on me and I'm afraid it will frighten her. Tell someone to prepare water so I can take a bath."
"yes."
As soon as Yu Zegang left the palace, he encountered Xiao Shunzi, whose face was deathly pale. It was clear that he had seen the corpse that had just been carried out.
Yu glanced at him sideways, his expression indifferent. "Look at what happens to fools. There is only the Emperor as the master in this palace, do you understand?"
Xiao Shunzi nodded, stammering, "Yes, yes, this servant...this servant understands..."
"Is there some new activity from the Empress's side?"
"For the past few days, Her Majesty the Empress has been claiming illness and staying at home, but today she has suddenly resumed the morning and evening greetings of the palace concubines."
"Okay, just keep an eye on it. You don't need to come looking for me unless it's something serious."
"yes."
...
Just two days.
Consort Zheng was convicted and banished to the Cold Palace, and Qingying's confinement was lifted accordingly.
Baoyi Palace suddenly became lively. The palace concubines who came to offer their condolences were coming and going.
"The people in this palace are really good at reading the situation. When they're down on their luck, everyone avoids them like the plague, and their doors are deserted. But when they're riding high, they practically trample down our doorstep." Tong Xia closed the palace gate and couldn't help but sigh.
Qingying was exhausted after a day of entertaining guests. She yawned lazily and said, "It's not just in the palace. When the Liu family was down on its luck, we couldn't even gather enough people to fill a table when friends came to visit during festivals. But after my father became a general, we received wave after wave of unknown distant relatives every year."
"Humans are naturally inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm."
Qingying was tired and was preparing to rest early when she suddenly heard a familiar bird's cry coming from outside the door.
It's Wei Dongchen's bird.
To facilitate the transmission of messages, he ordered people to train many different kinds of birds to deceive others.
Qingying dismissed the palace servants in the room before going to the window to receive the letter.
The contents of the letter left her speechless.
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