Chapter 608 Shield 18
The Emperor simply closed Consort Xian's palace, forbidding her from leaving or disturbing anyone; this could be considered a different form of banishing her to the Cold Palace.
Consort Liang had been waiting for the Emperor's decree to make her Empress, but she waited and waited and it never came.
The Qi family sent another message to the palace, and Consort Liang gritted her teeth and made the same decision as the Empress.
She plans to use her son to gain status.
The Emperor looked at the head of the secret guards kneeling in the hall and said, "You heard Qi Wei tell his wife that he would only take action when Consort Liang was pregnant with my child."
"General Qi's original words were, 'As long as my daughter gives birth to the emperor's child, the emperor will have no need to exist.'"
The Emperor's expression remained unchanged, only his voice turned slightly colder, "What about the study? Has the study been searched?"
The head of the secret guards said respectfully, "This subordinate is incompetent. General Qi's study is guarded 24 hours a day. This subordinate went in once, but unfortunately the time was too short and I didn't find out anything."
"It's not your fault. If it doesn't work the first time, we'll try again. Be careful, everyone. It's best not to alert them."
The head of the secret guards: "Yes, Your Majesty."
After the head of the secret guards withdrew, the emperor returned to Zhuyan Palace early. It was still daytime, and the two sisters were chatting when they saw the emperor arrive. They quickly offered him a seat.
Ning Yan could tell from the Emperor's expression that he was preoccupied, so she asked, "Brother-in-law, is something the matter?"
The Emperor said, "Consort Liang wants to become Empress Dowager. I'm afraid she might do something to you. Be careful lately."
"They want to become Empress Dowager? The Qi family wants to coerce the emperor into ordering the feudal lords!"
"right."
"It seems that General Qi is no longer satisfied with just being a Grand General. Didn't my brother-in-law send someone to investigate him?"
"The Qi family has been generals for generations, and they are not short of money. Other minor mistakes cannot punish him."
Moreover, the Qi family has a good reputation, and if he were to take drastic measures against them, it would be difficult to silence public opinion.
Ning Yan thought to herself, "Isn't this little thing simple?"
"Brother-in-law, don't worry too much. There's always a way out. Maybe the problem will be solved someday."
After saying that, she decided not to be a third wheel and went straight back to her place.
The Emperor did not stay overnight; he left after dinner, leaving behind a pile of unfinished memorials to review in the Chaoyang Palace.
After he left, Ning Yan removed her fake belly, changed into a set of night clothes, and quickly slipped out of the palace.
As a first-rank general of the late emperor, General Qi's mansion was the best bestowed upon him by the emperor, second only to the princes, and it was also close to the palace.
Two quarters of an hour later, outside the study of the General's Mansion.
Just to be on the safe side, Ning Yan put an invisibility talisman on herself.
There were four guards watching over the study.
Moreover, the four of them were clearly experts with considerable strength.
The study door was closed, but there was a light inside.
After waiting for about half an hour, around 9 PM, there was finally movement in the study.
The sound of a chair being pulled out was heard, and then the candle went out.
A figure walked out of the room. "General."
"Yes. Keep a close watch."
"It is the general."
Qi Wei strode away.
After a brief silence outside the study, the four guards, feeling drowsy, began chatting idly. "I really don't understand why the general keeps making us guard the study. What's so special about guarding it?"
"You're stupid. We know there's nothing to guard here, but do outsiders know that?"
"Shut up, or you'll be punished if the general hears you."
Something flashed through Ning Yan's mind, and she quickly chased after Qi Wei in the direction he had just left.
Within five or six minutes, Qi Wei's figure disappeared.
The lights were not on in his and his wife's main courtyard.
So, where did he go?
Ning Yan thought back again and was glad that her five senses were excellent. A few breaths later, she returned the way she came and finally found the abnormality at the base of the wall 200 meters away from the study.
There are footprints on the ground, and the footprints are heading towards the wall. No one would walk towards the wall, and there's no door on the wall. This only means one thing: the person must have climbed over the wall.
Ning Yan immediately climbed over the wall.
This is a courtyard with one entrance, completely unrelated to the General's Mansion.
The courtyard was pitch black, but it was not desolate. There seemed to be two guards at the gatehouse, but there was no movement in the courtyard.
Ning Yan lightly flew onto the roof of the gatehouse and then quietly lay down.
About 15 minutes later, a flash of light appeared in the west room of the main courtyard, followed by the door opening and a tall figure walking out before closing the door again.
Ning Yan watched helplessly as Qi Wei climbed over the wall and returned to the general's mansion, then watched him enter the main courtyard and listen to him wash up and rest.
She stayed far away throughout the entire process; she had good eyesight and could see very clearly.
She quietly slipped back into the small courtyard next door.
Instead of staying at his own home, he went to someone else's house late at night. Anyone who didn't know the situation would definitely think that Qi Wei was keeping a mistress and was doing this to avoid being discovered by his wife.
There were indeed three breathing creatures in the neighboring courtyard, but the third one lived in the east room, while the one that made noise just now was clearly from the west side.
Ning Yan pried open the lock on the door and followed the lingering scent of General Qi in the air to find a hidden door.
After tapping on the wall for a while, she finally found the mechanism to open the door.
Pressing the button, a clicking sound came from the wall, and the wall in front of her slid to one side automatically. Ning Yan quietly entered the secret passage.
After descending a dozen or so steps, the passageway clearly leads north.
Another locked room!
Besides gold and silver jewelry, some letters were also found in the next room.
Ning Yan really wanted to ask, what's the point of keeping this kind of letter?
Isn't this just plain asking for trouble?
After pondering for a while, I wondered what the easiest and most convenient way to expose this matter would be.
Qi Wei had three sons. His eldest son was now a fourth-rank military officer. Since there was no war on the border, he stayed in the capital. His two illegitimate sons were suppressed by his eldest son. One of them turned to literature and lived up to his potential, and has now obtained the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
The other one lost a leg on the battlefield, was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and had little presence in the Qi family.
Qi Wei had an older brother and a younger brother, but both of them had died on the battlefield long ago. Their wives took their children back to their hometown, and there was no one to carry on the family line.
Once the Qi father and son are gone, the Qi family will no longer pose any threat.
After leaving the secret room, Ning Yan couldn't resist her curiosity and took a peek into the east room. The person on the bed was sleeping soundly, and it was a woman, but wasn't this woman a little too tall?
He was at least half a head taller than the average person from the Central Plains. Ning Yan simply knocked him unconscious, then took out a flashlight to examine him. Good heavens, this was no woman, but clearly a man. Upon closer inspection, his features were more defined than those of people from the Central Plains, resembling, resembling, a person from the Western Regions!
Ning Yan chuckled mischievously. Damn it, Qi Wei had already betrayed the country, yet he still coveted her sister's position as empress. If he had been even slightly more honest, he wouldn't have died so quickly.
She knew who those people in the courtyard who were watching the general were—the palace's secret guards.
They're really stupid.
But it's okay, she'll help them!
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