Chapter 137 Leaving the Capital (Twenty-One) Palace Maid Shuqiang.
Upon hearing Chen Wansheng's call, Shen Quan hurriedly led Yu Qijiu Li up several stone steps to perform a kneeling ceremony on the platform outside the pavilion. Wansheng asked Yu Qijiu Li's identity and purpose with a smile, and Shen Quan explained in detail. In the back-and-forth questioning, Yu Qijiu Li was kept on the ground and unable to get up.
Jiuli hadn't been kneeling for long when she felt her knees were frozen stiff, numb and unable to move. She had never experienced such hardship before. Back in the countryside, when she accompanied her to ancestral graves, Yu Qi never made her kneel for even a moment longer than necessary; even during festivals, he would prepare a prayer mat for her to kneel on. Yu Qi glanced at her knees, and hearing Chen Wansheng's gentle and warm voice, he felt a surge of annoyance.
Inside the pavilion, Chen Quan, bowing slightly, said with a smile, "It's so cold, why is Your Highness sitting outside? If you catch a cold, His Majesty will be worried. Although the Grand Uncle is in the southwest, he still paid his respects to Your Highness and the Fourth Prince in his memorial yesterday. Even the Junior Uncle in the capital is hoping for Your Highness's good health every day. Your Highness must take good care of yourself."
Wansheng smiled and nodded, "I was feeling stuffy sitting in the palace, so I came out for some fresh air. Don't worry, Eunuch Shen, I know how I feel about the temperature. I'll go back after sitting for a while."
At this point, Fang's almond-shaped eyes glanced slowly behind Shen Quan, his expression gradually becoming solemn. "Look, we were so busy talking that we forgot there were people kneeling outside the pavilion. Although they are just ordinary people, His Majesty cares most about the people of the world. Quickly tell them to get up and come inside to avoid the wind."
Shen Quan turned around and called Yu Qi and Jiu Li into the pavilion. Jiu Li only looked at Yu Qi, and when he came forward to bow and pay his respects, he also curtsied and greeted her, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Wansheng stared at Jiuli for a long while, secretly marveling. The girl before her really did look exactly like Quan Shanheng in the painting, just as her nephew Chen Jia had said! She had felt that the painting was extraordinary the moment she saw it in the Emperor's bedchamber, even though she had never met Quan Shanheng in person. Now, seeing Jiuli in person was like seeing Quan Shanheng herself, and a surge of jealousy and hatred burned uncontrollably in her heart.
After all the twists and turns, Quan Shanheng's daughter still managed to get to the Emperor's side. Although her family members secretly said that this girl might not necessarily be of the Emperor's blood, she could see a hint of cunning and treacherousness in Jiu Li's brows and eyes. She was all too familiar with this feeling; she couldn't be wrong.
Fortunately, Du Zhong was dead, so even if the person in front of her was a princess, she posed no threat. She gradually relaxed a bit, picked up her tea, and smiled faintly, "The Emperor has granted you the freedom to enter and leave the palace to investigate cases. Where do you plan to begin your investigation?"
Yu Qi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, we two humble people are asking Eunuch Shen to take us to see the scene of the first encounter."
Wansheng turned her head and looked out of the pavilion. "Shuqiang died right there."
The two followed her gaze through the tall, jade-like trees, where a grove of camellia trees, each half a meter tall, stood, their branches and leaves weighed down by the snow, forming a natural barrier. The incident occurred at the end of October, when the trees were even more lush and verdant than they were now, indeed a good place to hide from the public. Yu Qi frowned and looked closely, but there seemed to be no path behind the camellia grove.
When asked, Shen Quan replied in a high-pitched voice, "Behind this camellia garden is the Sunset Terrace, a place where the ladies of the harem watch operas and hold banquets. Except for festivals when there are operas, it is usually empty, with only a few eunuchs coming and going to patrol."
So, there was no way to go behind the camellia garden except for the path in front of the pavilion. The murderer chose this place to commit the crime to cover his tracks, which shows that it was premeditated.
Yu Qi looked at it for a moment, then turned to Shen Quan and asked, "Eunuch Shen, I don't know the rules of the palace. Are the palace maids allowed to walk around the palace freely when they have nothing to do?"
"That depends on where you go. If you stroll around these gardens in your free time, it's fine as long as the masters of the palaces don't pay attention to you. But if the masters can't find you when they need you, then you'll be punished."
Yu Qi nodded and said, "The incident happened at night, and the weather was cold. Why would that little palace maid named Shuqiang leave the palace and come here?"
A palace maid named Yun'er, who was standing next to Wansheng, said, "That night, our lady was drinking in Qingniao Pavilion. I was afraid that the wind after drinking would harm her health, so I sent a eunuch to Cangwu Pavilion to tell Shuqiang to bring a cloak and sleeves to Qingniao Pavilion so that the lady could use them on her way back to the palace. That's why she left the palace."
Jiuli walked to the railing by the roadside and looked around. The cobblestone path was winding and meandering. On the other side of the road were some golden-tiled and red-walled buildings. There were no gates or arches, so he could only walk from one end to the other.
I remember Zou Chang mentioning that a while ago a eunuch named Shunzi came forward to testify that he had seen King Zhao emerge from the camellia garden behind the road during a night patrol.
Something seemed amiss. She turned to Yu Qi and said, "Uncle, let's go to the garden and take a look."
Yu Qi then bowed to Wan Sheng and asked, "I wonder if Your Highness the Imperial Concubine would grant my request?"
Wansheng sipped her tea, her eyes casually falling on the tea and fruit on the table. She smiled and nodded, "His Majesty has given you permission to move around and inspect. How could I dare disobey the imperial decree? You may go ahead and look."
After speaking, Shen Quan led the two of them down from the pavilion and into the camellia garden. As Jiu Li walked, he kept glancing along the winding path. Although the garden wasn't large, the branches and trees grew densely, making it impossible to see inside at night. But if the eunuch Shunzi had indeed patrolled this area that night, he must have been carrying a lantern, walking along the winding path from afar. The lantern could be clearly seen moving through the gaps in the branches and leaves. What murderer would knowingly jump out and be seen if someone was passing by?
Therefore, Jiuli became even more convinced that the straight was a lie.
The three walked into the woods, and Shen Quan pointed to a tree with his whisk. "This is where Shu Qiang's body was found. Blood was everywhere. Oh my, the scene was terrifying! Shu Qiang's clothes were disheveled, and she had many wounds on her body. The coroner examined her and said that she was probably scratched by the murderer when she was struggling."
Yu Qi asked, "Does the old man know how many wounds the deceased had on his body?"
"I heard Lord Zou and Lord Qin mention it when they came to the palace to report. They had seven bruises and eleven broken skins, probably from scratches or cuts from tree branches."
Jiuli said, "This means that Shuqiang had a brief fight with the murderer at the time. Didn't anyone hear her cries for help?"
Shen Quan shook her head. "Coming from Qingniao Pavilion, the closest place along this road is Xilu Terrace and Consort Gui's Cangwu Pavilion. Other palace staff have other shortcuts to Qingniao Pavilion, so there were few people on this road that night, except for the patrolling eunuchs and guards. However, the guards only patrol once an hour, so even if Shuqiang called for help, they might not have happened to hear it."
Yu Qi murmured, "It seems the murderer is very familiar with the paths in the inner palace and the patrol times of the guards."
Jiuli gave him a meaningful smirk, "I had no idea there was a eunuch on patrol."
Shen Quan asked, "You mean Shunzi?"
Jiuli nodded. "Lord Zou said that a while ago, a little eunuch named Shunzi stepped forward and said that he saw King Zhao walk out of this garden that night when he was patrolling here."
"Yes, yes, yes, that's right!" Shen Quan tilted his head slightly and squinted at the sky as he recalled, "After Shunzi finished his patrol, he started having diarrhea in the guard room outside. He was locked up in the alley outside that night to get treatment. He only found out about this after he recovered, and that's when he came out to testify."
Jiuli immediately said, "It is clear that the murderer only knew the time when the guards patrolled, but not the time when the eunuchs patrolled."
"This young lady is unaware of the situation. Shunzi is responsible for announcing the time. Patrolling is a set procedure. However, during the banquet at Qingniao Pavilion that night, many imperial relatives from outside the palace came in, so naturally the eunuchs were busier. Even those like Shunzi who are only responsible for announcing the time were sent out to patrol."
Yu Qi turned around and said, "Usually, there are at least three to five people patrolling outside the palace. May I ask, sir, what are the rules for the palace eunuchs' patrols?"
Shen Quan said, "According to the rules, there should be three people in a team, but there were many people and things to do that night, so two of the eunuchs who had finally gotten a break took the opportunity to shirk their duties and sent Shunzi to patrol alone."
Yu Qi smiled slightly, "This Shunzi is quite diligent."
Perhaps even Shunzi didn't come to inspect this place at all; he just said he came to inspect it because he was going to give false testimony for someone else. Jiuli thought about it for a moment and smiled sarcastically, but didn't mention it for the time being. He and Yuqi continued to check various places in the garden separately.
Shen Quan followed Jiu Li around, holding her whisk and tilting her head. Seeing Jiu Li's focused and serious expression, she couldn't help but sigh, "The way you're so focused makes it seem like Miss Quan is standing right in front of me. Miss Quan is also an extremely serious person. She can't tolerate any imperfections. She's not a man. If she were a man, she would have already passed the imperial examinations and become an official!"
Upon hearing this, Jiuli hesitated for a moment, then straightened up slightly. "Father-in-law, I know that the Aunt Quan you mentioned is my mother. Just say what you want to say. My uncle and I have long known this, and it can't be kept secret."
Shen Quan smiled and nodded, "Then who is your father? Didn't your uncle tell you?"
She shook her head. "Even he doesn't know. He said my mother never mentioned it, and back then, in the whole mansion, my mother never openly acknowledged that I was her daughter. But there's no need to say anything about my appearance; you can tell at a glance." She turned to look at him again. "Eunuch Shen, were you very close to my mother before?"
Shen Quan laughed heartily, “Back then, your mother was about your age. She often went to the Prince’s Mansion to convey the late Emperor’s edicts, and we often talked. Your mother looked quiet and gentle, but she was the most strong-willed person.”
Jiuli thought to herself, "Back when the Emperor was still a prince, this Eunuch Shen served in the Prince's mansion. If he often had contact with her mother, it must have been the Emperor's doing. He might have been passing messages or things between the two of them. He knows their private relationship best, which is why he is so kind to me."
Just as I was thinking about this, I suddenly heard Yu Qi walking over through the snow, saying, "Let's go out."
Jiuli flapped her eyes, "Not looking anymore?"
"The garden has been cleaned up; there are no useful clues to be found."
As the group walked out, Shen Quan said casually, "This is the palace, not the outside world. It's impossible to leave the crime scene untouched until the case is solved before cleaning it up. After Lord Zou and Lord Qin came to investigate the day after the incident, they had it cleaned up. Even the soil stained with blood was dug out."
Jiuli exclaimed in surprise, "Just turning over the soil would have been enough, why do we have to dig it out?"
"The flowers nourished by the blood of the Imperial Concubine have a fishy smell, so I ordered that the soil be dug up as well."
Jiuli secretly pursed her lips and glanced ahead. Wansheng and several palace maids were still sitting in the pavilion. How could she sit there in such cold weather! The three of them had no choice but to go in to report and pay their respects.
Wansheng changed to an enamel-gilt hot water bottle and held it on her lap, seemingly waiting for them there. Upon hearing footsteps, she turned slightly towards them and asked about the results of the examination.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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