Chapter 190: Red silk appears, laughter solves the mystery
The sandalwood incense from Changyin Pavilion, mixed with the aroma of food, filled the air. On the corridor next to the stage, Manager Liu hurried along, carrying a sack. His sleeve brushed against the carved ornaments on the pillars, stirring up a fine cloud of dust. He glanced toward the guest seats and saw Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei talking with their heads down. A smug smile played on his lips, and he quickened his pace toward the serving trays.
"Ouch!" a sudden cry rang out as the eunuch, disguised as Guard Zhou, accidentally bumped into Steward Liu while carrying a bowl of soup. Hot soup splashed halfway down his sleeve, and the bowl shattered to the ground with a clang. Guard Zhou bowed hastily, "I'm so sorry, so sorry! Steward Liu, are you okay?" He hurriedly tried to help the man, but his fingertips quietly made a cross on the sack.
Manager Liu grimaced from the burns and cursed, "You clumsy fellow!" He didn't bother to pursue the matter, and just wanted to quickly sprinkle the powder in the sack into the lotus seed soup prepared for the two princesses. But just as he opened a corner of the sack, he heard a small stool slamming the wake-up stick in the corner of the stage. "In a flash, the Monkey King struck with his stick, and the demon bag split open, revealing the hidden weapon with red silk inside--"
Before he could finish his words, Guard Wu arrived with two other guards, shouting, "Manager Liu! What's that in your arms?" Manager Liu's face suddenly changed. He tried to hide the sack behind him, but Guard Zhou held his arm firmly. The sack's opening came loose, spilling white powder onto the floor. Several embroidery needles tied with red silk thread tumbled out from the bottom of the sack, the red silk thread fluttering in the sunlight, making it particularly conspicuous.
"Red silk thread?" Xiaoyanzi suddenly stood up and walked over quickly. She bent down to pick up a needle and raised an eyebrow at Manager Liu. "This needle looks familiar. Wasn't it kept in the secret compartment behind the stage pillar? How did it end up in your sack?" She spoke clearly, deliberately letting the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs hear. "What does Manager Liu want with this red-threaded needle?"
Ziwei also walked forward, still holding the half jade pendant in her hand, her fingertips slightly white, but her tone was calm: "Manager Liu, the rules of the imperial kitchen have always been strict. You secretly hid the powder and needles. Who do you want to harm?" Her eyes were gentle but heavy, which made Manager Liu avoid her eyes and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Yongqi and Erkang also gathered around. Yongqi stood sideways in front of Xiaoyanzi and said in a deep voice, "Search him!" Guard Wu immediately stepped forward to search and took out an oil-paper bag from Manager Liu's arms. When he opened it, he saw some small change and a note inside. It said, "After the task is completed, there will be another generous reward in Chuxiu Palace."
"Chuxiu Palace?" Xiaoyanzi raised the note into the air so everyone around could see it clearly. "The reward from Concubine Gao's palace? Steward Liu, there's no need to explain this, right?" She turned to the head steward of the Imperial Household Department who had rushed over after hearing the news. "Head steward Chang, did you see everything? Someone bribed the steward of the Imperial Kitchen and tried to harm us sisters with itching powder and red needles. Luckily, the guards stopped them in time."
Chief Steward Chang turned pale with fear and quickly knelt on the ground: "This servant deserves death! I failed to manage my men properly and frightened the princess!" He turned and glared at Steward Liu, "You dog servant! How dare you collude with outsiders to murder the princess? I will send you to the Ministry of Punishment right now!"
Manager Liu knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "It was not my idea! It was Nanny Li! It was Nanny Li from Chuxiu Palace who forced me to do it! She said that as long as I sprinkled powder into the princesses' soup and hid the red-threaded needles in their costumes, I could make the princesses look bad at the birthday banquet..." He argued incoherently, and beads of sweat hit the blue brick floor.
The little mosquito squeezed to the front, pointed at the red silk needle on the ground, and shouted: "Wow! The end of the needle is tied with red silk thread, it's shining brightly, do you think we are blind? You want to harm our princess? No way!" The little bug beside him imitated the barking of a dog: "Woof woof! Catch the bad guy!" This made the little eunuchs around him laugh secretly.
Xiaodengzi slammed the wake-up stick on the table and said loudly: "It really proves the old saying - those who do evil will eventually perish! No matter how cunning this rat demon is, it can't escape the fiery eyes of Sun Wukong!" As he said that, he winked at Xiaoyanzi, his eyes full of the pride of "we won".
Ziwei gently tugged at Xiaoyanzi's sleeve and whispered, "Don't make a big deal out of this. Let Chief Steward Chang handle it." She looked at Yongqi and said, "Have the guards take Steward Liu to the Ministry of Punishment to record his statement. Don't let him collude with others." Erkang nodded. "I'll arrange it right away and make sure we have all the witnesses and evidence."
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows of Changyin Pavilion, illuminating the scattered red threads like finely shaved rouge. Xiaoyanzi handed the needles to Chang, the steward, and said, "Keep these needles and powder as evidence. As for Nanny Li and the person behind it..." She didn't finish her words, but deliberately raised her voice, "I believe the Emperor will make the final decision."
Yongqi brushed the dust off her skirt, a smile in his eyes: "It's all taken care of, don't be angry." He took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the powder off her fingertips. "Doctor Wang said that this itching powder will lose its effect when it comes into contact with water. It will be fine if you rub it with mint ointment."
Xiaoyanzi took the handkerchief and tiptoed to his ear: "Go back tonight and ask the kitchen to make sweet and sour fish to celebrate our victory!" Her voice was full of joy, and the small mole at the corner of her eye gleamed in the sunlight. Yongqi's ears flushed slightly, and he whispered: "All as you say."
Ziwei watched them playfully, a gentle smile on her lips. Erkang walked over to her and gently smoothed her wind-blown hair: "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Ziwei looked up at him, the worry in her eyes dissipated, leaving only warmth: "I'm not afraid, because we are all together."
From afar, the eunuch's voice announced, "The Emperor has arrived—" Everyone hurriedly rose to greet him. Xiaoyanzi quietly tucked her red silk needle into her sleeve, thinking, "This is perfect! I'll show the Emperor the evidence and let him know who's behind this." Sunlight streamed through the corridors, stretching everyone's shadows. The wind in Changyin Pavilion finally dispelled the haze of conspiracy, leaving only the impending clarity.
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