Chapter 780 Seven-Day Deadly Pill
Jiang Fenghua gestured for him to put the ledger aside. With Lin Yu and Hongxiu checking the accounts, they would naturally find out everything. Cheng Feng knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so his attitude improved considerably.
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice: "When Chief Steward Cheng was outside the palace, he was only in charge of some of the Emperor's businesses. You had the final say in everything, so he was naturally very good at it. But the Imperial Household Department is different. There are many miscellaneous matters in the Imperial Household Department, and the interpersonal relationships are complicated. It is not so easy to control him."
"I may not be suitable to be the head of the Imperial Household Department. After His Majesty returns, I will resign and leave the palace." He added, "Hongxiu is right. I was too self-righteous and too arrogant."
I couldn't refuse my aunt's pleas and my mother's crying, so I brought the He siblings into the palace. I never expected them to be so audacious, using his name to embezzle so much from the palace.
He didn't dare look at Hongxiu, who was guarding the door. She and Lin Yu saw through his schemes at a glance. "I wanted to protect them and cover up the shortfall myself. I thought I had the ability to prevent such things from happening again. Hongxiu is right. People are never satisfied. Once there is one, there will be two. The only way is for me to step down as the head of the Imperial Household Department. That way, I won't offend my mother, my aunt, or any other relatives."
Jiang Fenghua shook her head helplessly at his appearance, and finally said indifferently, "I have no right to interfere in your family affairs. The country has its laws, and the palace has its rules. Stealing items from the palace is a crime, and it will be punished according to the law."
Cheng Feng did not defend them further. "Yes, I will punish them according to palace rules and expel them from the palace."
"Go and persuade your father why he's doing these underhanded things. If he confesses honestly, the Emperor won't make things too difficult for him when he returns, considering how hard he worked to manage the Prince's Mansion."
Cheng Feng replied, "Yes."
Jiang Fenghua did not tell Cheng Feng about the assassins hiding in the palace. The assassins were right beside her, and she might be in danger at any moment if she left this room.
Jiang Fenghua suddenly asked, "Do you have many relatives who have been placed in the palace to work?"
Cheng Feng said, “They all thought my family had become successful and came to seek refuge with us. My father is a man who cares about his reputation and couldn’t refuse. It just so happens that the Imperial Household Department does need a lot of people to work outside.”
Jiang Fenghua understood. Those assassins had all become relatives of Steward Cheng and could freely sneak into the palace. However, the palace gates were strictly guarded, and Steward Cheng was required to escort them inside.
She then asked, "Is there a list?"
"Yes." Cheng Feng was sure to thoroughly investigate all their accounts. "But Your Majesty, rest assured, they are all very conscientious in their work and have not embezzled anything. Only my cousins have embezzled."
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice: "Your cousins dare to embezzle because you are their relative and they know you won't hold them accountable. Your 'distant relatives' who come to rely on you don't dare to embezzle because they are not actually your distant relatives. Is your Cheng family's kinship really that generous?"
Cheng Feng was stunned. "Father personally led the men in front of me and said they were..."
Cheng Feng added, "The Cheng family ancestors didn't actually have the surname Cheng. It was only in my father's generation that the host family bestowed upon him the surname Cheng. So, distant relatives don't have the surname Cheng."
Jiang Fenghua sneered, "Your father was a servant of the Cheng family and a confidant of Empress Dowager Cheng. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he also heavily relied on you. Naturally, your Cheng family is now the Emperor's people. Steward Cheng has the Empress Dowager's backing in the palace, and you wield considerable power. It's naturally easy for him to promote his relatives." If Shang Hong were to directly let people into the palace, the sudden appearance of extra people would inevitably arouse suspicion. They are probably planning to gradually plant assassins in the palace, waiting for the right opportunity!
The Cheng family has perfectly exemplified the saying "a fox borrows the tiger's power, a dog relies on its master's influence"! That's why Empress Dowager Cheng is stupid, and the dogs she raised are stupid too.
Cheng Feng felt embarrassed. "So Your Majesty already knew."
Jiang Fenghua didn't want to beat around the bush with him, "You need to think of a way to bring these people together."
Cheng Feng said, "It's so late, now?"
“Yes, now, immediately, right now.” Jiang Fenghua said firmly, “If you want to save your own life, then do as I say. The people your father brought into the palace are not your relatives, but assassins hidden in the palace.”
Cheng Feng was instantly dumbfounded, "An assassin?"
"You really don't know?" Jiang Fenghua asked him. If Cheng Feng knew, he wouldn't be able to leave this door today. He was different from Shang Hong. Shang Hong still had the Shang clan. If the Shang clan rebelled, the Xie family might really be finished.
Cheng Feng shook his head, "This humble official really doesn't know. Please believe me, Your Majesty. The Emperor trusts me. How could I possibly harm the Emperor? How could my father possibly harm the Emperor? My father watched the Emperor grow up. If something happens to the Emperor, the Cheng family will definitely be finished."
Cheng Feng couldn't understand why his father would help others harm the emperor.
Cheng Feng clasped his hands together and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Please, Your Majesty, grant me permission to atone for my mistakes."
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "Aoxue."
Ao Xue took out a porcelain bottle and poured out a black pill. "This is the Seven-Day Deadly Pill. Without the antidote, you will definitely die from the poison within seven days."
Cheng Feng was stunned.
Jiang Fenghua said, "If you dare to eat it, I will believe that you did not collude with the assassin, after all, the assassin was indeed brought into the palace by your Cheng family."
Cheng Feng swallowed the pill without hesitation. "It was my mistake. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I would never harm the Emperor."
Cheng Feng walked up to Hongxiu, wanting to say something, but he hesitated and ultimately couldn't say anything, so he just left.
In the stillness of the night, a gentle breeze blew, and Jiang Fenghua involuntarily shivered.
As she emerged from the side hall, she saw the dim yellow light emanating from the oil lamps under the eaves of the surrounding houses. The light cast a blood-red glow on the glazed tiles. Just as Jiang Fenghua looked up, she saw several crows fly out from the shadows, and a few short caws echoed through the vast night sky.
At the same time, a jade tassel next to her hair suddenly fell to the ground, and the emerald green tassel instantly shattered into pieces.
Hongxiu helped her up and said to the palace maid carrying the lantern, "Bring the lantern closer. The road is too dark, and Your Highness can't walk steadily. It's a pity about this jade tassel."
Jiang Fenghua felt flustered and asked Aoxue again, "Has Ayu returned to Kunning Palace?"
"We've gone back." Aoxue then asked, "Why does Your Highness seem so restless?"
"You all heard what Shang Hong said, right? The palace is very dangerous right now, so you all need to be careful," Jiang Fenghua reminded them.
Ao Xue said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. His Majesty has already arranged for secret guards to protect Your Majesty and the young masters before leaving the palace."
"Let's go back to Kunning Palace first!" Jiang Fenghua wanted to see Consort Chang, but she always felt uneasy.
"Is Your Highness not going to the Heavenly Prison?"
She said, "I won't go for now, I'll go tomorrow during the day."
Hongxiu brought the lantern closer. "Your Highness, please watch your step. This servant will bring the sedan chair over right away."
Just then, six eunuchs walked towards them, carrying lanterns. The dim light shone on their faces, and the eunuchs unconsciously raised their heads to look in the direction of Jiang Fenghua and the others.
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