Chapter 778 It's Shu Yan again.
At this moment, Shang Hong was also summoned to the side hall. Jiang Fenghua asked Hongxiu, "Is it safe to talk here?"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, the people Lianye brought are all our old hands." This meant that they were the trusted confidants Lin Yu brought into the palace, not people from the palace. They no longer trusted anyone in the palace, and they had also placed their own people in the shadows to protect the young prince and princess, keeping watch around the clock in case anything went wrong.
Shang Hong bowed to the Empress, "Your Majesty ordered Lord Zhang to arrest Cheng Zhong and bring him to the palace because he is actually the murderer of Xiao Shunzi."
Jiang Fenghua stared intently at Shang Hong, wondering whose side he was on and whether the Imperial Guards in the palace were truly safe.
"Is Consort Lan alright?" Jiang Fenghua suddenly asked.
Shang Hong was stunned. He glanced around unconsciously, his pupils changing color. He stammered, "Mother... why would Your Majesty suddenly ask about Lan'er?"
Jiang Fenghua's hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched slightly. Seeing Shang Hong's expression, she felt increasingly uncertain, because she could tell from Shang Hong's expression that He Lan Yanran was "not doing well."
She remained calm and smiled, saying, "I just want to see her and find out if the child in her womb is healthy."
This is why she sought Zhang Anyu's help in the palace. She suddenly distrusted Shang Hong and had to doubt him, and even anyone else. The safety of the palace was in Shang Hong's hands, and he was the easiest to be turned first. The Shang family was the late emperor's confidant, and Shang Hong was someone promoted by the late emperor. Xie Shang only came to comply with the late emperor's arrangements. If Shang Hong was completely loyal, he could continue to be the commander of the Imperial Guard. It was that simple.
However, he has something on his hands that someone can use against him. This thing can be used by her, but it can also be used by others. His secret can be secretly discovered by Ao Xue, but it can also be known by others.
Shang Hong knelt on the ground, covered in a cold sweat. "The child is fine, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Jiang Fenghua's eyes revealed an unfathomable expression as she said to herself, "Back then, when I helped you escape from the palace, I didn't know if I had done something wrong. Because Lady Helan repeatedly caused me trouble, believing that I had killed her daughter, I helped you cover it up under pressure. I don't know how much longer I can keep it a secret."
"Alright, I won't chat with Lord Shang about the past anymore. The most important thing now is to interrogate Steward Cheng to find out if he really killed the person. I'm also having a headache. He keeps reminding me of the help he gave me in the past, but favors are favors. If he really killed someone, I can't protect him!"
Jiang Fenghua looked very troubled. "Back in the Prince Heng's mansion, it was Steward Cheng who took care of the Emperor. The Emperor was very grateful to him, but he got into a conflict with a eunuch over some medicinal herbs and killed him in a fit of rage. It was just some medicinal herbs. He can have Steward Cheng take as much as he wants." This implied that Steward Cheng didn't kill because of the medicinal herbs, and what the truth behind it was.
Shang Hong felt a tightness in his throat. The Empress had been incredibly kind to him and Lan'er, and the Emperor had been extremely benevolent to the Shang family. If the Empress and the Emperor were both controlled by others, the Shang family and Lan'er would be doomed.
"Your Majesty..." Shang Hong blurted out.
Jiang Fenghua remained calm and waited for Shang Hong to speak. Shang Hong must have registered Steward Cheng's entry and exit from the palace. Without Shang Hong's permission, Steward Cheng could not enter.
Shang Hong said, "Lan'er has gone missing. The kidnappers left a note that said if you want Consort Lan and her unborn child to be safe, you must listen to them."
Jiang Fenghua frowned. She knew that now was not the time to assign blame or get angry. The most important thing was to resolve this crisis, as danger might be lurking nearby.
She then asked, "When did this happen, and what did they ask you to do?"
"Lan'er disappeared before the Lantern Festival. They asked me to help Cheng Zhong plant assassins in the palace and wait for their news." Shang Hong investigated the people in the Imperial Household Department and also found out that Cheng Zhong, the father of Chief Eunuch Cheng, had a conflict with Xiao Shunzi. At that time, he didn't know whether he should tell the Empress this news or even identify Chief Eunuch Cheng's father. He even thought that Xiao Shunzi's death was not so simple.
Unexpectedly, the Empress allowed Zhang Anyu to bring Cheng Zhong into the palace so quickly. If Cheng Zhong confesses that he had turned a blind eye to one thing, he will be unable to explain himself.
Jiang Fenghua asked in confusion, "You are the commander guarding the safety of the imperial city. If they want you to send assassins into the palace, you can do it by yourself. Why would they want you to help Cheng Zhong'an plant assassins? Isn't that redundant?"
Shang Hong said, "The other party is very meticulous and does not show their face. All I know is that Cheng Zhong brought the person in. Even after entering the palace, I do not know who the assassin is. The palace is actually not safe anymore. Everyone is suspicious."
"How many Imperial Guards are there in the capital? Are there assassins planted among them?" Jiang Fenghua asked.
"Perhaps there are some. There are five thousand people stationed in the palace alone, plus more than ten thousand in the camp. The rest are emergency reserve troops, and the Imperial Guards are not under my command. Their numbers are not as many as the Imperial Guards." Shang Hong added, "I heard that Ye Ying has gone missing. He is the leader of the Imperial Guards. If he wants to mobilize the Imperial Guards, the safety of the palace will be in danger."
Jiang Fenghua thought of the group of secret guards in the palace, who were the elite forces trained by Xie Shang. This meant that the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Bodyguards might have spies planted in them. Could there be traitors among those secret guards who rarely appeared and didn't even have names, only code names?
If something happens in the palace, those people will be her support.
Seeing that the Empress remained silent and observed her calm and composed demeanor, Shang Hong was surprised that the seemingly frail Empress was so composed.
With the Emperor currently not in the palace, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Since the other side has not made any move, they don't even know which direction to use their strength to retaliate.
Jiang Fenghua said, "The other party knows that Helan Yanran was once Consort Lan, and also knows about your relationship with him. These are definitely not coincidences. The only people in the palace who know about your relationship with Consort Lan are myself, Granny Wang, and Aoxue. I believe that if they didn't tell anyone, who else could possibly know about your relationship?"
Shang Hong said, "Shu Ronghua once went to Lan'er's palace to threaten Lan'er, but Shu Ronghua did not know it was me and had no real evidence. She was just guessing. She was trying to trick Lan'er."
Jiang Fenghua said, "It's Shu Yan again."
Shang Hong now regrets not killing Shu Yan back then; they didn't want to cause trouble.
Jiang Fenghua said, "I already know who leaked your secrets?"
Shang Hong asked, "Who is it?"
"Consort Chang, she seems indifferent and unassuming in the palace, but in fact she knows everything about everyone and everything in the palace." Jiang Fenghua could only think of Consort Chang at this moment. She had always found it strange, but if she looked at it from a different perspective, it wouldn't be so strange.
She wasn't shocked that Consort Chang and Shu Lang admitted to their affair so quickly. Now that she thinks about it, she realizes that someone had been trying to make them think that way all along.
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