The next morning, everyone came to Zhaochun Palace to pay their respects.
The wild geese fly south, cutting straight to the point.
"Consort Rong has passed away. It's pitiful that she died so young. The Fourth Prince is already grown up, so it's not his turn to take care of her. His Majesty took pity on her and posthumously conferred upon her the title of Consort Shu, and she has been properly buried in the imperial concubine mausoleum. It's for the good of the departed. Does anyone have anything to say?"
After exchanging glances, Consort Xiangxian said, "It's pitiful that Sister Rong passed away so young. Her health had never been very good. I just didn't expect her to leave us so young."
Consort Ning also said, "Yes, although Sister Rong is usually quiet, she is easy to get along with. It's really pitiful."
"Yes, Sister Rong's needlework is excellent; I've even asked her for advice," Consort Mei Hui added.
With these few individuals setting the tone, those below naturally wouldn't speak recklessly.
The Empress was very direct; Consort Rong died of illness.
As for whether it is true or not, there will definitely be an investigation behind the scenes, but that's what's been decided on the surface.
After the morning greetings were finished, the Empress Dowager summoned the Empress.
They were already being polite by not calling yesterday; Yan Nangui knew exactly what was going on.
Sure enough, when they arrived at Ruining Palace, they immediately began questioning them.
The wild geese fly south, unmoved as a mountain.
After the Empress Dowager finished asking her questions, she said, "The death of Consort Rong was clearly a scheme. Unless we knew in advance and kept a close watch on her, it was bound to happen. His Majesty has already sent all the people in her palace to the Imperial Household Department. Overnight, there should be some progress. Mother, you don't need to worry too much. Since things have come to this, you should focus more on the Fourth Prince."
"Every time I criticize you, you always have a strong argument. I can never win an argument with you," the Empress Dowager snorted.
"It's not difficult for Mother to reprimand me, but what's the use? When something happens, I'll handle it. Mother, just wait patiently. Whoever it is, they'll be found out eventually," Yan Nangui said.
The Empress Dowager was upset and didn't want to see her, so she waved her away.
It was delivered by Granny Fei.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. That's just how the Empress Dowager is."
"It's alright. No need for you to worry, Granny."
"It wasn't just for that. It was during the first month of this year. One day, the Empress Dowager took a nap. My leg had been a bit tight since I fell last year, and the imperial physician said to walk around a little. So, I took advantage of the cool midday weather and went to the small garden at the back. The late emperor's concubines all lived there. I didn't make a big fuss about going there; I just sat down in a quiet spot when I got tired. That's when I bumped into two palace maids talking."
"I didn't think much of it at first, but now that I think about it, one of them is quite old. She used to serve Consort Ye. She was someone who could get close to her. After the incident, most of them were kicked out. I thought I had made a mistake. So I paid even less attention. Thinking about it today, I'm afraid it wasn't a mistake. Although those who served her back then were kicked out, it's not necessarily true that they were transferred before they were kicked out because of mistakes or other reasons."
"Furthermore, the other maid who was talking to that palace maid was a woman in her early twenties. Her clothes were also different. During the first month of the lunar year, Her Majesty the Empress knew that the servants were dressed festively. But the people behind Ruining Palace were widows, so naturally they wouldn't be dressed so brightly. Since even the mistresses weren't dressed so brightly, the maids would also dress more plainly. By comparison, you could tell that the other maid was from the front. As for where she was from, this old servant doesn't know."
Yan Nangui smiled and said, "If that's the case, I'll take the person there to ask first."
"It might just be a casual remark, but now that this has happened, the Empress Dowager Ye's ending back then wasn't good either... This old servant has some doubts. It would be best if nothing happened, but if something did, not saying anything would be a waste of time," said Granny Fei.
"Thank you, Granny. I'll go find someone right away. Please come with me to take a look," Yan Nangui said.
Granny Fei naturally agreed.
Yan Nangui led his men to the back, and sure enough, in less than half an hour, they found the palace maid, who was almost forty years old.
She was startled when she saw Yan Nangui and his group; it would be strange if there were no ghosts.
Yan Nangui immediately apprehended the man.
They were taken directly to the Beichen Palace.
Inside the Beichen Palace, Yun Ji had already gleaned some information.
Upon seeing this person, they immediately clicked.
“Bi Rou said that in February, a palace maid from the back came by. At the time, she only said that she had heard that Consort Rong was good at embroidery and that she didn’t know a certain needlework technique, so she wanted to ask her for advice. This kind of thing had happened before, so no one suspected anything. At that time, Consort Rong asked her to go out and pour tea. Later, she told her not to go in yet.”
Yun Ji glanced at the man a few times: "Are you called Cuizhu?"
The palace maid lowered her head and remained silent.
"I advise you to behave yourself. Don't you even know where you are? Are you looking for death?" Yun Ji said.
The palace maid probably knew she couldn't escape: "This servant is Cuizhu. I used to serve Consort Ye... but I was kicked out for making a mistake. So... I stayed behind."
"So, are you going to tell me directly, or will you be tortured before you do?" Yan Nangui walked over and sat down next to Shu Chengfeng to ask.
The green bamboo remained silent.
"I see you're all about to rebel. Whether you talk today or not, the result is the same—you won't live. But if you want a quick death, you'd better confess." Shu Chengfeng hadn't slept well last night, so he was naturally in a bad mood.
Cuizhu was trembling all over, clearly terrified.
Finally, she knelt on the ground and said, "This servant is...is...is Zhu Jin, a palace maid from Baihua Pavilion. She said someone asked me to do something. All I need to do is find a way to tell Consort Rong a word, and someone will arrange for me to leave the palace. I'm already this old, and I was kicked out for making a mistake. I haven't...have had the chance to serve my mistress anymore. It's not right for me to stay in the palace all this time..."
"Lying," Yan Nangui said calmly.
"You just believe a random person telling you this? Who are you trying to fool?"
“No, that person… that person said… that it was Consort Jin… and… and… and said that in case something happened, no one would investigate someone who had been dead for many years, like Consort Ye. It would be safe to find me. She… she was also leaving the palace. I thought, it's just a matter of a sentence, even if something happens, what could happen? I never expected that Consort Rong would die…”
"What did you say?" Shu Chengfeng asked.
"She said to tell Consort Rong that a maidservant of the First Prince had died. If His Majesty finds out who did it, that person will surely be crippled. She also said that if you don't believe me, you should ask Yang Li, who serves the Fourth Prince. She added that if you want the Fourth Prince to have a bright future, you should know what kind of mother is useful. That's all she said," Cuizhu said, her voice trembling.
"Zhu Jin asked you to tell Consort Rong that it was Consort Jin who said these things?" Yan Nangui asked.
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, please spare me! This servant truly did not know that these words... could cause Consort Rong to commit suicide. If I had known, I would never have dared to say it even if you beat me to death."
Yan Nangui looked at Shu Chengfeng and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"
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