Chapter 112 The Night on the Sky Steps is as Cool as Water
Only after Feng Shenyu explained did Li Yueyao understand.
So he asked, "So your concubine was trying to find out about you at the behest of the steward of the Minister of Rites' residence?"
Li Huaiyu nodded.
"Minister of Rites... Minister of Rites..." Li Yueyao pondered for a moment and said:
"Could it be her?"
"What is Your Highness talking about? Who is it?" Feng Shenyu asked.
"On the day the Lu family was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, Concubine Xian was plotting in the palace to expose Concubine Rong's true intentions.
But Rongpin did not move. We suspect that someone tipped off Rongpin.
Those who went to Rongpin's Qionghua Palace that day included Defei, Xiangpin, Guo Zhaoyi, and Qi Meiren.
We suspected it was Concubine Xiang at the time, but now it seems that Concubine Qi is also suspicious."
Li Huaiyu heard this and said, "Aunt, there is something I don't understand.
This Qi beauty is of high birth, and has been summoned by His Majesty many times since entering the palace. Why is she still a mere beauty?"
Li Yueyao had never thought about this question before, but after listening to Li Huaiyu talk about it, she was suddenly stumped.
Feng Shenyu said, "Qi Min entered the palace last spring. At that time, the palace was dominated by the Imperial Concubine. I'm afraid this may have been the work of the Imperial Concubine.
Your Majesty's health has been poor since the beginning of last autumn, and since you returned to the palace, Your Majesty may not be interested in the affairs of the harem."
Li Yueyao continued, "You guys are talking about this, there was something else that happened yesterday that was very strange.
After the two princes' concubine selection banquet ended yesterday, Concubine Qi fainted when she returned to Yilan Palace. The imperial physician examined her and said that she was pregnant.
She is already six months pregnant, but she kept it a secret and didn't reveal any information."
Li Huaiyu was surprised when he heard this and said, "She's six months pregnant, so her belly must be very big, right?
How come no one noticed?"
“In winter, loose clothes are convenient for covering up.
Her belly has grown bigger in the past two months. She was afraid that others would notice it, so she often said she was not feeling well and stayed in her Yilan Palace and refused to come out.
Naturally, no one noticed.”
Li Huaiyu scratched his head: "Hearing what my aunt said, this Lady Qi has some problems."
Feng Shenyu thought for a moment and said, "Concubine Qi is the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites. The Minister of Rites, the Prince of Jin...could they be another force?"
"This still needs to be carefully investigated."
Feng Shenyu nodded: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will handle this matter. You should just focus on recovering from your injuries and don't worry about these things."
Li Huaiyu was surprised when he heard this: "Why, is my aunt injured?"
Li Yueyao reached out and touched her neck and said, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Li Huaiyu looked at Li Yueyao's neck and asked why Mayday tied such a scarf around her neck. It turned out that she was injured.
"Aunt, if you need any errands, just call my nephew.
The Right Prime Minister is right, you should take good care of your injuries.
You've been through a lot these past few months, so take a break."
Li Yueyao laughed and said, "Oh, little Huaiyu is so thoughtful. He knows how to share his aunt's worries."
Li Huaiyu heard Li Yueyao's teasing and said awkwardly:
"Aunt, please stop making fun of me. This is my nephew's job."
As the three were talking, they saw Fan Yong come in from outside.
Feng Shenyu asked about the situation on Prince Jin's side. Sure enough, Fan Yong had been too busy for some time and had no time to take care of Prince Jin.
After Fan Yong and Li Huaiyu left, Feng Shenyu called Yu Zhan in and gave him some instructions.
Feng Shenyu was absent-minded the whole afternoon. At dinner time, Li Yueyao finally couldn't help asking:
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering if Prince Jin and Gao Hongchen were in the same group, or if they were two separate forces."
Li Yueyao thought for a moment and said, "I haven't seen them interacting with each other on a daily basis, so I can't make a conclusion for now."
After finishing their meal, the two took a stroll in the mansion.
"The sky is as cool as water at night, I lie down and watch the Altair and Vega stars." Li Yueyao recited.
Feng Shenyu looked up at the sky and said, "It's still a bit cold these past two nights. I'll have to wait a few days before I can lie down in the yard and watch the stars."
Li Yueyao looked up at the sky and said: "When I was in Chunshan, I often stayed overnight in the courtyard every summer.
But every day when I wake up, I wake up in my own bed."
Feng Shenyu laughed and said, “When I was a child, I often fell asleep in my grandfather’s yard and woke up in my own room in the morning.
It seems like a very distant thing now.”
Li Yueyao suddenly sighed and said, "The night sky on Chunshan Mountain feels even lower, as if you can reach out and pick the stars.
Look at the night sky here; it seems so high and far away, without any artistic conception."
Feng Shenyu looked at the high sky and nodded.
The two rested at home for a few days. Li Yueyao's injuries were almost healed, and Gao Hongchen also woke up from his coma in prison.
But after hearing that Concubine Rong had died, he kept silent.
One day Feng Shenyu received a message and was very angry:
"The Lu family interrogated everyone again. When Lu Xian realized his true identity was exposed, he bit his tongue and committed suicide."
"Oh, did you find any other useful information?"
Li Yueyao stopped writing and looked up to ask.
"Lu Xian's wife knows a little, but not much.
She only knew that Lu Jingya was sent back to her hometown at the age of three and had been raised with her grandfather.
When Lu Jingya was fourteen, her grandfather passed away and she returned to the capital from her hometown.
At that time, Lu Jingya had already been trained and became quiet and elegant, and was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs.
Lu Jingya and Gao Hongchen met at Jinglin Temple after arriving in Beijing.
Gao Hongchen once went to the mansion to propose marriage, but was rejected by Lu Xian.
Later, Gao Hongchen was promoted all the way, and Lu Jingya sent a letter to his home, asking Lu Xian to meet Gao Hongchen.
As for what the two men talked about when they met and how they talked about it, Lu Xian’s wife didn’t know.
But since then, the relationship between the two families has eased a lot.
Moreover, she had no idea that her daughter had any skills, nor did she know what was going on with Nan Li.
How should I put it? When she talked about Lu Jingya, she was very indifferent, as if she was talking about a person or thing that had nothing to do with her.
There doesn’t seem to be any mother-daughter relationship between the two.”
"Rongpin returned to the capital at the age of fourteen and entered the palace at the age of sixteen. The mother and daughter only spent two short years together. What kind of affection could there be between them?" Li Yueyao said.
Then he continued to ask, "Why was Concubine Rong sent to her hometown to be raised since she was young?"
"Lu Xian's wife said that Lu Xian said his old man was lonely in his hometown, so he sent a granddaughter to keep him company."
"Have you sent anyone to investigate back home?"
"Someone has been sent." Feng Shenyu replied.
"Is there any movement from Prince Jin's side?" Li Yueyao asked.
"It's calm."
After hearing this, Li Yueyao threw the pen in her hand aside, leaned back in the chair, and sighed.
Seeing this, Feng Shenyu stepped forward, packed up the pen and placed it next to the inkstone.
"Your Highness, take your time. Don't be impatient."
"Oh, there is good news. After the incident in the palace, the Duke of Zhenguo wiped out the Chen family.
Chen Fang admitted that Gao Hongchen was behind him and that everything was directed by Gao Hongchen.
"If you're kidding, didn't he just get in touch with Gao Hongchen and even gave him 100,000 taels of silver?
They have been doing business with Nanli for three or four years.
Why are they all saying it was Gao Hongchen who ordered it?"
"After being tortured, Chen Fang changed his story and said Lu Xian was the mastermind behind this."
"Lu Xian is dead, and there's no evidence. Are you planning to shift all the blame onto the Lu family?"
"According to Chen Fang's later confession, a large number of letters were found in his residence.
It contains information about Thunderbolt and an assassination plan codenamed 'Headhunter'."
Li Yueyao heard this and said, "'Headhunting'? Could it be an assassination attempt on His Majesty?"
“Yes, it was the last assassination.
The handwriting on the letter was identified as Lu Xian's.
"It seems that the Lu family has some secrets?" Li Yueyao murmured.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com