Chapter 176 Wind Lotus Garden
Xie Yunyu bowed her head respectfully and said, "This is my duty as a subject, Your Majesty, there is no need for a reward."
The emperor thought she was just being polite, so he said, "We're all family here, so please feel free to speak."
Xie Yunyu then looked up and smiled, "Your Majesty has said that we are family. What reward do you need for helping family members get rid of poison and disaster?"
Seeing her sincerity, the emperor nodded and said:
"You and Ling'er are both good children."
After saying that, he glanced at Xiao Ling again and said, "Ling'er, you've found a good wife. You must cherish her and treat her well in the future."
Xiao Ling stepped forward, took Xie Yunyu's hand, and said with a smile, "Uncle, I know."
When the emperor saw Xiao Ling's smiling face, he smiled too.
After the two sat down, everyone continued to talk about serious matters.
Princess Jinyang spoke first:
"Your Majesty, they are all currently residing in the homes of important officials in the court, and are basically the wives of the household managers."
We do not have concrete evidence that they are all spies from the North.
Similarly, it cannot be proven whether these high-ranking officials in the court had any connection with the northern border.
Therefore, my suggestion is to keep these people under surveillance for now, and then, once we have concrete evidence, take them all down in one fell swoop.
The emperor seemed to nod in agreement, but then asked:
“Surveillance is not a long-term solution. We still need to find the evidence as soon as possible and arrest him as soon as possible.”
The Crown Prince said from the side, "My aunt Huayang mentioned a place where they used to hold gatherings, and I have already sent people to investigate."
However, too much time has passed, and there may not be any clues left.
The Empress spoke up from the side: "If these twelve flower fairies are all spies planted by Prince Rui, their husbands now hold important positions in the court."
This... will likely cause great unease in the imperial court.
The eldest princess continued, "Over the years, news from the court has been constantly leaked to Prince Rui, and they are the culprits."
It's just rotten flesh; the important thing is to dig it out immediately.
As for the missing parts, we can simply add more next spring.
The emperor murmured, "I really didn't expect that all these years he would have relied on a group of women in his inner quarters to pass on messages to him."
After saying that, he asked, "How's the investigation going on the inner palace?"
The Empress sighed and said, "The suspicion against Consort Rong is growing stronger."
The emperor closed his eyes briefly upon hearing this: "Once you find conclusive evidence against her, report to me immediately."
After saying this, the emperor felt dizzy for a moment.
For the sake of the emperor's health, everyone quickly dispersed.
After Xie Yunyu and Xiao Ling came out, Xiao Ling said to the Crown Prince:
"Your Highness, let's go to Fenghe Garden. I have a feeling there's a crucial clue there."
The Crown Prince nodded and said, "Alright, you may go. Take plenty of men with you and be careful."
The two left the palace and went directly to Fenghe Garden.
The house had long been abandoned, and its dilapidated state was evident from the outside.
The door had already been opened by the Imperial Guards who had arrived ahead of time, and there were messy footprints everywhere at the entrance.
The two stepped into the Wind Lotus Garden, where the main gate was covered in dust and cobwebs.
All that could be seen inside were withered branches and fallen leaves, overgrown weeds, and a scene of utter desolation.
The Imperial Guards stationed here came over to greet Xiao Ling.
"Greetings, Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort."
"No need for formalities. How's the investigation going?" Xiao Ling asked.
"We found nothing; the rooms were empty, and there was no crucial information whatsoever."
Xiao Ling remained silent after hearing this.
Xie Yunyu looked around and said, "I want to go up to the roof and take a look."
Xiao Ling reached out and put his arm around her waist, then stepped onto the wall and climbed onto the roof.
Xie Yunyu was immediately intrigued and asked with delight:
"Didn't you always say you weren't in good health? How come you have such skills?"
Xiao Ling smiled and said, "It's precisely because of poor health that I need to strengthen my body."
These are merely minor tricks for self-defense, not truly effective martial arts skills.
Xie Yunyu supported his shoulders, and he stood shakily on the rooftop.
Then I began to examine the layout of the courtyard.
Xiao Ling also looked around the courtyard.
"The courtyard isn't very big, but it has everything you need."
Xie Yunyu pointed to a huge pool not far away and said:
"That must be the lotus pond from back then, right?"
Xiao Ling brought the person down, and the two headed towards the lotus pond in the backyard.
Xie Yunyu instructed the Imperial Guards: "Go and investigate carefully again, and see which courtyard has the character 'lotus' in its name."
If anything is found, search the yard again carefully.
"Here you go."
Qingfeng followed the Imperial Guards and scattered to investigate.
The two arrived at the edge of the lotus pond and saw a winding covered bridge that looked very elegant.
In the long-abandoned pond, a few lotus leaves floated scattered about, and a few small lotus leaves emerged from the water, with a few dragonflies flying above them.
Full of wild charm.
Standing in the very center of the covered bridge, Xie Yunyu stepped on the lotus-carved bluestone bricks and said:
"Although it is dilapidated, one can still vaguely see the glory of its former days."
"Hmm, the carved beams and painted rafters, the building materials look quite good, it must have taken a lot of thought and money to build it."
Xie Yunyu paused for a moment before continuing to walk towards the backyard.
"Where are you going, my wife?" Xiao Ling asked.
“Go and take a look at the back door. Didn’t Aunt Huayang say that Prince Rui always came and went through the back door when he first came here?”
If there's any evidence or clue here, it's more likely to be from the back door or backyard.
"That makes sense."
Xiao Ling continued walking without stopping, following Xie Yunyu to the back.
Xie Yunyu first looked back and forth at the back door, studying the backyard.
Finally, pointing to the tall jujube tree in the backyard, he said:
"Why is there such a big jujube tree here? It looks quite old."
Xiao Ling thought for a moment and said, "Well, jujube trees are usually planted in the front yard, and rarely in the back yard."
It is somewhat strange.
After saying that, he walked towards the jujube tree, circled it twice, and then suddenly jumped up into the tree.
Seeing him go up, Xie Yunyu quickly ran to the tree and asked:
What are you going up there for?
Xiao Ling didn't answer, but after a while, she said with a surprised voice:
"This is actually a hidden sentry post."
Xie Yunyu frowned and asked, "A hidden sentry? Monitoring which area?"
"back door."
Xiao Ling's voice came through.
Xie Yunyu looked towards the back door but found nothing.
"What can you see from your vantage point up here?"
"No, this isn't the place to monitor the back door."
There's also a decayed cushion here, and it looks like it's facing west.
Xiao Ling's voice came from above.
west?
Xie Yunyu then turned to the west. To the west of the jujube tree was a rockery, a covered pavilion, and further west was a small courtyard.
Xie Yunyu looked up from under the tree and asked, "Can you see into that small courtyard?"
"No," Xiao Ling replied.
"What about the artificial hill and the covered walkways?"
“That’s clear enough,” Xiao Ling replied.
Xie Yunyu walked towards the artificial hill, and Xiao Ling jumped down from the tree and chased after her.
Xie Yunyu said to Xiao Ling, "Go and get the Imperial Guards. The problem must lie beneath this artificial hill and covered walkway."
Xiao Ling waved to the Imperial Guards not far away, and the Imperial Guards quickly came over.
"Go and call all your men over here," Xiao Ling ordered.
Soon the Imperial Guards arrived, and Xiao Ling directed them:
"Go and check this pavilion and rockery to see if there are any hidden mechanisms."
"Here you go."
In an instant, several figures appeared on the covered walkway and the top of the artificial hill.
Xiao Ling pulled Xie Yunyu back a few steps and watched the crowd from the side.
However, after a thorough search, the Imperial Guards found nothing.
In the end, Xie Yunyu had no choice but to go up and investigate herself.
First they checked the artificial hill, but found nothing.
Xie Yunyu came over to look at the corridor and pavilion again.
As Xie Yunyu looked around, she noticed a problem.
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