Concubine Shu has been in a depressed mood ever since the last fire in the palace.

Because even when there was a fire in the palace last time, the emperor did not summon Concubine Shu to express his condolences.

"It's all because of that bitch Queen... She must have blocked the news!"

Shufei held a handkerchief in her hand and spoke hatefully.

When Zhao Ji came in, he happened to see Concubine Shu's somewhat distorted face.

"What wind brought the palm print here?"

The Concubine Shu was angry and said in a bad mood.

Zhao Ji smiled faintly: "Something was lost in the imperial kitchen, and they said it was sent to you, Madam Shufei, so I came here to check."

Concubine Shu waved her hand and said, "Last time my palace caught fire, it was you who arranged for people to clean up the mess. You can check it out."

Zhao Ji didn't expect Concubine Shu to be so easy to talk to, but this was exactly what Zhao Ji wanted.

This time, Zhao Ji was accompanied by people from the Imperial Household Department. Although on the surface Zhao Ji told the emperor that they were people from the Imperial Household Department, they were not clean and he did not dare to use them.

But Zhao Ji was able to read minds. In fact, as early as the third day after arriving at the Imperial Household Department, Zhao Ji had already discovered talents who could be trained by his side.

These are the people following him now.

The things lost in the imperial kitchen were just an excuse. What Zhao Ji really wanted to investigate was why Concubine Shu's Luozidai was lost and no one knew about it.

The eunuchs who followed Zhao Ji found out the person with dirty hands in just a few moments.

It was mainly revealed by those who were caught before.

"Chunlan is a habitual offender. The queen always lost things before, and it was Chunlan who took care of it."

A palace maid said in panic.

Just as he finished speaking, another thin palace maid shuddered and fell to her knees on the ground.

"I really didn't touch the cakes and pastries sent over by the kitchen today!"

Chunlan knelt on the ground and trembled as she spoke.

Zhao Ji walked over slowly and raised Chunlan's chin with his hand.

Chunlan's face looked pitiful, but she was cursing in her heart.

[I'm going to find a time to tear Jin Yu's mouth apart. How dare you bite me! How could I even look at a mere pastry! ]

[This disgusting eunuch has been hooking my chin... a rootless thing! ]

Zhao Ji smiled faintly, and suddenly lowered his head to Chunlan's ear and whispered, "Did you steal the Luozidai that the queen lost?"

Chunlan's whole body stiffened.

[Luo Zidai... Obviously no one noticed this, how did this eunuch know about it...]

[No, no, he must be trying to trick me. He is probably trying to trick me into admitting it. I guess there is no evidence...]

Zhao Ji leaned close to Chunlan's ear and continued, "Eunuch Zhang has already confessed. You'd better not deny it. Otherwise, I won't need your testimony and will just have you executed!"

Hearing this, Chunlan's face turned pale.

The whole person collapsed to the ground like a puddle of mud.

Seeing this expression, Zhao Ji knew that the matter was settled, and nodded to the young eunuch beside him.

"It was Chunlan who stole the cakes from the imperial kitchen. Please tell Concubine Shu that I've taken her away first and need to interrogate her."

Zhao Ji took the man back to the Imperial Household Department and locked him up in a cell there.

When Zhao Ji came out of the cell with his confession and returned to the study of the Imperial Household Department, his confidant Wei San couldn't help but ask, "Sir, this is just a theft case, why do you have to go to so much trouble?"

Zhao Ji looked at Wei San and asked with a smile: "Why do you think that is?"

Wei San scratched his head and smiled innocently: "You are the palm print, how can I guess you!"

Wei San can be regarded as a eunuch that Zhao Ji values ​​the most. This man is honest and shrewd, and few people can possess these two qualities at the same time.

But Wei San is just such a person.

Because of his appreciation, Zhao Ji was willing to explain a few more words to Wei San.

"Since I took over the Imperial Household Department, there has been a lot of activity in the harem. If I remember correctly, the eunuchs and maids who come and go have changed several times."

"Although Luozidai is a product for women, it is also a priceless tribute. Do you think a little palace maid would have the guts to steal such a thing?"

Wei San suddenly realized: "It seems that there must be a bigger mastermind behind this."

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "You should spread the news today that there have been many thefts in the palace recently. They are of a serious nature and the murderer has been arrested and imprisoned in the dungeon."

"When the news has spread, see who has made any moves. There is no need to alert the enemy. Write it down and we can roughly figure out which force was responsible for the theft."

Zhao Ji said as he instructed.

Wei San's eyes lit up as he listened to this. He exclaimed, "The palm print is really powerful. It can solve the problem so easily. We can also find out the power behind this incident!"

Looking at the admiration in his subordinates' eyes, Zhao Ji smiled faintly and did not take these theft cases to heart.

At this time, no one would have thought that a mouthful of stale tea water would eventually scare away so many fish.

"Have you checked the people who handled the disaster relief funds that I asked you to check?"

Zhao Ji looked at Wei San and asked.

Wei San scratched his head stupidly: "I have roughly investigated this matter. Naturally, there are records of post stations outside the palace."

"As for the palace, because the amount of disaster relief money is so huge, ordinary eunuchs are no longer qualified to touch it. Usually, the leader of the imperial guards goes to the treasury to withdraw money."

"However, it was somewhat coincidental that on the day the disaster relief money was taken out, the leader of the Imperial Guard happened to be on leave for something, so it was the deputy leader of the Imperial Guard who took the money."

Zhao Ji narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this: "Something happened? Isn't this too much of a coincidence?"

Wei San nodded: "I went to visit the head of the Imperial Guard at his home. In fact, the head of the Imperial Guard was unable to take office because he had a stomachache, so he asked the deputy head to take over!"

Zhao Ji already had a guess in his mind. He nodded and said, "Who is this deputy leader? Are they related to him?"

Wei San was indeed a capable general under Zhao Ji. Upon hearing this question, he immediately answered, "The deputy leader of the Imperial Guard has a lot of money. He was originally from a peasant family. Later, he joined the army and worked his way up to his current position. He has a sister at home."

"After he was promoted to the Imperial Guard, his sister was old enough to enter the palace."

"What a coincidence, you met his sister today."

Wei San glanced at Zhao Ji and said.

Zhao Ji raised his eyebrows slightly: "You're not going to tell me it's that Chunlan?"

Wei San shook his head repeatedly: "That's definitely not the case, that's definitely not the case..."

"To be honest, the deputy leader of the Imperial Guard, Qian Duo's sister, is the current Concubine Shu!"

When Zhao Ji heard this, his eyes widened in shock.

I didn't expect that Concubine Shu had such a deep entanglement with the person I wanted to investigate.

“It’s her.”