Chapter 36 The Dog Emperor is Stingy
Yun Zhao paused, his heart racing: [Zhou Si?! He and Su Mingli are in cahoots! Letting me investigate, isn't that walking into a tiger's den?]
[The murderer might be Su Mingli. Should I investigate her? You're so good at hiding things from others! Stupid ruler! Tyrant! You bastard emperor! You shall not die a good death!]
Xiao Jin heard her silent roar, a cold smile curling his lips as he added, "Remember, three days. If you mess this up... your brother Yunfeng's return to Beijing to visit his family will be a thing of the past."
Yun Zhao suddenly looked up and met Xiao Jin's deep eyes, and also saw the flash of pride in Su Mingli's eyes beside him.
She knelt down listlessly, like an eggplant hit by frost: "Your servant... obeys your command."
[Oh my God! I died a miserable death in my previous life, wandered the underworld for ten years, and even after being reborn, I still can't escape the torture! It's so hard for me!]
[No! I can't just sit there and wait for death! Investigating the case requires real power!] Her strong desire to survive gave her a flash of inspiration. She immediately looked up, her eyes burning: "Your Majesty! My influence is insignificant, and I'm afraid that my investigation will be hindered at every turn. Please grant me the power to act at my own discretion! Otherwise, I won't be able to move forward!"
"How dare you!" Su Mingli was the first to object harshly. "With me here, and Commander Zhou's Imperial Guards assisting us, why would you resort to such unnecessary action?"
Zhang Wanru immediately chimed in, "That's right! His Majesty has already given you the utmost honor by allowing you to investigate the case, and yet you still dare to ask for power? You're so bold!"
Xiao Jin seemed oblivious to their chatter, his gaze fixed on Yun Zhao with scrutiny. After a moment, he gave Zhang Fuan a slight nod.
Zhang Fuan understood and immediately brought out the Qingyun Sword.
"I'll borrow this sword for now," Xiao Jin said calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Seeing this sword is like seeing me. I'll return it to you in three days."
[Who wants this cold, hard lump of metal?! It can't be eaten, and it can easily be killed by someone in a critical moment!]
Yun Zhao was furiously complaining in her heart, but she managed to put on an awkward expression on her face and said boldly, "Your Majesty! This sword is precious, and I dare not accept it! If I were to bump into it, I would be killed! If Your Majesty really wants to give me courage...why not...give me a golden medal of immunity from death?"
"Ha!" Xiao Jin was so angry that he laughed and pointed at her, "Yun Zhao, your appetite... is bigger than that of a lion!"
His fingers paused on the jade belt around his waist, and finally took off a white jade pendant that was lustrous and carved with simple cloud patterns. He threw it on the gold brick at Yun Zhao's feet and said, "Do you want it?"
Yun Zhao immediately picked up the jade pendant at lightning speed, put it in his arms like a treasure, and smiled widely: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" He moved so quickly that he was afraid that he would regret it.
[Tsk! Stingy! You think you can get rid of me with just a shabby jade pendant? A gold medal of immunity from death is much more practical!] The villain in her heart was still muttering, full of disgust for the seemingly ordinary jade pendant.
Little did they know that this jade pendant, worn close to the body and representing the emperor's token, would be more important than any gold medal in the coming storm.
Xiao Jin looked at Yun Zhao's "taking advantage of the situation" look, and a very faint smile flashed across the depths of his eyes, which he himself did not even notice, and then was covered by his usual coldness.
Yun Zhao suddenly discovered that except for Concubine Li, Concubine Zhang, and Su Mingli, the rest of the concubines were of humble origins. Some were daughters of military households, some were daughters of the Imperial Guard, and several were from Guangdong, Shandong, Jinzhou and other places.
Obviously, Xiao Jin was alienated from the relationship between civil officials and meritorious service.
Could it be that Xiao Jin wants to take this opportunity to get rid of Concubine Zhang, Concubine Li, and the two people in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel?
…
Su Mingli wants to see Yun Zhao.
Yun Zhao then came to the Zhaixing Tower.
"Miss Yun, please come this way. The Imperial Concubine has been waiting in the 'Jingsi Pavilion' for a long time."
Luo Mei had stood quietly in the shadow of the porch column without anyone noticing, with an impeccable and respectful smile on her face, but her voice was as cold as ice water, without any warmth.
Yun Zhao suppressed his churning stomach and forced himself to draw out an equally false arc: "Thank you, Miss Luomei, for leading the way."
After entering the palace, Yun Zhao asked, "What instructions does the Empress have?" Yun Zhao performed the etiquette between the female members of the family.
Su Mingli did not pursue the matter, but simply dismissed the people around him and drank his tea quietly.
"Your Majesty has entrusted such a heavy responsibility to you and me, Yun Zhao. Do you know how to proceed?"
Yun Zhao only lowered her head slightly, her eyes scanning every corner of the dim room sharply. "Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to clarify Concubine Wang's past. What was her background before entering the palace? Who did she have a feud with in the palace? Only by knowing the root of the matter can we trace it back to its source and find the murderous intention."
"Oh?" Su Mingli finally raised her eyes. The candlelight reflected in her eyes, and a cluster of strange light was jumping. "You seem to have the same idea as me." She nodded slightly at Luo Mei.
Luo Mei immediately stepped forward, carefully picked up a list from the desk, turned to a page, and handed it to Yun Zhao.
That page looked older than the others, and the ink was a little smudged.
Yun Zhao looked intently. It clearly read: Wang, named Qingyi, sixteen years old. Presented by Xiangyang County Magistrate Wang Han. Native place: Qingxi Village, southern suburbs of Xiangyang. Background: Parents died young, living with her uncle, a poor orphan.
Luo Mei's voice rang out in the silence, its tone deliberately subdued and eerie. "Aunt, please look here. The ink color of the words 'Qingxi Village' seems... a little darker."
Yun Zhao's heart skipped a beat and he leaned in to take a closer look.
Sure enough! The ink on the three characters "Qingxi Village" was much darker than the preceding and following characters, and the edges even had some unnatural bleed, as if someone had later traced and deepened it!
She subconsciously stretched out her finger, wanting to touch the ink—
"Don't touch it!" Su Mingli's voice suddenly turned harsh, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
Yun Zhao's hand froze in mid-air.
"This booklet is the original certificate archived by the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Su Mingli put down the teacup, and the bottom of the cup hit the tray, making a crisp and harsh "ding" sound.
She stood up slowly, her gorgeous palace skirt trailing on the ground emitting a dark luster in the dim light.
She walked towards Yun Zhao step by step, and the gentle and submissive mask on her face was completely peeled off: "Yun Zhao, you are a smart person. Smart people should know what to see and what to forget."
Her voice was extremely low, filled with a morbid excitement and ruthlessness: "Wang Qingyi? An orphan girl from Qingxi Village? What a joke! Her real name is Lin Wan! Her father is the rebel leader Lin Xiao, who led the attack on the county government office and incited the refugees to riot during the Xiangyang flood last year!"
Boom! Yun Zhao felt as if a bolt of thunder had exploded in her head, shaking her to death!
She staggered back half a step, looking at Su Mingli's distorted face in disbelief.
"Lin Xiao was killed on the spot, but his orphan daughter, Lin Wan, somehow became the county magistrate's adopted daughter, changed her name, and was sent to the palace as a gift!" Su Mingli laughed low and sinisterly. "What do you think? Should such a venomous snake lurking at His Majesty's pillow die? Hmm?"
The coldness instantly rushed from Yun Zhao's feet to his head, freezing his limbs and bones.
She finally understood! She understood why Su Mingli wanted to kill a talent who had no sense of existence!
This is not a harem fight for favor at all; it is a carefully planned scheme that kills several birds with one stone!
Killing with a borrowed knife, eradicating dissidents, and more importantly...
"So..." Yun Zhao's voice was extremely dry, trembling even unconsciously, "The real culprit that Your Majesty wants me to investigate is Concubine Zhang?"
"Smart!" Su Mingli clapped her hands suddenly, her eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light. "That idiot Zhang Wanru, relying on the Zhang family's power, always opposes me. He should have died long ago!"
"That little maid in her palace was the one I planted as a thorn in your side. She was the one who testified against you. Next, she'll commit suicide out of fear of punishment, leaving behind irrefutable evidence that it was Concubine Zhang who ordered her to frame you, and the one who actually murdered her to silence her was Concubine Zhang!"
The plan is closely linked and is so vicious that it is suffocating.
Yun Zhao felt a cold despair gripping his heart. "Then... Concubine Wang... No, the cause of Lin Wan's death? The drug the coroner found..."
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