The Queen said, "Oh? Something interesting happened."
"The maid had injuries all over her face and body. She said she accidentally fell while working, but anyone with a brain could tell she was whipped."
"Was he beaten by Lady Wen?"
"I'm not sure about this, but I heard on the way here that the emperor left after dinner last night. I'm afraid it has something to do with this."
The Queen said calmly, "That Lady Wen looked at such a gentle and weak woman, yet her heart was so cruel."
Concubine Shu whispered in the Queen's ear, "Your Majesty, I find this very strange. I'm afraid things are going to change."
"Why do you say that?"
"Your Majesty, you and I have served His Majesty for so many years. It seems His Majesty would like a woman like Lady Wen."
The Queen thought about it and realized that what he said made sense. Lady Wen was not very good-looking, but His Majesty had been accompanying her since the afternoon in the Imperial Garden. This was not in line with common sense and seemed as if it was premeditated.
"Stop talking. I already understand this matter. Keep these words to yourself and don't tell anyone."
"Your Majesty, I understand."
The queen quietly sent people to strengthen the defense of the harem, and also specially arranged two people to watch outside Concubine Wen's yard.
The guards who followed Wang's family to their yard last night also returned.
The emperor asked, "How is it? Have you discovered anything?"
"Your Majesty, we followed them last night, but they were too alert, so we didn't dare get too close. But one thing we can be sure of is that they were indeed heading southwest outside the city with their weapons."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work. Please leave."
Not long after, a few secret guards came back. They were a group of people sent to investigate outside the city.
"Your Majesty, there is indeed something unusual in the southwest corner outside the city. We've noticed over the past two days that every morning, several people would arrive with carts carrying what appeared to be grain."
This is big news. If what is being transported is really food, and there are several trucks of it, it proves that there must be a lot of people hiding there.
The emperor said, "Continue to investigate and find out where this grain was shipped from. Find the source."
"yes."
At the same time, the emperor strengthened patrols at the gates of the capital. Once he saw any vehicles transporting large amounts of grain, he would write them down and follow them quietly.
If you see anything represented by leaves, you must make it a priority and report it immediately.
The emperor smiled coldly, "I want to see who is more powerful, you or me."
"Go to the storeroom and pick out some gifts for Lady Wen. If you're going to put on a good show, you have to do it in full."
The chief eunuch said, "Yes."
Taking advantage of the moment when there was nothing to do, Xi Que hurried back to the house and sprinkled the medicine powder on the wounds on his body. The little eunuch sneaked in. Xi Que opened his eyes wide in surprise, and after seeing that it was the little eunuch, he continued to apply the medicine.
The young eunuch took the medicine powder, rolled up Xi Que's trouser legs, and began to apply the medicine to her. During the process, Xi Que's eyes turned red from the pain, but she still gritted her teeth hard and did not make any sound.
The young eunuch said, "Sister, you have suffered."
The magpie looked at the young eunuch with a loving face and said, "I'm not afraid of pain. I just hope that both of us can survive. As long as we can survive, that's all that matters."
After applying the medicine, Xi Que immediately went to find Wen Meiren. Wen Meiren took out a pill and gave it to Xi Que, who swallowed it immediately.
The emperor was tired of reviewing the memorials, so he asked the chief eunuch, "Have you investigated Lady Wen's identity?"
"Not yet. Right now, we only know that Lady Wen is from a branch of the Meng family and came in as the cousin of the head of the Meng family. But everything else is still under investigation."
The emperor began to scrutinize her. If the Meng family really wanted someone to enter the harem, why didn't they choose someone from the direct lineage? "Immediately investigate the collateral branches, and the direct lineage as well. Don't miss any clues."
"yes."
After receiving the emperor's reward, Lady Wen smiled so much that her face was about to bloom. She immediately ordered Xi Que to go to the kitchen to stew chicken soup, and when it was time for dinner, she would bring it over personally.
After returning home, Jiang Tuantuan has been sleeping for the past two days, or to be more precise, catching up on sleep, as he stayed up all night that day.
Li Jingchen also became more considerate. The two of them seemed to have switched roles. Usually, it was the woman who dressed her husband and fetched water, but here, it was Li Jingchen who helped Jiang Tuantuan dress and fetch water.
At the Meng family, the head of the Meng family said to the chieftain next to him, "Five days from now, on Princess Mingman's birthday, we will take action. Everything is ready."
"Everything is ready. All the weapons have been transported over, and our men are stationed."
"Okay, go down."
"yes."
The chieftain slowly walked out of the house, looked up at the sky and said, "Whether it's a blessing or a curse, it will all be determined in five days." He walked towards the pavilion and overheard two people talking on the way, "Have you seen Hu Zi and the other two? They went to transport the weapons that day, and why haven't we seen them since? I was the one who transported them yesterday."
"Now that you mention it, it seems so. I haven't seen the three of them in a day. I don't know what they've been doing."
The chieftain immediately became alert after hearing this. At this critical moment, someone disappeared, which was a big deal. The chieftain immediately stepped forward and asked, "When did these three disappear?"
"He disappeared the night before yesterday after delivering the weapons."
The chieftain shouted angrily, "Go find him now and let me know whether he's dead or alive."
At the same time, he called his trusted followers over and said, "You guys should hurry up and find Hu Zi and the other two. You must be quick!"
"yes."
The big boss was very panicked. Although they didn't know much, if they were captured, it would definitely affect the plan.
The leader then asked the men who were transporting the weapons if they had noticed anything unusual. They all replied simultaneously, "Nothing."
Although everyone said there was nothing unusual, they were still a little worried and immediately increased the manpower to monitor the southwest corner.
Because the Meng family has always been in Jiangnan, it is really troublesome to investigate, so Li Jingchen has now been appointed to investigate the identity of Lady Wen. Jiang Tuantuan is worried and wants to follow him.
At first, Li Jingchen was reluctant, fearing danger, but after being persuaded to do so, Jiang Tuantuan said, "It's definitely better to take me with you than not, really!"
After thinking about it, I felt that what he said made sense, so I agreed.
The two of them decided to start the investigation from the direct branch of the Meng family, because the Meng family is a noble family, so there will be records in the family tree.
Through this record, we learned that the emperor before the late emperor was surnamed Meng, and the current head of the Meng family is his grandson. Because the late emperor snatched the throne from the Meng family, he later changed his name to Li. After the late emperor succeeded to the throne, he wanted to kill all the members of the Meng family.
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