Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Palace Maid's Forty-Seven Days
"Reporting to the emperor, I have an appointment with Miss Shen Qing to come to the Imperial Garden at 12 o'clock. However, I was unable to go because of Concubine Yan's matter." Wang Jigui suddenly spoke up. Even though he was in the position of a servant, his voice was not servile, but polite and gentle.
Shen Qing was extremely surprised and wanted to look at him, but Ji Chen held his chin, so he failed and was caught by Ji Chen instead.
When their eyes met, Shen Qing admitted her mistake and showed a guilty look, saying repeatedly: "I was wrong. I shouldn't have found a reason to deceive the emperor."
Hearing Wang Jigui calling himself a slave, Shen Qing also repeatedly called him a slave, and the words seemed to fit in well...
"From now on, you don't have to call yourself a slave in front of me." It was so subtle and difficult to express that even I forgot to address myself.
Shen Qing's eyes were blank. It took him a while to realize what was going on. He immediately said happily, "Okay! Can we just come here privately?"
She was best at climbing up the ladder, so what was this little grace? Ji Chen was the emperor after all, so she accepted it very quickly.
The emperor might be treating her like a canary. She felt uncomfortable hearing her calling her a servant all the time. However, Shen Qing openly did not want to have anything to do with the emperor.
Seeing Ji Chen didn't say anything, Shen Qing was excited. She tilted her head slightly, smiled sweetly, looked at him intently, reached out and plucked Ji Chen's clothes, shaking them left and right.
She was acting coquettishly towards him.
So novel, it’s the first time.
After Shen Qing just shook his head, Ji Chen said, "Okay." He never agreed so quickly again.
Shen Qing showed an expression that I knew, and I felt a little proud inside. Well, she is so beautiful, it is normal for everyone to love her.
Being interrupted by this, Ji Chen felt embarrassed to secretly pursue the matter between her and Wang Jigui in his heart, because Shen Qing's face was so innocent and frank.
She was surprised that Wang Jigui took the matter on her behalf without her having to go through the trouble of finding excuses.
It seems that he is judging others by his own mean character.
Ji Chen let go of his hand, blocked Shen Qing behind him, his face stern, and asked, "Is there anything you can't tell me?"
Wang Jigui knew the situation and knelt down to plead guilty: "I deserve to die."
"When I followed the Emperor's orders to eliminate hidden dangers in Kunning Palace, I made the same mistake again and placed my own people in Kunning Palace. A few days ago, someone discovered that a wet nurse at the eldest prince's place seemed to have accepted benefits from other palace servants. I am still investigating this matter secretly. I asked Miss Shen Qing to come out and meet with me about this matter. I ask her to protect the eldest prince during this period of time."
Ji Chen frowned, worried about the eldest prince, but at the same time he thought that even if Wang Jigui wanted to inform Shen Qing in advance, he could just pass on the message. Could it be that Eunuch Wang couldn't even pass on this message?
I made a special appointment to meet you just because I missed you so much after not seeing you for a long time.
As for why they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Ji Chen didn't think it was his problem at all. As the master of the Qianqing Palace, wasn't it normal for him to order his servants to leave and do things when Shen Qing appeared?
Shen Qing's anxious voice brought Ji Chen back to his senses.
"Which nurse?"
The four wet nurses around the eldest prince were named Wang, Liu, Jin, and Zhang, all from different places of origin. They were in a state of panic so they wouldn't team up with each other and endanger the prince's reputation.
"Madam Zhang."
Shen Qing frowned slightly, puzzled. Even though she and Nanny Zhang were not close friends, she knew that Nanny Zhang was the most honest and dutiful person. She would not fail to see that the emperor valued the eldest prince. Even if there were difficulties, finding the queen was the most profitable way.
The queen had always been generous to the four wet nurses, hoping that they would treat the eldest prince sincerely. To be cautious, the queen even resorted to a strategy of sowing discord. She summoned the wet nurses separately on different days and told them that anyone who could report any impropriety of the other wet nurses would be rewarded with a sum of gold.
That was an amount that even Shen Qing was excited about.
"Stupid! How can the eldest prince's affairs be delayed? Wang Jigui, you are so bold that you dare not even report to me."
Wang Jigui bowed his head and admitted his guilt.
It is normal for subordinates to have their own thoughts. For someone like Wang Jigui, it is not surprising that he is so broad-minded, but this is exactly what the emperor cannot tolerate.
Not to mention that Wang Jigui exposed the matter because of Shen Qing...
But the most important thing now is the safety of the eldest prince, and Wang Jigui can only settle the matter later.
Ji Chen temporarily changed his route to Kunning Palace. Shen Qing also wanted to go back, so she followed him. Ji Chen told her about Nanny Zhang's personality and did not think it was necessary for her to harm the eldest prince.
Shen Qing just didn't say the last sentence of her guess. She was anxious about the eldest prince's affairs and also worried about Wang Jigui.
On the way, Ji Chen had calmed down. If Nanny Zhang didn't have the courage to murder the prince, then what would she be bribed to do?
Wang Jigui specifically told Shen Qing about this matter, which might indicate that he suspected that Nanny Zhang was targeting Shen Qing, and hoped that she would be more cautious.
After thinking it through, he still had to go to the eldest prince's residence, one to eliminate hidden dangers, and the other to protect Shen Qing.
Could it be that he, the emperor, is not as considerate as a eunuch in caring for a little palace maid?
Wang Jigui lowered his eyes, making it impossible to tell his expression.
When they arrived at Kunning Palace, the Queen had not yet returned from the banquet. Ji Chen saw the imperial physician beside the eldest prince, asked him to excuse himself, and ordered him to check the eldest prince's pulse first.
The emperor's expression was solemn, and the imperial physician was naturally affected by it. He felt the eldest prince's pulse more carefully, fearing that he might have missed something.
During the pulse diagnosis, Qian Quanzhong appeared beside Ji Chen and brought people from the Palace of Heavenly Purity over.
He asked Qian Ji to bring a heavy sandalwood chair for Ji Chen to sit on. Next to him was a small round coffee table, on which were placed hot tea, cakes, and a gilded three-legged copper incense burner with incense already lit.
Ji Chen glanced at the incense burner and said, "There is no need to burn incense at the eldest prince's place. Take the incense burner away."
Having come here many times, he certainly knew the rules set by Shen Qing for the eldest prince, which also showed her cautious nature.
Qian Ji stepped forward and took the incense burner away.
After checking the pulse, the imperial physician wiped the barely noticeable sweat from his forehead and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince is fine."
Ji Chen took a close look at the eldest prince and felt relieved to see that he was still looking around with great energy, holding his hands.
But the people at the eldest prince's place had to be disciplined. If nothing unexpected happened, Shen Qing would have wanted to stay here, so she asked, "Where is Aunt Zhang?"
The plump Nanny Jin stepped forward and replied, "Nanny Zhang is ill and has been resting in her room for the past few days."
She lives in the same room with Aunt Zhang.
Ji Chen looked at Shen Qing.
Shen Qing nodded: "What Nanny Jin said is the same as what I understand. Nanny Zhang has indeed been ill frequently in the past few days. Her health always gets worse every time she gets better. So I didn't let her come into contact with the eldest prince."
This is strange, if he was bribed, why would he get sick? Shouldn't he be more active?
Why does it seem like she's deliberately staying away from the eldest prince?
Shen Qing was confused, but the emperor was here to preside over the situation. Given the importance of the eldest prince, he would naturally get to the bottom of the matter.
Ji Chen ordered, "Qian Ji, take your men to find Aunt Zhang and temporarily detain her. Search all the servants' quarters, and don't let go of the eldest prince's room either."
Since they want to rectify the situation, they naturally have to conduct a thorough investigation. How can just Nanny Zhang be enough? They will have to arrest her and ask her directly. What he wants is the safety of the eldest prince's residence.
Naturally, all the dirt must be found.
Wang Jigui spoke up at the right time: "Your Majesty, how about I lead someone to search the palace maid's residence?"
Ji Chen raised his eyes and glanced at Wang Jigui, then remained silent for a moment: "Yes."
Shen Qing's personal belongings are found in his residence. It's time to let irrelevant people know the truth.
This little palace maid was not someone he could ever dream of.
The charades between Ji Chen and Wang Jigui only lasted for a moment, and even Shen Qing didn't notice.
Wang Jigui bowed his head to thank him, and he and Qian Ji took people to the wing where the servants lived.
A quarter of an hour later, the eunuchs who had finished searching the wing rooms entered the eldest prince's residence and continued searching. Wang Jigui walked up to Ji Chen and whispered, "Your Majesty, I found a bag of gold, silver and jewelry at Nanny Zhang's place. There was nothing in the other people's residences, but I found cinnabar in the flower pots in the courtyard."
When Wang Jigui mentioned the word "cinnabar", his voice softened, but he could still tell that it was the focus of his words. He looked up at the emperor, and sure enough, the emperor's face was solemn, his eyes dangerous and far-reaching, no longer the serious but relaxed state he had just been in.
Shen Qing heard this and thought that Aunt Zhang was quite cautious and did not leave the things in her residence, otherwise she would not be able to explain it at the moment. However, the stolen goods had been found, so they were already unclean.
She looked at Qian Ji and found that Qian Ji, who was following Wang Jigui, seemed to be hesitant to speak and finally said nothing.
I can't help but wonder.
At this moment, a eunuch took out another bag of cinnabar from a large-bellied porcelain bottle in the room and quickly presented it to the emperor.
The elderly imperial physician beside him stroked his beard nervously. After receiving the emperor's eye signal, he looked through the cinnabar and said, "Cinnabar has the effect of calming the mind, but it is slightly poisonous and should not be taken in large quantities. For children, taking a small amount for a long time will damage their spirit, and in serious cases, they will become idiots."
When Shen Qing heard this, he hurriedly looked at the eldest prince, and saw that he didn't notice the unusual atmosphere at all. When he heard someone talking, he responded with "ah ah". He just felt uncomfortable in his heart.
The purpose of this is to destroy the eldest prince's intelligence and determine his future. The crown prince of a country naturally cannot be stupid.
If Wang Jigui hadn't discovered it, one can imagine how painful the queen would be when the eldest prince grew up.
The emperor is the only master in charge here. As soon as the imperial physician finished speaking, except for the eldest prince's babbling, the room was filled with people, but at this moment it was frighteningly silent.
Except for the emperor, everyone else has knelt down in unison.
Ji Chen clenched his hands into fists.
If the emperor wanted to get to the bottom of something, he would be more swift and resolute than the empress. Not only the eldest prince's place, but the entire Kunning Palace was sealed off.
Footsteps were heard and armed royal guards appeared in the courtyard, which meant that this was no longer a simple intrigue.
To harm the prince is to sever the imperial bloodline.
Ordinary families are afraid of having no descendants, let alone the royal family.
The eldest prince is the emperor's only son, so it is not excessive to cherish him as much as possible.
All the people who served the eldest prince except Shen Qing were detained. Shehe was also taken out with him, but since she was Wang Jigui's person, there should be no problem for her.
Only someone close to the eldest prince could bring cinnabar into his room.
In an instant, Shen Qing no longer suspected only Nanny Zhang, but also the other three wet nurses, and then he began to suspect himself.
She thought uncertainly that she probably didn't have sleepwalking.
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