Ever since Consort Min poisoned Consort Jia, she has been living in constant fear, terrified at the slightest provocation.
She secretly sent many people to keep an eye on Consort Jia, just in case they found some evidence and she was still trying to deny it. Wouldn't that be an admission of guilt?
Over time, she learned that Xu Yuehuai was investigating the poisoning of Consort Jia. Consort Min was terrified, fearing that Xu Yuehuai would discover some clues.
She was restless all day, and Pingping quickly advised her, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Otherwise, wouldn't it seem like you're trying to hide something?"
"How can I not be anxious, Pingping? Xu Yuehuai has already noticed the signs of this matter, and I think it won't be long before she finds out the truth." Consort Min said anxiously, pacing back and forth in the room.
She was feeling very upset, her mind filled with thoughts of Xu Yuehuai. In her panic, she accidentally knocked over a vase, the crisp sound instantly echoing throughout the room.
She was already annoyed, and now she was even more furious. She stomped her foot angrily and said, "Who put this vase here?"
It's you.
Pingping only dared to think about it in her heart for a while, but she didn't dare to say it out loud. She dared not provoke Consort Min at this time.
After she finished thinking, she immediately ordered someone to clean up the broken pieces on the ground.
"Clatter, clatter." The sound of shards being swept away was incessant, and Consort Min frowned upon hearing it, which undoubtedly intensified her annoyance.
"Your Highness, please don't get angry. It's too noisy here, let's go outside and wait." Pingping said as she helped Consort Min out.
After the two went outside, Consort Min said, "Pingping, stop talking nonsense now and give me a good idea. Sitting and waiting for death is not my style."
"Your Highness, since Xu Yuehuai and the others haven't found any evidence yet, we can destroy the evidence first and let her investigate." Pingping began to offer advice to Consort Min.
After listening, Consort Min felt that Pingping's words made sense. She had been too anxious and her mind had completely stopped working.
“If they don’t have any evidence, they can’t do anything to us,” Pingping continued.
"Pingping, I haven't spoiled you for nothing." Consort Min smiled and was no longer restless.
The two returned to Consort Min's palace as they talked, and Consort Min even took out her treasure chest directly from the cabinet.
She took out one hundred taels of silver, wrapped it in paper, and handed it to Pingping: "Take this silver to find Chef Zhao and tell her to leave the palace and get away from the capital immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Pingping didn't say anything more, but went back to get a box, put the silver in it, and took it to the Imperial Kitchen to find Chef Zhao.
"Cook Zhao, come with me for a moment." She first called the person away from the imperial kitchen.
Thinking that she had some new task to do, Zhao the cook followed with a smile.
"Sister Pingping, does Her Majesty have new instructions?" Zhao the cook asked with a smile on her face as they walked.
Pingping didn't say anything, but turned around and glared at her, signaling her to stop talking.
As soon as the two arrived at the woodshed, Pingping closed the door: "This is your money. Take it now and leave the palace immediately. Never come back."
Originally, Chef Zhao was wondering why this was so mysterious, but it turned out they wanted her to leave.
"No, I'm not leaving." Cook Zhao was unwilling. She used to work as a cook in the imperial kitchen, earning ten taels of silver a year, not counting various rewards.
She opened the box and saw that it only contained one hundred taels of silver, so naturally she was unwilling to accept it.
"The Empress gave you one hundred taels of silver, which is enough for you to live a life of luxury," Pingping advised gently.
But Cook Zhao disagreed, even saying, "Is a mere hundred taels enough for me to travel all the way from the capital to another place?"
Seeing that she didn't know what was good for her, Pingping decided not to show any mercy: "If you're not afraid of death, then don't leave. Just stay here and wait to die. When the time comes, your entire family will be implicated and no one will save you."
Pingping directly threatened her that if she didn't leave, she would be doomed. Actually, it wasn't a threat, but if this matter were exposed, she, a mere cook, would definitely not survive.
Upon hearing this, Zhao the cook's heart pounded. After all, who isn't afraid of death, especially when it's a crime that could implicate nine generations of their family?
At this moment, she no longer felt that the money was too little, but rather that her life was too short: "I'm leaving, I'm leaving, okay?" As she spoke, Cook Zhao packed up the box and prepared to pack her things.
Pingping finally showed a satisfied expression. There was nothing she couldn't handle. She actually refused to leave because she thought the money was too little. She didn't believe that Pingping was not afraid of death.
"Go, go, and remember, never come back," Pingping instructed again.
"Okay, okay," Zhao the cook replied, and hurried back to pack her things, preparing to leave.
She was in a panic, fearing for her life, so she quickly packed a few things and rushed out of the palace.
On the other side, Pingping saw that Chef Zhao had left the palace, so she hurried back to report to Consort Min, since she was still waiting for news there.
But to everyone's surprise, as soon as Zhao the cook arrived at the city gate, she was stopped by a group of people.
Ah Qi had already sent people to keep an eye on the cook. As soon as he heard that the cook had left, he immediately decided to kill her. Although he was still a child, his heart was much more vicious than that of Consort Min.
He immediately ordered his men to leave the palace and ambush people at the city gate, determined to kill them to silence them, for only the dead can keep their mouths shut.
As soon as those men saw Zhao the cook, they immediately stepped forward, restrained her hands and feet, and tried to drag her away.
"Let me go, let me go!" Cook Zhao was terrified; she hadn't expected the danger to come so quickly.
"Don't worry, we'll let you go in a bit." The leader looked fierce and then gestured to gag Zhao the cook.
Zhao, the cook, naturally refused, but she was no match for the three burly men and could only let them drag her away. Fortunately, Qi Guze happened to be passing by the city gate with his men at that moment.
He heard the sound, lifted the carriage curtain and saw that the people there looked very suspicious, like people from the palace.
Qi Guze frowned slightly and ordered directly, "Chu Xing, go and bring the person over here."
Chu Xing went to demand the release of the people, but at first those people were not willing to let them go; they were even extremely arrogant.
"Release him? What are you thinking?" the leader said, looking at Chu Xing with disdain.
Chu Xing immediately flew into a rage, delivering a brutal blow to the leader: "Let me tell you, the Regent is here now, who among you dares to act wildly?"
Those people deflated instantly upon hearing this. It wasn't that they were afraid, but rather that with the Crown Prince absent, they were naturally no match for the Regent.
Moreover, it's not appropriate to make such a murder to cover up a crime public knowledge.
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