Night deepened, and the palace lights gradually went out. However, Xu Yuehuai's room remained lit. She knew she had to find clues quickly, or more people might suffer. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to organize her thoughts.
Suddenly, a scene flashed through her mind: Li Xiunü arguing with Xia Xiunü during lunch. There seemed to be something off about their words... Xu Yuehuai opened her eyes abruptly; she already had a direction in mind.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the delicate window frames, illuminating Xu Yuehuai's desk. She sat upright at her desk, dressed in a light blue dress and draped in a moon-white cloak, her brows revealing a firm resolve.
Xu Yuehuai held Li Xiunü's name list in his hand, his gaze deep, as if he could see through the thin paper and understand every detail of Li Xiunü's life.
She stood up, gently tapped the table, and several maids immediately entered and bowed respectfully.
Xu Yuehuai whispered, "Go and find those who have had frequent contact with Li Xiunü. I want to question them personally." The maids nodded in agreement and quickly left the room.
A short while later, several palace maids and eunuchs were brought before Xu Yuehuai. They stood before her, their faces showing tension and unease.
Xu Yuehuai smiled slightly and said gently, "Everyone, there's no need to be nervous. I just want to know some things about Li Xiu's life. You had a lot of contact with her, so perhaps you can provide some valuable clues."
A palace maid spoke first, her voice trembling: "Li Xiunu has been acting normally these days, and we haven't found anything suspicious."
Another eunuch chimed in, "Yes, we don't know how she suddenly jumped into the well and died."
Xu Yuehua nodded slightly and let them leave first.
Immediately, Xu Yuehuai walked out of the house and turned her gaze to Xia Xiunü, who was standing in the corner of the courtyard.
Xia Xiunü's face was pale, and her hands were tightly clenched together, clearly terrified.
Xu Yuehuai asked softly, "Xia Xiunü, is there some misunderstanding between you and Li Xiunü?"
Xia Xiunü trembled and shook her head in horror: "No, there's no misunderstanding. I only argued with her once, and I haven't had any other contact with her!"
"It wasn't me, it wasn't me who killed her!"
After saying that, she frantically clutched her head and rushed into the house.
Seeing this, Xu Yuehua frowned, thinking to herself: there must be a more complex truth behind this. She decided to go to Li Xiunü's room herself, hoping to find some clues.
Xu Yuehuai stood up and led everyone to Li Xiunü's room. The room was simply and neatly furnished, everything in perfect order. Xu Yuehuai carefully observed every corner of the room, trying to find clues related to Li Xiunü's cause of death.
Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a small table. On the table sat an exquisite porcelain vase, inside which was a withered plum blossom. Xu Yuehuai walked over and examined the plum blossom closely. She noticed a tiny scratch on the stem, as if it had been cut by something sharp.
Xu Yuehuai's heart skipped a beat. She remembered a detail that Li Xiusheng had mentioned before: "I've recently noticed some strange noises in my room, as if someone is secretly watching me."
Could the clues left on these plum blossoms be something?
Xu Yuehuai decided to investigate this clue further. She asked the palace maids and eunuchs if anyone had noticed when the porcelain vase and plum blossoms had changed.
However, everyone said they hadn't noticed these details.
Xu Yuehuai was not discouraged. She decided to expand her investigation and delve deeper into every corner of the palace and every person. She believed that as long as she was careful and patient enough, she would be able to uncover the truth behind Li Xiunü's death.
So she began to wander around the palace, talking to everyone who might know the situation. She asked the palace maids if they had noticed anything unusual in Li Xiunü's room, and she also inquired with the eunuchs if they had heard the strange noises that Li Xiunü had mentioned.
However, everyone said they had not noticed anything unusual, nor had they heard the strange noises that Li Xiunv mentioned.
This disappointed Xu Yuehuai, but she did not give up. She knew that only by finding the real clues could she uncover the truth about Li Xiunü's death.
Just then, Xu Yuehuai suddenly thought of someone. She remembered that Li Xiunü had mentioned that she had a friend who worked as a palace maid. Perhaps this maid could provide some useful information.
Xu Yuehuai immediately sent someone to find the palace maid. Soon after, the maid was brought before Xu Yuehuai. She appeared somewhat nervous and uneasy, but when Xu Yuehuai questioned her about Lady Li, she revealed sadness and anger.
"Li Xiunü was murdered!" a palace maid suddenly shouted. "I know who did it!"
Xu Yuehuai was startled and immediately gestured for the palace maid to speak softly. The palace maid took a deep breath and began to recount everything she knew.
With a trembling voice, she recounted everything she knew.
It turns out that Li Xiunü's life in the palace was not as glamorous as it seemed. She had unintentionally become involved in a power struggle and offended a powerful imperial concubine.
This imperial concubine must have been secretly monitoring Li Xiunü in order to get revenge, looking for an opportunity to strike!
After listening to the palace maid's account, Xu Yuehuai's heart was filled with turbulent emotions. She understood that this palace struggle was far more complex than she had imagined. She had to be even more careful to avoid becoming a victim of this struggle herself.
However, just as she was preparing to investigate the murder further, a sudden crisis put her in a life-or-death situation.
One evening at dusk, Xu Yuehuai strolled alone in the palace, pondering how to uncover the truth behind Li Xiunü's death.
Suddenly, she heard a series of hurried footsteps. She turned around and saw a suspicious eunuch rapidly approaching her. The man's eyes were particularly fierce.
Xu Yuehuai's heart tightened; she knew she was in danger. But she didn't panic. Instead, she quickly calmed herself and looked for an opportunity to escape. She turned and ran towards a secluded corner, trying to shake off the man in black behind her.
However, the young eunuch seemed to know the palace layout like the back of his hand, and he relentlessly pursued Xu Yuehuai, closing in step by step.
Xu Yuehuai's heart raced; she knew she had nowhere to escape.
Just as she was about to be caught by the eunuch, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, pulled Xu Yuehuai into his arms, and then quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Still shaken, Xu Yuehuai looked up and saw another masked man standing in front of her. He was tall and imposing, with a determined and courageous look in his eyes.
"Who are you? Why did you save me?" Xu Yuehuai asked in a trembling voice.
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