Yun Duoduo lay on the bed lost in thought. When Granny Liu heard her mumbled words, she looked at another nanny who had entered in surprise, "Little princess, does she want to drink milk?"
"Yeah?"
"Then I'll go to the imperial kitchen and have someone prepare it!"
"Alright, alright, I'll stay here and watch over her, you can go now!" The nannies were overjoyed to hear that the little princess was willing to drink milk.
"That's more like it! This is what kids need to drink. That meat broth is all water and soup, what nutrition can it possibly provide?!"
...
Inside Fanghua Palace, Consort Ling, Zheng Ling'er, saw the Empress standing in front of her and hurriedly got out of bed to pay her respects.
The palace maids beside her hurriedly put on her outer clothes, combed her hair, and tidied her appearance.
"Alright, stop bothering. I didn't come here today to chat idly with you. Ask your questions and then leave." Cui Ling brought over a small stool for Empress Zhao Yuan to sit on.
Empress Zhaoyuan stared into Zheng Ling'er's eyes and asked her bluntly, "Is there anyone missing in your palace recently?"
What kind of people are we lacking? What does that mean?
Zheng Ling'er was a little confused. Her mind was still a bit foggy. It was only the fourth watch of the night, the time when she was sleeping soundly. "Your Majesty, there is no shortage of people in my palace."
Suddenly, she noticed that the Empress's shoes and the shoes of the maid behind her were covered in dirt, and she couldn't help but wonder where the Empress had gone in the middle of the night.
Why did he arrive at her bedchamber before dawn? Was there some urgent matter?
Empress Zhaoyuan glanced at the palace maid beside Zheng Ling'er and noticed that her expression was somewhat strange and her eyes were darting around.
"Your mistress is still young and may not be able to manage palace affairs much. Tell me, is there anyone the palace is short of?" Empress Zhaoyuan turned to ask the palace maid.
The palace maid was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Your Majesty, there are no missing people in Fanghua Palace. All the eunuchs and palace maids are registered. The Imperial Household Department can find out with a simple check."
Empress Zhaoyuan was puzzled. Could it be that the dead eunuch had no connection with Fanghua Palace?
Why is that little white dog so desperate to come in?
"Do you know what crime it is to deceive me?" Empress Zhaoyuan slapped the palace maid.
"Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. I would never dare to deceive Your Majesty!"
Empress Zhaoyuan turned her head and whispered to Cuiling, "Go and bring that dog in."
The little white dog reacted so strongly at the entrance of Fanghua Palace, there must be something inside that she hasn't discovered yet. Since she's here, she should find out before leaving.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cui Ling nodded, quickly walked out of the bedroom, and returned to Ling Meiren's bedroom with the little white dog.
When Yun Yibo saw that his dog had been taken away, he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just told Cuiling not to let anyone hurt his little friend.
"Woof woof woof!" The little white dog came in barking wildly, running around everywhere as if it were possessed.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean?" Consort Ling asked fearfully, hiding behind a palace maid.
Looking at the Empress's expression, her heart skipped a beat. Had their plan to burn down the Buddhist temple been discovered?
But my sister already said that the eunuch who set the fire is dead, so there's no way the trail would lead back to her.
Her heart was pounding rapidly, and she told herself to stay calm and not let the Empress see through her act.
"This Fanghua Palace is very close to the Buddhist hall. Has Consort Ling ever been to the Buddhist hall?" Empress Zhaoyuan suspected that since Fanghua Palace and the Buddhist hall were so close, the fire at the Buddhist hall that day might be related to Consort Ling.
On the day she went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, she happened to hear from Granny Zhang that on the day the Buddhist hall caught fire, many of the palace maids and eunuchs from the nearby palace were borrowed by Consort Ling from Fanghua Palace.
She didn't believe that Ling Meiren had nothing to do with this.
"Your Majesty, I am not feeling well and spend my days resting in my palace, rarely going to the Buddhist hall," Consort Ling shook her head.
"Your Majesty, I truly do not know what brings Your Majesty to visit so late at night?"
"But in my daily life, have I ever spoken or acted in a manner that is not in accordance with propriety?" Consort Ling asked the Empress cautiously, her eyes lowered.
As the group was talking, they saw Xiao Bai sniffing around in the bedroom. Suddenly, it grabbed the hem of a garment, pulled it out of the closet, and began to tear at it frantically.
Hearing the noise, the group instinctively turned to look. "What's wrong with that dog?"
Empress Zhaoyuan frowned. She had hoped the dog might find something inside, but she hadn't expected it to be so mischievous.
"Cui Ling, go quickly and call someone, no, go call the imperial physician! Have someone come and see what's wrong; this dog looks like it's gone mad!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Cui Ling ran out quickly, wondering as she ran, "Can the imperial physician cure a dog?"
I've never heard of anyone from the Imperial Medical Bureau treating dogs.
"You serve your master, so hurry up and get dressed."
Empress Zhaoyuan instructed Consort Ling to dress and stay behind the screen.
"Come in, a few men, and take this dog out!" Empress Zhaoyuan shouted towards the door. Several eunuchs came in and took the little white dog out.
The bedchamber returned to tranquility.
Empress Zhaoyuan glanced at the mess on the ground, looked at the torn and tattered clothes, and saw a red object that looked very familiar. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
She walked quickly closer, squatted down, picked up a sleeve of a garment, and looked at a red bead with flower patterns engraved on the cuff.
[This bead?!]
She recalled that this bead was exactly the same as the one she had pried out of the mouth of the eunuch who had fallen into the well.
[Hmph, so it was this wretch who was causing trouble, and I caught her red-handed!]
"Guards, take Consort Ling to the inner prison!"
Zhao Zhongquan, who was guarding outside the palace, heard the commotion inside and knew that something must have happened.
"You lot, come in with me!" He waved his hand, and several eunuchs followed him in eagerly.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean?!" Zheng Ling'er was shocked, her face turned pale, and her lips trembled slightly.
The Inner Prison was a place specifically for imprisoning imperial concubines. It was a dark, cold, gloomy, damp, and sunless place, teeming with snakes and rats. They were fed spoiled rice and rotten pickles, and it was said that vengeful spirits would haunt them. Ordinary people couldn't survive more than two days inside.
"You know perfectly well what you've done!" Empress Zhaoyuan sneered.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty's name is Cha! I have always been law-abiding and have never done anything wrong in the palace!" Zheng Ling'er cried, tears streaming down her face. She stumbled off the bed and clung to the Empress's leg.
The palace maids beside him also knelt down and begged for mercy.
"To hell with you! Save your words for when you're interrogated in the inner court!" Empress Zhaoyuan kicked her away and looked down at her with disgust.
(Hello, I am Empress Zhaoyuan. It's a pleasure to meet you. Looking at myself in the mirror, I know that Consort Ling is no good!)
(I've already pulled up a stool and prepared some melon seeds. Ladies, come and chat for a bit! Feel free to leave a comment!)
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