"That mask, I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
Chi Yan crossed his arms and pondered deeply, but ultimately came up with nothing.
The image of that mask often lingered in his mind, but whenever he tried to capture it closely, he couldn't get it at all.
Shen Tangning shook her head: "Don't force yourself if you can't remember. Go quickly, don't delay your shift."
Chi Yan waved his hand, straightened his clothes, and set off.
...
"Your Majesty, what is this?"
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chi Yan examined the token in his hand, which bore the character "令" (command). He had some guesses in his mind and looked up at Emperor Chongde at the head of the table.
The latter's expression was unreadable: "You are secretly investigating cases for me, which inevitably brings many inconveniences. This token is to allow you to act with more discretion. Seeing this token is like seeing me."
Isn't this equivalent to a golden token?
A strange look flashed across Chi Yan's eyes, and he bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Chongde gave him a deep look: "This case is complicated. I entrust it to you, Chi Yan. Do not disappoint me."
Chi Yan paused, inwardly grumbling:
Using empty promises and psychological manipulation, this kind of rhetoric would make anyone want to go through fire and water and die for you!
Can't you do something practical? We've been waiting for so long and you haven't even mentioned raising his salary or anything.
——
Shen Tangning looked at the person opposite her, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible hint of impatience:
"Aunt Qiu, is there something so important that you have to say it in person?"
Ever since she gave Aunt Qiu a warning, the other woman suddenly became shrewd and started trying to curry favor with her, telling her everything about the Marquis's mansion, which could be considered a sign of her allegiance.
But today, the other party suddenly said he wanted to see her, which made Shen Tangning feel a little uncomfortable. She thought it would be better to just send a message through someone. Meeting in person would inevitably make people notice and cause trouble.
Aunt Qiu's beautiful eyes darted around, her expression revealing a hesitation: "I didn't intend to bother the Second Young Mistress, but I really can't make up my mind about this..."
Shen Tangning's eyes flickered slightly, feigning interest: "What could possibly trouble you, Auntie?"
Aunt Qiu glanced around and carefully lowered her voice: "I have discovered that Madam is not sick at all, but has been poisoned!"
Shen Tangning's heart stirred slightly, but she feigned surprise: "Does Aunt Qiu have any evidence? You can't just say things like that!"
It seems that Shen Xiwei's actions weren't very clever, since Aunt Qiu was able to find out.
Seeing that she didn't believe her, Aunt Qiu practically patted her chest and guaranteed, "If I didn't have solid evidence, how would I dare to come to the Second Young Mistress?"
A hint of smugness lingered in her eyes: "Ever since Madam fell ill, the courtyard has been filled with the strong smell of medicine, and sachets have been hanging in the room to mask the odor. One day, I saw a maid in Madam's courtyard furtively taking a sachet to burn, so I kept a watchful eye on her."
She described it vividly, "Guess what? The sachet really was poisonous!"
Shen Tangning looked surprised and covered her mouth, asking, "Does Auntie know who did it?"
Aunt Qiu's eyes flickered slightly: "Well, I do have a guess in my mind, but I don't have any concrete evidence yet. I have no choice but to ask the Second Young Mistress for advice. Should I pretend I don't know about this, or should I report it?"
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