When Lin Yanping arrived at the Lin family home, he was surprised to find Qi Sichen there as well.
The three of them got together and discussed the matter again.
"Hmm..." Lin Yanping was also a very intelligent person. He took a sip of tea and said to Qi Sichen, "In that case, has the list of people present today been compiled?"
"I've already had Eunuch Liu write all of these down; they're all here." Qi Sichen took out a piece of paper filled with names from his sleeve. Besides the imperial concubines and a few princes, there were mostly the palace maids and eunuchs who served them.
Lin Yanping frowned slightly, glanced at all the names, and said with some difficulty, "These people don't look like they know witchcraft."
Although the emperor's harem in this dynasty was filled with beauties, it was rare for them to travel incognito. These imperial concubines and consorts were mostly from aristocratic families. Even those of lower status, like Consort Su and Consort Liu, certainly came from families with officials or minor positions.
How could someone from such a family lower themselves to learn witchcraft?
It's not that Taoist magic is inherently bad, but these people are destined for the palace. If any family dares to offer even the slightest help in an emergency, the enemy might use it against them. In that case, it wouldn't just be one or two people dying.
As for the palace maids and eunuchs, although there were many of them, Lin Yanping and Qi Sichen didn't pay them much attention.
The reason is simple.
The palace maids and eunuchs in this palace were not recruited randomly, but were bought from poor parents when they were young and raised in the palace from the age of five or six.
How could someone raised in the palace at such a young age learn witchcraft?
Lin Wanyue looked at the list again and again, and saw a few names that she was somewhat familiar with. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind and she said, "Didn't Godfather say before that the older princes all built houses outside the palace? What if they learned their skills outside?"
Qi Sichen looked somewhat surprised: "Wanwan is absolutely right. If you really learn witchcraft, you definitely can't hide it from the people around you. There are too many people in the palace, so it's difficult to let even a whisper out. But if you're outside the palace, then it's hard to say."
Lin Yanping stroked his beard and nodded, "That's right, that's exactly the point."
However, this made all the adult princes suspects.
The group turned their attention back to the list, this time considering it more thoroughly. Even the imperial concubines in the harem found it increasingly suspicious.
After all, Liu Shuhua was one of these imperial concubines back then.
Since Liu Shuhua can transform into a monster, no one can be sure that there isn't a second one among them.
Or perhaps the person who turned Liu Shuhua into a monster was hiding among these imperial concubines, but their acting was so good that they couldn't detect it.
“Every year on the anniversary of the late emperor’s death, they would go to the temple to pray for him. A month of prayer time is not a short time... If they really wanted to do something, they would have enough time,” Qi Sichen said.
Lin Yanping and Lin Wanyue exchanged a glance and agreed that it made sense.
However, the temple where they prayed and offered sacrifices to the late emperor was inhabited by nuns and was relatively secluded. If they wanted to investigate, they probably wouldn't get any results in a short time.
Fortunately, they had all confirmed that the person behind the scenes was very cautious and would not easily make a move as long as Qi Yuan was protected.
After discussing it for a while, the group decided to wait and see how things developed.
After all, a real fox will always show its tail.
Lin Wanyue took the initiative to suggest, "I reckon the person behind it all thinks the same way, otherwise they wouldn't be so cautious. I want to test them again."
"What does Wanwan want to do?" Qi Sichen asked.
Lin Wanyue chuckled: "I'm planning to give them some things. Anyone with something to hide will definitely not dare to accept my things, and they'll be more likely to slip up then."
“But if we do that, I’m afraid he’ll alert the enemy…” Lin Yanping hesitated.
But Qi Sichen readily agreed: "It's alright, the most important thing is to catch them as soon as possible. Otherwise, there's always a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to bite at any moment, making me constantly on edge. These days, even my hair has turned quite a bit white. At most, I'll stay in the palace a few more days to accompany His Majesty, so I can deal with anything that happens."
Lin Yanping advised him to take good care of his health, saying that if others ruin their health at such a young age, His Majesty will really have no one to rely on in the future.
Lin Wanyue hugged Qi Sichen and said in a childish voice, "Godfather, you have to take good care of yourself. That person is so bad. He always tries to harm Brother Yuan and he's always hiding. He's been hiding for so many years. If you keep rushing and ruin your health, what will you do?"
He coaxed Qi Sichen into laughing and promised, "Don't worry, His Majesty's health has improved a lot now. Although I am worried, it is not that much. In the past few years, I really exhausted myself, but now I am getting better day by day. I just need to catch that person and wait for him to get older so that I can relinquish power."
Qi Sichen had already made up his mind. Once Qi Yuan was able to stand on his own, he planned to buy a house in Jiangnan and live a peaceful, secluded life.
...
Not long after the Lunar New Year.
Eunuch Liu led a large group of people to deliver rewards to the various palaces. When they arrived at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, everyone inside was present.
Although these imperial concubines looked down on Eunuch Liu, who was a eunuch, he represented the emperor and the imperial family, so no one dared to underestimate him.
Eunuch Liu said with a smile, "I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't even had time to handle the matter that the little princess entrusted to me. I'm really sorry to all the ladies."
Upon hearing Lin Wanyue's name, Consort Su's eyes lit up immediately, and she asked cheerfully, "Eunuch Liu, does the little princess have something to discuss with us?"
Ever since the blessing and exorcism ceremony held in Chunqiu Pavilion before the Lunar New Year, the shadow that had been hanging over Chunqiu Pavilion and in everyone's hearts seemed to have been dispelled.
Especially for the two most severely affected victims, Consort Liu and Consort Su, they no longer had nightmares every day. Instead, they were able to get a good night's sleep, and they felt more energetic and their complexion improved.
Everyone thought it must be because the little princess was so powerful that she really managed to drive away the evil spirits and successfully pray for blessings.
Even Xiao Yuehan, who had always disliked Lin Wanyue, stopped saying anything bad about her.
After all, Xiao Yuehan was prone to coughing and getting sick every time the seasons changed. But whether it was a coincidence or it really worked, not long after the blessing ceremony, her illness gradually improved. Although she still had some coughing, it was not as severe as before.
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