Biluo nodded and noted it down, then spoke again.
"By the way, Madam, since the young master was here, it was inconvenient for me to say this. Miss Zhuque sent a message early this morning, asking if you had any other instructions. If there is nothing else, she wants to leave the capital for a while and go to the vicinity of Youzhou to inquire about the Miao people."
Jiang Wan said, "I'm fine, let her move around freely." Then, she asked with a puzzled look, "Why is she hiding for no reason? What trouble has she run into?"
"That's what I asked too, but Miss Zhuque didn't say anything."
Biluo said this while eating ginger-flavored plums.
"But judging from her anxious and flustered appearance, it seems like she's hiding from someone. This is the first time I've ever seen her looking so worried."
"But don't worry, if there were any problems, Shixu would have reported them long ago. Perhaps it's Zhuque's private matter."
Jiang Wan nodded, glancing at her snacks as she asked, "Where did you get them?"
The paper package was printed with the name Yu Lu Xuan; their sweets and fruits are not cheap.
Although Biluo was not short of money, she did not like sweets.
"This was given to me by Guard Shen." Biluo popped another one into her mouth and muttered, "The pine nut candies and peanut candies he used to give me were too sweet, I didn't like them. This plum candy is a bit sour, it's not bad. Would you like to try it, Madam?"
"Shen Ci?" Jiang Wan was slightly surprised.
Biluo quickly swallowed the plum and explained, "While you were away from the manor, Guard Shen did a good job guarding the courtyard as you instructed. He bought the snacks in his spare time and didn't miss his shift. Please don't misunderstand him."
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow, smiled at her, hummed in agreement, and said nothing more.
Biluo breathed a sigh of relief and then brought up the matter of Luhetang.
"This morning, the matriarch of the family woke up, and General Song went to the Deer and Crane Hall and stayed there for half a day. I don't know what he was studying."
Jiang Wan gave a half-smile.
Naturally, the matter of resolving the issue of the 15,000 taels of silver was discussed.
This sum of money is considerable, and for the Song family now, it's something they can't easily come up with.
It seems the matriarch is going to have another headache.
Biluo continued, "Madam Yuan also took General Song to see Bi Yuan. When General Song came out, his face was very ugly, and he went straight to the Gu family's courtyard."
Jiang Wan gave a cold laugh.
Song Ziyu was proud and arrogant, and had always regarded Gu Yurong as his beloved. How could he tolerate her betrayal?
He probably wanted to kill her.
"Have Steward Zhao keep an eye on things, make sure no one gets killed."
To die so easily is too good for her.
That night, the main courtyard hurriedly went to fetch a doctor, saying that in a fit of anger, Song Ziyu smashed a vase on Gu Yurong's forehead, causing her to bleed profusely.
If Steward Zhao hadn't heard the commotion and stepped forward to stop the person, things could have escalated into a major incident.
Although she survived, Gu Yurong's wounds were deep, and the scars would be difficult to remove.
Jiang Wan's face remained expressionless after hearing this.
Song Ziyu is a vengeful person and will not let Gu Yurong off easily; there will definitely be more trouble.
In my past life, I was imprisoned and tormented for many years.
Gu Yurong has only been down on her luck for a few months now, how could that be enough time?
What she's more worried about right now is news of Ji Rong.
She sent Biluo to investigate, instructing her to report immediately if any movement occurred in the palace.
The following day, Biluo indeed brought back the news.
In the past few days, Emperor Jingyuan sent several imperial physicians to diagnose Ji Rong. The result was that Ji Rong was suffering from hysteria, which was why he was delirious and talking nonsense.
The word "Miao territory" was never mentioned.
Jiang Wan gave an awkward laugh.
Just as she had expected, Emperor Jingyuan was probably aware that someone had used forbidden techniques, but he intended to cover it up.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
Emperor Jingyuan's leniency and lack of any intention to investigate raises the question: could it be that he already knows who is behind this?
Ji Rong was a high-ranking official, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and a key minister of the Great Yong Dynasty.
Emperor Jingyuan turned a blind eye and even tolerated this person's manipulation of ministers and disruption of the court.
Jiang Wan frowned and her fingers tightened slightly.
Compared to this, the significance of my own marriage is even less important.
Even if Emperor Jingyuan knew the real story behind the late emperor's bestowal of marriage, he would not risk reopening old grievances in Miao territory to make the decision for himself.
Biluo was also furious: "Madam, what should we do now?"
Jiang Wan looked up, her dark eyes gleaming with coldness, and said softly, "You won't know the pain until the knife is stuck in your own body."
She tilted her head and thought for a moment before giving the order.
"Bring me the nine-section whip made by Linglong Pavilion; I want to enter the palace."
With the token bestowed by the Empress last time, it was very convenient for him to enter and leave the palace, and he no longer needed to ask for an audience in advance.
Jiang Wan soon met the Empress.
The Empress was delighted to see her: "Tang'er's birthday is just around the corner. Even if you hadn't come today, I would have sent someone to summon you to the palace."
"The things have been prepared and should have been sent to Your Highness long ago, but some things happened at the manor and it was delayed," Jiang Wan explained.
"I was so worried when I heard you were wrongfully imprisoned, how could I possibly blame you?" the Empress asked with concern. "You didn't suffer too much, did you?"
"It was a close call, thanks to Your Highness and His Highness's care," Jiang Wan said.
"It was Xuan'er who was so thoughtful and took the initiative to tell me. He arranged everything," the Empress said with a smile. "To avoid gossip, he used my name and even brought bird's nest from my small kitchen."
The pastries in the Empress's small kitchen were famous, and Pei Xuan brought them specially, making it clear to others that he was visiting on the Empress's orders.
Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment.
The palace has a wide variety of pastries, but she especially loves this bird's nest. Every time she comes to the Empress's palace, she will have an extra half bowl.
She thought that the Empress had noticed her preference and specially sent her bird's nest.
The Empress, oblivious to her distraction, had already opened the box containing the nine-section whip, a smile on her face: "It looks quite exquisite, but I know nothing about weapons and can't see anything special about it."
Jiang Wan snapped out of her daze, her gaze falling on the nine-section whip, and her smile deepened.
The Empress will present it to Pei Tang at her birthday banquet, and Pei Tang will definitely test the whip on the spot.
This is an opportunity for her.
"This nine-section whip may seem simple, but it actually contains hidden secrets. Let me explain it to you."
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