Chapter 65: The Stolen Goods

Chapter 65: The Stolen Goods

An important clue.

Yu He promptly lowered her head in compliance, hesitating slightly before rising, saying, "Your Majesty, today the Palace Domestic Service received orders from Consort Zhen, requesting them to craft two items for her. One of which is..."

The Empress cast a leisurely glance at her. "Why hesitate? Speak freely."

Yu He then spoke, "Your Majesty, Consort Zhen has tasked the Palace Domestic Service with crafting a box for the Jade pillow from the finest materials, and to inlay the Eastern pearls, a gift from His Majesty, onto her bedhead."

"She also said..." Yu He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I heard from the palace servants of Pixiang Palace, who were on errands for her, that this warm jade pillow, a precious gift from Your Majesty, As a mere Consort, she dared not use it extensively and planned to enshrine it."

Consort Zhen has always conducted herself with gentleness and discretion, never flaunting. Today marks the first time she has openly instructed the Palace Domestic Service to work on the Jade pillow and the Eastern pearls, gifts from Your Majesty. It seems to me to be deliberate."

The Empress's gaze hardened momentarily before she calmly sipped her tea, leisurely saying, "Yesterday's incident was significant; Consort Zhen narrowly escaped calamity. Naturally, she would shun anything I offered as if it were the plague."

After a brief pause, the Empress clicked her tongue in thought, "Had yesterday's incident befallen another, they would have fallen directly into my meticulously laid trap. But it was Consort Zhen, and knowing her cunning, I anticipated several moves ahead. Who could have predicted her swift reaction, causing my plan to ultimately fail."

This plan, long in the making, I believed to be flawless. Yet, despite all my calculations, I still underestimated Consort Zhen."

Yu He, standing to the side, slightly lifted her head to inquire, "Your Majesty bears no grudge against Consort Zhen; why then did you target her this time? Noble Consort Mi wields considerable influence and currently holds one of the four Consort positions. Wouldn't it be more strategic to undermine her? Though Noble Consort Mi holds a high rank, she may not possess Consort Zhen's cunning."

The Empress glanced at her indifferently, "It's precisely because Noble Consort Mi lacks cunning that I'm not in a hurry to deal with her."

"Although Consort Zhen is only a Consort, she is deeply scheming and quite favored by His Majesty. Her father is at the peak of his power in the court, recently even showing signs of potentially shaking the status of the noble families single-handedly. Although the noble families have a broad foundation, His Majesty supports Su Chang and favors the civil service examination for commoners. When the time comes, reform is inevitable."

Placing the porcelain cup on the table, the Empress gazed into the distance, her voice deep, "By then, Su Chang will be His Majesty's favorite, his daughter already favored, her status will rise even higher. Once Consort Zhen gains power, it will be even harder for me to move against her."

Unfortunately, this plan failed, and it's not advisable to make any big moves in the short term, otherwise, once His Majesty becomes suspicious, all efforts will be in vain.

The Empress's eyes were as deep as ink, like a bottomless abyss.

At least wait until next year, when the incident with the Crown Prince has completely settled in the palace, then it will be time to find another opportunity to act. Noble Consort Wang, Noble Consort Mi, and Consort Zhen are all her major threats, she must eliminate them one by one...

Yu He nodded in understanding, then asked, "What about Consort Zhen? Should we take any action? You mentioned last time that the warm jade pillow was used by Consort Lian, but I remember, Consort Lian's belongings were ordered by the late Emperor to..."

The Empress glanced at her lightly, "The warm jade pillow is just an ordinary warm jade pillow, I deliberately spread the news about Consort Lian to her, hoping to unsettle her."

"If an ordinary Consort hears the name of Consort Lian, they would surely become curious and secretly inquire about Consort Lian's deeds. But very few people in the palace know about this, no matter who inquires, I believe it will reach His Majesty's ears."

"These old stories might be unknown to others, but the late Empress Dowager told me some before her passing, even His Majesty doesn't know that I am aware. The late Emperor ordered to erase all traces of Consort Lian, over the years His Majesty has never mentioned it, but Consort Lian, his birth mother, is one of the people His Majesty cares about most. If anyone tries to use Consort Lian's deeds to gain favor, no matter who they are, they won't end well."

The Empress curled her lips in a cold smile, "Didn't someone once perform the Green Waist Dance, which Consort Lian was best at, to gain favor? Did you see what His Majesty did to her? Without a word, he sent her to the cold palace, enough to see that our Emperor is the most heartless. Favorites are just his whims."

"I released the news about Consort Lian as a small diversion, just to see if Consort Zhen would lose her composure and rashly use the information I gave her to make a move. Now, just making a box doesn't show much, let's see what Consort Zhen does next. If she wants to drag me down, she needs to understand what the story of Consort Lian means, an unrelated warm jade pillow, if I don't admit to mentioning Consort Lian, just say the Jade pillow was a gift from me, do you think His Majesty would believe her or me?"

The days are getting colder, and with the New Year approaching, there are countless matters to attend to.

The Crown Prince's incident broke out at this critical moment, she has been working hard, and is starting to feel a headache.

Today, having spoken so much, her temples are throbbing with pain. The Empress, with her gold-inlaid jade nail guards, looking splendid, pressed her fingers to her temples, frowning, "Help me to rest, remember, the matter with the Palace Command must be handled properly."

Yutang Palace

Noble Consort Wang has been tirelessly guarding the Crown Prince day and night, her eyes red from exhaustion. Upon hearing the messenger at the door, she immediately felt a surge of hope, rising from the bedside and rushing to the palace gate, urging, "How is it? Did the Palace Command find anything?"

The palace maid delivering the message spoke through the two guards at the door, "The news today is that the Palace Command found nothing, not a trace of poison could be found."

Noble Consort Wang's pupils contracted, urgently asking, "Did the interrogation office get anything out of the palace servants of Yutang Palace?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, her voice dropping even lower. "From top to bottom of Yutang Palace, even your close attendant Zhi Tong was taken to the training facility. That place is not something ordinary people can endure, yet after a day of torture, no one uttered a word."

"Whether they truly don't know or are just tight-lipped, it's up to His Majesty to continue the investigation. Right now, everyone in the palace is tense. My coming to Yutang Palace might already be known. Please take care of yourself, Your Highness, and look after the Eldest Prince. If there's any more news, I will return."

The messenger's figure gradually faded into the snowflakes.

Consort Wang watched her walk further and further away. Once she recalled what the messenger had just said, her feet felt as if they were filled with lead, and her mind was overwhelmed with despair. Tears streamed down uncontrollably like pearls from a broken necklace.

The bad news shattered the last line of defense in Consort Wang's rationality. She could no longer maintain her composure and her usual sharp demeanor. Tears streamed down her face.

She dared not think about what would happen to Zhou'er's future if the antidote was never found. As Zhou'er's birth mother, how could she bear to watch her own child suffer from poison, becoming unrecognizable, and slowly dying?!

How could she possibly endure this!

Consort Wang's hatred for Consort Mi and the Empress reached an unprecedented level. She wished she could chop them into pieces and feed them to the dogs.

Who could be behind this? Who!

Both Consort Mi and the Empress hated her to the core, and she was the only one who had borne a prince. Both of them held high positions of power. Whose handiwork could this be!

In the face of this crisis, Consort Wang returned to Shen Nanzhou's bedside, forcing herself to calm down.

Consort Mi was domineering and had a quick temper.

If she were the one behind this, even if she had thought it through, it wouldn't have been so meticulous, leaving no trace.

The Empress had always been able to endure her provocations, the most patient one...

Could it be the Empress?

Recalling the many overt and covert confrontations she had with the Empress, Consort Wang clenched her teeth and gripped the blanket tightly.

Yes, the Empress must have harbored deep hatred for her for a long time.

But the Empress's suspicion was so obvious. How could she do this without fearing His Majesty's distrust!

Everyone in the palace knew she was harsh, and Consort Mi was domineering, but who knew what kind of venomous snake their seemingly gentle and kind Empress really was!

Wretches, every one of them!

In the front courtyard of the Palace Guard Command.

Several armored guards with swords crisscrossed the courtyard's flat stone paths, walking briskly. Everyone was in a hurry, and the rapid friction of their clothes created a chaotic, crisp clinking sound.

Commander Li scanned the area without a word, then strode into the inner room, demanding sternly, "His Majesty is furious today. Everything around the Eldest Prince must be thoroughly searched. This afternoon, we will search the palace again. Make sure to inspect every detail!"

"Yes!"

The Eldest Prince's status was precious, and his daily necessities were all exquisite. There were many things he came into contact with. They could not recklessly smash things, only carefully inspect them. Unfortunately, after several inspections, they found nothing.

His Majesty had ordered a strict investigation into this matter. The Palace Guard Command was responsible for investigating for His Majesty, but after a day and night, there were still no results. His Majesty would surely hold them accountable.

In order to find any clues as soon as possible, the dozen or so people in charge of this matter were all tense, heads bowed, concentrating on searching the room, not daring to miss a single detail.

Commander Li held an important position in the Palace Guard Command and was naturally involved in this matter. According to the Empress's close confidant, what he was looking for was among the items the Eldest Prince used at the National Academy.

There weren't many items at the National Academy, all stored separately in one room, and they had been inspected several times without finding any issues.

He walked around with a stern expression, routinely instructing his subordinates to work hard, and finally entered this room.

In the room, only one person was carefully inspecting these items. He was cautiously holding an inkstone to check for any hidden mechanisms. Upon seeing the commander, he immediately set the item down, saluted with clasped hands, and bowed his head, saying, "Commander."

Commander Li nodded and asked in a deep voice, "What have you found?"

As he spoke, he casually picked up a brush and examined it, saying, "I remember these items have been checked several times already, with no findings. You may go; I'll inspect them again myself."

Being also from the Palace Command, the man did not suspect anything. He put the items down and nodded, saying, "Yes."

Once he left, Commander Li discreetly tucked the purple jade bamboo wolf-hair brush into his sleeve and took out an identical one given to him by the Empress earlier that day, placing it back in its original position.

Just as he was waiting for the right moment to leave and burn the brush as instructed, someone came in from outside calling, "Commander Li, there's urgent business at the Taiji Hall. You must go and await orders immediately!"

"Coming!"

Feeling guilty, he was particularly cautious about complications, but with the Emperor's summons, Commander Li had no choice. He pushed the brush further into his sleeve, secured the slightly loose cuff with his fingers, and hurried out.

The Palace Command was located in the southeast corner of the Tangquan Palace, separated by palace walls and outside the inner palace.

However, every time they went to the Taiji Hall, they would pass by the official road next to the plum grove, heading west straight to the front of the Taiji Hall.

The Palace Command had strict requirements for entering the palace: one must look straight ahead, hold the sword with the right hand at the middle front section, and let the left hand hang down to show military discipline. Commander Li, already nervous and with the Emperor's urgent summons, had to straighten his back and quickly proceed to the imperial presence.

In his haste, an item accidentally fell from his sleeve and landed in the thin snow.

Not long after, a woman of cold elegance emerged gracefully from the plum grove. She bent down to pick up the lost item, her voice soft and melodious: "The purple jade bamboo wolf-hair brush is an extremely rare and precious item among brushes. Scholars across the land take pride in owning one. How could one be lost here?"