pdf-ebookys Chapter 147 Someone Sets Fire in the Cold Palace
Chapter 147 Someone Sets Fire in the Cold Palace
Madam Xiao handed over the book in her hand and said respectfully, "My lady, it has been sorted out. I was just about to give it to you when Eunuch Su came over."
Shen Zhinian took it and looked through it carefully.
Among them, some palace maids were sent out of the palace at the age of 25; another part of the palace maids and eunuchs died due to illness or other reasons; the rest served in different places in the harem.
But not all palace maids who had relations with Concubine Liu were her hidden chess pieces, otherwise, she would have dominated the harem during the previous emperor's time.
What Shen Zhinian needs to do is to analyze which people on this list are the trump cards that the Liu family left for Liu Ruyan.
Madam Xiao said, "My lady, Hui'er entered the palace when she was seven years old. The one who taught her and her group of palace maids the rules was Madam Liu, the head maid in Concubine Liu's palace."
"Hui Er first worked in the flower house, and was later transferred to Ruyi Garden and Sizhiku. It was not until His Majesty ascended the throne that she was assigned to Wanxiang Pavilion to serve Meng Da Ying."
"Originally, this is nothing strange, but I found out that when Concubine Liu passed away, Hui'er secretly went to see her off on the day when Nanny Liu left the palace. This shows that the two had a close relationship."
"As for Xiao Beizi... on the surface, he has no connection with Concubine Liu. But after investigation, I found that when he was doing hard labor in Xinzheku, he caught a cold and nearly died. Later, he recovered somehow, but there is no record of him being treated in the Imperial Hospital."
Only someone like Nanny Xiao, who had served before the emperor and had stayed in the palace for decades, could find out these things that happened long ago.
"Mammy, Yuanbao, you have worked hard."
The two men immediately said respectfully, "Serving the young master is our duty. Your words are too kind."
Shen Zhinian pondered, "If Meng Da Ying was framed, then Hui Er and Xiao Bei Zi must be Liu Ruyan's hidden chess pieces. As long as we start with them, we will be able to unravel the truth."
Madam Xiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "But... Young Master, the Ministry of Punishment has closed the case, and Hui'er and Xiao Beizi are dead without any evidence. Based on what we have found out, it cannot prove that Hui'er was instructed by Concubine Liu. As for Xiao Beizi, he has nothing to do with Concubine Liu..."
Shen Zhinian snorted coldly: "Anything that has been done will definitely leave traces! Hui'er is dead, but isn't Liu Ma still living outside the palace? If the two are really Liu Ruyan's people, Xiao Beizi must have had a connection with Liu Ma."
"I will write a letter immediately and ask my father to investigate Madam Liu. Fuqiu, send someone to deliver the letter."
Fuqiu said respectfully, "I obey your command."
As soon as Shen Zhinian put down his pen, Xiao Zhouzi came back and bowed, saying, "My lady, fortunately you had foresight and were worried that someone would take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, so you asked the cold palace's steward to deal with all the loopholes."
"Someone just set fire to the cold palace. Fortunately, because of your instructions, the large water tanks in the cold palace are broken every day to ensure that the water inside is full. The patrolling guards also kept a close eye on it and put out the fire as soon as they saw the smoke."
"Otherwise, the cold palace is remote, and by the time we get water from other places, it might all be burned out..."
Shen Zhinian's heart sank: "Was this an accident or was it man-made?"
"The steward of the cold palace is already investigating."
Shen Zhinian stood up and said, "Prepare the sedan chair!"
Handan quickly picked up her cloak and chased after him, draping it on Shen Zhinian's shoulders, angrily saying, "If this was man-made, the person behind it is too despicable! In such a freezing cold weather, they still let the young lady run to such a remote place."
Fuqiu was also very angry: "Not only that? The end of the year is coming soon. If a fire breaks out at this critical moment, it will be extremely unlucky! My young master has just started to learn about the affairs of the six palaces. If such a big mistake happens in the first thing he takes over, you will never be able to take power in the future."
The palace servants couldn't help but feel fortunate that the young lady was cautious.
The cold palace was remote, and Shen Zhinian’s warm sedan took a long time to arrive.
Although she was in charge here, Concubine Liu and Concubine Liang were in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, so they also came here when something happened.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to Her Majesty! My Highness, I pay my respects to Her Majesty, Her Majesty!"
Just as Shen Zhinian finished his ceremony, Li Changde's voice came from behind him: "Your Majesty has arrived --!!!"
Everyone was shocked and quickly bowed: "Your Majesty, I greet you. May your Majesty be well!"
After meeting Nangong Xuanyu, Shen Zhinian was already certain that the fire in the cold palace was almost caused by human beings!
Although the fire in the palace was a big deal, the cold palace was not an important place. Concubine Liu and Concubine Liang were in charge of the six palaces, so it was fine for them to come here. The emperor was busy with political affairs and was worth a lot of money, but he actually set foot here.
Obviously, someone had informed them on purpose in order to make a big fuss so that Shen Zhinian could be charged with incompetence. From then on, the power of the Six Palaces had nothing to do with her.
Not only that, the emperor had high hopes for her, but she was so useless that it would also affect his favor.
The person behind the scenes has really vicious intentions!
"Be flat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Nangong Xuanyu's gaze subconsciously fell on Shen Zhinian.
After not seeing her for a few days, she seemed to have lost some weight, with a faint blue color on her eyelids.
Was it because the people at Tingyu Pavilion were not happy with her service, causing her to not get enough rest? Or was it because she was almost framed as the murderer of Chen Da Ying, which affected her mood?
The emperor himself did not realize that he, who had always doted on his concubines but never loved them, did not know when he began to care about this woman unintentionally.
Nangong Xuanyu hid these emotions very well and asked calmly, "I heard that there was a fire in the cold palace, Concubine Rou, what happened?"
As an emperor, he didn't need to set foot in such a place. But thinking that the cold palace was now under her jurisdiction, the emperor was worried and came over immediately.
Seeing that Concubine Liu was also here, Nangong Xuanyu even suspected that the Concubine had regretted her decision and didn't want Concubine Rou to learn about the affairs of the six palaces, so she deliberately did this.
Concubine Liu felt a little sweet in her heart.
Although His Majesty was talking to Concubine Rou, he couldn't help but glance at her. It turned out that His Majesty loved her the most.
Shen Zhinian said: "Your Majesty, I rushed here as soon as I received the news."
"Fortunately, since the Imperial Concubine asked me to be in charge of the cold palace, I ordered the steward to remove the ice from the water tank every day, so no disaster happened. Otherwise, I would have failed the expectations of His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine, and I would have been uneasy..."
Concubine Liang smiled gently and praised, "In winter, thick layers of ice will form on the water tanks. Although there are eunuchs who are responsible for removing ice, there are so many water tanks in the palace that they can't always take care of them. A remote location like the cold palace is usually neglected."