Chapter 108: Ordered to investigate the case, corpse floating in the palace [Congratulations JDG!]
In the early morning of the next day, Yaoguang drove a carriage towards the Daming Palace. In the car sat Yu Qiansi, who was still hungover and dizzy.
She leaned halfway against the window of the carriage and opened a crack to let in the cool breeze, hoping to wake up as soon as possible.
Before midnight, a decree came calling her to come to the palace to see her.
She must have gotten some clues about the palace maid's investigation. She sat in the carriage and sorted out what she knew so far, and was still thinking about how to report back on the situation later.
But outside the carriage, I saw the pedestrians on the roadside looking in a hurry, whispering to each other in uneasiness.
The sound was small but noisy, like countless mosquitoes and flies hovering around her ears, which made her feel depressed for no reason, so she closed the window, lay down in the carriage and closed her eyes to meditate.
But the strange things on the street still lingered in her ears, causing uneasiness.
It wasn't until she entered the Yuchen Palace that she understood the source of her uneasiness.
Jiang Jiqing looked calm. Although Wang Song beside her was still cold and distant, she was too familiar with the young master. This was exactly how he behaved when he was uneasy.
Just like the disguise of smiling all day long.
"Last night, there was a fire in the Ministry of War. A small room next to the archives was burned down. Seven people died."
Jiang Jiqing frowned: "The Minister of the Ministry of War immediately checked the document library and responded to the map. No other maps were lost in the library. But the map of the capital that was being used in the small room was burned together with the adults.
Gone."
"Your Majesty and the young master suspect that there is something wrong with the fire?"
Wang Song saw her holding her forehead and frowning, so he handed her a cup of hot tea.
Yu Qiansi took a sip, and the aroma of tea filled her nose, seeming to lift the thick fog in her mind.
She took a breath and gradually came back to her senses.
Wang Song then continued: "Several adults in charge of the New Deal from the Ministry of Household Affairs were together with several adults from the Staff Department of the Ministry of War last night, and they were checking related matters in that small room. The people from Wuhoupu discovered the fire after putting out the fire.
The reason is that some adults were sleepy late at night and accidentally knocked over the candlestick, and then... they inhaled too much smoke and were burned to death in their sleep."
Yu Qian raised her eyebrows and drank the hot tea in the cup in one gulp, feeling a little more clear-eyed.
Seeing that there were only three of them in the palace, they sat comfortably aside, turning around and pondering.
Jiang Jiqing said: "Because of the leader of the Ministry of War, there are rumors outside that this matter is related to the princess's suicide."
Yu Qiansi suddenly realized that it must be the "ghost's revenge" thing again.
"The envoy from the north just arrived in Beijing yesterday, and this happened at night, and it happened in a place like the Ministry of War."
Jiang Jiqing's face suddenly darkened: "I feel uneasy, so I discussed with my cousin that it would be better to ask Lord Yu to investigate."
Yu Qiansi asked hesitantly: "Can you trust the people in the Ministry of War?"
Jiang Jiqing glanced at Wang Song, and Wang Song said briefly: "Fang Fuli, the Minister of War, is a kindhearted person. He will definitely not have the guts to do these things. But... we still have to be cautious."
She nodded, knowing what to do. She put down the teacup, stood up and received the order: "I will go all out to find out the truth as soon as possible."
Jiang Jiqing then showed a somewhat relaxed smile.
On the surface, although Yu Qiansi is from the Duke of Qi, he understands her. She doesn't like court affairs, let alone working in the camp. In this way, she has nothing to do with any political party.
If used properly, she might become a sharp blade in this complicated court situation, cutting through the rotten flesh and giving the entire court a new lease of life.
"It's almost noon. Why don't you, Lord Yu, stay and have lunch together before leaving?"
"No need. Since time is tight, it's better to find out as soon as possible so that you can feel at ease."
Wang Song nodded in agreement, and suddenly remembered something: "I have found a suitable person for the matter you asked me yesterday, and I think the results will be available today. At that time, I will ask her to hand the things to the Criminal Division."
"Thank you, young master," Yu Qiansi exhaled softly, her shoulders relaxed, and then she looked at Jiang Jiqing, who had an unclear expression behind the imperial case.
Once the roster is obtained, the princess case will be settled.
Although there was an accident at the Ministry of War, if the causes and consequences of the princess' suicide could be widely publicized as soon as possible, a lot of speculation related to it could be settled.
After leaving Yuchen Hall, the afternoon sun stung her eyes, and the dull pain of hangover hit her again.
I shouldn’t have drank too much yesterday…
When she thought about having to walk in the palace under the scorching sun with her head, which was much heavier than usual, she regretted that she had just rejected His Majesty's suggestion to stay in the palace for lunch.
After thinking about it, he did not leave from the main entrance of Yuchen Hall, but went around to the west gate of Yuchen Hall, intending to use the Imperial Garden to leave through Jinxiu Gate.
The cool shade of the trees borrowed a lot of greenery, and the scorching sun that was not overwhelming just now was only left with warm mottled patches, which sprinkled on her forehead, soothing the irritability in her heart.
So I slowed down my pace and wanted to take some time off.
But no matter how slow it is, the road will eventually come to an end.
As she approached the rockery on the mountain at Jinxiu Gate, she vaguely heard the sound of a quarrel, which seemed to be coming from the lakeside in the middle of the garden.
She paused slightly, slightly surprised.
At ten o'clock in the afternoon, with the scorching sun in the sky, who would stand by the lake and make a noise? What's more, this is the inner palace garden.
She didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but the Wanghu Lake was right in front of Jinxiu Gate. If she wanted to leave the palace, she had to pass there.
But the quarrel is getting louder, and I'm afraid it's not easy to go out and disturb it.
I had no choice but to lean in the shade of the tree behind the rockery, pick off a shiny leaf, put it in my mouth and suck the juice, and simply closed my eyes to rest.
While letting his ears search for the few words that were lost in the dispute.
It's a pity that the person who kept talking never forgot to lower his voice even when he was furious. He spoke very fast, and through the sound of water, it was hard to hear clearly.
Just when she was about to pay it no attention, the sudden rise of one or two incomprehensible tones made her shudder.
He threw away the leaves he was playing with and walked around the rockery towards the dispute.
After Fang took a few steps, the argument disappeared.
She knew her whereabouts had been revealed, but she still walked leisurely over with a pleasant smile.
Beside the lake, a yellow skirt that is as light as the mottled sun shadows in the forest flutters.
A woman turned her head with anger, but when she saw the red dress, the anger on her face turned into disbelief, and she froze on the spot.
"Sister Yu...why is it you?"
Yu Qiansi casually glanced at the bushes behind her and said with a smile: "Fang came out of Yuchen Hall and found a less crowded road to relax."
He didn't say what he heard, let alone ask questions, which made Yu Anning feel uneasy.
"I just came out of Furong Palace and was in a bad mood, so I came here alone to enjoy the river breeze..."
As soon as the explanation came out of her mouth, she wanted to bite off her tongue. Isn't this because there is no silver here...
Yu Qiansi smiled and nodded, nothing unusual.
But thoughts quickly came to mind.
Yu Anning didn't know kung fu, and the person she was with just now was not only a man, but also someone whose kung fu was not inferior to hers. That's why she was able to remind Yu Anning the first moment she approached and leave without leaving any trace.
But Yu Anning has always kept her eyes on her head. Who can make her still be so protective even when she is angry and intolerable?
"Then I'll leave the palace first."
"Hey, Sister Yu!" Yu Anning stopped her, looked at her expression, and asked cautiously: "Sister Yu, have you made a decision about Lin'an?"
"Yes, the decision has been made."
Yu Anning's expression froze.
She said: "However, I still hope that the princess can help me more."
"Help...what are you helping?" She sneered and said, "I want to help too, but I can't solve the case..."
She was too lazy to play charades with her anymore.
He kindly reminded: "Princess, I believe there will be news from Shang Fu in the near future. In addition, I also asked the young master to help me find the list of maids in the palace. I advise the princess to weigh it carefully.
"Fan, should you stand up and make big things become trivial, or should you say nothing and let small things become big?"
Seeing Yu Anning's face pale, she walked past Yu Anning and patted her on the shoulder, as if to comfort her: "All of this was just a thought of the princess."
After that, he walked around the rockery and walked out of Jinxiu Gate.
Only a door separates us, and the scorching sun turns into a strong wind once again blowing towards our face.
The coolness of the greenery just now was locked within the palace wall behind it, unable to compete with it. The few green corners that were only exposed were a little more feeble.
She lowered her head and walked quickly towards the outside of the palace.
When I was about to pass by the Zhaixing Tower, I met Ma Jian who was leading a group of people passing by. The group of people were wearing bright armor, thinking they had just finished their inspection.
Ma Jian saluted her from afar, and Yu Qiansi nodded in return.
Seeing that he was thin and tired, as Shang Fu said, he seemed to be seriously ill.
Just as he was about to exchange a few words of greeting to explore the truth, at this moment, he heard a scream coming from the Jinxiu door.
It's Yu Anning!
Without thinking, Yu Qiansi turned around and ran towards the way he came.
"Princess!——"
When I entered the garden again and saw that she was safe, I breathed a sigh of relief.
But she fell to the ground facing the lake, fluttering like autumn leaves, shaking non-stop.
The sound of armor behind him was sonorous and powerful, and Ma Jian also led his team in pursuit.
"What happened?"
Yu Qiansi took two steps forward and followed Yu Anning's gaze towards the lake.
The cool and comfortable feeling after entering the park again turned into a bone-chilling cold in an instant.
"Someone died."
Yu Qiansi turned around, suppressed the nausea in her heart, and answered his question in a cold voice.
She was not unaware of the dangers in the palace, but seeing it with her own eyes still made her feel very uncomfortable.
But for Ma Jian and others, finding a dead person in the inner palace is just a normal thing. As long as they are not troublesome people, that's fine.
The woman lying face down in the water looked like an ordinary low-class palace maid.
She stepped forward to help Yu Anning, who was at a loss, and watched as Ma Jian neatly ordered his men to go find the ladies in charge of each palace to identify him.
The other team began to salvage in a familiar way.
Although they looked reluctant, they still had cold faces, as if they were no different from the patrols in the past. Yu Qiansi held Yu Anning's hands, and felt a little chilled by the coldness all over her body.
The corpse had been soaked for several days, and the palace maid's costume was full of it. Although it was face down and could not be seen clearly, it was conceivable that it would not look much better.
Yu Anning turned away, not daring to look, but she obediently explained the cause and effect.
"I just sat by the lake and threw stones into the lake..."
After throwing a few small pieces, You was not relieved, so he found a big one. He heard a "plop" sound, and the big stone stirred up a lot of ripples of foam, and sank to the bottom with a gurgling sound.
She just felt relieved and was about to turn around and leave when she heard the sound of bubbles growing louder behind her. The water surface there was like boiling water, and a body was gradually churning up.