It is said that Zhu Tong found a box of rouge on Cao's desk, worth sixty taels. Eunuch Li suddenly understood: "Did the empress buy it herself, or did someone give it to you?"
Zhu Tong said: "Isn't the empress having a good match?"
Ms. Cao quickly said: "This is just a gift from a young lady."
Zhu Tong raised his eyebrows: "Which young lady would be so shameless as to give rouge to a layman?"
Mrs. Cao was startled: "There are so many people here, but I can't remember it so clearly. I don't need it, I don't know how long it has been there."
Zhu Tong smiled and turned over the rouge box: "Empress Cao has been a monk for too long and does not know the world. Prime Minister Liu Feng made a rule when he was in office. Everything with a shelf life must be printed with the date of manufacture, and the rouge powder is among them."
Eunuch Li bent down and took a closer look. Sure enough, there was a date printed in black ink on the bottom of the box. "It was shipped from the factory on the 23rd of the previous month. It's so fresh."
Mr. Cao's face froze, and he forced a smile and said, "I really can't remember."
Zhu Tong nodded: "It doesn't matter if Madam Cao can't remember the person who gave the gift. Anyway, there should be records in Rouge Shop. The clerk must have a good memory. We can find out after asking."
Ms. Cao struggled and said: "It's just a box of rouge, what's the big deal."
Zhu Tong smiled and said: "I forgive you, my Majesty. I am not sure whether this rouge has anything to do with the fake draft. What if there is?"
Ms. Cao quickly said: "Really not."
Zhu Tong said sternly: "Your Majesty may not know everything. There are so many beauties in Chang'an City. How dare some people dare to take the risk of offending the prince's mother? Is it because they have no idea?" He looked at Eunuch Li and said, "My concubine Ji, my late wife, is either a monk or married.
Who else can go into the palace to talk to the Queen Mother from time to time, besides Empress Cao?"
Eunuch Li thought for a while: "No. Everyone else is at Daci Temple in the western suburbs of the city, and a few are at Guanyin Temple on Zhongnan Mountain. Only Empress Cao has returned to Chang'an City." He looked at Mrs. Cao coldly, "Still.
The Queen Mother has mercy."
Zhu Tong was stunned: "Daci Nunnery? Daci Nunnery still has the concubine of the ancestor, Ji Ji?"
Li Gonggong said: "Guanyin Temple is a large temple with many aunts. Those women cried day and night and often interfered with the masters' practice. So they moved to Daci Nunnery, leaving only the mother of the three princesses. The Queen Mother wanted an old man to talk to.
So I asked Lady Cao to return to Chang'an. The mother of the three princesses passed away two years ago, and now there is only one left there."
Zhu Tong frowned and said, "Eunuch, have you confirmed that all the others are at Daci'an?"
Eunuch Li was stunned: "Why did Mr. Zhu say this?"
Zhu Tong said: "Two years ago, when I was still in the State of Lu, I read the Ping'an Prefecture Commercial Daily. In those dozen or so issues, there was a serial report on the functions of temples and Taoist temples. One of the issues mentioned...well, that article
The writing is good, I cut it out and give it to my father-in-law to read later." Eunuch Li knew something was wrong and thanked him.
Then Cao said: "But that article "Religion and Society"? I also cut it." As he said that, he took out a thick newspaper clipping from the bookshelf, turned out a page and handed it to Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li took it and took a look. There was a paragraph circled in ink on the newspaper clipping, which read: All the princes of the pre-Qin Dynasty have passed away, and there are many concubines left. The matrons of each family do not want to raise so many women. So he thought of a way,
They were all sent to famous big temples to become nuns. After a year and a half, they would find excuses to transfer them to a small temple that few people knew about, and then they would be married off quietly. For example, the concubine of the late prince was from Zhongnan Mountain Guanyin.
The monastery was transferred to a very small and secluded Daci Nunnery, and within three months they were all married. Eunuch Li was shocked: "This is happening! The prince has no idea at all."
Zhu Tong coughed twice: "Your Majesty doesn't know...that, maybe the Queen Mother knows." Eunuch Li's face changed.
Mrs. Cao lowered her head and said: "Sister Tao who died of illness in Guanyin Temple left with a pilgrim. The presiding master was afraid that it would be difficult to explain, so he said that she died of illness. They were also worried that the two of us would also run away with others, so they were on guard day and night. I
It was because of the discomfort they stared at that I begged the Queen Mother to allow me to return to Chang'an. Sister Wang really wanted to become a monk, so she did not come back."
Zhu Tong said: "It can be seen that such things as becoming a monk must be done willingly. A melon that is forced is not sweet, and a person who is tied up cannot become a monk."
Eunuch Li nodded, put down the newspaper clippings and said, "It's not convenient to talk here. Madam Cao, please come with us to the prefect's Yamen." Ms. Cao folded her hands and chanted the Buddha's name.
Zhu and Li then took Cao back to the Yamen and took her into custody. They asked Aunt Feng to interrogate her first and then sent a policeman to the powder shop. Eunuch Li rushed back to the Prince of Qin's Mansion to report to the Prince of Qin.
Ms. Cao confessed very neatly, telling all the officials, wives, and ladies how she arranged her words and how she deceived them. But she didn't recognize the three books that recorded the personalities and preferences of the prince, the queen mother, and the queen mother.
.She said: "At most I know a little bit about the Queen Mother's temperament. The prince and the Queen Mother have never met each other a few times." Aunt Feng sounded reasonable.
Liu Jing was watching the trial, and when he heard her recommending the brothel oiran, he asked, "Why do you recommend Miss Bai Lan from Baihua House in Xianyang?"
Ms. Cao said: "They asked me to recommend her. They said Miss Bai is as elegant as any other lady and has great literary talent."
Liu Jing thought to himself, "I'm afraid I'll have to send police officers over to Baihualou to make inquiries."
Aunt Feng said: "What are you investigating and asking? Just send someone to seal it and that's it. All the old bustards, Turtle Gong and Fentou will be arrested and brought to Chang'an for interrogation."
Liu Jing smiled and said, "You are still cool and sharp." Then he called people to invite Zhu Wei.
Not long after, Zhu Wei sent people to Xianyang to seal Baihua Tower.
After a while, the detective who checked the makeup and powder came back and brought a waiter with him.
That shop is called Zhiyanzhai, and it is a nationwide chain of powder shops. The main store is located in Jinling, Wu State, and the Chang'an branch has only been opened in the past two years. Last year, there was an incident at their branch in Beijing. Some people said that they wanted to buy it.
I wiped my face with rouge from their shop, and my face hurt, itched, and blistered. I asked them to pay for it. Zhiyanzhai did not settle the matter, but went to the Public Security Bureau to report the case. After investigation by the Public Security Bureau, it was found that the buyer bought a fake product.
A black workshop specializing in counterfeit high-end shop cosmetics was taken away. After this incident, the shopkeepers of Zhiyanzhai branches in various places became more sophisticated. In addition to the date of manufacture and the store code printed on the bottom of each cosmetics box, each box was also printed with the shop code.
When the goods are sold, the clerk will mark them out in the book with the code and indicate the date of sale.
Cao's box of rouge was immediately found in the shop and was sold the day before yesterday. This kind of rouge was quite expensive. The clerk clearly remembered that the buyer was a young boy from a wealthy family. He was seventeen or eighteen years old and was very clever.
He said that his master was going to meet his concubine in the evening, and the concubine was an unusual woman. The policeman took him to the Yamen to help the painter draw shadows and figures in order to find the young man.
When the portrait was finished, the government officials brought it to Cao to see. When Cao saw the portrait, she was stunned for a moment, then turned her eyes to the green brick and said, "I have never seen this person before."
Aunt Feng sneered and said: "Ms. Cao is a smart person, why bother forcing the old slave to use severe torture?"
Liu Jing said with a smile: "No need, that's boring. Just look at her appearance and you will know that she is very good at painting. Paint more of these portraits and send them to the servants of each family. The security guard will check them out immediately. The servants can always
I recognize the young man."
Cao said anxiously: "That Rouge really has nothing to do with the draft."
Aunt Feng snorted: "As the crown prince's concubine, is it not your fault to have an affair with others?"
Mr. Cao lowered his head and said, "That's just my fault."
"Oh!" Liu Jing clapped her hands and said, "Did Lady Cao admit that she was in love?"
Nanny Feng raised her hand and slapped Mrs. Cao to the ground, pointed at her and scolded: "You are a rotten whore! It is in vain that the prince loves you so much, you did such a thing!"
"
Liu Jing joined in the fun: "And it's in a Buddhist pure land! If you want to find a man, just return to secular life!"
Aunt Feng stepped forward and kicked her leg, causing Cao to roll several times. When she was about to kick her again, Liu Jing hurriedly stepped forward to stop her: "Don't kick her bad, maybe you'll have to use her as bait later."
Well. She is just a part of this scam, and to put it bluntly, she is being used. We must first find the real culprit behind the scenes. The one who knows the prince’s food preferences is the most dangerous."
Aunt Feng just gave up. She continued to scold Mrs. Cao for a long time. When she was tired, she held her waist and went out to rest. As soon as she left, Liu Jing hurriedly helped Ms. Cao up and clucked her tongue: "How can this old woman know so many things?"
Dirty language! Where did she learn it?" He poured tea for Mrs. Cao again, "Sister Cao is tired."
Mrs. Cao just silently took out the handkerchief and wiped her face, and said after a while: "Mrs. Zhu, don't forget what you promised me. Otherwise, my son may not be alive in the palace."
"Don't worry." Liu Jing said with a smile, "We have even rescued the former King Wu's beloved concubine." She pointed out two fingers, "Two." Ms. Cao looked slightly relieved. Liu Jing frowned and said, "But Empress Cao actually
If I tell the third princess's mother that she left with someone else, I'm afraid she won't have a good life in the future."
Mrs. Cao was stunned and regretted: "It's really because I didn't think well."
Liu Jing sighed and said: "That's all, at worst, we can get one more. One sheep can be herded, and two sheep can be driven."
Mrs. Cao thought: "The three of them have a very good relationship...is it possible?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Three princesses."
It turns out that since the Cao family returned to Chang'an, they often went to the Prince of Qin's Palace to talk to the Queen Mother to relieve their boredom and wait for an opportunity to see their daughters. The late son died early, leaving behind three sons and three daughters. The mothers of the two concubines are still in the palace, and the three counties
The princess's mother all became a monk. Only Cao's father used some financial means to bribe the eunuchs around the Queen Mother, and persuaded the Queen Mother to let Cao come back to become a layman, so that she could see her daughter often. The three princesses usually lived in the same house.
Discipline in the yard is cheap, and the wet nurse takes care of all the food and daily life. In these years, she has been like a transparent person in the house, and slaves with a little respect can also bully her. The sisters depend on each other and have a deep love. Mrs. Cao then thought, between the two
One of the mothers left with someone else, and the other became a sister-in-law. Both of them lost their mothers. Since Liu Jing and the others had the ability to rescue their children, they might as well let the three girls leave that place together.
Liu Jing thought for a while: "It's not impossible. It's just that you can raise three girls by yourself. Can you afford it? You are also planning to go to North America. North America is vast and sparsely populated, and even big cities often have wild animals running into them."
Mr. Cao hesitated and said: "Then...how about I go to Japan?"
"It's not easy to go anywhere."
"Didn't Madam say that the Chinese Federation has compulsory education schools?"
Liu Jing breathed out: "That's right... But better schools have to take exams. In addition to piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, has the princess of the royal family ever learned general knowledge about mathematics, physics and chemistry?"
Mrs. Cao begged: "I can't take care of these things. Please help my wife to help them leave the house together. I went from being a favored concubine in the Prince's Mansion to becoming a nun in one night. Why don't I come here too? I know they will not want to be separated. No matter how hard it is, I will fight."
I will never starve them in my life."
Liu Jing wondered: "Now that you are saying such promising things, why were you thinking about relying on that person earlier?"
Ms. Cao smiled bitterly and said: "Since I have given up relying on men, I can only earn my own life."
Liu Jing sighed softly: "That's fine. It's just that we have to ask the princesses what they want." Mrs. Cao bowed down and thanked her.
Outside, Grandma Feng was having tea and resting when she heard someone shouting: "Second Master Nan is here."
Looking up, he saw a handsome young man walking in from the door, wearing a gorilla felt cloak, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law Tong, are you here?"
Liu Jing hurriedly walked out: "Here you are. Isn't it the second brother Nan?"
The visitor was none other than Zhu Wei's second son, Zhu Nan, who was originally a romantic talent in Chang'an City. He smiled and said: "Just now, my father sent someone to give me a portrait without any clue, and asked me to take it to the servants of various gentlemen.
Whose family does this belong to? Let me ask for more information. But the old man is currently trying a case, and Brother Tong is also trying some old nun. I thought it would be the same to ask my sister-in-law."
Liu Jing smiled and said, "You're the one asking." She hesitated for a moment and asked Nanny Feng, "My brother-in-law has not yet entered the official service. Is it possible to tell him about this case?"
Aunt Feng was only about forty years old. She had heard of Zhu Nan's name and saw that he was very pleasing to the eye.
,Why don’t you explain clearly?”
Liu Jing said with a smile: "How about you tell him. If uncle doesn't let him know, I can't be blamed."
Aunt Feng said angrily: "Madam, she is lazy." Nai smiled and said, "That's all, Mr. Zhu will blame it, and I will just bear it." Liu Jingxiao said a blessing to her.
Aunt Feng then told Zhu Nan everything. After hearing this, Zhu Nan laughed and said: "You guys are really outsiders. I really recognize the young fellow, but I only recognize those who are familiar with my master."
A few boys. The city of Chang'an is so big, and every man has his own good friend. How can it be so easy to meet someone he recognizes? I just showed it to my boys to identify, but none of them recognized me. I still have a wide range of friends. That's right.
It's better to take it to the Flower House and show it to the fans, the management and security will be better than the servants."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Feng agreed: "Second Master Nan is the wiser."
Zhu Nan looked at Aunt Feng and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Auntie, for your compliments." Then he took out the portrait to confirm with Aunt Feng.
Aunt Feng nodded and said, "This is indeed the person. Mr. Nan is very cautious."
Zhu Nan smiled slightly and left with the portrait on his sleeve. Aunt Feng had already rested her strength and wanted to interrogate Mr. Cao again. Liu Jing said hurriedly: "You should always reply to the Queen Mother. I'm afraid you will always be angry with her."
Beat him to death. Kill him or chop him into pieces. Wait until the case is concluded." Aunt Feng was a little annoyed and her face became sullen. Liu Jing advised, "Why bother? With her status, she dares to steal people, but she can't escape death anyway. Find out the adulterer.
It’s important. Mammy, there are still those three booklets.”
Aunt Feng finally gave up and went back to the palace to see the Queen Mother as she said. Liu Jing breathed a sigh of relief.