After hearing this, Mrs. Li's expression softened by three points. Two incidents occurred in the palace, involving one body and two lives. Now that Beauty Chen was pregnant, she had to take precautions.
It is reasonable for Chen Meiren to worry about her own safety and the safety of the dragon seed in her belly.
The eunuchs and palace maids around her have all been serving her for a long time, and many of them have become her confidants. It makes sense that she forces her confidants to stay by her side to look after her safety.
Concubine Li pondered for a long time and looked at Kou Ji.
She probably hoped that Kou Ji could give her a satisfactory solution.
But Kou Ji stared at her without speaking.
She frowned slightly.
Concubine Yang suddenly said from the side: "Sister, why don't we connect the Chen family to your palace and let the people in your palace take care of it. The people in the Chen family's palace will be handed over to Privy Kou for the time being, and Privy Kou will take them back for business.
.”
Concubine Li was stunned for a moment and felt that what Concubine Yang said was reasonable.
Chen Meiren was worried that she would not be safe after the people in her palace were changed, so she could live in her palace temporarily.
Under her nose, with her watching, there is no need to worry about Meiren Chen's safety.
Kou Ji obviously refused to give up until someone took advantage of her. Although she could use her status to suppress Kou Ji, behind Kou Ji stood Zhao Zhen and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
Kou Ji's current attitude is the attitude of Zhao Zhen and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
After all, she was not the Queen Mother, and she could not suppress Zhao Zhen and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
After Concubine Li pondered for a while, she said: "Then let Mrs. Chen live in the Ai family palace temporarily. With the Ai family watching, the Ai family wants to see who dares to do anything under the eyes of the Ai family."
Chen Meiren heard a little panic in her eyes when she heard what Concubine Li said. She hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I still want to live in my own palace..."
Concubine Li's brows suddenly raised, she glared at Chen Meiren and said, "What? You don't listen to what the Ai family says?"
Concubine Li showed signs of being angry. Chen Meiren did not dare to offend Concubine Li, so she could only bow her head in submission.
Seeing this, Mrs. Li snorted and ordered the two nuns around her to take Meiren away.
Before leaving, Mrs. Li stared at Kou Ji and said coldly: "You investigate the case and don't hurt anyone's life. If you hurt someone's life, the Aijia will not spare you."
Kou Ji said neither humble nor arrogantly: "If the slaves want to die on their own, I can't stop you."
"snort!"
Mrs. Li snorted heavily and had people help her out of Chen Meiren's bedroom.
After Kou Ji waited for Concubine Li to leave with her people, he ordered the guards and eunuchs behind him: "Arrest them!"
The guards and eunuchs swarmed up and captured all the maids and eunuchs in Chen Meiren's palace.
Kou Ji asked the guards and eunuchs to take the maids and eunuchs from Chen Meiren's palace to Han Meiren's palace.
Chen Lin was guarding the Han Meiren Palace. Seeing Kou Ji capture all the people in Chen Meiren Palace, she hurried forward to greet them and asked, "Is there anything gained?"
While Kou Ji ordered the guards and eunuchs to send the people from Chen Meiren's palace to Han Meiren's palace, he said to Chen Lin: "How can there be any gains if there is no trial?"
Chen Lin realized that she had asked a stupid question, but there was no look of embarrassment on his face. He stared at Kou Ji and continued to ask: "The man was arrested according to your order, what are you going to do next? Are you going to torture him?"
"
Kou Ji glanced at Chen Lin and said, "The official handed over this matter to me, not you. Why do you ask so much?"
When Chen Lin heard this, she didn't get angry. She just gritted her teeth and said: "Our family wants to find out the person who is causing trouble behind the scenes as soon as possible, and then punish him properly.
If he dares to do something to the heir of an official family, our family will make him regret coming into this world."
Kou Ji understood Chen Lin's thoughts, but did not echo his words. Instead, he asked: "Didn't the official family have summoned the people from Wudesi to the palace before? The people from Wudesi were in the palace, so they didn't receive anything.
Wind noise?"
Chen Lin said with a somewhat ugly face: "The Wudesi people have not long since entered the palace, and the empresses of each palace already have their own confidants, so it is difficult for the Wudesi people to get along with them.
Therefore, the information obtained by Wude Division’s people is very limited.”
Kou Ji nodded thoughtfully and said to Chen Lin: "Since the people of Wude Division have not received any news, we can only rely on ourselves for this case.
You had people seal off the Korean beauty's palace and let the eunuchs and palace maids starve inside.
I'm going to see my sister-in-law. She was a concubine of an official family before and has contacts with other concubines. She should know some inside information that we don't know."
Chen Lin opened her mouth, as if she had something to say, but in the end she didn't say it.
He nodded and agreed to Kou Ji's instructions, and sent a eunuch to take Kou Ji to see the younger sister of the Xiang family.
The younger sister of the Xiang family was demoted from a concubine to a female official in the palace because she was late on the road during the suburban festival. She is now working as a steward in the palace's laundry.
When Kou Ji arrived at the laundry room in the palace, he saw the little girl of the Xiang family wearing simple plain clothes and sitting by the well doing laundry.
Kou Ji frowned slightly, walked up, and called softly.
"Little sister..."
The little girl from the Xiang family stiffened slightly when she heard the familiar call. She turned around and saw Kou Ji blankly saying: "Brother-in-law..."
Kou Ji looked at the little girl from the Xiang family and felt filled with emotion.
When I first met Xiang's little sister in the past, she was a proper little witch.
After only a few years in the palace, a little witch was transformed into a woman who could no longer be normal and docile.
Kou Ji said dissatisfied: "Aren't you a female official in the palace? You can just instruct the other palace ladies to do the laundry. Why do you have to do it yourself?"
The little sister of the Xiang family wiped her hands, stood up slowly, and said with a chuckle: "Brother-in-law, there is no need to be angry. The little sister took over the laundry voluntarily, and was not forced by others."
Kou Ji frowned and said nothing.
Xiang's little sister explained softly: "Most of the people assigned to the laundry room are poor people. They have been in the laundry room for a long time, and they have some diseases.
The younger sister couldn't bear to drive them to a group of seriously ill people, so she took the initiative to take over their errands."
The laundry room is definitely the worst place in the palace.
Summer is fine.
In winter, you need to use cold water for washing. Without certain measures to keep warm, various diseases will follow.
Anyone who spends a long time in the laundry room will almost always get sick.
Kou Ji had only heard of it before, but had never seen it.
Now when he arrived at the laundry room, after hearing the words of the Xiang family's little sister, combined with the frequent coughing sounds coming from the ajar doors, he finally understood how evil the laundry room really was.
Kou Ji frowned and said, "In a few days, I'll ask Chen Lin to change your place."
When Xiang's little sister heard what Kou Ji said, she slowly shook her head. She smiled at Kou Ji and said, "It's good here, it's a bit bitter, but there's not so much intrigue.
Everyone clings to each other and depends on each other, but there is a touch of warmth."
Kou Ji frowned and was about to start admonishing, then listened to the Xiang family's little sister continue: "The harem is not a place that my brother-in-law can easily get involved in. Now that my brother-in-law comes to see my little sister, he must have something to ask my little sister..."
Having said this, the little sister of the Xiang family smiled at Kou Ji and said, "I just heard that a Korean beauty was killed, one dead and two dead. My brother-in-law came to see the little sister, did he want to get some news from the little sister?"
Kou Ji said in a deep voice: "This is not the place to talk."
The little sister of the Xiang family was slightly startled when she heard this, "Then brother-in-law followed the little sister to the room..."
The younger sister of the Xiang family took Kou Ji to a side room in the laundry room. After asking Kou Ji to sit down, she made a pot of bad tea for Kou Ji. She said with a slight embarrassment on her face: "The palace's good tea.
They are all used by the officials and the ladies in the palaces, so I don’t have any good tea here to entertain my brother-in-law."
Kou Ji waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter..."
The little girl from the Xiang family carefully poured tea for Kou Ji. Kou Ji took a few sips and asked straight to the point: "How much do you know about the murder of Han Mei?"
The younger sister of the Xiang family shook her head slightly and said: "My younger sister is just a small female official in the palace now. I don't know about the murder of Han Meiren. However, I do know a little about whom Han Meiren has a grudge against."
Among the ladies in each palace, I know a little bit about who has a good relationship with whom and who has a bad relationship with whom."
Kou Ji pondered: "You mean, Han Mei has enemies in the palace?"
The younger sister of the Xiang family sighed and said: "No one who is a concubine in this palace has any enemies. Sometimes, if you drink more than one sip of water, you may make enemies with others. In this palace, you have to be cautious and walk on thin ice.
Only by walking can you live longer."
Speaking of this, the little sister of the Xiang family looked at Kou Ji gratefully and said, "When I first entered the palace, I offended many people because of what I said wrongly. But everyone in the palace knew that you were
I am a brother-in-law, so not many people give me trouble.
Eunuch Chen, the Queen, for your sake, you have taken good care of me.
If it weren't for my brother-in-law, I'm afraid my little sister wouldn't have survived until this time."
Kou Ji said in a deep voice: "We are all one family, why should we be so polite. You are my sister-in-law, and I should take care of you. When my grandfather-in-law was still alive, I couldn't stop the Xiang family from sending you to the palace.
Now that the Xiang family has lost power, your destiny will no longer be influenced by them.
You stay in the palace for a while and take care of yourself.
In a few days, I will find a way to get the officials to let you out of the palace."
Hearing this, the younger sister of the Xiang family smiled and said: "My younger sister has taken note of my brother-in-law's wishes. But my younger sister was once a member of the official family. Even if I leave the palace, no one would dare to marry me.
It would be nice for my little sister to stay in the palace for the rest of her life."
Kou Ji frowned and scolded: "Nonsense, you are still young, the officials have never touched you, and they have never treated you as a concubine. Why not remarry after you leave the palace?"
The younger sister of the Xiang family laughed and said: "The official family is close to you. For your sake, you don't have to care about it at this time. But what about the civil and military officials of the court? What about the world? Although I am a perfect person, I have been an official after all.
woman.
How could a woman from an official family marry someone else? The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty would not agree, and neither would the world.
Officials are now wise and powerful, and there are countless people who protect them.
If the younger sister leaves the palace and remarries, she will definitely be criticized by thousands of people.
The husband's family will not stand up for the little sister, and the mother's family will definitely try their best to avoid the little sister. Only the elder sister and brother-in-law will take care of the little sister.
But my little sister has already caused you a lot of trouble, so how can I cause you trouble for the rest of your life?"
The little girl from the Xiang family said this with a smile, but Kou Ji could hear deep sadness in it.
Kou Ji felt a little distressed when he heard what Xiang's little sister said, but he said with a smile on his face: "Nonsense... Your brother-in-law and I are one person below ten thousand people now. How can I not protect you, a little girl?"
.
If you are afraid of being criticized after leaving the palace, then I will find a place where no one knows you, let you get married and have children, and live a prosperous and healthy life."
Xiang's little sister was stunned for a moment and whispered: "Everywhere in the world..."
Before Xiang's sister could finish her words, Kou Ji stared and said, "Nonsense, the world is big. There are so many places that the imperial court cannot control that you can't even count them."
Xiang's little sister pondered for a moment, "Brother-in-law, can he really find places where the eyes and ears of the court cannot see?"
Kou Ji nodded solemnly.
The little girl from the Xiang family gritted her teeth and said, "Brother-in-law, can you rescue the sisters in the laundry room together?"
Kou Ji frowned slightly.
Recruiting people from the palace is inherently a very difficult matter.
It seems a bit inappropriate for Kou Ji to hook up with Xiang's little sister and still be criticized by others. Then he hooks up with others.
Seeing Kou Ji frowning, Xiang's little sister seemed to know what Kou Ji was thinking. She hurriedly said: "They won't let their brother-in-law rescue them in vain. Most of them are old people in the palace, and there are some unknown people in the palace."
They all know about it.
The younger sister didn't stay in the palace for long, so the clues she could provide to her brother-in-law were limited.
But what they can provide to their brother-in-law is beyond his imagination.
Some of the news in the palace that my younger sister knows was also obtained from their mouths."
When Kou Ji heard this, he pondered for a while.
Xiang's little sister hurriedly explained: "My little sister is not greedy, nor is she trying to embarrass her brother-in-law. It's just that they are too pitiful. Even so, they still take care of my little sister overtly and covertly.
Their kindness to their little sister must not be forgotten.
Now that there is a chance to escape, my little sister cannot abandon them."
Kou Ji said in a deep voice: "Can they really give me useful information?"
Xiang's little sister hurriedly said: "I can't guarantee others, but there is one person who definitely has the news you want."
"who?"
"Aunt Mei..."
Kou Ji pondered for a while and said in a deep voice: "Then you call them over. If the information they provide is enough for me to save their lives, I will naturally try to rescue them."
Xiang's little sister nodded solemnly.
She left the door and went to greet the people in the laundry room.
Kou Ji ordered the eunuchs who came with him to guard the door of the laundry room.
Not long after Kou Ji returned to the room, the Xiang family's little sister came to the room with a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people.
The little girl from the Xiang family said they were a bunch of pitiful people, and they really were a bunch of pitiful people.
There was not much color on their faces, and they were as skinny as a skeleton.
Many of them had symptoms, some kept covering their mouths and coughing, and some had trouble walking.
The Aunt Mei that the younger sister of the Xiang family is talking about is an old woman in her fifties, with empty eye sockets and no eyeballs.
The selection of girls in the palace was very strict.
All the women sent to the palace had sound limbs.
Aunt Mei's eyes must have been gouged out if her eyes were missing.
After a group of old palace ladies arrived in the room, they stumbled and saluted Kou Ji.
Kou Ji sighed and said: "Now that it's like this, there's no need to give me gifts. I'm not the kind of person who cares about etiquette."
When the palace ladies heard what Kou Ji said, they all stood aside tremblingly.
The little girl from the Xiang family helped Mei Gu to stand in front of Kou Ji.
Mei Gu stared at an old face without eyeballs and said to Kou Ji in a slightly hoarse voice: "I heard from Miss Xiang that Privy Kou is willing to rescue us slaves?"
Kou Ji said calmly: "It's not about rescue or not. I need to know something, and you happen to know it. If the news you give me satisfies me, I will naturally find a way to get you to leave the palace.
It’s just a transaction from start to finish.”
Kou Ji described everything as a transaction.
After hearing this, Aunt Mei not only did not get angry, but nodded gratefully.
Mei Gu said to Kou Ji: "What news does Privy Kou want to know? The servants know that such a big thing happened in the palace, and the news has already spread to the laundry room. The servants don't know much, but they can help Privy Kou to some extent."
Having said this, Aunt Mei turned back to look at the other maids, "Tell Privy Kou everything you know."
Aunt Mei seemed to be quite prestigious among the maids. After she said this, the maids nodded in unison.
Seeing this, Kou Ji was stunned, "You can trust me so much?"
Kou Ji only proposed the deal but did not fulfill it.
Mei Gu and others had experienced a lot of intrigues in the palace. Kou Ji was a little surprised that she believed in him so easily.
Mei Gu turned around, faced Kou Ji, and laughed softly: "Although I am in the palace, I have heard about Privy Kou's reputation and deeds.
Although Privy Kou can't be said to have made a promise, you have accomplished almost everything you promised.
More importantly, with your status, you will not deceive us, a group of slaves.
So we trust you."
Kou Ji clicked his lips, not knowing what to say.
Being trusted by others is a happy thing.
But Kou Ji didn't know what was wrong, he just couldn't be happy.
Seeing that Kou Ji didn't ask any more questions, Aunt Mei gave instructions to the maids.
The palace ladies came to Kou Ji one after another and told Kou Ji some of the secrets they had experienced in the palace.
They spoke carelessly, but Kou Ji felt very distressed when they heard it.
Kou Ji knew that the Song Dynasty's court was in chaos, but he didn't expect it to be so chaotic.
In the palace, the struggle between the concubines and concubines almost reached the point where everyone participated.
But no one in the palace can escape the struggle between the concubines.
Fighting for favors, fighting for solid favors, fighting for the birth of a prince, fighting for favor and jealousy over some small rewards.
Kou Ji originally thought that what Xiang's little sister said would be resented if she drank more water. But after listening to the descriptions of the palace maids, Kou Ji realized that what Xiang's little sister said was not an exaggeration at all. The reality was far worse than Xiang's little sister's.
What he said is even more exaggerated.
The concubines of the two palaces formed a deadly feud just because one of them brought an extra beaded flower when they met with the official, and they tried to trick the other party to death behind their backs.
Similar examples abound.
Kou Ji felt very sad when he heard that.
The palace maids described many things, and some of them were useful information for Kou Ji. Kou Ji secretly remembered them in his heart.
After the palace ladies finished describing it, Kou Ji had already memorized the information that was useful to him.
Kou Ji looked at Aunt Mei.
Although the information provided by the palace ladies was what Kou Ji needed, it was not much. It was not enough for Kou Ji to find out who was behind the scenes. At most, he could catch a few minor characters.
Xiang's little sister once said that Aunt Mei must have the news she wants.
Kou Ji hopes that Aunt Mei can provide her with useful news.
Although Mei Gu had no eyeballs, when Kou Ji looked at her, she seemed to feel Kou Ji's gaze and smiled slightly at Kou Ji.
Aunt Mei whispered to the little sister of the Xiang family, and the little sister of the Xiang family helped Aunt Mei to come to Kou Ji again.
Mei Gu faced Kou Ji and whispered: "I don't know much about this, because I had my eyes gouged out a long time ago and was sent to the laundry room.
The servant only knows that there is such a person in the palace, who hides very deep, and does not leave a trace of what he has done, so he cannot catch him even if he wants to.
The slave accidentally saw something he shouldn't have seen before, and was sent to secretly dig out his eyes.
At the beginning, the slave didn't know who sent someone to dig out the slave's eyes, nor did he know what he saw that he shouldn't have seen.
It wasn't until Concubine Zhang and the Korean beauty were killed one after another that I remembered in a daze that I had seen something I shouldn't have seen and that someone had gouged out my eyes."
When Mei Gu said this, she paused slightly.
Kou Ji's brows had already furrowed. He had a hunch that the person Aunt Mei mentioned was probably the key person he wanted to track down.
Kou Ji asked in a deep voice: "Who is it?"
Mei Gu slowly opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she suddenly remembered a exclamation outside the door.
"It's gone!"
"It's gone!"
"..."
Kou Ji's expression changed.
The people in the room looked frightened and had the urge to run away.
Only Aunt Mei said calmly: "It came really fast..."
Kou Ji immediately looked at Aunt Mei and asked, "Do you know who it is?"
Mei Gu said calmly: "When you arrived at the laundry room, you reminded the other party, and the other party thought of the slave."
Kou Ji said without hesitation: "Let's go!"
The little girl from the Xiang family supported Aunt Mei, but Aunt Mei grabbed Kou Ji's hand and began to draw strokes in Kou Ji's hand.
As Kou Ji led them out, he felt the strokes of Mei Gu's words in his hands.
After Mei Gu finished the painting, Kou Ji looked shocked.
Mei Gu seemed to feel Kou Ji's shock, and whispered: "I'm afraid the other party will not feel at ease until I die. What I told you is just my guess. If you don't have any evidence, you must not expose this matter, otherwise it will happen."
I don’t dare to tell you anything.”
"You follow me and I will keep you safe."
Kou Ji stared at Aunt Mei and said solemnly.
Mei Gu showed an ugly smile and whispered: "If the slaves don't die, they will die. Privy Kou just needs to protect them. If Privy Kou is really serious, he will send the slaves' bones back to their hometown after the slaves die.
Buried under the old tree behind the mountain in my hometown."