mesbooks Chapter 154 Sure enough, he was heading for the Queen
Chapter 154 Sure enough, he was heading for the Queen
"Could it be that we are overthinking it?" Lu Wanyi concentrated: "Could this matter be related to Concubine Zhao?"
Lu Wanyi really hoped that this matter was related to Concubine Zhao. Moreover, she didn't believe that Concubine Zhao could calmly watch Concubine Zhuang give birth to a child smoothly and sit back and do nothing.
"What Lu Wanyi said is not impossible." Wan Shurong agreed.
As they spoke, they both looked at Shen Zhiyao.
Shen Zhiyao would not jump to conclusions easily. She just whispered, "This matter is indeed suspicious. We need to investigate it carefully."
As he was speaking, Chang Qi came in, escorting a trembling eunuch.
"To report to the Queen and all the ladies, I was accompanying the eunuchs to investigate the scene, but I saw this servant from Yongfu Palace secretly watching from the side, so I arrested him." Chang Qi bowed.
"Please answer the questions honestly. I will not wrongly accuse a good person." The queen said in a solemn voice.
"Yes...your servant...I will answer truthfully." The eunuch kneeling on the ground said tremblingly.
"Does the fire in Yongfu Palace have anything to do with you? Or do you know something about it?" The queen raised her eyebrows, which made the young eunuch terrified.
"I... really don't know anything. I was just curious for a moment..." The little eunuch was about to pee his pants with fear.
"Curious? There are a lot of people who are curious about this matter. Everyone is afraid of getting into trouble and is trying to avoid suspicion. Why are you the only one who would peek? Your curiosity is too strong." Shen Zhiyao stared at the little eunuch and pressed on.
"You dog slave, tell me, did you betray your master?" Cui Bai couldn't help it and rushed forward to slap him in the face.
“I didn’t… Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare to do such a thing…” The young eunuch was stunned and kowtowed continuously.
"If it has nothing to do with you, you'd better tell me your motive honestly. Otherwise, I will suggest to Her Majesty the Queen to send you to the Ministry of Punishment. Then you will have to tell me..." Lu Wanyi sneered.
"No... I have told you everything truthfully. Please don't send me to the Ministry of Punishment..." The young eunuch kowtowed repeatedly until his forehead turned red.
"Hurry up and tell me, I don't have time to talk to you, Mo Ji..." Wan Shurong scolded harshly.
"I have a lover named Linggu in Yongfu Palace... She has been acting very abnormally these past few days, and I... I have always suspected that she has a relationship with someone else, so I have been keeping a close eye on her... Last night I saw her sneaking into a side room that is usually used as a small warehouse..."
"I thought she was meeting someone secretly, and was about to follow her, but I saw her come out again. After a while, she slipped into another side room, and when she came out again... there was a fire... I thought I had had an affair with her, so I didn't want to tell anyone, but I was really curious, so I sneaked in to watch the adults investigate the scene..."
"I am truly innocent, please let Your Majesty have a clear vision!" The little eunuch began to bang his head on the ground again.
"Chang Qi..." The Queen turned around and said, "First, take him to the Ministry of Punishment for custody and wait for my decision."
"Empress...I have confessed everything truthfully...Empress..." The little eunuch kept shouting, but was forcibly dragged away by Chang Qi and his men.
"Empress, is this servant lying?" Wan Shurong asked with a frown.
"Cui Bai, you follow Chang Qi in person and take the palace maid named Linggu to the Ministry of Punishment for severe interrogation, and compare her confession with that of the eunuch." The Queen ordered.
Cui Bai agreed and hurried back to do her work.
The four of them looked at each other and were about to speak when Shijin and Quanzong from the Ministry of Internal Affairs came in to report.
"Your Majesty, I found obvious signs of rummaging at the fire scene. Someone had been rummaging through the warehouse. Moreover, in the side room next to the warehouse, all the candles on the candlesticks were gone. This is very suspicious." Quan Zong bowed.
This is consistent with what the young eunuch said...
At this time, the atmosphere in Prince Rui's mansion was very solemn.
"Your Highness, haven't we already made arrangements to use the lack of snow this year to create public opinion? Why do you suddenly have this idea..." Prime Minister Hu frowned, his tone full of dissatisfaction.
"Prime Minister Hu is shallow-minded. This little bit of public opinion is just like scratching an itch. We must prepare more arguments to support the statements we spread!" Prince Xiang said with a smile.
"But my daughter has just entered the palace. What should we do if she is implicated by certain people?" Prime Minister Hu was so angry. These two bastards didn't consider them as father and daughter at all.
"You are worrying too much, Prime Minister. The few people hiding in the palace were arranged by me at a great cost, and they are waiting to be used at the right time." Seeing that Prime Minister Hu was getting angry, Prince Rui hurriedly comforted him, "Don't worry, my people are all strong and can be killed at any time if necessary. Hu Baolin will never be involved."
Prime Minister Hu looked at the twinkling triangular eyes of Prince Rui and cursed in his heart, I really don't know how the late emperor gave birth to this child. Judging from his appearance, this child is far inferior to the current emperor...
"Your Highness, have you forgotten about the fire in the 'Collection Pavilion'? If the Queen investigates thoroughly and digs out the main culprit, it will be very disadvantageous to us!"
Prime Minister Hu advised earnestly that he only hoped that Prince Rui would take less radical actions, or at least consult more with his confidants before taking any action.
“I am forced to do this. How can the fourth brother be so easy to deal with? Only by weakening the queen, or even dethroning her, can we influence Marquis Pingxuan. This is one of the foundations for the fourth brother to sit firmly on the throne!” Prince Rui put away his smile and said in a solemn voice.
The fourth is Bo Muxi's ranking. Prince Rui likes to call Bo Muxi like this in private to express his disdain for him.
"Besides, this is also a good thing for Hu Baolin. Did we send Hu Baolin into the palace just to win favor? Just to persuade the fourth prince? The fourth prince is not so easy to move. It would be best if Hu Baolin could climb to the throne..." Prince Rui laughed sinisterly.
"I'm afraid your Highness will be disappointed. My daughter is a precious girl. Besides, it's not so easy to covet the throne of the current queen," Prime Minister Hu sighed.
"Don't worry about that, Prime Minister. I have already arranged it. Hu Baolin has his own helpers in the palace."
Prince Rui stood up and walked to Prime Minister Hu, patted his shoulder and smiled: "Don't worry, when I ascend the throne, you will still be the Prime Minister of Zhao State, and Hu Baolin will be the Queen of Zhao State. I promise that by then, I will confer a title of nobility on the Hu family!"
Prime Minister Hu was speechless, he felt like he was being "kidnapped". If it weren't for the hundreds of people in the Hu family, he would have wanted to go to the current emperor and plead guilty immediately!
"I would like to thank Your Majesty first, and then I will wait for the day when Your Majesty succeeds." Prime Minister Hu bowed.
Prince Rui couldn't help but laugh heartily. It was just a fire, just a small step in his huge plan. The queen must die and must be replaced by someone he chose.
In other words, anyone who gets in his way must die...