bestfiction Chapter 812 The Farmer and the Snake
Chapter 812 The Farmer and the Snake
"Clothes?" Lu Yangyang was a little confused: "Why would Consort Xu send clothes to the Tenth Prince? Aren't there people in the palace who specialize in making clothes?"
Ying Xun explained: "Consort Xu is very skilled at needlework. After entering the palace, she often sent Consort Yu and the Tenth Prince some everyday clothes and shoes that she made herself. The Imperial Clothing Bureau would make clothes for each palace every quarter according to the regulations of each palace. If they wanted to make clothes separately, each palace had to pay for them themselves. Over time, the ladies of each palace found it troublesome, so they would keep a few embroiderers in their own palaces to make everyday clothes, and only wear the palace clothes sent by the Imperial Clothing Bureau on formal occasions."
Speaking of these things, Lu Yangyang was really unfamiliar with them. She left the East Palace after only a few days, and she didn't even have time to try on the clothes that were sent to her by the palace according to the regulations for the Crown Princess. They were probably still kept in the East Palace, so she really didn't know the situation here.
Seeing her expression, Ying Xun knew she was unaware, so he explained in detail: "When the Empress was still alive, she re-established the Shanggong Bureau in the inner palace, modeled after the previous system. It consisted of six bureaus and twenty-four departments, each staffed with female officials. All the needs of the palace came from the Shanggong Bureau. The Shanggong head held the rank of fifth grade, and the female officials of the twenty-four departments also had their own official positions. At that time, many women in the capital without connections considered it an honor to pass the examination to enter the Shanggong Bureau. Moreover, the Empress decreed that, apart from the Shanggong, all other female officials who reached the age of twenty-five could leave the palace to marry if they wished. At that time, many officials in the capital sought to marry the female officials in the palace, making them very sought-after."
At this point, she lowered her voice, "It's a pity that after the Empress passed away, the harem was without a mistress. Later, Consort Xiao took over the Phoenix Seal, changed many rules, and laid off many people from the Shanggong Bureau. The original Shanggong was the Empress's person, so she naturally fell out of favor. Not long after, Shanggong resigned, and the later Shanggong was Consort Xiao's person. She followed Consort Xiao's lead in everything. Over time, the Shanggong Bureau has become almost a mere formality, almost like a menial job. Not even half of the twenty-four departments are left."
Ying Xun sighed, "Getting back to the point, it's said that Consort Xu was famous for her needlework skills when she was still at her maiden home. She was quite outstanding, so after entering the palace, she won over Consort Yu's favor with this skill. Consort Yu herself wasn't very good at needlework, but seeing how considerate Consort Xu was, she took good care of her. Consort Xu reciprocated by not only making clothes for Consort Yu but also personally measuring and tailoring clothes for the Tenth Prince. The Tenth Prince was also very close to Consort Xu, his aunt, which is why he was especially affectionate and caring towards the young prince when he was taken to Consort Duan's place to be raised."
"Si Xi said that day, Consort Xu came to deliver clothes. Since they were casual clothes for wearing outside, Consort Xu said they were embroidered with patterns that would match the jade pendant His Majesty had given the prince on his birthday. So she asked him to go and get them, leaving the tenth prince and Consort Xu to try on the clothes. Consort Xu would occasionally personally instruct the tenth prince on how to match his clothes, and the tenth prince was also close to Consort Xu, so he went to look for the jade pendant. But for some reason, even though he was the one who helped the tenth prince put away the jade pendant, it took him a long time to find it that day, at least half an hour. When he returned covered in sweat, Consort Xu had already left, and the tenth prince was asleep on the table. He woke the tenth prince up, and the tenth prince yawned and said that he was so sleepy today, and his head was aching from sleeping. He also asked him when Consort Xu left. Si Xi asked the palace servants and learned that the prince was a little sleepy after trying on the clothes, so Consort Xu left. No one thought much of it."
Lu Yangyang met Ying Xun's gaze, and Ying Xun said, "Even if the Imperial Wardrobe doesn't find out where the embroidery needle came from, based on Sixi's testimony alone, it's enough to confirm that the biggest suspect in harming the Tenth Prince is Consort Xu."
Ying Xun shook his head. "I've been in the Dali Temple for so many years and have seen all sorts of bizarre cases, but this case still chills the heart."
Indeed, before this, Lu Yangyang had never suspected that the person who made the move might be Consort Xu.
Consort Xu was only a distant relative of Consort Yu. She entered the palace, gained the Emperor's favor, and gave birth to the little prince safely. Consort Yu must have played a significant role in this. Even the Tenth Prince was kind-hearted and, knowing that Consort Xu could not raise her own child, would often visit her under the guise of being her brother.
It's practically a classic story of the farmer and the snake.
For a moment, both Ying Xun and Lu Yangyang fell silent.
"When can we interrogate Consort Xu?" Lu Yangyang asked.
No matter what, Consort Xu was the Emperor's woman, and it wasn't easy to interrogate her. The fact that Ying Xun came to explain these things to her at this time meant that the request for interrogation had not yet been approved.
However, this matter could not possibly have been done by Consort Xu alone; there were others behind her.
If it's too late, Consort Xu might be silenced.
She understood, and so did Ying Xun.
"This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." Ying Xun lowered his voice. "If we follow the proper procedures to interrogate Consort Xu, she might be silenced before we even have a chance to do so. I asked someone to send a message to Consort Duan, asking her to find a way to stall Consort Xu to prevent her from being harmed. But to interrogate Consort Xu, I'm afraid we'd need Consort Yu to make a scene in the palace. I can't do such a thing because of my status, so I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Lu Yangyang quickly understood, "You want me to reveal my identity and cause trouble in the palace?"
Ying Xun blushed, somewhat embarrassed. "That's not what I meant. I'll take you to the palace first, to see Consort Yu under the guise of an investigation. Ideally, we should go all the way to the Emperor's ears. Then you can testify to His Majesty about the Tenth Prince's cause of death, so that His Majesty can directly order the interrogation of Consort Xu, catching her off guard. In this way, your identity will definitely be exposed prematurely, but in the same way, you can also make demands of His Majesty. In front of everyone, His Majesty can't openly punish you, and since the Tenth Prince is involved, Consort Yu will definitely ensure that you find out the truth first."
The idea wasn't exactly honorable, but Lu Yangyang's eyes lit up. It was like a pillow had come to her when she was sleepy. She was just wondering how to make a big deal out of this, and now the opportunity had arrived.
Lu Yangyang agreed without any hesitation, "Let's do it this way!"
"Huh?" Ying Xun was taken aback, not expecting Lu Yangyang to agree so easily. He touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly and bowed to Lu Yangyang apologetically, "Miss, don't blame me for having such a rash idea?"
Lu Yangyang smiled and her eyes crinkled. "It was indeed a bit reckless, but it worked. You're right, this is the best time."
Taking advantage of this time, when the case is still unsolved and everyone is dissatisfied, she can seize the opportunity to find the clues she needs and make the demands she wants.
If it gets too late, and others have a chance to hesitate, her situation will become much more complicated.
"go!"