First Concubine

Chapter 172 Killing two birds with one stone (5)

However, the more respectful he was, the darker the queen's face became: "Concubine De! Zhang He is the chamberlain of this palace, and the theft of calligraphy and paintings is also a matter of Weiyang Palace. Did you stretch your hand too long?"

Concubine De's scalp felt numb, and she reluctantly said, "I don't dare."

“I see how brave you are!” The Queen was furious. “Zhang He! Organize people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to search for me! Even if you dig three feet into the ground, you will find the paintings given by the Crown Princess!”

“Search...where?” Eunuch Zhang asked hesitantly.

The queen stared at Concubine De for a moment, and the cold light in her eyes seemed to pierce through the beauty skin she had disguised for many years and finally revealed her true identity: "Chengde Palace!"

Shui Linglong blinked, and as everyone got down together, De Concubine was able to gain the respect of the Queen in the past. The reason was that De Concubine was determined to avoid favor. Once De Concubine broke this balance, the relationship between the Queen and her instantly collapsed, and the relationship between De Concubine and her suddenly collapsed. Concubine Shangde bypassed the empress and directly petitioned the emperor to consecrate Liang Gui as Liang concubine. This was a blatant challenge to the empress' authority. And what happened today, from Liang Guiren slapping Shui Lingyue, to her having to teach Liang Guiren a lesson as a minister's wife to avenge Shui Lingyue, and now Eunuch Zhang is trembling with fear when facing Concubine De... one after another, one after another. They all show that Concubine De's influence is so great that it is almost overshadowing her as the queen. I want to ask, how can the queen endure it?

Concubine De took a step sideways and blocked Eunuch Zhang's path: "Sister Queen, you named Chengde Palace to search me. You are undoubtedly labeling me as a suspect. There are many people in the palace with mixed opinions. Just pass it on casually, sister. My reputation will be affected!"

The queen's eyes turned cold and she said in a cold voice: "Zhang He! What are you doing standing there in a daze? I order you to search!"

 Eunuch Zhang shivered, wind blew up under his feet, and he fled the Imperial Garden like flying!

Concubine De's fingernails almost crushed the handkerchief in her hand, and she sneered: "Empress, if we don't find it, how do you plan to make up for the loss of my concubine?"

The queen's eyes quickly turned dark, like a bottomless pool: "Concubine De! Pay attention to your identity! I am the queen of a dynasty, holding the phoenix seal, and I can't even search the palace of a mere concubine? What a joke!"

This was another thunderous rage of the Queen after purging the harem last year. The early spring wind was extremely cold, making the girls shiver, but everyone present broke out in a thin, sticky sweat. Even though Concubine De was pretending to be calm, she was also feeling uneasy.

The Queen glanced sharply and ordered someone to move a few chairs. It seemed that she was determined to stay put and wait for the matter to come to light, so that Shui Linglong and Shui Lingxi could testify.

Everyone sat down, and the maids quickly served hot tea. A cup of chrysanthemum tea was given to Shui Linglong. Shui Linglong leaned on the back of the chair cushioned with a soft pillow and took a few sips. She should usually be sleepy and rest at this time. , but today's show was really exciting, and she couldn't sleep at all.

Shui Lingxi held the tea cup, it had nothing to do with herself, but she matched the queen's anger with an expression of concern for the country and the people.

Shui Lingyue glanced at Shui Linglong without any trace, her eyes had some meaning that was difficult to distinguish. Shui Linglong had no feelings for her at all, but she came to visit her with a full belly. She didn't believe that Shui Linglong didn't have some agenda. But she had no control over Shui Linglong's plans, so it would be best if she could follow him and take advantage of him. Shui Lingyue glanced at Concubine De with a sarcastic gaze, and a layer of expectation suddenly surged in her heart, "Xiao Anzi, you must be the thief!"

When Xiao Anzi entered the imperial garden, he found that the atmosphere was very wrong. He walked silently to Concubine De. Concubine De covered her lips with the back of her hand and said a few words silently. Xiao Anzi looked horrified, but he didn't!

Approximately three-quarters of an hour later, Eunuch Zhang came quickly with a fly whisk in the air, slapped the queen in the face, and said breathlessly: "Report...the queen...not...not found..."

Concubine De smiled: "Oh, empress, you made a mistake in your judgment. I am innocent!" She went back to complain to the emperor!

The queen frowned and glared at Eunuch Zhang: "Didn't you say that only Xiao Anzi was there at that time? If it wasn't Xiao Anzi, could it be you?"

Eunuch Zhang fell to his knees on the ground: "Empress! Even if I borrow a hundred courages from this slave, I won't be able to do such a shameful thing in the palace! I swear, I really put that painting there On the table, Xiao Anzi was the only one left in the room at that time!"

Concubine De sneered: "When you left, Xiao Anzi was the only one left. But after Xiao Anzi left, who can guarantee that no one else came in? It's hard to guard against house thieves day and night. If the **** on night duty said he didn't see him, he might be the thief. !”

The queen slapped her palm on the armrest of the chair, and the palace people knelt on the ground, shouting and cheering, and they were all silent!

Eunuch Zhang was deep in thought, and after a moment, he suddenly shouted: "I remember it! The absence of Chengde Palace does not mean that Xiao Anzi is innocent! Xiao Anzi has just been to several places, so it is possible that he hid the painting in that nook and cranny. of!"

Concubine De snorted coldly: "You mean, no matter which thief steals the painting and throws it in the grass or flowers, it will all be blamed on Xiao Anzi, right? It seems that the Queen is determined today. If you want to embarrass me, then I have no choice but to ask Long Live Lord to come and make a decision!" After saying this, he gestured to the little palace maid next to him. The little palace maid wanted to leave, but the queen slapped the table and stood up, "Who dares to leave the imperial garden without my order?"

The little palace maid was so frightened that her legs were weak and she was stunned and did not dare to move.

The queen spoke like ice: "Concubine De! I really want to frame you, and there are many ways to make you suffer! I have been in charge of Fengyin for many years, and I have never done anything unconscionable to regret the Lord Long Live!" I will investigate today’s matter and report it to the Lord Long Live. It’s not your turn as a little concubine to point fingers in front of me!”

Concubine De had a stale breath stuck in her throat, and her face turned red!

The queen raised her hand: "Search all the places Xiao Anzi passes by, including the Millennium Palace!"

Shui Lingyue pursed her lips. Her first reaction was that the painting wouldn't fly into her Yuehua Palace, right? The queen is guarding herself, but she actually wants to eradicate her, right? Shui Lingyue felt so good about herself, why didn't she think about it, who would care about a woman who has lost her favor?

 Eunuch Zhang took the eunuchs in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Millennium Palace. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs also took orders from the queen, their ultimate allegiance was to the emperor, and their fairness was unquestionable. Concubine De was not worried about what Eunuch Zhang might do if he took the opportunity. She was just afraid... Eunuch Zhang had lost the treasure map before he appeared in the Imperial Garden for the first time! But Xiao Anzi and she are both innocent. Even if the queen finds physical evidence and holds Xiao Anzi on his head, if she refuses to admit it, the queen will have nothing to do with her! As long as she doesn't die, even if Xiao Anzi is temporarily wronged, she will still have a way to make Long Live Lord relent. Thinking of this, Concubine De's high-spirited heart relaxed a little.

Shui Linglong took in the look of Concubine De in her eyes, touched her belly with her bare hands, and smiled lightly, "Look at the little persimmon. If anyone dares to bully you, I will tell her to walk away without eating!"

After another two or three quarters of an hour, Eunuch Zhang came back with sweating profusely. This time, he didn’t even have the strength to stand, so he knelt on the ground directly: "Qi...Qi to report to the empress..."

The queen’s hand holding the tea cup tightened: “Have you found it?”

 Eunuch Zhang wiped his sweat and said out of breath: "Search...search...nothing!"

Shui Lingyue’s tense nerves finally relaxed!

The same goes for Concubine De. The queen has a good character and has indeed never harmed any concubines or heirs. Instead, she treats a gentleman with a villain's heart.

Shui Linglong seemed to murmur unintentionally: "You're not in the palace, did you run outside the palace?"

As soon as she met the person in her waking dream, the queen's eyes sharpened and she asked, "Have you searched the carriages of Pingnan Marquis Mansion and Zhenbei Prince Mansion?" Xiao Anzi had also been to these two places!

Xiao Anzi's eyebrows twitched, and a layer of uneasiness surged in her heart.

Eunuch Zhang immediately turned around, with a sneer on his lips. When he and the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs inspected the carriages of the two mansions and came back, there was a scroll in his hand: "Empress! Empress! Found it! In Pingnanhou Found it in the mansion’s carriage!”

Shui Lingxi's mind went blank for a moment, and she argued almost reflexively: "How is that possible? I didn't steal anything! I've always been with you!"

Shui Linglong pleads for Shui Lingxi with a solemn expression: "Empress, my sister is innocent! Since Empress Dowager De has said it is a fake, let alone my sister, she has no opportunity to commit the crime. Yes, my wife’s sister has no motive for committing the crime!”

Who would steal a fake? Unless it's...the real thing! A cold flash suddenly flashed in the Queen's eyes, like a cold wind blowing, and everyone shuddered: "Zhang He! The Grand Tutor is teaching the Seventh Prince homework in the Qinzheng Palace. You bring the painting to the Grand Tutor for appraisal! See if it is real. Fake?"

 Eunuch Zhang was "in tears" and his leg was about to be broken. Is it easy for him?

Concubine De's heart skipped a beat. She vaguely sensed something was wrong, but her thoughts were so confused that she couldn't think of it. She snatched the painting from Eunuch Zhang's hand, opened it and looked at it, and she was dumbfounded! Actually...it's true! How can it be? She had just tested it and it was fake!

 “Mother! The painting has been stolen! This is not the one just now! The one just now was a fake, and this one is the real one!”

As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was shocked!

Shui Linglong was "extremely surprised" and said: "Empress De, please forgive me for being rude. I really can't bear to see you disrespecting the empress again and again! The empress wants to search the Chengde Palace, you Obstruction; the Queen wants to search the place where Millennium Palace and An Gong Road pass, and you sneer at it; now, the Queen has found the lost painting, and you say it has been stolen? But who has the courage and ability to do so? The painting was stolen under the Empress’s nose? The painting was lost in Weiyang Palace and found on the carriage of the second sister. You insist that the painting was stolen. The implication is that the Queen conspired with the second sister to trap you. A eunuch? This is too ridiculous!"

Shui Lingyue looked at the queen's eyes as she wished she could eat Concubine De, and suddenly she felt that a storm was coming and Concubine De was bound to lose. Thinking of Concubine De's stumbling block, she couldn't help but add insult to injury in vain. For Shui Lingyue! She stood up and said with a solemn expression: "Empress De Fei, could it be that... you deliberately said that the treasure map was fake to make the people in Weiyang Palace relax their vigilance, and then you ordered someone to steal it and hide it in Pingnanhou? Get on the mansion’s carriage!”

Shui Linglong gave a thumbs up in her heart, Shui Lingyue is really on the right track!

Concubine De looked at the queen: "That's not the case! The one I just identified is a fake... Someone must have dropped the bag in the middle!"

The queen spoke sternly: "Someone dropped the bag on the way? Who could it be? Could it be me? Only Zhang He and Xiao Anzi had the opportunity to touch this painting and send things to the carriage of Pingnan Marquis Mansion! I I don’t know how to identify calligraphy and painting! If you say it is fake, I and everyone will naturally believe that it is fake! Could it be that I secretly slipped a fake into the carriage of Pingnan Marquis?”

 “Mother, I...” Concubine De panicked.

The queen added: "Zhenbi's analysis is correct. You must have deliberately distorted the facts to prevent everyone, including me, from taking it seriously, so that you could take the opportunity to steal it! Are you thinking, Anyway, it’s a fake, so even if I lose it, I won’t take it too seriously! And even if I check it, I probably won’t realize that the painting has been moved and secretly hidden in the carriage of Pingnan Marquis! What is the purpose of transferring the treasure map to Pingnan Hou Mansion? "

Shui Lingxi lay down his gun one after another. He was so frightened that he knelt down and cried: "Empress! I really don't know what's going on! I have never met Empress De Fei! I am wronged!" What will happen? She couldn't figure it out, how could such a good painting... fly into her carriage?

Shui Linglong wiped the non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Of course Shui Lingxi, a pig, couldn't figure out the whole story. Originally, Concubine De was not part of her plan. She just wanted to use Xiao Anzi as a stepping stone. , who asked Concubine De to poison Little Persimmon, she couldn't bear it, so she changed her plan temporarily. The paintings that Concubine De identified in the Queen's Palace were indeed fake. The real ones had been secretly stuffed into the quilt when she and Shui Lingxi were riding in the same carriage. As for where the fakes that were supposed to be lying in Weiyang Palace went, you have to ask Eunuch Zhang.

Concubine De could no longer keep calm. She held her chest, fear overwhelming her: "I don't know... I am unjust, my empress!"

The queen would not believe her words, or, given the irrefutable evidence, why didn't the queen take the opportunity to eliminate one or even two powerful enemies for herself and the prince? For example, Concubine De, for example... Xun Feng! The queen glanced at Shui Lingxi, who was trembling with tears, and Shui Linglong, who had a calm expression, and said, "Concubine Shui, please get up. I believe you have nothing to do with this matter. Some people just want to borrow your car to pass on something." Come on! Concubine De colludes with Prince Pingnan to steal the treasure map! I want to bring Concubine De and Xiao Anzi to face the emperor!

 (End of this chapter)