The most beautiful lady in the harem

Chapter 149 It's Not Accidental

Zhan Siji lowered his head and said, "Although it rained a lot in May, the palace has regular earthworks to check the beams and buildings. Some of the bridge boards were loose and rotten earlier, and they have all been replaced."

What this means is that Qin Liuse's fall on the bridge this time was not accidental.

"Can you confirm it?"

"I asked someone who knows carpentry to check it out. Although the planks were dug naturally and the cracks were made so finely that no clues could be found, the joints were... but they were different enough for an experienced carpenter to tell at a glance."

"That bridge is quite remote, and there aren't as many people walking around there as in other places on weekdays, so it's not easy to find someone who knows the situation. But if you walk along the river often, you'll get your feet wet. If you check them one by one, you'll always be able to find the person."

After Zhan Siji finished saying this, Emperor Yongjia's expression turned several degrees colder.

Zhan Siji was unsure whether he should continue investigating after reaching this level, because such a result would indicate that this was a fight among the concubines in the harem.

If the investigation goes on, more people might be implicated, and she is also worried that the person who is dragged out later is too prominent and it will be difficult to resolve.

Emperor Yongjia closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and said calmly, "Keep investigating. Since it was done so cleanly, they must be people who understand carpentry. Let's investigate these people and get to the bottom of it."

Zhan Siji replied "yes" and then stepped back.

--

Perhaps he was not satisfied last night, so that night, Emperor Yongjia did not go to Shuyuexuan, but summoned other people to serve him.

Qin Liuse was happy and comfortable, otherwise not only Emperor Yongjia would feel uncomfortable, she would also feel uncomfortable.

Qin Liuse had never had this feeling before.

But this time, for some reason, maybe it was because she had been served so much that she had become more enlightened, or maybe it was because Emperor Yongjia had been so torturous last night, that made her have these strange feelings that she couldn't figure out.

But the daily routine greetings are still there.

Qingzhu often came to Shuyuexuan in the morning to deliver some gifts as a courtesy. In the afternoon, Qin Liuse would ask Zijin to send some gifts as well, so that there would be a give and take and the Emperor Yongjia would also remember her.

Every day, he lay motionless in Shu Yuexuan and could only listen to the maids talking about things outside and what he saw and heard in the harem that day.

For example, one day when Zi Jin went to Chengqian Palace, he met Cairen Zhou, who was delivering a sachet to Emperor Yongjia.

Qin Liuse listened and nodded, but she did not feel like Qingqing Zijin that her master had given Zhou Cairen a good idea.

She just felt a little emotional, "It only took a few days for Zhou Cairen to make the sachet. It's not easy."

Maybe she will be doing needlework by candlelight at night.

Qingqing sighed after hearing this, wondering why her Zhaoyi's thoughts and worries were always different from others.

For example, they were worried that their Zhaoyi would be divided up by others, but her Zhaoyi was not worried at all.

Qin Liuse smiled and said, "Think about it from another perspective. Isn't it good for the emperor to favor her? Wouldn't it be good to share some of the favor that Wang Leyao and Liu Yiyi have received recently?"

These days, without Liu Qiuniang, there is indeed a new person who has gained the favor of Chengqian Palace.

Qingqing tilted her head, feeling that what her master said seemed to make sense.

At night, Emperor Yongjia indeed turned over the name card of Concubine Zhou.

If it's gossip, it's easier to pass the time by calling Qin Liuse every day.

For example, when Zijin went to Chengqian Palace to deliver green bean cakes, he came back and told her, "Yesterday I saw Qingmei next to Lady Liu on the side road outside Chengqian Palace, and I thought it was a coincidence."

Zijin paused, and then said, "I didn't expect to run into her on her way back today when I went there."

Zijin would not talk about these trivial matters for no reason, so Qin Liuse asked, "Then what?"

Zijin continued, "I ran into Xiaojiu sweeping the floor outside the palace. She told me that Qingmei was going to look for Miss Qingzhu. She came several times during this period of time, and each time she was mysterious. I don't know what she was doing. Moreover, Qingmei didn't go into Chengqian Palace, but waited outside in the corner. If Xiaojiu hadn't been sweeping the floor frequently, no one would have seen them hiding there."

Qingqing was puzzled and said, "Liu Cairen is under house arrest, and Qingmei is not going to deliver anything. Why does she go to Chengqian Palace to look for Qingzhu every few days? They are not from the same batch of maids."

Qin Liuse and Aunt Mingyue looked at each other and thought that this was indeed the truth.

They are meeting like thieves, and it's not a serious matter. There must be something fishy.

However, by the time she was able to go out, it was already July. During this time, what happened in the palace probably had nothing to do with her.

But Qin Liuse still called Aunt Mingyue and said, "Go open the box and take out some silver or valuable jewelry for Zijin."

"Go again tomorrow and give some to Xiaojiu. Tell her to keep a close eye on it and tell you if anything happens. If she has any accurate information, I'll reward her handsomely."

When Xiaojiu heard the news about Qin Liuse, it was like rain after a long drought.

To her, these words were like an olive branch extended to her, making Xiaojiu feel that her days in the harem had hope, and that sooner or later she would be able to serve Qin Zhaoyi again.

Therefore, she stared at Qingzhu's movements more frequently.

Qin Liuse was also on guard, but she couldn't take any action until something was revealed.

--

It’s almost July, and there are a lot of things to deal with in the palace.

July is the Ghost Festival, which is also known as the Ghost Month among the people. Although Emperor Yongjia did not believe in ghosts and gods, the old traditions in the palace could not be abolished.

On the first day of July, the palace would hold a sacrifice and Taoist priests would enter to perform rituals.

In the end, whether Emperor Yongjia believed it or not, he still had to follow the ancestors' procedures.

Because Qin Liuse was bedridden, she was unable to discuss these matters with Concubine Li.

But in the past two days, people from the Clothing Bureau also came to measure Qin Liuse's body and buy clothes for the sacrifice that day.

Qin Liuse lay there for almost ten days.

In fact, by the fourth or fifth day, the swelling had gone down and she was able to get out of bed and walk around, but Qin Liuse was a person who valued her life and was afraid that walking too much too early would hurt her body, so she stayed in Shu Yuexuan and didn't go anywhere.

By the end of June, Qin Liuse finally got free.

She was free, and the beautiful lady Wen was also finally free.

Knowing that Qin Liuse had recovered and was out, Concubine Wen came to "apologize" with the female commandments that she had copied in the past ten days.

Everyone looks at each other as if their eyes are not eyes and their nose is not a nose.

But on the surface, Concubine Wen put on a humble attitude after being neglected and suppressed by Emperor Yongjia for some time.

Qin Liuse politely accepted her female commandments, spoke a few words to her gently and left the matter alone.

Lady Wen obviously didn't want to stay here any longer, so she sat for just an incense stick of time before saying goodbye and leaving.

After Concubine Wen left, Qin Liuse got up and watched Qingqing and Aunt Mingyue prepare the palace costumes for tomorrow's sacrifice.

Not all concubines in the harem could participate in the July altar this time. Only those above the third rank could follow Emperor Yongjia to offer sacrifices, so the Shangfu Bureau specially made this new dress.

As soon as she entered the side room, Zijin came in and whispered in her ear, "Zhaoyi, the maid Qingmei of Lady Liu used to work in the Shangfu Bureau."

Qin Liuse was shocked. When she heard that Qingmei and Qingzhu met, even though she had doubts, she just thought that they were going to do something bad in the next few days.

Unexpectedly, after her foot healed, the harem was still peaceful. I thought I was overthinking.

But now it seems that the storm has not yet started.

Qin Liuse touched the palace dress with his fingers, frowning and thinking deeply.

Shangfu Bureau?

Could it be that they don't want to cause trouble, but are waiting for her to recover?