"Lost it?"

    In the heart nourishing hall, the emperor looked at the eunuch in charge kneeling there and said with a sneer: "a little eunuch can''t see it. You really have more skills than one!"

    The eunuch in charge cried bitterly in his heart.

    Who could have expected that little thing to run?

    At first, didn''t even your majesty think that the other party was going to secretly meet someone and do something?

    "..." Li Ji, who felt that something was implied, whispered: "Your Majesty, calm down... Now the exits in the palace are strictly guarded. I''m not afraid he can escape. As long as he is in the palace, he will be able to find it back."

    The eunuch in charge immediately answered, "yes, your majesty, don''t worry. The slave will catch people back as soon as possible and hand them over to your majesty!"

    Emperor Qingming coldly swept at him: "if so, don''t get out of here!"

    "Yes, yes, the slave leaves..." the eunuch in charge withdrew from the inner hall and wiped the cold sweat on his forehead.

    "Your Majesty, please rest assured that the little eunuch is still young, or he hid in order to avoid temporary punishment, or..." Li Ji said here with a slight pause, and then said, "but it is impossible for people to escape from the palace."

    Joe Biying is destined not to do that again.

    In the final analysis, he is just a small eunuch. Even if he is looking for it, he can''t make a big fuss.

    However, under the name of "making a mistake, evading punishment and missing people", he painted portraits and handed them over to various places.

    Taking advantage of the search for the assassin a few days ago, he "incidentally" searched everywhere.

    I don''t know if it''s too good to hide. After seven or eight days, I failed to inquire about his whereabouts.

    On this day, the Yulin army guarding the Yukun palace was withdrawn.

    It doesn''t matter if you keep it for a few days. Indeed, it can be explained that it is for the sake of the Queen''s safety. If you really keep it for ten days and a half months, especially if there has been no trace of assassins in the palace, it is easy to speculate.

    At least at present, the emperor has no plan to face off with the Wu family.

    After the Yulin army withdrew, the palace people in Yukun palace even felt that the palace became much brighter. These days, when I look up, I can see a group of people with knives on their waists standing on the ground without expression, as if they were going to cover all the sunlight.

    Compared with these palace people, the Queen''s mood is not relaxed at all——

    Until mother Jiang came back from outside.

    "How? Is there any news about xiaochenzi?" the queen asked in a low voice.

    It has been eight days since I disappeared from my childhood.

    During these eight days, she had many guesses, such as whether xiaochenzi had secretly hid, and whether he had been caught and imprisoned by the emperor and disappeared from the outside world?

    But when you think about it rationally, you think the possibility of the latter is very small——

    Xiao Chenzi is just a little eunuch. Even if the emperor is suspicious and wants to arrest him for interrogation, he doesn''t have to bother to play like this. A little eunuch "loses" and "loses". Where is it worth the emperor having so many people looking for so many days?

    If the emperor deliberately wanted to use the news of xiaochenzi''s disappearance to expose her flaws, it would be even more unreasonable - according to common sense, what could she possibly expose herself for the sake of a mere eunuch? The more so, she was afraid that she would be more cautious.

    It was because such speculation could not convince her, and there had been no progress recently, that she became more and more worried.

    Xiaochenzi has a special meaning for her.

    She has been immersed in the muddy water in the palace for many years, and what she sees around her is mostly turbid people and things. Suddenly, such a pure child appears around her, trusts her wholeheartedly and appreciates her——

    In fact, since xiaochenzi entered the heart nourishing hall, she had some regrets.

    She didn''t just say that she wanted to send people out of the palace that day.

    She felt from her heart that the child should not stay in this place all the time. She wanted to send him out. First, she really couldn''t bear it. Second, she wanted to send out the light in her heart and find a trace of freedom for her.

    "Niang Niang......" mother Jiang is a rare woman who wants to stop talking.

    The Queen''s eyes changed slightly: "but there''s news?"

    "Yes..." mother Jiang whispered, "I found it..."

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    eureka!

    The queen dared not relax: "where is it now? Has it been taken back to the heart nourishing hall for disposal?"

    "Back to my mother, I found it in the lotus pond behind Shuchun garden..." mother Jiang tried to keep her voice down.

    But the weight of this sentence in the Queen''s ears could not be reduced at all.

    "... lotus pond?" the Queen''s expression was a little stunned: "how could it be there?"

    Shuchunyuan is close to Qingyang palace where concubine Chen lived. After concubine Chen left, Qingyang palace was empty. But shuchunyuan hanged a Zhaoyi two years ago. Since then, some strange things have happened. Some people say it''s haunted——

    As soon as they came and went, few people set foot in that area.

    "The lotus pond has not been taken care of for a long time. Now, although the flowers have withered, the lotus leaves have not withered, and they have crowded the pond... People are wrapped and floating among the lotus leaves, half hidden and inconspicuous, so they are not found by chance until today..." mother Jiang simplified the news. It is said that the palace man first smelled the smell of the corpse and found the corpse.

    She didn''t mean to elaborate, but the queen immediately asked, "did you ask someone to check the body? Seriously... Is it xiaochenzi?"

    "It''s inconvenient for us to get close, but my maid asked someone to inquire carefully... It''s said that I''ve been soaking for too long, and the weather is hot in recent days, so I''m not like anymore... The body drifted to a corner of the lotus pond, and I don''t know whether it was eaten by something in the water or wild cats and dogs..."

    Mother Jiang whispered, "but the little eunuch who is familiar with xiaochenzi has identified it. It is indeed xiaochenzi... All the things and waist tags on her body are still there."

    "Since it''s said that it''s gone, maybe the little eunuch was frightened and didn''t dare to look carefully? What can dead things such as waist token prove?" the queen still didn''t believe it, or refused to believe it.

    "Empress, the emperor has made a conclusion. He threw himself into the river to avoid punishment. All places have stopped searching..."

    The empress frowned and her thoughts crossed: "in the eyes of the emperor, such a small eunuch is not worth the trouble of someone to cheat on the body. Xiaochenzi has been suspected and continues to keep it useless. Of course, killing his mouth is cleaner than pretending to die... For him, such a small eunuch died after he died. It is also possible not to ask someone to check the body carefully again and again..."

    He also said: "and the child is always smart and cautious. Even if he is suspected by the emperor, how can he secretly throw himself into the river? No, according to our palace, it''s not like what xiaochenzi can do..."

    Mother Jiang sighed at the bottom of her heart.

    Mother, don''t you believe that xiaochenzi is really dead?

    But... In this palace, besides the empress, who will help Xiao Chenzi "fake death"?

    Where did you find the body instead?

    This is not a simple thing. No matter how clever xiaochenzi is, no one can do this, let alone escape the search for seven or eight days in a row.

    At first glance, madam, these ideas have some truth, but after a little consideration, we know that they are unrealistic

    Just when mother Jiang wanted to say something, a maid in waiting came from the outer hall and called out across the screen, "empress --"

    "Come in." hearing her own voice, mother Jiang turned her head.

    The palace maid came in, saluted and whispered, "this is xiaochenzi''s letter. Please have a look at it."

    The Queen''s eyes lit up slightly when she heard this - did xiaochenzi try to send the letter? She knew that this was not a child who could do stupid things!

    However, when her eyes fell on the folded letter paper held in the maid''s hand, her eyes suddenly stagnated.

    The stationery is stained with a little dirt that can''t be wiped clean, and there are traces of slight wrinkles after being wet. It''s obviously not what I wrote recently

    "When the maid came back from Shoukang palace, she used to go to the rockery where she exchanged letters with xiaochenzi on weekdays, and saw the letter under the stone." the maid just came back from Shoukang palace, and she didn''t know the news of xiaochenzi''s accident, so she said, "I think it should have been there for some time."

    The wet mark on the letter was caused by the rain about three days ago.

    Recently, when there was an "Assassin" in the palace, they didn''t go out and walk around. If the empress hadn''t sent her to deliver the Buddhist scriptures in the Empress Dowager''s Palace today, I''m afraid they couldn''t find this letter.

    The queen took the letter.

    If xiaochenzi really pretends to die and has other plans, then this letter must be used to inform her of this plan, and vice versa

    The letter paper was unfolded, which was not good-looking, and even some crooked handwriting appeared in front of us.

    Xiaochenzi and other internal supervisors have no chance to practice calligraphy at all. They have learned some secretly in recent years in order to better convey information to her.

    He has a good understanding and learns quickly. Although he doesn''t have a serious gentleman, he sometimes makes mistakes in writing and occasionally fails to express his meaning, he is still enough to make people understand.

    For example, what is written on this piece of paper is full. Although the expression is biased towards vernacular, its meaning has been very clear

    He said in the letter——

    Empress, I know that something has happened to xiaojiezi. The emperor hasn''t asked anyone to interrogate me. I''m afraid he intends to borrow me to lead out the truth. I always feel that I have been watched from time to time these two days.

    But my mother was relieved that when I used xiaojiezi to handle this matter that day, I had expected it, so I was not unprepared. That night, I revealed to xiaojiezi that this was Xia Shoufu''s explanation. If Nu guessed right, Xiao Jiezi must have confessed that he was instructed by Xia Shoufu. Before Nu left, he would try to do it again.

    That night, when the emperor saw doctor Qiao secretly, Xia Shoufu was also there, so the slave would have this choice. Xia Shoufu is the biggest adviser around the emperor. If he is divorced from the emperor, he wants to be beneficial and harmless to the empress.

    If the matter is discussed with the empress, the empress will not agree. The slave can only make claims. The slave doesn''t know much. I really can''t think of a better way. Please don''t blame the empress.

    I just want to keep my mother safe. There are many dangers in the deep palace. My mother is the one who wants to do great things. Take care, take care.

    By the way, the slave secretly agreed with Tianfu to repay her kindness when she was reincarnated in the next life. Don''t worry, madam. Tianfu will recognize me.

    ……

    The queen held the letter paper and her eyes were full of tears.

    I see

    It turned out that xiaochenzi was to leave her out!

    She said, how could the child do something stupid so easily!

    At the beginning, she just said a word casually and solved a difficult problem for him. She can''t even call it a real life-saving kindness... It''s just such a word. How can he say no to his own life?

    How old is he?

    Only fourteen.

    He doesn''t even know what she''s going to do. What''s big? In the final analysis, she is just for her own private affairs. How is it worth the child to spell out a living life for her?

    The queen took the letter and sat in the comb chair behind her.

    Mother Jiang just glanced at what was written in the letter. At this time, she knew it well. She only raised her hand and motioned the maid to withdraw first, leaving the queen a moment of peace.

    Until lunch had been prepared outside, and the maid in waiting urged him through the curtain.

    As if the queen hadn''t heard of it, mother Jiang said, "madam, it''s time to have lunch."

    "Put it first... I want to sit here for a while." the Queen''s voice was very light, with a little hoarseness.

    For xiaochenzi, mother Jiang could not bear it, but her duty was to remind her mother not to relax at all times: "Xiao Chenzi''s body has just been found today. Although the Emperor may not notice her, he is not afraid of ten thousand. If she doesn''t even use the prepared lunch, she is afraid it will look different... Isn''t it a waste of Xiao Chenzi''s efforts?"

    The Queen''s eyes reddened and looked down at the letter paper in her hand.

    Mother Jiang whispered again, "this is xiaochenzi''s choice. The maid believes that when people do what they really want to do, they will be peaceful when they leave... The old man often said that if people leave with peace and goodwill, they will be able to vote for a peaceful and good family in the afterlife."

    "Really?" the Queen''s voice was low.

    Mother Jiang nodded, "I will."

    Although she made up this sentence now, the old man often said that the old man in the is just herself.

    But she believed that xiaochenzi would be blessed in the afterlife.

    She seldom saw her mother like this, but it just proves that her girl has always been her girl, and her heart is still fresh and alive without becoming numb.

    "Mother, please eat less..." mother Jiang came forward and helped the queen with an arm.

    The queen stood up, folded the letter neatly and put it into the secret box by herself.

    On the other side, Han Yan, commander of the arrest guard, has just left the heart nourishing hall.

    The emperor called him into the palace and ordered him to keep an eye on Xia Shoufu and the people around him, and strictly investigate all people and things related to Xia Shoufu without any mistakes——

    Such a large area, I''m afraid there will be a storm above the chaotang

    But the reason is not what he should ask.

    After Han Yan left, Emperor Qingming got up from Luohan''s bed and said, "go to Yukun palace."

    The Duke of Zhenguo will be in Beijing in three days at most.

    There is something already planned. I need the Queen''s help