The palace city during the festival was lit up, and Concubine Lan picked up Ruan Jia all the way back to Yuntai Palace through Long Street. The vermilion walls on both sides of the long street are blue tiles, and the lights and shadows are hazy, just like the heavy clouds that reside in their hearts.

After Jingzhen learned about the poisonous zongzi, he immediately took it down and inspected the Jiuzi zongzi made by Yuntai Palace, and found that there was nothing abnormal about the zongzi themselves, and the problem was the knotted rope that tied the zongzi. And those colored silk threads were originally soaked in some common Chinese herbs in order to avoid insects and increase fragrance. After careful examination, the imperial physician found that these silk threads contained a highly toxic drug called Gansui, and the combination of Gansui and licorice counterflush greatly increased the toxicity, and then had a lethal effect. And the unfortunate raccoon cat in the back garden of Yuntai Palace died of poison precisely because he repeatedly tore the dumpling rope.

This result surprised them, because the rice dumplings at the royal banquet were first peeled, sliced and put on a plate by the palace people who served the meal, and then served to the emperor and concubines. Such an ingenious poisoning method will not have any effect. So, what is the intention of the poisoner?

When the news came, the two sisters had just returned to Yuntai Palace. Concubine Lan immediately summoned Coral and Nan'er, who were soaking silk threads that day, and after a while, the coral was gone.

The palace maid named Nan'er didn't know why, she was tied hand and foot, and knelt outside and sobbed in a low voice through the soft curtain of pine green shadow gauze. After Concubine Lan asked a few words, she saw that she didn't seem to know the inside story, so she asked someone to take her down and take her to custody first.

Ruan Jia saw that she was also wearing a blue gown, and couldn't help but think of the person she saw in the small kitchen that day, so she asked Rushuang: "That palace maid named Sango, does she have a mole under her right eye?" ”

Rushuang said: "How do you know? ”

Ruan Jia asked again: "What about the two sisters, Cai Wei and Cai Fu?" I didn't see them in the daytime. ”

Rushuang Qi said: "They have been in this palace and have never left." Seeing her eyes flicker, she immediately explained: "Miss's bedroom is not allowed to come in the little palace maid in front, and Miss is not here today, so I instructed them to clean up and sweep." A few days ago, when the young lady said that she was sick, the things sent by the emperor and the palaces were put into the warehouse one by one. ”

Ruan Jia asked, "They didn't go to the Yiyuan Palace?" ”

Rushuang saw her asking repeatedly, but she was puzzled: "No." ”

Ruan Jia's heart moved, remembering the figure in the fire in the west hall that day, and the cat meow she heard in the apse today, and then in the small kitchen, Coral lied that Cai Wei and Cai Fu went to the Yiyuan Palace. She turned to Concubine Lan again and asked, "Sister, during the feast tonight, can anyone mention what happened in the Rende Palace?" ”

Concubine Lan was stunned and said, "How do you know?" ”

Ruan Jia clenched his fists slightly, and said word by word: "I'm afraid it is, Xiang Zhuang dances the sword, which is intended for Pei Gong." Fu asked her again: "Sister, can you know that the emperor is really affectionate to his sister." ”

Concubine Lan tilted her head and frowned, "What do you say you are doing here?" ”

Ruan Jia said: "When I saw the emperor today, just based on my words, the emperor firmly believed my sister, for fear that my sister would be wronged in the slightest, so that he completely ignored whether someone was really poisoned. ”

Concubine Lan sneered: "Everyone in the palace who has served the emperor in close quarters knows that the emperor must make people test poison before eating." With such a clumsy trick, he naturally wouldn't be suspicious of me. ”

Ruan Jia knew that she belonged to her, and she didn't want to argue with her about the emperor's affection, so she only said: "The emperor is so good to my sister, and even the charge of poisoning the Son of Heaven can't shake my sister in the slightest." If someone wanted to hurt her sister, what would she do? ”

Concubine Lan was silent, Rushuang opened her apricot eyes and said, "Miss Biao is saying that poisoning was not that person's intention?" ”

Ruan Jia nodded slightly: "Early this morning, I was resting in the hall, and someone deliberately led me to the bamboo forest to check with a cat call. Later, I found a dead cat in the bamboo forest, and found the Jiuzi dumplings we made near the cat's corpse, so I took it for granted that the cat had eaten the poisonous zongzi by mistake. Immediately after that, I went to the small kitchen to confirm whether the Jiuzi dumplings had been sent, and I met Sango, who lied that my sister's cronies were not in the palace, so I had to go out of the palace to find my sister in person. ”

She added: "My sister is deeply favored by the emperor, and the trumped-up charge of poisoning, unless the evidence is conclusive, is not the best policy." If someone wants to poison her sister, it will inevitably be too easy to be exposed. Even if I didn't see the emperor today, the poisonous dumplings were sent to the feast, first, this poison is on the zongzi rope, it is difficult for anyone to be poisoned, and secondly, even if something happens, the emperor will definitely investigate it thoroughly to the end, and return my sister to a clean house. ”

Concubine Lan's eyes gradually brightened, but the melancholy deepened and deepened.

Ruan Jia knew that if she was smart, she must already know the reason: "Therefore, if you want to harm your sister, there is only one way, which is to find a crime that can be confirmed and expose it to the Queen Mother, so as to complete her plan to kill people with a knife!" She took a deep breath and said, "And this crime can probably only be me." ”

From the hidden mansion to the palace, Concubine Lan has always lived alone, and she is cautious and low-key, so it is difficult for people to catch the slightest mistake. And the only possible mistake is that the person in front of him should have been buried in the mausoleum with the first emperor. On that day, she was in a hurry and used the golden cicada's plan to get Ruan Jia alive, but after all, she acted in a hurry, and it was not impossible for any of the rumors to be leaked. After Ruan Jia stayed in Yuntai Palace, although it was isolated from the front hall, it was rare to arouse suspicion, and the fire was ...... From the fire to the poisonous dumplings, to the appearance of coral, every move is interlocking, meaning to guide the people hidden in Yuntai Palace! I'm afraid that even if she didn't meet the fifth eldest princess today, she went to the Yiyuan Palace, and the people behind the scenes already had the means to make the Queen Mother notice her.

Concubine Lan twisted an embroidered handkerchief, fell into deep thought, and said slowly for a long time: "Maybe you are too careful, or wait until you find the coral first." ”

Rushuang seemed to think of something, frowned, and said: "When Miss Biao said this, the slave and maid remembered that the person who mentioned the assassin of the Rende Hall at today's family banquet was ...... It is the palace maid Qiaoyun of Zichen Palace. ”

"Zichen Palace? Min Fei? ”

Rushuang nodded and said: "Yes, because Concubine Min and Ying Guiren had a quarrel and made a big fuss in the Yiyuan Palace, the Queen Mother asked a few more questions." Her palace maid mentioned that the eldest princess had caught a spy......"

Ruan Jia Huoran's eyes lit up: "Previously, we have always wondered why only the zongzi rope is poisonous, but the zongzi itself is not poisonous. As everyone knows, as Concubine Min, she will not poison the emperor at all, and this game is set up just to lure the snake out of the hole. It's a shame that she pretended to be frightened by my pretending to have acne that day, so that she didn't show her face, but let us underestimate it! ”

Rushuang also said: "It seems that she broke into the apse that day, and she had already gotten the news, but we only thought she was playing tricks." ”

The two recalled all the things before, nothing more than to push the fact that Concubine Lan had saved the martyred palace concubine privately in front of the Queen Mother, and Concubine Min seemed to be the most suspicious person.

During this time, Concubine Lan kept her eyes closed, her face gradually became tired, and she interrupted them in a soft voice: "Okay, Rushuang will send Ah Ruan to rest first." Tomorrow, I will ask the emperor to see if I can let my mother enter the palace as much as possible. As long as Ah Ruan is out of the palace, we will be relieved. ”

Rushuang was worried about Concubine Lan's safety, and she was very anxious, and blurted out: "What if it's too late?" ”

Concubine Lan glanced at her, only to hear Ruan Jia's tone was very resolute: "If it's too late, it will cost me my life, and it will never affect my sister!" ”

"Ah Ruan......" Concubine Lan said softly, "I brought you back to Yuntai Palace that day, and I already expected this day." If you don't know how to cherish your life, why should I risk to save you? ”

The warm pavilion was airtight, Ruan Jia stared at the swaying phoenix-tailed bamboo shadow on the window screen, only to feel chaotic and bored in his heart. The three of them had their own hearts, and no one spoke for a while, and they suddenly heard the rumor from the inner and inner supervisors outside the palace: "The Queen Mother has a will!" ”

Ruan Jia and Rushuang looked at each other, and hurriedly knelt on the ground, and Concubine Lan stepped forward to accept the order.

I only heard the old eunuch say loudly: "The Queen Mother's decree is to spread the message to the palace maid A Yuan of Yuntai Palace, and go to Changning Palace immediately, there must be no mistake." ”

Concubine Lan's face turned white, and she looked back at Ruan Jia, only to see her kneel forward, bow her head obediently and say, "Slave Ayuan, I'll go with my father-in-law." ”

After finishing his errand, the old internal supervisor glanced at her with satisfaction and said, "Then let's go." ”

Concubine Lan glanced at Rushuang, Rushuang understood, opened the cabinet and took out a fragrant wood box, grabbed a handful of golden melon seeds from it, stuffed them into the old inner supervisor's hand, and said with a smile: "This Ayuan girl has always been clever, and she has won the heart of our mother. I went to Changning Palace, and asked Grandpa Liu to take care of it. ”

Liu Fuquan squinted at her, he couldn't say what his attitude was, but he still put the golden melon seeds in his pocket: "The old slave only cares about taking people, and it's hard to say whether he takes care of it or not." Besides, the Queen Mother just passed this girl to ask for a question, if the mother has a clear conscience, there is really no need to be too nervous. ”

Ruan Jia saw that he had something to say, her heart tightened, and she only comforted Concubine Lan and said: "Niangniang doesn't have to worry about the slave maid, the queen mother must have heard about the fifth eldest princess, so she called the slave maid to ask clearly, and there will be nothing to do after asking." ”

Concubine Lan nodded worriedly, Liu Fuquan glanced at her, and said with a smile: "Then let's go." ”

When she arrived at Changning Palace, the Queen Mother was talking to the emperor, and she was not reported, but she was only asked to be taken to the dark room to be detained first. There is a row of black holes on the west side of Changning Palace, which is not inhabited on weekdays, some are used to pile up sundries, and some are used as torture rooms for temporary detention and interrogation of prisoners.

Liu Fuquan pushed Ruan Jia into a dark room, then turned around and went out to lock the door. There was only one bench in the dark room, and when the door was closed, it was pitch black and there were no fingers, and all I smelled under my nose was some damp ** smell. Nguyen sat quietly on the bench, her mind full of possible questions and arguments that she felt reasonable.

About a cup of tea had passed, and the sound of footsteps sounded outside the dark room. A short time later, a loud bang was heard, and the door was opened. Liu Fuquan lifted the lantern and said with a straight face: "Let's go." ”

Ruan Jia followed him silently and entered the main hall of Changning Palace. At that time, the Queen Mother was sitting upright, and the six candlesticks pierced her eyes, so she had to bow her head to the ground, and said respectfully: "Slave Ayuan, please say hello to the Queen Mother." ”

The Queen Mother ignored her, and only asked the red calyx beside her: "What time is it?" ”

Aunt Red Calyx replied, "It's almost time, Niangniang." ”

The Queen Mother slowly said "um", and said to the inner supervisor standing below: "You should check, you go to check, it's so late, what are you going to do with the mourning family, take it down." ”

Liu Fuquan was speechless: "This ...... It was the Queen Mother who asked the old slave to pass her on. ”

The Queen Mother snorted coldly: "The mourning family wants people, why did you say that you want to pass her on for questioning?" After you find out, the mourning family will call her master to ask for clarification, what is the use of asking her now? ”

Seeing that Liu Fuquan was still standing on the spot, Aunt Hongcao said, "What are you still doing in a daze!" ”

"Yes." Liu Fuquan pulled Ruan Jia, who was kneeling on the side, "Go down." ”

Ruan Jia straightened up and glanced at the phoenix from afar, only to feel that the brilliance was dazzling, so that people did not dare to force their eyes.

"The slave and maid are gone."

"Wait!" As soon as she bowed and retreated, she was stopped by the Queen Mother, "You raise your head." ”

She slowly raised her head uneasily, only to hear the Queen Mother sneer: "Okay, good." ”