The Inner Court Division found three palace maids with torn clothes.

After some questioning, naturally no one was willing to admit that he had taken His Majesty's jade pendant.

Huang Gonggong was worried about this, and his back, which was not straight, was bent a lot.

These palace maids can tell the causes and consequences of their damaged clothes, and there are even witnesses, he can't be tortured, otherwise he will have a reputation for extorting confessions by torture, and if he really can't come up with anything, he, the eunuch in charge of the inner court, will be able to do it.

When he was in a hurry, someone raised his voice - "The eldest princess has arrived." ”

Gonggong Huang was taken aback, he didn't expect the eldest princess to come to the Inner Court Division in person, so he hurriedly greeted him.

Xiao Yunjiao looked at him casually and saluted: "Okay, this palace heard that the father-in-law is doing things neatly, and he has found three palace maids related to this case, but what do you ask?" ”

Huang Gonggong accompanied the smiling face, "The slave is already interrogating the three of them, but the dresses of these three people were damaged many days ago, and there are witnesses, so I really can't ask them." ”

"Oh?" Xiao Yunjiao raised his eyebrows, his momentum was compelling, "Your Majesty's personal thing, can you still grow wings and fly in this palace?" This palace wants to meet the three of them in person to see if it really has nothing to do with them. ”

"This ......" Huang Gonggong was about to break out in a cold sweat, "Princess Bing, I took someone yesterday and has been locked up in the torture room, and I am ...... at this moment I'm afraid it's not very good-looking. ”

"You're still tortured?" Xiao Yunjiao frowned.

Huang Gonggong hurriedly waved his hand and said, "How can it be! We don't dare to do anything about bending into a trick, but we just locked it up and asked, the torture room is always not very good, dirty and dull, if the princess wants to see them, the slave will bring people up. ”

Soon, the three palace maids were brought to Xiao Yunjiao by the people of the Inner Court Division.

All three of them were ordinary maids of their respective divisions. A maid in charge of passing the meal in the inner kitchen department is called Ying'er, an embroidery girl in the interior division is called Liu'er, and a maid in the flower room of the inner garden is called Ah Rong.

"Tell me one by one, how are your clothes torn?" In Xiao Yunjiao's eyes, Izuku asked on his behalf.

Ying'er of the Inner Catering Division opened her mouth first, "Returning to the princess, the slave's clothes were broken because she accidentally fell on the way back the day before yesterday. ”

Liu Er followed and spoke, "Returning to the princess, the slave's torn clothes were issued last spring, and the slave maid's size has not changed when she is old, so she keeps her clothes for washing, and she doesn't want the room to be damp and wormed, and she has a few holes in the worms." ”

The eunuchs' palace ladies would be given a uniform set of clothes every season so that they could be used for a change of clothes. In addition to the fact that some of the younger ones will grow a little longer every year, it is also more neat and beautiful to replace them in time. Some of the more frugal palace maids and eunuchs will keep their old clothes, and this argument is also credible.

In the end, there was only one left, Ah Rong, and before she could speak, Xiao Yunjiao asked Gonggong Huang first.

"Father-in-law Huang, this little palace maid's clothes are not damaged, why did she bring them too?"

Gonggong Huang nodded and said: "Princess Huiyu, it was the palace maid in the same room who came to report it, she secretly mended her clothes in the house when we investigated, and it happened to be the cuiyi in spring, so she brought it." ”

Xiao Yunjiao looked at Ah Rong, "You stand up." ”

Ah Rong stood up obediently, keeping his eyes on his toes.

Xiao Yunjiao looked at it carefully, and indeed couldn't see any traces of sewing, but the skirt was slightly shorter by two inches, if she didn't know the situation, she would have taken a strip.

"Tell me, what's the matter with your clothes?"

Ah Rong lowered his head and said: "Back to the princess, the slave maid is on an errand in the flower room, and what she does on weekdays is the work of building flowers and trees, and half a month ago, she was not very scratched by the flower branches. ”

After listening to the explanations of the three of them, Xiao Yunjiao roughly knew what to expect.

"Of the three of you, one of them is the one this palace is looking for."

The three little palace maids were all up and down in their hearts, and Ah Rong's head was buried even lower.

Xiao Yunjiao continued: "The palace found a piece of fabric left over from the rockery. You may not know that the color of the fabric made in the weaving room of the interior division is not exactly the same every year, although it is roughly the same, but different dyeing vats, different people, and even different weather may have a slight impact on the dyed fabric.

"As long as you invite the experienced weaving and dyeing palace people to compare, you can naturally know who left this piece of clothing in the rockery.

"This palace doesn't want you to be punished for lying, so be it - this palace will give you another chance.

"Later, this palace will let people take you to a room where no one is there and ask them one by one, if you have any troubles, you have to seize this opportunity."

She said meaningfully, and her eyes lingered on Ah Rong's ordinary face for a moment, and then she waved her hand and asked Huang Gonggong to take the person down.

Although the people took them down, Xiao Yunjiao didn't go directly to them. She was almost sure that the corner of the coat was the one that Ah Rong had left in the Imperial Garden.

She said that her clothes were torn half a month ago, when the first drowning maid died. At this time, lying in this place proves that Ah Rong is trying to hide something.

Xiao Yunjiao is not afraid that she will hide it, but she is afraid that she will not know anything, so she will dry her for a long time, not afraid that she will not panic.

The loss of His Majesty's jade pendant was boiling, and Concubine Cui in Shou'an Palace naturally heard the rumors.

"Has the eldest princess been living in the palace for the past two days?" Concubine Cui leaned on the couch and closed her eyes to recuperate, and the palace maid who was kneeling down was beating her legs.

The grandmother standing beside her whispered back, "I entered the palace yesterday morning, but I haven't left the palace yet, saying that His Majesty lost the personal jade pendant and was upset, and the eldest princess accompanied me." ”

"Children are like playing at home, and it's a matter of losing a jade pendant." Concubine Cui smiled disdainfully, and thought of something else, "The letter from King Jing should have arrived these days, right?" ”

"The slave has been paying attention, today is the twenty-third, there are only a few days left until the end of the month, the prince's letter comes at the end of every month, the concubine and wait."

Concubine Cui's tone was a little displeased, "This palace has been waiting for most of my life, and if I wait, I will be waiting for an old woman!" ”

Mama hurriedly persuaded her, "How can it! The mother's face is still the same, looking the same as when she was not out of the cabinet. ”

Although King Jing is already weak, Concubine Cui is only in her thirties, even if she is called a concubine, she is still a radiant beauty.

Her face is like a hibiscus, her temples are black, and her eyes are full of autumn waves, not to mention that she was a first-class beauty in the capital back then, even now she is full of charm. No wonder the Cui family sent her to the palace with confidence, even if the emperor had a deep relationship back then, the result still allowed Concubine Cui to give birth to the eldest prince, which is now King Jing.

It can be said that half of the Cui family's confidence in the court comes from King Jing.

......

Xiao Yunjiao stayed with Xiao Xunguang to deal with government affairs for an afternoon, and only went to see Ah Rong again until the sun was about to set.

Sure enough, her face was flustered, and she even raised her head, which had been lowered.

"Princess, spare your life."

Ah Rong saw Xiao Yunjiao coming in, and knelt down with a plop.

"Oh?" Xiao Yunjiao pretended not to know, "Tell me, why do you tell me for mercy?" ”

Ah Rong panicked for an afternoon, and had already made a decision, and at this moment he knew everything and said everything.

"Princess, the slave's clothes were indeed torn in the rockery, and the slave and maid lied."

Xiao Yunjiao smiled, "I said it in the daytime, and I am willing to give you a chance to forgive you for your lies." ”

Ah Rong shook his head fiercely with tears in his eyes, "The slave didn't mean to deceive the princess, slave and maid...... The slave saw something she shouldn't have seen and was afraid that she would lose her life, so she lied. ”

Xiao Yunjiao said again: "What shouldn't be seen scares you like this?" Why do you dare to say it now? ”

Ah Rong kowtowed a few times, "The eldest princess is wise, she can come up with a way to compare, if she really compares, she will definitely be recognized as the clothes of the slave." When the slave and maid are poured, they must be considered to be the ones who steal His Majesty's jade pendant, even if they are not, it is also a crime of deception and concealment, it is better to gamble, maybe they can be blessed by the princess and have a way to live. ”

"You're smart." Xiao Yunjiao said.

"The slave maid still asks for something, and I ask the princess for permission." Ah Rong kowtowed a few more times, "What the slave maid saw was enough to make her lose her life, so please let the princess let the slave and maid out of the palace." ”

Xiao Yunjiao didn't agree immediately, but said, "Your current situation, whether you say it or not, is very dangerous. Let's talk about it, and after listening to it, this palace will decide whether to promise you or not. ”

Ah Rong took a few deep breaths, his eyes firm.

"The slave knows...... What's going on with the youkai of the Imperial Garden. ”

Xiao Yunjiao hooked the corners of his mouth.

Ah Rong said a long thing, although it was a little different from what she thought, it was not much different, and what surprised her even more was that Ah Rong had seen it more than once!

"What you said, this palace will go to verify them one by one. Your request, this palace also agrees to you. ”

Ah Rong was about to thank Xiao Yunjiao when he heard Xiao Yunjiao add: "But...... Not now. ”

"You have to be wronged in the Inner Court Division for a few days, and you can only go out after the palace catches the demon in the imperial garden. The external palace will say that it was you who saw the money and picked up His Majesty's jade pendant. His Majesty was very unhappy and decided to let you live in the cell of the Inner Court Division for a few days, are you willing? ”

This kind of punishment is not light for a palace maid, and it will definitely be difficult to live in the cell of the Inner Court Division, but Ah Rong seems to see hope, "The slave is willing, thank you eldest princess." ”

Xiao Yunjiao likes to talk to smart people, and seeing that she is sober-minded, she even looks at her featureless face a lot more pleasing to the eye, so she called Huang Gonggong.

"Gonggong Huang, the palace has already interrogated the results, this little girl named Ah Rong saw the money and opened her eyes, and found His Majesty's jade pendant but did not return it. That's the way it is, father-in-law, you can watch and deal with it. Xiao Yunjiao said.

When Huang Gonggong heard this, he glanced at Ah Rong fiercely, although this petty theft is not uncommon in the palace, but it really made him lose face in front of His Majesty and the eldest princess, and immediately decided to beat this little palace maid well.

Xiao Yunjiao raised his feet and was about to leave, but suddenly turned around and dropped something.

"By the way, you have taken this thing, and the palace will make the decision for Your Majesty, you can take it."

What fell in front of Ah Rong was a good double-ring jade pendant!