No one would be surprised that Wen Yu appeared in the palace. He is His Majesty's nephew and a frequent visitor to the palace. He also entered the palace tonight, and originally planned to go back to the mansion with Ye Ping after the banquet, and didn't want to hear the guards report that something happened to Zhaode Palace.
As soon as he entered the palace, he first saluted Queen Gu.
Queen Gu's complexion was a little ugly, and there was a little guilt in her eyes. She is the master of the harem, and it was her negligence that such a thing happened at her Qianqiu banquet.
Her guilt was to show her attitude, and it was for Wen Yu to see.
It is precisely because she is the queen that she knows better than anyone how much His Majesty values this nephew. Even if she didn't have the heart to win Wen Yu over, she would never offend Wen Yu.
For this Qianqiu Banquet, Zhaode Palace prepared for many days. Everything that should be arranged and taken care of is her trusted confidant. Not to mention where the cat came from, but the dish was obviously tampered with.
If Wen Yu held grudges against her because of this, she would be really distressed. She can bear some grievances, but she is afraid that it will affect the future of the emperor. After all, with His Majesty's respect for this nephew, the emperor will still rely on him in the future.
So she had to express her attitude in exchange for the understanding of the other party.
There has never been a real calm in this deep palace, just now she wanted to suppress the matter temporarily, and she didn't want anyone to obstruct it again and again. That being the case, she might as well investigate the matter.
She motioned Wen Yuping to stand up, and then entrusted the matter to her.
"The king of the county came at just the right time. This palace is already quite frightened, and the concubine of the county is also frightened when she thinks about it. A cat appeared out of nowhere. This matter must be investigated carefully."
She not only sold well, but also gave favors.
Something happened, and she was responsible. So she left the matter to Wen Yu himself to investigate, so no matter what the result was, Wen Yu would not blame her.
I have to say, she is indeed a smart person.
Ye Ping agreed with Jin Gongren's words, this empress is really a caring person.
The so-called nothing is difficult in the world, as long as there is a heart. With such a caring person, it's no wonder that he has been able to sit firmly on the queen's position all these years. No matter what the concubines and princes below are like, no one can shake her and the prince's position.
When they heard that Queen Gu had handed over the matter to Wen Yu, everyone had different thoughts.
No one knows Wen Yu's methods.
As long as this matter falls into his hands, I'm afraid it won't be good.
Everyone felt anxious, afraid that they would be questioned, and also afraid that Wen Yu would interrogate them like a prisoner, so they shrank back subconsciously.
Wen Yu looked at Princess Zhang coldly, "The princess has not answered the question of the king of this county."
Whether Princess Rao Shizhang is his elder or his aunt, she is still shocked by his indifferent eyes and her heart shudders. This nephew is not only unfriendly, but also too unreasonable.
When they first entered Beijing, they intended to win over this person. In terms of blood relatives, the prince is his uncle, even for this reason, he can't have a relationship with them. They used all kinds of strategies, but no matter how the prince showed his favor, this person seemed to be unrecognized by his relatives and unmoved.
"The king is joking, how can I dare to deal with the king. It's just that someone said that the holy cat is psychic, the most able to perceive evil spirits, and thus alert the world. Today is the Queen's Empress' Qianqiu Banquet. Such a thing happened at the banquet. There will inevitably be a lot of speculation.”
Wen Yu snorted coldly, and ordered in a deep voice to invite the imperial physician. The imperial doctor came quickly, first inspected the residue of the dish, and then reported that there was no poison in the dish.
The vegetables are non-toxic, so why did the cat die?
The strange thing is that there is no white foam and blood in the cat's mouth, and it did not die from poisoning.
As soon as the conclusion came out, the ladies in the palace began to whisper.
Ye Ping thought about it just now, these people chose to do something at the empress's Qianqiu banquet, of course the means cannot be as simple as they appear on the surface. She had already guessed that there was no poison in the dish, and the strange smell should be nepeta juice. As for the fishy smell, it may be caused by the rot of the fish itself, or other things, but it must not be poisonous.
She looked to the opposite side again, and found that Princess Qingyang was staring at Wen Yu with a very strange look. It seems to worship and appreciate, but also seems to be unwilling.
Concubine Zhang is a shit-stirring stick, and Princess Qingyang should not be the one to instigate her.
As Ye Ping thought about it, she shifted her gaze to Mrs. Wen. Madam Wen's expression was the same as that of others, with appropriate apprehension and timely worry.
No matter who the people behind it are, the ultimate goal of these people is other things, not human life.
Empress Gu looked thoughtfully at her confidant. The nanny had already stood behind her again, whispered a few words, and her brows were slightly frowned.
At this time, Princess Zhang spoke again, "Empress, since the vegetables are not poisonous, the cat didn't die from poisoning either. According to my wife, everything was accidental."
She was the one who blocked it, she was the one who was suspicious, and now she was the one who said it was unexpected.
The displeasure in Queen Gu's eyes flashed, "What does the county king think?"
She handed over the matter to Wen Yu, of course she had to ask Wen Yu for his opinion.
No one was fine, and no one was poisoned. It seemed that everything was just an accident. However, it was a coincidence that this accident happened at her Qianqiu Banquet. If the princess of the county hadn't noticed that the smell of the food was wrong, then the white cat jumped out and landed on the table of the princess of the county. Once the princess of the county is frightened and has an accident, how will she explain to the prince and His Majesty.
Such scheming here not only harmed the princess of the county, but also alienated the relationship between her and the emperor's son and the king of the county, and also made His Majesty despise her because of this.
What a plan to kill three birds with one stone.
Really high.
Everyone looked at Wen Yu, wondering how he would continue.
"No one in Zhaode Hall keeps cats. I want to know where this cat came from?"
"There are often stray cats in the palace. I think it's just a mistake." It was a concubine who said this.
It is true that wild cats often appear in the palace, but those wild cats usually appear near the cold palace, and they are unlikely to appear in the palaces of concubines, let alone the Zhaode Palace of the empress.
This cat is a white cat, and it does not look like a wild cat in terms of coat color.
"I remember that the wild cats in the palace are all variegated, and there has never been a white one for many years."
If there are white cats in the palace, there is only the royal cat in Wang Huifei's palace, which is only a beauty. But that cat has long hair and a big body, it is definitely not the one in front of me.
In order to prove her innocence, Concubine Wang Hui asked someone to go back and hug the imperial cat.
Ye Ping had heard of this royal cat long ago, after all, it was the first cat with a high rank in the Sheng Dynasty. The cat was hugged by a court lady, staring into glazed eyes, with an air of pampering and arrogance. Most people in the palace had seen it, even if Concubine Wang Hui didn't bring it, no one would doubt that the dead white cat was it.
It is huge in size and shiny in color. When it was held in the arms of Concubine Wang Hui, it looked like an obedient child. Concubine Wang Hui used it to win a lot of favors back then.
"Meow." It yelled at the dead cat on the ground.
No one paid attention to its barking.
Concubine Wang Hui followed its fur and said: "Prince Wen, today is the empress's birthday party, it was just an accident, there is no need to make people panic."
Like her, many people hoped that Wen Yu's major incidents would be reduced to minor ones. After all, as a minister's wife, no one wants to have accidents in the palace, let alone be involved.
Ye Ping stroked her stomach, comforting the child in her belly. Because of the man not far away who seemed out of tune with everyone, she suddenly felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Everyone in the world is afraid of his bad name, even if he was ordered by Queen Gu to accept this matter, these people will only remember his dislike and care about his inhumanity.
He doesn't care, but she does.
"Concubine Hui's words are wrong. If it wasn't for my wife who couldn't smell it, I'm afraid the cat would be frightened when it came out. It's okay for my wife to be frightened. I'm afraid that the cat will disturb you. The empress and all the empresses. It is about the safety of the empress and all the empresses. It is reasonable to be cautious. This cat is not a wild cat in the palace. Naturally, we must find out where it came from. Otherwise, today it is a cat, and tomorrow I'm afraid it's a human being. If something big happens, who will bear the consequences!"
"The princess's words are so scary, and I don't want to spoil the interest of the empress. Since the king and the princess insist on this, I can't say anything else."
Inside the words, they actually regarded Ye Ping and Wen Yu as villains.
Ye Ping smiled coldly, "Miss Hui, it seems that the minister's wife and the county king are troubled. Who knows that it was the minister's wife who was almost frightened just now. The minister's wife doesn't want anyone else to suffer the same thing, but she doesn't want to be seen by the empress. We are determined to go our own way. If everyone is like the empress who wants to be alone when something happens, then who will guard our prosperous territory, and who can give up when the enemy country invades?"
In terms of lip service, she has never been afraid of anyone.
With such a big hat on, I don't believe that Concubine Wang Hui can still sit still.
Concubine Wang Hui gritted her teeth secretly, regretting that she could not hold her breath.
"The princess of the county has a good mouth, I really can't justify it."
"There is no fear if there is reason, and no words if there is no reason. It is not that the minister is eloquent, but that you are wrong, Concubine Hui."
Ye Ping is still the first person who dares to say that a concubine is wrong in the palace.
Ye Ping doesn't like the Wang family the most, and she won't give the Wang family face when the power is weak, let alone now is the time when they are gaining power. Not only would she not give Concubine Wang Hui face, if the other party dared to force her, she would have more powerful words waiting.
Concubine Wang Hui's subordinates became stronger again, and the cat in her arms struggled a bit.
"You are presumptuous!"
"If the courtiers have made mistakes, please point them out. If there are mistakes, you must repent. If the ministers are not wrong, why should you speak presumptuously. Your majesty governs the country with tolerance, and it is most recommended that the courtiers express their opinions directly. How did you come to the empress? , it is obviously a reasonable statement, why would it be reprimanded by the empress?"
Concubine Wang Hui almost failed, she really couldn't bear it. This princess of the county is not trying to reason, she is clearly stepping on her face. If the Wang family hadn't collapsed, why would she be so angry.
"Today is the Queen's Empress's birthday banquet, I don't want to argue with you."
"Thank you, ma'am, for your generosity."
In Concubine Hui's ears, thanking her would be better than not thanking her, and she knew it was mocking her narrow-mindedness.
She wrote down this account.
Ye Ping doesn't care whether Concubine Wang Hui will remember her or not, she and the Wang family have never been on the same side, and they will never stand on the same front. Her gaze met the cat's eyes in Concubine Wang Hui's arms, and there was a faint blue light in the cat's glazed pupils. When the white cat jumped out earlier, the black eyes seemed to have a little bit of blue.
There is a distance of several people between her and Wen Yu.
How should she convey this message in public?
Just as she was thinking about the solution, she saw a dog barking outside the hall.
It's cats and dogs again, it's really lively today.
Just thinking about it, I heard Wen Yu say: "The empress, please allow Liefeng, the sixth-rank captain, to enter the palace."
Lord Liefeng, the sixth-rank captain of the Criminal Division, is a feared figure just like Qian Zhangyu, and he was also Wen Yu's right-hand man when he was in the Criminal Division. It's just that for these years, everyone has only heard about Lie Feng's name but not his name.
Queen Gu has no reason to disagree, but she never expected that a dog would come in. This dog is golden and majestic, with a gold collar hanging around its neck, engraved with the sturdy pattern that can only be used by sixth-rank military officers in the Sheng Dynasty.
Concubine Wang Hui's hand holding the cat tightened involuntarily. The cat seemed to sense her uneasiness, or was suddenly strangled uncomfortable by her, and let out a meowing sound.
Ye Ping looked at the big golden-haired dog, and at the same time was shocked, admiring and joyful. I didn't expect to see this criminal investigation method in later generations.
This man is worthy of being the number one criminal justice in the world!
Wen Yu let Lie Feng smell the smell of the dead cat, and then whispered something in its ear. It flicked its tail proudly, as if to show that it understood.
Everyone looked at it, watching it sniff around the temple.
The cat in Concubine Wang Hui's arms kept meowing. She hugged the cat and stood up to salute, "I want to report to the empress, the white beauty may be frightened, so I will carry it back first."
Empress Gu pondered for a while, and she agreed.
Concubine Wang Hui seemed to be afraid that the white beauty would be frightened by the strong wind, so she deliberately walked around. Her demeanor remained elegant and dignified, no matter how anxious she was, she couldn't move fast.
Gaefeng moved quickly, and it didn't take long to sniff a big circle. Concubine Wang Hui didn't realize that it was already not far behind her, and her tight heart was raised in her throat because she was about to leave the palace.
Suddenly a gust of wind swooped over and bit her skirt.
"ah!"