first princess

Chapter 172 Kill two birds with one stone (5)
However, the more respectful he was, the darker the empress' face became: "Concubine De! Zhang He is a servant in the palace, and the theft of calligraphy and painting is also a matter of Weiyang Palace. Are your hands stretched too far?"

Concubine De's scalp went numb, and she blessed her body unwillingly: "My concubine dare not."

"I see that you are very brave!" The queen's anger exploded in a flash, "Zhang He! The people who organize the House of Internal Affairs will search for this palace! Dig three feet into the ground and search for the painting sent by the princess!"

"Search... Where are you searching?" Eunuch Zhang asked hesitantly.

The queen stared at Concubine De for a moment, the coldness in her eyes seemed to pierce through her beauty skin that had been disguised for many years and finally showed her true colors: "Chengde Palace!"

Shui Linglong blinked her eyes, followed by the blessings of the crowd, the reason why Concubine De was able to be valued by the Empress in the past was because Concubine De wanted to avoid favors, once Concubine De broke this balance, the relationship between the Empress and her instantly collapsed, adding to the Concubine Shangde bypassed the queen and directly asked the emperor to confer Liang nobleman as Liang concubine, which was a blatant challenge to the queen's authority.And what happened today, from Liang Guiren slapping Shui Lingyue, to her being forced to teach Liang Guiren to plead for Shui Lingyue as a minister's wife, to the current Eunuch Zhang trembling when facing Concubine De... one after another, one by one. All of them showed that Concubine De's influence was so great that it was almost overshadowing her as the empress.Just ask, how can the queen endure it?

Concubine De took a step sideways, blocking Eunuch Zhang's way: "Sister Empress, you called me to search my Chengde Palace, you undoubtedly labeled me as a suspect. There are many people in the palace, just pass it on, my sister. My reputation will be affected!"

The queen's eyes turned cold, and she said in a cold voice, "Zhang He! What are you doing in a daze? I ordered you to search!"

Eunuch Zhang shivered, the soles of his feet were blown by the wind, and he fled the imperial garden like flying!

Concubine De's nails almost crushed the handkerchief in her hand, and said with a sneer: "Empress, if you don't find it, how do you plan to make up for the loss of the concubine?"

The empress's eyes quickly became dark, like a bottomless pool: "Concubine De! Pay attention to your identity! I am the empress of a dynasty, in charge of the Phoenix seal, and I can't even search the bedroom of a mere concubine? What a joke!"

This was another thunderous anger of the queen after she purged the harem last year. The wind in early spring was extremely cold, making all the girls shiver, but everyone present was sweating a little sticky.Even De Fei pretended to be calm, but at the same time became anxious.

The queen's sharp eyes swept away, and ordered someone to bring a few chairs. It seemed that she was determined to stay where she was, and wait for the truth to be found out, so that Shui Linglong and Shui Lingxi could be personal witnesses.

Everyone sat down, and the maids quickly served hot tea. The one for Shui Linglong was a cup of chrysanthemum tea. Shui Linglong leaned on the back of the chair padded with Sixi soft pillows, and drank a few sips slowly. She should be sleepy and rest at this time. , but today's play is really exciting, she has no sleepiness at all.

Shui Lingxi was holding the teacup, hanging it up high as nothing to do with herself, but cooperating with the queen's anger, she expressed a look of concern for the country and the people.

Shui Lingyue glanced at Shui Linglong indiscriminately, her eyes were a bit difficult to distinguish, Shui Linglong had no relationship with her at all, but she came to visit her with her stomach full, she would not believe that Shui Linglong had no conspiracy.But she doesn't care what Shui Linglong plans to do, it's best if she can follow her.Shui Lingyue's sneering eyes glanced at Concubine De, and a layer of anticipation suddenly surged in her heart, Xiao Anzi, you must be that thief!

When Xiao Anzi entered the imperial garden, he found that the atmosphere was very strange. He walked to Concubine De silently. Concubine De covered her lips with the back of her hand and said a few words silently. Xiao Anzi looked horrified, he didn't!
About three quarters of an hour later, Eunuch Zhang rushed over with his fly whisk, slapped the queen, and said out of breath, "Qi... the empress... no... I didn't find it..."

Concubine De smiled: "Oh, empress, you made a mistake in your judgment, the concubine is innocent!" Go back and report to the emperor!
The queen frowned, and stared at Eunuch Zhang: "Didn't you say that only Xiao Anzi was in there? It wasn't Xiao Anzi, could it be you?"

Eunuch Zhang fell to his knees with a thump: "Empress! I owe you a hundred guts, and I can't do such dirty things in the palace! I swear, I really put that painting on On the table, Xiao Anzi was the only one left in the room at that time!"

Concubine De sneered: "When you left, Xiao Anzi was the only one left, but who can guarantee that no one else will go in after Xiao Anzi left? It is hard to guard against house thieves day and night, and the eunuch on duty at night said he didn't see it, maybe he is a thief. !"

The queen slapped the armrest of the chair, and the palace people knelt down on the ground, all silent!

Eunuch Zhang was in a state of contemplation, and after a while, he suddenly shouted: "I just remembered! The absence of Chengde Palace does not mean that Xiao Anzi is innocent! Xiao Anzi has been to several places just now, and it is possible to hide the painting in any corner. of!"

Concubine De snorted coldly: "You mean, no matter which thief steals the painting and throws it in the grass or flowers, it has to be blamed on Xiao Anzi, doesn't it? It seems that the empress is determined today. If you want to embarrass the concubine, then the concubine can only invite the Lord Long Live to come and make a decision!" After speaking, he gestured to the little maid beside him.The little maid wanted to get away, but the queen slapped the table and stood up, "Who would dare to leave the imperial garden without my palace's order?"

The little maid was so frightened that her legs went limp, she froze and did not dare to move.

The queen's words were like ice: "Concubine De! I really want to frame you, and there are plenty of ways to make you go around! I have been in charge of Fengyin for many years, and I have never done anything against my conscience to be sorry for the Lord Long Live! I will investigate today's matter to the end, and I will report to the Lord Long Live after the investigation is over, and it is not your turn for a little concubine to point fingers in front of this palace!"

Concubine De took a breath of turbid air in her throat, and her face was flushed red!

The queen raised her hand: "Check all the places that Xiao Anzi passes by, and also search the Millennium Palace!"

Shui Lingyue pursed her lips, her first reaction was that the painting wouldn't fly into her Yuehua Palace, right?The queen guards herself and steals herself. In fact, she wants to eradicate her, right?Shui Lingyue feels so good about herself, why doesn't she think about it, who would care about a woman who has fallen out of favor?

Eunuch Zhang took the eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Millennium Palace. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs also obeyed the queen, the ultimate object of allegiance was the emperor, and their fairness was beyond doubt.Concubine De was not worried about what Eunuch Zhang could do with this opportunity, she was just afraid... Where did Eunuch Zhang leave the treasure map before he appeared in the Imperial Garden for the first time!But Xiao Anzi and she are both innocent, even if the queen finds physical evidence and puts her life on Xiao Anzi's head, if she refuses to admit it, the queen will have nothing to do with her!As long as she doesn't die, even if Xiao Anzi is wronged temporarily, she still has a way to make Long Live Lord let go.Thinking of this, Concubine De's high hanging heart was slightly relieved.

Shui Linglong had a panoramic view of Concubine De's expression, touched her stomach with bare hands, and smiled lightly, "You look after the little persimmon, whoever dares to bully you, mother will tell her not to eat it and walk around!"
Another quarter of an hour later, Eunuch Zhang came back sweating profusely. This time, he didn't even have the strength to stand up, and he knelt directly on the ground: "Qi... Qi Niang Niang..."

The queen's hand holding the teacup tightened: "Did you find it?"

Eunuch Zhang wiped his sweat and said out of breath, "Search... search... no!"

Shui Lingyue's tense nerves finally relaxed!

The same is true for Concubine De, the queen has a good character, and indeed she has never harmed any concubines or emperor's heirs, but she treats the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain.

Shui Linglong murmured unintentionally: "Not in the palace, did she go outside the palace?"

As soon as she met the person waking up from the dream, the queen's eyes froze and she asked, "Have you searched for the carriages in Pingnanhou's Mansion and Zhenbei Prince's Mansion?" Xiao Anzi has also been to these two places!
Xiao Anzi's eyebrows twitched, and a layer of uneasiness welled up in his heart.

Eunuch Zhang turned around immediately, with a sneer on his lips. When he and the people from the House of Internal Affairs inspected the carriages of the two prefectures and came back, he had an extra scroll in his hand: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We found it! In Pingnanhou Found in the government's carriage!"

Shui Lingxi's mind went blank for a moment, and she retorted almost reflexively: "How is it possible? I didn't steal anything! I've been with you all the time!"

Shui Linglong begged for Shui Lingxi's favor with a solemn expression: "Empress, my wife's younger sister is innocent! Since the empress de concubine said it was a fake, let alone my wife's sister has no chance to commit the crime. Yes, the younger sister of the minister's wife has no motive for committing the crime!"

Who would steal a fake?Unless it's... the real thing!Suddenly, a coldness flashed in the empress's eyes, like a gust of cold wind, and everyone shuddered: "Zhang He! The Tai Tuo is teaching the Seventh Prince homework in the Palace of Qinzheng, you show the painting to the Tai Tuo for identification! See if it's true! Fake?"

Zhang Gonggong "tears streaming down his face", his leg is about to break, is it easy for him?
Concubine De's heart skipped a beat, she vaguely sensed something was wrong, but she couldn't think of it for a while, she snatched the painting from Eunuch Zhang's hand, opened it up, and was dumbfounded!Actually... it's true!How can it be?She just tested it, it's fake!

"Your Majesty! The painting has been swapped! This is not the one just now! The one just now is a fake, this one is the real one!"

As soon as these words came out, the audience was shocked!

Shui Linglong was "surprised" and said: "Ms. De Concubine, forgive me for being rude. My wife really can't bear to see your behavior of disrespecting the empress again and again! The empress wants to search Chengde Palace, you Obstruction; the empress wants to search the place where the Millennium Palace and Angong Road pass, you are sneering; now, the empress has found the lost painting, and you say it was dropped? But who will drop the bag? Who has the courage and ability The painting was lost under the eyelids of the empress? The painting was lost in Weiyang Palace and found in the carriage of the minister’s wife’s second sister. You insisted that the painting was dropped, implying that the empress and the minister’s second sister framed you A eunuch? This is too ridiculous!"

Shui Lingyue looked at the eyes of the queen wishing to eat Concubine De, and suddenly had a feeling that the rain was coming and Concubine De was doomed, thinking of the stumbling block that Concubine De had set her back, she would be in vain if she fell into trouble. For Shui Lingyue!She stood up and said solemnly: "Empress Defei, could it be... You deliberately said that the treasure map is fake, so that people in Weiyang Palace can relax their vigilance, and then you ordered someone to steal it and hide it in Pingnanhou Get on the government carriage!"

Shui Linglong gave a thumbs up in her heart, Shui Lingyue is really on the road!
Concubine De looked at the queen: "That's not the case! The one I just identified is a fake... Someone must have dropped the bag halfway!"

The queen said sharply: "Someone dropped a bag on the way? Who could it be? Could it be Ben Gong? The only ones who had the opportunity to touch this painting and send things to the carriage of the Marquis of Pingnan were Zhang He and Xiao Anzi! Ben Gong And I don’t know how to identify calligraphy and painting! You say it’s fake, so Bengong and everyone else will believe it! Could it be that Bengong will secretly stuff a fake into the carriage of Pingnanhou’s mansion?”

"Your Majesty, I..." Concubine De panicked.

The queen said again: "Concubine Zhen's analysis is correct. You must have deliberately distorted the facts to make everyone, including me, take it seriously, so you can take the opportunity to steal it! Are you thinking, Anyway, it’s a fake, even if I lost Ben Gong, I wouldn’t take it too seriously! And even if Ben Gong checked, I probably didn’t expect that the painting had been moved by you and secretly hidden in the carriage of Pingnanhou’s mansion! Say! You What is the purpose of donating the treasure map to the Pingnanhou Mansion?"

Shui Lingxi lay down with guns one after another, scared out of her wits, knelt down and cried, "Mother! My wife really doesn't know what's going on! My wife and Empress Defei have never met each other! My wife was wronged!" What will happen?She couldn't figure it out, why did the beautiful painting... fly into her carriage?

Shui Linglong wiped away the non-existent tears at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Of course, Shui Lingxi's pig-headedness couldn't figure out the ins and outs of the incident. Originally, Concubine De was not in her calculations, she just wanted to use Xiao Anzi as a stepping stone She couldn't bear to let Concubine De poison the little persimmon, so she temporarily changed the plan.The painting that Concubine De identified in the Queen's Palace was indeed a fake, and the real one was secretly stuffed under the quilt when she and Shui Lingxi were riding in the same carriage.As for where the fake that was supposed to lie in Weiyang Palace went, I have to ask Eunuch Zhang.

Concubine De couldn't keep her calm anymore, she held her chest, feeling overwhelming fear: "This concubine doesn't know... This concubine is wronged, empress!"

The queen would not believe her words anymore, or, given the overwhelming evidence, why didn't the queen take the opportunity to eliminate one or even two rivals for herself and the prince?For example, Concubine De, for example... Xun Feng!The queen glanced at Shui Lingxi, who was shaking from crying, and Shui Linglong, who had a calm face, and said, "Concubine Shui, get up, I believe you have nothing to do with this matter, some people just want to borrow your car and pass something on." That’s all! Come on! Concubine De colluded with Prince Pingnan’s residence to deliberately defraud the treasure map! Concubine De and Xiao Anzi are tied up! I want to face the Holy Palace!”

(End of this chapter)