coobybook Chapter 83 The Wind Fills the Tower
Chapter 83 The Wind Fills the Tower
The next morning, at the Imperial Kitchen.
Liu Zhenshan, the head of the kitchen, had just instructed several newly arrived palace servants to prepare meals for their masters.
Then a scream of "Ah—" came from the room where the ingredients were stored.
Everyone rushed to the sound and found a young palace maid sitting on the ground inside the room, her eyes filled with fear and terror, her trembling finger pointing towards the roof beam—
Hanging from there was a young eunuch who had already died, his face deathly pale, his tongue lolling out, indicating that he had been hanging for some time.
When Chen Xun arrived with his guards, this was the scene he saw.
He hurriedly ordered his men to carry the young eunuch down, and then a letter slipped from the eunuch's chest.
Chen Xun's expression changed. He took a few steps forward, bent down, and picked up the light letter.
Upon closer inspection, his thick eyebrows instantly furrowed.
After instructing his subordinates to properly handle the young eunuch's body, he dared not delay any longer and immediately rushed to the Zichen Palace to report the letter to the emperor.
The letter read: "The matter of the Imperial Concubine's attempt to possess Your Highness has caused a great uproar. This servant was the mastermind behind the plot to harm Your Highness. Unable to bear the torment due to my guilty conscience, I have chosen to atone with my death!"
With a loud "smack," Pei Yuanling slammed his palm hard on the dragon table in front of him.
"You scoundrel, how dare you plot against the Imperial Concubine! I will have him torn apart by five horses and his bones crushed to ashes!"
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter is not so simple." Chen Xun clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "If this little eunuch really committed suicide out of fear of punishment, how could he have hanged himself in the imperial kitchen? Wouldn't that be like trying to hide something obvious? Clearly, the real culprit is trying to mislead us."
He had just carefully examined the room where the eunuch had hanged himself. The beams were almost twice his height. If the eunuch really wanted to commit suicide, why would he choose such a high beam?
Unless the real culprit is someone much taller than him, it would be difficult to hang him there.
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuanling lowered his eyes in thought, his long, well-defined fingers tapping the rosewood table absently.
After a long while, the crisp tapping sound stopped.
You're right.
Pei Yuanling slowly raised his eyes and ordered sternly, "Chen Xun, I order you to investigate this case thoroughly and get to the bottom of it!"
Chen Xun nodded and bowed in agreement: "Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission."
After Chen Xun left, Pei Yuanling had a vague idea in his mind.
The Imperial Kitchen Procurement Bureau was previously under the jurisdiction of Consort Shu, i.e., Wei Yiqiu, so this matter is most likely related to her.
The Wei family has been arrogant for so many years, it's time to put an end to their arrogance and teach them what it means to be a ruler and what it means to be a subject.
***
Meanwhile, inside Shuhua Palace.
Wei Yiqiu slapped Zhou Baojin hard across the face: "Idiot, I told you to send him away, not to kill him!"
Zhou Baojin covered his stinging face and gritted his teeth, saying, "His identity has been exposed. If I don't kill him, he'll turn around and sell you out."
Wei Yiqiu knew he was right, but the palace was already in a state of high alert and suspicion lately. If Zhou Baojin were to kill someone at this critical juncture, wouldn't he be inviting trouble?
"Your Majesty, do not be afraid. I have kept this matter secret and will not arouse any suspicion."
Zhou Baojin had already planned that even if the investigation came to light, he would be prepared to shield Wei Yiqiu from trouble and repay her kindness.
The news of a eunuch hanging himself in the imperial kitchen quickly spread like wildfire throughout the palace. Everyone was speculating that it was the vengeful spirit of Consort Chu coming to claim his life.
The concubines were all in a panic. Chu Qingyin, lying on the soft couch, heard the news and sneered: "This little eunuch is nothing more than a scapegoat thrown out."
"Does Your Highness know something?" Kang Luhai asked tentatively from the side.
"How could a mere eunuch have such great abilities, impersonating someone else and running rampant in the palace? Not only did he manage to enter the Cold Palace and poison the concubines, but he also hanged himself in the imperial kitchen?" Chu Qingyin sneered.
Upon hearing this, Kang Luhai nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty is absolutely right."
"However, with this eunuch dead, the trail is broken, and Consort Chu will be unable to avenge herself."
Chu Qingyin's eyes darkened: "That's not necessarily true. The palace is heavily guarded these days, so it's quite difficult to kill someone without leaving a trace."
Chen Xun's ability to gain Pei Yuanling's favor is certainly no small feat.
Moreover, he has Lu Zhiheng behind him.
This matter has become such a big deal, and it hasn't been long since Wei Yiqiu smeared Lu Mingzhu last time.
Even if Lu Zhiheng doesn't care about Lu Mingzhu, as the head of the Lu family, he can't just sit idly by when his family members are being bullied.
If Lu Zhiheng makes even the slightest move, how can Wei Yiqiu possibly have a good time?
Moreover, Wei Yiqiu is now surrounded by enemies and is in decline.
For Lu Zhiheng or Lu Mingzhu, beating a dog when it's down is not a difficult task.
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyin couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her abdomen.
There once lived her unborn child, who was harmed by Wei Yiqiu. She was unable to take revenge then, but this time she would never let that vicious woman go!
**
Because Kang Luhai deliberately leaked the information to Chen Zhongliang, Chen Xun quickly traced it back to Xiao Anzi.
"My lord, I have left the palace, but I know nothing about this matter!"
Xiao Anzi lay on the ground, his newly scabbed wounds throbbing with pain from his movements, causing him to wince in pain.
"How could you not know that an outsider had impersonated you and entered the palace, and had repeatedly moved in and out of the palace?"
Chen Xun stared at him coldly, his eyes filled with fierceness: "I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the hot branding iron next to him, about to brand Xiao Anzi's body.
Xiao Anzi immediately dodged to the side and begged for mercy, "My lord, what I said is all true! I've already been sentenced to death, so it's just death anyway. Why lie to me anymore?"
"Then why do people in the palace say he is also Xiao Anzi? Don't you know if someone has impersonated you?"
"Yes, I know about this, but I really don't recognize this person. At the time, Eunuch Zhou only told me—"
As soon as he said it, Xiao Anzi immediately shut up.
There was clearly something fishy about this. Chen Xun stepped on Xiao Anzi's palm and asked in a deep voice, "Who is Eunuch Zhou?"
Xiao Anzi shook her head frantically, muttering, "I...I don't know, I don't know anything..."
Chen Xun narrowed his eyes.
It seems the person behind this has some status; without some tricks, it will be difficult to get the truth out of them.
Thinking of this, Chen Xun suddenly stepped forward, leaned down and whispered in Xiao Anzi's ear, "I heard that the palace maid named Chunxia is pregnant. I was originally going to let her go, but now it seems—"
"Lord Chen, His Majesty has promised me that he will spare Chunxia!"
"But if His Majesty knew that there was a eunuch in the palace who had not completely severed his manhood and had a child with a palace maid, what do you think His Majesty would think? And what should be done with the eunuch's offspring? Hmm?"
Although the words were not explicitly stated, Xiao Anzi understood the deeper meaning behind them.
Thinking of his beloved outside the palace, Xiao Anzi could no longer resist and prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "My lord, my lord... my child is innocent, please spare my life, this servant will tell the truth!"
Chen Xun snapped, "Then hurry up and speak!"
"Yes, yes... it was Eunuch Zhou Baojin from Shuhua Palace who arranged this."
Zhou Baojin, isn't that the chief eunuch by Consort Wei's side?
Chen Xun clicked his tongue inwardly, and then heard Xiao Anzi continue, "At that time, I was just an unknown eunuch. Because I had a good relationship with the manager in charge of purchasing, I spent some money to sneak out of the palace to see Chunxia. I didn't expect to be caught by Eunuch Zhou when I came back."
"Eunuch Zhou said he had a way to help me settle down with Chunxia outside the palace. I was greedy and agreed. After that, I became the purchasing manager. Strangely, on my first day as manager, I contracted a sudden illness and my face was covered with rashes, so I had to cover my face. Eunuch Zhou said that this was good, as it saved a lot of trouble."
As Xiao Anzi spoke, his face was full of regret: "Although I felt something was wrong at the time, I didn't pay much attention to it. After that, I stayed outside the palace with Chunxia until later when Consort Chu died in the Cold Palace. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to return to the palace, so I secretly came back."
"You know what happened next."