Chapter 36: Lady Ning Will Dig Three Feet Into the Ground

A short while later.

The palace maids and eunuchs of Changchun Palace stood in the courtyard.

There was one head palace maid, four second-rank palace maids, and four third-rank palace maids.

There was one head eunuch, four second-rank eunuchs, and four third-rank eunuchs.

Except for the third-rank palace maid Chunni who had been poisoned and died in the Department of Punishments, the remaining seventeen were all present.

Ning Wanyin sat quietly on a rattan chair on the steps of the courtyard and looked at Lianrui, instructing, “Begin.”

Lianrui was familiar with the process. Holding a register in one hand and a brush dipped in ink in the other, she walked to Chunque:

“Please tell me, your age, when you entered the palace, do you have any relatives at home? When did you start serving Concubine Shun? Who did you serve before serving Concubine Shun? Do you have any close friends in the palace?”

“What are you interrogating me for? I am loyal to Your Ladyship!” Chunque said angrily.

Lianrui answered calmly, “Since you are loyal, what’s wrong with telling us?”

“You…” Chunque was speechless for a moment.

“Our mistress said that any palace maid who disobeys orders will be expelled from Changchun Palace. But you are Concubine Shun’s confidante, Concubine Shun is pregnant, and she needs you to serve her. If you leave the palace, wouldn’t you be betraying Your Ladyship’s kindness? So, please tell the truth, don’t just leave and be disloyal and unrighteous.” Lianrui said with a smile, hiding a needle in cotton.

Chunque was both angry and anxious.

Even if she was kicked out, she was still the disloyal and unrighteous one?

What kind of mistress has what kind of maid. This maid also has a nasty mouth!

Chunque had no words to retort, she could only answer truthfully.

Little Guizi, who came along, was dumbfounded. Our mistress didn’t even say a word, and the head palace maid of Changchun Palace was already obedient.

Lianrui truly lived up to her reputation as the mistress’s personal maid.

This was the first time he had encountered a mistress who was in charge of taking care of a concubine.

Concubine Shun was of high rank and was pregnant, he had guessed that the mistress would have a hard time, but he didn’t expect that she could still handle it steadily.

He couldn’t interject, so he could only diligently grind the ink to show that he was also useful.

Starting with Chunque, all the palace maids and eunuchs answered one by one, and their information was recorded in the register.

Lianrui held the register and returned to report, “Mistress, we have finished asking. Next, we only need to investigate the people related to them and verify them one by one.”

“Very good. Little Guizi, copy down their family information outside the palace and ask the eunuch in charge of external affairs in the Internal Affairs Department to verify it, to ensure that we know their family’s whereabouts. If anyone commits a crime that warrants the execution of nine generations, it will save some people from sending their families away in advance.” Ning Wanyin said calmly.

As soon as she finished speaking, the faces of many palace maids and eunuchs turned pale.

Chunque cursed in her heart, Poisonous woman! Using their family’s lives as a threat, such a style, truly a vicious person.

“Yes!” Little Guizi quickly accepted the order.

Ning Wanyin instructed again, “From now on, clean Changchun Palace. Not only Concubine Shun’s residence, but also the servants’ quarters, not a single place can be missed.”

This was clearly a search of the palace, to check if there was anything unusual hidden in Changchun Palace.

This was a common practice.

The palace maids and eunuchs accepted the order.

Soon, all the rooms in Changchun Palace, inside and out, were thoroughly searched.

Ning Wanyin didn’t find anything in the servants’ quarters…

Anyone with a brain wouldn’t dare to hide it directly under the bed, this…

It was to be expected.

“Mistress, everything is normal for now.” Lianrui reported.

Ning Wanyin nodded slightly and pointed to the flowerbed in front of her, “Continue, dig up this flowerbed.”

“These are all our Lady’s favorite peonies, rare varieties specially sent from the flower house, if you damage them, what will you use to compensate?” Chunque retorted.

Ning Wanyin glanced at her, a faint smile on her lips, “So precious? Then isn’t it more important than the dragon fetus?”

Chunque choked, “Of course it can’t be compared to the dragon fetus…”

“Then why are you talking so much?” Ning Wanyin’s face instantly turned cold, she said coldly, “Anyone who interferes with my care for Concubine Shun, affecting the dragon fetus, will be dragged to the Department of Punishments.”

Chunque was furious but dared not speak, she could only grumble in her heart. You pull up the Lady’s peonies, what does that have to do with protecting the dragon fetus?

You’re just ruining Changchun Palace and bullying our Lady.

Next time I see the Emperor, I must report this to him!

With Ning Wanyin’s words, the remaining palace maids and eunuchs dared not be negligent. Several eunuchs picked up hoes and started digging…

Little Guizi saw this scene and felt a sense of familiarity.

Our mistress really digs wherever she goes! Is her hobby digging three feet into the ground?

The eunuchs dug for a while, almost digging a foot down into the entire flowerbed, when suddenly one eunuch, with a swing of his hoe, hit something hard.

He dug it out, it was a square lacquer box.

“There’s something!” Lianrui had been watching, she rushed over and dug out the lacquer box, presenting it to Ning Wanyin:

“Mistress, I dug out a box.”

“Be careful, in case there are any mechanisms.” Ning Wanyin reminded her, her gaze sweeping over the palace maids and eunuchs.

Everyone had a look of astonishment, except for one palace maid whose eyes darted around.

But it was only for a moment, then the palace maid also put on a look of astonishment.

Ning Wanyin withdrew her gaze, pretending not to notice anything unusual.

Little Guizi picked up the lacquer box with a hoe from afar, the box had a copper clasp, but it wasn’t locked.

He opened the lacquer box, and inside lay half a box of dried safflower.

“Safflower!” Chunque screamed.

Since Concubine Shun became pregnant, safflower and things like that were the most carefully checked, everyone recognized it at first glance and took a step back.

“How could there be safflower in the flowerbed?” Chunque was incredulous.

Concubine Shun had been lying on the warm couch in the inner chamber, quietly observing what Ning Wanyin was doing. When she heard that safflower had been dug up from the flowerbed, she also hurried out from the inner chamber.

Everyone was stunned.

Ning Wanyin narrowed her eyes and said calmly, “Since that palace maid tried to harm Concubine Shun, how could she guarantee that she would succeed the first time? It’s not surprising that there is some leftover safflower.”

No one could guarantee that they would succeed in poisoning someone the first time. What if the soup was spilled? What if the safflower was discovered beforehand? What if the Lady didn’t drink it cold and changed to a different bowl? …

The person who did it would at least have to make sure there were several doses.

In case something went wrong the first time, they could continue to poison her the second time.

But Concubine Shun’s palace was very well guarded, it wasn’t easy to pass things in from outside, it was impossible to get the medicine once and then get it again, the risk was too great.

Therefore, it was normal for there to be leftover safflower in Changchun Palace.

Ning Wanyin asked directly, “Who usually takes care of this flowerbed?”

Three third-rank palace maids knelt down trembling.

One of the older palace maids kowtowed and said, “It’s us. This servant doesn’t know when Chunni hid the medicine here, this servant didn’t notice, this servant deserves to die.”

Chunni had already confessed during the interrogation and died in the Department of Punishments. She and these three were responsible for sweeping the courtyard and pruning the flowerbed.

She didn’t confess that there was leftover safflower hidden, was it to give her accomplice a second chance to poison her?