flstandardbreds Chapter 150 Darkness
Chapter 150 Darkness
Because of doubts in her heart, Qin Liuse couldn't help but become suspicious of the clothes in front of her.
She and Aunt Mingyue checked the clothes carefully from head to toe, but could not find anything wrong with them.
But this made her feel even more uneasy.
"According to the palace rules, the concubines' palace robes have interlayers with a piece of talisman paper sewn inside. After the sacrifice is over tomorrow, someone will take out the talisman paper and burn it together." Aunt Mingyue hesitated, "Could it be that someone has tampered with the talisman paper?"
It is indeed possible. If at that time, the talisman paper taken out from Qin Liuse's clothes is different from that of others, it would be very easy to accuse her of a crime in public.
Moreover, with so many people, it was difficult for Emperor Yongjia to do much maintenance.
Zijin listened to them and said thoughtfully, "Xiaojiu did mention that Qingzhu and Qingmei mentioned some talismans, but she said she was far away and didn't hear it clearly."
Qingqing, who was standing nearby, heard this and exclaimed, "Oh my!" "Why don't we take it apart and have a look?"
Qin Liuse waved her hand, signaling them not to act rashly. "The sacrificial robes are all sewn in one piece. It would be too much work to take them apart. The talisman paper inside is fixed. If we just cut it open, it will ruin the robe."
If that happens, they will charge you with taking off palace clothes without permission, which would be another crime.
Qingqing was so anxious that she was running around in circles. Qin Liuse narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking about the people here.
In the past few days, one thing after another seemed to have nothing to do with her, but it seemed that they were all directed at her.
Not to mention tomorrow's sacrifice, whether they can see today's palace costumes clearly is another matter.
Maybe this was not the case at all, and what Xiaojiu said was false?
Before everything came to light, she was still a mountain dweller and could not see the full picture. She could only make vague guesses and estimates.
But all in all, everything would be best if Qingzhu, this troublemaker, is removed as soon as possible.
"Go and ask around. I want to know the relationships between these people in the palace." Qin Liuse ordered.
Aunt Mingyue nodded, took some silver and jewelry, and went to ask a trustworthy person to do the job.
--
Qin Liuse imagined various possibilities in his mind. It must be said that the sacrifice in the palace was a very good opportunity.
Firstly, there were enough people. If they could bring her down and embarrass her, she would lose face in front of everyone in the harem.
Secondly, because there were so many people and the occasion was so formal, even if Emperor Yongjia favored her, he could not spoil her in front of so many people.
Otherwise, you will always be accused of being blinded by lust.
Besides, Emperor Yongjia usually treated her well in private.
Emperor Yongjia never showed favoritism to any of his concubines in public.
Perhaps he thought that concubines were matters of the harem, and on the surface, the relationship between the monarch and his subjects had to be maintained in a proper manner.
Concubines are merely subjects who have a bed relationship with the emperor.
Therefore, Qin Liuse's first reaction was to block the path of placing hope on Emperor Yongjia.
If I had gone to Emperor Yongjia before something happened, he would have just thought I was being suspicious.
So, we still have to do something.
Qin Liuse ate lunch while thinking about random things. He took a nap in the afternoon, rinsing his mouth and eating sweet porridge when Aunt Mingyue came in from outside and whispered in Qin Liuse's ear, "Xiao Baozi found out that Xiao Jiu, who is among the palace servants, likes to gamble."
Love gambling?
As soon as Qin Liuse stopped holding the spoon in her hand, something became clear.
Nine times out of ten, you can’t trust what a gambler says.
Aunt Mingyue took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, "That Qingmei has a sister who also works in the palace. It is said that Xiaojiu owes her a lot of money."
Qin Liuse took the paper, and on it was written the relationship between Xiaojiu and other people in the harem, as well as Qingmei and her sister, a series of people.
Qin Liuse raised the corners of her lips, but she was sneering coldly. If this was true, these people were working together to set a trap for her.
She closed the paper, folded it, and handed it to Aunt Mingyue, "Keep it well, maybe you can use it in the future."
Aunt Mingyue put the paper away and asked, "Zhaoyi, do you want to ask about Xiaojiu?"
Qin Liuse shook her head. "No, let's wait and see what tricks they can reveal."
Aunt Mingyue thought for a moment and said, "If you owe a debt, it makes sense to follow Miss Qingzhu's instructions, but I don't know what they are going to do."
Qin Liuse thought about it and felt that she had to do it tomorrow. If they missed such a good opportunity, it would be difficult to find another one.
For a moment, Qin Liuse shifted his gaze to the palace clothes next to him. Such an opportunity was a great opportunity to make something of it.
However, those talisman papers were buried as soon as they were taken out on the spot. Qin Liuse shook his head and gave up the idea of doing something with the talisman papers.
Even if there was a problem with the talisman paper, it was not her fault and could not be blamed on her.
What about the others?
"Do you know the details of Sister Qingmei?" Qin Liuse asked again.
Aunt Mingyue said, "Now I work in the clothing department, doing sewing and embroidery."
Qin Liuse and Aunt Mingyue looked at each other, and after thinking it over, they simply asked Qingqing to hang up the palace dress.
There were three maids and one master in a room. They checked the palace clothes from top to bottom, inside and out, front and back, touching and smelling them, and looking at them carefully with lamps, as if they wanted to see a hole in them.
Qin Liuse's eyes had never been so tired.
Fortunately, it is still afternoon. If we come to see it at night, the palace robes are used for sacrifices, so they are made of dark fabrics. We would be blinded if we see them at night.
Suddenly, Zijin pointed to the area of cloth where the talisman paper was sewn and said, "This area seems a little different."
Aunt Mingyue and Qingqing came forward one after another, touched it again and again, but could not see any difference. "Isn't it because there is paper at the back that it feels different?"
Zijin frowned, as if he was still doubting his own judgment.
Qin Liuse followed closely and touched and looked at it. He felt that it seemed different, yet also seemed to be no different.
Because of this, Qingqing and Aunt Mingyue each brought two candle lamps with lampshades in their hands. Because they were too close, they were afraid that the palace robes would be burned, so they used lampshades.
Zijin brought the palace dress to his nose and smelled it, while Qin Liuse rubbed the cloth on his face.
The touch on the hand is different from that on the face. When you rub it, it does seem a little different.
"Zhaoyi, there is indeed something wrong." Zijin suddenly remembered something and said, "I can't smell anything, but there is more or less some residue. This piece seems to have been coated with flammable potion. If it is close to a fire source, it will easily catch fire."
For a moment, Qin Liuse felt that all the hairs on his body stood up.
What a deep conspiracy! If the nun brings the copper incense burner with paper ashes close to it tomorrow and sparks fly out, she will die on the spot without a burial place.
Even if Emperor Yongjia was the ruler of a country, he couldn't save her when encountering such a fire.
People at that time were superstitious. If the time came and the perpetrator spread the word that she was the reincarnation of a demon and that God was going to take her away, she would have no good reputation both before and after her death.
--
The next day, the first day of July, all the concubines above the third rank in the harem got up early in the morning.
After getting dressed, they went to Ci'en Temple together.
The emperors of this dynasty were buried in the imperial mausoleum after their death, but there is a ancestral hall of the Xiao family in Ci'en Temple, and today's ritual will be held here.
Emperor Yongjia had not arrived yet, but the front of the ancestral hall was already crowded with people.
The sacrificial ceremony was a very solemn matter, and all the people in charge of sacrifices and rituals in the palace were present.
However, according to the rules of this dynasty, only the emperor and empress could enter the ancestral hall during sacrifices. Therefore, these concubines, no matter how high their status, could only stand outside and wait for Emperor Yongjia, the only adult male in the harem, to come.
After Emperor Yongjia finished dealing with state affairs, he rushed to Ci'en Temple before the auspicious time.
The palace maids and concubines, who had been somewhat undisciplined, immediately lined up in neat rows.