flstandardbreds Chapter 167 The Difficulty of Clearing the Clouds to See the Sun
Chapter 167 The Difficulty of Clearing the Clouds to See the Sun
With a worried look on her face, Xiao Yanzi said to Hongli, "Your Majesty, this mysterious matter is becoming more and more perplexing. The little eunuch's confession and the altered account books of the Imperial Household Department are all shrouded in mystery, making it difficult to discern the direction!"
Hongli looked grave and comforted her, "Empress, don't panic. I'll face this with you and we'll find the flaws. The matter of the Minister of Rites is suspicious, and I've already dispatched more people to secretly investigate."
Consort Ling, standing by her side, whispered, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I think we might start with that man in black. Since he can threaten the eunuch, he must have some trace in the palace."
Hongli nodded: "What Consort Ling said is very true. Su Peisheng, pass down the order to have the guards thoroughly search the palace for any suspicious persons, especially the figure of the man in black."
Su Peisheng hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant will take care of it right away."
Yongqi stepped forward and said respectfully, "Father, I am willing to go and help. I will do my best to assist in finding clues."
Hongli said with satisfaction, "Yongqi is very thoughtful. Go ahead."
Xiao Yanzi turned to A Zhu and Xiao Tao: "You two shouldn't be idle either. Go to various parts of the inner palace and quietly inquire about anything unusual. If you find any news, report to me immediately."
Xiao Tao said firmly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will certainly not fail in my mission."
Azhu also said, "This servant will investigate carefully with Xiaotao."
Outside the palace, Hongzhou's men followed the martial arts figures to a secluded manor in the north of the city. One of them reported, "Your Highness, they've entered the manor. There seem to be sentries around it; we dare not approach too closely, lest we alert them."
Hongzhou pondered for a moment: "Continue to monitor the perimeter without letting up. I will go to the palace now to discuss this with my elder brother."
When Hongzhou entered the palace and saw Hongli and Xiaoyanzi, he said urgently, "Your Majesty, I sent people to follow them to a manor in the north of the city. The security is tight, there must be something fishy about it. It may be the lair of that mysterious organization."
Hongli's eyes sharpened: "Oh? This estate must be thoroughly investigated. Hongzhou, you lead a team of men, together with General Zhaohui, to secretly surround the estate. Under no circumstances should the news leak out."
Hongzhou accepted the order: "Your subject obeys."
Little Swallow asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, the situation at this estate is unclear. Will Hongzhou and the others be in danger on their journey?"
Hongli grasped her hand: "Your Majesty, rest assured, Hongzhou is skilled in martial arts, and General Zhaohui is resourceful. They will act with caution. I will also be on guard in the palace to prevent them from using feints to attack from the opposite direction."
At this moment, Princess Hejing ran over and tugged at Xiaoyanzi's sleeve: "Empress Mother, I have heard that there is unrest in the palace, and I am afraid."
Little Swallow crouched down and hugged the princess: "Princess, don't be afraid. Your mother and father will protect everyone and won't let the bad guys succeed."
Qing'er followed, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, Qing'er is willing to help take care of the princess in the palace and also keep an eye on the surroundings."
Hongli praised, "Qing'er is sensible. With you by the princess's side, the Empress and I feel more at ease."
The head steward of the Imperial Household Department came to report again: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, this servant has carefully checked the account books and found that the alterations seem to be related to a batch of newly arrived porcelain, but the porcelain has disappeared."
Little Swallow pressed on, "Who was in charge of purchasing the porcelain? Is there any record?"
The head steward said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, it is a minor official named Wang Er who is in charge, but he has been missing for several days."
Hongli angrily said, "How could such a matter be handled so carelessly? The Imperial Household Department should thoroughly rectify this! Detain the relevant personnel first, and then deal with them after the matter has been investigated."
Xiao Yanzi said, "Your Majesty, I think this porcelain matter is definitely related to a mysterious organization. Perhaps they are using the porcelain to smuggle something into the palace."
Hongzhou said, "Your Majesty, I think so too. Your Majesty, I will go to the estate to investigate and find out the truth."
Hongzhou and General Zhaohui led their troops to quietly surround the manor. Just as they were about to sneak in, the manor suddenly lit up with lights, and a man laughed loudly, "Fifth Prince, General Zhaohui, how have you been? Do you think you can easily break into my manor?"
Hongzhou shouted, "Who are you? How dare you plot in the palace? Surrender now!"
The man replied, "Surrender? You have no idea what kind of predicament you're in!"
Tensions were high between the two sides, and a fierce battle seemed inevitable. Meanwhile, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli anxiously awaited news in the palace, wondering whether Hongzhou and his entourage would be able to successfully unveil the mystery of the organization, overcome the numerous crises, and restore peace to the palace.
This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.