After talking with Su Luo and some other ladies, the Empress too nap. But she was woken up by the madam after less than an hour. "Her Majesty, Lord Wu has entered Meeting Hall.
The Empress immediately came to her senses and ordered, "Send someone to keep an eye on Meeting Hall. If the Emperor sends a eunuch to the Shu Ya palace, come and report to me. I'll personally go to see the wonderful show. I'm afraid she will fall to the bottom this time, as well as his son this time."
Seeing the rare joy on the Empress' face, the madam replied, "Your Highness. I'll arrange it right away."
The Empress didn't want continue her nap. After the maids help her up and get her dressed, she sat quietly on the chair, waiting for the messenger to come back.
About an hour later, the messenger rushed back.
Perhaps it was because the eunuch ran so fast that he kept panting and could not say a complete sentence. The Empress was a little anxious, so she just ignored him and ordered the madam to go to Shuya Palace with her.
Hardly had they stepped out of the door, the eunuch hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it's not Lady Shu. Your Majesty..."
The Empress halted her step and turned around with a frown. She asked in confusion, "Not Lady Shu? What do you mean?"
The eunuch replied, "Lord Wu asked me to tell Your Majesty that he failed." "What?" The Empress's face was a little stiff. Tailed? What's going on?" Her voice became cold.
The eunuch knelt on the ground and said in a low voice, "Lord Wu said that His Majesty's face suddenly changed when he heard the birth date on the stone tablet. However, just as His Majesty ordered to call Lady Shu and Prince Qi, Lord Li Qianmo from the Ministry of Justice suddenly came in."
"Li Qianmo? Does he work for Lady Shu? What did he go there for?" The Empress frowned and had a bad feeling about it.
The eunuch continued to report, "Lord Wu said that Li Qianmo went to report to His Majesty that an old craftsman who is good at carving in Jin City has died."
"Why did he report the trifle matter to His Majesty? Yamen could investigate the case," said the Empress unhappily.
"What a coincidence! Li Qianmo said that he found a note in the craftsman's house. The words on it were exactly the same words on the stone tablet that has been found in Jin'an Town." The eunuch lowered his head and said in a trembling voice.
Astonishment flashed through the Empress' eyes. She thought for a moment and said, "Is that old craftsman...
The eunuch replied in a hurry, "Yes, he is the one who carved the stone tablet for us."
Hearing this, the Empress' face darkened. She thought that nobody would think the stone tablet had anything to do with her and the inner palace since she placed it in Jin'an Town. But she didn't expect that something would go wrong with the craftsman. "What's going on? Didn't I specially tell you to get rid of the craftsman and clear all the traces? How could you leave the note in his house?'
The eunuch answered in a hurry, "I'm sure we have destroyed every possible evident. Lord Wu said that it was the table in the craftsman's house where he found the note. We must've seen it If it was really placed on such a conspicuous place. We have checked many times, but we haven't noticed any paper on the table..."
The Empress' eyes were filled with coldness. "Do you mean that someone else has been to the craftsmen's house after our men?"
"Ex...Exactly." The eunuch answered in a low voice, lowering his head.
"Few people know about it. How could such a thing happen?" The Empress sneered and said, "There must be a traitor among the killers we sent. Kill them all."
The eunuch replied and knelt on the ground.
After a long silence, the Empress continued, "What else did Li Qianmo find?"
"Lord Wu said that Li Qianmo sent people from the Ministry of Justice to inquire around the neighbor of the old craftsman. A middle-aged man stated that he had seen a man who came to look for the old craftsman. He said it is very likely that he is an eunuch in the Palace judging from his sharp voice, beardless face and orchid fingers."
The Empress clenched her fists in her sleeves. After a while, she sneered, "Well done! Lady Shu! Li Qianmo! Great!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess