The most beautiful lady in the harem

Chapter 73: Rare Stars and Moons

Qin Liuse certainly knew that what she did was not right, so she politely declined to dine with the emperor and hated not even talking to him. She was probably the only one like him in the harem.

But she was dissatisfied in her heart. She was dissatisfied with Emperor Yongjia, and she was dissatisfied that she might not be able to hold back her tears while having a meal with him later.

Today, she will be willful for once.

The emotions that had almost calmed down were disrupted by the sudden visit of Emperor Yongjia.

When Qin Liuse thought about the rumors that would happen in the palace tomorrow, he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.

It’s so embarrassing!

After exiting Yongshou Palace, Qin Liuse and Aunt Mingyue walked towards Shuyuexuan.

When stepping out of Yongshou Palace, perhaps because Emperor Yongjia was present today, Qin Liuse relaxed his shoulders imperceptibly.

Getting along with Emperor Yongjia was more stressful than getting along with the Empress Dowager Cixi.

The journey from Yongshou Palace back to Shuyuexuan is not short, and one has to pass through the palace of the late queen.

However, now, the former queen's palace has long been deserted. Without this master, it is like a pile of loose sand, lifeless.

Except for the old man who previously served the queen personally, most of the other servants have been assigned by the Shanggong Bureau to serve elsewhere.

Passing by Kunning Palace, Qin Liuse couldn't help but slow down his pace, looking up at the palace gate and the words "Kunning Palace" written on the plaque.

Aunt Mingyue did not disturb Qin Liuse, but just stayed beside her.

After a long while, Qin Liuse finally moved.

But at this moment, an aunt walked out of Kunning Palace. She was the head maid who had served the late queen for many years.

When the emperor went to Famen Temple before the New Year, Qin Liuse saved the life of the late queen. When the old aunt saw her, she smiled kindly and quickly came out to greet Qin Liuse.

Now that the former queen is not here, there is no one to serve in the palace. Qin Liuse exchanged a few pleasantries with her old aunt and couldn't help asking, "Aunt, do you have any plans for the future?"

The old aunt smiled and said, "At my age, I am already past the age to leave the palace and find a good family."

The late queen's family was prominent, but the old aunt did not want to go back to the late queen's parents' home. Without the girls in the mansion, she was powerless to serve anyone.

After much thought, she decided to go to the imperial mausoleum to keep vigil for the late queen.

"After my daughter's funeral is over, I'll pack my bags and go there. Although that place is remote, it's quiet."

There is no one in charge of Kunning Palace now, so as an old lady, she will temporarily be the manager here to clean up the mess.

Many of the palace maids around the late queen were brought from her natal family. Emperor Yongjia meant to let them deal with it on their own and they did not have to stay in the palace.

Emperor Yongjia seemed like a cold-faced emperor, but he was generous in this respect and did not trap the late empress's people in the palace to death.

However, Qin Liuse was still a little surprised. She didn't understand why her old aunt was still in the palace after three months.

The old aunt pulled Qin Liuse aside. No one had talked for a long time, so when she met Qin Liuse, she started chatting. She told Qin Liuse that this was because Emperor Yongjia's people were still investigating the cause of death of the late queen, so there had to be an old man in the Kunning Palace.

She followed the late queen into the prince's mansion and later came to this imperial palace. She watched the late queen grow up since she was a child. She was the most trustworthy person around the late queen, so she stayed in the harem to cooperate with the palace investigation.

Qin Liuse was shocked. She had been immersed in Yongshou Palace for a long time and had no idea that Emperor Yongjia was still investigating the affairs of the late queen.

This is unexpected. After so much time, is there anything that can be found out?

Or did Emperor Yongjia have some indirect evidence in his hands, which was why he had to continue the investigation?

Qin Liuse looked up at the roof of the palace. The glazed tiles were still shining, half-hidden by the setting sunlight. The sun was about to set.

The old aunt was about to say something, but then a group of people walked out from the side, making it difficult to speak.

After the group of people left, he pulled Qin Liuse aside and whispered, "We actually found something. This morning, a female corpse floated out of the well in the backyard of Kunning Palace!"

When Qin Liuse heard this, her heart began to beat fast.

But then he became confused again. If the well was not clean, why did it float up only now?

Three months have passed. Could it be that something happened in Kunning Palace recently and he was thrown into the well?

The old aunt shook her head and said no. Perhaps she remembered the scene she saw in the morning. She frowned and patted her chest, feeling a little nauseous.

"I'm so soaked that I don't look like a human anymore. I can't even look at it..."

When she was fished out, there were two deep marks of strangulation on the palace maid's ankles. Someone tied a rope to a stone and then threw her into the well to sink to the bottom.

Now the reins were probably loose, which allowed her to float.

Hearing this, Qin Liuse covered her stomach and felt a little nauseous.

I wonder if the servants of Kunning Palace have drawn water from that well in the past few months.

Qin Liuse shook her head, thinking that it would be better not to rub salt into her aunt's wounds, so she did not ask the question.

But this is a pleasant surprise. The cause of the late queen's death has been delayed for so long, and now there is finally some progress.

When the palace maid was fished out, her face was unrecognizable. The old aunt asked the maids in the palace to identify her one by one.

Because the palace maids' clothes were all similar and they were swollen from being soaked in the water, and the people in Kunning Palace were scattered all over the place, it was difficult to recognize them at first.

The old aunt sighed, "Now that the late queen is gone, we can talk about some things. This harem is like a bottomless cliff." Unknown when, a pair of invisible hands appeared. The hand was so long, quietly reaching into their palace. Now that the late queen was gone, this matter was not over yet.

Qin Liuse nodded with emotion, "Who said it wasn't?"

I chatted with my old aunt for a while before saying goodbye to her.

When he reached the corner, Qin Liuse looked back and the dim sunlight shone on his face.

The water in a well can be measured, but the depth of the imperial palace is unfathomable. Even for the late queen, who was a person of peace and a sickly body, there would always be people who wanted to reach out to her harem.

When Qin Liuse returned to Shuyuexuan, before she even walked in, she heard several maids gathered together and chattering.

"Did you hear that?"

"What did you hear?"

"It's about Kunning Palace. This morning, a female corpse floated out of the well in the former queen's harem. It looked like it was no longer human. The old aunt called a bunch of people to identify it, but no one could recognize it. Now she has been dragged outside. I heard that the servants who had served in Kunning Palace before were asked to come and identify her."

"It's really awful to think about it. I've been soaking for almost three months." When she said this, the maid covered her nose, looking like she didn't want to think about it. "People in the past also suffered."

"I don't know what we can find out from this little maid. After all, the dead can't speak."

A few people were chattering over there. Qin Liuse was about to walk over, but Qin Huaijin went over first and scared them.

"You bunch of slaves, what are you talking about here? Do you have the right to gossip about the late queen? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouths apart!"

Several maids jumped up in fright, and when they saw it was Qin Huaijin, they quickly bowed their heads and admitted their mistakes. They all knew that this talented man was in a bad mood recently, and no one dared to offend him.

"I know I was wrong, and I won't do it again."

Qin Liuse walked over and waved them away, "It's getting late, hurry up and do what you need to do."

Several maids looked at Qin Liuse with gratitude. Qin Huaijin turned around and glared at Qin Liuse. This vixen was really good at pretending to be a good person.

……

The late queen had been bedridden for years, and the affairs of the harem were all managed by Concubine Xian, so when this incident happened in Kunning Palace, Concubine Xian had to go there.

It was okay for her to leave, as she just covered her nose and took a glance, but the virtuous concubine actually recognized this servant.

When the news reached the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Dong sneered, "This Xianfei is really virtuous. There are so many servants in the palace, and she was able to recognize this one after being with him for three months."

Wei Lanxin also looked incredulous. "The person who just reported it said that Concubine Xian recognized the maid by the birthmark between her eyebrows..."

The Queen Mother Dong didn't care how she recognized her. She drank the tea in her hand and smiled, "I was worried that this matter would not be resolved. Now it's good. We have killed two birds with one stone."

Wei Lanxin was stunned for a moment, and then she felt as if she understood what he said, so she couldn't help but ask tentatively, "What does the Queen Mother mean..."

The Empress Dowager Dong put the teacup in her hand back on the table, looked out the skylight which was already darkening, and said nothing.

-

Qin Liuse was so shocked and frightened that day that she couldn't help but eat an extra bowl of rice at dinner.

This shock came from the Imperial Study and also from Kunning Palace.

After dinner, Qin Liuse washed his hands, face, and showered, but when he came out of the bathroom, he still felt bloated in his stomach.

I ate too much tonight.

Aunt Mingyue sighed in her heart while dressing Qin Liuse. Today, the Empress Dowager Cixi asked the Emperor whether he had summoned Concubine Qin to sleep with him.

Originally, Aunt Mingyue was still holding on to a lucky mentality, but now that she had finished dinner, the lights had been turned on, and night had fallen, there was still no news from the other side, which showed that the emperor had summoned someone else tonight.

Aunt Mingyue did not show any emotion on her face. She just smiled and served Qin Liuse without causing him any trouble.

After Qin Liuse finished bathing, she was not sleepy yet, so she took Qingqing Zijin and Aunt Mingyue for a walk outside.

The weather in late spring is not too cold and the climate is suitable.

The moon was bright tonight and the stars were sparse. Qin Liuse raised her head and counted the stars in the sky with her eyes open. When she lowered her head, she saw Emperor Yongjia walking towards her from not far away in the dim light.