The little lady in the dining room

Chapter 21
Xueli nodded: "It belongs to the servant girl."

Zou Shangshi also nodded, and asked again: "Where did you come from?"

Just as Xue Li was about to answer, she choked suddenly.

She didn't forget what he said the first time she saw the Commander—he said that if she dared to reveal a word about the matter over there, he would ask Gong Zhengsi to try all the active punishments on her. , and then kill her.

Although she no longer feels that the commander is so cruel, but...

Don't dare to bet!

So Sydney bit her lip, not knowing how to answer.

Under the gaze of several people, she fell silent.

"Quickly clarify." Zou Shangshi urged with a slight sullen expression, then said again, "I've checked, it's not something you brought into the palace from home, nor is it a reward from any palace."

Sydney remained silent.

Zou Shangshi's expression became even more gloomy: "Some people say that you and foreign ministers have secret relationships, do you admit it?"

In one sentence, Sydney was stunned!

"Privately give and receive"? !

Putting these four words on the head of the court lady is similar to saying "fornication" with foreign ministers - but it sounds a little more euphemistic.

Last year, an elderly court lady was dismissed because she was messing with the eunuch, and she was also charged with "secretly giving and receiving" to the outside world.Where she went, she still doesn't know.

So these four words are really serious!
Even though she was still ignorant about the relationship between men and women, Xue Li was still so frightened that her spine shivered: "No! It's not some kind of 'secret giving and receiving'... The servant did not do anything that he shouldn't have done!"

At the side of Shang Shi, one of the older palace women she had never seen said coldly: "The maid in the room with you said that you once stayed up all night to sew a purse, which is a style that men only use. Is there such a thing?"

Xue Li's shoulders trembled, and she looked at the three roommates present in astonishment, full of astonishment.

Her thin lips moved for a long time, but her mind was so dazed that she couldn't even tell a lie, but Su Zixian burst into tears: "No, my lady..."

Several older people in the room looked at her together.

Su Zixian shook her head in a panic: "That purse... that purse was asked for by an eunuch who was close to this servant, and this servant thought Sydney embroidery was good, so she asked her to do it..."

"What's that eunuch's name and where does he work?" The court lady who asked the question just now cast her eyes on Su Zixian flatly, "If he can't hold it, you will be guilty of the same crime as her."

Xueli, who was about to echo Zixian's words, suddenly fell silent.

The next moment, the court lady turned her head to look at Jiang Yuyao, her expression paled: "Say more."

Jiang Yuyao nodded, never looking at Xueli, and said softly: "My servant saw that Xueli stayed up late for several days to embroider that purse, which was a pattern of an eagle; there were several times... She went out with a food box, but I didn't hear about her In which palace is there a good friend. The last time I came back was very late, and then I often looked at something secretly at night, the servant was curious, opened her pillow and saw this hairpin."

Xue Li listened quietly to her, her heart beating wildly.Several times, the name "Yan Chenghuai" came to his lips, and he swallowed it hard every time.

Who knew if saying that would save her life, or make her death worse?

Zou Shangshi looked at her with a grim expression, and said in a low voice, "Xue Li went out and waited, the three of you go back to your room first. I have something to say with Gong Zhengsi's female officer."

Are those two female officials of Gong Zhengsi? !
Xueli felt a "thump" in her heart, and her suspension became even tighter.

It started to snow again at noon this day.

The falling and bigger snowflakes add a different festival auspiciousness to this winter solstice.The Shangshi Bureau added a mutton soup to the meals presented to the palaces.

The fresh and boneless leg of lamb is served in bowls, the size is just right for the mouth. Next to the lamb pieces are white yams and slightly transparent radishes. There are green and white green onions floating on it. cold.

The maids who were presenting dinner to the Zichen Palace also went out, and there seemed to be a lot of people going this time.Because of the sudden snowfall, several courtiers who were discussing matters were temporarily blocked in the palace, so the emperor ordered the Shangshi Bureau to prepare more and send them to prevent the adults from starving.

An eight or nine-year-old eunuch poked his head around the back of Zichen Hall, standing on tiptoe from time to time to look around, but he couldn't see anything.

I don't know what urgent matter he has, but he couldn't find anyone, so he was so anxious that he walked around under the wall.

Suddenly, someone slapped him on the shoulder.

The little eunuch turned his head and saw that the two people behind him were more than a head taller than him, and he bowed deftly and knowingly: "Two brothers..."

"Who is your brother!" The other party didn't give him face, Xu Shishui reached out and picked his ear, "Do you know where this is! What are you doing?"

It was cold, and his ears were already terribly frozen. The pain caused him to burst into tears. He fought back and gasped for forgiveness: "Brother, spare my life, brother, spare my life! The little one was also entrusted to... come to find me my lord!"

"Looking for an adult?" Xu Shishui let go of him upon hearing this.After looking up and down, he was not sure if he was working for some noble person, so he turned around and asked the person behind him what he meant.

The little eunuch looked over, and as soon as he fixed his eyes, he knelt in fright: "Master Chen!"

Chen Jijiang put his hands in his sleeves and stood five steps away, staring at him, without moving his feet or speaking.

After letting him hang around for a while, Chen Jijiang said, "I think this kid is dishonest, please let him go."

When he finished speaking, the cold wind blew, and the little eunuch froze all over: "My lord, my lord! The little one is telling the truth..."

How can Xu Shishui allow him to talk nonsense?It's still easier to ask the truth directly after the fight.

He gave his younger brother a wink, and the two of them supported him without any explanation and left.All the way to a remote and uninhabited place, after a few boards, this kid will recruit everything.

As soon as the word "Shangshi Bureau" was uttered, Xu Shishui's heartstrings tensed—the master specially asked him to be more careful about the Shangshi Bureau that day, the little eunuch in front of him...

Come on, it's always good to be careful.

So the two carried him back to the Zichen Hall and threw him into the tea room to meet Chen Jijiang.

Those few boards were not light or heavy, and it didn't make him walk unsteadily or look too miserable, but it was full of pain and his complexion turned pale.

When he saw Chen Jijiang, his complexion became even paler: "Master... my lord! The younger one is Zhang Fugui from the Shangshi Bureau, and Master Wei from the Imperial Guard gave the younger one money before, and asked the younger one to pay attention to things. Today, the younger one I heard..."

"Stop." Chen Jijiang quickly stopped him, a little startled.

Imperial Guard?It would be better if he didn't know about the imperial guard being involved, let alone the Shang Shi Bureau and the imperial guard being involved at the same time?

He said that he was doing things for Wei Chen, what if he was actually doing things for His Majesty?
Turning his eyes, Chen Jijiang thought through the pros and cons of it, and knew that this person had to be seen by Wei Chen—if it was a good thing, he would treat it as a favor; if it was a bad thing, hehe, it was none of his business, he just let him go That's all in the past.

As soon as the tea bowl was put down, Chen Jijiang said: "Go, see what Lord Wei is doing. If you are waiting in the side hall, take him to see him directly. If you are reporting something, remember to stop him when you come out later."

Xu Shishui said "promise" and left. After a while, he turned back and took Zhang Fugui away.

Wei Chen was eating rice cakes and mutton soup in the side hall. The frequent alternation of sweet and salty made him feel uncomfortable, and he was thinking about ordering some salty rice cakes.

Hearing a palace official come to report that there was a little eunuch from Shangshi Bureau sneaking around behind him, Chen Jijiang pressed him down and said he wanted to see him, and he immediately lost his mind to eat rice cakes.

He didn't have any big things for Zhang Fugui to do, but the first time he was found because he was looking for someone to deliver tribute pears.Later, I thought that the little girl was cute, but she was a bit stupid because she had no contacts. I guess there would be a lot of disadvantages in the future, so I simply spent some money to put this person down and help him send things and pass on the message. A little personal attention is always good.

It was originally a kindness that could be done with little effort, and it should be considered a good deed, but today...

This man drove the heavy snow here, what happened?

There wasn't much time for him to fantasize about what could happen to the Shangshi Bureau. The people in front of the imperial court were quick to do things, and they were brought here in a short while.

Zhang Fugui had already been beaten, but once he entered the emperor's residence, his aura became even weaker. Even though it was just a side hall, he was so frightened that he couldn't stand still. As soon as Xu Shishui let go, he knelt down again: "Master Wei..."

Wei Chen silently handed a bank note to Xu Shishui, beckoned him to go out, then helped Zhang Fugui, and asked him, "What happened?"

"Master Wei..." Zhang Fugui was only ten years old after the New Year's Eve, but he was actually still a child.He was so frightened just now, and now he heard Wei Chen's gentle words, and suddenly burst into tears.

The words were also stuttering: "Miss Ruan, whom Mr. Wei asked the younger one to watch... was taken away by Gong Zhengsi's people for questioning in the morning, and they said it was 'secretly giving and receiving'..."

"'Privately give and receive'?!" These four words surprised Wei Chen.

Fugui nodded: "Yes... I have inquired about it. It seems, it seems that a court lady surnamed Jiang in the room with her exposed it, saying that she stayed up late to make purses for men, and, there was an adult who asked the little one. The hairpin that was handed over was also turned out."

"'There is a grown-up'?"

Wei Chen was clear about the purse, but this sentence made him startled again.

Why are other ministers sending things to Sydney through Zhang Fugui?Who are you really "affiliating with"?
Thinking about the young girl's age, Wei Chen felt it was ridiculous.

But since such a hairpin was found, it would be difficult to handle this matter.The palace is especially taboo about this kind of thing, even if it is "following the wind and shadow", the result is often "prefer to kill by mistake".

Wei Chen frowned deeply, making Zhang Fugui even more panicked.Although he and Sydney don't have any friendship, how many pieces of Sydney candy have you eaten?This made him feel that Sydney was not that kind of person.

"Master Wei..." Zhang Fugui urged boldly.

Wei Chen calmed down a bit: "Do you know what that man's name is? If you don't know his name, do you remember what he looks like?"

"That man..." Zhang Fugui was in a dilemma.He really didn't know the name, even though he saw that the person wrote a note and put it in the box, he followed the rules and didn't peek.Even if there is a gold hairpin inside, he only found out today.

I had no choice but to describe my appearance: "It seems that you are a little older, a little taller, and...more dignified than Mr. Wei?"

(End of this chapter)