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墨書 Inktalez
When Qing Wu returned to Ningxin Pavilion, Deng Bu Wen was tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard. He was focused intently on the plants before him, so much so that he didn't even notice Qing Wu's arrival.
"What is this?"
A sudden question broke the silence. Deng Bu Wen jumped in surprise, quickly standing up and bowing to Qing Wu.
Qing Wu stared at the flower in front of him and asked curiously, "What kind of flower is this?" The blossom was as large as a bowl, with a faint green at the edges, a hint of very light blue in the middle, and white at the center.
Deng Bu Wen bowed slightly and replied, "This is a new plant I cultivated during my free time. It doesn't have a name yet."
He usually enjoyed interacting with flowers and plants, but Qing Wu hadn't expected him to cultivate them himself. She wanted to ask more questions, but seeing how nervous he became upon her arrival—eager to answer every word she said—she decided against it. Instead, she shifted the topic to Jade Orchid.
Deng Bu Wen had paid special attention to this matter. Upon hearing her question, he let out a breath and appeared much more relaxed. "On the seventh day of the month, they met for a brief moment. They were in the room for quite a while," his face paled slightly as he paused, "about an hour or so before Jade Orchid finally came out."
Noticing his discomfort, Qing Wu concealed her feelings and sighed inwardly.
Pan Gonggong had been in the palace for many years; it was unclear what methods he used, but now he was engaging in intimate matters with a palace maid... No wonder Deng Bu Wen found it difficult to speak about it.
He was now like Pan Gonggong, no longer a true man. Naturally, it was hard for him to overcome such feelings.
Qing Wu chose not to press further and complimented him on his work. As she saw Azalea waving at her from a distance, she prepared to leave. Just as she took a couple of steps, she was softly called back by Deng Bu Wen.
She paused for a moment and then saw Deng Bu Wen approaching her with a flower pot.
"This one is the best among the newly cultivated plants," he said softly. "I wonder if it pleases you, my lady?"
At that moment, he looked serious and spoke sincerely, his eyes filled with an unmistakable hope, clearly eager for Qing Wu to praise him.
Qing Wu lowered her gaze to the Flower Time, her eyelids drooping as she subtly glanced at his hands. Then she called Azalea to take the flower pot, smiling as she said, "The gift is nice; you put in some thought." She then instructed Azalea to place it inside the house.
Azalea responded and carried the flowers a few steps before suddenly turning back to ask, "Deng Gonggong, where should I put this flower?"
Deng Bu Wen was still in a daze. After a moment, he slowly replied, "As long as it’s not placed in the bedroom, anywhere is fine."
Azalea smiled at him and then went to Qing Wu's study.
Dou Mama happened to come out of the study. Seeing Azalea with a thoughtful expression while holding the flower pot, she called out to her and asked, "What are you doing with that?"
Seeing Dou Mama, Azalea approached her. Once close enough, she explained what had just happened with Deng Bu Wen and the flowers. After thinking for a moment, she added, "I specifically asked him where to place the flowers. If he had said to put them in the bedroom, I would have suspected him. But since he said they can't go in the bedroom, I'm unsure whether to trust him."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Many flowers are not suitable for the bedroom; otherwise, inhaling their fragrance while sleeping could be harmful. This flower looks unusual; I don't know if it has such effects."
Both Dou Mama and Azalea had privately questioned Deng Bu Wen's background. Having followed Qing Wu for a long time, they had developed a habit of prioritizing her safety and were wary of any hidden malice from Deng Bu Wen. Even when he previously brought flowers for the vase from Peach Branch, Azalea had carefully inspected and smelled those flowers daily before daring to place them in Qing Wu's room.
Now, after discussing Deng Bu Wen's words, they decided not to take any chances. Dou Mama reminded Azalea a few more times before hurrying outside.
Qing Wu wanted to inquire about Jade Orchid's situation and had specifically sent someone to find Dou Mama to relay a message to Cai Ping. Seeing Dou Mama leave the courtyard toward Twelve Workshops, Qing Wu headed toward Falling Sunset Pavilion to review matters regarding Six Bureaus.
After about half an hour had passed, Dou Mama finally returned from Twelve Workshops. Her expression was serious. Looking around to ensure no one was nearby, she leaned close to Qing Wu's ear and shared what had transpired.
Qing Wu did not expect that the meeting with Jade Orchid and Pan Gonggong had other reasons besides private matters. After thinking it over, she asked, "Is what Cai Ping said credible?"
"It should be credible," Dou Mama replied. "After all, Cai Ping is quite restless. Since she has been paying attention to Jade Orchid, she has become like a spy, secretly following her around when there’s nothing else to do. It was quite a coincidence that on the day Jade Orchid quietly went to rummage through the empty palace, Cai Ping happened to follow her as well. That’s how she discovered her actions."
The Former Emperor and Huo Yun'ai had no wives or concubines, and there were many empty palaces in the palace. Being an imperial palace, the furnishings inside were certainly not lacking. Even the most ordinary bowl and plate were more exquisite than those of an average wealthy family.
Moreover, what about the furnishings within the palace?
Even though no one lived there, everything that should be present was still intact.
Who would have thought that Jade Orchid would be so bold as to steal items from the palace and have Pan Gonggong secretly sell them outside? Furthermore, Cai Ping was also quite daring to eavesdrop on their conversation right outside their window. From what she heard, it seemed that Jade Orchid had done this more than once or twice.
"Who is responsible for that place on a daily basis?" Every palace had someone in charge. Each item was recorded and documented. If it weren’t for the responsible person acting intentionally, how could Jade Orchid act so recklessly?
Dou Mama had already anticipated that Qing Wu would ask this question and had inquired about it before returning, so she told Qing Wu the name of the responsible person. She then asked, "Should we call Jade Orchid over for questioning immediately? However, if we don’t have evidence in hand, she certainly won’t admit to anything."
Although this question seemed to be directed at Qing Wu, she understood that Dou Mama was worried she might act impulsively out of anger and was reminding her.
"Let’s wait a bit longer." Qing Wu recalled something and asked, "How did Pan Gonggong manage to send the items out?"
"I’m not sure about that," Dou Mama said. "Should I go find Granny Lu to ask?"
Initially, Qing Wu intended to agree but then reconsidered; since this matter involved items from the palace, it needed to be reported to Huo Yun'ai. So she said, "Forget it. Having one more person know would only complicate things further. It’s better to let His Majesty investigate."
The eunuchs had their own set of management methods. This was something she couldn’t interfere with, so she hadn’t looked into it closely before. Now handing it over to Huo Yun'ai, allowing him to arrange for someone to handle it would be more appropriate.
After Dou Mama nodded in agreement, she suddenly smiled and said, "Miss, you should pay more attention to them these days."
The "them" she referred to naturally meant the Eunuchs.
Qing Wu was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Dou Mama was teasing her—an imperial decree had been issued, and the matter was settled. Before long, she would become the mistress of the harem. Therefore, all affairs of the harem would fall under her jurisdiction.
Even though she was mentally prepared for it, the marriage with Huo Yun'ai would surely attract the attention of all the servants. However, being teased like this caught Qing Wu off guard, and her face turned red instantly.
Dou Mama knew that she was shy by nature and only hinted at it before changing the subject.
Thanks to Dou Mama's diversion, Qing Wu, who had been focused on Jade Orchid's matters and had temporarily set aside thoughts of her marriage, found her mind occupied again by the imperial decree.
Recalling her earlier conversation with Huo Yun'ai, she couldn't help but feel secretly regretful.
Had she known this would happen, she might as well have quickly enjoyed the dessert earlier. Then during lunch, she could have found a place to eat alone, avoiding another encounter with him.
Now it seemed that not only would she see him during lunch, but she also had to go over for dessert...
Qing Wu pondered how likely it was that Huo Yun'ai would be angry if she changed her mind now.
She thought about it, but she still enjoyed having lunch with him. Moreover, after experiencing such a significant event today, their relationship would only grow closer in the future. She couldn't keep avoiding him forever.
After arranging matters at Falling Sunset Pavilion and Ningxin Pavilion, Qing Wu hesitated as she made her way to Zhaoyuan Palace. Halfway there, she was stopped by Li Zi.
From a distance, she saw a dozen or so people kneeling outside Zhaoyuan Palace. Just as she was about to inquire further, Li Zi quietly said in front of her, "Many officials have come today to seek an audience with His Majesty. Miss, you might as well go to Zhaoning Palace. His Majesty is waiting there."
“Zhaoning Palace?”
Qing Wu glanced at the crowd again and asked, “Is he not in Zhaoyuan Palace?”
“Not there,” Li Zi replied in a lower voice. He wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. “Zheng Daren requested an audience with His Majesty, and His Majesty agreed. Zheng Daren knew that His Majesty should be handling state affairs in Zhaoyuan Palace at this time, yet he did not inquire further and knelt outside Zhaoyuan Palace with the other ministers.”
Although Li Zi did not make it clear, it was evident that Huo Yun'ai was currently in Zhaoning Palace. Upon hearing that Zheng An requested an audience, he had no intention of going to Zhaoyuan Palace. He allowed the group of Old Ministers to kneel under the scorching sun, drenched in sweat.
After a moment's thought, Qing Wu realized they had come for the imperial decree regarding the succession.
Even though she was annoyed that Huo Yun'ai had suddenly acted without informing her, she already knew in her heart that the two of them would inevitably become each other's closest companions.
Therefore, she could not muster any sympathy for those Old Ministers, who clearly harbored ulterior motives and brazenly relied on their seniority and numbers to pressure the emperor, wishing to separate the two of them immediately.
She suspected that perhaps Huo Yun'ai had long known they would encounter this situation after the decree was read today, so he simply stayed in Zhaoning Palace, letting them kneel there.
The thought of that Fellow, who appeared indifferent while secretly engaging in such covert actions, made her both amused and exasperated. Thus, when she arrived at Zhaoning Palace, a smile still lingered on her lips.
Huo Yun'ai was worried that she might mind what had happened earlier. Upon hearing that Uncle Yu had come to report, he quickly stood up to greet him at the door, pondering his words as he walked.
Seeing the girl’s smiling face, the Young Emperor felt somewhat reassured, his earlier anxiety easing. He pressed his lips together and revealed a slight smile: “What brings you such joy?”
Qing Wu shot him a glance and did not mention the matter of the Old Ministers kneeling at Zhaoyuan Palace. Instead, she brought up the earlier issue regarding Jade Orchid.
The two of them sat down at the table together as they walked. Once seated, Huo Yun'ai suddenly asked, “Did they take items from the palace and sell them outside?”
"Yes." Qing Wu nodded and shared the information she had heard earlier with him: "They only picked things that seemed inconspicuous. All these little bits add up to quite a lot of silver."
She was curious about how they managed to smuggle things out of the palace. After all, in her view, figuring out how they got them out was a matter worth paying attention to, as it clearly indicated a flaw in the palace's management.
However, Huo Yun'ai's focus was evidently different from hers.
"If we can trace the route for selling items from the palace, we can use that as a reason to capture them. But where would they store the items?" He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, murmuring to himself, "Since they went through so much trouble to get them out, they must want to sell them for a good price. For them, where would be the most suitable place..."
Hearing this, Qing Wu suddenly had an idea and turned to look at Huo Yun'ai in surprise.
To her surprise, Huo Yun'ai was also thinking along the same lines and was looking back at her.
Their eyes met, and both simultaneously uttered the same two words.
"Du Family!"
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