Chapter Ten: The Death of Ye Nian

  "How is Hui Xin?" The voice of the imperial concubine arrived before she did, and her face was full of anxiety as she walked in. She saw Daiyu still stunned. "The princess is also here."

  "Instead of our ancestors, I'll go take a look at Hui Xin sister." Daiyu put away her smile and said calmly.

  Yi Fei nodded and began to nervously examine Hui Xin's condition, even reaching out to remove her veil, but was refused by Hui Xin.

  "Since you've come, Daiyu will take her leave as well, and still needs to report back to the ancestors. This matter can be big or small, Your Majesty understands." Daiyu said with a hint of expectation, knowing that Yi Fei had been living in the deep palace for a long time, with many eyes and ears, and she would likely provide some very good information.

  "Thank you, Princess, for reminding me." Consort Yi nodded her head. She had already sent someone to investigate this matter and it would not be so easily settled. Whoever dared to harm the Guo Luo Ro family would have to prepare to face their wrath.

  Daiyu took Xiyue back to the Palace of Eternal Longevity, and as expected, Kangxi, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and the Empress were all waiting for her.

  Daiyu had not yet finished her greetings when Kangxi spoke up, "Yulou, how are you?"

  "Please rest assured, Imperial Aunt. Hui Xing will be fine and will recover in seven days. However, this matter is quite strange." Daiyu hesitated for a moment, looking as if she had just realized something, rather than having already known the answer.

  "Imperial Physician Li has already told me about it. Consort De, you are in charge of investigating this matter, I give you three days."

  De Fei? Daiyu raised her head and looked over, surprisingly she hadn't noticed her earlier, it was really a bit of an oversight.

  "I have received your orders, Your Majesty can rest assured that I will definitely investigate the person behind the scenes." Princess De said with a curtsy and smiled kindly at Daiyu. "Does the princess have any other discoveries?"

  Daiyu shook her head, "Nothing except for the Haitang flower." Daiyu didn't say anything more, presumably thinking that even if she didn't say it herself, Empress De would still investigate along the clue of the flower. However, whether or not they could find a specific person was still to be seen.

  The Empress Dowager nodded slightly. She was about to say something when a palace maid rushed in, looking flustered. "Your Majesty, something's happened."

  "What's going on?" Xiaozhuang frowned, so many things happening early in the morning, this selection of concubines was indeed non-stop. Daiyu felt a chill in her heart, it seemed that someone had made a move ahead of time, excluding their own puppet, but who could this person be? Yi Fei shouldn't be, she shouldn't possibly harm her own niece, but there were always some unexpected things. Hui Fei? Guo Luoluo was married to her adopted son Yinxiang. De Fei? On the surface, she seemed like the most unlikely person, but what about in reality? Wait a minute, Rong Fei? This Rong Fei was very quiet, an existence that could be easily overlooked. Kangxi's four concubines were not ordinary. One thing Daiyu could confirm was that Ye Nian had died, she trusted her instincts as a killer, but the person behind the scenes still didn't have any leads.

  As expected, the palace maid lowered her head and said, "Ye Nian Xiaozhu hanged herself to death, leaving a will. She said that she poisoned Hui Xin Gege, felt guilty in her heart, so she killed herself." The palace maid handed over a white handkerchief with both hands, Su Malagou took it forward and handed it to the Empress Dowager.

  "It seems there's no need to investigate." Xiaozhuang looked at Baiying, a sarcastic smile playing on the corners of her mouth. Take one's own life in fear of punishment? How could that be possible?

  Daiyu didn't have much of a reaction, she had already guessed it earlier and didn't need to examine Ye Yan's body to know that Ye Yan was strangled to death and then hung up. What a pity, she had been struggling for so long, but before Daiyu could take care of her, someone else did the job instead. However, in the palace, once there is a scapegoat, everyone understands what's going on, and big things become small, small things become nothing.

  "It also saves me the trouble, Empress Dowager. Ye Xian is a poisonous woman who harmed Hui Xin Ge Ge, she's a criminal. Whether her body...". Before De Fei could finish speaking, Kang Xi interrupted. "Let Ye Ren Jiao off lightly, strip him of his position as Governor of Yangzhou and demote him to commoner. As for Ye Xian, just deal with it."

  "I have received your orders." De Fei said with a bow. As for such a criminal, it would be enough to cremate her body and not hand it over to her family members, this is the consistent practice of the imperial palace.

  Daiyu remained silent, calmly watching the changes before her eyes, thinking in her heart that she had to find Yinghua and let him investigate thoroughly. After all, if there were problems within the Yunxiang Pavilion, it would hinder many of her future plans, and might even implicate herself.

  "Jade hairpin, you cured Hui Xing Ge Ge's illness today. What reward do you want?" Zhen Zhuang looked at Dai Yu.

  "It's Lin Daiyu's honor to share the worries of her ancestors, let alone that Hui Xin is Lin Daiyu's sister. It's only right for a younger sister to help an older sister." Lin Daiyu adjusted her expression and said with a smile, but in fact she was secretly vomiting.

  "Alright, Xuan Yan, it's noon, let's have lunch together."

  In Yongshou Palace, there is a peaceful atmosphere, but everyone's thoughts are different, and under the calm surface, a huge storm is hidden.

  "You idiot, I've never seen a woman as stupid as you." A woman angrily shouted, "You ruined all my plans and almost got me exposed, sparing your life is giving you face."

  "Your Ladyship, don't be angry. The person is already dead, and that Haitang indeed came through Lingpu's hands, so it can't be investigated to Your Ladyship's head at all. Just put your mind at ease."

  "Fortunately you handled it cleanly, there's a reward." Another palace maid walked up with a tray and handed it to the flattering palace maid who had just spoken.

  "Thank you, Your Highness." The palace maid smiled obsequiously and left the palace, returning to her own room. She looked at the large sum of gold and silver, and her eyes narrowed with a smile, but she didn't know that death had already visited her. Hmm, she covered her own neck, but found that she couldn't speak anymore. A drop of black blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, and soon she was unable to move, twisted there. Two men in black came in from outside, carelessly throwing a bundle containing her into a nearby well. No one ever saw this palace maid again. It was not unusual for one or two palace maids to go missing in the Forbidden City, so naturally no one would investigate. However, there were always exceptions. This palace maid had a younger sister named Mei Xiang, who would come looking for her sister's killer in the near future.

  In the Lin mansion, Daiyu took advantage of the night to leave her room and flew to Xiyu Pavilion, the most famous wine house in Beijing at that time. She pushed open the window of the pavilion and flew in. A figure rushed towards her.

  "Slap."

  "Ouch! You're still so ruthless, my handsome face is swollen again." A wronged voice sounded.

  Daiyu glared at him and walked over to pour herself a cup of tea, "Don't pretend, I hit your hand. Speak up."

  "What's going on?" Yinghua batted her eyelashes, and the next second her expression changed. "Alright, alright, I'll calm down, I'll tell you." Daiyu nodded, waiting for Yinghua's explanation.