Chapter 1253 The Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion Was Haunted
Shao Wanru didn’t want Chu Liuchen to draw her eyebrows, but she couldn’t drive him away. Fortunately, although Chu Liuchen had never drawn on anyone’s face, his painting skills were good. After some strokes, he finished drawing the eyebrows. They looked not bad. However, with a close look, one eyebrow was longer. Except for that, there was nothing wrong with them.
“Look at your eyebrows. I told you I could do it well!” Chu Liuchen proudly held the eyebrow pencil in his hand. As he studied them closely, he felt very satisfied. Such a delicate little face immediately appeared more outstanding with the eyebrows painted by him.
“What makes you think they are good? See? They are not of the same length!” Shao Wanru pouted slightly and rolled her eyes at him.
“Aren’t they good enough? Let me have a look?” Chu Liuchen pulled her face over and looked at her eyebrows carefully. Suddenly, with a sudden spurt of energy, he proposed making some changes. “Then let’s wipe off the make-up. Let me do it again. I don’t believe I can’t draw them well.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll slightly adjust it!” Shao Wanru didn’t dare to let him draw it again. The eyebrows he drew were barely acceptable. Her eyebrows might look even worse if he did all this all over again.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to draw again?” Chu Liuchen said reluctantly. Looking at Shao Wanru’s short and long eyebrows, he was eager to try again.
“No, no, you don’t have to do that. They are perfect. Well done.” Shao Wanru pushed Chu Liuchen away from her. She kept praising him for fear that Chu Liuchen would come over again.
“What a pity. I can draw better.” Chu Liuchen looked at Shao Wanru’s face as beautiful as a blossom, unwilling to give up. He felt he could draw perfect eyebrows no matter how he made the changes. Thus, he was anxious to use the eyebrow pencil.
“Next time. You can draw my eyebrows next time,” Shao Wanru said in a hurry.
“Well, I’ll do it tomorrow!” Chu Liuchen, unwilling to let this chance slip, fixed the date.
“Okay, okay. I got it!” Shao Wanru hurriedly agreed. Chu Liuchen seemed not to have enjoyed himself to the fullest, so he felt the urge to do it now. However, she couldn’t let him make trouble again. Otherwise, it would be too late for her to enter the Palace.
With the Palace in mind, she suddenly remembered the matter Qin Yiyan had talked about. Then, she took Qin Yiyan’s pouch from the dressing table, handed it to Chu Liuchen, and asked, “Take a look at it. What is this?”
“Where did this pouch come from? Or was it the one enshrined in the Buddha hall?” Chu Liuchen looked at it and asked, not taking it seriously.
“This… is not a man’s purse?” Shao Wanru was stunned for a moment. The situation was a little different from her original idea.
“Not a man’s purse. How could there be so many men’s purses in the imperial Palace? Items with such patterns are usually placed before the statue of Buddha. I’ve seen similar things several times at my Imperial Grandmother’s place.” Chu Liuchen asked casually, “Where did they come from?”
“It was said to be left by Zhaoyi Di. She was talking with Cousin Qin. After that, she left it there. But when Cousin Qin chased after her to give it back to her, Zhaoyi Di shook off her.” Shao Wanru replied in detail after thinking for a while. This should be what had happened, yet she didn’t know what it meant.
She wondered if Zhaoyi Di had deliberately given a man’s purse to Qin Yiyan. Few men could get in and out of the Palace except for the Emperor and several princes. In her mind, Zhaoyi Di must have intended to frame Qin Yiyan.
But it was not a man’s purse, which greatly surprised her.
“There is a Buddha hall in the Palace. Consorts there like making offerings to the Buddha hall with this kind of pouch,” Chu Liuchen said. He pulled the small bag in his hand and saw two silver ingots falling out of it. No wonder Shao Wanru felt it was not filled with ordinary cotton yesterday. There turned out to be two silver ingots in it.
“It is considered more sincere to place them before the Buddha as tributes. In the end, these items would be collected by those nuns.” Chu Liuchen said carelessly.
“Was it Zhaoyi Di’s offering to the gods?” Shao Wanru inexplicably felt something wrong. It didn’t make sense. According to Qin Yiyan, Zhaoyi Di deliberately dropped it. What did Zhaoyi Di mean?
“Maybe, or maybe not!” Chu Liuchen said, “How about I send someone to check it out?”
Shao Wanru thought for a moment and said, “You don’t have to do it. It’s not appropriate for you to deal with this matter. Let me check it out. Since this item was delivered to Cousin Qin, it would be brought to me.”
Zhaoyi Di was the Emperor’s consort in the Palace. Chu Liuchen was not supposed to get involved with her. It was better for her to check it by herself. The pouch might have been used to test them to see how they would react. Real tricks must follow it. At this time, she had better wait for the situation to change.
However, this Buddha hall reminded Shao Wanru of Pushan Nun. Ever since she entered the Palace, she had become the most trusted master in the Palace for those imperial consorts.
In the Palace, these consorts had been living peaceful but worthless lives. They rained praises on her for her profound understanding of Buddhist doctrines and striking painting skills. Last time, Shao Wanru had seen a disciple of Pushan Nun in the Empress Dowager’s place, but she never saw the disciple again.
“Was it Nanny Wei behind the gauze curtain last time?” Thinking of the Empress Dowager, Shao Wanru put away her pouch and asked. Though she knew what had happened in the beginning, she didn’t ask about the result. At this time, she asked curiously.
“It was Nanny Wei. She overheard the conversation and told Wei Dahai about it. Wei Dahai returned to his mansion after going down the mountain. His niece went to the Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion shortly after that. I heard she went to visit Consort Dowager Qing there!” Chu Liuchen said lazily.
“Then what about Nanny Wei… What should we do with her?”
Shao Wanru pondered for a moment and asked. She believed Chu Liuchen could understand the hidden meaning in her words. It was dangerous if Nanny Wei stayed with the Empress Dowager.
“Keep her for the time being!” Chu Liuchen said slowly in a low voice, his eyes gloomy. He had secretly arranged for someone new to serve his Imperial Grandmother. Although Nanny Wei might do things against them, it was not the right time to get rid of her.
Shao Wanru nodded. Since Chu Liuchen took it to heart, he would not let Nanny Wei’s schemes succeed. After she lengthened her shorter eyebrow, she asked the servant girls to come in and serve breakfast. Then she went to the Palace with Qing’er and Yujie.
This time, she did not enter from the side door. Instead, she got on the carriage at the door with her servants, and the carriage went to the gate of the Palace. Then, she got off the carriage and took the soft sedan chair at the Palace gate, heading for the Empress Dowager’s Palace of Benevolent Peace.
Chu Liuchen went to his study. When he went to the second floor and sat behind the large desk, he ordered Ancheng, “Send someone to keep an eye on Qi Tianyu.”
“Qi Tianyu?” Ancheng didn’t figure out who Qi Tianyu was for a moment.
“He is Qi Baiyu’s brother, the Number Three Scholar three years ago,” Chu Liuchen said.
“Master, why should we keep an eye on such a person? He doesn’t have a high position or great power. He seems to be useless. A few people who passed the exam the same year as him have made greater achievements than him. He is no match for Third Young Master Wen, the Number One Scholar at that time,” Ancheng said indifferently. He sincerely felt it was a waste of time and energy to monitor Qi Tianyu.
“So? Are you not going to disobey my orders?” Chu Liuchen glanced at him evilly and coldly, which scared Ancheng. He hurriedly said, “That was not what I meant. Of course, I will do whatever you ask me to do. I will watch him, but what should I pay special attention to?”
“Everything from all aspects. Remember whom he has contact with, and see even the details clearly!” Chu Liuchen reached out to knock on the table near him and slowly reminded him in his deep voice.
If Shao Wanru hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have remembered such a man. But after hearing Shao Wanru’s words, he remembered a few things about him. Qi Tianyu was an outstanding talent with an excellent reputation in Jiangzhou. But he has been buried in oblivion since he moved to the capital. He had a younger sister who would marry into the Prince Zhou’s Mansion as a consort. Merely from this aspect, Chu Liuchen knew this matter couldn’t be simple.
A magistrate’s daughter would become a consort of a legitimate prince. She must be pretty capable!
Chu Liuchen had also seen that woman before. She looked mean and ungrateful. Neither she had a good appearance nor powerful background. How could the Empress take a liking to such a woman? For the Empress, such a family was an impoverished one. How could she let Qi Rongzhi become Prince Zhou’s consort? But she accepted Qi Rongzhi at last.
“Qi Tianyu has a younger sister. She had been raised in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion and was said to be the nominal foster daughter of Madam Jiang. Later, she had a conflict with Madam Jiang and returned to her elder brother’s residence. Now she will marry into Prince Zhou’s Mansion as a consort.” Chu Liuchen raised the corner of his mouth. This matter must be fishy, but he had neglected it.
A sociopathic glint appeared in Ancheng’s eyes. Responsible for secret investigations, he was very sensitive to such secretive matters. Thus, he immediately realized something was wrong. “Your Highness, Qi Tianyu is not good at literature and martial arts. How could the Empress choose his sister? Besides, they had a falling out with the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. Who protected them at that time?”
Madam Jiang was not a good-tempered person. If anyone offended her, she might be wild for revenge. However, nothing terrible happened to Qi Tianyu and his sister. In the end, they even won the favor of the Empress, who took a fancy to his younger sister and made her Prince Zhou’s consort.
“Go and find out whom Qi Tianyu works for!” Chu Liuchen ordered coldly.
“I don’t think it’s Prince Zhou.” Ancheng thought for a moment and said.
“That person seems to be infinitely resourceful. Qi Tianyu’s sister has been sent to Prince Zhou’s Mansion. Besides, the Empress met her and even let her be her son’s consort.” Chu Liuchen sneered indifferently. To his surprise, someone would devise such a plan, and he nearly neglected it.
“I will send two people to keep an eye on Qi Tianyu and find out who is behind him.” Ancheng agreed. “Qi Tianyu could not do this alone, so someone must have secretly backed him up.”
“Find out all Qi Tianyu’s whereabouts. He is not a simple person. If he discovers our people, kill him on the spot!” Chu Liuchen said lazily, with a trace of gloom across his eyes.
“I understand.” Ancheng was not surprised by his master’s cruel method. After all, he had followed Prince Chen for so many years. He was tender and softhearted only when facing Princess Chen. Before others, he was just the cold-blooded and ruthless Prince Chen. Qi Tianyu looked suspicious, but even if he never plotted against anyone, Prince Chen had no intention of letting him go.
Ancheng didn’t know how the man surnamed Qi had offended Prince Chen, who gave the order to kill him.
In the eyes of Ancheng, Qi Tianyu was already a dead man. But before he died, he was still of some value…
“How is Prince Cheng recently?”
“He is well-behaved, but something happened to the Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion again last night,” Ancheng reported. This matter was not big but a little strange. Anyway, he did not disturb his master last night. “The Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion was haunted!”
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