Concubine Pang had the power over the six palaces, and her words were, to some extent, more intimidating than those of Empress Dowager Tian. As soon as she spoke, the Ministry of Punishment whipped up their horses and arrested all the eunuchs and palace maids who were guarding the small Buddhist hall. Under severe punishment, several palace maids confessed that it was Qinghe who delivered Su Yao's Buddhist scriptures into the small Buddhist hall when they were on duty, and then Qinghe stayed in there for about a quarter of an hour. When Qinghe came out, the small Buddhist hall was on fire.
The reason why he didn't say it before was because Qinghe was a favorite of Tian Xun, and Tian Xun was a deputy master in the Cining Palace. In comparison, he was naturally the person who could not be offended.
Qinghe was also arrested soon.
Empress Dowager Tian had been ill for several days in a row. She finally cheered up after being persuaded by Concubine Pang. She asked Huangjue Temple to make a longevity tablet and send it to her. This time, they also recited the Blood Basin Sutra for her and planned to eat vegetarian food for half a year. Only then did she feel better.
Because of this, Empress Dowager Tian gradually calmed down from her initial anger. When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, she knelt on the cushion in the Buddhist temple, staring silently at the tablet of Princess Jingming, feeling both lost and relieved.
What Su Yao said was, how could it be such a coincidence that Princess Jingming appeared in a divine presence every time because of Tian Xun
Once a person withdraws from a certain emotion, the mind will naturally become clear, and things that were unclear before can finally be seen clearly. She was silent for a long time, and then she came out of the small Buddhist hall as calmly as possible.
As soon as she came out, Mother Tian came up to her and looked at her carefully, pursing her lips: "Empress Dowager, Princess Fenyang has entered the palace..."
Empress Dowager Tian's shoulders slumped a lot, and it took her a long time to react after hearing what was said. She nodded and went to the main hall, where she saw Princess Fenyang, Princess Mingchang, and Princess Yongning.
Seeing the Queen Mother coming out, three people hurriedly came to greet her. Princess Fenyang was the first to speak anxiously: "Your Majesty, I heard that there was a fire in the Cining Palace. We only learned about this news when we came to the palace to pay our respects on the first day of the new year. Are you okay?"
Queen Mother Tian waved her hands. Although her eyes were still in great pain, her tone was much calmer now. She shook her head and said gloomily, "It's okay. It just burned for a while and was put out. Even Jingming's longevity tablet was burned black by the fire."
Princess Mingchang has been in a bad mood recently. Because of Master Li's incident, she has been sick and has not entered the palace for a long time. When she heard Empress Dowager Tian say that Princess Jingming's longevity tablet was burned by fire, she frowned rudely and said, "What are those palace maids, eunuchs and guards for? If something like this happens, everyone from the guards to the servants should be severely punished!"
She was very angry, and Empress Dowager Tian glanced at her calmly and said nothing for a while.
After all, Empress Dowager Tian had just been frightened, and she was really impatient to deal with them. Princess Fenyang and Princess Mingchang looked at each other, and knowing that Empress Dowager Tian was uneasy, they stood up and said goodbye tacitly.
Queen Mother Tian rarely showed any intention of keeping any more food for them and waved her hand to let them go.
Princess Yongning did not leave. Empress Dowager Tian glanced at her, thought for a moment, and then asked her if she had anything else to say.
Princess Yongning was weak and timid, but Empress Dowager Tian had a good impression of her.
Princess Yongning hesitated, but still gently advised Empress Dowager Tian: "Please accept my condolences."
Empress Dowager Tian's lips moved, and her complex emotions were hard to hide. In fact, Princess Fenyang and Princess Mingchang had a much closer relationship with the Cining Palace than Princess Yongning. But now that something happened, Princess Fenyang and Princess Mingchang did not really care about Princess Jingming.
From the very beginning when Princess Jingming's body was found in Shenjia Village, Empress Dowager Tian almost collapsed, and Princess Mingchang and Princess Fenyang just shed a few tears. It's not that they were not sad enough, but their attitudes really couldn't make a mother who had lost her daughter feel comfortable.
It was no different this time. When the fire broke out, the first thing they thought of was to severely punish the people who served. They never asked about Princess Jingming's tablet, nor did they care about her sadness.
Queen Mother Tian came back to her senses and nodded to Princess Yongning. Her attitude also softened. She said softly, "I know you are thoughtful."
It is rare to find someone who can still say "I'm sorry" to her. Empress Dowager Tian sighed and showed concern for Princess Yongning: "How are you doing recently? Is Tang Yuan going to Yunnan with me?"
Speaking of this, Princess Yongning responded with some excitement and joy: "Your Majesty is kind. I think he is familiar with the situation in Yunnan and Guizhou. With him around, he may be of some use."
For someone with Tang Shun's background, being able to be reused is a sign of attitude in itself.
Besides, being able to follow Xiao Heng to Yunnan is also a bet.
Seeing her excitement, Queen Mother Tian couldn't help but smile slightly: "Seeing you are happy, yes, Tang Yuan is a talented person, and he is mature and steady. With him around, Ah Heng will feel more at ease."
The Cining Palace was filled with harmony, but Princess Fenyang and Princess Mingchang felt as if there was a heavy gloom hanging over their heads.
Both of them were in a bad mood. When Princess Fenyang got into the sedan chair, she asked Princess Mingchang, "Why didn't Yongning come out with you? She always followed you."
In the past, Princess Yongning always followed Princess Mingchang in everything she did. She was used to doing things according to Princess Mingchang's facial expressions. In fact, in the past six months or so, Princess Yongning seemed to no longer be close to Princess Mingchang.
Speaking of this matter, Princess Mingchang's face became even uglier. She had always been the most favored among the princesses, so naturally she had the worst temper. The spoiled nature she had developed over the years could not be changed in a short time, and she had never thought about changing. In her opinion, the problem was not with her, but with Princess Yongning herself.
However, because of the previous incident, Princess Yongning still holds a grudge against him until now.
"Who knows?" She snorted with a fake smile, her brows furrowed into a "川" shape. "Of course it's because she's tough now. Didn't I say that? Tang Yuan will also go to Yunnan with the army. This is a rare honor. Her husband can count on her, so naturally she doesn't look down on us."
Speaking of her husband, Princess Fenyang's face suddenly darkened.
She frowned and looked at Princess Mingchang. She didn't say anything for a while. After a while, she said vaguely, "Yes, once you climb up the ladder, you naturally won't be willing to be inferior to others. However, you have to be able to stay up there for a long time."
Princess Mingchang sneered, but her eyes were full of indifference.