This was so irrelevant that the emperor was stunned and looked at the prince suspiciously.
The prince coughed lightly, thinking that he was possessed by a demon. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Son, you are thinking in the wrong direction." The emperor himself needed Doctor Min's Jade Face Cream, so how could he have any other maintenance prescriptions
It would be better to ask Yi'er Niang.
Before leaving, the prince seemed to have thought of something, and said with a solemn face: "Your Majesty, the traitor Longkodo has lost his support, his legs and feet are not flexible, and he has no pass to leave the capital. Where can he hide? We searched every house yesterday, but no flaws were found. Please, Your Majesty, send troops to thoroughly investigate the Tonggiya clan..." His voice gradually lowered.
Shuntian Prefecture sent officials and runners to visit the homes of ordinary people and merchants to inquire; as for the residences of nobles and important officials, they never dared to enter.
The prince meant that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. It was ridiculous that a traitor was stirring up trouble without paying attention to others. If this continued, where would the dignity of the royal family be? The emperor did not kill him completely, and rewarding him with fifty strokes of the cane was already a mercy. Who could have expected the current situation!
When talking about Longkodo, Kangxi's eyes and brows turned cold, as if he was looking at a dead person.
"Baocheng is right." He sighed, and glanced at the prince with a gentle look, "I have sent people to search the direct and collateral branches of the Tonggiya clan one by one, but there is no trace." He then said coldly, "I have given the Nine Gates Admiral a five-day deadline. If he fails to find the traitor, he will no longer be employed and can go back to his old house to farm."
The emperor's order to "return to the old house and farm" somehow reached the ears of the governor of the Nine Gates. He had been working day and night to capture the traitors, and his hair had turned several white with worry, but he still had no success.
He focused on the long streets and the houses, and also searched the suburbs of Beijing, not even sparing the bushes of Tibetans. But there was no news on the first day, no news on the second day, and no news on the third day...
On the evening of the fourth day, the Nine-Gates Admiral took off his hat and asked his wife and children to pack their bags together.
While he was packing up, he sighed. He heard that a troupe of actors came to the capital the day before yesterday. The leading lady in the troupe was not only beautiful, but also had a voice that would amaze anyone. His colleagues were fascinated by the performance, and the sons of nobles competed to invite them to their mansions to sing. Unfortunately, he didn't have the blessing to listen to the performance.
There was a curfew in the capital, but once the wanted order was issued, anyone with clues about the traitor could report to the yamen at night to receive the reward. Facing the moonlight, the Nine Gates Admiral left the mansion, stepped into the brightly lit yamen, and asked the routine questions to the left and right.
"Sir, there is no trace in the western suburbs."
"My Lord, there is no trace in the Nanshan woods."
The Nine-Gates Admiral gnashed his teeth in hatred, and finally, with sorrow in his heart, he lay down on the wooden bed with his clothes on.
In his dreams, he was always thinking of Longkodo. He was tortured by the 108 tortures, such as beheading, lingchi, and the torturer had his own face.
He couldn't help but smile... He didn't have long in his sweet dream before he was woken up by his subordinates.
The subordinate said excitedly: "Sir! Mrs. Longkodo wants to see you, sir, saying that she knows where Longkodo is hiding!"
Seeing the Nine Gates Admiral's expression was a little dazed, the subordinate suddenly realized and quickly changed the subject's words, "It's the current mistress of the Tong Mansion, Hesheli."
In the deep night, Hesheli arrived in a sedan chair. She bowed to the officials in the room without showing any fear, and said calmly: "The traitor is hiding in the Suo Mansion - yes, the one hiding him is Suo Etu, the head of the Hesheli clan."
******
As early as when Concubine Yi went to the Yanx Palace with great fanfare and said some "private words", and when Concubine Hui seemed to be counting the warehouse, Concubine Rong had become suspicious.
Was it just a way to vent her anger? She didn't believe it.
The more thoughtful a person is, the less likely they are to be exposed or surprised. She would think again and again whether there were any omissions or flaws in her calculations. Even if Huipin was not a concern and could not cause any trouble, the Yanxi Palace had always been under her control. If she really wanted to dig deep into the ground to investigate, her own nails would inevitably be exposed.
We have to keep an eye on Concubine Hui at all times, as for Concubine Yi... we'll discuss this later.
Concubine Rong believed that she was very good at hiding her tricks, as she had accumulated a lot of hidden chess pieces over the years that could not be underestimated. However, if she were to go head-to-head with Concubine Yi, she wouldn't even have a 30% chance of winning.
Ever since Guo Luoluo entered the palace, her favor has never faded. Countless people have secretly come to her for support, not to mention the family support behind her!
When it comes to power in the palace, no one can compare to her.
What about her? Her father was a hopeless person until his death, a small official.
She has endured so much hardship and shed so many tears as she climbed step by step to where she is today. She is completely different from Guo Luoluo's smooth sailing life. The word "caution" has long been engraved in her bones.
Since the attack missed and Yikun Palace had already noticed something was wrong, she could only lie dormant for a short period of time and wait for the future.
She has always been patient.
While Rong Fei's eyes were fixed on the Yanxi Palace, Yun Xiu had already learned about the family background of Cheng, whom Hui Concubine liked. Soon, Tu Yue and Alinga followed the instructions of the two palaces and worked on both fronts. Within a few days, they found out the identity of the person who had established a relationship with Hui Concubine. It was the nanny invited by the palace to teach Cheng the rules; and the nanny was involved with all the palaces...
Including Rong Fei’s Zhongcui Palace.
The nanny had no clear master behind her, and she was close to the kitchen and embroidery workshop. The network of relationships she found was dizzying and disturbing. Yun Xiu was not impatient at all. She picked up a thin piece of paper and looked at it, with a nice curve on her lips.
Now the harem is peaceful and the fools like Pingpin and Xipin are absolutely incapable of doing this. She had some doubts in her heart, but she just couldn't produce any evidence. However, her desire to collect evidence was instantly shattered when she heard about the Tiandihui and Longkodo.
The mastermind behind the scenes is revealed, and even a thousand cuts and pieces of blood cannot relieve her hatred! The assassin has an accomplice in the palace, and we don’t know who it is yet...
Kangxi gently hugged her waist and sighed, "It was my negligence."
Yun Xiu leaned on his neck and calmed down. A wave of annoyance filled his heart. Longkodo truly interpreted the saying "Wildfires cannot be extinguished, spring breezes will bring new life".
She was unwilling to continue to play around and pretend to be nice. After the emperor left, Concubine Yi held the thin piece of paper that was passed from outside the palace, touched her slightly bulging belly, and said lightly: "Since it is hidden deep and can't be seen easily, every time we find the nails, we will pull them out one by one."
We should also do one good deed every day and pray for little Eleven.
Her peach blossom eyes were filled with a chilling light that captivated people. This was a look that her master had not seen for a long time. Ruizhu was shocked and responded with a low “yes”.
With Yunxiu's order, all the spies who had been hiding for many years started to move. Her home court was no longer in the previous dynasty. The emperor would take care of Longkodo, the stray dog. By then, she only needed to wait for the traitor's fate.
The time for the investigation was short, so he had time to do other things. Yun Xiu had also heard about the five-day ultimatum that Kangxi had given to the governors of the Nine Gates.
"Go back to the old house and farm?" She raised her eyebrows. "Is the emperor speaking in anger?"
Seeing that some palace maids lowered their heads, and some had a hesitant look in their eyes saying "no", Yun Xiu thought to herself, could it be that the emperor had some sequelae from the spicy "red pill"...
The ridiculous thought left a faint trace in his mind, and soon after, Yun Xiu's smile faded. The traitor was able to hide, but he must have hidden in a place that could not be found, so it might not be so easy.
But the time set by the emperor was approaching, and he actually found it!
"Soetu..." Unexpectedly but reasonably, Yun Xiu picked up the scissors and with a click, the extra crabapple branches and leaves fell off and landed at her feet.
It is said that life is like a play and a play is like life, but with these two people taking turns to perform, it is really a play within a play.
Even the ending came unexpectedly.
"How was the traitor exposed?"
**
Rong Fei was also full of questions and puzzled. Hiding her surprise and sudden realization, she twisted her Buddhist beads and finally smiled, saying to her confidant, "Suo Etu, maybe he has a rebellious nature and has long been rebellious. Harboring a traitor is the same crime as him. This time he will die, and no one can save him."
Although the prince seldom interacted with them, his once close great-uncle became an accomplice of the traitor, which was no different from cutting off one's own arm. Hesheli became a complete joke!
Longkodo has long been useless, and the current situation is exactly what Rong Fei wants to see, but...
She stared closely at the person who reported it and asked softly, "Who noticed his whereabouts?"
…
This matter involved a great deal of seriousness, and it was not something that could be decided by the Nine Gates Admiral alone. After Hesheli finished speaking, the government office was in an uproar, and the officials' sleepiness disappeared without a trace, and they all shuddered at the same time.
Wearing armor, the Nine-Gate Commander entered the palace overnight, knelt respectfully in the imperial study, and reported everything to Kangxi in detail. Then he broke out in a cold sweat, lowered his head, and swallowed his saliva with bated breath.
His official position and residence were still there, and the luggage he had packed overnight was no longer needed, but he really couldn't be happy.
Hearing this sudden thunderbolt, the emperor might be so angry that he would want his head, and he would have nowhere to complain. Suo Etu also has rebellious intentions... These eight words kept repeating in his mind, and the more the Nine Gates Admiral thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor said calmly, "Send troops to surround the palace. Those who harbor the fugitive will be punished together with the fugitive. I will not tolerate them."
The Nine-Gate Admiral felt a chill rising up in his chest and wanted to catch a glimpse of the Holy Face, but he forced himself to hold it back.
"I obey your orders."
Over there, Yun Xiu got up early. When she heard the report, her heart was moved. "Hesheli?"
"Yes. I sent a sign overnight and waited outside the palace early in the morning, waiting for the Queen to summon me..."
"Please come in."
As soon as Hesheli entered the palace, she knelt down and bowed. Without waiting for Yunxiu to call her, she said softly, "My queen, in recent days, Longkodo has made me feel uneasy and sleepless. After much thought, I decided to hire a troupe that went to Beijing to make a living... because the main actress there looks 70% like Li Si'er."
"Since he is deeply in love with her," she said, "I will fulfill his deep love for him."