Chapter 358: Shocking Secret (3)

After the sound of their footsteps ran far away, Gu Yun approached Zhuo Qing and laughed softly: "You did it on purpose?"

Zhuo Qing shrugged, "She should have known long ago." In fact, when Qingfeng asked her last time, she had already thought about being honest with her, but there was no chance that time, and later she didn't ask, so it wasn't easy for her to mention it specifically. Letting them enter the palace to investigate this case this time, taking this opportunity to let Qingfeng see clearly was also good.

Gu Yun thought about it and nodded in agreement: "This is also good." Occupying someone else's body was not her wish, and it would be too inappropriate to consume other people's feelings with this body. However, Gu Yun looked at the bloated and rotten corpse not far away and couldn't help but smile. Qing's method, would it be too fierce...

The autumn sun was hot, and the noon sun was bright and dazzling. Qingfeng's eyes were confused, just like her heart. Only the pace under her feet became more and more urgent, as if eager to escape. Ruyi supported Qingfeng, thinking that she was scared by the corpse just like herself, but Qingfeng walked faster and faster, and later almost ran. Ruyi finally felt that something was wrong. Holding her hand, she found that her palms were wet and her fingertips were as cold as snow. Ruyi said anxiously: "Mistress, your hands are so cold, where are you uncomfortable?"

What echoed in Qingfeng's mind were the two women in the room wearing the faces of her elder sister and younger sister. They were so familiar and so strange. They answered and asked, cooperating tacitly, as if they had practiced countless times. At this moment, Qingfeng had no doubts in her heart, only deep powerlessness. They... they were not her elder sister and younger sister, not...

Through several days of investigation and the claiming of the deceased's personal belongings, the identity of the deceased had been determined. It was a palace maid in the palace named Yiyue. After disappearing for three days, her body was found in the well in the East Garden. The East Garden was a relatively remote courtyard in the harem, and the water well was rarely used. It was dug to prevent fire in the east of the harem without water to save it.

For this case, Yan Hongtian didn't hand it over to the Ministry of Justice, and Gu Yun couldn't mobilize Dan Yulan's people, so she had to transfer Ge Jingyun and Leng Xiao to her side.

"Knock, knock, knock," Zhuo Qing and Gu Yun were discussing the case in a low voice when a knock on the door suddenly rang out. Gu Yun said loudly: "Come in."

Leng Xiao pushed open the door but didn't enter, saying: "Head, I found a palace maid who said she saw the deceased a few days ago."

Gu Yun's eyes lit up and said: "Invite her in."

Before long, Leng Xiao led a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl in. When the girl first walked in, she was very restrained, not daring to raise her head. When she arrived in front of Gu Yun and Zhuo Qing, she immediately knelt down, "This servant Fei'er greets the two Mistresses."

Facing such a scene, Gu Yun was very unaccustomed to it. She went up and pulled her up, pointed to the chair on the side, and said: "Sit down and speak."

The girl hurriedly took two steps back, saying anxiously: "This servant doesn't dare."

Gu Yun was helpless, used a clever force to pull the girl to the side of the chair, pressed her shoulders to make her sit on the chair, and said: "I ask what, you just answer truthfully."

The girl swallowed nervously and nodded.

"What is your relationship with the deceased, and when was the last time you saw her?"

Gu Yun's severe voice scared the girl into trembling violently. She replied timidly: "Yiyue is... this servant's fellow villager. This servant last saw her... on the night three days ago."

Zhuo Qing squinted at Gu Yun with amusement. Gu Yun curled her lips, reflecting on herself. She was used to being loud and direct in the General's Mansion, and her tone was indeed a bit cold and hard, scaring people. Gu Yun coughed lightly, trying to soften her voice as much as possible, and said: "Don't be afraid, just tell me in detail what you know."

The girl raised her eyes slightly, seeing Zhuo Qing and Gu Yun's expressions were gentle, the girl calmed down and replied: "That night, just past the hour of Hai, Yiyue suddenly ran to find this servant in a panic, asking to borrow one hundred taels of silver. This servant didn't have so much money, so I asked her what happened. She said she knew a shocking secret and had to escape the palace immediately, otherwise she would definitely die. This servant asked her what the secret was, but she wouldn't say. This servant had no choice but to give her the only ten taels of silver on her body. There has been no news of her these past few days. This servant thought she had really escaped the palace, who knew... who knew..."

"When you last saw her, were there any wounds on her body?"

The girl thought about it and shook her head: "No, she was just pale, as if she was really scared."

"Did she give you anything?"

"Yes." The girl nodded immediately and took a pink-purple silk handkerchief from her sleeve, respectfully handing it to Gu Yun. "A silk handkerchief, she said it was for this servant to keep as a souvenir."

Gu Yun took it, looked at it carefully from front to back, and there was nothing special except for a pattern embroidered on the bottom right corner.

Gu Yun looked at the pattern carefully. It seemed to be a character, but it was specially designed and somewhat deformed. She could understand ordinary traditional characters, but she didn't understand this one. Zhuo Qing also shook her head helplessly.

Gu Yun thought about it and beckoned to Leng Xiao beside her, asking without any embarrassment: "What character is this?"

Leng Xiao was stunned for a moment, took a look, and replied: "It is a 'Lan' character."

Looking at the silk handkerchief again, there were no clues for the time being. Gu Yun said to the girl who had been sitting uneasily, "You go back first. If there is anything to ask you, we will summon you again."

"Yes, this servant takes her leave." The girl let out a sigh of relief, saluted, and retreated. Leng Xiao also followed out.

Gu Yun studied the handkerchief on the table again. Zhuo Qing suddenly laughed: "Aren't you afraid they will say you are illiterate?" Just now, Leng Xiao's surprised expression made her want to laugh. She guessed that no matter what, he wouldn't believe that the talented woman famous in the world didn't know characters!

"The character is twisted like that, I don't recognize it, and I'm not afraid of them saying it. However..." Gu Yun smiled strangely, "I guess they wouldn't dare."

Looking at her proud appearance, Zhuo Qing rolled her eyes at her and lowered her head to study the silk handkerchief.

"Shocking secret?" Zhuo Qing muttered to herself, guessing what could be considered a shocking secret in the palace.

Gu Yun pointed to the character on the handkerchief and said: "It seems we have to start with this 'Lan' character. The texture of this handkerchief is not bad, not something a palace maid would use. Go and ask the people in the palace's silk weaving house, maybe there will be clues."

Gu Yun always acted swiftly and decisively. Once she had clues, she wouldn't let them go. The two took the handkerchief to the silk weaving house. This time they were investigating the case by imperial decree, and Gao Jin also assigned an old eunuch to cooperate with them. With someone leading the way, the two soon found an old nanny who had worked in the silk weaving house for thirty or forty years.

Gu Yun took out the silk handkerchief, handed it to her, and asked: "Do you recognize this silk handkerchief?"

The old nanny took the silk handkerchief and felt it in her hand for a while. When she touched the 'Lan' character on the silk handkerchief, her fingers paused, but soon she returned the silk handkerchief to Gu Yun and replied: "This old servant doesn't recognize it."

The strange color in her eyes just now didn't escape Gu Yun's eyes. Gu Yun didn't take the silk handkerchief and replied faintly: "If you don't recognize it, what are you afraid of?"

The old nanny raised her head in a panic, looked into Gu Yun's clear eyes, and then lowered her head helplessly, pointing to the corner of the silk handkerchief, saying: "This old servant recognizes this 'Lan' character."

Gu Yun had a premonition that this old nanny must know something. She didn't force her why she lied just now, but continued to ask: "Is there anything special about the pattern of this 'Lan' character?"

The old nanny nodded slowly and replied in a low voice: "'Lan' was the maiden name of the former Imperial Concubine. Things she used in the past, silk handkerchiefs, dresses, would all be embroidered with this character, so this old servant recognizes it. But since the Imperial Concubine passed away, I haven't seen this character again. Seeing this character again now, this old servant felt a bit dazed."

Dazed? Dazed to the point of lying? Gu Yun stared at the old nanny's face, not letting go of a trace of her expression, and continued: "Who was the Imperial Concubine?"

"'Lan' was named Qiu Lan. She had been by the Emperor's side before the Emperor ascended the throne, and the Emperor loved her very much. However, the Imperial Concubine was weak, and the imperial physician said she suffered from tuberculosis. Later, the illness became more and more serious, often coughing up blood, and more than seven years ago... she passed away." The old nanny always kept her head down, but she could feel Gu Yun's burning gaze, and her voice became smaller and smaller.

Gu Yun asked not lightly or heavily: "Died of illness?"

The old nanny's shoulders trembled slightly, and then she immediately nodded and said: "The imperial physician said so."

Gu Yun crossed her hands on her chest, as if thinking about something. The old nanny continued to keep her head down, looking like a duty-bound person. Gu Yun didn't speak, and Zhuo Qing opened her mouth: "What about the people who served her before?"

"After the Imperial Concubine was gone, the people who served her were scattered to various palaces and courtyards, and some were released from the palace when they reached the age." The old nanny turned to Zhuo Qing, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. The young woman behind her had a pair of sharp eyes, making her feel like she had nowhere to hide.

"Do you know which concubine she was close to before? Is her personal maid still in the palace?" Finding the person who had been by the Imperial Concubine's side might reveal the secret of this silk handkerchief.

"The Imperial Concubine was often with the Empress before, but her personal maid..."

The old nanny stopped talking. Gu Yun suddenly asked: "What is the name of her personal maid, and where is she now?"

It seemed that if she didn't ask clearly, this General's wife wouldn't give up. The old nanny sighed secretly, didn't dodge too much, and replied: "Her name is Hui Jun. She was always duty-bound. I don't know why, but after the Imperial Concubine left, she actually ran to the Empress's palace to steal things and was caught red-handed. Originally, being caught, getting a beating, and being expelled from the palace for a year or two would be released. Who knew she actually offended the Empress, and I heard she also hurt the Empress's hand, so she was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, and I don't know what year or month she will be released."

Gu Yun took out the small piece of broken cloth again and asked: "Do you recognize this kind of cloth?"

The old nanny looked at it carefully for a while and shook her head: "This old servant is only responsible for the masters' clothing and accessories, and this piece of cloth is too small, so I can't recognize what it is."

What should be asked had been asked, Gu Yun put away the broken cloth and the silk handkerchief, and said: "Thank you."

The old nanny bowed repeatedly as if frightened, "This is making this old servant feel ashamed, this old servant dare not accept it."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 359 =====