Chapter 525: Privately Making the Dragon Robe

525. Chapter 525: Privately Making the Dragon Robe

Learned that this workshop had a share for Qiao Sheng.

The Empress narrowed her eyes and said, "I've been worried about not finding a chance to deal with that lowly Shi Qing, but now the opportunity has come to us!"

She gestured for her trusted aide, Granny Zhang, to come over.

Granny Zhang, upon hearing the Empress finish, immediately acted as she instructed.

On the night of December 26.

Qiao Sheng and the others were rushing to finish the last batch of plush toys to sell when a loud noise suddenly came from the gate.

"An Yi, go check it out."

Shi Lin jumped to his feet.

An Yi leapt onto the roof and soon returned to report, "The outside is surrounded by soldiers…"

"Who is leading the troops?"

Shi Lin stared at An Yi and asked.

An Yi replied to him, "The one leading the troops is…"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A deep male voice came from outside: "Search, Sir—leave no corner unchecked."

Upon hearing that the visitors were from the Empress's natal family,

Shi Lin thought, "This is bad," and had An Yi go notify Qiao Sheng and the others while he went out to meet them.

"Lord Ye, what brings you here this time?"

Ye Jinying locked eyes with Shi Lin and said, "Someone reported that you and the Shi family, together with the Lanxiang Embroidery Workshop, are privately making dragon robes; as an official, I naturally have come to investigate!"

Privately making dragon robes!

Shi Lin guessed what was happening and said, "Lord Ye, as Commander of the Nine Gates, is this how you act? No matter what, the Shi family has also received deep imperial favor; you didn't even report to the Emperor before bringing people to search?"

Ye Jinying finished speaking and said in a deep voice, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and let me search!"

I'm doing this not because I'm afraid you'll run away. I've already sent word to the Emperor's side; soon, the Emperor will also send people to arrest you!

Qiao Sheng, upon hearing An Yi's report, immediately had him go find out what was going on.

An Yi returned quickly.

After hearing his report,

Qiao Sheng narrowed her eyes and said, "It seems someone is trying to frame us. An Yi, hurry and go with An Er and the others to search everywhere—they must have had people hide the dragon robes they made in the Lanxiang Embroidery Workshop in advance…"

An Yi then left.

Cheng Xianglan panicked and said, "Ah Sheng, who wants to frame us? What should we do now?"

"Don't panic, all of you—panicking just makes us look guilty. Do what you're supposed to do."

After Qiao Sheng finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something and called Cheng Xianglan to a secluded spot to talk: "Sister Xianglan, have there been any strangers coming here these days?"

Cheng Xianglan shook her head.

Everyone who came was someone we knew.

Those we didn't know weren't allowed into the workshop.

She asked a few more questions.

Qiao Sheng glanced over the embroiderers in the workshop and quickly noticed one of them looking around nervously.

She didn't go straight to ask her, but quietly asked Cheng Xianglan instead.

She asked for clarification.

She felt that embroiderer was suspicious.

Qiao Sheng had Cheng Xianglan find an excuse to take the embroiderers next door, while she called Cheng Jingyu and Yin Li to search here.

They searched for a while but found nothing.

It was clear the soldiers outside were about to find them.

Qiao Sheng's gaze fell on a large chest not far away, normally used for storing thread and such, and it was positioned exactly in the direction that embroiderer kept looking.

She had the answer in her mind.

Qiao Sheng strode over to the chest, opened it, and saw an unfinished dragon robe inside; her heart skipped a beat—there really was one.

Qiao Sheng immediately stowed the dragon robe in her space, noticed the thread for embroidering dragon robes inside as well, and put that away too.

Cheng Jingyu and Yin Li were searching at that moment and didn't notice.

Otherwise, they would surely have been startled.

Qiao Sheng had just closed the lid when a loud male voice came from the doorway: "What are you doing?"