Steal my marriage? Turn around and marry the tyrant to take the throne

When Fatu Temple was initially sealed off, its regulations and records of repairs over the years were also kept here.

It records the structure, regulations, and major and minor repairs of various buildings in Fatu Temple.

The tiny characters, densely packed together, describe the dimensions of beams and columns, the styles of doors and windows, and the paving of floor tiles.

Li Changde patiently read through the text line by line.

The above records indicate that the guest rooms in the west wing were all solidly built with blue bricks, and there was nothing unusual about them.

However, when Fatu Temple was sealed off, it was discovered that the third, fourth, and fifth side rooms had hidden doors leading to adjacent rooms.

It opens silently and closes perfectly. The outer cover is made of silk, leaving no trace.

When investigating the Xingchen case, everyone knew that Fatu Temple was a place where filth and evil were rampant, so it was not surprising that a secret room would appear in such a place.

The person in charge went into the secret room to check, but found nothing, so he didn't take the matter to heart.

Now, looking closely... when Jiang Changzai went to Fatu Temple to worship Buddha, the room where he rested was the third one!

Li Changde couldn't help but think that if Jiang Changzai really had something going on with Xingchen, they might very well meet in secret through a hidden room...

Afterwards, they each went their separate ways, without anyone knowing.

Of course, this is just his speculation, without any evidence.

But the Fatu Temple has already been destroyed, and finding witnesses and physical evidence is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Unless you target the people around Chiang Kai-shek.

Her personal maid, Basho, might know something.

However, since Consort Jiang was a concubine, without evidence, Li Changde dared not rashly interrogate the people around her.

After all, if no evidence is found in the end, he would be framing a concubine.

Li Changde cannot bear this charge.

So he went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and reported to the emperor: "...Your Majesty, after carefully examining the construction records of Fatu Temple when it was sealed off, I discovered that several of the superior rooms used by distinguished guests in the temple have secret passages that connect to adjacent rooms."

"The people who conducted the initial investigation discovered these secret rooms, went inside to check, and found only some ordinary miscellaneous items. They made a record of it but did not investigate further."

“This servant discovered that when Jiang Chang went to Fatu Temple to offer incense on the ninth day of the tenth lunar month last year, he went to the third room to rest.”

"If...if she and Xingchen...then this secret room can remain undetected by gods or ghosts, avoiding all eyes and ears..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Changde felt a sense of shock.

What's even more troublesome is that, with the passage of time, Fatu Temple has become a ruin.

The monks who handled this matter have either turned to bones or disappeared without a trace during the cleansing.

The secret room was empty; no trace was found at the time, and it's even less likely that any physical evidence will remain now.

Confirming this groundbreaking conjecture would be an impossible task.

Li Changde hesitated for a moment, but still braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, it is difficult to find old acquaintances in the temple. The only breakthrough now... may be with Consort Jiang."

“Her personal maid, Basho, has served her since childhood. If... if this is true, Basho might know about it, or notice something amiss.”

The more Nangong Xuanyu listened, the colder his expression became: "Since it is a point of doubt, it should be investigated. Go and question him."

As for Li Changde's investigation of Bajiao, what kind of fear will it bring to Chiang Chang-tsai?

If Jiang Changzai were to find out that the Emperor suspected her of having an affair with Xingchen, would she be heartbroken and disappointed?

These matters were clearly not within Nangong Xuanyu's consideration.

In his eyes, Consort Jiang was no different from the other women in the harem.

Her joys and sorrows, her innocence and reputation, were insignificant in the face of imperial power struggles.

When Nangong Xuanyu is in a good mood, he may bestow favors and rewards upon him.

When in doubt, they will interrogate without mercy.

Li Changde felt a chill run down his spine, instantly understanding the emperor's attitude.

What His Majesty wants is the truth; Jiang Changzai's feelings are of no importance: "This servant understands."

"Go."

Li Changde left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, already having made his plans.

He could not openly interrogate Basho.

It wasn't that I was afraid of Jiang Changzai's obstruction, but rather that it concerned His Majesty's dignity.

Moreover, the Xingchen case had been over for so long that Li Changde did not want any more trouble in the palace.

He summoned a young eunuch and instructed him, "Go to Lingyan Pavilion and find Consort Jiang's personal maid, Banana."

“Take this: a few days ago, when Consort Jiang ran into Lady Jiang in the Imperial Garden, there are some details that she needs to explain.”

The young eunuch blinked, somewhat puzzled as to why he was asking about this matter again after so much time had passed.

But he knew the rules of the palace well, and he should never speak out of turn. He obediently replied, "Yes, this servant understands, I will go now."

Li Changde watched the little eunuch turn and leave, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

This reason makes sense.

His Majesty once personally inquired about this matter with Consort Jiang, and now that he has asked the palace maids to verify it, no one can find any fault with it.

……

Lingyan Pavilion.

A young palace maid came in and reported: "Your Highness, Sister Banana, the eunuch from the Hall of Mental Cultivation has arrived. He says that Chief Eunuch Li wants to ask Sister Banana a question."

Jiang Changzai raised his eyes: "What do you want to ask?"

The young palace maid said, "The eunuch said it was because of what happened when the young mistress met Jiang Shi before."

Jiang Changzai frowned.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Jiang Wange had faked her death and was likely already on her way to escape the Great Zhou territory with the Xiongnu.

Why does Li Changde want to question Bajiao?

Jiang Changzai couldn't help but feel fortunate that Bajiao was unaware of what he had done.

Otherwise, if we give ourselves away, things could get really bad.

Basho's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked at Consort Jiang: "Your Highness..."

Didn't you already explain things clearly about the matter with Lady Jiang?

What could possibly warrant Chief Steward Li's personal attention to about a mere palace maid like her?

Jiang Changzai could only say, "Since it is Chief Steward Li who has summoned you, then go and tell the truth."

"Yes."

Basho composed herself and walked outside.

Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she was taken to a side hall for questioning.

Li Changde feigned indifference and said, "...I called you here today to ask you about the details of your mistress's chance encounter with Lady Jiang in the Imperial Garden a few days ago."

"His Majesty is extremely busy with state affairs, and he only asked a few questions that day."

"We think that we should ask the people who served us at the time about some details, so that we can keep a record for future reference and avoid any unnecessary disputes in the future."

Slightly relieved, Basho carefully recalled the events of that day and then recounted them in detail.

After she finished speaking, Li Changde nodded, a satisfied look on his face: "...Yes, that was very clear."

"Miss Banana is a meticulous person, no wonder Consort Jiang relies on her."

Then, he subtly changed the subject, as if chatting casually, and said, "It's quite a coincidence, but I recently came across some records and learned that before entering the palace last year, Consort Jiang also went to Fatu Temple to pray for blessings?"

"But on the ninth day of the tenth month?"

Basho took it as a routine check and nodded, saying, "Yes, Chief Steward Li."

"The day before Your Highness entered the palace, you did go to Fatu Temple with the Lady to offer incense and pray for a safe and smooth journey after entering the palace."